Red Lion is flying through open space. Keith has the radar scan on screen, he sighes deeply when nothing pops up. "There's nothing out here, Coran."

"I'm sorry, Keith." Coran apologizes.

"I'm coming home." Keith turns his Lion around and heads back to the castle.

XxXxXxX

Sakura stands in the Red Lion's hanger when Red Lion returns. Once the lion lands, Keith walks out a moment later.

"Anything?" She asks as he walks up to her, he shakes his head.

"No, nothing." He turns to look up at Red Lion, Morph flies over and sits on Keith's shoulder, and gently rubs against his neck.

"He couldn't have just disappeared without a trace." She looks up at Red Lion. "If he somehow left Black Lion, all our Lions would've picked up on it." She paused. "Wouldn't it?"

Keith shrugged. "I don''t know. It was hell out there."

Sakura sighs, she takes his hand. "Come on. You need to take a nap." She pulls him by the hand, and he lets her. "You haven't slept since."

"I don't want to nap." He protested, and she stopped and turned to him.

"You're going to have that nap." She uses her free hand to point at him. "Or I'm going to lock you in your room."

He stares at her, wondering if she was serious. "You can't lock the doors, they're automatic."

She smiled. "I'll have Coran, or Pidge lock your door." Even though she was smiling, her tone was serious. "Oh, and Morph is going to make sure you nap."

He sighed deeply. "Ok. Fine."

XxXxXxXx

In his bedroom, Keith sat on his bed. "I don't need Morph watching me sleep." He looks over to Morph, who's making himself comfy on top of his jacket.

"This isn't helping you." Sakura told him with her arms folded as she leaned on the wall. "Shiro wouldn't want you to act like this."

He turns to look at her. "He would want us to find him."

"Not at this rate!" She said firmly. "Shiro wouldn't want you to do this to yourself! And neither do I."

Keith folds his arms, leaning back on his bed.

She sighed. "After my sister was killed, Uncle Joey did what you're doing now. He wouldn't sleep, or nap, or eat."

He looked at her again. "I'm sorry."

She walks over to the bed and sits next to him, as he straightens up. "Please, just take this nap." She pleads.

"For you." He takes both her hands, gently squeezing them. "I will."

She smiles. "Thank you." She kisses his cheek.

XxXxXxX

Sakura walks into the lounge to find Pidge, Allura, and Coran.

"How's Keith doing?" Allura asks gently, as Sakura walks over to a couch and sits down.

"I finally convinced him to take a nap." Sakura puts her elbows on her knees and puts her chin in both her palms.

"Good." Pidge nods. "He's been on the hunt for Shiro ever since he disappeared."

"It has all of us on edge." Sakura replied. "But mostly Keith. Shiro was a father figure to him. Looking out for him when no one else would."

Lance and Hunk walked in, still wearing their armor.

"Hey guys, how was your mission?" Sakura asks as Hunk plops down on the couch next to her.

"Well, they haven't figured out their flatbread situation yet, but what they do with those centipedes is just out of this world." He spoke while almost drooling.

"And they're totally ready to join the fight against the Galra." Lance said with a satisfied smile as he leaned back on the couch, next to Pidge.

"We brought back a few of their leaders to join the coalition." Hunk added, and Sakura straightened up.

"That's splendid, excellent work!" Allura praised the two with her hands clasped together with excitement.

"You know, I gotta say, this is what it's all about. Freein the people, lovin' the ladies, then bombin' down the road again looking for adventure, Voltron style." Lance said, smiling widely as he scrolled through the pictures on his cell phone. Suddenly the atmosphere in the room changed.

"Lance." Sakura throws a pillow at him, he looks up just as the pillow is launched into his face.

"Ow!"

"Which brings up a little issue. They all want to see Voltron." Hunk started silently. "Only we don't really have Voltron anymore."

"We don't have Shiro anymore, either." Sakura said, catching the pillow with ease after Lance threw it back at her. "Everyone seems to have forgotten that." Everyone was quiet at that statement, cause it was true without Shiro there is no Voltron.

Finally, Allura cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "It may be difficult for us all to accept ... but it is time to think about finding a new pilot for the Black Lion." She said carefully.

The Paladins stare at the Princess with shock and surprise.

"That's not happening!" Sakura jumped to her feet.

"I'm sorry Sakura. But I'm afraid we have no choice." Allura confirmed. Silence filled the room once again.

"He disappeared, it doesn't mean he's dead!" Sakura yelled with anger and a snap, breaking the silence. It got silent again.

Allura cleared her throat again. "Well be having an alliance meeting tomorrow. Be sure to make a good impression for all allies." She decided to change the subject.

Sakura stalked out of room, Allura started to go after her, but Lance put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Let her go."

XxXxXxX

The next morning, Keith was in his armor and he found Lance and Hunk in a hallway. "What's going on?" He questions as he walks over to them, and they turn to look at him.

"Sakura blew up at Allura yesterday." Hunk started, and Keith stared at him.

"Again?"

Lance nodded. "Yeah, but that was after Allura." He trailed off when Keith looked at him.

"What?"

"Allura wants to find a new Paladin for the Black Lion." Hunk revealed, and Keith's eyes widened.

"What!?" He gasped.

"You know how Allura can get." Lance replied. "Remember when she wanted to come with us for a mission. She was out voted, and she still got to come!"

Keith shook his head. "Damn." He folds his arms. "So, what's happening now?"

"Diplomatic meeting." Hunk answered.

"Great, there is no way that we'll be able to avoid the subject for Voltron." Keith punched the wall next to him.

Sakura, and Pidge walk over to them. "Let the games begin." Pidge replied. "Are we really ready for this?"

"We don't have a choice." Sakura sighed. And together they walked towards the dining room quietly, all five in thought. The Paladins walked over to their regular seats and sat down. Multiple aliens sit across from them, looking at each other.

"It is our honor to have you all here together." Allura starts the meeting, smiling at their guests and giving them a big bright smile.

"I had the biggest bunker back on Puig, but it wasn't nearly this nice." The Puigian alien said, smiling.

"Well, I spent the last decade sleeping in a spiny thistle thicket." A fishlike alien spoke, voice gurgling. "You look wonderful though, Princess. I'm glad I put on my best tarp."

Hunk came into the room wearing an apron and carrying a small tray. "Welcome, everyone, welcome!" He announced happily, sitting a bowl on the table. It almost looked like Earth food. "I've prepared a few Earth canapes for our distinguished guests to enjoy while we talk galactic diplomacy." He said proudly. The guests looking at the bowl wide eyed. Before the guests could even taste the food. Kolivan stood up from his seat.

"The Blade of Marmora has gathered this intelligence." He bluntly stated as a hologram of the universe of where all the places the Galra empire had invaded, appeared on top of the table. "As you can see, the Galra Empire is still the most massive ruling force the universe has ever seen. The sheer size of it is almost incomprehensible. It seems like it could rule another 10,000 years."

A smaller alien tries to eat, but he is frozen in his spot and shaking in fear. Lance, and Sakura leaned toward one another, each frowning.

"Not the way I would have started this pep talk, but okay." Lance whispered to Sakura, who nods.

"However we are beginning to see increase in rebel activity throughout the Empire." Kolivan continued as the marks of the hologram map lit up indicating the places where there had been signs of the rebel activaties. The guests gasps as they saw the marks increasing throughout the map.

Allura stands up. "We have a strategy to bring these forces together, free more planets, grow our numbers and accumulate an army than can defeat the Galra in major battles." She declared. "But without your help, it will be impossible."

The guests were quiet for a for awhile, pondering the situation as the hologram fades.

"The forces will all fight behind Voltron, right?" A purple alien, asks in an electronic voice, that made all the guests look at each other.

Sakura leans over to Lance, whispering. "Uh oh."

"Yes, where is Voltron?" The Puigian alien questions.

Allura looks slightly alarmed. "Th - the people you see before you are in the Paladins of Voltron. Together, they pilot the mighty lions that form the great warrior."

"Excellent! Can they form Voltron now?" The delighted Puigian asks Allura, whose smile faltered while struggling with how to answer that.

"Uh, well."-

"We can't form Voltron ok?! We can fly the lions, but Voltron is not happening." Keith said, clunching his arms even tighter against his chest. All the guests were staring at Keith surprised. And the tension in the room grew heavy quiet.

"What he means is that right now they can't do it, but."- Allura started cheerfully, until Keith interrupted.

"But nothing! Shiro is gone! He was the Black Lion! And until we find him, there is no Voltron!" Keith raises his voice as he looks at all the guests with anger in his eyes.

"The Lions are still a substanial fighting forces and this castle is also a considerable weapon. The Blade of Marmora can lead you." Kolivan said, after quickly noticing the tension in the room.

"That's very kind of you, Kolivan." Sakura gave him a nice smile, he turned to her and gave a nod in return.

"My people have been enslaved for centuries by soldiers who look exactly like you." The guest with the mechanical voice, spoke up.

"Yes!" The Puigian exclaimed. "Our people have heard the legend of Voltron, how he defeated Zarkon. That is what gave them hope. What are we suppose to tell them now?"

That sent Keith over the edge, he slams his hands on the table making both Sakura and Pidge jump startled as he stands up. Everyone is quiet at the moment. The Paladins, Coran, and Allura look at him with shock.

"Tell them to stand up and fight for themselves! Voltron is gone!" With that, Keith storms out of the room, the doors open and close behind him.

XxXxXxXx

Keith, now wearing his civilian clothes, stands in the Black Lion hanger. The lion is lying sprawled on its side. The disaster at dinner made it clear, weather they liked it or not - they had no other choice but to find a new Paladin for the Black Lion, because without Shiro or someone new - there was no Voltron.

The team stood behind Keith. Lance walks up to Keith's side.

"Hey man ... listen." Lance started. "We all miss Shiro. I remember what a thrill it was just to meet him for the first time when the two of us carried him out of that Garrison hospital."

"I grew up with my dad and Matt telling me stories about him." Pidge added. "He was a legend at our house."

"The guy taught me everything I know about being a pilot! Which isn't much. But that's more on me." Hunk added.

"Shiro taught me the secret of not being so scared while in the sky, because of my fear of heights." Sakura added.

Lance turns to Keith, eyes searching. "You're not the only one hurting, man. We're all right there with you. But you know that he would be the first one to tell us that we have to move on."

"Keith, I know exactly how you feel. But our mission is bigger than any one individual. even those who are complete irreplaceable." Allura spoke up, in a gentle voice.

Keith is quiet for a long time, Sakura walks up to stand next to Lance.

"We will find him." She promises. "But we need to learn how to put ourselves back together."

Lance, and Hunk bob their heads.

Keith sighes heavily. "I know you're right. It's time to figure out how to reform Voltron."

XxXxXx

Here's season 3! Before I forget, my OC's voice actress is Kimberly J. Brown! And I'll be introducing a new OC later