Unknown Point of View:

My ears were ringing and my temples were throbbing. My entire body ached and felt heavy. 'what happened?' I asked myself. I tried to think back. The last thing I could remember is trying to land on earth, but I wasn't ready for all of the atmosphere interference, and it was more of a crash than a landing. 'I must have blacked out.' I decided. 'but where am I, what happened to Shiro, and why do I feel so groggy. I vaguely noticed the scent of disinfectant. 'am I in a hospital?'

"What is your name" a vaguely feminine voice asked. Although I could barely hear it through all of the ringing. I tried to open my eyes, but the light was too bright.

"Tell us your name!" A second voice growled. I tried looking again. I blinked a few times, my eyes slowly adjusting to the white light. After a moment of trying to decipher my surroundings I was able to get my bearings. I'm in a white circular room with two doors. It looks like a little bit like a lab. I'm strapped down to a table in the center of the room and there are three people in orange and white hazmat suits hovering around me.

"I-" A loud crash from the left door interrupted me. I jerked in surprise so hard I accidentally undid my restraints. One of the people in Hazmat suits screamed and tried to shove a taser into my stomach. I instinctively kicked him in the gut and the taser dropped to the floor. The other two tried to restrain me, and I threw them off me with strength I didn't know I had. I stood up, still very woozy. More loud noises came from the left door, and I decided to (in my still very drugged state) check it out. I wobbled towards the door, using the wall to support me as I slowly opened it. The room was spinning, and I felt like I was going to be sick.

"Nope, no no no no, you don't I'm saving Shiro!" A very angry voice yelled as I peered into the next room.

"Who are you?" A second voice asked, I looked into the room. Two teenagers were carrying an unconscious Shiro, while two other teenagers watched. The crash must have been hard for him too.

"Who am I? Uh, the name's Lance." He paused, as if hoping for a reaction from the other teen in the red jacket. When he didn't get one he decided to elaborate. "We were in the same class at the Garrison."

'the garrison? The military space school that Viv wanted to get into when she was like six?' I thought to myself. 'Why would their students be here?'

"Really,"The teen in the red jacket muttered "are you an engineer." He looked almost bored by the whole situation.

"No I'm a pilot." The teen in the jacket and jeans insisted "We were like rivals you know! Lance and Keith! Neck and neck!"

'Is his name keith? Do they know Shiro? It wouldn't suprise me but still.' I tilted my head 'have they even noticed me yet?'

"Oh wait I remember you. You're a cargo pilot."

"well not anymore, I'm fighter class now, thanks to you washing out."

"Well congratulations"

"That's all good, but who is she!?" Yelled a much more shrill voice, I noted that it was coming from one of the teenagers by the door. Three heads whipped around to look at me at once.

I stood there for a solid three seconds before I realized that they wanted me to answer. "I'm Del," I whispered, my voice cracked and sounded hoarse, 'how long have I been out?' "Well my full name's Delany Gardel" I pointed towards the unconscious Shiro. "I-I was on the ship with him." I bit my lip. "Do you know him?"

Keith nodded "You should come too." He looked at the door "you shouldn't be here alone." he took a deep breath. "I don't know what they'll do to you."

"Um guys!" The big one in the yellow shirt added. "They're coming back, and they do NOT look happy." he looked pale and out of breath "We gotta go!"

Keith looked at me" Can you walk."

I nodded, and followed the group out the door. We ran out of the lab and towards a really nice looking red hover-bike.

"Do you mind if we catch a ride with you?" The big yellow one asked, before hopping on and tilting the whole thing backwards.

"Is this thing gonna be big enough for all of us?" The green one with the shrill voice asked. I decided that they were probably a girl, but I couldn't quite tell, so I'd ask later. They/She helped me onto the red bike.

"No! Keith stated angrily. I got the feeling he was stressing out, and if I hadn't spent the last few years in Galra captivity, I would be too. He revved up the bike and began driving... hovering? away from the garrison. I was right behind Keith and in front of Shiro, Lance and the other two teenagers.

"Why am I holding this guy?" green kid shouted. Which wasn't exactly helping my budding headache. I winced in pain.

"Can't this thing go any faster!" Lance yelled.

"We can toss out some non-essential weight." Keith replied sarcasticly, but at least he wasn't yelling so there was that.

"OH right!" Lance looked around for non-essential weight for a second, and I could only roll my eyes. "Okay so that was an insult I get it."

Keith started giving instructions to the guy in the yellow shirt about leaning left and right, and it was terrifying how fast we turned when he did that. It made me feel a little sick, but the garrison rover/buggies couldn't keep up with our erratic turning and were knocking each other out. They guy in the yellow shirt started making statements about different people taking out other people. I figured they were their teachers.

"Big man! Lean right!" Keith ordered, and we flew off a ledge on a cliff, to a lower ledge on a different cliff. The screaming was only making my headache worse. There was only one or two buggies left.

"Guys, is-is that a cliff up ahead?!" yellow guy yelled. That was quickly followed by lots and lots of screaming and 'no's.

"Yup." the engine revved and we flung ourselves off of a cliff. More screaming commenced.

"What are you doing!?" Lance screamed at the top of his lungs, fighting to be heard over the screams of Yellow shirt and green shirt. "You're going to kill us all!"

"God I hope so." I muttered

"Shut up and trust me." Keith shouted back

"Can everyone stop screaming! It's giving me a headache." I groaned as we hurtled towards the bottom.

Keith revved up the bike again and slowed our descent, we continued going across the dessert, far from the garrison and it's rovers.

It took us an hour and a half to get to the small shack out in the dessert where Keith lived. It was a dual room shack with a tiny porch, a garage like structure attached to the shack, a single tree, and the scattered remains of a wooden fence. It was depressing. I had longed to return to earth for so long, and now... I feel disappointed. I guess I never thought about the consequences of being in space for so long. I don't even know how long.

Keith walked over to me, he had already gotten everyone else settled, including Shiro. "Hey."

I looked up at him, his eyes looked bloodshot, and he had slight bags under his eyes. "He'll be fine. Shiro's tougher than he looks." I smiled up at him.

"How did you?" Keith sputtered. "I- I haven't told anyone-"

I decided to interrupt "You didn't need to." I took a deep breath and looked up at the stars. "I'm good at reading people, it's a talent of mine." I turn back towards him. "You must be Keith. He talked about you a lot."

Keith collapsed next to me. "What happened? How do you know him" He was shaking now. Shiro must have been gone a long time, but not long enough for the edges of grief to dull.

"It's a long story, and I don't really know even half of it. I don't even know if Shiro would want me to tell you." I took a deep breath. "I think that's something he should do himself." I messed with the torn pieces of the purple skintight suit that I was wearing. "I think explanations should wait until he wakes up, or at least until you've gotten some sleep."

Keith chuckled. "I don't know if I can." He took a steadying breath, folding his hands together. "He's been missing for over a year now. I... I never thought I'd get him back."

That made me wonder. "Can you tell me something?"

"Maybe, depends what it is."

"What's the date, like the year and everything."

"It's sometime of march 2178" Keith replied easily, "Why?"

I didn't answer. I was too lost in thought. four and a half years. I've been a prisoner in space for almost half a decade. That's so long... I wonder if anyone even remembers me anymore?

"Del?" Keith asked, I could feel a touch of concern radiating off of him. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry, I was just lost in thought" I replied.

"Why did you ask what the date was?"

"I wanted to know how long it had been since I was on earth last." I took a deep breath "It's been nearly five years." I said in disbelief, mostly to myself.

"Five years?!" Keith whistled. "I wonder how your family reacted." He whispered. I decided to keep the fact that my whole family was either dead, or off world to myself. "We should probably head back into the house before you catch something, and you need a new set of clothes."

I looked down at my very damaged purple suit and chuckled. It was covered in scratches, bloodstains, quintessence, and what looks like dirt, while my hair fell from it's bun around my face. "Desperately" I stood up and offered Keith my hand. "Do you have a shower or something? I feel nasty."

"Yeah, follow me, just let me get some clothes and a towel for you real fast!" Keith grabbed my hand and I pulled him up. Following him into the house as he ducked into the room and grabbed various items. I was eventually ushered into a small, and rickety bathroom. It had a dirty sink, a cracked mirror, and a toilet and shower/tub. Keith handed me a small pile of items. "There's a hairbrush, some deodorant, It's men's, sorry about that, one of Shiro's old sweaters, some soap, a pair of leggings, a towel, some socks, and a pair of combat boots that might fit you."

I looked over the items. "Keith thank you so much, this is way more than I was hoping for. I hate to even ask given the situation but do you have any bandages? Preferably a thick roll"

Keith tilted his head, thinking for a moment. "Yeah I do actually! I'll grab them for you!" He walked over to a closet and dug through it for a while, eventually acquiring a roll of bandage and adding it to the pile. "The hot water and the lock don't work by the way... sorry." He rubbed the back of his head.

"It's totally fine, thank you so much for everything." I turned towards the door and closed it, blocking it with a stool that I found in the corner next to the sink. I put the pile of items on the stool, towel last, and got ready to take my first shower in ages.

After I had taken my shower, I felt like a completely new person. I used the bandages to secure my... chest area... and just washed and re-wore my underwear. The leggings were a little snug, but fit well, and the boots fit perfectly. As for the sweater, well it was way too big, but it would work, I could tailor it later. I finally turned to my hair. It was so much longer than it had been when I had left earth. While wet and straight it fell to my mid thigh! I decided to pull it back into it's bun, but brushing it took forever. By the time I finished the first rays of morning began to shine through the shutters of the bathroom window. I moved the stool and walked out to see all four of the teenagers fast asleep, and Shiro beginning to stir.

I moved out to the porch of the small shack, what Keith and Shiro had to work out was for them only, they didn't need me looking on. Or any of the others for that matter. I eventually fell asleep on the porch, to the sound of wind rolling across the sandy plains.