A/N. I don't own anything except for the story itself! This is my first fanfiction, so I would appreciate constructive criticism, but, please, no flames. Thanks, and enjoy! -Katrina "Kitty" Kanne

LANCE POV.

I was alone. There was nothing. Why was it so dark? I crawled forward, only to find I couldn't. Something had ahold of my legs and wouldn't let me go. I reached down, and my hand brushed against something wet. Something… slimy? What in the world was going on? Where was I? I reached down again and pulled at the thing on my legs. It wouldn't budge, so I pulled harder. It hurt. Wait. Why did it hurt? What in the actual quiznak was going on?!

Suddenly my eyes shot open. I was… sleeping? No, that couldn't be right. Wasn't I just with Keith and the others? Why wasn't I now?! Oh, that's right; we'd gone out in response to a distress signal. It was coming from a civilized planet taken over by Galra, though I couldn't remember said planet's name. What else was new?

When we landed, Keith and I were promptly sent to check out the immediate area. Why is it always Keith? Why do I have to put up with him of all people? Does Shiro think it's entertaining to pair us together for every single mission? I'm soooo going to talk to him when I get back to the castle. At any rate, everything was peaceful. Well, that is until a pair of Galra soldiers snuck up behind us and knocked Keith out.

After that, it's a blur. We fought. I tried carrying Keith back to the others, but with him on my back I was a bit slower than normal, allowing the Galra to catch up with me. They shot me in the thigh causing me to fall instantly. Let's just say we didn't make it back to the others.

And now I was there, wherever "there" was. I don't recall anything after being brought back to the Galra base. The last thing I saw was Keith being dragged into the cell opposite mine.

KEITH POV

Where… oh, right. That stupid "Sharpshooter" and I went scouting and were ambushed… Right… Wait, where is he? "Lance?" I waited for his typical sarcastic response. Oh, God, I hope he's still in his cell. "Lance, come on. You can be as upset with me as you want, but please acknowledge I'm talking to you." Ohhhhh no. I did not just sound that desperate. I. Did. Not. He didn't answer. Why didn't he answer? I got up and ran to the door of my cell.

I almost had a heart attack when I looked across the hall. He wasn't there! "LANCE?!" A Galra soldier must have overheard me because in a split second I was poked with some sort of rod. It didn't actually hurt until a fierce burst of electricity shot through me. I screamed and fell to the floor paralyzed. What in the hell was that thing? Before I really got a chance to think about that, or anything for that matter, I blacked out again.

LANCE POV

Well, I finally managed to figure out that the thing I was fighting, you know, the thing on my legs? It was, in fact, part of me… Somehow instead of legs, I undoubtedly had a fin. Did this make me, like, a "merman"? I'm never hearing the end of this, am I?

I reached out and around me. My hand swept across a firm surface. It felt like metal. Was I in some sort of metal box? This couldn't end well…

KEITH POV

I awoke to a familiar scent. I could hear something clanging on the bars of my cell, but I didn't really care. It was likely just another guard trying to gain my attention, so he had an excuse to electrocute me again. I was not falling for that trick.

"Keith! Hey, can you hear me?" Wait, that couldn't be right. The clanging on the bars, the smell, it was…

"Shiro?!" Was it really? How did he find me? Did he have Lance? I had so many questions.

"Keep it down! You'll get us caught!" Oh, that's right.

"Shiro, where's Lance?" I looked behind him, fully expecting Lance to make a remark about me not noticing his "handsome face."

"He's not with you?" Oh, no... No, no, no, no, no!

"No! He was in the cell across the hall, but obviously, he's not there now!" My words were laced with anger and frustration. I felt terrible for getting upset, but I was worried about Lance.

"Keith, we'll find him. For now, however, we need to focus on getting you out of here. We can't do anything else until that's done." He must have realized how worried I was. That was just brilliant.

"Right." I started to focus on getting to the door, rather than what Lance could possibly be going through right now. I wouldn't be much use to anyone if I couldn't even do that.

LANCE POV

'Alright… It's a box. Nothing to worry about. I'm going to be fine. I just need to find a door. Maybe a thin spot?' I was terrified. It's true. But I wasn't used to being alone. Especially without Keith coming to "yell" at me for being careless. Oh… Keith… I calmed down a little thinking about him. Was he okay, though? Where was he?

I needed to get out. I had to find him. But I needed to be careful about it. What would he think if he knew I harbored feelings for him? He'd probably despise me. I didn't want to lose what I had with him, even if it was just a rivalry. That was as close as I could get.

I spun around as best I could and knocked on the wall. Nothing. I ran my hands down, up, around, just looking for a way out. Finally, after about fifteen minutes or so (well, if I could actually tell time, that would be), I discovered something sticking out of the top of the metal container. The air was beginning to become thin, and I needed to hurry. I pulled as hard as I could, but it didn't budge. I started freaking out.

I felt around the piece and found a small, well what I believed was, a pin toward the top of the metal thing. I pulled on it and the handle-thing shot up allowing the box to fill with water. Instantly I could breathe again. I pushed myself up and out of the container. The light hurt my eyes, but after letting myself calm down and focus, I could see.

Around me, there were enormous poles connected to some sort of platform above the water. The water was bright, so I obtained a clear view of the floor of whatever body of water I was in. It was blue, like the oceans back on Earth, but it was clearer. I could see for probably a mile. The fish around me were colorful but lacked the normal scaly skin that fish on Earth did, making them seem more animated. They swam in schools of thirty or more, surveying me with glossy eyes as they swam, not afraid of me at all.

I turned around and looked at the metal box I was in. I was roughly the size of a dresser, but it was broader. I had to curl my fin to fit inside. Speaking of which, I glanced down and looked at what used to be my legs. It was a delicate blue with darker blue spots along the side. On the back was a spiny fin making it seem more dangerous than it probably needed to after seeing how peaceful the water was. The caudal fin was massive and almost transparent. It was the same color as the base of the rest of the fin. I embraced the opportunity to see how well I could move it. It proved more challenging than I thought. The water resisting my movement was thick, making it hard to swim. I pushed off the crate and fell to the floor of what I assumed was some sort of lake. There hadn't been any oceans on this planet. The sand was warm, despite the sunlight being dimmer than up on the surface.

I propped my head on a rock and spread myself out like I would if I were in my bed back in the castle. Well, as spread out as I could, that is. I gazed at the fish floating above me like clouds on a clear summer's day. It was relaxing and peaceful. Somehow all of my fears and frustrations from before had completely vanished. I wasn't even trying to figure out how to get home. I was comfortable where I was and had no intentions of leaving any time soon.

KEITH POV

I got up and jogged to the bars of my cell keeping certain I was silent the whole time. I didn't want anyone to hear us and throw my only chance of escape into a cell, too. Shiro used some sort of tool that he had presumably found before coming to find me to open the door. It looked similar to the rod that the Galra soldier had used to electrocute me earlier, but it was smaller and had some sort of writing on it. It wasn't Galra, though. I couldn't read it. He positioned it into some sort of locking mechanism and turned it like a key. The cell door swung open allowing me to step out into the hallway.

I looked at Shiro expectantly. He nodded and started off toward the right. I followed him hoping none of the guards would notice us. But when has Voltron ever actually made a clean escape? There's inevitably some sort of explosion or fighting that happens before we can return home, so my hope was hopeless. As soon as we turned the corner a Galra spotted us. He was taller than me but wasn't quite as slim. He charged at us with one of those electric rods, but I was prepared. I dodged his attack easily and struck him from behind sending him flying into the wall behind us. It definitely wasn't the hardest fight I've ever had, that was for sure.

We continued on our way as fast and as quietly as we could. Shiro had explained what had happened while Lance and I were gone. They had pinpointed the signal and discovered a mother and her two sons in some sort of aircraft. It was busted, though. Some Galra soldier had shot them down but hadn't bothered to go get them. I guess they didn't need the women and children for whatever horrendous task they kept the men for. At any rate, Pidge got the ship flying again and had them on their way in no time. Hunk had prepared lunch and everyone was just about to head back to their lions when they realized we still weren't back.

Shiro tried contacting us through our helmets but when that didn't work he commanded the others to stay with the lions and he came to find us. When he saw the blood from Lance getting shot (I'm assuming it's Lance's because there was no way that he could have taken on the Galra by himself with me out cold. It sure in hell wasn't mine. All I remembered was he lifted me onto his back and started off in the direction of the lions. That's when I blanked.) he started to worry.

Shiro narrated to me how he had gotten past the Galra guards by distracting them. He had hurled a rock to the side When one soldier had gone to go examine it, he cut down a piece of the fence. This caused a large portion to collapse. The other Galra went to investigate that and Shiro snuck inside.

When we came to the doors that lead outside I stopped. "Keith? What's wrong?" Shiro asked worriedly.

"I thought I just heard…" but then I detected it again. I ran toward where I had heard the sound the first time. Back the way we had come. I was following a familiar sound. One that I heard every day. It was Lance's voice.

I ran down the hallway and stopped to listen. I could hear Shiro coming up behind me. "What are you doing?" he asked. I knew we should go get the others just in case, but I couldn't wait. It was Lance!

I listened carefully at the end of the hall. The sound was coming from the right, the opposite direction of where my cell was. I ran as fast as I could following the sound of Lance's voice. I couldn't decipher what he was saying, but there was no misconstruing it.

About halfway down the hallway, I came to a door. I swung it open and stepped inside. That… was a mistake. Inside were four Galra soldiers hovering over a computer. The screen conveyed Lance on one of our past missions. He was calling over his shoulder to Shiro, Pidge, and I that he had uncovered something. I remember being the first one at his side, even though it was just a rock. Sure, it did look like a heart, but still. It was just a rock.

My heart sunk at the sight. I almost dropped to the floor. In fact, I would have if it wasn't for Shiro dragging me out the door as fast as he could. I returned to reality and started running. One of the Galra in the room had triggered an alarm. Ahead of us, where we needed to go to get out, stood a wall of Galra with those electric rods. We stopped where we stood. "Keith... Next time when I say we need to leave, listen, please…" Shiro sounded irritated.

"Right…" I felt pathetic. It was my fault we were in this mess. I didn't listen and took off on my own. Now we really were in trouble…

"Alright. I'll take the three on the left; you've got the right." I nodded and pulled out my sword. I charged into the group of soldiers with my arm raised, prepared to attack.

LANCE POV

As I was lying on the sand enjoying the warmth of the water I noticed something swim by. It was fast, dark, and long. 'I wonder what that is…' I thought as I followed it. I still hadn't gotten used to the density of the water or my fin, but I was getting the hang of it. I flicked my tail back and forth as a shark would and gained momentum. I pushed myself off the bottom and swam toward the figure. It slipped just out of my sight, but I knew it couldn't have gotten that far.

I used the rocks on the bottom to provide myself a boost. About a football fields' length away from where I had started my hand slipped off a rock. A jagged edge cut my arm and caused me to bleed. I didn't think anything of it until I was surrounded by fish with hunger clear in their eyes. I glanced to my left, then to my right. Up, down, behind; they were all around me. I couldn't see any clear escape.

The figure from before swam back and took out half the fish in one blow. Its tail was smooth and dark. I couldn't identify the rest of it, but I assumed it was another type of fish. It twisted around and looked me dead in the eye before it's arms reached out and grasped me. This wasn't a fish. It was like me; some sort of merfolk. I struggled against it, but it wouldn't let go.

I utilized all my force to swim back in the direction I came, but with my arm still bleeding, the entirety of the water became filled with carnivorous fish similar to the ones that this creature had just saved me from. I took advantage of my surroundings and snatched up a piece of rock. I bashed the mer-thing in the head causing its grip to lessen. I pushed back once more freeing myself from it's ensnaring grasp.

Swimming back through the water proved to be a challenge, though. I had remembered watching a movie about mermen and mermaids before and recalled the fight scenes. It wasn't much, but I copied the actions I had observed to get myself to freedom. I forced my arms in all sorts of directions and flipped my fin to gather speed. Finally, I reached the container I had awoke in. I shut the door tight and cradled my arm. The water slowly drained out through a tube in the floor, but I wasn't worried about that. I needed to find a way to stop the bleeding in my arm. Otherwise, I wasn't going to make it back to the castle.

Oh, right… I had forgotten all about it until then. I was more worried about enjoying myself than getting back home. Back to the others. Back to Keith. I forced my head in my hands and let out a small sob. I couldn't do this. I wouldn't ever get back home.

KEITH POV

The Galra were strong, but so were we. Shiro and I took them out in no time. We left them lying on the ground crying out in pain as we took off in the direction of the door, fully expecting more to come.

We made it to the door with no further encounters. "It can't be this easy," I stated. "Shiro, something's wrong."

"I know. I don't like it, either," he sounded a little put off.

"What should we do?"

"We go back to our lions. That's all we can do. We'll try to track down Lance's signal from there. I already have Pidge doing that. That's how I found you, remember?" I nodded slightly. We ran out the doors and into the deserted sand. Following marks that Shiro had made in the ground, we found our way back to the lions and the rest of Voltron. Well, all but Lance, that was. He was still missing.

"Have you located him yet?" that was Shiro.

"Not yet. I'm still looking. With the sand blowing everywhere it's difficult to capture the signals. I don't think I'll be able to locate him until this dust storm blows over.

"Right. By the time that happens, he'll probably be dead!" I said that. They all looked up at me.

"Look, Keith, we'll find him, ok? Don't worry." Hunk was trying to reassure me, but I wouldn't accept it.

"You can't say that. Pidge can't even track his signal and no one has any idea where he was last seen. Hell, I don't even remember how I got into the cell I was in! How are we supposed to find him, exactly? What if the storm never 'blows' over'?" Ok, I admit it; I was out of line. But I was scared and irritated. What else was I supposed to say?

"I'm sorry. Keith, we all know this is hard for you. It's hard for us, too, bu-"

"No, Shiro, it's not just hard for me. I'm dying inside." I knew I said too much.

"...Uhh, Keith?" Pidge was, without fail, the first one to speak up. "What do you mean you're dying inside?" She looked like she already knew the answer.

"N-nothing… shit..." I turned my head away to hide my blush.

"Hah! I knew it!" She whispered something to Shiro, and he nodded. They both looked back at me and winked. So much for my secret. Wait… Does that mean that Lance knows?! That's not good…

"Well, it's only logical for an emo child to be 'dying' inside', right?" Shiro looked at me with a smirk.

"R-right… wait… Hey! That's not fair!" I glared at him for a second. The others laughed, causing my blush to flair.

A sudden beep-beep noise came from whatever device Pidge was using. I looked over at her, trying to read her expression.

"Guys, you're not going to like this…"

"What is it?" Shiro asked.

"The storm's getting worse. At this rate, we won't be able to stay on the planet until it dissipates. We're going to have to go back to the castle for the night"

"N-no, wait! We can't leave without Lance!" I was shocked that she'd even suggest it.

Pidge looked up at me with a sad smile. "Keith, I understand, but it's not safe. According to this, the storm will be gone by morning. We'll come back and find him then, ok? We're only heading back to the castle. I promise we won't leave without Lance."

I looked at everyone else as they nodded in agreement. How could they do this? His life was on the line, and we didn't have the slightest idea where he was! Shiro hadn't even bothered to check the other parts of the building I was in before coming to get me. What if he was there? And we're just leaving?!

"Keith, come on. You know as well as I do that we can't find him in this storm. It's dangerous and if we get killed, then what hope does he have? Who's going to save him if we're dead?" Shiro made a good point. And yet again, "Space Dad" was right...

I nodded slowly. There wasn't any point in getting myself killed. I stepped over to Red sadly, glanced worriedly over at Blue, then prepared to go back to the castle.