Lala Norisu – He finds his skin turning purple and it is spreading. I think I would be panicking too if that was happening. XD

ILOVEBRACKENFUR – I'm glad you are enjoying it so much!

YolkyGoblin & MidnightRide129 – Thanks so much!

TheChosenOne260 – Yes! Galra Keith is amazing!

Chapter 4: Time to Push

Ever since he got that headache in the training room a couple days ago, it hasn't ever stopped. It's just been a constant pain in his head. The others haven't asked him much about why he locked himself in his room that day. They didn't want to push him into it per Shiro's suggestion. He figured Keith would tell them when he felt comfortable. They have also noticed that he has been spending more time alone lately, usually in the training room or just locked in his bedroom. Currently the four paladins, Allura and Coran were eating dinner; Keith was letting out some frustration with training.

"What do you think has been wrong with him lately?" Allura broke the silence that hung over the six of them.

"I'm not sure, but I don't want to push him into telling us." Shiro looked at the others.

"Yea, with him that may make him less likely to tell us," Hunk agreed.

"It'll probably push him further away." Lance took a bit of his goo. "Maybe it's that time of month." He spoke with a full mouth and smiled.

Pidge glared at him. "I take offense to that."

Coran and Allura had no idea what they were talking about.

"Guys." Shiro got their attention. "We just need to give him space. He will talk to us when he is ready."

He had a million thoughts and questions racing through his head. He was already on level three training and taking out all of his confusion and anger on the two robots attacking him. This was the third pair of robots to be used for this level. The first two had been ripped to shreds with a greater amount of force than Keith knew he had. The headache was still there and he wasn't sure why. Most of the pain seemed to be on the sides of his head, around his ears; he tried his best to ignore it. He just wasn't sure what was happening. A small voice at the back of his mind told him that he already knew, but he denies that that could ever be a possibility... can it? He felt a forceful blow to his back and realized he hadn't been paying attention to the fight. After quickly regaining his balance, he spun around and brought his sword down and slashed the robot in half. Then he turned on the other one in the room and thrust his sword forward through its midsection. They both shimmered and disappeared. Without even stopping to catch his breath, he called to begin level four. Three more robots shimmered into existence. He jumped right into the fight with speed and agility most humans could only dream of. He pushed himself. He pushed himself further than he ever had. He kept fighting until he was too tired to think of anything that was happening. One robot now lay on the ground with its head across the room, another was torn to shreds, and the last was smashed into a wall. All three disappeared. Keith collapsed to his knees out of exhaustion, panting hard.

"Keith, what are you doing?!" Shiro had just walked in with the others following behind. He had seen Keith collapse and ran to him. "You can't exhaust yourself like this!"

Keith stood up before Shiro could even try to offer any help. "I'm going to bed," was all he said as he tiredly walked past everyone and left. As soon as Keith got to his room, it took less than five minutes for him to remove his armor, drop onto his bed, and fall asleep.

Shiro just stared at the others as thought asking for thoughts.

Lance just shrugged.

"There is definitely something wrong," Pidge offered. "This just isn't healthy."

"Maybe it is time we push him a bit." Hunk shrugged, not knowing what else they can do. They have given him space since he started acting strangely and it just seems to be getting worse.

"You're probably right." Shiro sighed.

"There is only so much you can do until you just have to confront someone." Coran placed a comforting hand on Shiro's shoulder.

"Yes, Hunk is right. It's probably time you talk to Keith, but best wait for tomorrow. He definitely needs his rest after seeing him like that." Allura offered her help and suggested they all get rest.

"Thanks, Princess." Shiro added tiredly as they all headed off to their bedrooms.

When he woke the next morning, Keith just lay in bed staring at the ceiling for… he's not even sure how long he has been awake, but it was better than facing the others… or worse, himself. He didn't want to know how far the purple has spread since his exhaustive training yesterday. He looked at the time (which had been set to Earth hours) and it read half past nine. Guess I should at least make it to breakfast. With some reluctance, he finally stood and headed for the bathroom. He was shocked at what he saw. The purple was now at his knees and elbows as well as lining his spine. It also spread over his ears and… wait… his ears? They were… pointed? His ears were slightly pointed like an elf. He couldn't believe his eyes. His headache was still there too and the pain still seemed to concentrate at the base of his ears. Keith stumbled backwards until he hit the wall behind him. I'm not gonna be able to keep this hidden much longer. He stared at his violet hands. Maybe I should tell them at breakfast. His hands clenched into fists. But what will they think? They might hate me. His internal argument came to a halt when he heard a knock at his door.

"Keith? Hey, buddy, are you awake?" It was Lance. "Well, we've got breakfast ready and we are all hoping you will join us." He waited a few moments for a response then walked away.

Keith was gripping the sides of the sink and didn't realize what he was doing until he heard a crack. He looked down and immediately let go. I guess now is as good a time as any. He dropped his hands to his side and stared into the mirror, not wanting to face the others. When he finally felt ready… or as ready as he could be, he turned and left his room heading to breakfast.

When he arrived, everyone else was already there, chatting and eating. Once they all saw Keith, the room went silent except for a few greetings. Keith sat down and began making his plate. After a few moments of silence he finally looked up.

"We need to talk." Keith and Shiro both spoke simultaneously.

"Oh, uh, you go first, Keith."

"N-no. Mine can wait. You go ahead."

Shiro looked around at the others, who just shrugged. "Ok, well, we know that something has been wrong with you"

"And we have been trying to give you your space," Hunk added.

"We knew that if we pushed, then we would just push you further." Lance joined in.

"But, it only seems to be getting worse anyway." Pidge spoke up.

"So, now is the time we start pushing," Shiro continued.

"Please understand, Keith, that this is just because we are worried about you." Allura reasoned.

Coran finally ended the subject, "So please talk to us and tell us what's going on."

It went silent again. Keith looked around and everyone's eyes were fixed on him. He could feel tears threaten to fall. "Guys, I-" He stopped. He wanted to tell them but couldn't find the right words. He finally settled with the truth. "I don't know what's happening to me." The others looked around, all equally confused.

"Just tell us as much as you can and we can do our best to help you," Shiro encouraged. When he saw what looked like fear on Keith's face, he spoke again quietly. "Are you afraid of something?"

Keith nodded his head.

"What are you afraid of?" Lance looked confused. What could possibly be so bad that Keith Kogone is scared?

"I'm afraid that what's happening will change how you guys see me."

So they finally decided to push. Keith should feel better getting that off his chest… hopefully. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it! Until next chapter,

NyteXade