Chapter nine: Shades of Darkness

"Wait! Stop!! What are you doing?!?! Where are you going!!! Stop, we have to go back!!" Shiro cried frantically. He'd found his way to the controls and tried to stop the lion or at least turn it around. But it seemed like the controls were set, they wouldn't move at all. The lion was on a mission, but what is was was a mystery to him. The lion growled at him as if to tell him to calm down, but this did not phase the panicked paladin. It jetted on stoick as it could be. The lions spoke no words, but even this was confusing to him. Shiro continued to try and stop the lion, until finally it did stop. It was so abrupt that it sent Shiro forward a little.

"What are you doing? Where are we?" The lack of movement had finally calmed him enough to think clearly again. The lion finally called to him, communicating the way it had so many times before. Now this was familiar and he knew what it meant.

"You want me to see through your eyes again." He breathed quietly. Then he closed his eyes let his mind connect with the lion's. And when he opened his eyes,... he saw an astral plain. Similar to the one he and the other Paladins had been in to free Voltron from that virus on Olkarion. The streams of blue, black and white light swirled all around him. Then suddenly, he saw the Black lion, it had shrunken and taken a more life-like behavior. It's tail switched and it's eyes flickered like a blink. And the lion's roar sounded more real than he had ever heard it before. As Shiro stood there he wondered how this was possible. Then suddenly... out of nowhere... the lion charged!

"How's it going, Pidge?" Allura asked. Her body twitched nervously, hoping the Green Paladin was having better luck than she was. Lance and Cora hadn't returned yet and Hunk had left to get a snack.

"Sorry Princess, But I'm not finding anything." Pidge was disappointed and beginning to get frustrated. If only i hadn't left Shiro alone! She thought, we wouldn't have to be looking for him.

"Keep working on it." Allura encouraged, "we're almost to Nexzela." Then the screen lit up, and a certain young Holt appeared before then.

"Matt!" Pidge was both excited and curious as to why her brother was contacting them.

"Hey Pidge, we're right behind you on route to Nexzela. Look out to your right." Coran pulled up the camera feeds on the right side of the ship and sure enough, there were the reinforcements.

"Great! we can see you, thanks for coming out." The Green Paladin smiled.

"We heard that this mission is for Shiro. Is he ok?" Matt's face showed his concern.

"Well I'm not sure, but if we don't get him to Nexzela soon bad things are gonna happen." Pidge shrugged.

"Yeah I know, we also heard that he's missing in action. The Black lion took off with him. Any idea where it could have taken him?"

"No, I've been scanning the area, but I haven't found anything, I've tried everything I can think of and nothing has worked!" She slammed her fists down in the arms of her chair, a boiling frustration building in her chest.

"Don't give up, Pidge." Matt told his little sister. "You'll figure it out, because you're the smartest person I know! You'll think of something!!" He was attempting to reassure her.

"Yeah, thanks Matt." Pidge sighed, trying to sound convinced.

Shiro dodged the lion's attack and ran headlong as fast as he could away from it. He stumbled and fell, and the lion bounded after him. Jumping onto him it snarled in his face. It opened its big jaws and bit down. Shiro threw his robot arm up and caught the it's jaws. The lion weighed down on it getting closer and closer to his face.

"Why?! Why are you doing this?!?!" He cried, throwing the beast off of him. The lion came again and again, but Shiro lashed out to keep it back away from him. Then suddenly the lion stopped and began to change shape. Out of the light that nearly blinded Shiro the lion morphed into Keith. He was wearing his normal clothing, and he held his Marmora dagger drawn and ready. Shiro stood there trying to make sense of this. Then again Keith attacked! Shiro didn't want to fight Keith, he loved him too much. But this wasn't the real Keith and he didn't have a choice. He had to protect himself. Keith came again and Shiro defended again, countering he sent the younger man back several feet.

"I don't want to fight you Keith!" The Black Paladin cried firmly. Keith stood, he said nothing, then, yet again, he became a ball of light that changed into something else. Something he dreaded...

"Zarkon!" He breathed. Then out from behind him strode two more dreaded figures. Haggar from the right and Sendak from the left. "No..." the horror and fear that ran through his mind was unimaginable. He had this terrible feeling of darkness creeping into his soul. As the three people that stood before him came at him all at once. And there he was fighting all three of his worst enemies and former captors simultaneously, and barely making it at best. He fought as hard as he could hoping they would stop and change into something else like what had happened twice already. But they kept coming and he was afraid that they were real and that they were trying to kill him as Zarkon had done once before. Zarkon landed a blow that sent Shiro tumbling back for what seem like several miles. When he recovered himself the witch appeared blasted him with magic and disappeared. The Sendak thrust his arm at Shiro in an attack. He grabbed the arm and flung Sendak over his shoulder and sent him flying into the black and blue landscape. From which he didn't return, from what Shiro could see. Zarkon and the witch now swirled around him, one attacked with brute force, the other with magical energy. And at the same time Haggar and Zarkon came for what seemed to be the final blow. But Shiro swung around and took both out in one fell swoop. When he straightened himself again, he saw that Black Lion. It stood but a few yards from him. It's eyes flared, but it didn't move. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever. The lion reached out to Shiro, trying to see into his mind. It searched his mind, memories of his past, but Shiro didn't want to think about them. He tried not think about them, but the lion insisted. Shiro was standing there trying to keep the lion out of his head. His past experiences started playing. Like an old film, he remembered the void he had seen in one of his dreams walking down that hallway looking at each memory. Slowly turning from happy, to sad and terrifying! He couldn't bare to go back to that. He dropped to his knees, as if getting a head ache, fighting it. When suddenly it stopped! He looked up at where the lion still remained, he was surprised it had stopped for some reason. The lion turned and walked away from him. Shiro couldn't stop himself, he dashed after the lion as a great beam of light nearly blinded him but he kept running, until...

Shiro stood in his childhood home, he glanced around, unsure as to why he was there. When suddenly, movement caught the corner of his eye. And when he turned in that direction, a younger version of himself stood before him. His dark eyes stared right through him, they looked calm and innocent. He was five at this point in time. Noticing that his gaze wasn't on him he turned to see what he WAS looking at. His father was sitting at the islands the center of the kitchen, drinking his coffee and reading the morning paper. His mother was tending to the cleaning and cooking of the kitchen, which was her domain in he mornings. That is, before she headed off to work. And he would be taken to school by his aunt while his parents worked. Shiro remembered the good quality of life he had, and was saddened by the fact that many of his friends weren't so lucky. Keith especially had a rough life as a child. Left behind by his mother when he was only a few months old. And his father dying when he was eight. Not everyone had what he did. And with a family legacy in his background, he was recognized and given extra attention by people, even ones he didn't know. His heritage is what got him into the Garrison, and his talent and drive that kept him there. He wouldn't be where he is without it. The younger boy quietly strolled into the room toward the couple. His father looked up from his paper and smiled.

"Well, good morning, Kiddo!" He told him warmly rising from his chair. The boy wiped the sleep from his eyes and yawned, and the older man picked him up and held him in a hug. His mother stopped what she was doing and came to her husband's side. Placing a hand on her son's head and laying a gently loving kiss on the boy's cheek, she wrapped her arms around them both in a family embrace. When they broke apart, his father sat him down on the tall chair next to his own. And his mother busied herself again.

"So Takashi, What would you like for breakfast this morning?" She took out a pan from the cupboard to the left of the little sink.

"B... blueberry pancakes?" The boy pipeded up quietly. They didn't make special foods like that very often. Because sometimes they were in a hurry.

"You got it sweetheart!" His mother smiled over her shoulder bustling about the kitchen collecting the ingredients one by one.

"Wise choice, son." His father laughed, ruffling the boy's hair. "That's my boy." The room fell silent again, as his parents went back to their projects. He held his favorite stuffed bunny close to his chest as he sat silently watching his mother cook. She was quietly humming something to herself as she normally did. Shiro knew what it was, but couldn't seem to remember at that moment. Then the scene went fuzzy and morphed into something else.

He saw himself in his Garrison uniform trekking through the canyon. As the other version of himself walked, Shiro looked up and saw Keith sneaking along on the opposite ledge. The teenager snuck along, trying not to be seen, when he suddenly hit a small rock that knocked around down the ledge making his other self stop and look in that direction. Seeing the young man above him, he smiled.

"Well hello there." His voice warm and welcoming.

"Who are you?" The boy asked cautiously. "What are you doing out here?"

"It's ok, I'm just out here for training." The older man said, picking up on Keith's hostility. "I'm Shiro. What's your name?" They continued to walk, along their paths.

"Keith, But what's it to you?" The boy not losing his suspicion and distrust.

"Do you live around here?" Shiro's other self took no notice of his distrustful behavior.

"I don't know." The bot responded. To Shiro's surprised.

"How come?" He was interested to know more.

"Not sure, I guess you could say I live here, since here is the only place you'll find me. I've been around this town for.. as long as I can remember... it's as close to home as I have."

"Then you must know this area pretty well then."

"Yeah." Suddenly the rocks crumbled and Keith tumbled down grabbing at the edge to stop his fall. He clung to the rocks trying to get his footing and keep his grip on the ledge.

"Keith!" Though Shiro had just met him, he was worried for the boy. And without hesitation, he rummaged through his things grabbing his rock climbing equipment. Nailing the grapple line into the earth, he carefully climbed down the rocky ledge until he was right next to Keith.

"Grab my hand!" He said reaching his long arm towards to boy. Keith hesitated for a moment, glancing down for a second before grabbing the older man's hand. And as soon as he let go of the ledge... it collapsed!! They hung there for a second, then Shiro pulled Keith up and told him to grab the rope and pull him self up.

"Go ahead, I'm right behind you." He told him, though he, too, was shaken, he still kept his calm, gentle demeanor. The boy was surprised by this, he had never seen someone stay calm in such a stressful situation. He'd never had anyone treat him so kindly, especially despite his hostile response. When they had reached the top and were safely back on, somewhat, solid ground, they continued on their way together. Keith had looped the grapple line together and slipped it over his shoulder. Shiro walked behind the two men, remembering this moment with great fondness.

They were coming to the end of the canyon, when the rocks crumbled from underneath Shiro's otherself. He remembered sliding down the edge of the rocks and the dust that filled his nostrils making him cough his lungs out.

Shiro watched as the young boy leaped into action the way he had done for him. Staking the grapple line and heading down the steep slope. And soon hauling himself back up with Shiro right behind him once again.

The next scene he was launching for Kerberos, reassuring Keith and putting his fears and doubts to rest. Then seeing the moment he was taken by the Galra with Sam and Matt. Then he saw himself escaping the Galra ship and crash landing on Earth only to be rescued again by Keith. The next thing he knew, he was seeing his journey of finding the Blue Lion. And becoming to the leader of team Voltron, and all the memories they'd made up until the events of the last twenty-four some hours. Meeting Cora and learning more about his own heritage. Being blinded by the Galra blast, and everything that came after that. He couldn't see, but yet he could in his mind's eye. Then he remembered something.

"Now that you know my past.." he breathed opening his eyes. "You want to help me. You want me to see through your eyes." It all made sense. "But you had to get my attention first." He drew in another deep breath and focused his mind. The lion jetted forward slowly, Shiro focused drawing upon the connection he had with his lion. And soon his eyes and the lion's began to light up as their minds and spirits became merged connecting to each other with a big flash of light!!...

What is up Shiro fans!! Glad your enjoying this story. Thank you sooo much for taking the time to read it, unfortunately there only one chapter left after this! But don't worry!! More fanfics are on their way. Not all of them are Voltron though. But anyway thank you, thank you, thank you for keeping up with my story!!!!