Welcome to the next installment!
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I present...
Chapter Twelve
On Planet Arus…
It is morning and not too many people had a good night's rest. Keith lies on his bed with his eyes closed, facing the ceiling. He wasn't able to rest one minute…mental anguish being too much for him. He could sense her pain and wanted so desperately to ease it, but couldn't. The sleep deprived eyes open and he sighs…he's gotta get himself ready for the meeting with the team and the new commander. Swinging his legs to the floor, he heads into the bathroom for a quick shower.
As he turns on the water, he can distinctly remember all the trouble linking with her in here caused and he smiles. The captain removes his pants and steps in, turning the water spray to massage and letting the hot water soothe him. Now, that he has been blocking her, I miss her gentle touches and pure thoughts… I somehow feel empty. The more I sit here and brood, the more I know that I need to get away from here as soon as I can…another day cannot pass by where he has to look at her and not be able to touch her, or plan a secret meeting where he can do more than just touch...
He's going to always consider her his…
Enough! He turns off the water and goes back into the room, dripping wet and flops on the bed. He has got to shake out of this…the meeting is in less than an hour. Standing, he grabs his towel off the rack and dries off, hurriedly pulling on his clothes, and leaving out to head to the docking bays.
Allura rises, but her face looks puffy from all of the crying she has done over the past few hours. Still, she has a meeting to attend and having hurt feelings doesn't stop the world from turning. She rises, stretching and yawning since she didn't have a good night's sleep either. Her little retreat in Blue helped a little, but the reality of it all still is that her heart is walking out those doors and she can never be sure that he will come back. This war is unpredictable as it is, and with him not being here…she can never know what is going on or to even inquire as to how he is doing. Tears begin to form and she blinks furiously to stop the flow, I will not spend one more day crying over this! She stalks over to her wardrobe and chooses her most comfortable jumper. From the communications that came in, the new commander should be arriving at any minute now…and so will Nanny.
Just as she thinks this, the governess steps in the door and is shocked to see Allura at the wardrobe already. "Well, I don't have to blow the horns to get you out of bed this morning, do I? Let me run your bath and get you ready…the meeting will be taking place soon and you don't need to be late."
Allura nods and lays out her outfit. Nanny balks, "No! You must present yourself in your station! You must greet the new commander in formal attire," At any other time, she would have had a fit over what she is to wear, but she has no energy…no fight left and she merely nods and lets Nanny pick out a beautiful ice blue gown. She stands at her window and stares into her garden below as she hears Nanny bustling around her room to get her ready for the day.
"Your bath is ready. Go relax and I'll brush your hair in a minute."
Allura turns at that and replies, "If you don't mind…I would like to be alone while I'm in the bath." Her governess looks at her strangely, taking note of her swollen eyes and asks, "Are you alright, my dear?"
Allura nods absently, "I'm fine…didn't sleep well."
Nanny continues to look her over, "Well, with the new commander here, you will be able to concentrate more on your duties as princess instead of flying that awful…" and she stops when she sees a blaze ignite in Allura's eyes. "He is not here to take my place, Nanny…he's here to take Keith's. I will stay in Blue while he takes Black, now if you don't mind…" The elder governess is taken aback with the curt tone that she has spoken to her in, but lets it go and encourages her to go to her bath. I have to make a mental note to speak with Coran later about what is going on and why I don't know about it. She lays out the last of her garments and calls to her, "I'll be back in a few minutes to help you with your hair," then, she leaves out the room…while Allura enters the bathroom and removes her clothes to step into the tub. The hot water is soothing and her favorite scent of Arusian lilies waft up around her. As she leans back, she closes her eyes and tries to relax…trying her hardest not to think about her handsome captain. About how his eyes darken with emotion and the gentle curve of his lips when he smiles…the way his hands feel against her skin and the total completeness she experiences when he slowly fills her…
Her eyes shoot open and a dangerous tingle starts to vibrate between her legs as she lets herself feel him touching her, kissing her, loving her. Moaning as the tingles worsen, Allura feels her body react. She allows herself to feel this one last time and she lets her eyes close. Subconsciously, her mind reaches for him and she responds too late to stop it…
Keith stops in his tracks as the light touch of rampant desire hits him. Allura… he thinks, but he clamps down on the urge to join her. It was a quick touch, but he can see her in the bath…with water splashing around her and her body squirming with longing. It takes all his training and strength of will to hold back from reaching back to her, loving her mentally as they have done before, but he can't…dammit, he CAN'T! He continues to walk to the docking area…still reeling from her self-inflicted torment.
Allura forces herself to relax…realizing that she had touched him, but he didn't respond. Feeling even more dejected than she ever has, she quickly washes and takes herself out of the bath. Taking her towel and rubbing herself fiercely, she hurries to put her clothes on…not wanting to have those feelings again and not have anyone to share them with. The clothes are a much needed relief from her fantasies, and an even bigger bucket of cold water is Nanny returning to do her hair. Allura sits at her vanity and can hardly recognize herself. Her face looks ravaged and her eyes don't have their usual sparkle that they love to talk about. Nanny barely looks at her in the mirror, chattering away at how she is always the last one to know anything. She sighs, hoping that she finishes quickly so she can get this day over with.
A grateful sigh of relief comes over her when Nanny finishes and deems her ready. Her hair is pinned up in a loose chignon with little tendrils falling along the edges. Not too stylish, but very professional. "Thank you…I need to get to the meeting now."
"I know…breakfast will be served afterwards. Now, get going!" rushes Nanny and Allura leaves out…heading for the docking bay.
Coran, Hunk and Pidge are standing, waiting for the Garrison shuttle to arrive. They stand in silence when they hear, "Has the new head honcho showed up yet?"
"No, Lance…the shuttle is on final approach. They should be landing momentarily," says Pidge and he shoots him a "be quiet" stare. Lance smiles and folds his arms, "I just want to be in the right mood to greet our new Captain Stick-in-the-Mud!"
"Nice to know that you still consider me in such high regards!" says a voice coming up to where they are. They all turn, but only Coran smiles at him. "Good Morning, Commander. The shuttle is almost here."
"Good, then we can get this all over with very quickly," Keith says and his throat closes as he feels her presence behind him. "Yes, the sooner the better." Allura agrees and she moves over to where Lance and the others are. He takes a chance and glances in her direction, immediately regretting that he has. She's dressed in an off-the-shoulder ice blue gown and her hair is pinned up loosely…just enough to illicit a warm response if he were willing to give it. Lance whistles, "Wow, Princess…you look hot! I wonder if that commander realizes what he's walking into here!" She blushes and smiles shyly, "I'm only here as the ruler of this planet, Lance…nothing more."
"I'm, sure he'll want to change that! Especially after seeing you in that!" returns Hunk and Keith stands off to the side, bristling at what he's saying. It has never even entered his mind that she could find someone else…or that she would even want to. A burning rage builds inside him, but what real right does he have? I'm the one that broke it off and I'm the one that has to take the consequences of his actions because of it.
But, that doesn't change how I feels!
He stands brooding as Lance and Allura chat about trivial things…feeling very left out. Soon, the blast of thrusters grabs their attention as the Garrison shuttle starts its landing. They all shield themselves from the dust and wind as the shuttle settles into the dock. The engines cycle down and the door opens to reveal the new commander of the Voltron force.
A tall figure walks down the ramp and the closer it gets, the better the image. Allura's eyes widen as he comes into view and her weary heart skips a tiny beat as she can see clearly what he looks like. The new commander is tall and muscular, not as toned as Keith, but very well built. His hair is a dark brown that highlights lighter in the sun and is cut to the nape of his neck. He has powerful legs and a beautiful tan, but it's his eyes that are the draw. His eyes are hazel in color and from the way the light hits them, they seem to turn colors. They are a breathtaking set of eyes. Keith sees her reaction to this new leader and the remnants of his heart drops. They really start to plummet when he see the young man's face brighten when he takes a good look at her…pretty much in the same way mine did that day not so long ago, the difference being that the attraction was mutual and it was more than just looks. She had touched him deeper than that, as he did to her…and he doesn't think that can happen again. Steeling himself from tearing his replacement's head off, he offers his hand. "I am Commander Keith Kogane and we have been expecting you."
Allura snaps out of her trance and smiles brightly, twisting the knife in Keith a little more. "Yes, please excuse my manners. I am Princess Allura and these are the rest of your team: Hunk, who is pilot of Yellow Lion" The big guy salutes smartly at him.
"Pidge, pilot of Green Lion." The young man smiles and holds out his hand. The recruit shakes it warmly. She pauses as she sees Lance's face twist up. "And finally, this is Lance…second in command and pilot of Red Lion." The recruit holds his hand out and Lance just stares at it. "Let's see how you handle Black first, then we'll shake hands."
"Lieutenant!" exclaims Allura and Lance reluctantly shakes his hand. The young man turns to her and smiles wide. "I never gave any of you my name…my name is Keero Takashi and I have dreamed of a position on the Voltron force, but I never thought it would be for Black Lion!"
"Well, you have to train on one of the others first before you can take Black out," starts Coran as he walks over to Keero, shaking his hand. "I am Coran, royal advisor to her Highness and main observer in Castle Control." Seeing that everyone is still trying to feel each other out he proposes, "Let's all go into the dining area for breakfast and discuss the new schedules and practices. After that, Commander Kogane will be taking off for his new post." All faces drop at him reminding them of Keith's departure, but none more than the Princess. They all file back into the castle and Keero comes over to Keith to speak with him, "Commander, with all that you have going on here…why would you want to leave?"
Keith doesn't know how to answer that question, so he dodges it, "It was orders…be prepared for a lot of ribbing…these guys give a lot of grief to anyone new. But you should be able to handle them okay, as long as you stay up front with them about everything."
"And the Princess? I know she has Blue Lion…how do I handle her?"
Keith has to bury the urge to smile…not too long ago he had asked her something similar to that, wanting to know if she could handle what he had to give her. Sure enough, she handled it like a pro…and I'm dying inside because I'm going to miss that! The only advice he is willing to give him is, "Just protect her. Try to keep her from killing herself in the name of duty…that is going to be a job in itself. Whenever you need help, ask Coran…he knows her inside and out."
Keero notices that he doesn't exactly look at him when he says all of this and shrugs it off…maybe he isn't the right person to ask… He continues to walk beside him in silence until they reach the dining hall. The group enters the dining area to the smells of a hearty breakfast and Hunk heads straight for the buffet. Pidge comes over to Keero and whispers, "You have to get used to Hunk's overwhelming need to eat EVERYTHING!"
"I don't eat EVERYTHING! Don't tell him that!" calls Hunk as he shoves a piece of fruit in his mouth. Pidge laughs and hits Keero in his arm, "See what I mean?"
Keero laughs with him, feeling a little more comfortable, but then he looks over to Princess Allura quietly having a conversation with Coran. She is as beautiful as they say… he thinks as he moves over to them. Allura notices him there and smiles shyly. "Commander Takashi, Coran and I were just discussing the new rotations for lion practice. I think, later today, we should sit down and figure out what needs to be done."
The young man nods, "Whatever Commander Kogane has already put in place should be good enough until I get the hang of things. Then, we can have that meeting on what needs to be done for changes." Allura nods, feeling the dagger being driven in deeper. Straightening her features, she smiles and takes him by the arm, leading him over to the table.
Keith watches them out of the corner of his eye, but the look doesn't go unnoticed. Lance sees the former Voltron captain freeze up and his hands clench. He walks over to him and looks him in the eye. Even though he hasn't spoken to him in over a day, he can't let his friend suffer if he can help it. Reluctantly he speaks, "What is eating you? You're almost out of here…why do you look as if you could kill something."
Keith looks at him and the look of anguish eats at Lance. "I need to get out of here. I need to head to Pollux as soon as possible." As Lance looks at him, Keith's eyes divert back to the cause of his torment. Lance stares in the same direction as he is and zeros in on Allura. He is beginning to understand the part of the anguish, but can't explain why he's still going. "Keith, if you feel that way about her, why are you going? This doesn't make any sense…"
Keith turns to him and the cold wall has risen again, "There isn't anything left to say. I leave in an hour and you will be in charge until Keero has learned all that he can. I'm sure he'll fit in fine."
"Yeah…like a glove," sniffs the Red Lion pilot and he gives up. There is something more to this and I can't figure it out…but that doesn't mean that I won't try to find out what it is. Making a mental note, he walks back over to the table and takes his seat as Nanny comes into the room. Allura motions her to come over where she is with Keero. Nanny's face blanks out when she looks at the young man and she feels that another problem has been dropped in her lap. This one may not be as handsome as the commander, but he will be a problem…and if the glint in his eye is a tell-tale factor, Ihas a lot of work on her hands. Allura introduces them, "Nanny, this is the new commander, Keero Takashi and he will taking on Keith's duties."
The new commander takes her hand and gently places a kiss to the back of it, making Nanny blush. "It is a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Allura and Nanny detect his silky voice and the older of the two frowns. "You just mind your manners around the Princess…don't get on my bad side!"
He winks, "I wouldn't dream of it…" Allura smothers a laugh…he's more like Lance and way more loose than Keith could ever be…but then Keith was very loose when we were alone…
No, I won't go there…
She heads over to the buffet and begins to fill a plate, while the others take their cue and start filling their plates. She doesn't take much, and neither does Keith. They head back to the table and get settled. As they all eat, only mild banter takes place and Allura doesn't say much at all. Keith wishes he could comfort her…but he need not worry. Keero has been placed at Allura's left and sees her playing with her food. He leans over, "Not hungry?"
She is startled, but grins, "Not really. I didn't have a good night." He smiles again at her, "Don't worry…I'm sure they will understand if you want to excuse yourself. I could escort you to your room, if you'd like…"
Keith's eyes widen and his face is frozen as he watches her consider the offer. "Thank you, Commander…but I think I will head there...alone." Standing, she makes her excuses. "I am not feeling too well…if you'll excuse me."
Everyone stands as she makes her way out into the hall, but Lance quickly follows after her. Keith breathes a sigh of relief…that new guy is a predator, albeit a very smooth one. Keero turns to him and smiles, as if to tell him that a new chief is in town and since you're riding out…
It's for her…it's to save her…to keep her and the life force of Voltron alive! he tells himself over and over. But, now I have to get back to business…
"Keero, we need to go over the lion practices that will be expected after your training. Lance will take the lead until you're ready. And you won't take Black out until he thinks you can handle him, understand?"
Keero looks at him and smiles with a smirk, "I'm beginning to think that you are a little too tied in here. It's almost as if you considered the Black yours."
"He is…"
"Was…I'll take good care of him."
Keith can't help but bristle, but what else can he say? He is leaving and he really doesn't have anything else to say on the situation unless he changes his mind, which is becoming a real easy thing to want to do…and completely forget about the reason he's leaving in the first place. He tampers down his anger and concentrates on the task at hand.
Motioning to Coran that it is time to start the meeting, he heads out of the room and down to the pilot's lounge. It seems as if this will be the last time taking this walk…the last time seeing the statues and tapestries that have been a part of his life for all these years. Sighing, he enters the lounge and heads straight for a terminal to call up the reports needed for this meeting. His first impressions of the new commander has not been very satisfactory, but is it because he really is a snot-nosed punk that is trying way too hard or because he is actually trying to step into his shoes…and in everyway possible. The raven-haired commander sits and waits for the other two men to come into the room.
The first one to enter is Coran and on his heels, Keero. They come in and Keith motions them to sit. "This meeting is to establish the parameters that need to be followed while you are in charge of the Voltron force. Until your training is complete, you will follow orders from Lieutenant McClain." Keith notices a twitch in his jaw, but he doesn't comment on it. He looks at the screen and pushes a button until two more screens come up in front of the two men. "We can take each page, step by step until you understand everything to the best of your ability…and please stop me if you have a question. Coran, you pretty much know all of this, but I wanted you to be here to know exactly what I tell him."
Keero scoffs, "What, you don't trust me?"
Keith looks at him coolly, "If you know anything about me, you should know that I make sure that every base is covered, to eliminate any mistakes." Coran nods in agreement. Keero shifts in his seat; this is not what he's used to! Mostly, in the Academy, they have pretty much left me to my own devices, but here…I'm definitely not the top banana here! I have rules and regulations to follow and if I want the command,I need to act the part. He leans back in his seat and places his finger under his chin while he sizes up Keith. True, he exudes confidence and superior knowledge when it comes to the workings on Arus, but what really makes him tick?
And yeah, why would he leave here…especially with a Princess as gorgeous as the one here is?
He smiles inwardly, there is definitely more going on here than anyone is saying and this little bit of intrigue is drawing him. He has got to see what this is all about…a stern look from Keith has him realizing that he is drifting away from the conversation, so he sits straighter and focuses back on the screen.
Lance has to run to catch up with Allura, who is stepping pretty lively for someone that is not feeling well. He sees her turn into the observation room and he slows his step. Peeking around the corner, he observes her walk to the doors and step out on the balcony…her favorite place to think about things. He walks in slowly, so as not to disturb her. She is leaning on the railing looking out over the landscape and he sees a tear fall from her eye. Yeah, there is something definitely going on here… he muses and he comes closer. "Are you alright, Princess?"
Quickly wiping her face, she answers, "Sure, just needed some air…"
Lance stands in front of her and tips her chin up with his finger, "Allura, I know you better than that…what's wrong?" She looks into concerned eyes and her lip begins to tremble. She really needs to have someone to confide in that knows about Keith and can give her some insight as to what is going on. Her eyes lower, "Lance…I love him…" she, lifts her eyes back up and he sees them shimmering with unshed tears. "I love him so much that it's killing me every second I'm around him, knowing that he's leaving."
Lance nods his head and takes her in his arms…he knew that they had feelings for each other, but didn't they tell each other? Is he leaving without knowing that she is dying inside?
Her shoulders begin to quake and he holds her closer. Damn him! Another reason for me to kick his sanctimonious ass! They stand there for a moment, until she calms down and decides she wants to move back into the room. Lance leads her over to the couch and sits with her. He waits for her to get her bearings and lets her start the conversation. "I know that he has to do what the Garrison commands, but I never thought it would happen…never thought they would call him away. I won't know what to do if something ever happened to him and I'm not there. I couldn't bear it!"
There isn't too much he can say to reassure her…this is life for a military person, unfortunately, but they have gotten to used to calling Arus home that the idea that they could be recalled at any given moment wasn't even considered. As these thoughts pass through his mind, he sees why Keith has had such a horrible attitude towards everyone…but that still doesn't answer the question.
Do they know?
Lance has to assume that he doesn't, because knowing Keith as well as I do, I know that once his heart is committed to something, he never lets it go. I was confused a few weeks ago, but since they were on friendlier terms, I assumed that they were working it out. He coaxes her to lay her head on his shoulder, hoping that the little bit of comfort that he is offering will be enough for now. He can never understand the pining away for a love, but then again he was never looking for it in the first place. She rests against him and relaxes…to the point where she falls asleep in his arms. He leans back to shift her onto the pillows…letting her snuggle into the couch as he rises. The sad look on her face strikes a deep chord with in him and he has to do something to ease her suffering, if it is for only a short period of time. He heads back out to search for Keith.
