might be last part. who knows- ppl seemed to like this Modern AU o.O

* the box has Keith's fire symbol on it. Go to the VLD wiki and Keith's character page and it will be right there in the little description box.

this 'Modern' AU however has slowly turned into a Voltron/ATLA... god damn it...

~Chapter 25 - Lost Easter Memories III~

"Uh- Don't freak out but-" Keith rubbed his neck as his mom and uncles looked at him and the lit fireplace and back at him.

"Keith- Did you light the logs by just looking at them?" Thace crouched before his 12 years old nephew whom nodded. "Wait how did you-" Thace merely turned Keith around to find Krolia by the fire, smiling as she looked at Keith and snapped her fingers, instantly the fire was gone and Keith blinked as Kolivan opened his hand and a white flame hovered over his palm and like a will-o-wisp it flew into the fire place and lit it again. Thace hands slowly reached one of Keith's hands out and with his own free hand he had the fire come to him like thin ribbons and led them to Keith's hand.

Keith stood holding his breath as he cupped the flame with his hands and as he crooked his finger in a way it became a lion, roaring and then into a kitten fitting into his palms and meowing. Kolivan took the flame back and Keith slumped against Thace.

"Now you try do what Thace did." Krolia made fire rings with her finger and Kolivan nodded with a proud smile. "You can do it." Thace whispered as he squeezed Keith's shoulder but instead of backing away he sat down and gathered Keith into his lap. Keith took a deep breath and rose his hands to the fire, staring at it and in his head chanting for the fire to come to him slowly and not burn him.

Slowly the fire obeyed him and slowly came to him and formed into an orb in his hands.

"I did it!"

"Slow and steady. Not a total pyro like someones we know."

"Thace-"

"Shut up."

Keith snorted as he poked the fire with a smile and looked over his shoulder. Kolivan was reading a book, Krolia once again in her Sudoku book and Thace was just sipping his drink looking in the news paper on his tablet.

And Kolivan was right in the blast zone.

"Pyros."

Thace's mouthful went over Kolivan and Krolia's pencil dropped from her mouth as her jaw dropped and Kolivan has shield his book in time but he wasn't even pissed as he looked at Keith, his eyes widening as Keith carefully tossed a small fire ball from one hand to the other. "It came back to me just now as I made the fire. Without matches, I just laid the logs in and- Zoned out I guess. When I came to the fire was there."

He slowly brought his hands together to put out the little flame and got up to sit in the armchair with Red. "You all taught me when I was 12. At least I think I was 12... Or I might have just turned 12." Keith mussed for a moment as they recovered and Kolivan finally glared at Thace whom was still covering his mouth staring at him. Red made a laughing sound at them and both cat and boy grinned like shits at Kolivan as he got up to get a towel and Krolia howled into a pillow praising Keith for the timing.

"But can you help me? If it really is Dad lurking around I want to be able to fight back. I already know knife and sword arts Mom taught me."

"He has a point there." Krolia breathed. "Speaking of- I need to relearn myself."

"Thace you take Keith." Kolivan grumbled as he came back with the small towel and sat down, his braid for once undone and Keith had never seen it undone. It looked weird.

Thace snorted. "What? Don't have the patience?"

"It'll run out dealing with Krolia."

"I'm still strong as hell. I dare swing my leg at you."

000

"Let's stop here Keith. This place used to be a forest until my brother and sister went lose on it."

"Seriously?!" Keith flew up from his sprawled position and Thace nodded as he set the backpack on a flat stone, taking out notebooks, water bottles and a red box with golden flame decor and a white flame in a circle on the box lid.* Keith came closer to look as Thace lifted the token out by the ribbon. "It's a detector. My grandfather used it to see if we had the essence needed to pick an element. Some gets the essence early, later or simply never picks. This here will tell us if your fire is still inside you, but dormant."

Thace gently hung the token around Keith's neck and then took out a bundle of sticks tied with a cord and made a small camp fire. "Now, like you did at home. Light and put it out. Then I'll show you how to control the flame and moves, for now you'll memories what I do."

Keith nodded and they spent as much time as they dared, with the shadow out there.

000

Keith spent time learning his new powers when Thace was working and one day he could just hear Red's thoughts, his out loud response to her thought was met with a frighten yowl as she fled into his closet and Keith laughed as he looked for her and she landed on his back. Gathering her in his arms he flopped beside Krolia.

"Mom? Do you have a animal partner?"

"Hm? I think I did. Don't know what happened to it thou." She said. "Why?"

"I can hear Red."

"That's ni- Wait what?!" She looked up at him and Red nodded. Krolia gaped before twisting to howl over the couch. "KOLIVAN!"

Keith rolled his eyes. "Oh sure, give him a heart attack with everything that's going on." Krolia winced as they heard the commotion in the office and held up Red when he bolted into the living room. "Keith can hear Red's thoughts. Only a few can hear them right?" Kolivan blinked before he frowned. "Krolia don't you remember yours?"

"Should I?"

"They are like familiars. They amplify our powers when it's needed. Red is pretty new to it all and Keith just started learning again so they are weak right now."

Krolia nodded slowly and they jumped when the banging was heard again. Keith jumped over the couch standing ready when Kolivan pulled his shoulder. "No stay back. I'll deal with it." He even kept a hand aflame behind his back as he checked the door and Keith held his breath as the door opened and Kolivan threw the ball.

"Ack! Kolivan it's us!"

The fire changed course and Keith caught it in his hands. "Ha! It worked!" He grinned and Kolivan nodded. "Very good Keith. Normally that step is harder to master." "Thace shows me the different forms. The fire training itself we wait with." Keith put out the flame and stepped up. "And who's at tholy hell you're huge Antok!"

Antok grinned as he gathered Keith in a hug. Ulaz smiled as he came closing the door behind him. "So you remember us?" Keith nods as he waves. "I also remember which of you cut Kolivan's braid off."

"One of you what?!" Krolia flipped over the couch and crumbled to the floor. "Damn it, forgot the prothesis was off." Ulaz ran to help her up and Antok dropped Keith to face Kolivan who stood with folded arms. "Keith, You'll-"

"I'm your only nephew!" Keith called from the kitchen and while it brought laughs from them all Kolivan meant to ask which one it had been. Thace came home just then and slammed the door shut. "He can fucking duplicate!" He screamed and Keith skidded out of the kitchen. "Say what?!"

"I just met Hunk and Lance saying they fought the figure but I when I came home Pidge and Matt crashed into me pointing at it by the trees! Either that or the wards have failed!"

Keith blinked in confusion and Ulaz noticed first. "Altea Creek stands on a hub of magic that affects humans and animals. They become our familiars and these wards are spread out in different places to hide the town from outsiders. Your father was the only outsider to not accept this place and had ill intentions. By the time we thought of do something he had already destroyed the balance by ripping you and Krolia from here."

"Just how much damage did he do?" Krolia asked as she got her leg on and stood. "Keith may not be in full control of his fire just yet but there's enough to fix the wards."

"We have already split into groups. Some will handle the wards while others face the dark figure."

"If Akito shows his face I'll have first crack at him. Keith come on, we'll tell you more on the way. Not the reunion we planned for you and your friends but fate is always a bitch."

In the town square the townsfolk stood ready and Keith marveled of their elemental forms, something Thace whispered an explanation to that they were fully trained and in tune with their chosen element. Keith asked a few questions when the mayor stepped up and Keith titled his head.

"That's Alfor. Allura's father."

"Allura is the first daughter of Altea Creek? You sure she's not a Goddess?!"

Thace and Ulaz snorted as Alfor explained the situation. Near the harbor was the fire wards and Kolivan tugged Keith along. "Are we all the fire?" He asked. "Yes. We choose the element we want and since we were all so close already-" Antok started explaining when hell broke loose around them. Keith lowered his arms to find his Dad standing there on the impact spot.

"Keith. I see you chose to be one of them?"

"You tried to kill us in that crash! What? Hoping I wouldn't remember anything of it?!" Keith yelled as Krolia got up and flare up her hand. "Keith back off so I can-"

Akito charged first and dodges her fire balls, then Kolivan's and Thace's as they got on their feet. Keith watched them go lose as Antok and Ulaz backed Keith away. "Trust us, you do not want to be near that!"

"Antok. Keith is all three of them."

"Damn it." Keith smirked up at Antok and turned back to the fight when vines shot up under Akito trapping him high in the air. They looked to the right and found Pidge and Matt with their hands on the ground, Hunk and Lance arrived after and then Shiro. Keith smiled as Allura crashed into Shiro and said something.

Keith turned back to the fight and sent his own fire ball that sent Akito flying. Antok sighed. "Okay fine! Go lose you little pyro!" Keith cackled as he really let lose on his Dad and he was so fast no one could see where he'd land next. Krolia stood with folded arms smirking, Kolivan and Thace tried getting Akito off balance.

"ENOUGH!" Akito roared and got a lucky hit on Keith sending him sailing through the air until someone caught him. Pidge's wines slowly lowered him to Shiro and Allura whom hugged him and Keith briefly returned it before he joined the fray again. "I was trying to get you out of this freak town!"

"Oh yeah?! Then what was that with the gun at mom?! Or giving me another scar in the back head when you knocked me out that night! Or. the. car. crash!" The last words were accompanied with fire balls that Akito easily deflected until he was sent flying by Shiro's lit up metal hand and then a strong gush of air sending him into Hunk's rock wall, Lance used the water from the fountain to trap him in ice but it wouldn't hold for long.

Keith wiped his mouth of the blood from his lip as Pidge and Matt wrapped wines around Akito. "Should have stayed in prison! How did you get over the wards?!" As expected he didn't get an answer as Akito broke free from his bonds and Keith frowned before avoiding Akito's landing and with his fire he blasted off from the square towards the training grounds. He heard people yell for him but Keith wanted to finish this himself.

"How about you answer your soon-to-be-dead son?! Why do it? Why come here at all? What in this town was it you wouldn't accept?!"

"I guess I can grant that! I didn't know what the town was hiding until I noticed your mother going out a lot. So one night I followed her and she was just out with her brothers and two friends, so I thought I was just silly and let it be. Then I heard of wards and elements! When you were born and 5 years old you got to close to the fire! But instead of burning you merely held a flame over your palm!" Akito sent another lighting at Keith which he dodged.

"I suggested moving but she refused! Said I wouldn't understand anything! I understood plenty that this place was crazy! After 14 years in this place I had enough and so when it stormed really hard that people obeyed the forecast warnings I got us out! But you still toyed with the fire! And your mother explained more nonsense! So when I had us driving for a monthly shopping I deliberately had us crashing! When I awoke I was charged for drunk driving and sent to prison." Keith avoided another blast and sent 10 of his own rounds.

Akito took 3 of them as he continued his story. "6 months later your mother came. Right leg from thigh down gone, scars on visible places. She was pissed but I didn't care, I asked if you had died and she replied you were in a coma. I ordered the plug be pulled!"

White and light purple fire hit him this time and Keith sighed in relief as his uncles landed before him. "Good timing, I was starting to-"

"You've barely learned your element Keith. Let us handle this now." Thace helped steady him as Kolivan cracked his knuckles. "We have 10 years of pent up anger to let lose." Keith snorted in amusement. "And start another forest fire?"

"...Who ever told you that-"

Green and gold fire hit Akito as Antok and Ulaz joined and lastly Krolia, wielding her knife she had given Keith. "5 years I've longed to beat the utter crap out of you for clipping my leg off." She snarled as Altea Creek joined them. Thace handed Keith over to Shiro with orders to keep him out of the fight. Shiro and Allura nodded firmly when they ducked as Akito fired blindly.

Keith was growing weaker when he felt fur on his wrist and found Red there. "Red..."

'Time to really power up!'

Red glowed as she zipped into him and Keith gasped as energy surged through him and he blasted off, away from Shiro who screamed, past his uncles and mother and slamming into Akito and over the cliffs-

Everything was in slowly motion and Akito got an dark, magic infected hand around Keith's throat as they fell.

"KEITH!"

alright! fight scene roll \o/ i usually suck at those!

...

Whoops... cliff hanger? xD