Sakura is sitting on the ground, her back leaning up against the foot of her Lion. Shiro walked over to her and sat down next to her and she laid the side of her head on his left shoulder.
"Pidge told me, that my evil clone." He paused for a long moment. "Slapped you."
She nodded. "Yeah, by then I was already getting suspicious that you weren't you. No matter how angry you got at me, you'd never do that."
"What happened after that?"
"Keith found out, and Lance said that Keith gave your evil clone a bloody nose." Sakura smiled a little. "Bloody nose or busted lip, or stomped on the throat, he doesn't remember."
He nods. "I know something's wrong. What's going on?" He asked gently.
"What's going to happen when we return home?" She asks. "How are we suppose to resume our lives? You might have to get reinstated into the Garrison, and I don't know what's going to happen for all of us. What's going to happen when we return to Earth?"
Shiro was quiet for a long awhile. "I don't know. I do know that we have to at least try to resume our lives again." He turned, and gently took Sakura's left hand, her ring is hidden under her glove. "I will use my rank and every power I have to make sure that Keith gets to be an offical member of our family."
Sakura blushed. "How'd you know?"
"You're ring is making the glove bulge." He grinned, then looked over towards Keith who's petting his wolf. "Our lives are all different now." He said with a more serious look. "And yes, it'll be hard to resume our lives back home."
"Shiro, I'm scared." She said. "Earth is our home. We should feel safe and comfortable and." She trailed off. "We've been away for five years. Earth believes that you, Sam, and Matt are dead." She sighed.
"It's not going to be easy." He told her. "But we'll get through it." He took her hand, and held it. "As siblings and as family. All of us are family now."
"I need to go for a walk." She said. "Clear my head." She started to stand, making Shiro frown.
"Sis." He trailed off, watching her walk away.
XxXxXxXx
Keith walked around a corner, finding Sakura who was sitting on the ledge of a river with her feet dangling in the water. He walks over to her.
"Hey." He greeted as he walked over to her and sat next to her. She just continued to look down at the water. "You shouldn't be scared going back to your own home planet." He gently nudged her.
"I am." She confessed. "I know I shouldn't be, but I really am. We - all of us have been away from Earth for 5 years. It's going to be different, it's going to be strange." She shook her head. "All of us have changed."
Keith wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. "Yeah, we all have changed. But Kura." He tightened his arm around her, keeping her close. "We're all in this together." He kissed the side of her head. "We all started this journey together, and that's how we're going to finish it."
She swallows hard. "You're right. We gotta move on."
He pulls her fully into his lap. "It's going to be ok." He kisses her gently. "And we have the real Shiro back." He smiled. "Isn't that what you wanted, to not return home without him?"
She nods as she rests her hands on his shoulders. "Yes, I said that. I also said that I didn't want to return home without you."
"And we're both here now. We're both here with you, and returning back home to Earth." He leans forward to kiss the side of her neck. "And everything is going to work out."
"I feel so silly because I'm scared."
"Don't." He said, then kissed her gently. "We'll get through this. And we'll do it together." He kisses her again, and Sakura tightened her arms around his neck and leans backward, pulling Keith with her.
XxXxXxX
Lance tapped his foot impationly while Hunk was teaching Romelle the game of Tic-Tac-Toe. Pidge, Shiro and Krolia watched the game, while Allura is having a conversation with the Altean mice, and Coran is finger counting.
"I'm going to go look for them." Lance complained. "We need to start moving!"
"Calm down Lance." Shiro turns to him. "Those two deserve some time."
"I understand that." Lance replied. "But it's been an hour." He pauses. "Maybe two." He turns. "I'm gonna look for em."
Shiro turns around completely. "Lance!" He warns. "No!"
The Blue Paladin folded his arms and sat down on his helmet with a grumpy look.
"We're all excited to return home." Hunk said as he turned to look at Lance. "But." He trails off when he sees Sakura and Keith walking up to them. "Hey guys!" He greats with a smile.
Sakura and Keith are walking up, holding hands with their fingers laced. Sakura pulled away and hugged Lance around the neck from behind.
"Aww, is poor Lance excited to return home?" She teases with a big grin.
"As a matter of fact." Lance answered. "Yes, am I."
"We're all here now." Hunk started to conversation. "How long will it take to get home?"
"I was just calculating that now. Without the luxury of a wormhole and with diminished power cores, let me see, carry the one ... oh it's gonna take us approximately one hundred fifty thousand Earth years." Coran answered like it was simple math.
Everyone gasped with horror, and Sakura fell backwards landing on her butt.
"One hundred fifty thousand years!?" Keith shot at him.
"Coran, I think your finger counting is a little off." Pidge points out.
"A little? That's not a little off!" Sakura exclaimed as Krolia helps her up. "Pidge, what's the exact number of getting home?"
"It's gonna take 1.5 years." Pidge corrected the math, and Team Voltron groaned in relief.
"Oh right." Coran smiled embarrassment. "I didn't carry the three."
"Coran, you need to work on your finger counting." Sakura huffed with a roll of her eyes.
"It's going to be a very long and difflicult voyage, but it's our only chance to replace the Castle Of Lions." Allura states.
"There were times when I thought I'd never see Earth again." Shiro said, looking down at the ground in thought. "To be able to go back."-
Lance suddenly jumped in excitement. "Well, what are we waiting for, guys? Let's hit the space road!"
"Yeah!" Sakura exclaimed, just as excited.
"I suppose we need to figure out who's flying with who." Krolia said.
"And what about the animals?" Coran asked.
"What about them?" Pidge asked.
Coran explained his logic, or what was his logic.
"No, elephants are afraid of mice." Lance corrected.
Coran looked at him bewildered. "Elephants!?"
"Yeah! Giant grey animals with long grabbing noses!" Lance explained.
"Giants with long, grabbing noses?" Allura questions with shock. "Earth seems so strange."
"The wolf is riding with me." Keith said with his arms folded. "Hunk can take the cow."
"Me? With the cow?" Hunk asked. "Not a good idea."
"Hunk's right." Sakura nodded. "I say the one who bought the cow, should travel with it." She gave Lance a look. "Besides, it's already still inside Lance's Lion where it should stay."
"Excuse me?" Lance questioned, his hands on his hips as he looks at her.
"Shiro rides with me!" Sakura suddenly called and zipped up to Shiro, taking his arm and resting the side of her head on his arm.
No one argued on that.
"I'll take the mice!" Allura calls.
"How come you get the smallest passengers?" Keith asked with his arms folded, Allura glared at him.
"Guys listen, I have a better idea." Lance said.
"Nooo you don't." Sakura folded her arms. "History's proven that over the years."
Lance gave her an annoyed look. "Just listen."
XxXxXx
In the end, the Paladins and other passengers grumbled with Lance's idea.
"Hunk and the mice are ready to go." Hunk informs over the comlink.
"I'm ready too." Allura said. "But the wolf looks restless. How did I get stuck with it again?"
"I'd gadly trade you the wolf for."- Keith is cut off by Coran.
"I have a question. Why did we let Lance decide this?"
"Enough whinnying!" Lance shot back. "Romelle and I are going to Earth. Who's coming with us?"
XxXxXx
The Lions took flight, beginning their journey home. But just like ever long car ride, nothing was so smooth.
"Oh, I get to finally play some of your Earth road games." Coran voiced. "I'll go first. I spy with my little eyes something that starts with plexis."
"Coran, we don't know the Altean alphabet." Shiro told him as he stood next to Sakura.
"Well, this is perfect!" The Altean man exclaimed. "I'll teach you!"
"Shiro!" Sakura cried, looking up at her brother as Coran began to sing the Altean alphabet and from Red Lion Romelle started to happily sing along.
"Guys, I think I did a bad job choosing passengers!" Lance called in distress after a long time, and the others minus Sakura started to complain too.
"THAT'S IT! WE'RE SWITCHING PASSENGERS!" Keith yelled, shutting up all the complaints.
"I second that." Allura agreed.
"Agreed." Lance added.
"Uhhh, guys. Has anyone heard from Pidge?" Sakura asked with worry.
"Yeah, why haven't we heard from Pidge?" Hunk asked.
"Yeah. Wait who's in her Lion again?" Lance asked.
"I don't know, but you're the one that came up with this grouping!" Keith responded.
"Well, she must have - no, no. Shiro's with Sakura." Hunk started with thought.
"I have Shiro, Keith has his mother and Coran, Allura has the wolf, Hunk has the mice." Sakura listed the traveling situation, before they all came up with the same conclusion.
"Is she left all alone?" Allura asked.
"Lance and his bird brain ideas." Sakura said with a shake of her head.
"Hey!"
XxXxX
Out of spite, the Paladins sent Coran, Romelle and the wolf to Pidge's Lion.
"Oh come on guys, this is not far!" Pidge whined over Coran and Romelle's complaining.
"I call dibs on playing the video game first!" Coran shouted.
"But I already have the controller." Romelle remarked.
"Pidge tell Romelle to give me the controller. I called it first."
"No. Nope. Nu-uh. No way." An annoyed Pidge said. "Can't do this."
XxXx
Once again, the passengers switched again to where it's satisfied. The cow with Lance, mice with Allura, Shiro staying with Sakura, Krolia and the wolf with Keith, Romelle with Hunk, and Coran with Pidge.
XxXxX
"Team, we're going to make a quick stop." Keith said after sometime of flying. "Everyone follow me."
The team flew down, following Black Lion and they reached an asteriod field and in the middle is a base.
"Hailing Zailox Station. Please respond." Krolia said after she opened a channel, only to get static. "Repeat, Zailox Station. Please respond."
"Coffee break? Bathroom break?" Sakura asked, looking at Shiro who shrugged.
"At the same time?" He asked with a frown. "Something's wrong if the channel's just static."
The Lions got closer to the station and landed. by the entrance. Keith leads them to the metal doors, Krolia went to the control panel, but the station was powerless. Allura grew to a tall size and punched the door, it slammed down with a very loud bang. The team walked inside. The main chamber is deserted.
"This place looks abandoned." Sakura said as they crossed the cat walk with their jet packs.
"Yeah. It doesn't look like anyone's been here for years." Keith agreed.
The team made their way to the main control panel, Pidge tapped a few buttons, but no power at all.
"The system won't boot." She informed. "Looks like the backup generator has been out for awhile."
"If the Blade Of Marmora abandoned this place, the means something really bad must have happened." Hunk voiced.
"That's impossible." Krolia said. "This base was still fully operational during my last check in with the Blades."
Suddenly the base shook violently. "What was that?" Sakura asked with worry.
"Enemy ship! Incoming!" Coran yelled over the comlink from Green Lion.
"Everyone, back to the Lions!" Keith ordered.
The team turned and used their jetpacks to get to the exit for a faster speed.
Sakura and Shiro ran into the cockpit of White Lion, and followed Keith's lead off the station and trailed the five fighters.
"Did anybody pick up anything when we arrived?" Sakura asked, looking over her controls. "I never picked up anything. And how'd they get here so fast?"
"It looks like a small fleet." Keith said. "Mostly Galra fighters."
"That's good." Lance voiced. "We should be able to take them out pretty easily."
"Yeah, but remember we're not flying at full power." Pidge reminded.
"Pidge is right." Keith agreed. "Everyone stay sharp."
"Keep an eye out." Lance states. "Where there are fighters, there's usally a cruiser nearby."
"Some of those ships looks like they belong to Lotor's fleat." Romelle points out.
"Whoa!" Sakura cried, dodging a laser that was aimed at her Lion.
"We need to get out of here!" Keith seethed.
"Guys, they got me!" Hunk cried, panicking. "I can't move!"
"I'm coming!" Sakura turned her Lion around to see Yellow Lion is trapped in the clutches of a glowing lasso that was emanted from the side of the fighter jet. "Hunk, brace yourself! I'm cutting the lines!"
White Lion's jaw blade appear as it flew to help Yellow Lion, cutting the lassos and releasing Hunk.
"Thanks Sakura!" Hunk thanked with a smile when his image appeared on her console.
She smiled. "Anytime Hunk."
"We're getting our quiznaks handed to us." Lance said. "We need to do something. We need to form Voltron."
"Ok. Everyone in formation." Keith commanded.
Sakura sighed, sitting back in her chair and folding her arms as the Lions flew up into formation, but nothing happened, she watched as the Lions flew down and Black Lion landed next to her.
"So what now?" Hunk asked.
"We run!" Keith exclaimed.
The team quickly dodged enemy fire as they headed out in different directions. Pidge suddenly screamed and her Lion spiraled out of control, followed by a chain of explosions that blacked the sky.
Sakura screamed and quickly pulled back and turned - accidently side swiping Yellow Lion, to which she apologized for, and Hunk of course accepted.
"Is everyone ok?" Lance asked with worry.
"I'm ok." Pidge said.
"Me too." Allura replied.
"We need a disappearing act!" Sakura cried. "Now!"
"What did we hit?" Hunk asked.
"Xanthorium crystals." Coran answered. "They've been cloaked."
Black Lion pushed Green Lion out of the way as a bright tunnel of light came inches away from her.
"Whoa! Where did that come from?" Pidge asked.
"These fighters have a have a place to return to." Sakura said with a frown as she scanned the whole area. "If those crystals are cloaked, that has to mean that the main ship is cloaked too!"
"I've never seen the Galra use weapons like these before." Hunk informs.
"And they're not using standard Galra battle formations." Allura added.
"How do we get away?" Sakura asked.
"They're trying to trap us by chasing us through this tunnel of crystals." Keith informs.
"He's right. Look there's more crystals up ahead." Pidge said.
"They're corralling us like we're space cattle." Hunk groaned.
"They backed us into a corner." Lance states. "We got xathorium crystals around us, pirates behind us, and a cyclone blocking our exit."
"There's only one way out of here." Sakura said. "We have to go through the cyclone."
"WHAT!?" Hunk cried. "Are you nuts? We'll get torn to apart!"
"Sakura's right. We have no choice." Keith spoke up. "Everyone inside. Hunk, that mean you and I are gonna have to punch a hole through the storm and create a path for the team. You ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
XxXxXx
"Sakura!" Keith yelled frantic over the comlink. "Sakura! Can you hear me!"
Sakura's eyes fluttered open and she blinked as she looked around. She guessed that she must've blacked out. "I'm here."
The team let out breaths of relief.
"Split up!" Keith suddenly commanded. "We need to thin our attackers!"
White Lion went down a tunnel, a fighter close behind her. "You wanna play!?" Sakura suddenly pulled back on her handles, causing White Lion to come to a stumbling sliding stop and the fighter flew right into the butt of the Lion, destroying it. "Not exactly what I had in mind." She sighed. "Got got the job done."
White Lion sped through the tunnel.
"Is everyone ok?" Keith asked over to comlinks.
"Clear." Hunk responded.
"Me too, thanks to Romelle." Allura said.
"I got breathing room." Sakura replied.
"Well, Pidge and I need help!" Lance exclaimed.
"Yeah, we can't shake these guys and we don't have any room to maneuver." Pidge added.
"I see your location." Keith said. "We're headed your way."
White Lion began to follow, but suddenly stopped. "Huh?" Sakura blinked, looking around. "What's wrong girl?" She tried to move her handles. "You're exhausted aren't you?" White Lion lowered to crouch down, and suddenly all the power went out. "Keith!" Sakura cried.
Nothing, not even static.
"Keith! Shiro!"
Again, nothing.
"Uhhh oh." Sakura breathed. "This isn't good."