I don't own Voltron: Legendary Defender.

Chapter One- Fascinations

Wait. What's that? He turned and swam over to where something had gleamed from the sand. His fingers dug around before extracting a shiny pearl. He headed up and once his head broke the surface, he grinned as he held up the precious treasure he had found. It'll look a lot better once I wash it off and polish it. Maybe Mom or Shiro would like it. Keith pulled u the pouch on his waist, put the pearl in it, closed it, and resumed his search for ocean trinkets. He loved swimming in the sea and finding things like the pearl. He also liked taking pictures of sea creatures as well as helping any in trouble. He disliked seeing sea creatures in nets and traps and swore off seafood. His parents and Shiro thought it crazy when he announced swearing off from seafood but accepted it when he explained his choice.

Keith floated under the surface, watching the sea life swim by. The sea was like an entirely different world to him; it was amazing that one planet could support such an abundance of life. He gazed down into the water's depths. He had a feeling that all sorts of fantastic life and treasures laid at the bottom, but he would never be able to hold his breath long enough to find out and the pressure of the water at the bottom would be enough to kill him. I would love to travel to the bottom, but snice I can't I will have to be content with what I find in the shallows and any pictures I can take at the depths my camera can take. He swam up to the surface and, once there, he struck out for land.

Keith wasn't the only one looking for treasure. A merboy of seventeen was making a beeline for a sunken ship. His tail was blue while his fins were white. He move so quickly through the water that it brushed his brown hair off his forehead.

"Lance McClain!" Get your tail back here?" yelled a voice.

Lance came to a dead stop and whirled around to see his sister, Veronica, swimming toward him with a stern look. He headed back to her with an innocent look on his face. Hi, sis," he said.

"Don't 'hi, sis' me," she shot back. "I saw where you were headed. What is it about human and their things that fascinates you?"

"Not really sure; they just do. Maybe it's because they're like us only with legs instead of tails."

Veronica's demeanor melted. "Oh, okay," she said. "I'm sorry I got angry. It's just we really shouldn't go near shipwrecks as they could collapse on us; injuring or killing us. They're dangerous."

"I'm aware of that but I find some interesting things in there. Plus, I'm pretty good at telling a good wreck from a bad one."

"Well…as long as you're careful."

"Always."

Veronica hugged him before turning and swimming away, her coral pink tail leaving bubbles in her wake.

Lance grinned as he returned to heading for the sunken ship. He loved his sister and knew she mean well, but she didn't need to treat him like a child. He could take care of himself. He darted through a porthole and began looking for anything he didn't already have as well as some form of money. The money was necessary for Lance had a secret that no one else knew: He had actually walked on land and mingled with humans.

It was his observations of humans going about their business that taught Lance about the names of objects and how humans acquired those items. He had found some money in wrecks and learned during one trip to land how to use it. He had spent some of it to sample some food and love what he had.

I enjoy my time as a human, but I love it when I come home to the sea. Lnace found a wooden box and opened it to find a lot of money! He quickly shut the lid and back flipped in joy before grabbing it and continuing his search. He eventually left with the money box and some beautiful jewelry, among them a gold ring with a ruby and a sapphire set into the band. He knew these pieces of jewelry could be pricey and felt lucky to find them. I'll be cleaning them before adding them to my collection of human items. Good thing collecting human things isn't illegal otherwise I'd be in big trouble and seeking a place to hide them.

"Hey, buddy. What'cha find?" asked one of his best friends, Hunk, as Lance swam into the kingdom's boundaries.

Flashing a satisfied grin, Lnace answered, "I found some human jewelry and money."

"Money?" asked his other best friend, Pidge. "Why would you want human money?"

"What if you wanted to buy something while on land?" Lance asked innocently.

Pidge sniffed. "Lance, the only reason I become human is to enjoy lying on the warm sand. Actually, that's the only reason most of us leave the sea."

"I don't choose to leave the water," Hunk said with a shrug. "I'm happy down here."

"Yeah, but I do wonder what humans are really like," Lance said, looking up. "I mean, do their family sizes vary like ours? Do they have jobs and if so, what kinds? I've surfaced to see colored lights explode in the night sky. I'd like to know what they're called."

"Yeah well keep wondering," said Pidge. "It's not as if a human's gonna come up to you to answer your questions."

"You're right, of course." Lance answered with an easy grin as he swam off with his treasures. He knew Pidge was right: A human wouldn't answer his questions as few believed that merpeople exist. He could hardly walk up to someone and pose his questions as he would likely be viewed as an idiot. I wish I could meet a human who believed in merpeople.

Keith held out the polished pearl to his mother who took it and smiled at her son. "Keith, it's beautiful," Krolia said.

"I thought you'd like it."

"Did it come from an oyster?" his father, Thace, asked gazing at the pearl cupped in his wife's hand.

"No. It was in the sand near the deeper water. I didn't see any oysters near it. It's possible someone dropped it."

"Very possible," Thace agreed.

"Anything I could look for you, Dad?"

"Well, if you can, you could look for a conch shell."

Keith's eyes lit up. He had yet to find such an items and he loved the challenge to find unusual and rare treasures. "Sure, I'll see what I can do."

"That's quite the request," Shiro remarked as they sat on a café's outside patio.

"I know, but I don't mind. I love a challenge."

"I know you do. Now, about that pearl you found. You said you found it in the sand."

"Yeah, I did. Why do you ask?"

"Keith, you know I love the sea almost as much as you do. I've read legends that say that merpeople place pearls in the sand where people can reach them. The reason, according to legend, is the hope of meeting someone who believes in their existence."

"Really? I believe they exist."

"That's why I mentioned it, but the legends make the notion of them seeking us out in that manner seem a little ridiculous. In any event, I suggest you drive out to sea tomorrow to search for Thace's conch shell and while you do, maybe you might see a merperson."

"You think I will?"

"I don't know, but you seem to me to be a special guy. Your love of the sea is unquestionable as is your dedication to protecting those that live in it."

Keith nodded. Shiro was absolutely right about his connection to the sea. I will definitely follow Shiro's suggestion and head out to sea. I would love to meet a merperson.