A/N: Posted some new artwork for the series. It's sort of a promotional/movie-esque poster for Beneath the Sand and Stars. Check it out on my tumblr: pufftheninja.

**I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender (duh)

Keith was no stranger to Death. His father had died. He'd witnessed his Blade comrades sacrifice themselves for the success of the mission. And Shiro seemed to be at Death's door at least every other week. He was familiar with the awful numbing sensation that took over the body, slowing movements and snuffing happy thoughts and all motivation. He was familiar with the hollow feeling that gnawed at the chest, leaving you feeling empty and hopeless. It was like your own soul was trying to leave your body. But it was trapped in your fleshy vessel and forced to live and endure the hardships of life while others were free to move on.

Shiro knelt in front of the unnamed grave for hours, silent and motionless. Hunk had pulled Pidge to him, the duo clinging to each other for comfort. Coran had an arm draped around Allura's trembling shoulders, hugging her as he blinked through the tears. Lance had drawn his legs up to his chest, hugging them close as he buried his face in his crossed arms. No one talked or made to leave as they grieved alongside one another.

It wasn't until the sun began to set and the air grew chilly that Krolia quietly declared that she would look for some materials to build a fire. Excusing herself, she took Romelle with her to help, granting the paladins some privacy. Several long minutes dragged by before Shiro broke the silence.

"This must've been how she felt," he said, his voice hoarse and incredibly thin. "When I didn't come back from Kerberos. When I disappeared in the Black Lion. She's paying me back for all the pain I caused her."

"Shiro…" Keith's voice trailed off, unable to find any words that could possibly console him. Shiro had lost his sister. A piece of his family. It was a hole no one could ever fill. Even if Keith knew what to say, he'd never sound convincing, not even to himself. How could it when he felt like a part of himself was missing too?

Shiro stared at the grave. It wasn't even certain if this one was hers. Or Scarlett's. Or Mitsubishi's or Treble's. Still, his gaze was brimming with grief, certain of what he'd lost.

"I have his memories. I know what he said to her. How he treated her, how he hurt her," he continued. "He pushed her away. I never got to tell her I'm sorry."

"It-It is not your fault, Shiro," Allura began, sounding throaty and raw, but Shiro adamantly shook his head.

"When I was stuck in the Black Lion, I met her in her dreams a few times. She was the easiest to reach in the beginning. But I still pushed her away," he said, full of self-loathing. "I should've told her more. I should've asked her for help. If I had, maybe she – she wouldn't be…"

Shiro stopped himself, unable to go on. He took an unsteady breath and pressed his palm to his face, gritting his teeth in a mixture of anger and regret. Keith watched him helplessly and placed a hand on his shaking shoulder. There wasn't anything they could've done.

Lance shifted from his huddled position, furiously rubbing his fingers into his leaking eyes. "Her last interactions with us were all shit. We fought over something so stupid," he whispered, broken and bitter. "She died hating us."

"Don't say that!" Pidge cried, her voice cracking as she sobbed. "Don't say that, it's not true!"

She buried her face into Hunk's arm and he hugged her close, his own lower lip quivering again. He screwed his eyes shut and refused to look at anyone or anything.

Keith felt sick in the sorrowful atmosphere. His eyes stung and his stomach churned while his head pounded. He wanted to punch something, someone, and scream. Why was this happening to him again? Just when he'd thought he'd figured everything out, just when he had made peace with his past and was ready to look forward, why did this have to throw him back to the ground? How many more times would the Galra steal away the people who were most important to him?

Before he could lament any further, his wolf, who had been quietly laying by his side, suddenly lifted his head, ears perked. He sniffed and stared down the rows of graves, his eyes locking onto the small form of a young Vurellean child, who had frozen in his tracks upon seeing the strangers. Despite the dimming light and the distance between them, Keith could clearly make out his bright red eyes and sky blue scales, as well as the bags of trinkets that were slung over his shoulders. Hanging around his neck from a fraying cord was a ring. A Quintessence Ring. Mari's ring.

The moment Keith shot to his feet, the child yelped and made a run for it.

"Wait! Get back here!" Ignoring the startled shouts of the others behind him, Keith surged after the fleeing Vurellean.

Closing the distance between them didn't take long. He was taller and leagues faster than a kid who was being weighed down by his bags of goodies. The boy stumbled and whimpered, casting fearful glances behind him at his foreign pursuer. He screamed in absolute terror as the cosmic wolf teleported in front of him, blocking his path, and Keith promptly loomed over him, trapping him.

"Where did you get that ring?" he snapped, his anger bubbling forth as he threw all kindness to the wind. "Tell me!"

The child flinched and sniveled, shaking like a leaf in the wind. "Mama!" he shrilled, making the paladin grimace and the wolf flatten his ears.

For a horrified second, Keith thought that had been the answer to his question. His mother had given him Mari's ring? Did that make him…Mari's kid? She'd hooked up with a Vurellean? But then his stressed and grief-muddled brain registered that the child hadn't been answering him – he'd been calling for help.

Keith whirled on his heel just as a full-grown Vurellean woman in a cloak and hood lunged at him from out of nowhere. She wrestled him to the ground and clawed at his face, her sharp nails scratching harmlessly off his helmet visor. The wolf barreled straight into her, roughly throwing her off his human and sending her rolling across the dirt. Keith scrambled to stand, his bayard clutched in his grip as it morphed into a blade. He scowled at her as she coughed and struggled to sit up, waiting for her to try attacking again. Despite how frightened he was, her child moved to stand in front of her, protecting her from the stranger and his wolf.

"Don't hurt Mama!" he growled, baring his small pointy teeth. "I'll kill you!"

His mother whipped her head up, the movement sending her hood falling around her shoulders. She had pale gold scales and her red eyes widened as she stared at Keith, fearful recognition flickering in her gaze. The fight all but drained out of her as she grabbed her child, holding him close as she fumbled to get away from the paladin.

"You…You! W-Why are you here?" she hissed, holding her hands up as if to ward him off. "You stay away from us! I haven't done anything here!"

Keith stood there, dumbfounded as he took in her cowering form. This was Anka. She was so different now compared to the last time they had met. Her jewelry, luscious garb, and violent spirit were gone, all discarded and worn down by a life of banishment. She had changed so quickly in such a short amount of time. Maybe motherhood was to thank. But when had she had her son? He looked and sounded like he was already several years old. Did Vurelleans just mature faster than humans? And who was the father?

"That's enough, paladin," a husky voice demanded. "Leave them be. They mean no harm."

Being held at blaster point to the head by Krolia, the ex-Captain Orix approached them, his arms raised in defenseless surrender. Romelle, carrying a pile of dry sticks and brush, kept her distance as she trailed nervously behind the older Blade.

"I didn't know Vurelleans were lizard people," she noted, eyeing him, Anka, and then their child curiously.

"I didn't think I'd ever see another living Altean besides the princess and her butler," Orix muttered. "Nearly scared me out of my scales."

"I scared you?" Romelle scoffed, incredulous. "You looked like one of the monsters from my childhood storybooks creeping up on me from the shadows!"

"We found him lurking in the rubble of the rebel base," Krolia explained, her narrowed gaze never once leaving her captive. "He tried to sneak up on us."

"I wasn't trying to scare you or attack you," Orix huffed. "I just wasn't expecting visitors. The Paladins of Voltron, no less."

He hadn't bothered trying to hide the contempt in his voice as he scowled at Keith and the other paladins as they drew nearer. Lance's red and swollen eyes widened as he took in the familiar faces. Wariness flashed across his features as he tried for his best glare.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be on the other side of the planet," he said, an unfriendly harshness in his tone. "You guys are still banished. It's a life sentence, not a few months and done thing."

Anka nervously glanced at Orix, hesitant to reply, and the ex-captain raised a confused brow at Lance. "A few months?" he repeated. When none of the paladins responded and only continued to grant him angry frowns, he sighed. "Look around you, boy. There is no one left to make sure the ruling is followed," he said, tiredly gesturing to the wreckage all around them. "We might as well take whatever resources are left from this mess while we work on rebuilding."

"Rebuilding? All of this?" Hunk wondered uncertainly, pausing to take in all the damage once more before returning his attention to the Vurellean family. "Just the three of you?"

"We have nothing else to do. After what we've done, it is the least we can do," Orix shrugged, and Anka frowned at the ground. "I won't let the Galra snuff out our culture so easily."

Keith stared at him long and hard for a moment. Then he nodded to Krolia and she lowered her blaster, releasing Orix from her hold. He lowered his arms and moved to help Anka stand before tenderly scooping their son into his arms.

"The Paladins of Voltron are mean," the boy whispered, shooting Keith a distrustful snarl.

"They are…acquaintances of Papa's," Orix murmured, tapping his nose to his son's. "They won't hurt you. You did wonderful protecting Mama."

His son grinned with pride, nuzzling into his father's hold. Anka's expression softened as she watched them, careful to stay close to their sides. A spark of irritation burned within Keith. As much as he was glad that Orix and Anka had turned over a new leaf and had found their own happiness, they were still left with no clear answers as to what had happened here. In a way, it was almost unfair that they, of all the Vurelleans, had been spared from the devastation that had afflicted their people.

He took a deep breath, internally composing himself as he recited the mantra that had kept him going through all the hard times in the last several years – patience yields focus. This wasn't their fault, he had to remind himself. He had unintentionally scared their kid enough. He wouldn't snap at them just because he was feeling bitter and jealous.

"Did you see what happened here?" he finally asked, pulling the little family out of their affectionate moment.

Orix's gaze flicked over to him and then up at the darkening sky. "I saw the fleet when it came in," he said, his expression grim as he recalled the sight. "It was massive. Your fighters never stood a chance. While Voltron was off doing who knows what, fooling around at the edges of the universe – "

"We were fighting Lotor," Allura briskly interrupted, her eyes blazing with a defensive fury. "We were stopping him from sending the universe into another era of oppression and destruction."

"I'm afraid the universe is already well into an era just like that, princess," Orix remorsefully admitted, not even flinching as he looked at her head-on. "My people, my friends, were driven from their homes. Many good folks were slaughtered. The work your rebels put into building this place was all for nothing."

He paused, waiting for the princess to reply. Allura pressed her lips into a thin line, but said nothing, prompting him to continue. "When the Galra finally left, I was worried, so I risked punishment to assess the damage. I couldn't find a single living soul here. Only the burning remains of passengers who had been shot down trying to escape," he explained. "I grieved for them, so I gave them a proper burial the best I could."

"You made those graves?" Shiro asked, an alert light returning to his dull eyes as Orix hummed in confirmation. "Do you remember burying a human girl? Or a Utearen?"

Orix was quiet for several long ticks, putting two and two together. "You're wondering if the gladiator champion lived," he clarified and Shiro nodded. Orix's saddened expression remained unwavering as he said, "Most of those graves are unnamed for a reason. They contain nothing but ash from the crashed ships. There were hardly any bodies intact, let alone ones that I recognized. I am sorry, but I don't know if either of them are buried here. I don't even know if I buried Ellosh or Korlis or their children."

Shiro's face fell, his budding hope extinguished. Keith wouldn't give up though. He pointed to Orix's son, inadvertently evoking a hiss from the child.

"Where did he find that ring then?" he asked. "That belonged to Mari. She should've been wearing it."

Orix blinked at the jewelry around his son's neck. "This?" He frowned, cupping the ring in his large claws. "Rika found this in the debris of the rebel base. He was exploring one of the tunnels that had been dug beneath the compound. I've looked there before. No bodies were found."

So it wasn't that Mari had died wearing it – she had just lost it. She had been so stubborn about their promise, of course she wouldn't have just taken it off for no reason. She could still be alive. She had to be. After all they'd been through, she couldn't have died that easily. The more Keith thought about it, the more he convinced himself that this had to be true. Mari wasn't dead. She was somewhere out there, maybe, hopefully, with Scarlett and the others. He would find her. He didn't give up on Shiro, so he wouldn't give up on her.

"She's not dead. She can't be," he said, a fiery determination burning away any remaining doubt and sorrow in his heart. He turned to his team, putting on a brave face as he decided, "We're going to find her and Scarlett. They're coming home with us."

There was a hesitant pause from the others, an understandable uncertainty lingering in their expressions as they looked at him. Denial was the first stage of grief, after all. Maybe Keith was just in the early throes of the acceptance process. But whether he really was in denial or not, he didn't care. He wouldn't stop looking for them until he'd found solid proof that they were alive or dead.

To his relief, no one argued with him. Hunk sniffled and slapped his palms against his tear-stained cheeks, snapping himself out of his mourning bubble. His jaw set with an unshakable resolve, the light in his eyes returning. "Keith's right. We can't give up on them like this," he agreed. "They wouldn't if it were any of us who were missing."

Lance's frown wavered, still unsure. "But where are we gonna start? They could be anywhere by now."

"We can start with the Kintsugi," Pidge slowly suggested, already working out the steps in her head. "Maybe I can track it down, or at the very least, send a direct message to the ship's contact code."

A small smile graced Krolia's features as she looked at her son. "There's a Blade of Marmora rally point located on a moon in the Klii-Nyn System. If your lions are still too low on power, you might have a better broadcast range from their station," she proposed. "They might know more about their location as well."

"We should give it a try," Allura chimed in, warming up to the idea.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's hit the space road!" Hunk exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air. "To the Klii-Nyn System!"

He made a beeline for the lions, refusing to wait even a second longer, and Pidge scurried after him. Lance hesitated until Allura took his hand in hers, squeezing it gently and granting him an encouraging grin before leading him towards their respective ships. Chucking the wood in her arms, Romelle brushed the sand from her hands and followed Coran and the others to the lions, leaving Keith behind with Shiro, Krolia, the wolf, and the three Vurelleans.

"Thank you for being honest with us," Keith said, throwing Orix a grateful nod.

"I have nothing to gain from lying to you now," Orix replied. His gaze returned to the band hanging from his son's neck. "I assume you would like her ring back?"

"Yes," Keith answered, almost a little too quickly. He stiffened and added an embarrassed, "...Please."

Anka made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat, and crossed her arms over her chest as she glared daggers at Keith. Orix's eyes twinkled with amusement, but he made no comment as he addressed his son. "Rika, this ring belongs to the paladin. You must part with it now."

Rika's face scrunched up in disdain. "No! Don't wanna. It's mine!" he insisted, wrapping his small claws possessively around the piece of jewelry.

"Please, Rika?" Orix asked, his tone soft and sad. "Will you give it to Papa?"

Rika squirmed in his father's arms, pouting in indecision. He glanced at Keith and then at his dad before letting out an irritated huff. "Fine," he relented. He tugged the cord over his head and handed it over to his father. "This ring is ugly and it doesn't fit me anyway. I have a lotta prettier things than that back home."

Orix smiled at his son, proud of his generosity. He gave the paladin the ring, cord and all, allowing it to fall in his outstretched palm. Keith stared at the silver band that matched his own, light-less and dull without its owner. Silently relieved to have it in his possession, he tucked it away, kept in the safety of one of the pouches on his paladin belt.

"Thanks. Sorry for scaring you, kid," he said, glancing at Rika.

"I wasn't scared!" the little boy squeaked, gnashing his teeth in his anger. He carelessly waved a hand at Keith, as if to shoo a fly away. "Leave already, stupid paladin!"

Orix hummed and petted his son's head, absentmindedly soothing him as he spoke to Keith. "I hope Voltron's return will finally end this war." His voice contained a suppressed weariness, but his pale orange eyes blazed with high expectations of the paladin standing before him. "May you find what you're looking for out there."

Keith stared back at him, calm and even. "We will. Thank you."

As they separated from the Vurellean trio and boarded the Black Lion, they set their sights on the Zailox Station in the Klii-Nyn System. Orix waved as they departed and Rika watched in awe as the legendary lions soared through the star-filled skies, flying higher and higher until they disappeared from sight.

When Vurelle was no more than a speck behind them, Keith cast Shiro a reassuring glance. He had been so quiet since their conversation with Orix. As the younger paladin looked at him now, he could see the fear in his tired and red-rimmed eyes. He was afraid of what they'd find at the station. He was afraid of getting his hopes up.

"We'll find her, Shiro," Keith promised him, infusing as much encouragement into his voice as he could muster. "It'll be okay."

Shiro let out an unsteady breath, a million questions of doubt flickering across his face. But he never vocalized a single one of them as he quietly said, "I hope you're right."

**Check out my tumblr to see some cool art: pufftheninja