Summary: Kagome, a sweet and caring girl who was destined to fall into the past at the young age of 15, is now a cadet at the Galaxy Garrison. Without warning, she's swept up in a new adventure with a new team. Her docile nature is shed away and is replaced by a trained warrior. Inherently strong and a formidable force to be reckoned with, she's not what her appearance makes her out to be.
Pairing: [Endgame] Kagome x Keith; lots of minor shipping, though.
Disclaimer: I do not own either series. Each belongs to their rightful owners.
Chapter Five
She never got back to sleep after waking up during the night. Stuck on a precipice between boredom and exhaustion, Kagome turned to mediation to pass the time. She sat on the floor, legs folded as she steadied her breathing to an immaculate rhythm. As she centered herself, a pink glow swelled up around her, akin to a barrier but clinging firm to her skin.
She wasn't aware of how long she stayed like that, merely letting the silence saturate the room. After a long while, she felt pawing at her leg, and she opened one eye to spot Kirara looking up at her. Kagome looked around, silently wondering how long it'd been and if it was even sunrise yet.
"Mew!"
Kagome looked down at Kirara and eventually stood up. She combed her fingers through her hair before carefully working the long strands up into her messy bun. While she was still tired, her mediation had done some good in restoring her in a small bit. She closed her eyes when the memory of her dream returned to the front of her mind, and she shook her head.
She told herself it had to be a strange coincidence. Kagome absentmindedly traced her fingers over her cheekbones before she lowered her hands and glanced at her armor.
"I'm me," she whispered. "No one else."
Kirara blinked wide eyes as she looked up at Kagome. She remained still as Kagome dressed in her armor. A second after she was dressed, Kirara leaped up onto her shoulder and nudged her face with her cheek.
Kagome left her room and set off down the halls as she looked around. It was quiet, but she hadn't expected anyone else to be up just yet. In her walk, she ended up finding her way to the bridge. When she got there, she noticed Allura and Coran already in there.
"Morning you two," Kagome greeted them as she entered the bridge. The two Alteans turned when she spoke. Allura and Coran looked startled at seeing the ravenette come to join them.
"Oh! You're certainly up early. How long have you been awake?" Allura asked as she came over to Kagome. She was already dressed in her armor and had her bayard with her, and Allura felt proud. When Kagome abruptly looked away from her, Allura felt a frown dip her lips down, and she tried to hide it.
"For a while now. I'm an early riser," Kagome said. It technically wasn't a lie, and she didn't really want to say the truth. "What about you two?" Kagome asked, letting her hands rest on her hips and she went over to the two.
"We've been up for a long time now getting the castle back in working order," Coran said. "There's still a bit we need to get done, but we've managed to get a lot done already!
"That's great!" Kagome exclaimed, and Allura nodded in agreement.
"We were about to test the castle's alarm, so it'll be really loud in a few moments," Allura said. "Time to see how quick the other's react- Coran?''
"Ready when you are, Princess!" Coran said as he stood up. Kagome looked between the two of them as they triggered the castle's alarms. Even with Allura's warning, Kagome still jumped, and Kirara flung herself from her shoulders, growling with her fur standing on end.
"Paladins, hurry! Zarkon's attacking!"
Allura's voice carried through the castle, just as the alarms did. Kagome stood beside her and Coran as they kept yelling things into the castle's speaker system.
The others arrived around the same time, with Shiro and Keith getting there the quickest and Pidge and Hunk staggering in a bit slower. Lance, however, looked to be a no-show.
"Time!" Coran exclaimed, glancing at Allura. He held something in his hand, and Kagome guessed it was some sort of timer.
"So I guess this wasn't a real attack," Shiro said as he looked at the three in front of them.
"No, but good thing it wasn't!" Allura said. She frowned and looked at the group. "How long did it take them to get here, Coran?"
"Seventy-five degrees!" he exclaimed, looking at them slightly disappointed. He caught his words after he said them, and he glanced back at the device in his hand. "Whoops. No, sorry, it seems this is a meat thermometer."
"It doesn't matter how long it was," Allura said, folding her arms over her chest. "It was too long. You always have to be prepared, because at any moment Zarkon can issue another attack on us." Allura threw an arm out at them. "Look at you! Out of all of you, Kagome and Shiro are the only ones in their armor, and Kagome joined the two of us a while ago!" She looked at Keith, Hunk, and Pidge, "you three don't even have your bayards with you!" She looked around and pinched the bridge of her nose, "and Lance hasn't even shown up still!"
Not long after those words fell from her mouth, Lance finally entered the bridge. He stifled a yawn behind his hand as he waved to the rest with his other one. "Morning you guys," he said. "What's up?"
Allura glared at him for his nonchalant approach. "Coran and I have been up for hours already working on getting the castle back in working order. The alarms needed to be tested, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to test all of you, as well. Take a guess as to which of you failed the test."
Kagome frowned and turned to Allura. "I know things are dire, but you need to give them time," Kagome said. They weren't used to war, and she could definitely say it took some time getting used to it. "They'll get the hang of it, but that can't be accomplished overnight."
"Kagome's right," Hunk said, yawning a second later. "On Monday, I was on Earth. Since then, I've flown through space, fought some evil alien, eaten some weird goo in some less weird castle. It's a lot to process in two days, man."
Allura looked from Kagome to Hunk, eventually letting herself look over the others. "It might be a lot, but you must understand the stakes our mission has," she said. She brought up a map of the universe and showed the rest the large sum of distress beacons. "In the past ten-thousand years, these are all the distress beacons the castle's picked up," Allura said. "We have to assume that Zarkon has conquered most of the known universe." She moved the map to focus on the Milky Way, where she then focused on Earth. "This is Earth. Zarkon has nearly reached your galaxy. At this rate, an assault on Earth is inevitable."
They were silent as Allura's message seeped in. The map faded as she looked them over.
"Our mission is to free those planets and to stop Zarkon from claiming any more," she said. "Coran and I will continue to get the castle back in working order. You six must put your focus on reforming Voltron. Yesterday was a good start, but we can't afford to take that long next time Voltron is needed," Allura said.
"The Princess is right," Shiro said, looking at the others. "Some more practice working together as a team will do us some good, anyway. Let's head out to our lions and get started."
"Wait," Pidge stopped them from going. "Is there any way I can talk to the prisoners we got from Zarkon's ship yesterday before that?"
"That's a negative, Number Six," Coran said as he walked towards Pidge. "Oh, by the way, I have ranked you all based on your height." Pidge glared at him, but Coran ignored her. "They need to stay in the cryo-replenishers until tomorrow, at least."
"Right," Allura said. She looked at the rest and nodded to them. "You all go and work on forming Voltron."
The five of them were waiting outside the castle in their lions for the last of them to show up. After a few more minutes, Hunk had yet to show and an awkward silence hung in the air.
"Does someone need to go in and get him?" Lance asked, but not long after, Hunk finally joined them.
"Sorry guys," he said.
"Alright team," Shiro said, his voice stealing the rest's attention. "In order to form Voltron, we need to be in sync. So, let's try just flying in formation until we're completely in sync."
"You can do it!" Allura cheered, her voice drifting through the communication devices in their suits. "Feel the bonds you have with your lions and with one another! Let yourselves connect with each other until you come together and form Voltron!"
"You guys ready?" Shiro asked, and the rest shot back a conformation. Without wasting any more time, the group took off and flew to the sky in formation.
After several laps around, and feeling no change whatsoever, the group was becoming less and less enthusiastic. Just being in sync physically didn't seem to cut it.
"Okay, obviously flying in sync isn't doing it," Shiro said. "Let's sit down for a moment and think."
"We need to find a way to line up with each other," Kagome said. "We can't just act in sync, we have to actually be it. Not just the lions, but us as well."
"Okay, but how do we do that?" Lance asked. "It just sorta happened last time."
Kagome frowned and let her body slump in her seat as she tried to think of a way. It wasn't much later before Allura's face appeared on screen in each lion.
"I don't mean to be an interruption, but maybe I can help," she said. "Yesterday it took being in the heat of battle to finally come together and form Voltron."
Kagome nodded as the rest agreed.
"Great!" Allura exclaimed. "I need to run diagnostic tests on all of the castle's defenses, so maybe this will help you come together!"
Without warning, Allura ran the tests, activating the castle's defenses. Blasts shot from the particle barrier, aiming towards where they had congregated. The first few hit the ground beside the lions, and they immediately scattered to get away from the assault.
"Allura, what are you doing!?" Keith shouted as the six of them split up to evade the shots fired at them.
"I'm inspiring you and running the much-needed diagnostic tests!" Allura exclaimed. "I believe in you, Paladins. Let fear be a motivation and come together to form Voltron! I know you can do it!"
"This is insane!" Lance yelled. He shook his head and turned the blue lion around, darting back towards the castle for safety. "That's it. I'm heading back!"
He didn't make it far, however. After dodging the shots aiming for him, he ended up colliding with the particle barrier and getting knocked back.
Kagome dodged the bombardment aiming for her and ran to shield Lance from the next slew. She crouched in front of the blue lion, her barrier going up and guarding them both.
"Why are you doing this to us?" Hunk cried as he dodged, as well. "Please have mercy!"
"No," Allura said. "Do you think Zarkon's going to take mercy on you all? Absolutely not! He's probably coming after us to destroy us as we speak!"
She left the screen in each lion, their communication getting cut off as she left the bridge, leaving the auto-lock-on active. In doing so, she left the six outside to dodge the onslaught of attacks.
It was sometime later when the majority of the paladins sprawled out along the couches of the castle's lounge. After spending who knows how long outside, flying around like scattered ducks, the barrier had fallen and they'd been able to retreat back into the castle.
"How are we doing on condenser number five?" Allura asked as she and Coran stepped over the lounge's threshold. Kirara was perched on her shoulder, taking to sticking around her while Kagome was busy
"Still the same," Coran said, humming thoughtfully. "Only at eighty-four percent."
Allura turned and spotted the four taking up the couches. "You formed Voltron?" she asked, clearly excited at the presumption they'd managed to finally come together.
"No," Keith said, picking his head up to look at the two. "The shooting stopped and the barrier went down so we just flew inside."
A look of annoyance crossed Allura's face, and she turned to Coran. "What?"
"Oh, right!" Coran snapped his fingers as if he was recalling something. "Sorry, Princess," he said then, "I needed to shut off the castle defenses when I was testing the fire suppressors."
Allura was about to say something else to the group of four on the couches when Shiro entered. Not far behind him was Kagome. Kirara sat up on Allura's shoulder and leaped over to the raven-haired girl.
"What are you guys doing?" Shiro asked. "No one said anything about taking a break."
"That's right," Allura said, folding her arms over her chest as she gave them her best scolding look. "You all need to put your focus on training."
"We've been training," Hunk said as he sat up. "How much longer until we can go home?"
"Earth won't exist if we can't figure out how to defeat Zarkon," Shiro reminded them, folding his arms much like Allura had. "We can't give up now."
"How are we even supposed to fight?" Lance asked.
Pidge nodded in agreement. "Lance has a point," she said. "We can't even form Voltron again."
"It's not surprising," Coran said. "After all, the original paladins fought countless battles side-by-side, in and out of the lions."
Kagome looked from Shiro, turning to Allura with a small smile on her face. She could sense how exhausted they were, just as much as she could sense how hard they were trying to make this happen. They were frustrated, and rightfully so. "Since flying in our lions isn't doing it, maybe we can try bonding another way?" she suggested. "We need to figure out how to be and how to work together as a team before we can form Voltron."
Allura glanced at Coran, and they nodded a second later.
"During the battle yesterday, it was your survival instincts that connected you and urged you to work as a team," Coran said. "However, that can only get you so far for so long. If you wanna have any hope of defeating Zarkon, then you're going to have to start working as a real team." He looked at Kagome and nodded. "We'll try it your way and try something else. Follow me to the training deck, everyone!"
"Wait, wait," Hunk said as everyone got up. "There's a training deck?"
Coran left them in the training deck as he took his place overhead to observe them below. He got situated in front of the microphone and tapped on it to get their attention.
"Alright you six, listen up," he began once he saw he had their attention. "The Paladin code demands that you put your teammate's safety above your own. You must strive to defend each of your teammates and keep a tight line of defense!" Coran paused and activated a switch to his side. "In a few moments, a swarm of drones will appear and ambush you. You all must do whatever it takes to protect the rest of your team in hopes they do the same for you."
The drones appeared, and Kagome formed her shield along with Keith and Pidge. Not long after, Hunk, Lance, and Shiro manifested their shields as well.
"On your feet, everyone," Shiro said as the drones circled around them. They held their shields up to guard against the attack. Not much later, the drones began firing at them.
Hunk dodged the ones aiming at him, but the hits ended up striking Pidge, who had been right behind him. A hole opened below Pidge, and she fell down it with a startled yelp. They didn't have much time to process the incident before the attacks got more insistent.
"Protect!" Coran exclaimed. "You must protect your teammates, otherwise there will be no one there to protect you!"
Hunk ended up getting hit when he lowered his shield a bit, and he followed Pidge down the same way when a hole formed under his feet.
Kagome bit her lip as she shook her head. "Move in closer," she said. "Don't allow for any openings!"
They followed her words, and the four remaining moved in closer, standing back-to-back in order to keep a tighter-knit circle.
"Alright, the intensity is going to increase now," Coran announced, and the drones began to fire nonstop.
"You keeping up there, Keith?" Lance taunted.
Keith didn't turn from his focus. "Concentrate on keeping us safe," he said in response.
"Me?" Lance smirked. "Oh, I got this drill in the bag! You're the one who should be focused."
"Stop it, you two!" Kagome snapped from over her shoulder. "You're going to distract each other." A part of her wanted to just throw a barrier up and call it a day on this drill, but she also knew that doing so wouldn't accomplish what it was meant to. "Just focus on-!" Kagome's words were cut short when she got hit in the back as Lance stepped out of formation. A shot hit Keith, and as soon as he got hit, one had hit her.
They both fell through the floor at the same time, leaving just Lance and Shiro behind.
The remaining two didn't last long. They ended up going down not long after the rest had, falling through the floor just like the rest before.
Coran sat motionless in his chair for a moment before slamming his head into his palms. "Oh boy," he grumbled.
After a few more failed drills, they were all seated on the floor of the training deck. They'd been given special headsets by Coran before he went back to his perch to observe their progress. The sat in a circle, facing one another as they donned the strange headpieces.
"One of the most important parts of Paladin training is being able to meld your minds together in order to ensure focus on just one thing: Voltron! Everything else you might be thinking of must fade away for the time being, and you must allow Voltron to be the only thing that occupies your thoughts," Coran said. "Since other drills haven't worked in uniting you into working as a team," he mumbled dryly before perking up," we'll give this a shot."
Kagome was able to see her thoughts manifested on the screen that had appeared in front of her. The aged well basked in sunlight and overgrown vines flickered. Several more images flashed along the screen. From her dream the prior night, to the faces of her old friends, and everything else in between.
She could feel the others able to look inside her thoughts, and it made her uneasy. She tried to keep her focus on the lion, but she could feel that her head was open for them all to peer inside. The parts of her past left buried in her head were open and exposed, and she hated it.
"All of you, take a breath and relax," Coran said. "Open your mind. There are no walls or secrets between the Paladins," he said. "Now, let your thoughts shift to the lions and focus on making that your mental image."
The did as he said, and their thoughts slowly warped into the lions. They moved closer to each other, and slowly began to form into Voltron.
"That's it!" Coran exclaimed, "bring the lions together and let them form Voltron. Keep your minds open, cooperate," he urged. "Good, good! Just one more to go," he said as five of the six merged, the green lion being the sole one to not be with the rest.
Keith opened his eyes and saw that Pidge still wasn't focused. "Pidge!" He snapped at her, "quit thinking about your girlfriend!"
Pidge jumped and her mental image vanished. She glared at Keith and folded her arms over her chest. "I wasn't!" she said, and she nodded at Hunk. "Hunk was looking around in my head!"
"W-We're open," Hunk said, defending himself when Pidge snapped at him. "You can look in my head if you want!"
Pidge glared at him, but before she could say anything, Coran interrupted the argument.
"You all have to be able to look inside everyone's head," he said. "Let's try again, clear your minds, everyone!"
They repeated the process, and this time the green lion managed to meet with the rest in the middle of them all.
"Good," Coran encouraged. "Just a little… bit… more... and-!"
The static image from Pidge replaced the green lion, once again preventing Voltron from being formed.
"Pidge!" Lance yelled as he opened his eyes. "Stop it!"
Pidge shot up from where she was sitting and snatched the headset off, throwing it to the ground. "I'm done with this drill!" she yelled. "I don't like everyone being able to dig around in my head."
Kagome removed her headset next, setting it down beside her with a tad bit more care than Pidge had. "I-I'm with Pidge," Kagome said, standing and folding her arms defensively over her chest. "I don't want people going through my thoughts."
Shiro frowned as he looked from Pidge to Kagome. "Come on you two," he said as he got up as well. "We were finally getting the hang of this."
Pidge kept her attention down, tears budding in her eyes. "I… I'm just tired, okay?" She said, "we've been at this all day."
Shiro looked over the rest in the room. Though they didn't say it, they looked worn out, too. He looked back at Pidge and nodded. "Okay, we'll take a break."
Coran came and joined them on the ground level. He brought them juice packs, and he handed each of them one as they sat to take a short break.
"You've all been working hard today," he said. "A little break might do you some good."
They were there for a good five or ten minutes before Allura came to check on them. She saw them sitting in a circle, and she stomped over with an agitated expression.
"What are you doing just lazing around?" she asked. "Get up, all of you! We don't have time to just sit around like this!"
"They're just taking a short break," Coran said. "You know you can't push them too hard, Princess," he said.
"Push too hard?" Allura glared at Coran. She looked at them next. "I said get up!" she exclaimed. "I've had enough of this. Time for you to face the Gladiator."
Kagome looked up, brows raised when Allura said that. "... Gladiator?"
That sounded like fun after the past few days she'd had. She hopped up and stretched, ready for a challenge. Allura was momentarily startled, not expecting any of them to move so eagerly at the newest challenge for them. Her surprise faded and was replaced with a smile as Kagome turned to face her.
"Get it ready."
The rest were surprised at her bold statement, looking at her with widened eyes. She was like a different person when she said it.
"Kagome...?" Shiro got up after she said that. Given everything he'd learned about her recently, and everything he still didn't know, he didn't know if he should be concerned or not about her spirited enthusiasm about facing a Gladiator.
She glanced back at him, pulling a smile onto her face. "What?" she said then. "This sounds like fun, unlike most everything else we've done today."
At the very least, it sounded like a great stress-reliever.
Allura beamed. "That's the spirit, Kagome!"
They stood at the ready, their bayards formed into their weapons. They kept careful watch of their surroundings, waiting for the Gladiator to show up. As they did, they heard Coran once again from above them.
"In order for you to defeat the Gladiator, all six of you must fight as one," he said. "Let yourself link up and connect as you take down a common foe! Ready? Begin!"
The ceiling opened with a hole, the Gladiator dropped down to join them in the enclosed area. In its hands was a polearm staff, and it spun it over its head as it stood up entirely.
"Move!" Kagome commanded as the Gladiator sprung into motion.
It turned towards Hunk first. He instantly panicked and got knocked to the side when the Gladiator struck him. Pidge ran to face it, managing to last a few short seconds against it before she was knocked to the side, as well, just as Hunk had been.
The Gladiator turned, knocking Lance on the top of his head with the end of its staff. It swatted Keith next before spinning and jabbing Lance in the stomach, swinging him around and throwing him into Keith and knocking them both into the wall behind Keith.
The Gladiator turned towards Kagome next, raising its staff to strike her. Kagome narrowed her eyes, and she braced the curve of her bow over her head and caught the staff mid-swing. She spun and kicked the Gladiator in its chest, knocking it back and closer to Shiro. It caught sight of him and rushed him, focusing its full attention on him as it lifted its staff to take him down.
Kagome's eyes widened when Shiro froze like a deer in headlights, and she barreled towards him. "Shiro, get down!"
Keith shot up from the floor and ran to guard Shiro against the impending hit. It never hit him, though. Kagome slammed her body into the Gladiator to get it away from Shiro and Keith, knocking it back a few paces. She couldn't move quick enough to put more space between her and it when it spun around to face her. The Gladiator struck her stomach with the side of its staff. It knocked the wind from her as she was slung back into the other two, knocking them down as she fell.
Kagome climbed back on her feet, eyes narrowed as she braced herself on her bow. She panted, trying to regain her breath as the Gladiator went back in for her. Kagome swung her bow up to catch the downswing of its staff once again, and she threw her weight at it to make it stumble back. This time it was her turn to lunge at it, and she delivered a spin-kick to its chest. The Gladiator stumbled back, nearly dropping its staff before diving back at her, staff raised above its head.
Kagome gripped the length of her bow. She swung at the Gladiator as if her bow was a sword, striking it in the middle. It got knocked back a small bit before it lunged at her again. Kagome rocked her weight back on one hand, propelling herself back a few paces. The Gladiator swung at her again and she ducked, sweeping her leg out and knocking it down.
When its balance was disrupted, Kagome stood and spun again, bringing her heel down on its back and sending it forward into a crumbled pile as she beat the drill.
Her bayard turned back to normal as she exhaled. She definitely needed that after everything leading up to this. She wiped the sweat from her brow and looked over at the rest, still sprawled out on the ground.
Coran looked at Allura at his side, and he saw she had her hands cupped over her chest and a smile on her face once Kagome completed the drill. Not long after, she felt the weight of his stare, and she quickly shook her head to remove the stars she knew had entered her eyes.
She stormed into the training deck and glared at the ones laying on the ground. "That was set at a training level fit for an Altean child, and it looks like Kagome was the only one who was able to withstand it," she said. "You're nowhere near being able to work together as a team. You can't face Zarkon like this!"
After a long day of training, they were eventually brought to the castle's dining hall. They sat down, nearly exhausted, in front of a table covered in plates of green goo and other strange-looking foods. None of it looked particularly appetizing to Kagome, and she eyed it hesitantly.
"Ahoy, Paladins!" Coran greeted them as he stepped up to their seated forms. "What you see in front of you now is a big batch of focusing food I just whipped up for you all!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "After this, you'll be sure to be forming Voltron in no time at all!"
"Thanks, Coran, it looks great." Shiro glanced at the food and Kagome looked up at him. She couldn't tell what he was really feeling.
Coran picked up a remote he had set to the side and pressed a button on it. The group at the table let out startled cries when they were all handcuffed to one another, wrists bound by some strange magnetic pull.
"What are you doing?" Lance asked as he was abruptly handcuffed to the two beside him.
"Now," Coran began, "today I saw a lot of phenomenal individual performances, but it seems like you're still struggling in getting the hang of operating as a team," he said. "So, I present the final bonding session of the day," he said, waving to their seated forms.
Hunk looked on both sides of him, and he tried to free himself from where his wrists were bound to Shiro and Lance. No matter how hard he tried, it didn't work. He frowned and looked from the table to Coran. "Coran, listen to me," he said. "I really need you to think about what you're doing."
"This one is an easy classic," Coran said brightly. "You get to feed each other, just like a pack of Yalmors! If you want to eat, you'll have to work together!"
"Oh, having dinner?" Allura asked as she entered the dining hall. She sat at the head of the table and looked at the rest. As they struggled, Coran handed her a plate.
She ate in silence as they kept squabbling amongst one another, arguing back and forth as each motion jerked their other's body one way or the other. After a long pause on her end, she looked up and glared at the group across from her.
"Is complaining all Earthlings can do together?" she asked, frustrated with them.
Shiro frowned and looked at her as the rest followed suit. "Can't you just give us a break already?" he asked. "It's not like we haven't been trying. Everyone's been working hard."
"Yeah!" Keith exclaimed, trying to jerk his hands back to him to no avail. He glared at the table when they were jest slapped back against his neighbors at the table. "We're not a bunch of prisoners you get to toy around with, like… like…"
"Like a bunch of toy prisoners!" Lance fired off when Keith was struggling to find what to say.
"Exactly!" Keith yelled, looking at Lance. "Thank you, Lance!"
"Oh no!" Coran folded his arms and glared at the two. "You do not yell at the Princess!"
"Princess?" Pidge exclaimed sarcastically, "oh the Princess of what?" she looked around at the rest. "We're the only ones here, and she's definitely no Princess of ours!"
Allura narrowed her eyes and scooped up a spoonful of green goo before aiming and flinging it across the table at Pidge. It hit Pidge, and both her and Keith glared at Allura.
"Go loose, Pidge!" Keith shouted, and he picked up a bowl of goo. He tossed the contents at her, but Coran dived in and guarded Allura against the sticky mess. Coran grabbed a large ladle and scooped up a hefty amount of goo, and he flung it all over the six handcuffed.
"Oh, gross!" Kagome shrieked as she got covered in the slop she'd been avoiding touching. "I wasn't a part of this!" she cried. "I was minding my own business!" A glob of green fell from her messy bun and trailed down her face before it splattered on the table's surface. She shivered in disgust. It was so… so... slimy. She glared at Coran and snatched the bowl closest to her before slinging the goo at him. It covered his head, and she pushed herself up from the table, letting the bowl clatter on the surface as she jabbed a finger in his direction. "I held back against the Gladiator, but you- you're going down!"
"It's on!" Hunk exclaimed as he stood up, the rest following pursuit as they snatched up bowls and spoonfuls of green goo.
Kagome ducked behind Shiro to dodge another spoonful of goop slung her way, letting him get hit in the chest with the slop as she snatched a bowl up from his other side. She gripped the bowl and slung the mess inside it at the two Alteans on the other side of the table.
Their fight went on for some time. They slung it all over the table and at each other as they worked their frustration out. It eventually turned from a fight to them having fun, laughing as they slung the goop across the table at each other.
As it wound down, Allura sank in her chair. She was panting hard and covered in goo just as the others were. As she sat, the rest looked amongst one another and took in how silly they all looked. After a moment of silence, they all burst out laughing at each other.
Allura looked up at hearing them laugh. "Enough!" she exclaimed. "Do you realize what you're doing?!" The group of six stopped laughing when Allura suddenly spoke, but a second later, she looked at them with a wide, excited grin. "You've finally managed to work together as a team!"
They looked between each other as Allura said that.
"She's right," Keith finally said.
After everything today, the thing that united them had been a food fight.
"You know," Lance said as he glanced at Keith. "I don't completely hate you right now."
"Are you all thinking what I'm thinking?" Hunk asked as he grinned at them all.
"Let's go form Voltron!" Shiro said, and the rest nodded in agreement. They were freed from their cuffs, and they started towards the exit.
"Ah ah," Kagome wagged her finger, stopping all of them before they could go. "I'm not getting in my lion covered in this…. ugh," Kagome shivered.
The rest looked at each other, and they nodded in agreement.
"Alright, everyone," Shiro said. "Let's get cleaned up first and then let's form Voltron!"
"Yeah!"
As the six formed Voltron, Allura and Coran stood together outside the castle. Kirara walked outside to join them, and she jumped up into Allura's arms. She smiled and looked at Coran.
"See?" She said, "I told you I could get them to do it. All they needed was a common enemy to push them," Allura said as she scratched Kirara's head.
Coran smiled back at her and nodded. The paladins let themselves fall out of Voltron, and they returned inside after their accomplishment. Allura and Coran went back to join them, finding them sprawled out on the couches in the lounge.
Kagome laid back and folded an arm under her head as she looked up at the ceiling. After the long day, her lack of sleep the past few days was finally catching up to her. She hummed softly as the rest started talking, but her consciousness began drifting as sleep claimed her.
"Ah, man," Lance said as he folded his arms behind his head. "That was so cool! I don't even think I'll be able to sleep tonight with how much energy I got right now!"
Keith looked at him and smiled. "Not me," he said. "When I lay down tonight, it's gonna be lights out for me."
"You know guys?" Hunk said as he sank down between Lance and Keith. "I realized something while we were in Voltron together. We're connected, you guys. We're like a family here, and I love you guys."
Keith rose his brows and felt himself get squished up against Hunk as he held both him and Lance against him in a strong hug. "G-forces mess with your head some?" he asked.
"Maybe a little bit," Hunk said with a laugh as he let them go finally. "I dunno. These past few days have been rough." He paused and looked around. "Hey, Kagome? You've been quiet for a while."
His observation caused the rest to search for the girl, and they found her sprawled out, already fast asleep in the middle of a couch.
"Looks like she couldn't wait to get into bed before she fell asleep," Shiro said with a laugh. He went over to her and carefully picked her up bridal style. She didn't stir any as she got moved, nor did she wake up when Kirara pounced onto her stomach. "I'll take her to her room. You guys go get some sleep," he said.
The rest nodded and got up, heading out so they could go to bed. Before Shiro left, he paused at the door and glanced back at Pidge, who had stuck on the couch, seemingly deep in thought. "You going to bed, Pidge?" he asked.
Pidge looked up when she heard Shiro call her name. She blinked and nodded. "I'll go in a minute," she said.
He nodded and smiled at her. "Good work today," he said. "We're all really coming together as a team."
When she woke up, Kagome realized she was now in her room. She didn't remember coming to her room, so she figured someone must've carried her back from the lounge. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes before stretching and hopping up out of bed.
It felt later than she normally got up, but the day was still early. Kagome fixed her hair up into her usual bun after she got dressed in her armor. Kirara sat up on the pillow and flashed her teeth in a large yawn. Kagome looked at her as she went to the door. "You wanna head outside for a little while, Kirara?" she asked. That was all she had to say before Kirara launched herself off the bed and took off down the hall to the castle's entrance.
Kagome followed behind her a bit slower, and she wondered if the rest had gotten up yet. She didn't feel anyone up and active, but she shook her head as she eventually reached the castle's entrance. She headed out and inhaled deeply, breathing in the fresh air with a refreshed sigh.
She headed off the path from the castle's walkway, stepping onto the planet's surface as Kirara played in the plants surrounding them. She walked, examining each section carefully for anything that might be toxic or dangerous to living creatures.
"Aha!" Kagome exclaimed as she found something that was safe, and she crouched in front of the verdant section. She closed her eyes and concentrated as a pink glow surrounded her fingers. With a little effort, the glowing pink began to shift and loop together in order to fashion a basket out of the pearlescent pink. With a sharp movement, she snatched her hand away and smiled at her handiwork.
It wouldn't stay forever, but it would keep for a few hours before it dissipated into pink light. She looked back at the vegetation and nodded to herself.
"Alright! These look great!" she said as she set to gathering the herbs and other things she'd come across.
After almost a half-hour of foraging, Kagome returned back into the castle and carried the basket made of her energy into the kitchen. She set it in a safe place, just in case the basket faded before she was able to do anything with them.
By now, the rest seemed to be awake, and she went to join them.
It was some hours later when they entered the dining hall. They'd spent most of the day working on forming Voltron over and over again, and they were getting the hang of it easier than ever.
They sat down at the table right as Coran came in to join them. He carried something on a covered platter, and he spoke loudly to get their attention.
"Hello, you guys!" he said. "How has your training been going today?" he inquired as he set the platter down on the middle of the table.
"We're getting there," Shiro said, looking the team over with a smile. "How about you two?" he asked, intending Coran and Allura. "How's the progress on the castle? Are we about ready to leave Arus? I'm starting to feel like sitting ducks the longer we're stuck here."
Coran hummed. "We're getting there," he said. "Shouldn't be much longer at all! In the meantime, in order to get your mind off those duck seats you're worried about, I took the time to make you an authentic Paladin lunch!"
He yanked the lid off the platter and everyone's face faltered when their eyes and noses were assaulted by what was hidden underneath.
"C'mon Coran," Hunk said as he looked at the orange-haired Altean. "You just got me hooked on that green goo. You can't go changing up the menu on me like this."
"This is packed full of nutrients!" Coran exclaimed, and he encouraged them to try it.
Hunk sniffed it and he recoiled away from it with a nauseated grimace. "It smells terrible," he said.
"That's how you know it's healthy!"
"Coran, listen to me," Hunk said. "We are on a planet full of fresh herbs and spices, and all sorts of things. If you'll excuse me, I'm going into that kitchen, and I'm gonna spice it up some."
"Oh!" Kagome said up as she looked towards Hunk. "That reminds me. Guess who went out and gathered a bunch of fresh herbs and other stuff bright and early this morning?" she said, and Hunk perked up.
"Uh, Kagome, you're the best," he said as he walked up next to her. He set his hands on her shoulders and smiled. "You and me. We're taking over the kitchen together right now, let's go!"
"All right!" Kagome pumped her fist in the air as she hopped behind Hunk into the kitchen to prepare something that actually looked appetizing.
Kagome and Hunk headed into the kitchen, leaving behind Shiro, Lance, and Keith in the dining hall with Coran. Shiro noticed the missing green paladin, and he looked at Coran, curious.
"Where'd Pidge go?"
Coran looked at Shiro as he picked up a lump of the strange food he'd prepared, shoveling it into his mouth. "He's probably off- checking on those prisoners we rescued from Sendak's ship," he said and he swallowed the bite he'd taken. "They should be waking up soon, after all."
Shiro got up and was about to leave when Coran stopped him. He picked up another bite and turned to Shiro, who's eyes widened when Coran held it out to him.
"Open the hatch," he encouraged. "Food lion coming in for a landing!" Coran said as he tried to get Shiro to take the bite.
Shiro narrowed his eyes as he caught Coran's wrist before it could get much closer to his face. He shook his head and backed away. "No. Absolutely not," he said as he turned and left to find Pidge.
Coran watched as he left, shrugging and jamming the bite into his mouth with a huff. "You don't know what you're missing!"
Shiro went to find Pidge, and he found her waiting as patiently as she could. Which, in hindsight, wasn't that patient. She was tapping her foot on the floor and sitting with a tense posture. Shiro smiled and he went to join her, sitting down beside her and setting his hands on his knees.
"You're as anxious as I am about this," he said as he glanced at Pidge. She looked up at him before turning back to the pods.
"They have to know something about my family," she said. "Even just a tiny bit, they have to know at least a little bit."
Shiro nodded. "I hope so," he said, and Pidge looked back at him.
"When we found them, one of them called you 'Champion'," she said. "What does that mean?"
"I can't tell you," Shiro said. "I can't remember much of my time captured, but the way those guys looked when we found them…" he paused and looked down, his hands tightening some. "I don't think I like the sound of it…"
They heard as a pod opened, and they both looked up as the pod containing Xi opened.
Meanwhile in the dining hall Hunk and Kagome finally brought out a collection of food they fixed up together. They set it down on the table and stepped back as Keith and Lance wasted no time in digging in. Coran watched as they ate, a glare on his face, and Allura eventually came in to join them. She saw the two eating with so much vigor, and she looked at Coran with a smile.
"I take it they like the Paladin lunch?" she asked, but Coran huffed in response, much to her surprise.
"I don't want to talk about it," he said as he turned away from the table covered in food prepared by Hunk and Kagome.
Allura arched a brow before shaking her head. "I finally got the last nebulon booster working," she said. "Tomorrow we should be able to leave Arus!"
Kagome looked at Allura and smiled. "That's great," she said, and Allura turned to her with a similar smile on her face. "The sooner we move, the sooner we can get to work undoing Zarkon's domination."
"Right you are," Allura said. She was silenced when the alarms began to blare. It's the only thing that pulls Lance and Keith to stop shoveling food into their mouths, and they looked up when Allura brought up a screen. On it was a small alien creeping up to the castle.
Keith looked at it. "What is that?"
Allura shrugged. "I'm not sure," she said. She thought for a moment and looked at the team with her. "Perhaps it's a local Arusian? He's approaching the castle."
"Aww!" Hunk exclaimed as he looked at his little legs move. As he moved closer to the castle, he let out a shout. He ducked and hid behind some rocks, peering out a moment later to eye the castle's entrance. "It's so cute!"
"Looks pretty harmless to me," Lance said as he stood up.
"Let's go greet him!" Kagome said as she clasped her hands together. "He looks so huggable!"
"Just because he looks harmless doesn't mean he is," Keith said as he looked at Kagome. He summoned his bayard and Allura shook her head.
"No, Keith," she said. "Alteans believe in peace first. Kagome's right," she said with a smile, looking back at the raven-haired woman. "We should go greet our guest!"
They all headed outside, but the small creature yelped and went to hide as soon as they got outside. It doesn't take much to find him, and they approached where he'd hidden away.
Allura smiled as she stepped up to the area. "Hello there," she said. "We know you're hiding there. Come on out, there's no need to hide. We won't hurt you."
He jumped from his hiding spot and brandished his sword to the group. It was the furthest thing from intimidating, and Hunk clasped his hands together.
"Aww! How cute!"
Keith stepped in front of the alien with his bayard ready. "He could be dangerous," he said, eyeing the weapon pointed at them. "Drop your weapon!"
"No one takes Klaizap's weapon!" he declared, planting his feet firmly.
"Keith, put your bayard away," Allura said, and she gently set a hand on his shoulder to urge him to move. She looked at the tiny alien and placed a hand over her chest. "Please, kind sir, accept my humblest apologies."
Her apology calmed Klaizap, and he moved his sword out of the way once Keith put his bayard away. "I am Klaizap, the bravest of our warriors! Our village resides just over Gazrel Hill," he said. "I come to seek answers as to why the Lion Goddess has grown angry with her followers."
"Followers?" Coran tilted his head to the side, and Hunk looked back at him.
"What's the Lion Goddess?" Hunk asked, and Coran shrugged.
Klaizap looked at the two and nodded. "The one that the ancients spoke of!" he exclaimed as he rose both arms to the sky before he motioned to a carving of a lion-headed deity shown to be worshipped by carvings of Arusians. Allura looked at it before turning back to the Arusian.
"Why do you think she's been angered?" she asked.
"For the past few suns, destruction and fire have rained from the heavens and a giant has danced in the sky!"
The group fell silent for a moment as the realization struck that he was talking about Voltron. Allura looked around before turning back to Klaizap.
"You don't have to worry," she said softly. "You have not angered the Lion Goddess."
"How can you know?" he asked.
Allura smiled and looked at the castle behind them. "Because this is my castle, and I am Allura."
Her words made Klaizap jump, and he suddenly bowed. "Lion Goddess!" he exclaimed, and a surprised look flashed across Allura's face. She shook her head and held a hand out.
"There's no need to bow, bravest warrior," she said. "Please, take us to your village so that we can finally meet our neighbors!"
"I thought we were focused on leaving this planet so we can go fight Zarkon?" Keith asked, and Allura looked at him. She nodded and turned back to Klaizap, leading them off behind him.
"Yes, but part of the Paladins' mission is to spread peace," she said. "Arus has been the host of my castle for the past ten-thousand years. The Arusians deserve our thanks for allowing us to remain here for so long."
In the infirmary, Shiro and Pidge are tending to the prisoners rescued from Sendak's ship. As more and more leave their pods fully recovered, they start talking with them.
"How long have you been held captive?" Pidge asked Xi, the first alien to wake up and leave the pod.
He looked at Pidge. "For a long time. Some have been there for years, decades even. It's hard to know how long it was. Time became a blur and it turned into one non-stop nightmare."
"You must've been there when my family arrived," Pidge said. "Sam and Matt Holt?" she said, hoping their names might jar his memory some.
"I never learned their names, but I do remember the other two Earthlings that arrived at the same time as Champion," Xi said. Shiro tensed up when he said that word.
"... You keep calling me Campion," Shiro said. "Why?"
Xi looked at him, astonished. "You truly don't remember? You were one of few, a legendary gladiator that remained undefeated in the ring. You even managed to take down the infamous Myzax. That day was when you earned your title as Champion," he said. "I was there, as was the younger Earthling." Xi inhaled as he recalled the memory, glancing down. "We were all prisoners that were forced to fight in the ring for Zarkon's entertainment. That day, we were chosen to fight against Myzax, a vile beast many had stood against before, but none ever survived against him. I was sure that our fate was to be slaughtered at his hands. The Earthling called Matt was the first of us sent to face him, but fate decided differently…" Xi looked up at Shiro. "You were so thirsty for blood that you stole the blade and injured your fellow Earthling."
Pidge turned and looked at Shiro, furious at discovering the incident. "You attacked my brother! Why would you do that?!" she yelled as she stood up.
Shiro shook his head. He didn't want to believe this, but he couldn't argue with what Xi had said. "No," he shook his head. "That can't be what happened."
"It's true," Xi said, his voice soft. "I witnessed it. We all did."
Pidge turned from Shiro to focus on Xi. "After my brother got hurt, where was he taken? Do you know?"
Xi shook his head. "I'm afraid not."
Shiro looked from Xi to Pidge, shaking his head. "I don't believe that," he said. "I- There has to be more to the story we don't know yet. I couldn't have hurt him." He paused for a moment, trying to think and recall his memories, to no avail. A second later, however, he remembered the ship. "Wait a second," he said. "That ship we got you off of crashlanded on this planet. They have to have logs on the prisoners stored there. Somewhere, some sort of information," he said.
Pidge looked up at him as he said that. "I'm coming with you."
"Oh! Lion Goddess, I, King of the Arusians, humbly beg for your forgiveness! Please, have mercy on us and accept our traditional Dance of Apology as an atonement for our many wrongdoings!" The Arusian King exclaimed. A second later, he clapped and summoned one of the surrounding Arusians to dance. "Now!" he exclaimed. "Let the Dance of Apology commence! Hoorah!"
Music began, and the Arusian began to dance. Allura watched for a moment before she raised her hands.
"Please," she said, "there's no need for all of this."
"Moontow, halt!" the King cried, and Moontow came to an instant halt, precariously balancing on one foot. "The Goddess has refused our apology dance. Start the sacrificial fire! We must throw ourselves in! It is the only way to atone for our mistakes.
They watched as they ignited a large pyre, and Allura gasped in horror as one was readied to be thrown in the fire.
"No!" she yelled, "no sacrifices!" she cried, horrified.
The King looked back at her. "So you wish for us to proceed with our dance?"
"That's a better alternative," Allura said, and the dance began again.
As the dance wound to an end, Moontow and the rest of the Arusians bowed to Allura. At the sight, Allura blinked and looked over the village. She was taken by surprise when they all bowed to her.
"Oh…! No, no, please rise!" Allura said. "Thank you for all of this, but I'm no great being who's worthy of your worship. I've accidentally placed all of you in danger," she said. "I am Princess Allura, and these people with me are a few of the Paladins of Voltron. Although we come from different words and have… rather different traditions, we wish to live alongside you peacefully- as friends!"
"But the Robot Angel," the King said, looking up at Allura. "Has she not come to destroy us with her rage at our immoral ways?"
"Voltron?" Allura asked. "Not at all," she said. "Actually, that mighty robot is here to protect you all. Voltron is the defender of the universe, protector to all innocent beings throughout the entire universe!"
As Allura fell silent, the Arusians erupted into cheers. They rushed to the group from the castle. Several of them jumped up to hug Allura and the rest, much to the group's surprise.
Kagome looked over her shoulder when Keith tried to leave. She snatched him by his wrist and tugged him to stop. "C'mon, don't be so mopey," she said with a grin. "These guys are so soft and cuddly!" she said as she squeezed two to her chest.
"I'll pass," he said, and he tried to leave again. He didn't get far before an Arusian jumped up and gripped him in a surprisingly sturdy hug. He could feel the smile Kagome was sending his way and he looked down at the clinging Arusian for a moment. "I… don't usually hug strangers," he said as he placed his hand on its head, "but… wow, Kagome's right. You sure are cuddly…"
"Thank you!" The Arusian responded, but his voice was nothing like Keith had expected. His eyes widened and he froze, hand still on its head.
"Hahaha!" Kagome busted out laughing at his face as she cradled the two against her. "I dunno what's funnier," she said. "The fact that you just admitted they're cuddly, or your face."
Shiro and Pidge arrived at the fallen ship, and they carefully found an entrance to it. Once they got inside, Pidge caught sight of something that might be of use and went over to it. Shiro followed her over to it.
"This looks like it could be the master control board," she said. "It doesn't look like it has power anymore, though."
"Does it just need power?" Shiro asked, looking over at it, and Pidge nodded.
"Yeah, but it has to be compatible with the Galra tech," she said.
"Let me try," he said. He activated his prosthetic arm, and it powered up the computer when he touched it with it.
"Woah…! I can't believe you got it to work again!" Pidge focused on downloading the data from the computer. "The information on my dad and Matt's whereabouts has to be somewhere in this. Once I got this downloaded, I can work on decoding it once we get back to the castle," she said.
As she was downloading the information, Shiro began to hear a faint rumble in the distance. He frowned and looked around, trying to find the source. When he looked up at the sky, his eyes widened. In the sky was a ship fast-approaching Arus.
"Oh no," Shiro said, and Pidge looked up at hearing him.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Something just entered Arus' atmosphere," he said. "I don't know what it is, but it's big, its Galra, and it's heading straight for us. We need to move!" He attempted to lift his hand, but Pidge grabbed it and slammed it back down before he could disconnect it.
"Don't!" Pidge said, "you can't move yet. I'm only at fifteen percent, I'm not going anywhere until I get all of this info downloaded."
Shiro looked back up at the incoming craft, and he tried to figure how long it'd be before it reached them. He looked back at Pidge when he figured that it'd collide with where they were long before the information was anywhere close to fully downloaded. He closed his eyes and grabbed Pidge.
"I'm sorry, Pidge. We gotta go," he said, and he yanked the two of them from the computer.
"No, stop Shiro!" Pidge exclaimed, but Shiro tightened his grip on her and used his jetpack to get them away to safety from the impending crash.
"Team, come in! Backup is needed!" Shiro said, counting on the communication device in his suit to reach the others.
The rest with the Arusians were able to hear him, and they all gathered together in the crowd of small aliens.
"Where is everyone?" Shiro asked.
"What's going on, Shiro?" Keith asked, hearing the unease in Shiro's voice.
They didn't have to wait long for an answer before the ground began to rumble from the approaching spacecraft. The rest of them finally saw the threat as it arrived, and they looked at each other.
"We gotta get to our lions," Keith said, and Kagome nodded.
"We need to make sure the Arusians get to safety, too," Kagome said.
Allura nodded. "Right. You all head for your lions and go help Shiro and Pidge. I'll make sure the Arusians get to safety."
The four made it to their lions and wasted no time in going to find Shiro and Pidge. It wasn't hard to find them, as they followed after the black and green lions. They arrived in time to see the Robeast charging at the two of them.
Keith fired the red lion's mouth cannon. "We have to lay down some covering fire so they can get out of there and away from that thing!"
"Got it!" Lance said, and he fired the blue lion's tail cannon. The Robeast was stalled under the assault.
"My turn!" Hunk yelled as he charged forward. He slammed the yellow lion into the Robeast and he knocked it back.
"How are you guys doing?" Kagome asked.
"We're alright," Shiro said as he and Pidge regrouped with the other lions.
"This is something Galra, isn't it?" Hunk asked.
"I think so, but I've never seen anything like it," Shiro responded. "We can worry about what it is later. Right now we need to take it down," he said. "Form Voltron, team!"
They formed Voltron, and not long after, the Robeast managed to get back up. It turned towards them, and ran for an attack. For the most part, they were evenly matched, but Voltron was knocked to the side by some sort of orb. They braced themselves as they hurried to avoid the attack.
"What was that?" Keith asked. "I thought Voltron was supposed to be the most powerful weapon in the universe!"
Kagome saw the Robeast coming in for another attack. "Hold on, everyone!" Kagome said. She gripped her controls and closed her eyes to focus. Before the orb could hit them again, she managed to form her barrier to shield them from the attack. It hit the barrier and knocked them back a bit, but they were able to stay upright.
"We can't keep fighting here," Shiro said. "The village is too close. The villagers could get hurt if we don't move."
With the decision made, they ran from the Robeast. It chased them, and they managed to lead it far away from the village.
"We got him away from the village, but we still don't know how to take him down," Pidge said.
"I got it!" Lance exclaimed. "Let me power-kick that dumb orb thing!"
"No! No chance!" Keith yelled back. "Last time you did a kick, we fell!"
"Oh, stop living in the past, Mullet!" Lance said as he urged Voltron to take off towards the Robeast. He performed a flying kick aimed at the orb, only to miss. The orb hit Voltron and knocked them back out of the air.
"Ugh Lance!" Kagome groaned.
"Why didn't you just put a barrier up?" Lance asked, talking to Kagome.
Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "I can't do that if we're moving! I can only put up a barrier if we're defending!" she yelled back at him.
"Stop it, you two!" Shiro yelled. "Pidge, we need lasers, now!"
"Right, got it!" Pidge cried back. She tried to summon lasers, only to end up summoning Voltron's arm shield instead. "Oops! Um…!" She works to remove the shield, still trying to get the lasers.
"No, lasers! Lasers!" Shiro cried as they were struck twice by the Robeast's attack
"Ugh! Every time we focus on that stupid orb, we get blindsided by the monster and vise versa!" Hunk groaned.
"What are we supposed to do?" Lance asked.
"Look out!" Hunk responded. "Orb coming in hot!"
They were knocked to the side, colliding with a cliff. Shiro froze when he heard a familiar whirring sound, and it triggered a memory he had buried. He recognized the sound, and he recognized the enemy.
"Shiro? You okay? We need to move!" Keith said.
Shiro blinked and returned back to reality. He took a breath. "I recognize that sound," he said. "I know this monster. I remember facing him in Zarkon's prison. I know how to take him down!" It tried to attack again, but Shiro managed to make Voltron dodge the collision. "There's a loud sound when the orb returns to the base of his weapon, and after three times, the orb has to recharge again. He's at his weakest then, and that's when we need to strike!"
"Okay, what about in the meantime?" Hunk asked.
"We defend!" Shiro said.
"Leave it to me!" Kagome exclaimed as she brought her white barrier back up. The Robeast threw his orb towards them, and it collided with the barrier Kagome put up. It shoved them back some, but she didn't let it fall.
"Good!" Shiro said. "One down, two to go!"
Another hit came, and Kagome felt her barrier flicker some as a sharp pain shot through her body like electricity. She grimaced in pain, hands shaking as she tried to concentrate.
"How are you doing Kagome?" Shiro asked. "We have one more hit. You can do it!" he encouraged her.
Kagome nodded. "Right! " She ignored the pain and kept her barrier up. It wasn't meant to stay up so long, but she pushed to keep it standing. The third hit came in and it struck the barrier with enough force to shatter it. "Ahh!" Kagome cried out as a burning sting shot through her as her barrier dropped like shattered glass around Voltron's feet. The remnants of it flickered and faded, but the pain still stuck to her.
"Kagome!" Pidge yelled out to her. "You okay?"
Kagome was silent for a moment, taking deep breaths. The pain still stung, but she kept that to her. "Don't worry about me," she yelled. "This is our chance! Attack him!"
With her urging, Keith fired at the Robeast with the red lion's mouth cannon, but it had no effect on it.
"Nothing happened!" Pidge shouted, frustrated.
"What do we do now?" Lanced asked.
Any answer that could have been given was interrupted when they were struck with the orb again. The flew back, just barely catching themselves before they collided with the ground.
"I had a sword when I faced him before," Shiro said.
"Guys! Guys! Orb!" Hunk yelled as the second hit of the orb came soaring towards them. They were hit again and slung the opposite way.
"We can't keep taking these hits," Pidge shouted. "We have to do something!"
Ignoring the pain she felt, Kagome gripped her controls and prepared herself to summon the barrier again. She didn't know if it'd work, but she had to try. Before she could try, however, Keith's voice pulled her from her mind.
"Wait, you guys!" Keith said. "I think my lion's telling me what to do."
"Well do it!" Lance yelled. "Hurry, he's about to fire his third one at us!"
Keith tried to fit his bayard into its keyhole, but they were hit a third time before he could do so. Voltron shook as they took the hit, and the Robeasts barreled towards them to deliver another attack. Before it can reach them, Keith jammed his bayard into the slot and it summoned a saber for Voltron to wield in battle. It sliced through the Robeast and it exploded on impact, ending the fight.
At the end of the day, Pidge was sitting outside the castle. With her were the mice and Kirara, who was still in her smaller form. Kirara perked up when she heard Shiro approaching, and she let out a loud mew in greeting.
"Pidge, there you are," Shiro said as he closed the distance to her. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
Pidge looked at him for a moment before turning her attention back to the animals with her. "Shiro… why did you hurt my brother?" she asked. "I thought you were friends..."
Shiro sat down beside her, "I did it to save him," he said.
"What?" Pidge looked up at him, startled, and Shiro nodded.
"My memory came back while we were fighting that monster earlier," he said. "Your dad was being sent off with the weaker prisoners to a work camp, and Matt and I were going to be forced to fight in the gladiator arena. Matt was chosen to go first, but he was scared. We all were…" Shiro said. "I stole the weapon and attacked him so he wouldn't be able to fight in the arena, and so they'd send him with your father."
Pidge blinked, tears welling in her eyes at hearing him explain. "You did it to protect him…" she said, and Shiro nodded. "So they'd choose you and let him go." Pidge lurched forward and wrapped her arms around Shiro in a tight hug. She pressed her face into his chest as she cried, "I'm so sorry I ever doubted you! Thank you so much!"
Shiro froze when Pidge hugged him, but he returned the hug not long after. He smiled and set a hand on the back of her head, the other going around her shoulders and patting her gently. "I know you really miss them, and I know that they miss you," he said softly. "They would be so proud of you, Katie."
Pidge's eyes widened when she heard Shiro call her by her real name, and she looked up, startled. He smiled at her.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone your secret," Shiro said then, and Pidge smiled as she pulled away from the hug. She leaned against him as they sat and watched the setting sun, absentmindedly petting Kirara at her side.
C.R: Wow, okay done with this one. So I've gotten a few guesses as to who Azilu is, and I'll say that while she's not Allura's mother, she is close to Alfor. She's also a part of the original paladin's group. More information on her will come soon.
Okay, so I officially closed the poll prior to uploading this. Kagome will be paired with Keith. However, that won't change any shipping/implications of her with other characters. When the pairing *officially* comes into play, it'll be near the end of the series/story, so everything in between is completely fair game with shipping. Kagome's a great girl, after all. She's bound to have a lot of admirers.
The next chapter will have the party! I'm excited for it!
Anyway, that's it for now! Thank you all for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed! Hopefully I caught all the errors before posting, but if not sorry.
Please remember to Review&Favorite&Follow, thank you!
Bye for now~
