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 Six


"A party?" Kagome asked, her head tilting to the side in curiosity. Allura nodded and smiled.

"Well, it's more of a celebration," she said. "Since we're all set to leave Arus tomorrow, a farewell celebration with the Arusians seems nice!" Allura sat down next to the ravenette on the couch, and she saw the way she drew back into herself. It looked like something was wrong with her, and Allura frowned as she peered at her face with a worried gleam in her eyes. "Is everything alright, Kagome?" she asked. "You seem… bothered by something. It's not anything I've done, is it?"

Kagome jolted upright when she said that. She shook her head and pulled a smile on her face, but Allura could tell it was forced. It looked strained, troubled. "No, not at all!" she said, waving a hand back and forth. "I… I guess I'm still getting used to all of this."

A part of her felt like Kagome's words had been far from the truth, and she looked down at her lap. "Yes… I suppose it's hard to get used to all of this, but you've been doing magnificently," she said softly. "It's like you're a natural, honestly."

Kagome looked down, feeling her vision cloud over when Allura said that. As if feeling the tense aura radiating off of the other girl, Allura stood up and turned to look at her.

"I've got a wonderful idea!" she exclaimed. "The celebration is set to start at sunset. How about I help you get ready?" she asked. "I could lend you one of my dresses, and-!"

"Shouldn't I wear my armor?" Kagome asked, "just in case something happens?"

Allura paused at the thought, and she smiled at her. "One night won't have any harm," she said. She reached for Kagome's wrist, and she gently tugged her up. "Come on," she said as she led her away from the lounge. "We don't have long to get you dressed!"

She was led to Allura's room, where the princess wasted no time in searching for a dress. She didn't wait long before she turned towards her with one held in both hands, and she held it out for her to take. Kagome blinked as she accepted the curious material. She saw Allura smiling expectantly, and Kagome soon relented with a small sigh.

She did miss her dresses that she'd forgone once going to the Garrison, and while it wasn't the same, the idea was nice. With a little effort, she worked herself out of her armor and slipped the dress on.

"I hope that one's fine," Allura said after a moment. She was in front of her vanity, clearing things out of the way. "Most of them smell quite musty, I'm afraid."

Kagome looked herself over after getting the dress on. It was similar to Allura's but mostly white with gold hemming. The bodice was gold with pale rose accents. The sleeves were long and the same colors as the bodice, mostly gold with pale rose hemming on the ends. "I think it's nice," she finally said after a moment's thought

She looked up and saw Allura waving her over to the newly cleared off vanity. She urged her into the seat and occupied the space behind her.

"Let's take your hair out of your bun while we're at it," Allura said. She didn't wait for a response when she let her fingers carefully unwrap the hair tie from her dark locks. She combed her fingers through her hair as she smoothed it down, and she was surprised to find her hair was actually quite long. It reached below her hips, and seeing her hair all the way down for the first time took her by surprise.

She swallowed the temptation to play with the sleek locks and distracted herself by picking the brush up and pulling it delicately through the long tresses. Once she'd brushed Kagome's hair out, Allura focused on the two longer sections of her bangs. With deft fingers, she worked each side into a loose braid, where she pinned them both in the back of her hair. She took a look in the mirror and she smiled. "There!"

Kagome looked at her reflection in the mirror, and she felt her breath running away from her. The memory of her dream came back with enough force to send her reeling. The dress and having her hair in this style were a sort of silhouette to the figure she'd seen in her dream. The only things missing were the marks and pink pupils.

"What is it?" Allura asked when she spotted Kagome's uneasy expression.

"I… Maybe this isn't the right look for me," Kagome said after a moment's consideration. Allura frowned and shook her head.

"I think you look wonderful," she said. She looked her over, and she felt a pang of recollection. It felt stronger than before at seeing her dressed up like this. "It's a really good look on you," she finally said.

Kagome glanced down at her feet that were hidden under the hem of the dress she wore. She jumped when Allura took her hand and pulled her forward with her. "Come on," she encouraged. With her gentle urging, Kagome eventually relented and went with her.

They left to join the rest, and it didn' take long to stumble across someone.

"Coran!" Allura called out, and the orange-haired Altean perked up at hearing her voice.

"Princes, the Arusian's king wants to see-!" Coran began as he turned, but his sentence ran short when he was taken by surprise at seeing the contrastingly-different version of Kagome. He choked instead, turning and coughing into his arm. Once he was done, he turned back around and saw the two watching him, confused.

"Coran? What is it?" Allura asked, and he hurried to shake his head.

"Nothing, Princess," he said after a second. "I suppose I was just taken by surprise at seeing Kagome dressed up." He looked back at Allura. "As I was saying, the Arusian King would like to see you."

"Oh, right!" Allura exclaimed, and she looked at Kagome. "I should go ahead and meet him. You should come join everyone when you're ready."

Kagome nodded slowly and Allura went off on her own, leaving her behind with Coran. She felt Coran watching her, and she turned to meet his stare. "What?"

Coran froze as he scrambled for something to say. "I-I expected that Princess Allura would rather you wear your armor like the others," he finally said, and he tensed when Kagome rose a brow as if she didn't believe him. A second later she looked away, and he sighed in relief.

"Yeah, I thought the same," she said with a quiet laugh. "It's nice, but I sorta feel out of place wearing this," she added on as an afterthought, and Coran looked her way. He was about to say something in response, but he stopped himself at hearing a new voice.

"Kagome, there you are."

Both Coran and Kagome turned towards the voice, and they saw Shiro heading their way

"I was wondering where you were," Shiro said as he finally caught sight of the only one he hadn't seen since the celebration began. Something about her looked different, and he took a second glance at her. "Are you wearing a dress?"

Kagome straightened her posture, and she nervously looked to her side. "I- yeah. It was Allura's idea," she said.

Shiro blinked when she said that. It definitely made her look different than normal, but not in a negative way. "It looks nice," he told her after a short moment of looking at her in it.

Kagome looked unsure when he said that, but she shook her head and moved past him. "I'm gonna go find the others. See you around."

Shiro watched as she left. Something about her seemed more different than usual, and he frowned, looking back at Coran. "Is she alright?"

Coran turned towards him and shrugged. "Not sure," he said. Though, he could definitely tell she had something on her mind. When Shiro left to join the others for the start of the celebration, Coran exhaled and shook his head.

He was alone, and he found himself recalling a distant figure in his past, no matter how recent it all still felt to him. "It can't be…" he whispered to himself. His eyes watered and he felt his frown deepen. That pang of familiarity returned to his chest, settling over him like a ten-ton weight. There was no mistaking it, and if the markings were there, then she'd be a near-perfect reflection of her.

Azilu, the original paladin of the white lion, and childhood friend to King Alfor.


"Woah check you out!" Lance exclaimed once he caught sight of Kagome. It was a first, seeing her wear something that actually revealed her slim figure. Her hair was down, which was another first for him and the rest of the team. "You look great!"

Kagome paused at his examination, his words causing Hunk and Keith to turn towards her, as well. She froze and folded her arms over her chest, looking away when she felt her cheeks stain red. "If everyone keeps saying that then I'm gonna really get embarrassed," she finally said. "It's just a dress. Is it really that different?"

"Heck yeah!" Lance exclaimed. "I don't think I've seen you outside of your armor or out of that baggy hoodie."

"Or with your hair down," Keith added on, taking in the stark contrast from what he was used to seeing.

"How come you're the only one who doesn't have to wear your armor?" Hunk asked and she shrugged.

"This was Allura's idea," she said then.

"Hoorah!"

The group of four heard the Arusian King shout, and they looked over to see him holding up the communicator Allura had just given him. The rest of the Arusians joined him in the cheer, and Hunk looked back at the other three.

"Y'know what?" he said, "maybe we should come up with a cheer like that."

"Huh?" Lance looked at him when he said that, tilting his head to the side

"Yeah, like a team cheer or something," Hunk said.

"Hm…." Lance closed his eyes and thought about it for a few moments. "Oh! Oh, I got it," he said after a moment. "How about uh… I say Vol, you say Tron. Vol-!" He trailed off, motioning to Keith to finish the other part of the cheer. The latter looked at him, confused.

"Uh… Vol...tron?" he said.

"No, no, no," Lance shook his head. "The cheer has the instructions in it. I say Vol, and you say…"

"... Vol-tron?" Keith repeated, and Lance looked like a cross between exhausted and exasperated. Keith looked at him, confused.

"... we'll work on it," Lance mumbled.

Keith looked at Kagome and Hunk, and he shrugged as Lance lifted his cup to his mouth. He took a drink, only to retch and spit it out a second later.

"Oh, yuck!" Lance cried and looked into the cup in wonder at what he had just tasted. He turned and saw Coran walking past, and he shot a hand out to catch him. "Coran, what is this?"

Coran looked at him, tilted his head to the side. "Oh, this?" He held his own cup, and Lance nodded. "It's nunvill, nectar of the gods."

"Well it tastes like hotdog water and feet," Lance said, nearly gagging at the memory alone. Coran nodded and smiled.

"Yeah," he said. "It also works as a nice hair tonic!" He dipped his fingers into his cup and flicked a few drops of nunvill onto his mustache. To Lance's obvious horror, Coran's mustache sparkled and magically grew a bit. He gagged again and held the cup away from him.

"Oh, gross. Why'd I drink it?" he mumbled to himself as Coran walked off. It was quiet for only a few short seconds before Kagome looked up at him, curious.

"Lance?" she asked, and he looked at her.

"Yeah?"

"... How do you know what feet taste like?" Kagome asked, and the other two with them silently turned to eye Lance, awaiting his answer.

"Look, I don't wanna talk about that, but point is, this stuff tastes terrible," Lance said.

She hid her smile behind her face, but it didn't do much. She soon ended up giggling, and Lance groaned.


Coran caught sight of Shiro, and he went to join him where he was near the entrance of the castle.

"Not feeling well?" he asked as he stopped next to Shiro. "You should try some nunvill. It really settles the stomach, not to mention it really brightens your smile." He offered a cup to Shiro, but he didn't take it.

"I don't think it's a good idea to let everyone just wander in and out of the castle for so long," Shiro said, folding his arms over his chest in worry. "It doesn't seem safe."

Coran tilted his head before shrugging. "Oh, no need to worry," he said. "These Arusians won't hurt anything-" Coran cut himself off when his eyes landed on a few Arusians playing with one of the many hover platters. He looked away and back at Shiro. "Well, they won't hurt much." As he said that, there was a distinctive crashing sound and he cringed.

Shiro looked at him, still unsure.

"And anyway," Coran said, pushing the prior noise to the back of his mind. "It's only fair for them to get to see the inside of the castle that's been sitting on their plant for so many years."

"It's not the Arusians I'm worried about," Shiro said. "Zarkon's out there, and we don't know when he's going to attack next." He moved away from Coran. "I'm going to go do a check of the perimeter, just in case."

"Oh, alright," Coran said as Shiro walked off.

… … ...

Hidden near the castle of lions and out of sight, Sendak and Haxus watched as Shiro left. They were overlooked in their hiding spot.

"Commander Sendak, the sentries are all in position near the Arusian village," Haxus said, and Sendak nodded.

"Good. It seems luck is on our side," Sendak said. "The castle defenses are down and the door is wide open for all these Arusians to go in and leave. Something like this should be simple for you to infiltrate."

Something caught Haxus' eye. It was the drone Pidge reprogrammed into helping them.

"I might not even need to infiltrate," Haxus said, and he nodded towards where Pidge was with Rover at her side. "Look, the smallest one seems to have a Galra drone they've repurposed. If I can get close enough to clone its signature code, then I can just send our bomb drone in without any of them even realizing it."

Sendak smirked and he nodded in approval. "I knew that you would not be a disappointment, Haxus."


Allura was watching the others take part in the celebration. Along with her, resting on her shoulders, were the four Altean mice that had found her during the party. She leaned on the railing, watching below.

"Look at them, the new Paladins of Voltron," she said to herself and the mice with her. "The very fate of the entire universe rests on their shoulders." She fell silent when she saw Keith spit his nunvill out on Hunk, and the latter then turned around with two sticks of Arusian food covering his eyes. Her expression faltered when they both laughed, and she sighed. "I must maintain an image of strength so no one ever realizes just how worried I am about the fate of our mission," she mumbled then, and one of the mice squeaked. Allura looked at it. "Let's… keep that a secret between us."

The blue mouse with red eyes squeaked again, and Allura perked up.

"Oh, really? Who else has secrets?" she asked.

The same mouse used one of the others as a demonstration, and Allura giggled quietly.

"Hunk tried to eat what? Hm… that is rather funny," she said. "What other secrets do you know?"

The same blue mouse posed and pretended to shoot at things, very clearly imitating Lance, and Allura laughed again.

"Yes, that does seem like Lance," she said. She looked at the mouse, waiting for it to continue. It pulled on an overtly cute look and squeaked, and Allura reeled back, astonished.

"Pidge is a what?!" Allura looked at the mouse incredulously. A second later, she darted her attention out to search for Pidge in the main section of the room. She observed her putting some Arusian food into a bag, only to pick her ear with the end of one of the small sticks not even a second later. Allura looked for Kagome next, and she silently compared the two in personality and more. She glanced at the mice next, doubtful. "Are… Are you sure?"

The mouse squeaked in response, and Allura frowned, her suspicions jostled.

"I'm getting to the bottom of this."

She went to catch up with Pidge, who had Rover right behind her.

"Hello Pidge," Allura said loud enough to catch the smaller girl's attention, and Pidge looked up at her.

"Oh, hey," she said in response. She stopped when Allura blocked her path, looking up at her with mild confusion.

"So," Allura began. "You and I haven't had the chance to well… really talk," she said. "Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?"

Pidge tilted her head to the side, still confused. "Oh… well, okay," she said. "I like peanut butter and peanut butter cookies, but I find peanuts to be gross. They're just so dry," Pidge said. "Oh, I also sweat a lot. That's unrelated to the peanuts. I mean it in general."

Allura was a bit stunned, and Pidge tried to leave in her silence. She didn't get far before Allura hopped back in front of her, stopping her.

"O-Oh that's certainly nice to know, but I was hoping for something a tad bit more… personal?" Allura hinted, and she winked. "After all, we have a lot in common, don't we?"

Pidge blinked, her expression blank. "Like what?"

"Oh…! Well," Allura paused and looked for something she could say without exposing her reason for the conversation. "Both of us had our fathers taken away by Zarkon."

"Yeah, but I'm getting mine back," Pidge fired back right away. She realized what she said after the words left her mouth, and she felt terrible when she saw the flash of pain in Allura's eyes. "Allura…. I'm so sorry, I-I really didn't mean-"

"I understand," she said after taking a breath. She looked at Pidge again, and she pulled a smile on her face. "I just want you to know that you can come to me to confide in. If there's anything you ever want to talk about…"

Pidge remained silent as Allura let the end of her sentence hang as an opening, and she leaned in closer.

"Anything at all," she said, and Pidge finally seemed to react.

"Oh… well I do have something I need to tell you," she said, and Allura brightened up.

"I had a feeling you did~!" she sang cheerfully. "What is it?"

"I'm leaving the team," Pidge said, and Allura opened her mouth to say something, only to catch herself when she realized Pidge hadn't just admitted to being a girl.

"Wait, what?!" Allura exclaimed, fully taken aback by Pidge's answer.

"I was able to decrypt the information from the Galra ship about where my family could be," she said. "At the very least, they were there at one point, so there might be some information left there if they aren't. I'm leaving tonight."

"Pidge, you can't leave," Allura said, still trying to get a grip of what Pidge said. "You're one of the six Paladins of Voltron, we need you. As a member of Voltron, you have a sacred pledge to defend the universe."

"My first priority is my family," Pidge responded. "I thought you'd be able to understand how I feel! If you had a chance to get your father, your family back, wouldn't you do what you had to in order to do it?"

Allura frowned and Pidge looked at the ground. "Pidge-"

"I'm sorry, Allura," she said as she stepped away from the princess. "I need to go tell the others, too."

She went off to find Shiro, and she saw him outside the castle. She walked past the area where Haxus had hidden, and when she walked by with Rover following her, he was able to clone the drone's signature code.

"Hey, Shiro?" Pidge nervously called out. "I need to talk with you."

Shiro turned to look at her, and he nodded. "Okay," he said as he followed her back into the castle.

Once they were out of sight, Haxus reconfigured the bomb drone to have Rover's signature and activated it. He left to wait further away as the bomb flew inside the castle's open doors.


It'd been a while since he'd last seen Kagome, and Coran went off to try and find her. He recalled Shiro's earlier inquiry as to if she was alright, and after not seeing her for a while, he felt a bit worried. He didn't have to search hard. He found her hidden away in the quiet space of the bridge with Kirara on her lap. She didn't seem to notice him as he entered, and he came to a halt in a few feet away from her.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, and Kagome sat up some at realizing she wasn't alone anymore. After a moment, she shrugged, and he took that as a good enough sign to give her company. He sat down beside her on the steps she'd placed herself on. He saw her turn back to Kirara, her expression clouded some. "Something on your mind, Kagome?"

She blinked and looked up, getting startled from her thoughts at his sudden question. After a moment, she shook her head, denying it. "No, everything's okay."

Coran could tell she was hiding what she really wanted to say, and he gently pried at her. "I think you know that's not true," he said. "Hiding it won't make it go away, and it probably won't even make you feel better. Especially if you hide it from the team you're supposed to have an open-bond with."

Kagome felt her frown deepen. "... I know."

"What is it?" he asked. "You'll feel better once you talk about it."

She looked down, contemplating on if she should say anything. Her fingers dug into the sleek material of the gown she wore as Coran watched her silently, ready to lend a listening ear. He didn't push her, merely waiting for her to form the words on her own. "I- I guess I'm just missing home…" she said. Coran frowned when she said that. She didn't look at him as she said that, and he couldn't shake the sinking suspicion she wasn't being truthful.

"Oh, you too?" Lance asked as he stepped into the bridge with the pair. The two looked at him as he came over to sit with them.

"Oh, Lance, you're here too," Coran said as Lance settled down next to his other side. He, much like Kagome, looked to have something on his mind.

After a few moments of silence, Lance looked up from his hands on his legs. "Hey, Coran…? How far away do you think Earth is?"

He stood up and urged the others up, too. "Well, let's take a look," he said. He brought up the holographic map of the entire universe, showing the small dot that was Earth. "Earth is right there." The next second, he started moving the map. "We're all…. the way… over…" For several seconds Coran moved the map at a rapid speed, but he still didn't reach Arus.

Lance watched the hundreds of thousands of little dots move in rapid succession as Coran spun the map around to Arus. A forlorn expression danced in his eyes, and he frowned. "You ever noticed how far the planets are from each other?"

Coran nodded, and he stopped moving the map when Lance stepped up to it. Kagome came up on his other side, and she placed a gentle and comforting hand to Lance's shoulder.

"Like, they're really far away," he said. "Like Earth. It's so far away that I can't even see it." Lance looked down, disparaged. "The blue oceans… blue skies and white clouds, green grass… I- I… I can't see any of it."

Coran heard his tearful statement, and he came to stand beside Lance. He offered him a sympathetic look as he rested his hand on his other shoulder. "I understand how you feel," Coran said. "I miss Altea."

Lance nodded, and he looked from Coran to Kagome. "I-I know that we're supposed to be these brave paladins and defenders, but if I'm being honest? I just really wanna go home…"

"I know how you feel, believe me," Coran said. "If I could go home, I would without giving it a second thought."

"I really miss rain a-and splashing in puddles," Lance said, and he looked at Kagome. The small, understanding smile made him feel better, but the feeling didn't fade.

"Rain?" Coran asked, and the other two looked at him.

"Yeah," Lance nodded. "I-It's water that falls from the sky.

"Oh, we had something like that on Altea," Coran said. "Only it wasn't water."

"... what was it?" Kagome asked.

"Rocks! Razor-sharp and boiling-hot," he said. "Oh, they could knock a hole right through your head!"

Lance and Kagome looked at each other before they looked back at Coran.

"Oh… Sounds like a fun time," Lance eventually said.

"Yeah," Coran nodded, a fond smile on his face. He looked at the two and motioned for them to follow him "Now, how about we go back and enjoy the celebration?"

The pair nodded silently and turned to leave alongside Coran. As they were leaving, Lance caught sight of the drone.

"Hey, Rover," he said, but the little drone ignored him. He paused, noticing something wrong. "Hey… you're here, but where's Pidge?" He turned, but as he did he saw the colors on it change as it readied to detonate. He turned back to Coran and Kagome. "Look out!" Lance shouted.

Kagome heard him and looked back in time to see as the bomb readied to detonate. She grabbed Kirara from her shoulder and guarded her against her chest. Lance and she dived at the same moment, both of them shielding Coran's turned back. They were all thrown forward as the explosion ricocheted through the castle.


"Pidge, what do you mean?"

Shiro had joined Pidge with Allura, Hunk, and Keith as she told them her decision. Pidge looked down for a moment before lifting her gaze to meet Shiro's again.

"The download from the Galra ship is enough to point me in the right direction, at least, so I know where I need to start my search. I've got a pod all set, too, and the green lion will stay here for you to find a new paladin for it."

"You can't just leave!" Keith snapped as he approached Pidge. Pidge turned to glare at him, narrowing her eyes.

"You can't tell me what to do!" she shot back. "I have to find my family!"

"If you leave, then we're down a pilot and we can't form Voltron. That means we can't defend the universe against Zarkon. You aren't the only one who has a family," Keith said. "These Arusians have families. Everyone in the universe has a family."

Hunk rose a hand and spoke up. "U-Um… yeah, I have a family. They're on Earth. I want to be with them, is that something that… something we can do?"

Allura looked at Hunk, a frown imprinted on her face. "You want to leave, too?"

"Well, yeah, I miss my family," he said. "Look, Voltron is cool. Being a part of it is cool, but I never signed up for a life of fighting aliens out in outer space."

"You're putting the lives of two people over the lives of everyone else in the universe!" Keith snapped at Pidge, stepping closer to her. "You-!"

"Keith!" Shiro grabbed onto Keith's arm and pulled him back. "You can't force people to operate as a team. They have to want to be part of it." Keith fell silent, glaring at the ground but listening to Shiro. Shiro turned to face Pidge. "Listen, Pidge, if you're set on leaving, we won't make you stay. Please just think about what you're doing," he said, looking at her.

Pidge looked down, guilt flashing in her eyes, but she didn't change her mind. "I'm sorry, everyone," she said. "I have to go. You'll find someone else to pilot the green lion."

With those words, she turned to leave with Rover following behind her.

"I can't believe this!" Allura clasped her hands together over her heart, her expression weighed down with a mix of emotions. "The entire team is falling apart. What are-!"

Her words were cut off when a large explosion rocked the castle. Pidge froze mid-step, even as the Arusians went running from the castle.

"It came from that way!"

The rest of them ran off in the direction the sound had come from, and they made it to the bridge of the castle. They saw Coran on the ground, but he wasn't hurt. Shiro went to help him up.

"What happened?" Shiro asked, and Coran rubbed his head as he looked around. The area is still full of smoke.

"I'm… not sure," Coran said. The smoke slowly cleared, and Allura saw the state of the power crystal.

"The crystal is destroyed!" she cried. As the smoke lifted, they were able to see the two unconscious in the ground, bruised up and bloodied. "Oh, no! Kagome, Lance!"

The group hurried over to the two on the ground. As they got closer, they saw Kirara tucked under Kagome's arm. She wasn't hurt any, but she looked ready for a fight. She saw Allura, and she bounded over to her, meowing loudly.

"We have to get them to the infirmary," Pidge said.

"Without the crystal, there's nothing we can do," Allura said. "The castle has no power."

"They look really bad," Hunk said. His voice conveyed the nervousness and unease they all felt.

Before anything else could be said or done, the Arusian King ran into the room. "Lion warriors, we're in need of help!" he cried. "Our village is being attacked!"

"We have to get to the lions!" Keith said. Before they could move, Allura's voice stopped them.

"You can't. They're sealed in their hangers, and without power, we can't get them out," she said. "We're completely defenseless."

The Arusian King looked up. "You cannot help us?"

"We'll help you," Keith said. "We just-" He cut himself short when he couldn't think of what to say. Lance groaned from his spot on the ground, but he didn't wake up. Kagome remained deathly silent, and Hunk glanced back at them.

"Oh, man, this is bad," he said.

"We'll need to get a new crystal in order to get the castle working again," Coran said. "But there's a problem. We need a ship in order to go get a crystal."

"What about the pod I was loading?" Pidge suggested. "I left the bay door open. We can still get to it."

"I'll be able to use the scanner in the pod to try and find the closest Balmera," Coran said, and he looked at Hunk. "You'll come with me. I'll need the help of someone big to transport the crystal."

"What's a Balmera?" Hunk asked. Coran urged him to follow behind him, and he did. Pidge went with them, taking them to the pod she'd been preparing.

"No time right now," Coran said. "It's where the crystals come from. I'll explain more on the way there!"

"I'm going to go see what's happening at the village," Keith said, heading for the exit, and Allura followed him.

"I'm coming, too," she said. Allura tried to set Kirara down so she could remain with Kagome, but she refused. Allura was stunned, but a small smile appeared on her face a second later. "If something's wrong, you want to help…"

Allura relented and let Kirara go. If it was needed, they could use her larger form to help get the Arusians to safer ground.

"I'll tend to Kagome and Lance, and I'll keep watch of the castle," Shiro said. "Be careful you two."

Allura nodded. "We will," she said as she went with Keith.

Shiro looked back at the two on the ground. He needed to guard the entrance, but he had to take them with him. He couldn't leave them here on their own. He went over to them and carefully picked them up so he could move them out to the castle's entrance with him.

"Hang on, you two," he pleaded quietly. "Just hang on. Help will be here soon."

He was almost there, but in the distance, he was able to make out a large figure heading towards the castle. His eyes narrowed and he carefully set the two down out of the way.

"Sendak!" Shiro ran to the castle's entrance to cut off Sendak as he was trying to go in.

"Stand aside," Sendak said as he saw Shiro. He didn't slow any, and he kept heading towards the entry point.

Shiro planted himself firmly, blocking the entrance. "No! I'm not letting you get in."

"You won't stop me," Sendak growled in response. Shiro activated his prosthetic arm and ran at Sendak, pulling him into a battle.


"It's very alarming how reckless someone as delicate as you can get."

The disapproving voice caused her to roll her eyes, and the smaller Altean looked up at the Galra Emperor. "Oh, so now I'm the reckless one?" she challenged playfully. "I'm always fixing the mistakes so I don't wanna hear it."

The disapproving tone bled into the look he gave her. Soon enough, he joined her on the surface she sat, his larger form towering over her delicate-in-comparison one. It was silent, and she let her attention rest on her companion. After a moment he felt the weight of her gaze, and he looked at her in confusion. "What, Azilu?"

She jumped when he abruptly spoke, not expecting him to break the silence that had built up around them. She looked down a second later as she shook her head. Her eyes glazed over with moisture, but she didn't let a single tear fall. "It's nothing, Zarkon…"

Her heart clenched in her chest, and she tried to ignore the painful squeeze in favor of savoring the moment. It seemed like these moments were only ever short and fleeting. She wouldn't say it. She couldn't say it. Not anymore. That she was positively and undeniably in love with him. After all, it was too late. He'd fallen wholeheartedly for Honerva, and she'd hide her feelings forever if it meant they'd be happy.

There was only one other who'd ever know her feelings, and it'd never be the Emperor beside her.

Her movements were sluggish as she slowly sat up. She could feel the weight of her dream, if it could even be called that, in her mind, but it was all a white haze she couldn't sort through. She felt the blood on her, both dried and wet, and she winced when she felt a sharp, searing pain shoot through her torso and abdomen.

She saw Lance lying unconscious, and she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, slowly and carefully crawling over to him. The dress didn't make it easy, but she eventually reached him. Ignoring the pain she felt shooting through her, she pulled him up onto her lap. "Oh no, Lance…" She set her hand on the side of his face. "Lance, please, please… wake up…" Tears stung in her eyes, and she cradled him close.

Her pleas went unanswered when Lance remained unconscious. She looked up, and she saw Shiro fighting against Sendak. She turned her gaze back down to Lance. They'd both shielded Coran from the blast, and she wasn't in much better condition than he was, but that didn't matter. Kagome inhaled, the deep breath she took burning her lungs sharply, and she grimaced in pain as she pulled what she could of her powers to the surface. She didn't have much strength, but she hoped it'd be enough to help Lance a little.

She let the pink glow encase Lance, her body crying out in pain as she drained herself even more without any repose. The strain on her doubled, but she was able to give a tired sigh when she saw some of the damages healing up on Lance. It wasn't much, but it was all she could do.

She heard someone approaching her, and she turned defiant eyes up. She knew she couldn't put up a fight, but she refused to lay over and let herself be taken.

"So hurt, yet you're still eager for a fight," Haxus said as he approached the heavily injured pair. "Most people would roll over and give in."

"I'm not most people," Kagome growled out as she urged herself back up onto her feet. She grimaced in pain, tasting blood when she got on her feet. Her head spun, but she held herself firmly, staring down her opponent.

Haxus smirked at her. "You're close to death, and you want to fight? I admire this sort of dedication. If it's a warrior's death you want, then that's what you'll get!" He ran at her, hand snatching her by her throat as he lifted her off her feet. The grip was tight, firm. It was enough to make her head swim from lack of air, but not enough to cut off airflow entirely. He smiled and turned back to Sendak and Shiro.

"Unless you want to bear witness to the death of her, you best surrender," Haxus said.

Shiro's eyes widened when he saw Kagome suspended in the air with Haxus' hand gripping her throat. "Kagome!"

Sendak struck him, and Shiro was knocked unconscious from the force of the hit. Haxus dropped Kagome carelessly to the ground and grinned at her. She landed on her hands and knees as she gasped for air.

"I know what I said, but I have no intention of killing you," he said as Sendak came closer, dragging Shiro's unconscious form behind him. "She was trying to heal the other one, and it appears she wasted what was left of her strength in order to do so," he told him.

Sendak fell to one knee in front of Kagome, snatching her face with his normal hand. He gripped and turned her head with enough force to make her cry out in pain. Blue eyes flared in anger as he tilted her face towards his, and he smirked.

"Seems this one might be too unique to just kill." He spotted the pink necklace she wore, and he felt curiosity rise. "What's this bizarre thing?" It was glowing bright pink, even under the dark sky. He let go of her long enough to reach for it, and she instantly shot her hand out when she realized what he was doing, bringing her palm down on the side of his face as hard as she could. The strike stunned him, his head tilted ever-so-slightly to the side.

"... d-don't…" she stammered. She was so weak, yet her voice carried an undeniable trace of unrelenting power. He turned back to her and glared, anger mounting from her hit. At the same time, he found her unshakeable bravery laudable. That feeling soon faded.

"No wonder these eyes looked so familiar," he growled as he got closer to her face. "These are the eyes of someone who's seen war and death in abundance." His hand curled around her throat, and she was slammed back against the ground with enough force to make her blackout. "Here's to hoping you survive the injuries you've sustained, little warrior. It'd be such a waste for you to die when you've got so much potential."


The Arusian King pointed towards the flames overtaking the village below. In the flames and explosions, the outlines and shadows of sentries were barely visible.

"I'll go in for a closer look," he told Allura, and before she could respond, he was already heading down into the fire. When he got down there and got a good look, all he saw were broken sentries posed to look as if they were standing.

"Damnit!" he snarled. "Allura, it's all just a diversion to separate us and thin the defense at the castle," he said, and Allura turned towards the castle when she heard him.

"Oh no! We have to get back," Allura said, and both of them raced back to the castle as fast as they could. When they got close enough, the castle's particle barrier went up, preventing them from being able to enter the castle.

Keith slammed his fist against the barrier. "We're too late!"

"They've got a crystal. They have control of the castle," Allura said. "They're going to take Voltron!"

"Can't we just break through the barrier?" Keith asked, summoning his bayard as he prepared to strike the barrier.

Allura shook her head. "Hits like that won't have any effect on the castle's barrier. We need to find a way to stop them from the inside…"

"Keith… you there?"

Pidge's voice carried through the communication device in his helmet, and Keith nodded. "Pidge? Where are you?"

"Inside the castle," she said. "Sendak's behind this. He's got Kagome, Lance, and Shiro, and he's taken control of the castle. It looks like he's preparing for launch."

"Pidge, if they've already started the launch sequence, then we won't have much time to stop them," Allura said.

"What do I do?" Pidge asked.

"You need to get to the main engine control panel, and then you have to disconnect the primary turbine from the Central Energy Chamber," Allura said. "If you can do that, then it'll force Sendak to restart the whole system in order to try and launch again. It could possibly give us enough time to come up with a way to stop them."

"Right!" Pidge said.


Sendak walked past the group of unconscious humans, sparing a little longer of a look at Kagome before he finally looked at Haxus. "Make contact with Emperor Zarkon," he said, and Haxus opened communications, bringing up Zarkon on screen.

Zarkon's frigid glare landed on him. "Sendak."

"Emperor Zarkon, I've completed my mission. The Altean castle is under my control, along with all of the Voltron lions," Sendak said. "I am preparing for launch, and they will be delivered to you shortly."

"This is most pleasing news," Zarkon rumbled in response. "You've done your job. Vrepit Sa!"

"Vrepit Sa!" Sendak responded, and shortly after the transmission ended.

"Hnn...ng…"

Sendak turned at the faint whimper, and he felt an amused smirk appear on his face at catching vibrant blue eyes staring him down. If looks could kill, he'd be dead three times over by now.

"Seems you'll survive your injuries," he said, and he walked over to her. She was tied and bound, hands cuffed behind her so she was nothing more than a meager threat. He knelt and gripped her chin again, letting his claws sink into her flesh and leave angry, red streaks. "While your friends might end up being killed or thrown into the gladiator ring, I'm sure a more refined position would call to you." He pressed his thumb beside her eye, smirking at the defiant shine gleaming in the radiant blue. "Once you submit, you'll make a good warrior of the Empire."

Kagome glared at him. "I'd… sooner die," she panted, the words scratching her aching throat on the way out.

Sendak lowered his hand had stood back up, glowering down at her. "Haxus, ready the castle for takeoff."

"Yes, Commander," Haxus said.


Pidge reached the Central Energy Chamber, and she headed over to where the engine was. "Okay, Allura! I'm near the turbine. I think it's already started," she said.

"You'll have to hurry then," Allura responded. "Cross the catwalk to get to the main column in the center."

Pidge nodded to herself as she made her way to where she was instructed to go. "Okay, now what?" she asked, waiting for further instruction.

"Open the hatch and find the central computer control hub. You need to enter the following sequence…-"

"Wait, wait! Allura, which one is it?" Pidge asked. "All the labels are in Altean!" As the launch started, energy swelled up in the chamber and it caused a disruption between Pidge's communication with Allura. "Allura..? Allura! Uh… oh…" Pidge looked at what was in front of her, starting to panic when she realized she no longer had contact with Allura.

After a moment, she closed her eyes. "Oh well!" she cried as she slammed her bayard into the engine turbine. "Ah!" She got knocked back, but she heaved a sigh of relief when she managed to stop the launch.

… … …

The castle's launch stalled, and Sendak looked to Haxus for the reason.

"The main engine just shorted out," Haxus said. He pulled a screen up, and on it showed Pidge rushing out of the Central Energy Chamber.

"Find the saboteur and eliminate him."

Shiro finally came to, and he heard Sendak's orders for Haxus to find Pidge hidden in the castle somewhere.

"I want you to find the little runt and terminate him!" Sendak snapped at Haxus.

"Commander Sendak, I've received a transmission being generated from somewhere within the caste," Haxus said, and he played the communication channel out loud. It enabled them to hear Allura and Pidge as they spoke.

"We don't have much time before they get the ship running again," Allura said. "You need to shut the particular barrier off, that way we can get inside."

"Right!" Pidge responded. "What do I need to do?"

"You need to get below the man hull. That's where the particle barrier generator is."

"She's telling the intruder how to take down our defenses," Haxus said with a scowl.

"That's true," Sendak said, "but she's also given away his location. Find him and kill him."

Under his distraction, Shiro turned to Kagome. He was relieved to see her awake, but she didn't look in the best condition. The red streaks on her face called his attention. They were fresh, and he knew who'd caused them.

"Kagome…!" he whispered, calling out for her in hopes she could hear him. She didn't move. Instead, she kept her icy glare fixed on Sendak.

… … …

"Pidge, have you gotten to the generator room?" Allura asked, and Pidge nodded to herself.

"Uhh… Yeah," she said. "I'm not sure if I can figure this out though. This technology is really advanced."

"You can," Allura encouraged. "Remember, the lives of the others are at stake. You can't give up, Pidge."

Pidge nodded after a moment, regaining some confidence "Okay… Allura, what do I do?"

"You'll need to be careful," she said. "Shutting down the barrier can be very dangerous because it's also a weapon. Be sure to remain away from the energy arcs."

"Keep away from the giant lightning bolts, gotcha," Pidge said. Before anything else could be said, Pidge was shoved to the side by Rover, narrowly missing the lasers shot at her by Galra sentries.

Pidge ducked and took cover, hiding below a structure. She pulled up a map from the computer in her armor and scowled. "You've gotta be kidding me!" she exclaimed. "My only way out is two floors up?" She stayed hidden, but the sentries kept firing at her. She thought for a moment before an idea came to her.

She made a hologram of herself and sent it off towards the energy arcs. The sentries fired at it, and it was destroyed. Along with it, one of the energy arcs was hit. It exploded and took out a sentry. Pidge stood and ran for cover, summoning her bayard and using the grappling hook on it to reach the exit shaft above her.

The remaining sentries fired at her, but she managed to get up through the exit with Rover. Once up, she let out a sigh of relief. "Man, I can't believe that actually worked," she muttered to herself.


Haxus reached the Central Energy Chamber, speaking with Sendak as he made his rounds.

"Powering up sub-panels," Haxus said.

"Sub-panel energy transducer is a go," Sendak responded.

Haxus nodded. "Aye, Sir. Opening pathway to link with the bridge. Initializing main cluster reboot."

Pidge caught sight of him from her perch on a ladder. She worked to hack into the castle's computer system through an open panel using her armor's computer. When it worked, she smirked "Gotcha!"

"Initializing complete," Haxus said. "I'm all set for main power-up."

"Bridge is a go," Sendak responded.

"Powering up."

As he began powering up the engine, Pidge managed to overload it. "And up, and up," Pidge said as the engine began to overload. The alarms began blaring and Pidge shrugged. "You do not wanna be touching metal when this thing overloads."

Haxus looked around as the alarms started to blare. "Sir, something is wrong." Before he's able to realize what the issue was, he's caught up in the blast as the engine explodes. Pidge jumped from the ladder, and Rover caught her, hovering her in mid-air to avoid the blast. Rover lowers Pidge carefully to the ground, to where Haxus was.

Haxus caught sight of her and he looked on in disbelief. "You're the one causing all the trouble?" he asked. "A mere child?"

Pidge glared. "I'm not a child. I'm a Paladin of Voltron."

Haxus laughed at her claim. "Allow me to tell you something, child," he said as he drew his sword. "I am a soldier of the Galra Empire. Nothing will stop me but triumph or death!" Haxus snarled and ran at Pidge, sword prepared to strike her down.

Pidge dodged and swung her grappling hook at Haxus. He caught it and threw Pidge to the side, smirking when he turned to her.

"Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide," he said as he approached her, blade raised. Before he could strike her, however, Rover flew in front of him and got in the way. When he's distracted, Pidge rolled and dived under him, knocking him off balance. Rover slammed into him and knocked him to the side of the catwalk, and Haxus reached out, taking hold of Rover to keep from falling.

"Rover!" Pidge cried. She reached for it, but Rover deactivated before she could grab it. Both Rover and Haxus fell from the strip, falling to their demise.

Pidge felt tears stinging in her eyes as she stared down the way Rover had gone. Her mourning was interrupted by Sendak, and she stood up.

"Haxus, report in."

"Haxus is gone!" Pidge shouted. "You're next, Sendak!"

… … …

"You've slowed me down enough," Sendak growled. "This ship is mine. Turn yourself over to me immediately!"

"Never!" Pidge shouted in response.

Sendak turned to the three lined up together. When his eyes met steely-blue, he smirked. "How about you come say hello to your friend?" he suggested, looking at Kagome. He lifted his prosthetic arm and ejected it to snatch the small raven-haired girl by her torso. He squeezed her injured frame with it hard, and she cried out in pain.

"Let her go!" Shiro yelled, and Sendak's smirk widened.

"I don't usually give prisoners what they want, but this one time I'll make a special occasion," Sendak said. Next, he looked at Kagome. He threw her to the opposite side of the room, where she hit the wall and landed on her side, unable to catch herself even if she tried due to the handcuffs binding her hands.

"Kagome!" Shiro yelled, biting his lip when Kagome remained motionless, seemingly knocked out from her hit.

"Kagome!?" Pidge's worried voice made Sendak laugh. "Don't you hurt her!"

Sendak laughed again. "That's up to you," he said. "Turn yourself into me, and the rest will be spared the pain- for now." Sendak looked at Kagome laying on the floor with an amused smirk on his face. He approached her, and Shiro gritted his teeth.

"Get away from her!" Shiro yelled. "If you're going to hurt someone, make it me!"

Sendak chucked at his statement. "Hurting her is the easiest way to harm you, as well," he said. "Forced to sit and watch one of your comrades suffer." He knelt beside Kagome and turned her body some so she was on her back. "Especially when she's so close to death." He trailed a claw down her cheek, leaving a bloody streak in its wake.

He felt the weight of Shiro's glare, and he was amused even more when those blue eyes opened, refusing to give in. "I doubt it's the case, but if all Earthlings have this sort of unshakable spirit, then a visit to your planet might be worth it, after all. At the very least, we might find a few rare gems among the dirt- like you."


Pidge used a hologram to lure Sendak out of the bridge, and he pursued it down the hall. Once the coast was clear, Pidge ran in and went to the only one who looked to even be awake- Shiro.

"Shiro!" Pidge ran over to him and landed on her knees beside him. "Give me one moment and I'll have you free-!" She tried to reach for the cuffs holding his hands behind his back, but something gripped her from behind before she could touch them.

"Did you really think that little trick would work on me?" Sendak snarled as he lifted Pidge up with his gauntlet.

Allura and Keith ran into the Bridge, Kirara scurrying in after them. She didn't phase or try to fight. Instead, she ran over to Kagome, standing guard over her in worry.

Sendak glared at the two new figures. "Stay back!"

Before he could do anything, he was struck in the back by a blast from Lance's bayard rifle. Barely conscious, Lance lowered his weapon and slumped back again, drifting back into a comatose state not long after his very brief awakening.

Sendak was taken off guard from the blast, and Keith ran at him head-on. He threw his arm towards Keith, gripping him in his gauntlet, but it didn't last for long. Pidge threw her grappling hook, and it severed the energy chain of his arm making it useless.

Realizing he's been overpowered, Sendak backed up. "No!"

Allura accessed the bridge's computer as Keith ran back in to attack Sendak. Sendak caught Keith's blade, keeping him trapped there. Allura finished what she was doing and looked to Keith. "Keith, now!" she cried, and he nodded.

He kicked Sedak into the center of the bridge, and a barrier lifted up and around him before he could move. It trapped him, ending the fight and surrendering control of the castleship back to Allura.

Pidge went to untie Shiro, who was on his feet a second later, even as he stumbled some. He made his way to Kagome on the other side of the room, kneeling and checking on her. He felt like a weight had lifted from his chest when he saw her roughed up, but still alive.


They moved both Lance and Kagome carefully to the pods and set them each in one.

"Lance will have to remain in one of the sleep chambers for a day, but Kagome… she'll need to stay a bit longer," Allura said. "The explosion caused a lot of damage to her, and Sendak caused even more." She looked at Kagome in the pod and closed her eyes. "She'll be fine, though. They both will be, thankfully."

Once they both were taken care of and getting fixed up, Shiro went over to Pidge. She looked up when he came up to her.

"Pidge, thank you so much for everything you did today," he said. "You know, I can't help but feel like you were meant to be here, but… I understand you have a reason to leave. We won't hold you back if you still want to go."

Pidge looked down at her feet. "Dad used to tell me all the time about how close he was to his crew members. He said they were like family to him, and now I understand what he meant by that," she said, and Shiro smiled at her words. She looked back up and returned his smile. "I decided I'm going to stay," she said then. "We'll stop Zarkon together so he doesn't rip any more families apart."


C.R: Finally got this one done! Some of it was really intense to write too, haha. Anyway, there was a bit more info on Azilu in this update!

That's it for now, thank you all for reading. Hopefully I caught all the errors before posting, but if not, sorry!

Please remember to Review&Favorite&Follow, thank you!

Bye for now~