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.

Note:
I split up Hunk and Coran going to the Balmera from the last chapter for the sake of clarity. So, the first part or so of this is them going to the Balmera [and, as such is happening at the same time as the prior chapter.]
I also skipped over most all of the episode Taking Flight in favor of focusing on Kagome in her pod. It takes place, but more or less off-screen.


Chapter Seven


Hunk and Coran hurried to the Balmera as quickly as they could for the sake of the others back at the castle. When the curve of the Balmera came into sight, Hunk turned towards Coran.

"Is that the Balmera?" he asked, and Coran nodded. "So it's a planet that grows the crystals you guys need for your ships?"

Coran shook his head. "Balmera aren't planets," he said. "They're ancient animals. They're petrified beings, but they're still alive." Hunk looked at him as he explained. "Their bodies create the crystals with their energy, and those crystals can be harvested." A fond smile appeared on his face as he brought up an image of a stunning surface of what the Balmera usually looked like. "I actually accompanied my grandfather many times to these majestic creatures back when he was building the Castle of Lions. Seeing the sparkling surface of a Balmera is quite the treat! I'll never forget the first time I saw one up close, that's for sure!"

They got closer to the Balmera, and Coran's unable to prevent the sad gasp that came from him upon seeing the surface.

"That doesn't look like the image you showed me," Hunk said, and Coran shook his head.

"Oh, the poor creature…" he whispered. "The Galra have turned it into a mining colony! They have no regard for it. They're completely destroying it!"

Hunk looked up in time to spot a patrolling fighter jet start following, and he glanced back at Coran. "Not good," he said, and Coran looked at him. "They've spotted us." A second later, the jet tailing them radioed them.

"Attention unidentified craft: State your Ship ID, entry code, and landing destination."

"Oh no," Hunk said. Though he tried not to, he felt the urge to panic. "Coran, what do we do?"

"Just remain calm," Coran said, and Hunk nodded, trying to do as Coran said. Meanwhile, Coran radioed back to the jet. "W-We don't intend to land," he said. "We're, uh, just looking around, if that's alright?"

"Land immediately and prepare to be boarded."

"O-Oh, okay," Coran responded. "We'll see you down below." He ended the transmission and the connection between then and the jet ran dead.

"Coran?" Hunk looked at the Altean, but he wasn't able to ask much else before Coran flipped the controls and took off in reverse.

"Hold on!" Coran said as he piloted the ship to get away from the jet. Hunk gripped whatever he could to brace himself, and he let out a screech as the jet fired at them. Coran sent the pod into a nosedive, steering it directly down a mining hole at full speed.

"Coran! What are you doing?!" Hunk cried as they shot deeper down the dark hole. His screams slowly died down when a few seconds passed, but they hadn't crashed. "Wait… just how deep is this thing?" he asked. Before anything could be said, a Galra structure appeared directly in front of them, and Hunk yelled again. Coran tried to dodge the structure, but the pod was going too fast to get off course. They collided with it, and the pod spun into a crash landing at the bottom of the hole.

After a few seconds, the pod opened, and both Coran and Hunk realized they were stuck there. Hunk looked around, only to freeze when he caught two pairs of glowing eyes staring right in their direction.

"Hey… Coran, what lives at the bottom of these tunnels?" Hunk asked the Altean, and Coran looked over in the direction Hunk's gaze was frozen on. They both watched as two aliens stepped from the shadows and slowly approached them. Hunk readied his cannon bayard in case it was needed. "D-Don't come any closer," he warned. "I'm still not great at using this thing."

They stepped into the light, and Hunk lowered his bayard when he realized that they weren't Galra.

"Wait, you two aren't Galra," he said.

"Nor are you!" One of them exclaimed.

There was a sound from overhead, and all four of them looked up in time to spot a Galra jet slowly descending down into the mine.

"A patrol!" the other Balmeran said. "Shay, come! We must take leave from these ones."

"Wait! Please, wait," Coran said. "We need your help. If the Galra finds us they'll kill us."

Hunk looked up nervously. "Or take us as prisoners and torture us."

Rax kept heading towards the shadows. "Not our problem," he said. "The Galra see us near you and they will kill both you and us." He looked back at the other Balmeran. "Shay, we leave!"

She looked back at him before shaking her head. "No! These many years, only Galra have been seen here," she said. "I will not turn my back on the skylings!"

Rax glared at the ground under their feet for a moment before growling under his breath. "... Vex!" He headed towards the damaged pod and grabbed one side, looking to Shay next. "Grab that side," he said. "In here. Hurry before they see us!"

They manage to maneuver and push the pod out of sight, hiding it along the shadows at the bottom of the hole. Hunk and Coran followed close behind them, ducking out of the way as the patrol passed by without stumbling upon them down there.

Once the imminent threat was gone, Hunk let out a small sigh and turned to the two Balmerans. "Thanks so much for saving us," he said. "I'm Hunk."

Shay smiled back at him. "Shay," she said, introducing herself before looking at her brother at her side. "This one is Rax, my brother." She looked back at Hunk. "How did you fall to us?"

"We're looking for something," Hunk said. "Maybe you guys are just the right people to help us find it."


They'd been led deep into the caves of the Balmera, settling down around a warm fire with Shay, Rax, and the rest in their family. They're both given bowls of soup, which they gratefully accept.

"Thanks a bunch for this delicious soup," Hunk said, looking into the bowl he'd just been handed. "Are these potatoes in here?" he asked. "Or like a Balmera equivalent of potatoes?"

Shay smiled. "Grandma's special dish for our special visitors," she said as Hunk and Coran sipped some of the soup. "Cave-root for the skin, cave bugs for the soul." They both retched out of reflex as Shay said that. Hunk's face flashed with regret, but Coran attempted to remain polite.

"Hehe.. mmhmm thank you for the bugs," Coran said, glancing away from his bowl, only for his expression to falter as Shay's grandmother poured more soup into his bowl. "Okay, now I think that might be too many," he said as she beamed at him.

Hunk shook his head and forced the fact he'd just eaten bugs to the back of his head. "So… how many of you live down here?" he asked. Shay's father looked up from his bowl.

"There are thousands here on Balmera," he said. "We all work and live in these mines."

Shay looked at him. "We harvest the crystals that form for Zarkon."

Hunk frowned at the mention of the Galra Emperor. "Zarkon…" He said, "that's so… sad. He's enslaved an entire planet. It's not right…"

"Zarkon may rule, but we still have our family," Shay's father said. "That is where our true happiness comes from."

Rax growled and stood up. "The Galra will tear our family apart if they find these ones with us!" he exclaimed. "Everyone comes to Balmera and takes, but they never give anything back in return."

Shay looked down as he said that, a forlorn look invading her yellow eyes. "In the past, those who took the crystals made by Balmera, they would replenish her with energy in return. It was an equal exchange, but the Galra… They only take," she said. She placed her hand on the ground, and the cries of the Balmera were heard all through the little gathering spot. "It's no wonder we can feel her suffering…" Shay whispered sadly.

Hunk frowned and looked over at each one there. "I'm so sorry that we put all of you in this situation, but the faster we can get a crystal, the faster we can leave and put you out of danger."

Coran nodded. "We're in need of a battleship-class crystal."

"Battleship-class?" Shay's father asked, and Coran nodded again. "Those are rare and hard to find. Once discovered, the Galra soldiers guard them ceaselessly until they are ready for harvest," he said. "Your quest is in vain."

"There is one," Shay said. "It was discovered only weeks ago. It is nearly excavated."

"Quiet!" Rax exclaimed. "Even if these ones could steal from the Galra, battle patrols only wait to take down their ship. They have no chance of getting off Balmera alive, with or without crystal."

Hunk frowned. "Okay, so this crystal is basically the hardest thing in the universe to get," he said, and Coran glanced at him, placing his finger on his chin in thought.

"I wouldn't say it's the hardest," he said thoughtfully. "That'd probably be scaultrite mineral that's found only in the stomachs of giant Weblums." He nudged Hunk in the ribs. "I'll tell you- collecting that stuff's certainly no picnic!" At Hunk's unamused expression, Coran's face faltered. "B-But yes, this seems like quite the challenge."

"You may stay here until Balmera gives another crystal," Shay suggested. "One that is hidden from the eyes of Galra."

"We don't have that kind of time," Hunk said. "I've got two badly injured friends in need of healing, and we need the crystal for that."

"Hunk, for now, you set to repairing the pod," Coran said as he stood up. Hunk looked up at him as he stepped away. "While you're on that, I'm going to do some reconnaissance. See if I can think up another plan."

As he left, leaving Hunk with the Balmerans, his head flooded with all different ideas that he wasn't sure would work or not. After several long minutes of walking, his foot passed over a tiny, glittering crystal that seemed to have been uprooted but forgotten due to its minuscule size. He froze at noticing it before slowly bending and picking it up.

It was no bigger than the size of his thumbnail and it was close to a perfect circle. Seeing something so small brought a specific memory to the front of his mind, one he thought he'd forgotten years ago.

"I've never seen a crystal this small!" Azilu gasped at the sight of the itty-bitty turquoise crystal. Alfor laughed at the glimmer in her iridescent eyes as she fawned over the crystal he'd just given her.

Even though it was small, it still harbored a hefty amount of power. It was just the right size to be slotted into a piece of metal for jewelry.

Coran twirled his mustache with his fingers, humming thoughtfully as the two continued to talk about the small crystal now held firm between Azilu's fingers. "It's certainly a rarity. Crystals come in all sizes, but I've never seen one that little, myself."

Azilu looked from Alfor to Coran, and an excited grin spread across her face as an idea seemed to pop into her mind. "Oh! I've got just the use for this little thing!" she exclaimed. The next thing either of them knew, she had bolted off, leaving both of them behind, wide-eyed and surprised.

Alfor chuckled as she ran off, and Coran watched his King silently with a knowing look.

He smiled and closed his hand around the tiny crystal. It was so bittersweet, but nice all the same. Coran knelt and gently patted the Balmera, the surface underneath his hand taking on a faint glow as he gave some of his own life force to the Balmera. "... Oh, thank you so much for that memory," he whispered softly.


Hunk resorted to doing as Coran had instructed, and he set to work in fixing up their crashed pod. Shay followed him out to it, joining him and perching herself on a rock to observe as he worked on it. After a few moments of silence, Shay sat up and rested her head in her hand.

"Tell me," she said. "What is the sky like?"

Hunk paused what he was doing and turned to look at Shay. "The sky?" he asked, and she nodded. "Seriously? You've never seen the sky before?"

Shay shook her head. "No, but at night," she said as she climbed up on top of the pod, "I sneak up as high as I dare to go and try to imagine what it might look like from up there." She glanced down at the pod, gently patting her hand on the metal. "Oh… lucky you are to fly in this machine, and to go to worlds far from here," she whispered.

Hunk looked up at her. "Well… it doesn't have to be like this," he said, and Shay glanced down at him, tilting her head to the side curiously. "You can be free, too," he added.

"Free?" Shay repeated the word, testing it for herself to see how it felt saying it. Hunk nodded.

"Yeah, free," he said. "It means you can go wherever you want, be whoever you want, and do anything you want." Shay steadily climbed back off the pod as he spoke, curious about his words. "No Galra masters telling you what to do or anything like that," Hunk said. "Just you, able to do what your heart wants."

"That… makes no sense," Shay said, brows furrowed as she tried to piece that sort of reality together in her mind. "Zarkon controls everything. There is no place out of his rule."

Hunk smiled. "Nope, it won't be like that forever," he promised. "Things are starting to change. Have you heard of Voltron?"

"That is but a child's tale," Shay said, and Hunk shook his head.

"No, Voltron's real," he said. "I'm one of the Paladins, and Voltron is going to defeat Zarkon and free everyone."

Shay's eyes widened in surprise. "You are?" she asked, but before their conversation could continue, a new figure appearing silenced them both.

"Stop filling this one's head with your shadow show!" Rax said as he came out of the shadows of the cave. "This cavern is our home. It will never change." He turned, but not before motioning to Shay. "Come. We take our leave now."

Shay was reluctant to leave, sparing Hunk an apologetic before slowly getting up and following behind her brother. Hunk frowned as she left behind him, and he went back to work on the pod.


After Coran came back, and Hunk had finished the last of the needed repairs on the pod, they had gone to join Shay and Rax back in their home.

"Well?" Rax asked, "is your ship repaired so that you may finally depart from us?"

Hunk looked at him. "Uh… Are you saying you want us to leave?"

"Correct," Rax said, and Hunk sighed.

"Well, the ship is working again, but we still can't leave without the crystal," Hunk said and he turned to face Coran. "Did you think of a way to get it?" he asked.

"Actually, yes," Coran said as he looked at Hunk. He grinned, and Hunk was suddenly hesitant about the man's plan.

… … …

"Ugh, I can't believe I'm the legs again," Hunk grunted from where he was, hidden wrapped up by a blanket and not sure where to step. "I'm the one who took down the guard. It should be my turn to be the head."

Coran's plan had been strange at best. He was perched up on Hunk's shoulders, wearing a Galra sentry helmet to disguise them. To hide the rest of them, they'd wrapped themselves in a large blanket. Hunk was unable to see, which made keeping upright rather hard.

Coran shushed him. "Shh, legs don't talk!"

Hunk glared but kept walking forward, trying his best not to trip over things. They get closer to the two sentries guarding the crystal before coming to a wavy halt.

"Hello gentlemen!" Coran exclaimed. "Shift's over. The boss needs you back at the guard shack," he said.

"Verify identification code," one sentry responded, and Coran nods.

"Right…" he said. "Now, I really didn't want to have to do this, but looks like I need to pull rank on you two." He moved one of the hidden arms under the blanket, and it flopped limply around as he tried to point it at the two. "You guys are in big trouble. Hand over those blasters and ID badges."

The sentries took aim at the pair hidden. "Verify identification code, or be destroyed."

"Okay, okay," Coran said. "I've got it right… here!" he yelled as he threw the blanket and disguise off. Hunk aimed his cannon at them and fired at the sentries. They hit the ground, and Coran and Hunk dashed over to the crystal.

Hunk saw Coran place both hands on the crystal's surface, and he tilted his head to the side. "What are you doing? We're in a hurry!"

Coran glanced over his shoulder. "I'm not going to just pry this out like some Galra monster!" he said. "The Balmera is a sacred being. You have to communicate with it and let your life forces connect," he said. The crystal began to glow under Coran's hands. "This is how we did it in our time."

Hunk's eyes widened at his words. "Woah, you really know your Balmeras."

The Balmera responded to Coran and let the surface surrounding the large crystal fall away, exposing it completely. The crystal began to tip over onto its side, and Coran rushed to catch it. However, he hurt his spine in the process, a loud crack echoing around the two. It was silent for a moment, and Coran slowly looked towards Hunk.

"... I think I'm broken," he whispered, and Hunk sighed. Before he could go help Coran move the crystal, the sound of blasters being armed came from behind the pair. He turned, only to see that they had been surrounded by the Galra sentries.

Coran slowly turned around, grimacing in pain with each movement. "... okay, guys! All right, I hate to do this," he said as he tried to stand up fully, to no avail. "Badges and blasters, come on. Hand 'em over!" He fell the next second, landing with a pained, "oof!"

Hunk looked up from Coran laying on the ground before he sighed again, raising his arms to surrender.


They were locked in a cell that was on the Balmera, unable to get out even if they tried. The cell could only be opened from the outside and with Galra technology.

Coran paced back and forth, shaking his head. "Quiznak!" he exclaimed. "I can't believe they saw through our disguise…" There was the faint sound of footsteps heading towards them and Coran came to a halt. Both him and Hunk turned towards the passageway leading to their cell, only to spot a familiar figure sneaking over to them.

"Shay?" Hunk asked as Shay got closer. In her hand was a severed sentry arm. She held the arm up to the scanner on the cell and used it to unlock it. The barrier fell away, leaving the two trapped inside able to escape.

"Make haste to your pod!" Shay said, "do not worry. The crystal is already prepared for your departure."

"How did you manage to get the crystal moved?" Coran asked as the two went to join Shay, and she looked at him.

"I was assigned to take it to the upper levels, but I took it down to your pod instead," she said. "Before long they will discover my ruse, so you must hurry. You have little time," Shay said. She turned to guide them out, only to halt when Hunk took her by the wrist.

"Why are you helping us?" he asked, looking up at her. "You'll get in trouble if you're caught," he said, worry flashing through his eyes. She looked back at him.

"Because your words touched my heart," she said. "I wish all Balmera were able to be free… Perhaps your Voltron can make it possible," she added softly.

The worry in Hunk's eyes shifted into determination, and he nodded to himself. "It will," he said.

The three rushed towards the readied pod, only to come to a halt upon seeing the group of sentries already in wait for them to arrive. In front of them stood Rax, and Shay looked at him in disbelief. The sentries took aim at them as they stood motionless.

"No," Shay said. "Rax, why?" she asked.

"These two have brought only trouble to our family!" Rax said. "This is the only way to protect you."

Hunk lifted his bayard, about to form it into his cannon when Shay stopped him by holding an arm out. "No!" she said. She knelt and placed her hand on the ground, communicating with the Balmera. "The Balmera will save us."

"Shay, no!" Rax yelled, but it was too late to stop her. The Balmera responded to Shay. Its voice was heard as rocks broke loose from the roof of the cave, falling to crush the sentries. They used it to their advantage, and the three of them rushed to the pod.

As they fled towards the pod, a few sentries that managed to survive the downpour of rocks steadily climbed back onto their feet. They aimed at the three running, their shots hitting Shay the moment she fell behind.

Glowing purple rope coiled around her body, binding her arms to her torso and trapping her legs together as she fell to the ground. Hunk heard her cry as she fell, and he stopped right before he could get into the pod.

"Shay!" Hunk cried, pivoting on his heel as he saw the sentries surround her. "Let her go!"

"Go!" Shay cried back at him. "Before they capture you!"

Hunk was about to run towards her when Coran's voice reached his ears.

"No, Hunk!" Coran yelled at him. "This is our only chance. We have to leave now!" Hunk looked from Shay to Coran, looking back at her a second later. He clenched his fists as more sentries arrived, a fighter jet following not long after. He squeezed his eyes closed and reluctantly got aboard the pod with Coran.

"I'll come back for you Shay!" Hunk yelled as he got in, "I promise!"

The pod closed as Hunk finally got in. Not even a second later, the fighter jet shot at them, the blasts hitting the pod's front. Coran steered the pod up and tried to maneuver around the jet.

"If we can't shake these patrols, we're gonna end up back here a lot sooner than we want," Coran said.

They flew out of the hole as quickly and as carefully as they could to avoid hitting any structures and to dodge the armada of fighter jets tailing them. They're unable to get far enough away from them, the jets on close pursuit as they keep firing at them.

"We're not going to make it if we can't find a way to shake them!" Coran exclaimed as he worked on piloting them away from the jets, but no matter what he didn't nothing seemed to work. Hunk glanced around nervously before he recalled a moment from before they left.

"Wait, Pidge installed that fuel booster, right?" he asked, and Coran nodded. Hunk nodded at the button, and Coran glanced at him hesitantly.

"It… might turn us into one giant fireball," he cautioned.

"Yeah, maybe," Hunk said, turning away from the button before he could press it. "It's our only chance, though. We have to risk it."

Coran hesitated, but he relented when he looked forward again. Several more jets were in hot pursuit of them from that end, too. "Fine!" he said, "fire in the hole!"

Hunk pressed the button and the pod picked up speed. They shot out of the hole, a huge explosion filling the cavern a few seconds after they flew out. The jets flying towards them on both ends collided with each other, only adding to the explosion as Coran and Hunk escaped.

"Woohoo!" Coran cheered as they took off away from the Balmera.

"We did it!" Hunk cheered.


After a full day had nearly gone by, the rest of the team gathered by the pod Lance was in, waiting for the time he was able to wake-up and get out of it. While he was nearly back to as good as new, Kagome in the pod right next to him was still recovering. Coran remained at the console while the others circled around the pod, peering inside to get a good look at Lance.

"I… I can't tell if he looks any better or not," Hunk said, squinting as he tried to clearly see Lance through the glass. "He just looks like… him."

"Kinda looks like he's breathing weird," Pidge said the following second. "Am I the only one who sees it?" she asked.

Keith glared at the pod. "Come on!" he snapped, reaching for the pod. He tried to tap on the glass, only for Allura to pull his hand away from it.

"Stop," she said. "Not yet. A few more ticks and he'll be fine."

Keith folded his arms over his chest, glaring at Allura. "How much better do you think he'll be after a few more ticks?"

"What even is a tick?" Pidge asked, turning to face Allura, ignoring Lance in the pod behind her.

"It's… a time-slice," Allura said, and Shiro turned to join the other's conversation.

"Wait, so like a second?" he asked, and Allura frowned.

"What's a second?" she asked.

Pidge stepped over to Allura and pulled a clock out. She set it to show the passing seconds, and she held it out so Allura could see the screen. "Like this," Pidge said.

Allura frowned as she thought about it. "I'm not sure…" she said, "I think ticks are a little longer." She turned towards Coran. "Coran, do you have a ticker on you?"

At hearing her call him, Coran turned towards Allura. A second later, he nodded. "Of course, Princess," he said as he approached them. He pulled it out and had it start counting ticks as the others watched to compare.

"I think ticks are a little slower than seconds," Hunk said, looking between the two counters in comparison.

"I can't tell," Pidge said. "We need to have them start at the same time for an accurate comparison."

Coran nodded and they both stopped their counters. They reset them and held them back out across from one another. "Okay," Coran said "Ready? Go!" On his cue, both he and Pidge pressed the start buttons on their counters. They both began to count the units while the group huddled together to observe.

"Hey, I think we're winning!" Hunk said, and Keith looked at him.

"Winning what?" he asked. "The intergalactic time-measuring contest?"

Hunk turned to him and shrugged. "Well, obviously."

In the midst of their observing the separate counters, one of the pods behind their turned backs opened. Lance stumbled out of it, nearly hitting the floor as he walked on unstable legs. He eventually made it to where the others were, and he blinked a few times as he peered over Hunk's shoulder, curious as to what they were doing.

"You guys having a… clock party?" he asked.

"Aw Lance, you ruined it- wait! Lance!" Hunk whirled around and pulled Lance into a tight hug, nearly lifting him off the ground in the process. The others turned towards Lance as Hunk set him back down.

He looked over all of them, rubbing his head slowly. "Wait, what happened?" Lance noticed the lacking figure and he frowned. "I… remember the explosion, but… Wait, where's Kagome?" he asked. Before he could start to think the worst, Shiro stepped in.

"She'll be fine," he said, and Lance looked at him for further explanation. Shiro nodded at the other pod, and Lance turned towards it. "She's going to need to remain in there for a little while longer, but she's fine."

Lance let go of the breath he'd been holding, and he nodded. "... Right," he said, and he repeated Shiro's words in his mind. She's fine.

"Come on," Allura said, pulling him from his thoughts. "We can tell you more about it while you get something to eat."

"Wait," Lance held a hand up. "Talking? Eating?" He grinned her way. "Are you asking me out on a date?" The rest around him looked unimpressed as they walked ahead of him.

"Yup, that's the normal Lance," Pidge said as she went ahead.

"He's fine," Shiro said, and the others nodded in agreement.

The others filed away, but Lance came to a halt as he walked past the pod that was still healing Kagome up. He looked up at her peaceful expression, glancing down at his feet the next second.

The entire time after the explosion he had flickered in and out of consciousness, even if he wasn't able to say or do anything due to the pain he was in. He could feel the ghostly imprint of her hands supporting his weight, and a faint memory of being encased in a warm, soothing light appeared in the front of his mind. She'd been in bad shape too, but she'd still… Lance looked back up at her face.

"Thanks, Kagome," he whispered. "I don't really know what you did, but whatever that warmth was, it really saved me." He had the sinking suspicion that she could have done what she did to him to herself, but she'd chosen to help him instead, even at her own expense. That feeling dug into his heart deeper when he figured it might've been the reason he was better after only a day in one of those pods.

He couldn't thank her to her face right now, but when she woke up, he'd be sure to do just that.

Kirara glanced up at him, blinking wide, red eyes as she tilted her head to the side. Lance noticed she was there, and he smiled. He held his arms open to let her jump into them, and she did so after a split second. She nuzzled him and purred as she laid against his chest.

"Lance? You coming?" Shiro paused when he realized Lance had fallen behind. He noticed Lance's attention on Kagome still in her pod, but before he could ask, Lance nodded and went to join the rest.

"Yeah," he said as he passed him. "Let's go."


"So what'd you guys end up doing with Sendak?" Lance asked as they finished explaining what had happened.

"He's frozen in a cryo-pod," Allura said. "For now, we're going to keep him like that in the castle."

Lance looked up from his food goo, turning to Allura. "You sure that's a good idea?"

Allura hesitated for a moment, seeming to think about it before she eventually nodded her head. "He's too dangerous to be set free. For now, it's safest to keep him frozen in the pod," she said. "Eventually we might be able to get some information about Zarkon out of him."

"Right," Lance said. He didn't think it was a good idea, but he decided to trust Allura. "So, what's our next move?"

Hunk stood up. "We have to head back to the Balmera," he said. "We need to save Shay and her people from the Galra."

"Woah, you're really into this lady, huh?" Lance asked, and Hunk's expression faltered a bit as his cheeks flushed.

"N-No, it's not like that," he said. "You guys, once you see what Zarkon has done and how these people are treated-" he paused and looked over the group with him. "They- They've been under his thumb for so long that they don't even know what freedom is. They've been enslaved for years upon years, and it's not right. It's up to us to right it as Paladins of Voltron. It's time to man up."

Pidge crossed her arms over her chest and glanced down at them silently as Hunk said the last little bit of his mini-speech.

"Hunk's right," Shiro said. "There's a whole bunch of people in need of help, and it's up to us to help them. Time to defend the universe."

The rest got up, prepared to follow Shiro out, only for Pidge to remain in her spot. She looked up and took a breath. "Wait, I have something I need to say first," she said. Her words caused them all to come to a stop, turning back to look at her. She looked over each of them nervously. "I need to be honest, and I'm scared this might change the way you guys think of me, but I've hidden this secret for a long time, but there shouldn't be secrets between us." Pidge looked back at them, trying to meet the stares of them all. "I can't man up," she said. "I- I'm a girl." The rest were quiet, but Pidge didn't notice the calm expressions on their faces, sans Lance, who was staring with his mouth hanging open in utter surprise. "I-I mean, I can man up because it's just a phrase and I don't have to actually be a man to do it. I-it just means I need to toughen up, but what I'm saying is-"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Lance cut her off before she could ramble any more. "You're a girl?!

Allura smiled at Pidge with warmth in her eyes. "I've known for quite some time," she admitted. "It's wonderful that you've finally shared it with us."

"Oh yeah," Hunk nodded. "Back when I went through your diary I kinda had a hunch, but I never said anything in case you were hiding it for a reason."

"Yeah," Keith nodded as well. "I dunno, something about you always seemed pretty… feminine," he said. Despite her lacking in acting like Allura or Kagome, the air around Pidge definitely felt closer to them over any of the rest.

Coran looked at Pidge. "Everyone else referred to you as a boy, so, naturally, I just went along with it," he admitted.

Shiro approached her and set a hand on her shoulder. "Pidge, owning who you are will only make you a better person and a better Paladin." A small smile lifted Pidge's lips as she sighed.

"I feel so much better now that I got that off my chest," she said. "Now let's launch this Castleship!" she exclaimed.

Lance shook his head as he slowly stood up. The rest of the team went ahead, and he ran after them. "Wait what?! Pidge is a girl and the castle is actually a ship? Just how long have I been out?"


Where am I?

Blue eyes fluttered open slowly as little white lights flickered into existence around her. Her motions felt sluggish as she moved, and she realized right away the lack of auras surrounding her. She froze and looked down at her feet. It was like water was rippling around her feet. Even as she came to a halt, small rings continued to ripple out from her feet. She frowned and turned on her heel, only to see no change.

Kagome looked back up, a dark abyss surrounding her whole with nothing but those sparkling white dots to give her light. "Where… am I?" she whispered, almost afraid to raise her voice any further in case it drew something out of the dark to her. "And… how do I leave?" she asked then. As she turned on her heel, something began to glow brighter in the distance. After a few seconds of hesitation, she swallowed her worries and ran towards it. The ground rippled under her as she raced towards the growing light, but she came to a halt right in front of it when she saw what it was with clarity. Her hand reached out, shaking fingers gently gracing the cloud of light.

She grimaced in pain when an extra source of pressure was applied to the gash along her left side. It wasn't deep enough to be life-threatening, but it'd surely leave a scar once it was healed completely. The cloth was pulled back, and a new wave of crimson began to leak out. Sango furrowed her brow and glared over her shoulder to the demon standing along the wall of the hut. He was, after all, the cause of the injury.

"Kagome…" Sango trailed off, trying to keep her voice quiet, only to remember a second later that it wouldn't matter. He'd hear her, anyway. "Look, I know you want to learn how to fight, but do you really think it's a good idea to have Sesshoumaru train you?" she asked, and she felt the glare the stoic demon sent to her turned back. "I could go back to teaching you swordsmanship, too," she offered.

"You've exhausted all the knowledge you possess," Sesshoumaru's cold drawl made Sango silence herself. A glare appeared on her face as she exhaled. "It's pointless for you to keep teaching her if she won't learn anything new. It's best you stick to teaching her hand-to-hand combat."

"Stop you two," Kagome said, silencing both sides. She looked at Sango and offered her a smile. "It's fine, really. I promise," she said. "I know it might seem bad, but Sesshoumaru is aware that I'm human. He knows not to go too far," she assured the slayer. A moment later, she turned to the stoic demon along the wall. "Sango's just… cautious," she told him. "Maybe you two can bond over this?" she suggested, and both of them looked at her as if she'd just grown another head. She looked between the two and sighed under her breath. "... or nevermind," she muttered.

Kagome looked at the memory with wide eyes. This was definitely her memory, there was no denying that. She turned on her heel, only to catch sight of another cloud of light. She froze, remaining motionless as it replayed another memory.

"Inuyasha ran off to find Kikyo again?" Sango asked as she sank down on the floor beside the despondent priestess.

Kagome pulled her legs up to her chest, folding her arms on top of her knees. She nodded and rested her chin on her folded arms. A second later, she glanced at Sango. "... Miroku back to flirting with the village women?"

Sango's brows furrowed in mild annoyance as she nodded. "You guessed it," she said. A second later she sighed. "You know what? I don't care anymore," she admitted. "He does it all the time, and I just… he's not worth it. I just feel bad for the women he goes after at this point."

Kagome nodded in agreement. She could sympathize with Sango's feelings. "I don't care that Inuyasha goes to see Kikyo anymore," she admitted, and Sango turned to her, surprised. "I… It just hurts that he still hides it like I won't figure it out the moment he leaves. I've told him that I don't care that he goes, that I expect it at this point, but I just want him to be honest." She felt tears well up in her eyes and she furiously wiped them away. "I just wish he wouldn't hide it… That's what hurts so much."

Sango draped an arm over Kagome's shoulders, and she pulled her into her side in a warm, supportive hug. When she fell to rest against her, Kagome felt her face flush a light pink, but she didn't say anything. She closed her eyes and nuzzled against Sango.

It was silent between them for a long time, the only source of noise being the crackling embers of the fire warming the room, Kirara's tails thumping the floor in a steady rhythm, and Shippo's faint snores as he slept against Kirara. Kagome could feel her heart hammering away in her chest, and she silently hoped Sango couldn't hear it. After remaining like that for a long while, Kagome eventually moved so she wasn't leaning all her weight on Sango. They looked at each other as Kagome sat up, and they froze when their noses touched from how close beside one another they were.

Instead of pulling back, both of them slowly inched closer. Their lips were a hair's breadth apart when the sound of the door slamming open made them jump away from each other.

It was silent as both of them looked at the door, only to spot Inuyasha enter. He wasn't looking at them, but after no one said anything, he looked up from the floor. He saw both Sango and Kagome with scarlet faces, but before he could ask what was wrong, Kagome bolted up from the floor.

"Goodnight!" Kagome exclaimed as she made her way to her sleeping bag beside Shippo and Kirara. Inuyasha looked from Kagome to Sango, but all he received from the slayer was an annoyed glare.

He didn't say anything, his ears drooping when he could only figure the reason for the tense silence was because they'd realized he'd gone to see Kikyo. "I-" he tried to speak, only to get cut off.

"Shut it, Inuyasha," Sango grumbled.

As the memory vanished in a flicker of light, Kagome slowly lifted a hand and placed it over her heart. Her vision blurred some, even as she smiled at the warmth the memory left her with. "Sango-chan…"

Kagome turned in search of the next memory she'd see. She didn't know where she was, but it felt… nice, she decided. At least, right here did.

Four more clouds of sparkling light appeared as she turned, showing her more peeks into the time she'd spent hunting for the jewel. These memories were of the first time she met the friends of her group, and she bit down on the laugh she felt trying to pry free from her when she watched her younger self pet Inuyasha's ears while he was pinned to the tree.

Those faded just like the others, and Kagome turned to find more. It seemed like it was the only thing to do, after all. She saw more glows from a little further away from her, and she jogged over to reach them. Once she reached them, the one closest to her bloomed to life right before her eyes, but she found her voice dying when she realized this wasn't one of her memories.

"Azilu!"

The woman from her dream nights ago was rendered to her knees, armor broken apart from blunt force, and an open wound running from her shoulder to hip, dragging diagonally down her body. Blood lined her lips, as she eventually fell to the ground, blood pooling around her as five others ran to where she'd fallen.

"Haha…" Azilu's laugh was weak as she finally succumbed to the pain eating at her. Two of the five fell to their knees on either side of her. "I.. guess I-I might be a-a little reckless, after all," she whimpered. Alfor and Zarkon were on either side of her. The battle they'd been in was now over.

Zarkon gently turned her head so she was looking up at him. "Azilu… hold on," he demanded. "... Azilu!" His shout was weighed down with a mix of emotions as her eyes slowly fluttered closed as the calling of sleep swallowed her.

The one in red armor, she felt like she knew him, but she was afraid to try and think of the name. She was afraid of the answer she'd get. They all looked so familiar, but the only ones she could place by name were the woman, Azilu, and Allura's father, Alfor, and that was all because of the dream she had.

A sharp breath left her lungs as her eyes began to sting. Hot tears pooled over her lashes and began to drip down both of her cheeks, cascading down her flesh and dropping to the ground below her once they reached her jaw.

"I…" She didn't want to see this. She didn't want to see any of this. She froze when she heard the faint thump of footsteps heading towards her. She tensed up and whirled around to face the newcomer, only to freeze yet again.

Kagome looked up at the white-haired figure. Her eyes widened when she was able to recognize him. The figure didn't look as young as he had in her dream, but there was no way she could mistake it. No, this had to be him. He looked as surprised as she felt, but the surprise soon melted from his face, being replaced with a fond smile. She closed her eyes, trying to urge herself to wake up.

"I haven't seen this visage of you in so long, Azilu," he whispered, and Kagome felt her eyes snap open.

"My name's not Azilu!" she insisted indignantly at him, and his eyes widened. Memories of her first meeting with Inuyasha burned in her mind, and she felt ill and irritated for a moment at the memories of her friend, despite her prior happiness at being able to relive them. "I-" she paused and froze when he laughed under his breath.

"I now know you're not Azilu," he said softly. He approached her, a hand falling to rest on her cheek. His fingers brushed along the skin below her eye. "Still," he whispered, "seeing this face after so long is bittersweet. So I hope you can pardon me for my indiscretion." She looked up at him, and for a moment she thought she could see the presence of tears in his eyes. "When we lost her, things fell apart so fast," he said then, glancing down. "When he lost her, nothing could ever return to how it was."

"He?" Kagome asked, tilted her head to the side enough to shake off his palm. The next second, she shook her head with a silent huff. "Nope, nevermind. Forget I asked. I don't want to know," she whispered, and Alfor looked at her, startled. "I don't need to get strung up in the messy ties of my past lives again. Always ends like a dumpster fire, anyway," she muttered.

"You're quite the aware one," Alfor mused with a smile. "So different, yet deep down, you and Azilu are quite similar." For them to both end up as the Paladins of the white lion, well… that only solidified that notion, even more.

Kagome frowned when he said that, and she forced herself to shake her head to pull herself from her thoughts. She looked back up at him. A part of her wanted to ask where she was, but now that she wasn't alone, that feeling steadily faded. Alfor raised his hand, and a new cloud of white light appeared. Kagome watched wide-eyed as it bloomed to life around them.


She wasn't sure how long she'd been there so far. For the most part, she and Alfor traversed the open space around them as they spoke and observed the memories exposed to them. Kagome noticed they all were all her memories. She felt weird at first, letting him see what she'd hidden from her own team, but as they continued, that feeling faded.

She was happy with his company. She had someone to share this part of her with, and he was always eager to listen to what she had to say on any particular memory that replayed for them.

"The hell you mean that bastard's gonna be traveling with us?!" Inuyasha's angry complaint was loud enough that it startled the birds roosting the trees beside them. Sesshoumaru peered over Kagome's shoulder, a faint glimmer of irritation reflecting in gold eyes at the younger brother's shout. "No way in hell!"

Kagome set her hands on her hips as she glared at him. Inuyasha's ears flattened against his skull at the look in her eyes, and he quieted down at the risk she might utter the word. "I don't care that you're not happy about it," she said. "Sesshoumaru's teaching me, so it's easier if he travels with us. Besides," she said, casting a look at the quiet demon. "You're the only one who has an issue with it."

The rest with her nodded in agreement. It was more help against Naraku, after all.

Inuyasha glared at them all before turning on his heel. "Tch!"

Kagome rolled her eyes and looked up at Alfor. "Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru never got along, despite being half-brothers," she said. "So he wasn't happy when Sesshoumaru and his group joined up with us, but he was the only one against it."

Alfor nodded. "He seems quite frustrating," he said, and Kagome stifled a laugh.

"Yup," she said without missing a beat. Friend or not, she'd never deny just how difficult it was to deal with him over and over again.

Alfor turned to her after she fell silent, a curious look in his eyes. "You hide these memories from the rest of your team," he said, and Kagome slowly nodded. "Why?" he asked. "I'm sure, while it might surprise them, they would understand."

Kagome shook her head at the idea. She knew she was hiding a lot from them, but… Kagome squeezed her eyes shut as she felt tears welling up.

Maybe they would understand. After all, they were now out in space fighting against an alien empire, but she wasn't afraid of them not understanding anymore. She wrapped her arms around herself, squeezing tight. The pain she felt bubbling up inside her faded when she felt a hand fall to rest on the top of her head. She blinked, a few tears falling from her lashes as she looked up. She saw Alfor looking down at her with supportive eyes.

"I can't," she whispered. "Not yet."

"You're afraid, and it's okay to be," he said. "This weight you feel will start to fade once you're honest with your team," Alfor told her. "Fear is only natural when you have to face the unpleasant parts of your mind, but if you never say anything, if you keep it hidden, then that fear will only win."

"It's not pretty," she whispered, lifting a hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

"Not all memories are," he said. "This is how we grow as living beings." Alfor tilted her head back so she was looking at him. "These memories you've watched with me, the memories that made you smile, and made you remember the good of those moments- those are the proof that not all of your past is a burden." Kagome looked to him with wide eyes, and Alfor smiled. "Those will be what remains once you face the unpleasant ones. They will be the light that guides you while you face the dark," he said.

"I…" Kagome was at a loss on what to say. His words seemed to be exactly what she wanted to hear. Exactly what she needed to hear.

"If you open up to the rest of your team, then they will be able to support you as you need." He patted her head gently. "No one is strong all the time. Not even you, Kagome."


C.R: Shay's so precious. I love her. If it was a wonder why Hunk wasn't an option for Kagome, it was because I ship him and Shay.

So, some information revealed in this chapter! I was excited for this one so much:
First of all, a lot more information on Kagome. She was trained by both Sango and Sesshoumaru.
I also was hinting to a bit of Kagome/Sango shipping in this chapter. There will be more mentions of it periodically throughout the story.
Plus! Kagome and Alfor while Kagome's still in her pod, talking and interacting. Speaking of Alfor and Kagome's interaction… About Azilu, who might the "He" Alfor mentioned be?

Anyway, that's it for now. I hope you all enjoyed, and thank you 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~