A/N: A huge thank you to my best friends, Rookblonkorules and Meritt for being so encouraging, and for reading nearly every draft I've had of this chapter!

The wind was blowing harder through the gorge, and it pushed against them and the Red Lion like an ominous presence attempting to dispel the intruders from its midst. The two Paladins bowed and shifted to regain their balance as they clung to the robotic beast.

The Red Lion itself lay motionless.

If the great beast was, however unlikely, aware somehow, it didn't reveal any sign of its consciousness or attention, even as the two Paladins clambered up and over its metal paws.

Shiro wasn't sure what he had been expecting of the Lion—a growl of acknowledgement, perhaps, or a faint pulse in the back of his mind, if not to actually straighten up to assist them if the action was possible. And yet, the Red Lion remained deathly still, void of any impression of living, its inertia enticing a shiver down his spine.

Shiro tried to dismiss the doubtful feelings as he pulled himself up towards its metal snout and mentally reprimanded himself.

He was being stupid. The Red Lion was damaged, their communications were down; Keith was probably unconscious. It wasn't like they hadn't had something like this happen before. The Lions had been damaged not too long ago. Some of them even to the point of not responding via the bond they shared with their Paladins. This was not so different, and a lack of response from the Red Lion was to expected.

And yet, the ill feeling blooming within his chest was hard to ignore.

"Think Red'll let us in?"

Shiro glanced briefly over to Hunk who shrugged anxiously and turned away, eyebrows drawn together under his helmet's visor. "I mean, she's not the nicest lion out there, you know? She might get a little edgy if Keith's hurt or something. I hope she'll let us in."

The frown etched into Shiro's face deepened as he turned back to the darkened eyes of the Lion. It was true the Red Lion had proven to be extremely protective of Keith in the past, almost possessive at times. But they couldn't afford to let the Red Paladin fall into the enemy's hands, and it was easy to see that his Lion understood this.

If there was a chance of keeping Keith safe, the Red Lion would be ready to take it, even if it meant separation for a time. Shiro didn't foresee any problem getting the Lion to cooperate, if indeed the ship was still responsive, a question which looped back around to his previous worry.

They had yet to find out if the Red Lion was even capable of letting them in.

"Let's hope for the best," he finally said, reaching forward to knock on the lower part of the Lion's large white-plated chin.

The echo of his cybernetic arm against the metal rang through the mist around them, but it soon became clear that no other response was coming, from Lion nor Paladin within.

Shiro felt his heart sink, and Hunk fidgeted by his side as he let his arm slip down.

"How're we gonna get in?" The Yellow Paladin repeated the question under his breath, shoulders sagging wearily.

Shiro drew his eyebrows together in forced concentration, resisting the urge to clench his jaw—yet another bad habit was the last thing he needed. The Black Paladin turned to let the breeze slip over the armor of his shoulders. "We'll get in," he said, ignoring the hollowing high pitched whistle of the wind.

The words felt stale on his tongue, hallow in their meaning, but he muttered them anyway. He needed something to focus on. "Keith needs us to get in. We'll do it, even if we have to—" He left the sentence hanging.

The thought of using his hand, his galra weapon to pry apart a part of Voltron—it was horrible. Almost sacrilegious in a sense. Why—how—would the idea even cross his thoughts? He was the Black Paladin! He shouldn't even—

"We need to get to Keith right now. Rescuing him and getting back to Yellow before the galra reinforcements arrive is our priority."

Whether the words were some sort of self assurance or a subconscious act of his leadership, he didn't know. But no sooner had they left his lips than Shiro had forced his mind clear of his doubts. He could dwell on his misgivings and mistakes as a leader later.

Hunk hummed in a half hearted agreement, but didn't offer any other response. His bayard was clutched tightly in his hands; the reminder of their pursing enemy hadn't eased his mind at all.

Shiro sighed softly as his hand made contact with the Lion once more. He used his left one this time, the one that was still his own flesh and bone beneath the thick substance of his glove. He wouldn't harm the Lion if he didn't have to.

Shuttering his eyes, he let out his breath, slowly, carefully, and opened his mind. Please, he begged, willing his voice to sink within the Lion's dormant aura, feeling the sleek smooth surface beneath his palm. He's not safe here. He needs us. Let us in.

His memory drifted back to a time he and Keith had been in a similar situation, their roles reversed. He'd been the one in danger, and Keith had come to his aid, piloting Black to save him. How had he done it?

Please, Red. We need to get him back to the castle.

Not even a flutter of recognition came from the Lion, and Shiro couldn't stop himself from clenching his fist against the metal frame as his frustration boiled over.

The Galra were coming! They'd be on them in no time at all, and he wasn't going to leave Keith again this time. He couldn't live with himself knowing that he had failed a member of his team… again.

No, not when they had a chance.

"Shiro?"

Shiro turned in order to see the Yellow Paladin and shook his head, hissing softly.

It was probably mad at him, or would have been, if it was awake. Perhaps that was the reason behind the silence he felt over the Lions' bonds.

He could hardly feel Black at the moment, and deep down he knew it wasn't just the distance coming between them. His emotions were running wild, and he was far from getting them back under control again.

He had, after all, made the decision to leave the Red Lion and her Paladin after they had departed from the Castle.

There were just too many complications—too many risks—to go after Keith then, with the Castle severely damaged and their enemies closing in on them.

Hell, it was chaos! The Galra shouldn't have been able to find them in the first place!

And he couldn't do anything. It was all out of his control; and he, the Black Paladin, was helpless to stop it.

Shiro let his head droop until it hit against the nose of the Lion. He felt so lost—so sick of himself right now.

Tilting his head up, he turned his gaze to the sky above, silently searching for any sign of their foes and begging the final rays of daylight to last just a little longer.

It was then that he felt the tremor against his palm.

His eyes were immediately back on the Lion, searching the great creature for any difference in appearance.

Red?

The explosion of emotions over his mind nearly blew him over, and he strained against the sudden onslaught battering his mental-shields.

Anxiety, fear, apprehension, desperation
The muscles in his arm went taught as he struggled to force his hand away from the beast, all the while resisting the urge to break under sheer terror at the overwhelming force and scream.

It was all too familiar— that pain—that feeling.

Eyes, all glowing, and jagged grins, claws, metal, blood—

He had to get out! He had to get away from them!

He could just barely make out Hunk's voice calling his name desperately. But it was so far away. Too far away.

Too far away!

And everything was spinning, too fast, too fast! He couldn't ground himself! There was nothing to hold onto.

The Lion was roaring in his mind, a dreadful cry full of pain and anger and—and anguish.

He only just managed to avoid smacking into Hunk when his hand was finally released. He sagged forward, almost collapsing into the Yellow Paladin's arms as the last echo of Red's roar faded from his mind.

"Shiro! Shiro! Oh man! What happened! Are you okay! Please tell me you're okay!" Hunk's voice was all too loud, and turning his head he found out why. The Yellow Paladin was practically yelling in his ear.

Accepting Hunk's steadying hand, Shiro forced himself to his feet and after catching his breath, gripped his fellow paladin's shoulder loosely.

"I'm okay, I'm okay." He wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Hunk or himself. His head was still spinning, and his stomach wasn't faring much better. He felt it churning as he uttered his next words.

"But I think—I think Keith is in trouble."

The darkness swam around his head as walked.

The soft tapping of his feet besides the red path had been his only companion for the past—however long he'd been walking—but at the very least he could take comfort in the fact that he wasn't completely without his senses. Though, even they paled in comparison to the intimidating wall of darkness that seemed to always be before him, leading him on to nowhere.

By now, even the shots of an enemy's blaster would have come as a relief.

The silence was oppressive, and the stillness was on the verge of driving him mad.

Keith frowned as he continued on, eyebrows draw together in concentration.

He was lucky if he wasn't walking in a perpetual loop, as that was exactly what it felt like—some sick twisted circular prison.

The Galra were probably laughing at him right now.

And there was something else too, something that gnawed at the back of his mind, the whisper of something sinister in the place of his Lion. It had stayed with him, despite how many times he tried to force it from his mind.

Perhaps he was really going crazy.

The Red Paladin shivered, sighing quietly to himself. Then he froze.

There was sound coming from farther ahead, faint and far off, but unmistakable in contrast to the silence.

Keith strained his ears to listen, subconsciously settling into a defensive stance.

"Hello?"

He cringed at the sharpness of his own voice slicing into the thickness of the air. It echoed back at him, the sound almost mocking.

Hello.

Hello.

Hello.

Silence filled the void between him and the rest of the cell, and Keith stood still until the lack of noise was practically throbbing in his ears.

The darkness continued to hover around him, heavy, quiet, almost an actual presence before his eyes, only the dull red of the pathway marring it's purity.

Just it and him.

Alone.

Keith quickened his pace to a jog, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling creeping down his spine.

The glowing rectangles flew past. The wall just continued.

On and on.

The collar of his jacket stuck against the nape of his neck as he ran, glued down by the precipitation gathering on his skin.

Something was wrong.

There was something moving around him and making noise. He could feel it, brushing against his thought.

And then, there it was again, the sound faintly echoing from a distance.

Almost like… breathing or panting, or perhaps, muffled voices?

"Is anyone there?" Keith called out into the darkness again, desperately hoping for a response.

He needed to know what was in there.

Patience yields focus. Patience yields focus. Patience yields focus.

"Shiro?"

No answer.

He didn't what had possessed him to call out for Shiro, of all people. Shiro wasn't here. Shiro was back in the Castle of Lions, with the others, he was safe. And it was foolish to use his name here, when he didn't know what was listening or watching him.

"Who's there!" Keith yelled quickly to make up for the slip-up. He needed to be more careful.

The sound started up again, louder this time, and breathy, as if distressed or exhausted.

Keith came to a halt, spinning around to scour the room, hall, cell, whatever it was, and prepared himself.

But nothing happened, nothing emerged from the blackness, and the sounds slowly ebbed away until they ceased altogether.

The teen took a step back, lowering his hands, frowning and trying to remember.

The panting had seemed almost human in nature. Perhaps—

Had he been rescued after all? Was this just some sort of side effect of the cryo-pods? A nightmarish dream as his body healed?

His wound was gone after all—but no, he couldn't have been rescued.

There was no way he could have been rescued.

Keith shook his head in attempt to regain control of his thoughts.

The Galra were sure having one heck of a time with him.

He closed his eyes once more, frustration burning behind them.

"What do you want with me?" he hissed to whatever twisted individual was surely watching him. He was sick of these games.

"Why have I been brought here?"

Still no answer.

"What do you want?"

No answer.

"Who are you!"

"Keith."

Keith stilled, eyes widening in surprise as he spun on his heel towards the voice—a voice he knew too well to mistake.

"Shiro?!" he finally gasped, a relieved smile spreading across his features. "Shiro! Where are you? Where are we? What are you doing here?"

"Keith?"

The word sounded so far away.

"I'm here, Shiro!" he shouted, vaguely aware that he had started running toward voice.

He could hear the sound of his shoes against the floor, but there was no feeling. It was strange, but he couldn't find it in himself to care too much about it. At least, not at the moment.

Shiro was here and had to be found, nothing else mattered.

"Keith."

Faster.

The cell still seemed as endless as it had before, but now Keith felt the edge of irritation prickling in his head.

The sound of Shiro's voice echoed off the walls, making it hard to pinpoint where it was coming from and how close he was to him. But there was nowhere else to turn, and he continued running, whipping his bangs back out of his eyes and licking his dry lips to call out again.

"Where are you, Shiro?!"

Faster.

"Keith."

Keith.

Keith.

Keith.

"...Secure the Lion…..unconscious…...Already notified…."

He didn't recognize the other voice.

"...temperature…...negative….no, we'll need to….particle barrier."

"Who's there!"

Keith halted in his tracks, trying to listen as thoughts raced through his head.

The jumbled portions of sentences made no sense.

"Shiro?"

Where was Shiro? Who was the other voice? What the hell was going on?

There it was again, that damned sense of not knowing, of being helpless and lost.

"Keith."

He spun around, his eyes meeting pitch-black.

He couldn't see.

Panic swarmed over his mind.

The lights were gone, the blood-red luminescence traded for pure darkness.

The dark void ahead seemed to thicken the very air, forbidding in appearance.

Slowly, Keith turned to face it completely, feeling a prickling sensation crawl over his arms and legs as he stared into the very depths of it.

There was something terribly wrong in there; it was screaming in the back of his mind now.

Turn back!

Go back!

Not safe!

But Shiro was in there.

The Red Paladin took a step forward, hands clenching and unclenching, missing the feel of a weapon.

"...gone….Quick!...coming!"

He ignored the other voice. All that mattered was finding Shiro.

"Shiro?"

The darkness swallowed him eagerly, and Keith was forced to steady himself, reaching out to find the wall again.

"Shiro, you in here?" he tried again.

No answer, and his heart sank.

He was going crazy. The Galra were messing with his mind. He had to concentrate. He had to focus. He had to—

But then he saw it.

The glint of a metallic surface that seemed to almost rip through the darkness like a blade through cloth.

He rushed towards it without a second thought, his anticipation regained. He was only feet away when he stopped short, the darkness retreating from him and—

"S-Shiro?"

No answer.

His expression wavered as he stood there, staring, shell-shocked, before finally collapsing to his knees besides the figure. Slowly, he reached out a shaking hand to touch the shoulder.

There was no response, just a coldness, a stillness that Keith had never thought he would experience.

No.

His heart raced as he struggled to turn the body over, his hands pushing under the back of Shiro's head to support it in his lap.

He instantly regretted it, gaping in horror as the bloodied face of his leader lolled lifelessly to the side, staring beyond Keith and their surroundings with hazy, unclosed eyes.

A/N: Cliffhanger!

So sorry this chapter is late! I couldn't get it how I wanted it, and I'm still not really happy with it, but I hope you all enjoy! Thank you all those who read, followed, and favorited! And a big thank you to my reviewers! If I get more of those, this story might move along faster. *hint, hint*