I apologize profusely for taking so long in updating this story. The canon was coming fast and furious for so much of 2018, sparking new ideas, and real life has been very challenging.

A couple of things since it's been a while. This is an AU and (1) the ages I chose for Shiro and Keith turned out to be a little younger than what we learned was canon later. At this point in the story Shiro is 23 and Keith is 17. (2) I have chosen to ignore canon as far as Shiro's degenerative disease, because it would be a hell of a lot of editing to go back and put it in. As my ideas for this story have developed, we're probably going to veer away from canon partway through Season 1 events and I'll include things that I want to include or find interesting.

Colleen circled the table, coming around to stand in front of Iverson. The commander straightened his posture and held her gaze. He made no move as she stepped forward. She was aware of both Greg and the doctor as they tensed up.

Then she swung, palm open.

Iverson let the slap turn his head, unflinching, as she hissed at him.

"That's for Keith and Shiro, for trying to break their soul bond! And—" she slapped him a second time with the other hand "—that is for my family and keeping secrets from me!"

Iverson held his peace as reddened handprints bloomed on his cheeks. His lack of response only made Colleen angrier. "Say something, you bastard!"

"I deserve those."

That brought her up short, blinking in surprise.

Iverson's shoulders sagged. "I came close to doing something that would have destroyed Kogane and condemned Captain Shirogane to a solitary death. I...I've never experienced a bond myself. I've met a few others who are bonded, but never well enough to talk about it. I had no idea exactly what a difference it would make until I heard Shirogane's father on the news."

That got Colleen's temper hot again. "Seriously? You have that little imagination? The closest people to me who were bonded were Sam's grandparents and a cousin of mine back in Italy and I wouldn't dream of trying to break a bond!"

"It's not like I had a choice!" Iverson shot back then clamped his lips together.

Greg stepped forward. "Don't stop there. You came here to tell us what's going on." He waved at the chairs around the table. "So tell."

Once they were seated, Greg and Iverson negotiated briefly over recording the conversation and compromised with audio only and Molly taking notes. Greg opened with the biggest question. "Who ordered you to try and break the soul bond between Captain Shirogane and Cadet Kogane?"

"My orders came from General Franke. However, I am fairly certain that he was ordered in turn, either by Admiral Lyton or Senator Domínguez."

"Domínguez is head of the Science, Space, and Technology committee, right?"

Iverson nodded. "And the admiral oversees administration of all the military academies: West Point, the Citadel, Oak Ridge, the Garrison."

"Why would they try to break the bond? Kogane was in a position to share valuable intelligence with you, even if we had no chance of rescuing the Kerberos team."

"I don't know this for certain, but my guess is that they wanted the exact opposite. Someone wants to keep the existence of aliens a secret. Their first plan was to break the bond, so there would be no proof if Kogane tried to insist that Shirogane was alive. That went in tandem with ending Dr. Hooper's project and wiping her server."

"First plan?" Molly asked sharply, looking up from her notes. "What was the second plan?"

Iverson shifted in his chair, looking down at the table. "I didn't hear the whole conversation, but the general used the words 'eliminate the risk' in reference to Kogane. I think someone was prepared to kill him if they had to."

Molly's eyes blazed at that and Greg reached over to put a hand on her wrist, offering calm to balance her, while he asked, "What other evidence do you have about this?"

Iverson snorted. "Read Katie Holt's blog. She got almost everything there was to get. They buried one file with every bit of data around the Kerberos team's approach and landing, the first samples they collected… There's even an audio where you can hear them being taken - Matt Holt had his voice recorder going when they left the ship that last time. There's this rumble in the background and Commander Holt speculates whether it's seismic activity. Then you can hear him asking about something approaching them. The last thing you can hear is Captain Shirogane shouting at them to run before they all start screaming…" He clasped his hands together and brought them to his mouth.

Colleen felt the tears gather and spill, running hot down her cheeks. Someone was letting out ugly, wailing sobs and she wanted to make herself get up and go to them.

Then Molly's arms were folding her in, pulling her close, and Colleen realized the sobs were coming from her.

Coran made one final circuit before going to bed, letting the memories wash over him as he walked the halls of the castle. Some places he avoided, like Alfor and Melenor's suite and the hall where the previous paladins kept their quarters. He lingered in the engine areas, remembering the days of watching his grandfather as he worked.

Shaking off the melancholy, he checked the cryo room, noting that all the former prisoners were still sleeping and healing well. He made one final stop on the bridge, calling up the cameras. The lions were back in their hangars, at rest. He saw Allura, on her own pilgrimage through the corridors, and chuckled slightly when Hunk left the bedchamber and headed for the kitchens, unaware of the four tiny mice following him. There was no one else moving about and Coran assumed that the other paladins were settling in for a much-deserved rest.

It wasn't the same as before. It would never be the same. But it was a start.

Shiro explored the room, opening doors to discover a recognizable bathroom and a pair of closets. Clothing that looked like pajama robes hung neatly from racks and Shiro ran a hand over the silky material. He marveled at yet more evidence of the advanced technology of these Alteans; from what he knew, any fiber on Earth would have rotted to pieces in ten thousand years if simply left to hang exposed like this. He looked through them, trying to guess sizes.

He could hear Keith moving behind him, pulling off his jacket and tossing it over a chair. His footsteps were quiet against the soft carpet, in contrast to a building impatience shaking their bond, and then his hands were on Shiro's shoulders, tugging at him to turn around.

"Keith?"

And suddenly he had his arms full of soulmate, with Keith's lips pushing insistently at his own and Keith's hands groping for the zip of Shiro's vest. He drew back slightly, trying to put a few inches of space between them, and Keith followed, going for Shiro's neck as he lifted his head. He tried to separate his own bewilderment from the explosion of frustration, worry, and desire coming from Keith.

"Keith, what in the world—"

Keith drew back and almost snarled at him. "What do you think?" And even though his expression showed nothing of it, the sudden crash of despair—the idea that Shiro didn't want him—vibrated along the bond. "You were gone for over a year, Shiro! I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again! And I got you back but now we're in space fighting some intergalactic war and we could have died today! We could have died! I don't want to wait anymore—"

"Keith, you're sixteen!"

"Seventeen, thank you very much, and we're not in fucking Kansas anymore! We're in a place with no standing government of any kind, which means no consent laws. And we're not part of the Garrison anymore, so there's no fraternization rules stopping us." Keith's distress increased, twisting under Shiro's ribs.

Shiro pulled Keith in, folding his arms around him heavily, and pressed his lips into Keith's hair. As the bond began to settle and Keith calmed in response to his embrace, Shiro tried to process what he had said.

They had planned to wait. Six years' difference at their ages was a bit of a hurdle, even with the ability to feel one another's emotional state as a guide, and of course there had been the Garrison's expectations. The farthest they had gotten was a handful of makeout sessions and Shiro had certainly wanted to pick up where they left off, back in the cabin on Earth. But Keith's mood made it clear he was aiming for more.

Honestly, Shiro wanted that as well. Some people made a point of trying to wait for their soulmate, much like some people waited for marriage. He had chosen to follow his mother's example of not worrying about the future, acting on attraction for a few random encounters. But suddenly, the idea of that physical release echoing on the soul bond's level excited him, triggering a hunger he hadn't felt in so long…

Keith felt his reaction and pushed up into Shiro, mouthing at his neck again.

Shiro tightened his grip, trying to hold Keith still. "You're right, Keith, you're right. Most of the reasons we were delaying don't apply now."

Keith jerked away, sudden suspicion filling their bond. "Most?"

Shiro nodded and took Keith's hands, pulling him over to sit together on the bed. "There's still a couple of things to consider. First, we need to see if those pod things can scan for diseases or if Coran can run medical tests. You experienced plenty of my fights in that place. Blood was everywhere. I need to be sure that I haven't contracted anything that would be a danger to you."

The tension between them dissipated as Keith saw and accepted Shiro's logic.

"Me, too." Keith forestalled Shiro's automatic protest. "We've been holding onto each other and we were kissing, back in the cabin. If this Coran guy can test you for alien diseases, then he tests me, too."

"All right, that's fair."

"What's the second thing?"

Shiro felt his cheeks warm and his embarrassment crept into the bond. They'd never gone into the practical side of things in their talks. "We'd need to find out...ah, whether any...products available are compatible with humans…"

"Products? Oh, you mean lube?"

"Keith!" Shiro was torn between mortification and laughter, feeling Keith's brief confusion clear up.

"What? I researched! I mean, I knew you were going to insist on waiting until I was eighteen even if I did get promoted early. But that didn't mean I couldn't be prepared."

Laughter won and Shiro leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees and covering his blushes with his hands. Once he had calmed down, he reached over and pulled Keith close again. The spark of mischief in their bond warned him as Keith threw his weight into Shiro, toppling them both back onto the bed. Keith rolled on top of him and resumed kissing Shiro along his neck.

"Keith…"

"Look, if there were anything contagious from kissing, that train is long gone from the station. I missed you, you missed me, and we're together again in spite of everything. Stop worrying and kiss me."

Shiro put his hands to Keith's head, holding him in place briefly. He felt Keith's turmoil rising again and sent back reassurance. He echoed it with his touch, tracing Keith's features with his thumbs as he admired the beautiful young man that was his other half. He let his gratitude at being reunited fill them both as he drew his soulmate down.

As fun as it was to break out her tech and arrange things to her liking, Katie had her room set up in very short order. She found pajamas with a loose over-the-head robe and laid them out, then realized she wasn't in the least bit sleepy.

Green perked up, encouraging her to come to the hangar. Snatching up her laptop, Katie grinned and exited the room, then stopped and squealed when she saw what was hovering outside her door.

"Rover! Where have you been hiding?"

The drone beeped at her and projected a holoscreen. It was a schematic of the castle with a blue line tracing a convoluted path through the hallways. Katie's eyes shone as mind-Green in her Holt persona raised her fists in glee. Between Rover's map and the lion's guidance, she moved through the halls with confidence.

They reached a huge set of sliding doors and poked at the panel next to them. At Green's direction, Katie let her hand rest on it for a scan of her palm. The doors parted to reveal the lion, arranged like a sphinx and eyes glowing. The enormous head lowered, mouth opening for them.

Katie didn't hesitate - she ran up the ramp and into the cockpit. Ignoring the pilot's chair, she sat cross-legged below the panels with the comms and powered up her laptop while Rover bobbed above her.

Green sent a thread of curiosity at her. It almost felt like being tickled and Katie laughed. "I need to try and contact my mom. I want to figure out a way for your systems or the castle's to talk to my computer. Got any ideas?"

The entrance to the cockpit glowed green and she looked up. "You want me to go back in there?" Feeling the assent, Katie got up and went through the door. Green continued to guide her with the lights, taking her to a small storage space in one wall of a common area. She opened the panel and found a jumble of tools.

Green put an image in her head and Katie searched until she found a contraption that looked a bit like a blow-dryer with a diffuser attachment. Following the lion's lead, she brought it back, found an activator switch, and pointed it at the laptop.

"If this wipes my hard drive, I am going to be seriously pissed at you," she declared. Feeling the lion's humor, she turned on the scanner.

After a long minute, a comm panel lit up, showing what appeared to be a list of files. Katie jumped to her feet, ready to throw a fist in the air…

...and then realized that everything was labeled in what must be Altean.

Dragging her hands through her hair, she rolled up mental sleeves and prepared to do battle with the lines of code before her.

After making the rounds of the castle's critical areas and noting where repairs would need to be done first, Allura started toward her room. She paused as she heard a voice in the kitchen and looked inside.

Hunk was there, poking around the stores and trying various dispensers. The mice were rapidly emptying a dish on the counter. Platt looked up and chirped at her.

Nice boy, very nice! He fed us!

Allura smiled at the mental conversation, still amazed that she could communicate with them, and reached out. The mice scampered up her arms to sit on her shoulders. Hunk continued to dig around in the cabinet he was exploring, setting out various contraptions.

"This one looks like a pressure cooker. Better ask Coran before we try anything with it. And it's not like the goo's going to improve that way. I wish I knew which of these things acts like an oven. I bet the goo would bake, but what would the consistency be? Cheesecake? Sponge cake? Brownies? What do you all think? Did you get enough to eat?"

Hunk turned as he asked the last question and jumped, nearly dropping the appliance in his arms. "Ohmigosh! I'm sorry! I was hungry and looking to see if there was anything besides the goo and then the mice showed up and were giving me the we're-starving eyes and—"

"Hunk! It's all right!" Allura held up her hands and took a step closer. "You're going to be staying here as paladins. Of course you have the right to explore the castle. Don't worry."

"O-okay. Okay. Thanks. Sorry, princess."

"But I don't think there's anything else to eat. If it's been ten thousand years…"

"No, I gotcha. But there's a nice planet out there, ready for exploring. There's gotta be some edible plants out there." Hunk moved to take the dish that the mice had used, instinctively stowing it in the correct machine for cleaning.

Allura twitched an ear in surprise, but let it go for the moment. She had questions and Hunk was here to answer them.

"Hunk, can you explain a bit more about this connection between Shiro and Keith? I didn't understand what was going on earlier, when you all were going after the lions, and as a result Keith ran from us—"

"Oh, quiznak, what happened?"

"I saw what I thought was an overload in his quintessence levels...sorry, his life energy. I wanted to try and siphon it off so it wouldn't hurt him, but he panicked and ran from us."

Hunk gave a huff as he began putting the appliances back where he had found them. "Okay, yeah, that's no surprise. While he was still at the Garrison—that's where we were all training to become space explorers—and the mission Shiro was on disappeared, some people tried to break the bond between them. That's not allowed, except under very specific circumstances.

"Pidge was there when it happened and she told me a little of it. They kidnapped him and he was screaming in terror before she caused a diversion so he could get away. He ran from the Garrison after that, hid in the desert. That's when he and Blue started sensing each other."

Allura felt guilt welling up and tried to quash it. It hadn't been intentional on her part to terrify Keith. "But, I still don't understand. Just what is this bond? Does everyone have it? Does it manifest at birth?"

Hunk put the last machine away and began dusting nonexistent crumbs from the counter. "Oh, I see. Well, it's been part of Terra's population as far back in our history as we know. Everyone has, like, half of this awareness inside of them. And somewhere on the planet, there's someone else whose awareness matches ours perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle. And when you meet each other and touch, skin to skin, the two halves snap together. My moms are soulmates; they described it as being overwhelmed by the presence of the other, absorbing the other's past like a vid playing double-speed. And after that you always have a sense of what the other person is feeling."

"I see. And this condition lasts for life?"

"Oh, yeah. If one soulmate dies, the other really feels it, like they've lost half of themselves. Lots of people need counseling and support to keep them from committing suicide or just wasting away."

Allura shuddered. The idea of such an intimate connection, never having the privacy of your own feelings, repelled her. Add to that the fact that it was strong enough to drag the second person into death after the first? She thought of the strategic implications, that losing Shiro or Keith in combat would mean losing the other fighter as well. One paladin they might be able to replace; two would be nearly insurmountable.

"You said the bond can be broken. How is that done?"

Hunk's gaze sharpened, suddenly suspicious and wary where seconds before he had been sunny and warm. "I don't know exactly, but it's hard. It doesn't happen often, unless the soulmates are too far apart in age." The floor vibrated slightly, like strong thunder shaking the castle, and he stepped back, drawing himself up. "Princess, you have to understand: the soul bond is a defining part of our culture, of our physiology. Like Pidge said, just treat Shiro and Keith like a married couple if you don't have a better frame of reference. You have marriage or something, right?"

"Yes, of course we do, but don't you see? What would happen if one of them were killed in the upcoming war? We'd lose two paladins, not just one! That needs to be prevented if we have any hope of defeating Zarkon—"

"Stop right there." Hunk ground out the words. Another rumble reverberated through the castle, louder and stronger. Allura stepped back in alarm, seeing the fury building in Hunk's eyes, and felt the mice burrowing into her hair.

"If that's where you're going with this, then you can just open up a wormhole in the morning and drop us off back on Terra. Find yourselves a new set of paladins. You're not going to do anything to Shiro and Keith that threatens their bond. We won't let it happen."

"But…"

"Non-negotiable, princess."

Accept. Learn. Trust.

It was happening again, just like it had with Lance. The voice echoed behind Hunk's own words and he was lit up in golden light, all shifting desert sands. It was different from before. Where the voice behind Lance had been friendly and coaxing, this one was more solid and felt dependable.

The lions, she realized. The Yellow Lion was speaking to her.

The glow around Hunk faded and his brows drew together at her silence. "Your highness, do you understand?"

The extra layer of formality jolted her and she fought not to stammer in reply. "I understand what you're saying. But it will take me longer to understand this soul bond and its implications. I have met hundreds of species in my life before Altea was destroyed and I have never encountered anything like it before."

Hunk's expression relaxed a fraction. "I see. Maybe we should all talk about it tomorrow after we get some rest."

His tone echoed Coran's just enough to irritate. She replied tartly, "I've been resting for ten thousand years."

"Yeah, but you spent your first day back in a battle that brought down a warship. And we have a lot to do starting tomorrow. So yeah, tonight we rest." Hunk stretched and yawned, then moved toward the door. "Good night, princess."

Haggar listened with half her attention as Zarkon briefed his generals, her part already done.

"...send Myzax to attack as a distraction while we wait for Sendak to contact us. If he is alive, and I expect that he is, he will find a way to infiltrate the castle and take possession of the lions. Continue your patrols and I will inform you if you are needed for support on Arus."

"Vrepit sa!"

The comm screens closed and Zarkon sat back in his throne. He turned to Haggar, grinning in satisfaction. "The challenge was pleasant, but it is time to crush the last speck of Altea out of existence. Make sure the gladiator Myzax is fully powered, witch. It wouldn't do for your Champion to defeat him a second time."

"Yes, my lord."

"Strange that he lasted so long, given his reputation for compassion. The reports at the time claimed that he went mad from bloodlust and injured his fellow being, but rumors grew that he only pretended, that he sought to protect the other from his planet. Certainly the second course of action is more in keeping with his tendency to avoid killing in his fights." Zarkon tented his fingers under his chin. "There is no room for such weakness in the empire. I know Champion was a personal project of yours, Haggar, but he will be killed at the first opportunity. The message must be sent. No one escapes the Galra Empire."

Haggar nodded and withdrew, knowing better than to protest. Besides, Zarkon's comment had sparked a connection. In her single-minded pursuit of answers to the puzzle of Champion's quintessence, she had forgotten. He had been captured with a team of others like him.

In her lab, she pulled up the database of scouting reports, focusing on Sector X-9-Y. From there it was quick work to find the specific report and the results of the initial interrogation.

Prisoner 117-9874: Commander Samuel Holt

Prisoner 117-9875: Captain Takashi Shirogane

Prisoner 117-9876: Lieutenant Matthew Holt

Thanks again for your patience!