**Author's note: As promised, shoutout to fantasy.92, Ishval, and megane-chan for leaving reviews last chapter! Thank you so, so much for sharing your opinions and feedback! :D
megane-chan: Ahh I'm glad you like it so much! You don't know how happy I am knowing that there are people who enjoy reading my stuff :) Thace is my favorite Blade besides Krolia, so I just had to incorporate him in here somehow lol.
**I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender!
There were good Galra in the empire? It almost seemed impossible considering Zarkon had been ruling for ten thousand years without facing a single uprising from within (that Team Voltron knew of). Still, Mari couldn't ignore how that Galran had helped her. No one seemed to have ordered him to do so; he had chosen to help her of his own volition, purely out of the kindness of his heart. She wished she had gotten his name.
Sighing, she stared down at the floor again, cringing when she saw the tiny red splatters speckling the metal tiles. The left side of her face was matted with drying blood, the wound Macidus had gifted her having stopped bleeding a while ago. Thankfully it wasn't stinging as badly as before now that the painkillers had kicked in and were making her whole body feel mildly numb and relaxed. But the meds wouldn't last forever, and she had a nagging feeling that Haggar would be returning at any minute. How long had if been since the crone had left? An hour? She had no sense of time here. Minutes felt like hours when one was being tortured.
There was a sudden scuffling noise beyond the door to the lab and Mari's head snapped up, her heart leaping into her throat. The witch was finally back.
Her heart rate spiked and whatever little adrenaline she had left flooded her system as her fear skyrocketed. It was too soon. She wasn't ready for this next round of torment! Not when she was still recovering, not when Voltron was so close to getting her!
Heavy thuds sounded from behind the door, followed by the soft whirling of mechanisms as it slid open. Mari mustered up a glare and a growl rumbled in the back of her throat as she fully expected Haggar or Macidus or any one of her lackeys to enter. But her hostile expression instantly melted away and her jaw fell open in surprise as Shiro stepped into the room, his prosthetic glowing dimly.
His face was pale underneath his helmet visor and his eyes widened in horror as they scanned the lab. He was shocked stiff as he took everything in, the vile memories from the time he spent as a prisoner rushing back to him all at once. The unwanted touches, the screeching of saw blades, the blood, the pain, the screams of pure agony. Shiro looked sick, like he was going to pass out or have a panic attack at any moment.
"Takashi!" Mari exclaimed. Her voice was trembling and coarse, but it was enough to jolt him out of the encroaching nightmares. He blinked twice, his gaze falling on her and his face twisting in mortification. She imagined she must've looked like such a mess.
"Mariko…" Shiro whispered, taking an unsteady step towards her. "…Oh my god! Mari!"
He sprinted forward, reaching for the panel that controlled the examination bed, only for his hands to hesitate over the screens and buttons in confusion. After a short moment, he ultimately decided he couldn't (nor had the time to) decipher how to operate the table and he activated his arm, resorting to brute force as he easily punched a hole through the display. The restraints keeping Mari in place fizzled and faded out of existence, letting her fall limply to the floor.
Shiro was kneeling beside her in less than a second, gently cradling her in his arms and holding her close to his chest. Mari could feel him quivering slightly, and tears pricked in the corners of her eyes as she clung to him.
"Gomen, gomen," he murmured, crying softly as he slowly rocked her back and forth. "I'm so sorry, Mariko. I'm sorry it took us so long."
Mari shook her head as the tears leaked out of her eyes. "It's okay," she croaked in between her sniffles. She was so happy that he was here. She was finally safe. "It's okay now, really."
Shiro took a shaky breath and pulled away just enough to get a good look at her face, his hold on her not loosening in the slightest. "God…What did she do to you?" he muttered, his tone dripping with anger and disbelief while his dark-gray eyes shone with guilt. Mari hadn't seen him this upset in a long, long while, not since Adam had ended things between them. "She—she hurt you so much…I'm so, so sorry."
"It's not your fault," she said weakly, and she tried her best to grin reassuringly at him. "Just throw me in a healing pod and I'll be all better."
A huff of a laugh escaped Shiro's lips and he granted her a feeble smile, happy to see that she still had some fire left in her. "Come on, let's get you out of here."
He picked up her helmet from the corner of the room where it had been tossed and placed it on her head as carefully as possible. Mari winced as it pressed against the fresh bruises and the glowing scratches from Macidus, but said nothing as he put it on.
Once her helmet was secured, Shiro easily maneuvered her so that she could cling onto his back like a koala, and she stifled a groan of pain as she pressed against the back of his chest plate. He lifted her legs up off the floor at her knees and she solemnly wrapped her arms around his neck, all the while trying not to look at her wrists where her space suit had been burned and fused to the red and blistering flesh underneath. Her stomach churned at the realization that her waist and ankles were most likely in a similar state, and she quickly shook the thought from her head before she could dry heave.
Carrying her piggyback, Shiro hurried out of the room and nimbly stepped over the destroyed bodies of the two sentries that had been guarding the lab. Mari rested her cheek against his back; she was so content and tired despite the fact that they weren't in the clear yet. She was just so glad to be with him again, and the steady pace he was moving at was starting to lull her to sleep.
"How'd you even find me?" she asked, opting to talk in order to keep herself awake and alert.
"Coran tracked your biorhythm in the ship," Shiro explained, panting slightly as he ran.
"Like my quintessence pattern?" she mumbled drowsily.
"Yeah…Something like that, I guess."
"What about Allura?" she inquired, perking up a bit in concern for the princess. "Is she okay?"
"The others know her location. They'll get her, don't worry," he promised. "We won't leave without her."
"Thank God." She breathed out a sigh of relief as she slumped against his back again. Hopefully the others would find Allura alive and well in her prison cell and not in a similar state that she was in.
She is not your toy! I swear, if you hurt her, I'll—
Mari wondered what the princess's reaction would be when she saw her. Furious? Upset? Probably both. But at least the damage inflicted upon her body was a symbol of her loyalty. She hadn't given Haggar the satisfaction of cracking under the torture and she'd kept all of Voltron's secrets safe. The only thing she had given away was her identity. Haggar, along with countless other Galra, knew who she was and how she was connected to Voltron and the paladins.
She had failed in keeping herself safe. She would be a target for their enemies from here on out. She didn't want to be a hinderance to the team and she promised herself that she wouldn't let that happen. Maybe she could train more with her staff and practice using the Castle's attack drones. Or maybe Coran could teach her how to fly the Altean pods or how to help with the castle-ship's maintenance. Anything to let her stay with them and prove herself useful.
But Shiro was in charge, and after this little fiasco, she wouldn't be surprised if he sent her straight home. Mari would rather him keep her locked up in the Castle if that meant she could stay up here with everyone as they traveled throughout the universe. She wanted to stay with the team more than anything, to continue to fight alongside them and get to know them. She wanted to continue eating Hunk's weird alien food concoctions and to make those egg rolls with him eventually. She wanted to discuss video games with Pidge and learn more about the sassy girl that was Katie Holt. She wanted to hear the rest of Lance's corny jokes and pick up lines (even if they were irritating and ineffective) and to test his sharpshooter skills on the training deck. She wanted to keep teasing and sparring with Keith, to understand why Shiro had always talked so highly of him. She wanted to listen to Coran's stories about Altea and Voltron and to laugh and cringe at his jovial outbursts. She wanted to spend more time with Allura, to have another girl's night with her and talk about their memories of home. And more than anything, she wanted to stay with the brother she had finally reconnected with after years of having an indistinguishable rift forming between them. She didn't want to lose him again—not to the Galra, not to anyone—and if she went home now, she felt like she would never see him again.
A lump formed in her throat and Mari swallowed thickly as more tears stung her eyes. She inhaled deeply, trying to force back her sobs, and she buried her face in Shiro's shoulder to stifle her sniffles.
"I know it hurts, but just hang in there for a little while longer," he encouraged softly, misinterpreting the cause of her whimpers. He glanced back at her with worry and guilt in his gaze. "We're almost to the Black Lion. Then we'll high-tail it out of here."
Mari sighed shakily and grimaced. "That's not it," she choked up, screwing her eyes shut and wiping a few of her tears away. "I-I mean, yes it hurts b-but…H-Haggar, she—she found out who I am, how I'm connected to you and the rest of the team. S-She forced her way into my mind and I-I tried my best to keep stuff from her b-but…But! She wasn't able to get any information on Voltron, I swear!"
Shiro's steps faltered and his hold on her tightened, but he didn't say anything. He just kept moving forward quickly, prompting her to continue.
"I-I'm really sorry, Takashi," she whispered, too afraid and ashamed to bring herself to look at him. "I know I messed up, b-but please don't send me home. I don't have to go on any more missions, I'll stay on the Castle. Just please…I want to stay with you and the others. Don't leave me alone again."
To her bewilderment, Shiro shook his head straightaway. "Don't apologize, Mari," he hushed, his tone scolding but kind. "I know just how strong Haggar's magic is. What happened is not your fault. And so what if the Galra know your name and your relationship to me? I'd never send you back home just because of that."
"What if I become a target though?" she protested, and she frowned as he chuckled. "I don't want to bring the team down like that."
"You'll be safe as long as you stay with us," he assured her, casting her a slight smile as they rounded a corner and entered a hangar holding several Galran fighters. "And if someone does go after you, then I'll just have to beat the hell out of them, now won't I? I'll protect you no matter what, Mariko. I promise I won't send you home either, not until the universe is saved and the rest of us are ready to go back to Earth with you. I'm not leaving you alone agai—!"
The swift and unexpected sound of the massive metal doors slamming shut behind them cut Shiro off and he skidded to a halt in the middle of the hangar. He looked back at the sealed entryway, suspicion furrowing his brow and setting his jaw. The hair on the back of Mari's neck stood on end underneath her suit, and a feeling of dread washed over her as the room seemed to drop several degrees in temperature.
"So, Champion returns," an all too familiar voice drawled, and both Shiroganes stiffened before whipping their heads around to see Haggar waiting for them on the other end of the hangar. Her lips curled upwards into a malevolent smirk as her eyes took in the sight of the siblings and she chuckled darkly. "And it seems he's managed to find the precious thing we stole from him."
"You…" Shiro growled, not even daring to speak her name. Mari could feel him trembling beneath her touch and she couldn't blame him for feeling afraid. This was the woman that had mentally, emotionally, and physically scarred him after all. She was shaking herself, her whole body aching at the memory of the poison and the electrocution. She held onto Shiro tighter, reflexively moving to hide herself from Haggar's gaze and arousing another throaty snigger from the sorceress.
"Such a scared pup now," she mused in delight. "Tell me, Champion, do you like what I've done with her? She was so stubborn at first, she wouldn't tell me a single thing. A shame I had to leave her so early, I believe I was on the verge of breaking her. It was so fun playing with her…I'm looking forward to continuing our interrogation."
"You're not continuing anything with her," Shiro snarled, taking a step back away from the witch. "I won't let you touch her ever again."
Haggar smirked and her eyes gleamed with a manic light. "Then I'll just have to get rid of you first then."
She disappeared in a puff of black mist and Shiro looked around frantically for any sign of her. Haggar's creepy laughter echoed off the walls of the hangar, building tension as she prolonged her reappearance and let Shiro's fear increase.
"I'm gonna set you down for a bit, okay?" he barely uttered, backing all the way up to the hangar entrance. He crouched down and gently deposited her, letting her limply slide off his back and lean against the metal doors trapping them inside. "Stay here. I'll take care of her."
Mari tried to smile at him, but she was too tired to even lift the corners of her mouth. "It's not like I have enough strength to go anywhere or anything," she remarked through a huff of bitter laughter, and Shiro responded by planting a kiss on the forehead of her helmet.
He turned back to face the rest of the room, his false arm humming to life and his eyes narrowing as he scanned the room for any sign of his opponent. Then like a flash of lightning, Haggar manifested a few feet in front of him, that condescending grin still plastered to her face. Shiro leapt forward and swiped at her with his glowing arm, only for it to connect with nothing but air as she disappeared. Not even a tick later, she showed up again, this time more to his left. Shiro charged again, reaching out to land a blow, but he stumbled forward as his hit was met with empty space. Her creepy chuckles filled the room as copies of her materialized and surrounded him, trapping him inside a circle of witches. He grunted in dismay as his eyes flicked over each of them, but was still unable to determine which one of them was the genuine article.
"I made you strong and this is how you repay me?" the Haggar closest to him spat furiously and Shiro whirled on her, fist raised. He tried punching her, but he was instantly blocked by a magic barrier that was powerful enough to send him flying across the room instead. He landed on his stomach and slid to a halt, groaning as he struggled to maneuver himself into a crawling position.
"You could have been our greatest weapon!" the witch hissed, her voice dripping with venom as she raised a hand towards him. A dark ball of magic energy swirled in her palm and it sizzled as it began to fire laser-like beams at the Black Paladin.
Shiro's eyes widened in fear and he dove out of the way just as the shot exploded behind him. He scrambled to regain his balance as he sprinted towards her, nimbly dodging her blasts and raising his fist again to attack as he closed the distance between them. But she vanished, and when she showed herself again, she was standing right in front of Mari.
"And now, this one will replace you," Haggar sneered, one energized hand already reaching out to grab her. "She will be my new champion."
An enraged shout tore from Shiro's throat and he pounced on the sorceress, his prosthetic searing with heat as he prepared to bring it down on Haggar. But at the last second, she turned on him and caught him by the throat, squeezing the air out of him and bringing his assault to an abrupt halt. He let out a choked gurgle, clawing desperately at the hand digging into his neck, but Haggar was unbelievably strong for someone of her age and stature. She lifted Shiro higher up in front of her, snickering to herself as her form suddenly shifted into a yellow-eyed, vicious version of Takashi Shirogane.
"I must destroy the original first though," Haggar-Shiro laughed to herself, and Shiro's eyes widened in fear. "Goodbye, Champion."
I have to do something! Mari screamed at herself, glancing in a panic around the hangar. There was nothing around that she could use as a weapon, but even if there was, she wasn't sure she'd be able to lift it let alone attack. Heck, she didn't think she could even stand. But if she didn't do something right now, Shiro would die. And she couldn't—wouldn't let that happen, not when Haggar was right in front of her and there was still time to prevent Shiro from dying.
Removing her helmet and setting it down beside her, Mari placed her palms on the floor and leaned forward, biting back a cry as the pressure being applied sent rivulets of pain lacing up her arms and legs. Wincing, she inhaled sharply and dragged herself forward so that she was within reach of Haggar's leg. Grabbing the witch's left calf, which still looked disturbingly like Shiro's own appendage, Mari quickly sunk her teeth into it. Her eyes screwed shut in disgust as she felt her canines break the skin and cut into papery flesh.
Haggar shouted, but whether from pain or surprise or both, Mari wasn't sure. There was a loud thump as Shiro was dropped to the floor and she could hear him gasping for air. But before she could check to see if he was all right, a clawed hand dug into her scalp and yanked her by the hair. She screamed as Haggar roughly threw her off, sending the weakened human falling backwards onto the floor. Unable to catch herself in time, her head collided harshly with the floor, and her vision swirled before gradually turning black at the edges.
All of her energy felt like it had been drained instantaneously as she laid motionlessly on the ground. Her limbs felt like jelly and her stupid headache was back again. Her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton and she could vaguely hear Shiro saying something, but she couldn't quite make it out.
Dammit…she really was so, so tired.
Unable to stay awake any longer, Mari let her weary eyes slip shut and she was dead to the world in seconds.
Gomen='Sorry' in Japanese
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