**Author's note: Sorry updates are going so slowly. I've had to add, edit, and rewrite a lot of things in this next chunk of the story, and I've been busy with school work from this new semester. So, yeah. It's been taking me a while to write and produce a chapter that I'm content with, but I promise to continue uploading when I can.
**I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender!
The next morning, Lance emerged from the healing pod and while he rejuvenated his strength over a bowl of food goo, the others caught him up on Sendak's attack.
"You'd be Sendak's prisoner right now if not for Pidge and Mari," Allura said, wrapping up the explanation.
"Well, you wouldn't have survived the explosion if Hunk and Coran hadn't gotten a new crystal," Pidge pointed out.
"Wow," Lance smiled gratefully. "Thanks, everybody." Then turning to Keith he said, "Sounds like the mice did more than you, though."
"I punched Sendak!" the Red Paladin insisted in annoyance, and Lance gave him a sour look.
"Yeah, apparently after I emerged from a coma and shot his arm off."
"We had a bonding moment! I cradled you in my arms!"
"Nope. Don't remember, didn't happen," Lance said, grinning and shaking his head before changing the subject. "So, what happened to Sendak?"
"He's frozen in a cryo-pod. We're keeping him here in the Castle," Allura replied.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Lance asked, frowning hesitantly.
"He's too dangerous to be set free," she said. "Besides, we might be able to get some information about Zarkon from him."
"Well, now that lover boy here has been all caught up, what do we do now?" Mari piped up, already becoming restless and bored by the conversation.
"The Arusian village took quite a bit of damage from Sendak's fires," Allura said. "We shall take the day to help them with any repairs that their village requires."
"Okay, but then we have to get back to the Balmera and save Shay and her people," Hunk complied somewhat anxiously.
"Wow! You are really hung up on this lady!" Lance mused.
"Like you're one to talk," Mari grumbled but he ignored her comment.
"No, it's not like that," Hunk promised. "Look, guys, when you see how Zarkon has treated these people and destroyed their home... they've been under his thumb for so long, they don't know what it is to be free. It's up to us to set this right. This is what being a paladin of Voltron is all about. It's time to man up."
"Then let's get moving," Shiro decided. "Everyone suit up and get ready to head out to the Arusian village."
"Wait—I have something to say first," Pidge intervened, stopping the group before they could leave the dining hall. "I need to come clean, and I'm afraid this may change the way you all think about me. Just so there are no secrets between us anymore, I can't 'man up'. I'm a girl. I-I mean, I can 'man up' because that's just a figure of speech. I don't have to actually be a man to 'man up'. I just have to be tough. But what I'm saying—"
"Wha...?! You're a girl?!" Lance shrilled, his jaw dropping in utter shock. "How?!"
"I've known for some time, but I'm glad you've shared it with everyone," Allura admitted.
"Yeah, I figured," Hunk added.
"Oh, yeah, me too," Keith noted casually.
"You already knew that I knew," Mari beamed.
"Wait, we were supposed to think you were a boy?" Coran asked, slightly confused.
"Pidge, owning who you are is going to make you a better paladin," Shiro smiled, clearly glad that their resident tech wiz had shared her secret with everyone.
"It's good to get that off my chest," Pidge admitted, sighing in relief. "Now, let's hurry up and help the Arusians so we can launch this castle-ship!"
"Wait, what? Pidge is a girl and the castle is a ship?" Lance gaped in disbelief as the others hurried out of the dinning hall. "How long have I been out?"
The damage that Sendak's fires had inflicted upon the Arusian village was a lot more serious than the paladins and the rest of the team had expected. Whole huts had been mercilessly burned to the ground; the water tower had fallen over; roofs had collapsed; there were holes in various building walls; shards of broken pots, plates, and other ceramics were scattered all over the ground, mixing with the powdery ash that covered the walkways. Luckily, none of the Arusians had perished in the fires and only a handful of them had minor injuries.
Still, their village was in a terrible state and it was all because of Voltron's presence on the planet; the least the team could do was lend the Arusians a hand in repairing the damage. So, with that being said, Pidge and Hunk prepared to reinstall the water tower; Shiro, Lance, and Keith went to work on hut repairs; and Coran, Allura, and Mari tended to the injured and began to help clean up the debris and ash littering the paths, all with the Arusian's help of course.
Mari did her best to steer clear of Shiro. They hadn't really talked since the night of the party, but from the concerned looks he kept throwing her way, she knew some sort of brotherly lecture was lingering over her head. And she knew exactly what it was going to be about: the past, what had happened in his one-year absence, etc., etc. It was the same damn topic over and over and over again, and she wished he'd just drop it already. She had already told him what had happened. Why didn't he understand that there was nothing else he needed to know? She tsked in annoyance before pulling her gaze away from Shiro and immersing herself in angrily sweeping away a pile of ashes.
"You're just making a bigger mess, you know."
Mari scowled but began to sweep gentler and with more precision. "Did you need something?" she huffed, glancing up at Keith briefly. He was carrying another broom, and dirt was smeared across various sections of his armor.
"Shiro and Lance are taking a break and I thought you could use the help."
"I don't need your help," Mari began to insist but Keith ignored her, already starting to create another pile of sooty debris with his broom. Sighing at his stubbornness, she rolled her eyes and helped him clean up the rest of the surrounding path in awkward silence.
"So how are hut repairs going?" she asked in a half-hearted attempt to make conversation.
"They're fine."
"Is Lance actually helping you guys or is he just talking your ears off?"
"Both," Keith grimaced.
"Well…at least he makes the job interesting," Mari shrugged, giving him a mildly sympathetic look.
"More like annoying," he muttered and she couldn't help but crack a grin.
"Mari-ko! Mari-ko!"
The duo looked up in surprise to see Klaizap and an elderly female Arusian hurrying towards them. The alien pair quickly skidded to a halt, nearly stumbling into the newly swept pile of dust and rubble that sat on the ground in between the humans, before straightening and looking up at the female Earthling with worried expressions.
"What's up, Klaizap?" Mari asked, kneeling down so she'd be at eye level with the small warrior.
"It is one of our elders," Klaizap said, gesturing to the older Arusian. "She is very distressed. Her hut was damaged in the fires and one of her relics is now stuck,"
"Where is it stuck?" Mari frowned slightly.
"I will show you," the elderly Arusian spoke up in a raspy but chipper voice. And before she could protest, the old woman firmly took Mari by the hand and led her towards a hut that sat on the edge of the cliffs. Moving around the small abode, they could see that the entire back half of the hut had collapsed, the remaining walls charred and cracked. A broken shelf along with various damaged vases sat at the brink of the rubble, mere feet away from the drop-off.
"It rolled over the edge and is stuck down there." The old Arusian pointed down the steep slope and Mari and Keith cautiously peered down the cliff side. About half way down, a rather plain looking glass ball sat on a narrow rock ledge.
"Our arms are too short to reach it," Klaizap said. "But surely you or one of the paladins could reach it, Mari-ko."
"That thing is too far down for us to just grab it," Keith said. "I think Pidge and Hunk have some rope. Let me just get it and—"
"No, it's fine. I can just get this thing myself," Mari cut him off quickly, and before he could stop her, she began to crawl down the cliff face.
"What are you doing?" Keith hissed, glaring down at her angrily. "Are you stupid?"
"Relax, I'll be fine," she grumbled, carefully maneuvering her hands and feet as she located stable ledges to grab and put her weight on. "The cliff's not even that steep. I can do this by myself, easy-peasy."
"Shiro's not gonna like it if you—"
"I don't care," she snapped back. "I'm not a baby anymore, I don't need his help. I know I can do this without any problems. So stop being such a worry-wart, okay hothead?"
Keith scowled in disapproval but said nothing, watching silently as she slowly inched along the side of the cliff. Finally he sighed and said, "You really need to talk to Shiro."
"And you really need to mind your own business," she was quick to retaliate and Keith's eye twitched in annoyance.
"I'm being serious."
"So am I."
"He's your brother. You can't just keep avoiding him."
Mari halted in her task and frowned up at him suspiciously. "You're irritatingly nosy today, you know that? Why do you suddenly care so much, huh?"
"Shiro's my friend. Why wouldn't I care that his stupid little sister is potentially causing him more trouble?" Keith rolled his eyes.
His words made her blood run cold. Was that how Keith saw her then? As Shiro's stupid little sister that always caused her brother trouble? Did the rest of the team see her that way too? Well, maybe not Pidge, but as for the others…A wave of hurt washed over her and Mari bit her lip, her grip on the rocks tightening as she struggled to keep herself balanced.
"Well," she said lowly, averting her gaze away from him. "I don't think you of all people should be giving me familial advice when you don't have any family yourself."
Mari knew she shouldn't have said it, but it was too late as her words hung in the air. Glancing up again, she couldn't help but flinch at the utterly hostile glare Keith was giving her, a mixture of pain and rage flaring in his dark and narrowed eyes. She had touched upon a sensitive topic, that's for sure, and his reaction was almost frightening. But Mari didn't care anymore: he had hurt her so she had hurt him in return. It was only fair, right?
No, it wasn't fair. She was being intentionally mean while Keith had just been teasing. The instant regret felt like a punch to the gut, and her breath hitched as tears pricked the corners of her eyes. Holy crow, what was going on with her? Why was she lashing out at people when they did nothing wrong? Why was she acting so closed off? And why…why, why, why did everything hurt so, so much when she was around Shiro now? She wanted to scream at him, kick, and punch him. But at the same time she desperately wanted him to hold her and let her cry and cry, just like when they were little. She was so confused and conflicted, not knowing what to do or say, not knowing how to make all the suffering go away. It felt like she was losing her mind, like she was being broken from the inside out.
Unable to swipe at the building tears, Mari cast her gaze downwards, too ashamed to look at Keith any longer and suddenly feeling sick. She swallowed back the bile that was rising in her throat and took several calming breaths before she managed weakly, "Keith, I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to…"
"The Red Paladin has left, Mari-ko," Klaizap piped up, peeking over the edge with saddened eyes. "He seemed most angry."
Great. First Pidge and now Keith. God, she really was such a bothersome bitch to everyone, wasn't she?
Mari felt the warm tears threatening to overflow, and she wanted to cry so, so badly. But she bit her lip roughly in angry determination and shook the idea from her head; this wasn't the time for self pity. No, she had to focus on the task at hand and that was helping the Arusians. She would apologize to Keith later…and then maybe crying could come later, when she was alone in the privacy of her room.
So, steeling herself, Mari continued to clamber down the rocky surface until the lost relic was right next to her. Clinging to her current hand and foot-holds, she reached out and swiftly plucked the item from the ledge. The orb was smooth and light in weight, no bigger than a baseball as it fit easily in her hand. With how much it resembled glass, she was surprised it had survived the fall over the cliff's edge; maybe it was made out of some sort of durable alien crystal?
Looking back up, she held up the ball for the two Arusians to see. "I've got it!"
"Huzzah!" Klaizap cheered in victory.
"Huzzah!" the elder of the two beamed in relief.
"Toss it to us so you may climb back up, Mari-ko!" Klaizap instructed.
Grasping the orb firmly in one hand, Mari brought back her arm and prepared to throw it to the small warrior. "Okay, here it comes!"
But before she could release the object, it began to glow and emit a gentle warmth in her palm. Tiny sparks began to flit around inside the glassy ball and a tingling sensation ran up her arm, spreading throughout her body. And then all at once she was bombarded by a sea of deafening sounds—thousands of people talking, laughing, crying, and screaming all at once—that mingled with a series of familiar images that flashed before her eyes much to quickly. Her head felt like it was going to split open, and Mari was in too much pain to scream or move.
Suddenly the flashing images and intense noise stopped. The orb had slipped out of her grasp, falling and disappearing into a patch of foliage down below. Mari was quickly brought back to reality, her whole body numb and her breath coming in shallow pants. Her mind felt fuzzy and her head throbbed as she tried to register just what the hell had happened to her. She didn't even realize it when she lost her footing on the ledge she was tiptoeing on, and it was only for a moment that she felt nothing but air rushing past her. Then her body slammed against the solid ground with a sickening thud and everything went black.