A/N: Whoops! I forgot to include a link to the fabulous art by LittleWhiteTie that this fic was based on! Please check it out and give her a round of applause for such a marvelous piece of art. (remove spaces) https: post /175938667922/ my-piece-for-the-voltrongenminibanga-reverse

Onto the final chapter!

Shiro's head broke the surface with a splash. He gasped for air, blinking past the water in his eyes to find land. He propelled himself toward it. Faster, faster, faster, his mind screamed.

Reaching the rocky border, he grabbed it and grappled himself out of the water without hesitation. He jumped to his feet, almost falling over from the quick onslaught of dizziness as he stumbled away from the pool's edge. He glanced behind him, panting for breath, hoping beyond hope that the creature was strictly aquatic.

He waited, one hand on a knee and the other pushing his wet, drooping bangs out of his eyes. He glanced at the walls and noticed this wasn't the same cavern. This one was far larger, big enough to fit a moderate-sized, two-story house inside. There was only one huge pool, so big it was almost a miniature lake, and the ceiling wasn't as bright or smooth as the other caves'. It was rockier, with jagged stalactites dripping down like the teeth of a shark. There was only one exit to this room, he noticed, and it was on the opposite side of the large pool.

Shiro glanced at the water again, making sure nothing was going to jump out and grab him, before running at an awkward walk-jog-stumble pace around the water, toward the exit. He had almost reached it when the cave's sparse blue light glinted off something blocking the tunnel exit. He stopped in his tracks.

Silvery blue strings, so thin that they were almost invisible, flickered in the light of the cave.

Were those… webs?

No, surely not. They were too far away from Earth for it to be anything even remotely similar.

There was a tiny sploosh behind him.

He glanced over his shoulder and gasped.

A creature the size of a truck towered above him. More than a dozen hairy legs held it high off the ground, dripping wet. Under its abdomen, eight long, fleshy-pink tentacles wiggled about like hungry snakes. The ninth was short, its bleeding stub hanging useless. It looked like a monstrous, crazy alien spider out of some old science-fiction movie. And it was angry, or hungry— or probably both.

Now was the worst possible time to be lost, alone, and sick. He really must have bad luck.

Shiro activated his Galra hand. A surge of energy washed through him, strangely, but he waited.

It attacked.

He rolled at the last minute, ducking underneath the monster without realizing that his normal technique wouldn't work. The octo-spider's tentacles grabbed him, and as he reached back to thrust a blow to the creature's belly, it leaped.

He was yanked up as it flipped midair and attached to the ceiling upside-down. His surprise jostled his concentration, and his prosthetic deactivated. The tentacles held him up and rolled him in their grasp, expertly encasing his body in a white-ish, sticky slime. Below him, the creature's stomach opened into a circular mouth. Rows of needle-like teeth spun around the circle's edges in opposing directions. Three long, purple tongues rose from the mouth and tasted the air beneath him. Then they stretched up, right toward his face.

Without a second to lose, he lit up his arm again—the strange pulse of energy striking through him stronger this time— and hit as many of the tentacles as he could reach. The creature shrieked and released him. He dropped right towards its open mouth. He caught himself from falling in, barely, by grabbing the edges and holding himself up above the squirming tongues. He stared down into its mouth, the whirling vortex of razor-sharp teeth zipping in circles so fast he could hardly see them. The creature bucked and swerved, crawling down a wall with dizzying speed, trying to shake him off.

Shiro lost his grip and hit the ground sideways. He heard his collarbone pop, and his shoulder flared. He pushed himself to his knees, but something felt wrong. Had he broken something? He didn't feel like he had, but his adrenaline could be hiding it. And why were his hands so hard to move?

The creature was scurrying down the rest of the way to meet—eat—him.

He pulled himself to his feet and dragged his tired legs into a run. His head swam with the sudden motion and he fought not to stumble or slow down. The exit was close. He was getting closer.

A burst of pain shot through the back of his leg. He cried out and tripped, landing hard on the cave floor. His chin scraped against rock as he was yanked backwards along the ground. The octo-spider had sunk its head's fangs into his leg. Why this alien had two mouths, he didn't have time to guess. It dragged him toward the wall farthest from the exit, and he watched helpless as the tunnel to freedom shrunk in the distance.

The spider reached the wall and began to climb up backwards, hungry and eager. Shiro dangled beneath it and tried to reactivate his Galra hand. It took a few frightening ticks, but when it finally glowed, he could barely move his arm. Had the spider's icky saliva paralyzed him? He could still feel, could try to move, but it was like his limbs had hardened.

The octo-spider reached the cavern ceiling. All the blood rushed to his head as he hung upside-down from the monster's fangs. A trickle of red dripped down the side of his leg. Far below was the blue pool, peaceful and still. The creature busily settled itself on the ceiling rocks, and Shiro could do nothing to stop it from beginning its feast. Even if he could move to strike, he didn't fancy falling onto the rocks from this height and breaking his neck. Although that would be a quicker death than getting eaten alive.

Three hairy spider legs poked and clawed at his flight suit, picking him up by the fabric around his waist. He couldn't move his arms at all now. As soon as the thing let go of his leg, he aimed for all its sensitive, fleshy-looking spots and kicked as hard as he could. His legs were beginning to feel the effects of that slime too. Every kick grew more difficult.

He managed to land a blow or two, but nothing was damaging enough for it to drop him. Soon the spider's legs left him at the mercy of its tentacles. They wrapped around his hands first, and he could feel the warm, slimey flesh trembling with excitement. The spider's legs lowered him further, and more tentacles gripped his waist. Its stomach-mouth gaped below, teeth rotating faster than a tornado.

As he was pulled within reach, one of its ugly tongues flicked up and slid across his cheek like wet sandpaper. He jerked away and struggled harder, but the tentacles only tightened their crushing grip. He couldn't get away. One of the other tongues grabbed his right arm and pulled it down.

There was a sharp grinding sound and Shiro yelled in pain. He twisted to protect his face as sparks flew everywhere. The monster's teeth graded against the metal of his hand, the sound deafening and the sensation numbing.

He barely heard it when a familiar whistle filled the air. There was a blur, and a loud thwip, and the creature screamed. Purple blood showered down on him, and the wet tentacles gripped him tighter in its pain. He caught a glimpse of a Marmora blade stuck in the spider's hide. But the fledgling of hope that had sparked at the sight was quickly squelched.

The two remaining tongues latched onto his throat in a desperate last-attempt at survival, cutting off his airway, pulling his face ever closer to the cyclone of teeth. Keith's blade had slowed the creature, but it wasn't dying fast enough. Shiro activated his prosthetic.

The creature shuddered, its teeth grinding to a halt around his glowing right arm. Purple blood gurgled and spewed out its mouth.

It fell.

The air whooshed past, spraying droplets of dark liquid all over him. The ceiling grew distant. If he wasn't hurtling to his death in the clutches of a gigantic alien arachnid, he would've enjoyed the rush of air and the feeling of weightlessness.

The creature's long, hairy legs trembled and caved in over its abdomen. They curled up and inward, like a dying spider from Earth, trapping him against its disgusting flesh. Its tentacles held him in a vice-like grip, and the two tongues had not let go of his throat.

They hit the water.

The cold slapped him in the face as they crashed beneath the surface. He gasped, and water filled his mouth—but it didn't rush into his lungs. The spider's grip on his throat blocked any passage.

The creature's deadweight dragged them both deep underwater. Thousands of bubbles floated to the surface far above, glinting in the water like tiny flying stars. The only sound was his heartbeat pounding in his head from the pressure and lack of air. He squirmed and kicked, but even dead, the thing would not release him. His arms were still locked in the tentacles. His feet were free but could not reach the spider's legs trapping him like prison bars. He could feel the dull ache in his lungs growing. He could only live without air for so long.

They hit the bottom. Shiro struggled, but it was useless.

Distantly, there was a muffled splash as something broke the surface. He tried to see, but the spider's legs had trapped him like thick, hairy prison bars, inhibiting his view.

There was a swish, and a glint of metal swiped through five of the legs at once. They separated and the tops slowly fell over, puffs of dark purple spewing out of the disjointed ligaments and dissipating in the water. A hand appeared out of the cloud and pushed through the leftover stubs.

It was Keith.

Hope reignited in Shiro's mind, and he worked on moving his hands again. The water seemed to be slowly dissolving the spider's saliva-shell around his limbs, but it wasn't fast enough. His lungs began to burn.

Marmora knife in hand, Keith swam down and tugged at the tentacles around Shiro's torso. They didn't budge. Keith cut the exposed length underneath Shiro, and his freed torso began to float upward. Not great, since his head and hands were still stuck. Keith moved, using his hands more than his eyes to find Shiro's anchor points. The water was murky with blood.

Keith found Shiro's human arm wrapped in a fleshy tentacle and freed it before pushing back up to the surface for air. He was back at Shiro's side so quick it didn't seem like he'd had time to catch an actual breath.

He fingered the pair of tongues gripping Shiro's throat. Keith met his eyes for a second—a silent question, seeking permission. Can I cut it?

Shiro nodded hastily. There wasn't time to ask. His lungs were burning.

With careful precision, Keith slid the blade underneath the tongues. The cool metal was flat against Shiro's neck. One mistake—one slight miscalculation or too much pressure on either edge—and it would slit his throat. But Shiro was only anxious about getting to the surface before he passed out, not about the blade. He trusted Keith.

In one expert motion, Keith sliced the two tongues without leaving a scratch. Immediately Shiro's airway was free again, and he desperately fought the urge to gasp for air. He squeezed his lips together and clamped his jaw shut.

Keith's brow furrowed when he realized Shiro wasn't swimming toward the surface. Then he saw Shiro's prosthetic buried deep inside the creature's stomach-mouth, and a surprised spout of bubbles escaped his lips. He reached for Shiro's shoulder and put his feet on the spider's hairy, squishy stomach. He pulled.

Shiro felt more than heard the sharp scraping of teeth against metal. It pulled at the contact point of his human shoulder, like someone was trying to forcibly pull his arm off. It hurt.

But his lungs were on fire. He needed air.

Shiro grit his teeth and activated his prosthetic. All of his energy drained out of him at the same instant that Keith leveraged open the creature's stomach-mouth with his blade. Keith grunted under the water and pulled harder.

His right arm scraped free.

Shiro deactivated it quickly, and Keith yanked his blade out of the octo-spider before taking Shiro's arm and pushing off the creature's belly toward the surface.

Keith swam like mad. Shiro kicked to help propel, doing the most he could. His lungs were screaming for oxygen. They were still at least ten feet below the surface. Keith could swim, he was trying hard, but he wasn't a strong swimmer by any means. Lance had bested everyone in the water training sessions by a landslide, with Keith always coming in last. (But hey, it was hard to get swimming experience if you'd lived in a desert all your life. Shiro didn't fault him.) They both knew it was a miracle Keith had been able to help Shiro at all, much less get them both this far.

Shiro's consciousness started to wobble. He remembered that his mouth was still full of water, and he blew it out with what little air he had left, hoping it would give him a little safety buffer in case his will slipped. He began to wonder if he might not make it.

Keith's arm tightened around Shiro's human wrist, as if he could read his best friend's mind. As if to anchor his thoughts and remind him, I'm not giving up on you, Shiro, but you can't give up on yourself either.

The surface rippled and glimmered above, tantalizingly close—but not close enough. Shiro tried to stop himself, but it happened too quickly. His subconscious took over and he inhaled.

Water clogged his airway.

He choked. Couldn't get the water out.

Panic set in.

Immediately his mind, his lungs, everything screamed at him—why had he given in, they were almost there! —and not a moment after, Keith pushed Shiro's head above the surface and he was choking and he still couldn't breathe and Keith was yelling at him and dragging him through the water and his nose and throat and lungs were burning and…

The next thing Shiro knew, he was lying sideways on the rocks. His body shook with each violent cough. His bones ached as he gasped and spluttered and gulped down oxygen. His throat was raw.

As his breathing became easier, he opened his eyes. Keith half-sat, half-laid beside him, thick bangs clinging to his forehead and water dripping down his chin as he too panted for breath.

Shiro rolled over to lay on his back, letting exhaustion take him. He closed his eyes again and relished the feeling of his lungs expanding and contracting, of blissful air flowing in and out without restriction.

The two stayed like that, just breathing hard and enjoying the beautiful simplicity of being alive.

After a few minutes, Shiro summoned the strength to speak. "Never insult my arachnophobia again."

When Keith didn't reply right away, Shiro opened an eye to glance over.

Keith was looking at him, a single brow raised, his eyes glinting with a rarely-seen emotion. A tiny chuckle bubbled up from his lopsided grin. It was infectious.

"I promise," Keith said, and his chuckle erupted into heart-warming laughter. Shiro laughed too; even if it hurt a little, it felt good. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he had actually laughed.

"I can't believe you almost got eaten by a giant spider!" Keith roared, bent over with his arms wrapped around his stomach.

"I can't believe it almost drowned me!" Shiro echoed back, chest heaving with his own heavy chortles. "What spider drowns people?"

Keith was laughing so hard that tears crowded in his eyes. "We must be really tired," he said in between bouts of laughter. "This isn't even funny!"

"Maybe the water was poisoned with laughing gas," Shiro offered with a grin. "Er, laughing liquid."

"Probably." Keith chuckled and began to regain his breath for the second time in an hour. "Where were you even going?"

Shiro's face heated up. "Um…"

A knowing expression settled on Keith's features. "Oh." He grinned again and shook his head. "Y'know, Shiro, you are the only person I know who can almost die from a taking a bathroom break."

Shiro snorted at that. "I really do have the worst luck of anyone I've ever met."

They rested a bit longer on the rocky shore, listening to the silence and enjoying the rest.

"Where's Allura?" Shiro asked.

"We split up."

"Oh. How did you find me? I have no idea where we are. These caves are tricky." Shiro glanced back at the water, remembering. "I didn't even walk into this one."

"What?"

"I got lost and was taking a break in another cavern when that spider-thing jumped out of the water and grabbed me. It must have dragged me through some underwater caves, or something, because this one's not the cave I took a break in. These pools must all be connected."

Keith looked at the water and made a face. "Then we might not want to drink any more of it."

Shiro laughed, but it turned into a cough. "Yeah…" He sat up carefully and made to stand. "We should probably go find Allura."

Keith stood too, but he was faster. When Shiro put weight on his leg, a flash a pain shot through it. He couldn't hide the wince before Keith caught it. "Okay, Shiro. Spill it. Where are you hurt?"

Shiro let out a long-suffering sigh and pointed to his calf.

"Yikes," Keith muttered.

Shiro twisted to look at it. His calf was slit open just below the back of his knee. The fabric from the suit was ripped, hanging open, and the area was dripping with dark red.

Keith knelt at his feet. "It bit you, huh? Hmm." He fingered the torn fabric. "Yeah, we're gonna need to slow the bleeding."

"I'll be okay," Shiro said. "We need to find Allura and keep moving. Without that water supply, our time is running out. We need to hurry."

Keith ignored him and continued inspecting the wound. "It looks pretty deep." He used his knife to cut away some of the fabric. "This is too soiled." He looked around for something else to use as a bandage.

Shiro grabbed part of the torn sleeve of his right arm. "What about this?"

Keith looked up. Something akin to regret passed over his face, as if he was blaming himself for Shiro's arm getting half-digested, but the look was gone quickly. "That'll work." He cut off a strip and wrapped it tight around Shiro's wound.

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet. You're still at risk for infection, or whatever this planet's equivalent of rabies is. I wish we had what's left of the first aid, but I left it with Allura." Keith stood. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Shiro took a step and barely caught himself from collapsing. Keith scoffed and tugged Shiro's prosthetic over his shoulder. With Keith's help, Shiro limped through the cavern and made it past the cavern exit. They'd been making progress through various caves when Keith stopped. Ahead of them were three tunnels, nearly identical in size, and Keith was studying them.

"Are we lost?" Shiro asked when they hadn't moved for a full minute.

"No."

Shiro waited as Keith continued to study their options in silence.

After a few more seconds—in an attempt to make Keith feel better—he said softly, "Well, they look the same to me."

"Because you're aliens, aren't you?" came a strange voice. Shiro jumped. Keith went as taut as a pulled string. "And I'll gamble you're illegal ones, too."

Keith turned, Shiro's arm still across his shoulders. "Show yourself," he snarled.

They just had to be ambushed in a dark section of the tunnel. Of course.

While supporting Shiro with one arm, Keith slowly moved his free hand behind his back. The smooth, leathery feel of the hilt of his Marmora blade comforted him. There was a sense of security that came with that grip.

"There!" Shiro whispered, and the humanoid figure lunged at them from the shadows. Keith shoved Shiro out of the way just in time. His blade blocked the alien's fist, but it didn't injure his skin. Shiro watched from the sidelines.

"W-what?" Keith stuttered. "How…?"

The huge being grinned, wrapped his bare hands around the sword's double edges, and yanked it out of Keith's hand. He tossed it to the side.

"You are trespassing, criminals. But I am not a bad person, so I will give you one chance. Leave now, and I will let you live."

Keith growled. "Fine. Point us in that direction."

The alien's unibrow furrowed. "Lost, are you?"

Keith bent down to reach for his knife. The muscular alien jumped behind him with surprising agility and wrapped his short, stout arms around Keith's chest. He picked him up and squeezed. Keith squirmed and fought for air.

"Stop! You're crushing him!" Shiro slowly managed to stand. "Please, release him. We'll leave immediately, just let him go."

The alien glanced at Shiro from the corner of his eye. He looked back at Keith. "No. I will let this one attone for both of your crimes. I suggest you leave before my patience runs short."

Keith was wheezing for breath. Shiro caught his eye. They exchanged a quick, silent glance.

"Okay," Shiro said, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Just tell me which way is out."

"You traitor!" Keith rasped. The alien tightened its grip on him and he grunted in pain.

The alien did not seem to be surprised by Shiro's actions. "The third cave on your right. Follow it, and make sure to always take the left route."

Shiro cocked his head. "And how do I know this isn't a trap?"

The alien adjusted his grip on Keith, holding him tighter. Shiro heard Keith's spine crack. He hoped it was just a flexibility thing and not an injury thing.

"I am not a bad person," the alien repeated, insistent. "Now go, before I summon my troupe."

Shiro moved toward the tunnel that supposedly led outside, slowly moving around the big alien and Keith. He fought to hide his limp as he kept his eyes pinned on the stout being.

He reached the other side, where he would have to turn to exit the passage. He stopped.

Keith felt the alien's grip loosen slightly in suspicion.

"Did you forget my instructions already?" The alien chuckled, his large huffs making his grip on Keith wobbly, alternatively tighter with his inhale and looser with his exhale. Keith sucked in a huge breath— so that, when the alien resumed its normal hold, he wouldn't register that Keith could get lose with a single exhale.

"No," Shiro said and turned. He put on the most formidable expression he could muster. "Did you forget that you're squeezing the life out of my best friend?"

Corny, but it works, Keith thought with a grin.

With his prosthetic lit, Shiro ran straight for them.

"What are you doing!" The alien held Keith between him and the charging paladin like a body shield. "Idiot! I'll hurt your friend!"

Shiro got enough momentum and jumped, running along the wall with his burning bright hand outstretched. At the last possible moment, Keith released his breath with a whoosh and slipped out of the big alien's grasp. He hit the ground and ducked into a crouch.

Almost in slow motion, Shiro's lit hand swiped toward the alien's now-exposed torso. Keith rolled out from under him.

Shiro felt something akin to a shock of electricity shoot through him. One second he was tensed and fired up, aiming directly for the alien's breastplate armor so the strike would only stun him— the next second, all of the energy jolted out of him in a heartbeat.

His hand deactivated of its own volition. He could feel the wind in his ears slow as his body lost momentum. Gravity tugged him off-balance. His vision spun and his stomach knotted.

He fell off the wall and hit the rocks, rolling to a pitiful stop at the feet of their foe.

"Well. That was a failure," the hulking alien said. "Wait, that robot arm—is it Galra?"

Shiro's head swam. "Yeah," he barely ground out. He tried to push himself up onto his elbows. Distantly he heard Keith yell his name. His body felt so heavy. His human arm trembled at the effort to hold himself up. His stomach coiled and rolled with nausea. Sweat dripped into his eyes. What was happening?

The alien grinned. He pulled out a large weapon that looked a bit like a taser and aimed it at Shiro. Without a word, he mashed the button. Keith didn't have time to do anything but watch in fear.

A bright-purple light flashed from the weapon, and four grappling lines were flung out torward its target.

Shiro knew he was in the line of fire, but his limbs would not cooperate. He squeezed his eyes shut and braced for impact.

A sharp, electric clash. The alien yelped in surprise.

"I have spoken with your leader and made a deal," came a familiar voice. Shiro managed to lift his head. Even through his pain, he grinned with relief.

It was Allura. In her hands was Keith's Marmora knife that he'd dropped earlier. On the ground lay the four grappeling lines, cut off and disconnected from the gun. She'd saved him.

"Allura, what're you—," Keith broke off.

"I am an Altean," Allura continued. Shiro heard the alien suck in a breath. "Your leader, Kinek, has ordered you to lay down your weapons and escort my comrades and I to your base. Immediately."

The alien grunted, deep and unhappy. "This way." The being's heavy footsteps thudded past Shiro's head as he walked toward the three tunnels. It worsened his headache.

"Shiro." Keith scrambled to his side and laid a careful hand on his shoulder. "What was that? What happened?"

"Are you coming?" the alien grumbled.

"Just give us a sec!" Keith snapped. "He's injured!"

"My apologies, sir," Allura paused to cast a reprimanding glare at Keith. "We are right behind you."

Keith pretended not to have seen it and focused on Shiro. "Hey," he said, voice going soft, "think you can you stand?"

Shiro forced his eyes to open and summoned the strength to put on a small smile. "Yeah," he breathed. "Sorry. Just… help me up?"

Keith fought to hide his alarm at the request. "…Sure thing."

Allura and Keith hefted him upright, and then caught him when the quick movement made him lose balance. The alien had continued walking without them, but he was moving slower now and was still in sight. Assuming their previous positions—Allura on one side of Shiro and Keith on the other side, his arms over their shoulders—they stumbled after him and took the far left tunnel.

The rocky floor leaned down, leading deeper into the heart of the planet. They walked for what felt like hours, and all the while Shiro's condition slowly grew worse.

"How are you feeling?" Allura asked quietly. The big alien was a few yards ahead of them, far enough away that it was a little safer, but close enough that they didn't lose their guide.

They could all tell that the walk was hard on Shiro, but he continued to insist that he was okay. "I can handle it," he'd say, even as sweat poured down his face in the cool, stagnant air.

Allura glanced at Keith over Shiro's lowered head. "And how are you holding up, Keith?"

"Hanging in there," he said, voice tired. "How's your arm?"

"It's healing quite well. Still rather sore, but nothing like before."

"Good. We're gonna need all the help we can get if we want to make it out of here."

They kept walking on in silence for a while, listening to the light slapping of their feet on the rocks and Shiro's heavy breaths. Every once in a while Keith's stomach would twinge uncomfortably, but it wasn't just one of his gut feelings. It was more like small flashes of… nausea?

Great. Now he was getting sick, too? They didn't have time for this.

The more he thought about the possibility of coming down with whatever virus Shiro had caught, the more it seemed a reality. He needed to distract himself, get his mind off it. If he was getting sick, dwelling on it would just make things worse. He couldn't let it take him like it had Shiro.

"What kind of deal did you make?" Keith whispered to Allura, partly curious and partly needing a distraction. Shiro seemed to perk up a little at his question. He probably needed a distraction more than Keith did.

"I ran into their leader while looking for both of you. He sent out a few of his men to help me find you—"

"Is that who that guy was?"

"I believe so. I am sorry he was rough with you."

Keith shrugged a shoulder. "Nah, he wasn't that bad."

"Really? Because the two of you look terrible. Your clothes reek of blood."

Keith focused on the ground passing underneath their feet. "Uh… we had a little skirmish with a different cave dweller."

"Oh?"

"We're getting off-topic. What kind of deal did you make with this Kinek guy? If he's anything like his crony over there, then I don't trust him."

"He isn't. Kinek is much more refined and less…" She lowered her voice. "…uncouth. He is a smart man, and I think that he would be a formidable presence in battle. This people will be a wonderful addition to our coalition if we can convince them to join us."

"Is that why you made a deal with them?"

"Partially. Also because—"

Shiro tripped over an unnoticed rock, and Keith and Allura barely kept him from dragging all three of them down. Shiro mumbled a tired apology as they readjusted their positions. They continued walking.

Was it just Keith, or did Shiro feel a little heavier? He shoved the thought into the back of his mind and ignored it.

"…Also because?" he asked Allura, as they settled back into their rhythm.

"Because we are out of water, food, and medical supplies, and now we also need a guide to get us out of these endless caves." She paused, her delicate brow furrowing. "They requested my assistance because I have an ability that they do not."

"Your magic?" A twinge of suspicion mixed with the sick twisting in Keith's stomach.

Allura nodded. "Kinek said that deep within these caves, at the core of the planet, there is a device that protects their planet from invasions. It's how they've avoided the Galra all these years. But now that device is wearing down, and they need my help to fix it. In return, they will give us food, water, and safe passage to the capitol."

"What about the medical supplies?"

"Kinek said that they do not have much, but he thinks he may know what is causing Shiro's suffering. If his reasoning is correct, and I follow through with my promise, then he gaurantees that he will cure Shiro's illness completely."

"I don't know, Allura," Keith said, keeping his voice lowered so that their guide couldn't overhear. "Something about it doesn't feel right."

Allura pursed her lips. "Your instincts are hardly ever wrong, Keith. But so are my evaluations of character. However, we both have made mistakes by listening to our feelings too much. What do you think, Shiro?"

When he didn't respond immediately, Keith began to worry. Right as he was about to suggest a break, Shiro answered in a tired voice, "Keith's right. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is." He paused to gather more breath. "Keep your eyes open. If this is a trap… I'm afraid I won't be much help."

Keith swallowed quietly. Shiro's illness must be getting pretty bad for him to admit that out loud, especially with someone besides Keith able to hear him.

They rounded a bend and saw an opening at the end of the tunnel. The alien stepped aside to allow them to enter.

A flash of heat washed through Shiro's body, despite the air temperature remaining steady. The nausea boiled angrily in his gut.

"Put…" he cringed with discomfort. "Put me down… Please."

Keith immediately helped him sit by the cave exit. Shiro's legs gave out at the last second, and he dropped, using his knees and hands to put pressure on his stomach. It didn't relieve the pain.

Keith stood sharply— too fast, his vision danced; he closed his eyes and waited for it to clear—and asked Allura, "Get Kinek. Ask him to cure Shiro, now. You'll have to hold up your end of the bargain afterward."

When his vision returned to normal, he saw that Allura was no longer beside him. He glanced around and nearly bumped into the big alien guide.

"Watch it," the guy snapped.

"Where's Allura?" Keith felt the hair on the back of his neck begin to rise. His head started to pound— whether that was from nervousness or the illness he'd caught, he wasn't sure.

The big alien's ugly face stretched into a wide, toothy grin.

Alarms went off in Keith's head. He held his ground by Shiro's side.

"She's helping Leader Kinek with a project," the big guy said, towering over him. He looked over Keith's head at someone. Made a weird motion with his head. Keith turned, hackles raised, ready to fight.

Four little aliens of the same species—which meant they were about eye-to-eye with Keith— looked at him innocently. They looked like children. At the same time, Shiro let out a pained groan, and the two combined threw Keith off-guard for the slightest second.

That was all it took for the hulking alien to hit him over the head with a giant fist, and the world went black.

0o0o0

Pain shot through Keith's ribs. His eyes flew open.

"Finally," came a male voice. "Hey, Boss, he's awake."

Keith was lying in a dark room—no, a cave— and the aliens who had knocked him out were standing around him. His head throbbed with each heartbeat. He felt his entire body beginning to bruise. They must have dragged him. Or beat him. Maybe both. His body sure couldn't tell a difference.

Their traitorous guide knelt in front of him and grabbed his wrists. That finished waking him up.

"Hey!" Keith yanked his arms back, but the alien was stronger. "Let go of me!"

The guy ignored him and pulled his arms up until Keith was forced to sit against the wall. He struggled, but each of the alien's fists were about the size of Keith's head. His efforts were futile.

With a clank, cold metal snapped shut around each wrist. He glanced at the cuffs holding his hands above his head and scowled. "What is this for?" he barked. "We didn't do anything!"

The alien stood and continued to ignore him. Now that his sightpath was clear, Keith's attention was pulled to the center of the room. There stood a machine so tall that it reached the ceiling of the cave. It was shaped like a huge console of some sort, its metal smooth but definitely old. Little windows to the inside glowed bright yellow. It hummed with life, but there were no moving parts as far as Keith could see.

What is that thing?

"Why are you restraining him? Release him immediately."

Keith found Allura standing near the device— its size dwarfed her in comparison—and she was speaking to a tall, slender alien of the same species as their guide. A native, then. Probably Kinek. The man had a pleasant, patient look on his face, as if he was enjoying himself. And here Keith was in shackles.

He already hated the guy.

"I'm afraid we need him to be restrained. He appears to be the compulsive type, and we cannot have him interfering at the wrong time. He might wind up like Bip and Ronik—you remember me speaking of them, yes?"

Allura's face grew downcast. "I do." She looked at Keith. "Two of their former comrades attempted to fix this device to save their planet, but they were not trained for the task and got too close… They were incinerated on the spot."

Keith's brows shot up.

"For your own safety, Keith," she continued, "it is better for you to stay put. I'm sorry. This won't take long. You understand, right?"

If it was to save the planet… "Yeah," Keith grumbled. He shifted against the rocks in a feeble attempt to get more comfortable. He resigned himself to wait it out—though he would keep his guard up, just in case. "Where's Shiro?"

A brief glimpse of worry flashed over her face before she subdued it. "He's over there. I'm afraid his illness is worse than ever."

Keith followed her gesture and spotted the glint of Shiro's metal arm. There were quite a few aliens blocking Keith's view of anything but Shiro's arm and feet, though. At least it appeared that they hadn't locked him up like they had Keith. That was good.

Allura turned to face Kinek. "Now, how exactly does this work?"

Kinek shrugged. "After your friend uses his Galra weaponry to deactivate the safety seals, you will recharge the device by using your Altean magic. It is that simple."

"Safety seals?" Keith spluttered. "Shiro has to touch that thing?"

"Yes," Kinek said plainly.

"But—he's in no condition to—you just said that's how those other guys died!"

"Listen, runt, he doesn't have any other options. The reason he is ill is because of the device's power-waves."

Suddenly it all clicked into place. "You mean, like… radiation poisoning?"

Allura's mouth dropped. "It wasn't something in the planet's atmosphere, then. The closer we were to the device, the stronger the radiation, the weaker he became."

Humans must be more susceptible to radiation than Alteans or the Galra. That's why it's affecting me, too, but not as much as Shiro…

Kinek crossed his blue-skinned arms. "Yes, and if we do not fix my device, then he will have no choice but to continue suffering until it kills him."

Keith's stomach dropped.

Kinek sniffed. "And if my senses are correct," he glanced sideways at Keith, "you will be next."

"So. Shiro either dies from not deactivating the seals, or he dies from attempting to activate them." Keith fastened the tall alien with a steady glare. "Why don't you just let us go and wait until after he rests up? He's been fighting that thing's radiation for two days straight—at least. Give him a chance to heal first. He could hardly walk an hour ago."

Kinek glanced at his men, then back at Keith. "Then what guaruntee would I have that you three would keep your word?"

"We are paladins of Voltron, Kinek," Allura said. "You have our word."

Kinek thought for a moment. "That is not good enough in my line of work."

Allura's expression grew dark.

"Boys, get to it," Kinek spoke to the group of aliens near Shiro. They bent down and began to pick him up. Keith could hear him groan in pain from across the room. He hated it.

"Wait," Allura shouted. They froze. Keith could see Shiro's face clearly now. His hair had stuck to his forehead with sweat, and his skin had gone pale. Keith's fingers curled up into fists.

"Kinek, may I inspect the device first?" Allura said. "We may not even need to deactivate the safety seals in order to repair it."

Kinek scowled. "I already know what's wrong with it. It needs to be recharged."

Allura matched his determined expression. "Then let me at least see if I can find the least dangerous way for Shiro to complete his task."

The blue-skinned leader huffed. "Fine. But every second you waste is another that your friend has to suffer."

Allura nodded, solemn, and she approached the device. Keith wished he could do something. But his wrists were shackled tight, and his sheathed blade was out of reach.

Carefully, Allura lifted her hands and touched the metal of the device. She moved her hands across the smooth surface, simply feeling and studying. She moved around to the other side. Keith squirmed with impatience.

She gasped. "This… this mark," she said, eyes wide. She turned to Kinek. "How did you acquire this device?"

"I found it here." Kinek sounded bored. "It's been here so long, no one knows about it anymore except me and my crew."

Allura stepped back from the device. She stared at it. Was that… fear in her eyes?

Keith straightened. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"This device bears the crest of the Great Alliance. The one that fell ten thousand years ago, when Zarkon attacked Altea." She glanced at her feet. "It was a joint effort by Altean and Galra engineers, a sign of our peace, but after the high doses of radiation killed thirty of our greatest scientists, my father ordered it to be shut down. But…" She trailed off, looking at the crest again. "This is a working model. Our experiments never got this far. It runs on pure quintessence. The Galra must have kept the project running in secret after we ordered it to be shut down. They moved the operation here and set this one in motion. I bet that it hasn't needed a recharge since they started it millenia ago."

Kinek had seemed mildly interested at this point, until Allura turned to pierce him with a suspicious glare. "And it won't need to be recharged for at least another millenia, Kinek."

His eyes widened, just a fraction.

"You don't need me to fix this device. You want me to unlock the rest of its power. But surely you don't understand what that means?"

Kinek uncrossed his arms. "I know there's a chance it will blow this entire planet to the Plaxuri Sector, but you don't understand. Death— extinction, even— would be far better than what might happen to our people if the wrong person caught us vulnerable. The Galra, the Pippal race, even Voltron. I will not let my people live under the dominion of your petty foot. It would be better if we were wiped from existence."

Allura was taken aback for a moment. Keith could practically hear her heart breaking. Her voice grew low. "You know nothing of the fate you speak."

"Then you will not follow through on your promise?" Kinek asked.

Allura's posture grew tense. "I promised that I would help you fix the device, but it is not broken. I am freed from my commitment by your very own deceit."

Kinek frowned. His face was even uglier like that. "Hm," he sighed. "And that is why the runt's participation was crucial."

The ex-guide's huge fist crashed into Keith's stomach. The air was knocked out of him with a painful oof.

"Keith!" Allura cried. She turned on Kinek. "You dishonorable liar!"

Kinek shook his head. "You are the one who agreed to this, Beautiful."

She bristled with anger. "I did no such thing."

"If you try to escape, the runt suffers. If you try to keep your human friend from doing his job, the runt gets it. Do you see how this works?"

Runt?! Keith glared at Kinek's back.

Allura's delicate hands balled into tight fists. "Yes," she ground out.

"Good. Then let us begin." He nodded toward Shiro's captors, and they jostled him to a stand once more. Well, a half-stand. They dragged him forward by the arms, and he… didn't put up a fight. His only struggle was to keep up with them. Why wasn't he fighting?

Keith wheezed, watching helplessly as Shiro was pulled toward the device. His breath hadn't returned enough for him to speak his mind—though it was probably good that he couldn't. He grit his teeth instead and glanced at Allura. Their eyes met. She mouthed a single word.

Keith squinted as she repeated the word, slower. More deliberate. Bull… sack? No… bull-ack? His brow furrowed. Black?

She nodded once, a tiny dip of the head. She broke eye contact and Keith heard Shiro yell.

"Get up, human," one of his captors said. Shiro was lying on the ground at their feet. He must've fallen. Keith could hear his heavy breaths. "This is as far as we can go. Now, move!" The tallest alien kicked Shiro's leg—his injured one. Shiro grunted loudly. When he didn't get up, the alien stepped on the bandage. Shiro cried out.

"Stop it," Keith rasped. Pleaded.

"Let me help him," Allura demanded. Kinek studied her for a moment before checking to see if Keith was still secured, and then he shrugged. Allura ran to Shiro's side and pulled his human arm over her shoulder as before. She stood, and Keith could tell that she was bearing all the weight. Not good. The group around them backed away, glad to put distance between them and the deadly device.

Keith watched the two paladins draw near the glowing contraption, his breath bated. Anger boiled in his stomach and mixed with nausea from the radiation, making him physically sick with dread. He thought he saw Allura tell Shiro something in the ear, but he couldn't be sure.

The color black? he thought, pondering what she could have—oh.

She wants me to contact the Black Lion. He swallowed. But that's Shiro's—no. He's too occupied right now with just staying alive. I'll… I guess I can try. For them.

He closed his eyes but found that it only made him worry about the other two more, so he allowed his eyes to stay glued to the scene in front of him as he mentally called out to the Black Lion. He called out, waited for a response, and called again—each time there was no reply. He kept trying.

With Allura's help, Shiro reached the device. Wearily, he lifted his Galra hand to the place she indicated. He hesitated. His indecision was palpable. Allura was telling him something. He kept glancing from her, to the thing, to Keith, and back to her.

Luckily for Keith, his breath was back. "Don't do it!" he cried. If he deactivates the safety seals, it's one step closer to blowing the planet to smithereens. He can't.

Unluckily for Keith, Kinek didn't like his interference and decided to give Shiro the incentive to continue.

Kinek's hand blurred as moved with lightning speed. Suddenly a knife was in his blue hand, and he thrust it at Keith.

The blade had just missed his head. Kinek smirked.

There was a pinching sensation in his arm, and Keith looked at it in shock.

His very own Marmora blade stuck out of his left bicep, missing the bone but catching enough muscle to pin him and cause damage. Warmth began to trickle down his raised arm, the red seeping out of the wound and running down his armpit to his bruised side.

Then time seemed to catch up with him, and with it came a terrible pain lacing through the wound like a lightning strike. He clenched his jaw so tight he thought he'd break a tooth. He wouldn't scream. He wouldn't. He couldn't give them that satisfaction. He wouldn't scream.

"Keith!" Shiro cried out in alarm.

Kinek hummed, standing over him thoughtfully. "You are a lot tougher than I bargained, runt." He grabbed the handle of the knife, obviously preparing to twist the knife where it was buried in his flesh.

No, no, no, don't wrench it, please—

Allura rammed into Kinek full-force. They toppled over.

The knife jolted sideways out of Kinek's grasp, elongating the wound with a clean cut. Less agonizing than twisting the blade, but now the wound was longer. More blood seeped out. A quiet moan escaped Keith's control. He fought the urge to thrash in pain; that would only make it worse.

"Shiro, now!" Allura yelled. Shiro's prosthetic lit up, and three identical circles embedded in the metal ceased their glow. His arm deactivated and he collapsed at the foot of the device. The quintessence inside it burned brighter.

Even as pain spiked through him, Keith managed to grit out, "Allura, get Shiro!"

She released her hold on Kinek— it looked like she had dislocated his shoulder— and ran to Shiro. She picked him up easily and set him near the cave exit. The metallic surface of the device almost looked like liquid metal now that the safety seals were deactivated. Its electric hum had grown into a roar.

Kinek's henchmen began to surround Allura, but Kinek waved them off. "She has to unlock the device, you fools! Get the other one!"

They turned and looked at Shiro, who laid on the ground nearby. They shrugged and lazily guarded him. It was obvious he wasn't going anywhere in his condition. If even the guards could tell that… Keith's fear spiked.

Allura put both hands on the device. "Stand back," she yelled over the increasing noise of the device. Everyone gave her plenty of room.

She closed her eyes, and the device's surface beneath her fingertips began to glow. Soon, her entire body was radiating light, and the metal reflected it into every crevice and shadow in the cave. It grew brighter until Keith had to shut his eyes and duck his head to protect his sight. Immense heat flushed over his skin and dug into his arm's wound like daggers. The roar of the device overpowered the other aliens' screams of terror. Keith could do nothing but brace himself and hang on tight.

When the light finally faded, it cast the entire cave into darkness. The contrast between the previous nova-like brightness and this sudden darkness was startling. Keith lifted his head but could see nothing. He felt the heat in the room die down to its previous cool temperature, but his side was still soaked with warm blood. The thought that he could be bleeding out scared him, even if he knew that was unlikely in the little time that had passed. He focused his attention outward, into the darkness, listening to the near-complete silence. What had happened?

Then a soft, pink glow appeared in the center of the room, giving a gentle, calming light to the entire cave. Everyone was on the ground, huddled in fear or simply passed-out. He couldn't make out which body was Shiro, or Kinek. The glow grew taller and Keith realized it was Allura standing up. She… He blinked. She was glowing.

She turned around and caught him gaping. She grinned. Keith hastily shut his mouth, then winced when his teeth were sore.

She hurried over to him and knelt to inspect the knife wound. "I can't believe he used your own knife against you," she whispered. She put one hand on his bicep and the other around the sword handle. Keith bared his teeth. There was a sharp pain like a gigantic needle prick, and then the knife was out. Allura skillfully covered the wound with her hand and applied pressure. Keith couldn't help but squirm a little. He fought back a whimper. That would be embarrassing.

Then, to his astonishment, the bleeding stopped. Allura drew back her blood-covered hand.

Keith looked at his arm. The wound was closed. "Wh…what?" He tried to move it and instantly regretted it as the familiar pain laced down his arm. "Ow."

"Try not to move it too much. I just closed the skin to stop the bleeding. There's still plenty of muscle tissue damaged in there."

Keith grimaced. "I noticed."

Allura found Kinek beginning to stir. She kicked him in the head to return him to unconsciousness. "That's for almost killing my teammates," she muttered. She located the keys to Keith's cuffs and freed him. "We need to hurry," she said. "Get a head's start while we can."

Keith re-sheathed the knife before picking his way through the unconscious aliens scattered across the ground. Allura followed, her presence giving off enough light to see by.

"There," Allura whispered, pointing to Shiro's prostrate form. Keith moved to take his normal support position, but Allura scolded him. "Your arm is injured, Keith, how are you supposed to—"

"You!" Kinek said, rubbing his head as he sat up.

"Time's up," Keith muttered, and slung Shiro's arm around his shoulder, avoiding the use of his injured arm. Allura grumbled and took her place on the opposite side of him. Shiro was an absolute deadweight this time. It made each step painfully slow, and Kinek was getting to his feet behind them.

"What did you do?" Kinek screeched.

"Instead of energizing your device, I did the opposite," Allura quipped as they pulled Shiro away. "I drained all of its quintessence and absorbed it into myself." Her tone wasn't quite happy, but more… smug?

"You destroyed my device," Kinek said in a whisper. "No… no," he mumbled with horror as he stared at the remnants of the empty shell of metal.

Keith glanced down at Shiro's limp form between them. This side of his face was cast in shadow from Allura's faint glow. Keith could feel his short, ragged breaths vibrating through them.

"Get up!" Kinek yelled, loud and fierce. There was a thud. "Get up, all of you!" Another thud. Keith cast a glance over his shoulder and saw the blue-skinned leader kicking his unconscious crew. He faced forward again. They had almost reached the exit.

A few groans sounded from behind as the crew awoke. Kinek continued to yell at them. Keith heard footsteps. "Get them!" Kinek demanded. "Kill them!"

"We aren't going fast enough," Keith whispered. Each step jostled his arm.

Allura stopped, forcing Keith to follow suit. She shoved Keith's shoulder out from underneath Shiro's arm and caught him. "I apologize, Keith," she said as she hastily scooped Shiro up in her arms, "but you're right. This is the only way we can make it."

Keith huffed but reluctantly agreed. She grew taller to accomodate her burden. She started off at a brisk walk, but with her increased height, Keith had to jog to keep up with her. Their pace increased as the sounds of the aliens behind them grew louder. They were in hot pursuit.

"Did you contact your lion?" Allura asked, slightly out of breath.

"Black is not my lion," Keith snapped. How dare she say that when Shiro is right here. "And no, I wasn't able to contact her."

"You have to keep trying. She is our only chance of getting out of here alive. If we hope to find our way out of here, she has to be within range for me to feel and follow her presence."

"Fine." Keith's brow furrowed in concentration.

Hey, Black Lion? We could use a little help, here.

He waited. No answer.

"Maybe we're out of range?"

They turned a corner. Keith's ribs were beginning to remind him of their prior bruising.

"That is ridiculous. The Red Lion found us in the middle of space all the way from Taujeer. This is no different."

"Yes, it is," Keith insisted. "Red was my lion, we… bonded, somehow. She knew me. But… Shiro is the Black Lion. Even when we were hurtling toward death in the middle of the desert, the Black Lion still wouldn't respond to me."

"Keith, you have to keep trying, otherwise this is all for naught. Does Shiro look like he's in any position to try contacting the Black Lion himself?"

Keith glanced at Shiro's lifeless form bouncing lightly in rhytym with Allura's stride. A tiny trickle of blood glinted off his chin from where it dribbled out of his mouth. He glanced at the rock-strewn floor underneath his feet.

"No," he said quietly.

"Try again, then. Besides, I think that device was the reason our connection to our lions was hampered. It was emitting a specific type of radiation that interfered with the armor and our communication to the Castle. Now that it's destroyed, you should have a better chance at reaching the Black Lion. I can't contact Blue because the radiation I've absorbed hasn't finished siphoning out as this pink light yet."

"Okay," Keith said reluctantly. "I'll keep trying."

Black? Are you there? We— "Agh!" Keith stumbled and fell as pain shot through his thigh. The leg of his flight suit darkened. He'd been shot. "Allura, get cover!"

She ducked into a small side tunnel as the energy blasts flew by. Keith covered his head and hoped a flatter target would be easier to miss.

"Are you all right?" She yelled past the loud shots of blaster rifles.

Keith lifted his head and spotted a small boulder to his right. He rolled behind it as the next round of fire tore up the ground behind him. "I'm okay," he yelled back. No good letting the enemy know they got him.

What am I doing wrong? You have to hear me! Keith used his good hand to apply pressure to his leg. It was bleeding a lot faster than his arm had been. That was partially due to the fact that his arm had been raised above his heart, and, well, that was hard to do with a leg. Especially in enemy territory.

"We hit one of them!" shouted a nasly voice. "I can smell its blood, leader!"

Keith sucked in a breath. So much for that.

"Attack!" Kinek ordered. "We have them pinned!"

Numerous footsteps scurried forward. The blasts increased in intensity around his boulder and Allura's alcove. The angle of the shots drew smaller as the blue-skins approached. Soon they'd be shooting around the boulder, and his cover would be gone. Kinek didn't need them alive anymore.

Please, Black. We need your help.

Shiro needs your help.

I need your help.

A chunk of the boulder blew off past Keith's shoulder. He ducked in even tighter.

Black, where are you?!

"Keith, look out!"

He glanced up just in time to see Kinek lower a gun-like weapon into his face.

The last thing Keith saw was that ugly grin.

There was a deafening crash as the ceiling caved in. Rocks and chunks of earth collapsed into the middle of the tunnel. Kinek and his crew were crushed before Keith could even blink. Dirt clouded his eyes and dust clogged his nostrils. Then all was silent. He coughed.

The dust settled somewhat, and Keith lifted his head. The pink glow was gone.

"Allura?" He pushed himself to his knees. "Allura!"

He picked himself up, using the boulder to steady himself as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. In his peripheral, a faint pink shone behind a large rock.

Keith scrambled up the mountain of rubble in the the middle of the tunnel, oblivious to the fresh night air caressing his skin as he reached the top and slid down the other side. "Allura, can you hear me? Shiro?"

He landed and crawled over a large boulder in the way. He squeezed in between two rocks and ducked into the tiny alcove.

Back to her original size, Allura sat up against the wall, Shiro placed on the side farthest from the ruckus in the main tunnel. Miraculously, the boulder above them had fallen at such an angle that it acted like a roof above their heads and shielded them from the worst of the cave-in. But Allura's eyes were closed, and her forehead was bleeding.

Keith touched her neck. He sighed with relief when he felt her strong pulse.

He reached around her with his good arm, ignoring the way kneeling like this was irritating his wounded thigh, and took Shiro's real wrist. He waited. As the instant of nothing became a second of nothing, and then two seconds of nothing, his fear almost strangled him.

There was a gentle purr, loud but comforting, and Shiro's blood pulsed faintly beneath Keith's fingertip. He let out a huge sigh.

Then he realized what had purred, and he whipped around so fast that he lost his balance and fell on his seat.

"Black?" he asked quietly, staring up at the darkness of what used to be the cave's ceiling. As if in response, two gentle yellow hues glowed in the opening.

Keith grinned.

Little pinpricks of light shone through the fallen dust, framing Black's eyes like the canopy of the universe.

Stars.

The cool night breeze blew through his bangs. He breathed in, deep, relishing the clean air.

The yellow eyes glowed brighter, as if rejoicing with him. The Black Lion's jaw lowered, and through the haze Keith saw the ramp open toward him.

But this time, he wasn't filled with dread at the sight.

He was simply glad.

A/N: The End.

And all that's left is a quick little epilogue to wrap things up :) Thanks for reading! If you liked it, comments always make my day ;)