I am so glad people are enjoying this! The story is coming, albeit a bit slowly.

Thank you so much for the reviews. Hunk/Tsuyo/Yoshi is such a fun character. Much more depth to him than I originally thought. It is interesting how the story of the lions has started to develop. Once again, a twist and turn not expected from the characters.

If I have not yet responded to a review or comment, working on it! Just started a new job, and things have been rather hectic around here. So, stick with me, I promise a posting every couple weeks. Hopefully.

Another fun flash back here.

Lastly, any mistakes are my own sans beta reader.

…..

Chapter 3

Keith shook his head, clearing the memory and pushed away the phantom pain from the long ago slash to his chest. "Then that maniac decided I was the sole reason Allura refused his O so charming and magnificent self. If I could have fried that bastard at any point, I would have thrown a celebration and danced on his grave."

Hunk laughed, "Grave, nothing, I would have danced on his still warm body and handed out bits as souvenirs. I do not know why people think that following a code of conduct or honor means leaving your enemy alive. That bitch of a witch pulled his ass out of more fires than I could count, literally. How many times did she transport him just as one of us nearly captured him or destroyed his plane? Say, that reminds me, ever wonder how many of those bat winged pieces of junk Zarkon purchased for Lotor? I swear we destroyed at least one every week."

"No idea. But enough to keep every family on Arus fed for a year!"

"Ok, Cap. You awake?"

Keith looked at Yoshi warily, "Awake enough."

"Excellent, than you can talk and do some stretches with me. After that moron, I feel wound tighter than a size 12 screw in a size 14 hole."

Setting down his coffee, Keith accepted his friends hand to pull him out of the chair, wincing as his sleep-tightened muscles protested. "Follow or lead?"

"Follow, because you talk and lead better."

Nodding, Keith moved to a clear spot in front of the darkening windows. While he had napped and then eaten with Hunk, the day had moved into twilight. Pausing, with his head bent, Keith took a moment to center himself and his thoughts, taking deep cleansing breaths, closing his eyes and letting his body start to move. After a minute, he let the words flow in time to the movement of his body.

"Here then, the tale as told to me from those who came before.

"From days of long ago, comes a legend. The legend of a powerful symbol of those who could not defend themselves. A champion who stood for light and goodness. Who stood between the people and those who would enslave them. Imbued with the power of not only technology but of the spirit world. Sacrifices asked and given. Lives shortened and extended. Disparate parts that build to a whole greater than the sum of the parts.

"This then is Voltron. Forged in a time of war by a people who sought only peace. Created as the ultimate destroyer and avenger and balanced by five companions. In the time of the first Drule Conquest, when the kingdoms had not yet shattered into many, the Betrayer came to Arus. The Betrayer descended from the sky in a ship never before seen. One that could move not only between the planets of the solar system, but move amidst the starts themselves. The Betrayer offered teaching to the young people of the planet asking little in return, only a chance to study with the sages and the wisdom holders.

"The people had long before left war behind, and eagerly accepted the teachings of the Betrayer. For many long years, the Betrayer taught the scientists and travelled the world, learning from the sages and the wisdom holders. Until one day, the Betrayer asked the leaders to gather for an announcement. The leaders of the five kingdoms came as requested, bringing their children and spouses. They gathered in the court yard of the fifth kingdom, all but the wife and unborn child of the second kingdom whose time drew close. The Betrayer stood on the podium, and as the sun drew to its zenith, ships began to darken the sky. Ship after ship entered the atmosphere and landed near the largest towns and cities. The Betrayer smiled as the leaders began to look confused and concern. 'Thank you,' began the Betrayer, 'because of your hard work and dedication, your planet can now supply my people with their needs.' The Betrayer smiled and all in the courtyard quailed, for it held nothing but malice. 'Your leadership and dedication has brought this planet to fruition years ahead of schedule. Let me now reward that service.'

"With those words, the ships above fired into the heart of the crowd. A moment of light, and the leadership of Arus was no more. Only dark stains on the ground where once stood the best minds of the planet stood. The Betrayer barked a command, and the harvesting of the planet began. Natural resources, food stores, and even the people themselves filled the bellies of the ships. Resistance in any form had only one punishment. By the end of the day, dark stains, the shadows of a once proud people, dotted the planet in every city, town, and hamlet.

"As evening came, a quiet fell over the land. No sounds of animals. No cries of children. No laughter. No songs.

"The ships, laden with the wealth of the world rose from the earth, clumsy with the spoils of their reaping, rose higher until they left the world behind and disappeared into the blackness of space."

Keith gasped and nearly fell as his back convulsed. Breath stolen, he could do nothing.

…

Tsuyoshi tried to keep following Keith's movements, but watching his friend move and listening to the story distracted him. He had never heard anything like the story Keith told, nor had anything similar shown up in the histories of the planet. Hunk did not believe the story had survived in oral tradition, not with the devastated planet and people Zarkon had left. What Zarkon did not take, that bloody witch had; harvesting anyone with one once of talent or intelligence. She had determined to take anyone of learning and obliterate the planet's past. Her teams had searched out any libraries; electronic, physical, or mental to shred, erase, or eliminate from existence. It had nearly worked.

Shaking his head at the wanderings, he continued to follow the story, movements slowing and stopping as he really watched Keith move. Before the latest attack from Lotor, watching the man in a routine left Tsuyo amazed at the fluidity of the movements. He had watched Keith and Cady many times after they had worked with the group. Both not only had natural talent from generations of practitioners of martial arts, but had started practicing from before they could remember. Again, Tsuyo had to confront the evidence of just how much Keith had sacrificed. Even now, after months of therapy, physical and mental, Tsuyo could not reconcile the man before him with his friend from before. His movements held small hesitations as the body could not move to the extent it had before. It made the dance stilted, and slightly disjoined. The mechanic also noticed how quickly Keith lost his breath. The words of his story still moved in time with his body, but the transitions became slower and the new king began to visibly struggle to complete each movement. Just as Tsuyoshi opened his mouth to suggest a break, Keith's eyes flew open as he staggered and gasped.

Only a step away, the man reached forward, just as his friend fell to one knee, panting, eyes tearing in pain. "Where?" His friend did not respond, so Hunk repeated, "Where, Keith? Where does it hurt? C'mon, man, I cannot help if you do not tell." He eased Keith to the floor where the captain curled onto his right side, both arms braced to hold his torso off the ground. "Keith, can you hear me? Where does it hurt?" Shaking his head, he keyed the code Gorma had given him in case of an emergency with the commander.

"Where and what?"

"Solar, and I do not know. Doing some meditation exercises, when he gasped and basically collapsed. He does not seem capable of answering right now."

"Left arm?"

"No, earlier though, he is currently supporting his body with his arms."

"Back then." Hunk could hear Gorma moving around and the sound of a door opening and closing and footsteps hurried, but not running. "Can you ease him onto his side, with his knees bent? Head supported."

The mechanic looked around the room and quickly grabbed a cushion from one of the chairs. "Ok, my friend, lie down, Gorma is on his way."

Keith allowed himself to be eased down onto the cushion, eyes closing, breathing quick breaths in and out of his nose, jaw clamped together, hands fisted against his chest, his whole body tense. Tsuyoshi knelt behind his friend, feeling helpless at the obvious agony. He continued to try and engage Keith, talking about nonsense in an effort to distract. Two minutes later, Gorma walked into the room. Hunk scooted back, as the doctor quickly knelt behind his king, raised the sweater. Counting vertebrae, he quickly found the spot, and pressed in injector into Keith's back and lowered the sweater back into place, but not before Hunk saw the signs of repeated injections. Within ten seconds, the man's entire body began to relax. As Gorma stood, and walked to talk into his communicator, Tsuyoshi watched as bit by bit, the extreme tenseness left. Finally, the king sighed and rolled onto his back, hands coming to rest on his chest. Cracking open one eye, he looked at the man kneeling close by, "Well, that was fun."

"Yep. Although I like the idea of a good whisky, some loud music, and something to tinker with better."

Keith let out a snort, and closed his eye again, sighing. "Keep the scotch, but I'll take a good port, and a book."

"A box of chocolates from Earth."

"Real, honest to God fresh picked from the central continent, flash preserved, and then freshly ground, coffee."

"Oh, man, real coffee. With a real Danish made from fresh apples. One of the antique varieties. Just out of the oven. Hey! Remember that place?"

"Oh, yes, Maddie's."

"Maddie's. What that woman can do in her oven."

Both men paused, thinking of the mornings sitting with Cady in a highchair eating whatever Maddie had decided to give them that morning.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Uncharacteristically quiet, the five men stumbled into their normal post Chapel spot at Maddie's. Keith put a happily cooing Cady in the highchair waiting for her, then flopped gracelessly into the chair next to her, propping one hand on a fist, eyes blinking heavily. Lance sat with his head pillowed on his arms, while Sven had turned his chair to lean his head back against the wall. Pidge mirrored Keith across from him, while Hunk sat straight in his chair blinking heavily.

Cady took the wooden spoon on her tray and started banging happily. None of the men so much as twitched. Sounds suspiciously like snores emanated from Lance with echoes coming from Sven. Keith started as he felt a hand on his arm as his head started to fall forward off his fist. Blearily he looked up to see a grinning Maddie next to the table.

"Sure, and you five look like the morning after a good party."

Keith blinked hard, "Teething."

"And Finals," chimed in Pidge.

"And Lance's attempt at cooking," Hunk added.

Maddie chuckled as the maligned party snored in response. "Sure and you boys take on too much. You just sit here a bit while this young lady and I go whip up some breakfast and find my best coffee and a frozen bagel."

"Wait. What? Bagel?" Keith shook his head trying to make the connection.

"Yes, bagel. Perfect for teething babies. Cold on the gums, chewy, and only small pieces come off at once, so no worries about choking. Long, cold carrots work too."

"But. . ."

"Oh hush. I birthed me five babes. Now, put your head down, and we are going to go cook breakfast for your daddy and uncles, right precious?" Maddie reached down and lifted Cady out of the high chair. "Come with Auntie Maddie and let's go make a mess and sing lots of silly songs. 'Way up in the sky, the big birdies fly while down in the nest, the baby birds rest. With a wing on the left'…" the song faded as Maddie walked with Cady toward the kitchen at the back of the coffee shop.

Keith looked bemusedly at the door, "I am not sure what just happened."

Hunk lay his head down on the table, "Don't know. Don't care. Resting now."

Darrell just scooched down in his chair, letting his head rest against the top rung. "Breakfast. Five minutes of eyes closed."

Looking at his dozing friends and back at the kitchen Keith shrugged and pillowed his head on his arms. The next thing he knew, delicious smells wafted up to his nose and baby babble filled his ears. Propping himself up on his arms, he looked to see the table covered with family style, serve yourself breakfast of eggs, ham, and pancakes. Hunk had already filled a plate and dug in while Sven and Lance looked blearily up from their naps. Cady sat in her high chair, a small plate in front of her with finger sized pieces of the same breakfast. She happily squished the eggs between her fingers before chortling and stuffing the mess into her mouth. Her dad smiled and shook his head, before serving himself some breakfast. Pouring vanilla flavored maple syrup and warmed butter on his pancakes, he marveled at the amazing people in his life.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Note: Yes, I did use frozen bagels not only for my child but for my "nieces" as well. The carrots also work great.

The song (which has hand and arm gestures):

Way up in the sky;

The big birdies fly.

While down in the nest;

The baby birds rest.

With a wing on the left.

And a wing on the right.

The baby birds sleep,

All through the night.

The big sun comes up,

The dew goes away.

Good morning, good morning,

The little birds say!