The End, for Now.
Ok dear reader, it appears the plot bunnies are not satisfied with just little one shots with the VLD universe. Ideas for a longer fic are taking shape… but I might have to fight them back till I finish another project. Well, multiple ones. I also wanted to throw out a Voltron Force story for the group. I've been playing with that on and off for some time and really want to get it out of my system soon. The other was a short continuation of my Dreams to Reality stories- gotta make it a trilogy! Not to mention finishing up another story for a long time fav old school anime!
So yeah, the VLD long story might be a while. My poor brain can't handle all these ideas… must write faster!
Until that all happens, enjoy the final chapter of the one-shots. I am sure that if I tried hard enough, I could add more chapters, but this seems like a good amount of VLD fluff for now.
Takes place during the last episode on Netflix. If you have not watched it yet, obviously do not read this quite yet. To remind the others, basically after Allura is taken, Keith offers up a thought that sounds kind of harsh, but has so much more going in inside his head. The story also continues while they are battling Zarkon and the fleet to escape.
Anger. No, fear. Was it confusion? No, definitely anger. That is what Keith tried to decipher after Shiro emerged from the Galran vessel alone. Their simple mission had gone from hastily planned and risky to full on disaster.
Not only that, but he had failed to retrieve a vial of that quintessence the Galra manufactured. His inability to get the power source and allow Pidge and Coran to study it was a horrible blow, personally. In order to get a better understanding of the Galra abilities, that would have gone a long way.
And yet, the pilot of the Red Lion knew that losing the Princess Allura to be much deeper a failure.
She is strong, hell of a lot stronger than we are... he thought back to when she first changed into a Galra-look alike. So that stands to mean that she will be just fine. They wouldn't kill their ace in the hole.
That was why, when he listened to the others fighting and some of the ideas to get her back, he noted none of them were really thinking.
"Or, maybe we shouldn't go on this mission at all. Think about it. We'll be delivering the universe's only hope to the universe's biggest enemy." He spoke up, and the group instantly came down on him with anger.
"Keith, that's cold... even from you" Hunk's voice and look cut him to the core. Did they really think so little of him that they expected him to be selfish and not try and save any of them?
"What if it was one of us? What if it was me? You wouldn't leave me, would you?" He continued and inside Keith felt like they didn't understand him at all.
It isn't a matter of want or who was in trouble...
"I'm not saying I like the idea," he defended himself, trying to remember to breathe so he could try and explain himself more. "But I'm just thinking like a paladin."
Lance's comment about being afraid and scared could not be further from the truth, but before he could get a chance to really explain his ideas - owning up to how bad it did sound at first- Keith found himself once more in his Lion and getting ready to launch. Shiro had decided that they take the crazy idea of going straight to Galra with Voltron.
He had been unable to expand on his notion of the not 'we' going to the rescue. He had wanted to suggest, much like getting the Red Lion, it be a stealth job of one.
Of course, he wanted to be the one to volunteer to go. It made sense. His lion was the fastest and of all the pilots, not including Shiro, he had the most experience flying missions. In the simulator, he added, but then shook that thought out of his head. No time like the present to get that critical experience.
Instead, the five lions were going to walk right up and knock on the door of the most dominant race in the known galaxies. It was what the majority of the group thought was right, and with Coran's help, they were in.
He never had backed away from a fight. Even when outnumbered and outgunned, that rarely stopped the young man from giving it just as good as he would get. His sense of justice and desire for fairness always had him standing up and defending those who could not.
Feeling a slight bout of nauseousness, he tried to shake the reaction out of his head. To be honest, he had felt strange ever since his battle with that masked creature.
Must have been that quien-whatever that got splashed on me, he thought, trying to not dwell on the fact that a fair amount absorbed into his skin, healing his injured hand. No time to think about that now.
The ride to his lion took no time flat, and the near inner-peace he felt when entering the cockpit, took his mind from the substance that may or may not be messing with his system. In any other situation, he wold have told Shiro that he was not 100%, but letting down his friend, his brother, his savior now was not an option. He would push through this. How many times in this past had he done the same? Enough to know that his body would catch up and get the job done.
It wouldn't be pretty, but they would go up to Zarkon's door and kick that door in.
We'll get the Princess back, and then the universe will know that Voltron means business.
Shiro's pained screams echoed in Keith's ears via the comlink.
The five lions broke apart during the battle, and Zarkon's forces pounced on their momentary weakness.
Spurred into action, and aided by Coran's castle attack, Keith assessed the situation. A slight change of plans needed to happen and now, or else Zarkon would get the Black Lion.
"Shiro, are you ok?" He didn't like what he heard, and so he pounced. Directing Hunk, Pidge, and Lance to continue their engagement with the fleet, he moved his lion towards the beam that contained Black.
Shiro's steady, but weakened voice finally came over the com after being ejected from his lion; it made Keith feel slightly better. However, the time for relaxing could not come.
"You guys go save the Princess, I'll take care of things out here," Keith added, and received a bit of push-back.
"Don't argue, do it." His tone had even Lance nodding in recognition.
Taking a deep breath, he felt a power inside of him awaken and know what to do. It just seemed like he needed to fight for Black Lion with all he had - the same tingling from the Blue Lion back on Earth sent the hairs on the back of his neck alert. It didn't matter who that figure was coming at him, he would get that lion back.
"This is my chance to end the Galra empire, I have to take it," he shouted and engaged their foe.
Not fully understanding how a single person could contain so much power, Keith kept coming back for the fight. Getting swatted away and slammed down, he tried to push the thoughts of deja vu from the orphanage and a particular headmaster out of his mind.
No, this battle is with Zarkon, not him. Keep it together Keith, he told himself. Come on Red, we can do this! We have to!
Cutting off all distractions, even Coran's voice telling him to run, Keith would not walk away from this.
After being propelled hard against the ship, the controls fizzled and didn't respond to his joystick movements. Red, come on! He spoke to his lion. And to his relief, he felt his lion talk back. Using his bayard, he found the power to create a cannon on Red's back. It certainly caught Zarkon off guard, for a time.
And yet, with the levels of damage his lion had taken, there was only so much will-power could do.
Well Red, I'm sorry I wasn't a better paladin... I guess things turned out like he said it would... in the end. Keith didn't know when the finishing blow would hit, but he knew it to be soon. Trying to eject and leave Red Lion sounded like even more certain death, and so he stayed with his partner.
I won't leave you.
Shiro and the Black Lion flew in, just in time, saving Keith from the mighty blade of their enemy.
Once the castle ship found a way out of the barrier and into the wormhole, the bruised Red Paladin let out a breath.
After that second of thankfulness to be in the hanger bay and not in the melee anymore, the pull of the forces had him fighting to keep upright and not lose consciousness. Sadly, the momentary reprieve ended with the group being hurdled in all which ways in the corrupted vortex.
What the future would bring for him or their crew, no one knew at that moment. All Keith could do was sit back in his chair, brace for whatever impact was coming, and let the universe sort it out. No matter where he ended up, it couldn't be worse than where he had come from and what he had already survived.
Don't worry Allura, he thought, closing his eyes, I won't fail you. This isn't the end!
The end...or is it?
And there we have the end of the series and the end of this story. Thanks for coming along on the ride. Not sure Netflix will give us second half of a first season or make us wait for season two. Either way, I plan to play around in this universe a bit more. Let me know what you thought or some of your own little theories as well. I like randomness in the comments!
Thanks again to all those who reviewed!