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12 years ago...Six-year-old Kate Kogane watched the facility burn down in flames from a distance with her father and her ten-year-old cousin. She wore a plain white t-shirt that reached down her thighs nearly touching her kneecaps. Both her hands and shirt were caked with blood. The blood she spilled not too long ago with maddening calm blood lust mixed with icy rage. She struggled not to focus on that and tried to keep warm under a blanket that covered her head and body, protecting her from the cold and snow.“Do you want to tell me what happened?” her father asked finally. Breaking the long silence they had between them.“No,” Kate said lowly shaking her head, “at least not now.” She looked at Alex reluctantly and asked, “Did you find them?”Alex sighed heavily. “No… I’m sorry. Elena, Felix, Emily and Glade’s bodies are still missing. We can’t find them anywhere.” He clenched his jaw as he growled, “But I don’t think that sadistic doctor had any heart to give them a proper burial, either.”Kate sighed in grief and continued to watch the fire burn. The night was too silent for her liking. She just wanted to scream, letting all her anguish out and hear her voice echo across the mountains and valleys.“All those people who worked in that facility,” her father said hesitantly to her, “they’re really…?” he trailed off from his words seeing the pain that was inflicted in her violet eyes.Kate nodded grimly. “I broke.” She whispered. “During Project Pandora, I lost control in my other state then I… they’re dead. All of them are dead.”Her father and Alex didn’t dare say a word. She let her blankets slip out of her shoulders, revealing cat-like ears sticking out of her head.“I killed them…”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Project Pandora was-What the hell is she?-even if you hate me, I'm here for you, Leana.Are you keeping an eye on her father?-change her appearance?She's a fast learner.-put up with this freak?Dad?I'm sorry, none of this would have happened if I never brought you to this country.-live in despair, MONSTER!Her eyes flew open and she sat up with a gasp. It took her a few minutes to calm herself down and wipe her tears away. She sighed.It was just a nightmare, she told herself. A nightmare that had glimpses of her past, but it was all over.She sank back into her pillows. It was all over. The past was in the past. She wouldn't have to go through that horror anymore. The scars on her body were already painful to look at; it wasn't easy to forget how they got there in the first place.She managed to conceal them by bandaging them up and wearing long pants and jackets over them. Her peers back in the garrison always thought she was crazy to wear such an outfit, especially during the summer. She didn't care. She didn't want people to notice her bandages and question her about it. She had small cut marks on her thighs, chain marks on her wrists and ankles, and scars shaped like a cross all over her back. If she wore a t-shirt, then people would have noticed streaks of scars behind her left shoulder, trailing down to her wrist.No. she doesn't want pity from anyone now. It's too late for that…She drew the curtains from the window near her bed.It was still dark.She cursed. She knew she couldn't go back to sleep until another hour passed. She took a deep breath before getting out of bed and walking towards the exit of her shack.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kate sat outside gazing at the stars. It's been over a year since Shiro was announced dead by the garrison...there's nothing she could do about it. She was told that the Kerberos mission failed because of some malfunctioning in the ship, but deep down she knew that wasn't exactly the reason.

He died because of her.

She supported Shiro to go on that mission. Yes, she knew very well that he was sick, after overhearing the conversation between Admiral Sanda and Commander Holt, but this was the last challenge Shiro was ever going to face. She let him go...now he's dead.

‘You will never find a place you call home! You're a monster that was never meant to exist in this world. No matter where you go, you will cause misfortune to others as well as yourself. Live your life in despair, freak…’

The raven-haired girl shook the old memory out of her head and clutched her silver pendant. It was a heart-shaped pendant with a small blue jewelry at the center.

It's a rare gem out of this world, Kate. Never take that pendent off, it will protect you. Her father told her.

Her father made it for her when she turned 8. Every time he talked about the gem, he would gaze at the stars with a smile. She never understood why he would come out of the shack each night to watch the stars. Whenever she asked, he would say that he'd tell her once gets a little older.

But he never did.

She blamed herself for his death.

The blue gem has special powers, she remembered him saying, you can say it's like magic. It saves the life of the owner and sometimes grants wishes.

He was right about it. Kate clearly remembered that the moment she wore it and willed the power within it, her hair turned shorter. It became a mullet. If her father had this gem with him, he would have survived the fire...

After he died, she pretended to be a boy and went with the name Keith Kogane. She knew there was no one she could trust. This wasn't because she couldn't get along with anyone or because she was being rebellious and used violence. It's because of her past. The scars and nightmares she got before she turned 8. The horrible traumatic experience she had to face when she temporarily stayed in Russia with her father. And the times when she found herself half dead and her father and Alex couldn't save her. Other than Alex, no one was there for her after he died. And all of this happened because of the abilities she could do.

She was not normal. Her father and step-uncle managed to pull some strings to hush up the truth, but after his passing, lying about who she was her best decision.

However, there was one boy who found out about her gender by accident. He swore he wouldn't tell anyone, but after some time, her suspicion towards him turned to trust.

Perhaps this could work, was what she thought back then. But she was wrong. She used her ability and manipulated his memories. She made him forget about their meeting and relationship. She made him hate her so that he wouldn't hang around her anymore. This wasn't just about protecting herself. This was also about protecting others.

She had the power to murder a man.

The people she cared for would have their lives taken by her, she couldn't control her powers that well before her teenage years.

Kate focused back on the stars.

It's too late now. Maintaining distance from people is how she's living her life. It's the only way to hide her past and protect other people from the monster she was. Even Alex... she manipulated his memories to think she committed suicide...Even though he knew what she'd been through. The only thing she regretted was not telling Shiro about her feelings about…

Her thoughts trailed off when she sensed a presence behind her. Usually, when she felt a presence nearby, she would sense a certain emotion. But a presence without any sort of emotion would mean he/she wasn't human. She didn't need her weapons, she knew who it was anyway.

"Chaos," She scowled, she glared over her shoulder. "What a surprise."

A woman in a scarlet cloak smiled sadly at her. "It is good to know that your guard is up," She said in her honey voice, "I assume your nightmares awoke you?"

Kate gritted her teeth, she turned to face her. "What do you want now?"

Chaos removed her hood, revealing horns sticking out of her head, and her ocean-blue hair and eyes. "Honestly, Leana, it has been nearly a year since I last saw you, and you don't bother showing me a small welcome?"

Leana. Chaos had given her that name when they first met.

She scoffed. "A warm welcome? Every time you appear, certain events pop up."

"I have told you this before, Leana. I have the power to see glimpses of the future. What I do and say is for your own good."

Kate barked a laugh. "My own good? Last year, you told me that you were proud of my decision of letting Shiro go. Now Shiro is dead because of me, and you say his death was for my own good?"

Chaos's eyes softened. "Do you believe you are the blame for his demise?"

The raven-haired girl looked away. Yes, misfortune always happens because of me, she wanted to say.

The cloaked woman seemed to have read her thoughts. "Tell me honestly, Leana. Do you really believe Takashi Shirogane is dead? You have not seen his corpse yet."

Kate stared at her. "What do mean?"

"Well, you are a typical girl who demands the truth. For instance, if I told you there was a blue lion in this desert, you would never believe me until you came across it."

Kate narrowed her eyes at her suspiciously. "Wait, are you the one invading my dreams for the past few months, whispering to me to find the blue lion? Persuading me to leave the garrison?"

Chaos shrugged. "Well, if I asked you personally you would never listen to me. And you and I both know you were unstable during that time, so I had to help you." Kate made a face. Her 'help' had actually been putting her on edge and drove her mad. "But you did find ancient markings of the blue lion in a particular cave, yes?"

She glared at her. Chaos waved it aside and went on, "I am always watching you, Leana. I have told you this before even if you resent me, I am here for you."

Kate sighed and let her shoulders slump. "Fine," she huffed. "So...why did the garrison lie about the mission? And if Shiro's still alive, where is he, and what has he been doing this whole time?"

Chaos smiled and said softly, "Why not ask him?" Kate gave her a confused look. Chaos's slender hands grasped hers. "It is time," she murmured looking up. "Look at the sky, my dear."

Kate obeyed, and her eyes widened when she saw a burning ship crashing down from the sky. "W-what is that?" she managed to say.

"Your answer," Chaos replied. She looked at the raven-haired girl seriously. "Remember this night, Leana. Starting from tonight, your life will change. Most of the questions you have been asking yourself will be answered little by little. This includes your ancestry. Your true heritage"

"My ancestry?" she breathed. "Heritage?"

What?

"Yes. There is a reason why your father never told certain things about you. He wished for you to be mature enough to accept things that may sound strange and supernatural."

Kate shook her head. There were a lot of questions crowding in her mind, but all she said was, "You want me to follow that ship?"

A smile. "You were planning to anyway, no?"

"Will you ever leave me alone in peace?" Kate sighed so tired of everything she had to put up with.

She gently released her grasp. "When you stop running away from your past and brace your fears, I will." She touched Kate’s face removing some of her eye bags from sleepless or crying nights.

She sighed again. "Alright then." She turned and walked to her hoverbike. She groaned when Chaos called her name again. Kate glared at the horned woman over her shoulder. "Is there anymore riddles you'd like to say before I go?" She asked through her teeth.

Chaos laughed softly. "Riddles? No. I am merely curious whether you were planning to go like that. You have grown quite a bit, haven’t you?"

Kate looked down and realized she needed to put her clothes on. Her chest was wrapped with bandages and she only wore short pants(that sadly were barely covering her which was weird cause she had just bought them two weeks ago must have been because of how much she wore/washed them and with them, again her behind being bigger than average females

ugh

), that's it. The rest of her skin was exposed. She usually slept like that because sleeping in a t-shirt and long pants was uncomfortable. She blamed her scars for it.

"Ugh, right." She grumbled, her face slightly turned red. Noting that she needed to wear something baggy due to her chest being, well, quite bigger than last week.

Chaos laughed again before disappearing in her dark blue mist.

-later-

Beating those men was a lot easier than Kate thought. She didn't need her knife or the other two backup weapons hidden in her clothes to take them down. She quickly rushed to the unconscious man on the med table.

She yanked her bandanna down and grabbed the man's chin facing her. He groaned but he remained unconscious. Her eyes widened when she realized who he was.

"Shiro...you're alive" She found herself whispering. She quickly pulled out her knife to cut the straps that held him down. She brought one of Shiro's arms over her shoulder.

He was still alive, she thought in relief.

"Nope," a tanned boy said, which caught Kate off guard and her eyes snapped up. "No, you- No, no, no. No, you don't. I'm saving Shiro." He said quickly, pushing the med table out of the way so he could grab Shiro's other arm.

"Who are you?" Kate asked raising her brow at him.

"Who am I? Uh, the name's Lance." he said, blinking his eyelids at her in response. She still gave him a questionable look. He continued, "We were in the same class at the Garrison."

"Really? Are you an engineer?" She asked, surprised

Lance looked at her in disbelief. Did you forget me? Was the question painted on his face. "No, I'm a pilot!" he cried. " We were, like rivals. You know, Lance and Keith, neck and neck."

"Oh, wait. I remember you. You're a cargo pilot." That kept annoying me so much I wanted to punch your teeth out, she wanted to say after the memory of him flashed in her mind.

"Well, not anymore. I'm fighter class now, thanks to you washing out." Lance corrected with an annoyed glare.

"Well, congratulations." She grumbled, both of them carrying Shiro out.

Why am I bringing these extra bozos with me? She asked herself while she drove her bike.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Lance demanded, after seeing the Garrison vehicles gaining on them.

She rolled her eyes."We could toss out some non-essential weight." She offered.

"Oh, right!" Lance said brightly, he paused, then glared at the raven-haired girl. "Okay, so that was an insult. I get it."

She ignored him. "Big man, lean left!" She called Hunk.

"Whoa!" all of them cried out as the bike took a sharp turn, causing two of the Garrison's ATVs to crash into each other.

"Aw, man! Mr. Harris just wiped out Professor Montgomery!" Hunk cried out. "No, no. He's fine."

"Big man, lean right!" She called again.

They screamed again as they jumped over a ravine and onto a narrow cut-out pass. One of the Garrison ATVs skidded, while the other rolled.

"Guys? Is that a cliff up ahead?" Hunk asked warily.

"Oh, no, no, no!" Lance cried, turning paler with every heartbeat that passed.

"Yup," Kate smirked, leaning forward, and kicked the bike into a higher gear.

"No, no, no!" Pidge, Hunk, and Lance all shouted as if that would make her stop. They screamed as they all ran out of ground.

The Garrison car skidded to stop at the edge.

"What are you doing? You're going to kill us all!" Lance yelled at her.

"Shut up and trust me!" Kate snapped. She twisted the handle, kicked the foot pedal back so the turbines caught the slight curve before the flat ground, and let them get away.

-later-

Shiro stood on a small desert mound, a small shack with Kate's bike beside it. Kate stared at him from a distance.

Do you believe that Takashi Shirogane is dead?

She took a deep breath before joining him. She placed her right hand on Shiro's shoulder. "It's good to have you back." She said.

Shiro chuckled. "It's good to be back."

"So, what happened out there? Where were you?" Kate asked, as her hand slid back to her side.

"I wish I could tell you. My head's still pretty scrambled. I was on an alien ship, but somehow I escaped. It's all a blur." He turned to Kate and frowned. "How did you know to come save me when I crashed?"

Her mouth opened, then closed as she prepared herself. "You should come see this." She said, heading back to the shack.

-shack-

Lance, Pidge, and Hunk stood behind the coffee table as Shiro stood before it and beside Kate as she ripped a blanket off the board she was covering. The board was filled with maps, cave drawings, writing, pushpins, and string.

"This is so weird," Lance whispered to Hunk.

Hunk looked at him. "What?"

"...I dressed up as him for Halloween."(He’s talking about Shiro)

Hunk stared at him. "

What????

"

"What have you been working on?" Shiro asked the raven-haired girl hesitantly.

"I can't explain it, really." Kate admitted slowly. "After getting booted from the Garrison-," Shiro gave a wait-what? look at her. She looked at him, embarrassed. "You don't want to know what happened. Anyway, I was kind of lost and found myself drawn out to this place. It's like something…" she tried to think of a better way to explain it without bringing Chaos into this, "some… energy was telling me to search."

"For what?"

"Well, I didn't really know at the time…" Kate reached out towards the board. "until I stumbled across this area." there were two rings on the map, four different locations marked with X s, the center said ENERGY SOURCE. "It's an outcropping of giant boulders with caves covered in these ancient markings. Each tells a slightly different story about a blue lion, but they all share clues leading to some event, some arrival happening last night." She looked back at Shiro, almost nonchalant. "Then, you showed up."

"I should thank you all for getting me out," Shiro told the other cadets, turning to fully face them. "Lance, right?" Shiro reaches his hand out and Lance does the same, ghosting over the cybernetic limb for a moment before looking Shiro in the eyes, smiling, and grasping back.

Shiro offered his hand to Hunk, who seemed to be panicking. Pidge took the opportunity to introduce themselves. "The nervous guy's Hunk. I'm Pidge." the blonde says, shaking Shiro's hand and then looking nervously before continuing. "So, did anyone else from your crew make it out?"

Shiro looked away from the golden eyes. "I'm not sure. I remember the mission and being captured. After that, it's just bits and pieces." he said slowly.

"Yeah, sorry to interrupt, but back to the aliens." Hunk said bending down, making himself shorter than Kate to hide himself. "Where are they now? Are they coming? Are they coming for us? Where are they at this very moment?"

"I can't really put it together. I remember the word 'Voltron'." Shiro continued to explain as best he could. "It's some kind of weapon they're looking for, but I don't know why. Whatever it is, I think we need to find it before they do."

Hunk immediately dug into Pidge's bag, much to their shock. "Well, last night, I was rummaging through Pidge's stuff, and I found this picture. Look, it's his girlfriend." he chuckled, the picture is of Pidge and a shorter girl with similar colored hair down to her waist, both of them standing in front of a rocket.

Kate frowned because there was something familiar about it.

"Hey, give me that!" Pidge snapped, snagging the picture back. "What were you doing in my stuff?"

"I was looking for a candy bar." Hunk pulled a red notebook out of his back pocket. "But, then, I started reading his diary-"

"What?!" Pidge screeched, again snatching the object back.

"-I noticed the repeating series of numbers the aliens are searching for looks a lot like a Fraunhofer line." Hunk continued, undeterred.

"Frown who?" Kate asked frowning, her arms still crossed over her chest.

He explained "It's a number describing the emission spectrum of an element, only, this element doesn't exist on Earth. I thought it might be this 'Voltron'. I think I can build a machine to look for it, like a 'Voltron' Geiger Counter."

"Hunk, you big, gassy genius!" Lance said, sounding almost as proud of his friend as he was excited about this idea.

"It's pretty fascinating, really." Hunk reached into one of his pouches and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "The wavelength looks like this."

The raven-haired girl narrowed her eyes. Wait a second- "Give me that!" She said, snagging it from Hunk's hands with no pause. Moving back to her board, placing it beneath a photo and sliding it up to cover the rock croppings in the picture.

Everyone stared at it because it very obviously matched.

-somewhere-

All five stood before the rock outcropping. "Okay, I admit it. This is super freaky." Lance stated.

Behind Pidge, who was holding their satellite dish, Hunk looked down at a small readout. "I'm getting a reading." he stepped in front of Pidge and it started to beep. Hunk led the way, and the beeping started to get louder as they looped around outcroppings. The beeping went crazy as they came into view of a hidden cave.

-cave-

"Whoa." both Hunk and Pidge muse, their jaws dropped as they look over the images across the inside of the cave.

"What are these?" Shiro asked.

"These are the lion carvings I was telling you about. They're everywhere around here." Kate replied.

"Whoa!" Lance gasped as the carvings began to glow blue.

Everyone looked around as all the imagery glowed.

"They've never done that before." Kate said, in her usually monotonic voice shaking slightly. She glared at Lance, she knew he touched something that triggered this.

A blue ring formed around all five of them, everyone looked down as they heard the ground slowly breaking underneath them.

“

You gotta be kidding me

,” she sighed.

Once it gave away, they all screamed. Despite the waterside awaiting them, they continued to scream. With all of them either clinging on to each other too hard(literal tugging)or pushing each other

They crashed harshly, but no one was hurt. Just wet.

Lance pushed himself to his knees and slowly lifted his eyes, his mouth dropped open at what he saw. "They are everywhere."

Before them was a massive robotic blue lion, surrounded by a force field.

"Is this it? Is this the Voltron?" Pidge asked.

"It… must be." Shiro said.

One look at the blue lion flashed something sharp in Kate's mind, a memory she didn't recognize. Blurry figures loomed over her and their voices echoed...

"By the name of the ancients... I don't believe it. To thi-"

"Pain, abuse, emotions...and many loss of lives...including yours."

"You're staying in Earth?"

"-her fate? His life?"

She grunted, squeezing her eyes shut, placing both her hands on her across her temples.

"Keith?" Shiro turned to her.

She slowly looked at them and shook her head. "Sorry," she let her hands slide to her side. "This may sound crazy, but...but I think I've seen this lion before."

Hunk tilted his head. "You sure it's not Déjà vu?"

"No, it's a distant memory."

In the memory, there were at least four shadowy figures. One was her father, the second was...probably Chaos. And the other two were people she didn't know. She had to think about it later. "Anyway," she looked back. " this lion's been causing all of this crazy energy out here." The raven-haired girl took a few steps towards it. "Looks like there's a force field around it."

Shiro looked at her in concern. "Hey, Lance" he called to the tanned boy.

"Yeah?"

"What did Keith do to get expelled while I was stuck in space?" Shiro asked softly, hoping Kate didn't hear him. "He didn't punch someone again, did he?"

"No. But, if the rumors were true, Keith actually wanted to leave the garrison."

"What?"

Kate reached the edge of the force field, watching the Lion for any movement. She brought both her hands to the force field, finding it felt completely solid despite the slight rippling along its surface. "I wonder how we can get through this."

Lance scrutinized the field. "Maybe you just have to knock." he did, twice. Then yelled as blue energy followed his hand. Looking up he was stunned to see the eyes begin to glow and the force field drop away.

Despite Hunk and Pidge screaming behind him Lance's eyes widen as the image of five lions, one shielded in purple leading as a green and red flank it and yellow and blue colored lions remain on the edges. The five combine high in the sky, creating a blinding light, where a shadowed head blocks the center. The head snapped up and the eyes gleamed, the robot was massive, a black body, a red right arm, a green left arm, a blue right leg, and a yellow left leg. In the right hand is a flaming sword that the robot raises over its head. Then slash down cross-body.

"Whoa." They all chorused, still stunned.

"Uh, did everyone just see that?" Lance checked.

"Voltron is a robot. Voltron is a huge, huge, awesome robot!" Hunk said excitedly.

"And this thing is only one part of it! I wonder where the rest of them are?" Pidge questioned mostly to themselves.

"This is what they're looking for." Shiro realized.

"Incredible." is all Kate managed to say.

The Lion moved, dropping its head towards Lance specifically. The gigantic jaw opening and a small blue ramp meet the ground. "Hmm." Lance mused looking to the others before heading up. Lance chuckled once before heading inside. All of them sans Kate followed Lance.

The raven-haired girl gave a wary look at the lion before following them reluctantly.

"Whoa." Pidge and Hunk gasped, stunned.

"All right! Very nice!" Lance agreed.

"Okay, guys, I feel the need to point out, just so that we're all aware." Hunk said. "We are in some kind of futuristic alien cat head right now."

Shiro looked behind him and noticed Kate not entering the cockpit. "Keith? You okay?"

She looked away. "I, uh...don't like entering a room that's small and crowded."

Pidge frowned at her. "You have Claustrophobia?"

"No," she protested.

It wasn't the space she had a problem with, it was the people inside that space. People's emotions get stronger in a small room and it's hard for her to bear it.

She looked at Shiro for a heartbeat. "I'll bare with this for a few minutes." She stepped forward.

Lance asked warily. "Did you guys just hear that?"

"Hear what?" Kate raised her brows.

"I think it's talking to me." Lance leaned forward. "Hmm, um" he mused before pressing a few buttons on the projected keypad.

The lion stood up tall and roared.

Pidge and Hunk screamed, which Lance ignored as he grabbed the two handles before him. "Okay. Got it. Now, let's try this." he said with a smirk leaning all his weight into throwing the handles forward before Kate could protest.

The lion busted through the cave wall, flying through the sky, as it began to descend and flipped once, lackadaisical before moving its paws underneath itself.

Pidge and Hunk screamed enough to cover for Lance, Shiro, and Kate not doing so. Though Lance is holding onto the handles, Pidge holds the edge of his chair and his hood. While Shiro is braced against the chair and the inside of the cockpit to keep from falling into Pidge. Kate had her back against Shiro's left shoulder and pulled harshly on Lance's seat. Hunk grabbed both the right side of Lance's hair and the left side of Lance's outer jacket.

"You are… the worst … pilot! Ever!" Kate shouted.

The Lion skidded to a stop and took off running across the desert. "Isn't this awesome?" Lance asked them excitedly.

Hunk leaned forward, tears in his eyes. "Make it stop. Make it stop."

"I'm not making it do anything. It's like it's on autopilot."

Shiro noticed the raven-haired girl staring at him. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

She quickly turned away. Her cheeks turned red. "It's nothing" she replied. She wanted to kill Lance for making her lean on him. "Where are you going?" Kate questioned, as the Lion takes to the air once more.

"I just said it's on autopilot!" Lance repeated "It says there's an alien ship approaching Earth. I think we're supposed to stop it."

"What did it say, exactly?" Pidge demanded.

"It's not like it's saying words. It's more like feeding ideas into my brain, kind of."

"If this thing is the weapon they're coming for, why don't we just, I don't know, give it to them? Maybe they'll leave us alone." Hunk offered hopefully. "Sorry, lion. Nothing personal."

"You don't understand. These monsters spread like a plague throughout the galaxy, destroying everything in their path. There's no bargaining with them. They won't stop until everything is dead." Shiro informed.

They all narrowed their eyes at Hunk, waiting for him to take his dumb idea back. "Oh. Never mind then." he mumbled

The Lion roared as they left the atmosphere.

Before them, an alien ship came out of hyperspeed to stop before the Blue Lion.

Hunk was the first to recover, turning towards the other occupants. "Holy crow! Is that really an alien ship?"

"They found me." Shiro said. Kate looked at him, and even though he said with a stoic expression, she sensed fear from him.

Lance miraculously destroyed the ship without killing them, which Kate sighed in relief at.

"Nice job, Lance." Shiro appraised.

"I think it's time to get these guys away from our planet." Lance said, and the lion took off away from Earth.

"Where are we?" Kate asked.

"Edge of the solar system." Shiro said as he looked out the window. "There's Kerberos."

"It takes months for our ships to get out this far. We got out here in five seconds." Pidge muttered, stunned at the speed of the Lion.

A blue-bordered portal with a blue, black, and white wormhole appeared before the Lion.

"What is that?" Hunk demanded.

"This may seem crazy, but I think the lion wants us to go through there." Lance said in disbelief.

"Where does it go?"

"I-I don't know." Lance admitted, he turned his head to Shiro. "Shiro, you're the senior officer here. What should we do?"

"Whatever is happening, the Lion knows more than we do. I say we trust it, but we're a team now." he looked over at Kate and Hunk. "We should decide together."

They all looked at each other for objections. Pidge placed a single hand on Lance's right shoulder.

"All right. Guess we're all ditching class tomorrow."

The Lion flew through the wormhole, but before the alien ship could follow, it disappeared.

Everyone groaned as the Lion shook before it stopped, and the Lion came out of a planet that shared the same color scheme as the one they left.

"Whoa. That was…" Lance trailed off.

Hunk grunted, then vomited. "So sorry." he apologized. Kate cringed.

"I'm just surprised it took this long." Pidge admitted.

"I don't recognize any of these constellations. We must be a long, long way from Earth." Shiro murmured.

Lance conveyed the idea the Lion is sending to him as it then takes off at high speed. "The lion seems to want to go to this planet. I think… I think it's going home."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

All of them braced against Lance's chair. Kate could sense him feeling uncomfortable without looking at him."Guys, personal space. Hunk, your breath is killing me." Lance griped."Um, is it just me or is anyone else having second thoughts about flying through a mysterious wormhole?" Hunk asked facing them. "Why are we listening to a robotic lion anyway?""It got us away from that alien warship, didn't it?" Lance defended.Kate panted a bit. "I don't know if you noticed, but we're in an alien warship." She pointed out to him."Oh, are you scared?" Lance teased her."With you at the helm?" She twitched her eye irritatingly at him. "Terrified.""All right, knock it off." Shiro cut them off. "No one's happy to be in this situation, but we're here now. If we want to get through this, we've got to do it together." He looked at the raven-haired and noticed her breathing slowly getting heavier."So, what do we do?" Pidge asked worriedly."First, we find out where we're headed. Lance?" Shiro directed his attention back to the pilot.Lance looks down sadly. "I don't know." he noticed everyone looking at him. "I'm sorry. The lion's not talking to me anymore." his attention shifted slightly. "Wait! Wait, wait, wait! Shh! Listen. I think I hear something.""I'm hearing it, too." Kate murmured, surprised."It's, uh- It's kind of a- a high-pitched squeal?" Hunk tried to confirm, then the smell hit them. They all covered their noses and groaned in disgust, with Lance smirking they knew it was on purpose."Come on, Lance!" Kate griped."But seriously, there's a castle up ahead," Lance said with a smile.The Blue Lion's eyes glowed, as it slowly descended to the castle. The Lion's feet touched the ground in front of the castle doors.
Shiro spoke. "Keep your guard up.""Something wrong?" Pidge asked, confused."My crew was captured by aliens once. I'm not going to let it happen again." Shiro replied.Without warning, Kate bolted out of the cockpit.
They flinched. "Keith?" Shiro called.She knew it was too much. The emotions were...too unbearable, but she had to put up with a blank face to hide it. There were times when she hated being Empath. People's feelings always cause tension and struggle within her. She hit the ground with her knees, panting heavily, a hand clutching her shirt and the other on the ground for support. Shiro knew something was wrong with her, she could sense him noticing her behavior change the moment, she saw the blue lion. She bit her lip. She needed to pretend better."Keith?" Shiro called behind her. He knelt next to her placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"She nodded grimly. "Sorry, I've not been myself lately."But before he could open his mouth, they all gasped at the sudden movement of the Blue Lion."No! I knew it was going to eat us! No!" Hunk said panicking.The Blue Lion roared, and the doors to the castle opened to them.Hunk stood up from behind Shiro and looked back at the Blue Lion. "Oh, the door is open. Guess I was wrong about you."As they walk in, the castle remains dark and dust thickens the air."Hello?" Hunk called out, the other four stopping dead when they heard him break the silence, but it only echoed."From the size of the lion, I expected these steps to be bigger." Pidge commented, seeing the staircase before them.As if responding to the blonde's voice the hexagon in the center of the ceiling blinks twice before the edges light up in blue. The light continues outward to lights that shine down on the humans and drenche them in blue light. "Hold for identity scan." a computerized voice says, as the diamond in the floor around them also begins to glow."What?" Pidge exclaimed.As blue light cylinders encircle each of them Shiro turned to face towards the top of the staircase. "Why are we here? What do you want with us?""Whoa!" Lance said as the lights on the walls and down the hall came from light up."Whoa." Pidge agreed, seeing more lights begin to turn on down the hall at the top of the stairs. "I guess we're going that way.""Hello?" Hunk called out with nothing but his echo to reply as they walked down the right side of the open space. "Hello?" he tried again as they descended the staircase. A door opened before them, leading to a circular room ringed by pillars, markings on the floor, and a small staircase. "Hello?"Lance stepped forward walking to the center of the room "Where are we?"Pidge looks down at the console in the center of the room. "It's some kind of control room."They were stunned as two markings on the floor revealed shadows of people inside pods."Are these guys… dead?" Hunk asked, hiding behind the control panel.The pod closest to Lance opened, revealing a dark-skinned girl with flowing white hair. Her eyes snapped open as she gasped, taking a step, her hand reaching out "Father!" was all she managed to say before she fell forward. Lance caught her in his arms, bracing her. Lance blushed when he looked at her closely, he smiled at her. "Hello." he said dramatically, letting his tone fall lower than normal.Oh no, Kate thought. Here we go-"Who are you? Where am I?" the woman asked, looking both confused at him and the room around her."I'm Lance. And you're right here in my arms." he continued to flirt. Kate really wanted to punch his teeth out now.The woman raised her eyebrows. "Your ears." she started, confused."Yeah?" he said confused."They're hideous." the woman cringed. "What's wrong with them?"Lance glared at her, releasing his hold on her instantly. "Nothing's wrong with them! They heard exactly what you said about them!" he objected.
She grabbed his right arm, spinning him around so it was behind him, then held his left ear, forcing Lance to his knees. "Who are you? Where is King Alfor? What are you doing in my castle?" she demanded angrily.Kate stared at the princess and smiled, after what she did to Lance, she might start liking this woman.Lance dropped his left hand away, deciding to just deal with it and answer her. "A giant blue lion brought us here. That's all we know.""How do you have the Blue Lion?" she asked stunned, letting Lance go. "What happened to its paladin? What are you all doing here?" she looked at the rest of the people in the room. "Unless -How long has it been?""We don't know what you're talking about." Shiro admitted, slowly, decided to ignore, the fact that Hunk was hiding behind him again. "Why don't you tell us who you are? Maybe we can help.""I am Princess Allura of Planet Altea," she said strongly before walking to the center of the room. "I've got to find out where we are and how long we've been asleep." she placed her hands on the dark sides of the console.Pidge's eyes widened as projections appeared. "Okay, that's how that works."Behind Allura the second pod opens, revealing an equally regally dressed ginger man with a large mustache. He gasped, then shouted at Lance. "Enemy combatants!" He jumps at the teen, who easily dodges, and watches as the ginger lands near Allura's pod with a grunt. Fumbling to land, Allura barely glances back and rolls her eyes. "Quiznak! You're lucky I have a case of the old 'sleep chamber knees'." he said to Lance beginning exaggerated arm movements. "Otherwise, I'd grab your head like this," his arm crossed in an X in front of his chest "wrap you up like so-" he moved his before simply crossing his arms "One, two, three-" he counted down on his fingers and snapped for dramatic effect. "Sleepytime!""Well, before you did that, I'd-" Lance started, stepping forward with a chop, snapping his hand upward then stepping back to do a flying crane kick. Each move accented by a dramatic sound effect. "Like that.""Really? How could you do that when I've already come at you with this?" he demanded, then dropped into a fighting stance, shooting his hand out three times with equally as bad sound effects as Lance.Kate rolled her eyes, great another set of weirdos."Man, these guys are good." Hunk murmured in appreciation of the tech in the room.The computer beeps and Allura's eyes go wide. "It can't be." she gasped.The ginger turned to her instantly, worry in his tone. "What is it?""We've been asleep for 10,000 years." Allura said, horrified.Allura's memory flashed into Kate's mind. She gripped her left arm and grunted silently. She looked back to the princess in sympathy.
"Planet Altea and all of the planets in our solar system have been destroyed," Allura said. "Coran, Father is gone. Our entire civilization…" Allura's expression changed to murder as she growled. "Zarkon."Kate stepped back a bit. The sadness and despair that was in the princess a few heartbeats ago, changed to hatred and anger.Shiro gasped. "Zarkon?""He was the King of the Galra. A vile creature and enemy to all free people." Allura explained aggressively, getting angrier with each word she spoke about him."I remember now…" Shiro murmured. "I was his prisoner.""He's still alive?" Allura gasped. "Impossible!""I can't explain it, but it's true. He's searching for a superweapon called Voltron." Shiro conveys all that he can remember at the moment."He's searching for it because he knows it's the only thing that can defeat him, and that's exactly why we must find it before he does." Allura said strongly.Coran stood beside Allura, concerned "Princess, you must eat. It's been 10,000 years.""I'm not hungry." Allura says denying the offer instantly."Man, 10,000 years?" Lance mused, "That's like one thousand plus ten."Kate turned to the brunette. "That's times ten."Lance glared at her. "Whatever, dropout." He grumbled, ignoring her return glare."I haven't eaten since breakfast and I'm starving." Hunk mused, looking at the floating tray with green goo on it."Yeah, but you've thrown up, like, five times." Pidge pointed out."Hmm, good point.""I can't believe your civilization created such advanced technology 10,000 years ago." Shiro stated, continuing to take in every detail of the room. "It must have been an incredible place.""Yes, it was…" Coran said wistfully, then looking over to Allura. "but now it is gone and we're the last Alteans alive." Allura's composure shatters before the older man's eyes and he moves gracefully to comfort her. Allowing her to throw her arms around his neck and sob softly.Allura's ear twitches hearing squeaking. Surprised and confused Allura follows the sound. Finding four mice in her pod. She blushes at their continued squeaking. "Looks like we're not the last, after all."An alarm blared, the screen on the console turning red and showing a Galra Battleship."A Galra battleship has set its tracker to us!" Coran shouted dramatically."How did they find us?" Allura questioned, her voice trembling slightly."I'm not sure, but I bet it's Keith's fault." Lance said glaring at her."Say whatever you've got to say to make yourself feel better." Kate brushed off. "After getting us stuck on the other side of a wormhole!" She turned to shout at him.Lance immediately gets in Kate's face "I'll stick you in a wormhole!"Shiro physically separated the two of them, "Stow it, cadets! This is no time to place blame. It's time to work as a team." he turned to Coran. "How long before they arrive?"Coran looks down at his fingers. "At their speed?" his fingers move as he does the math. "Oh, well, carry the two…" then seemed confident he has the answer. "I'd say probably a couple of days.""Good. Let them come!" Allura states, staring down the five humans before her. "By the time they get here, you five will have reformed Voltron, and together, we will destroy Zarkon's empire!"
"Princess, there are five of these lions. How are we going to find the rest?" Shiro asked.The mice squeaked, looking up at Allura.After explaining the lions and who pilots which lion, they prepared to go."Oh wait." everyone turned to Hunk instantly. "Okay, we're going to be in there and flying lions. Got that part. How do lions turn into legs? Is this going to be a long trip? I have to pee. Do you people pee?" he asked in quick succession.Shiro said, "We don't have much time. Pidge and I will go after the Green Lion." Hunk mopes. "Lance, you take Hunk and get the yellow one." Lance smiled. Shiro placed his hand on Kate's shoulder. "Keith, you stay here. If you locate that Red Lion, go get it."She nodded. "Just...be careful, okay?"Shiro looked at her, then nodded back to her."In the meantime, I'll get this castle's defenses ready. They'll be sorely needed." Allura decided.
"I'll ready a pod and load the coordinates so that you can reach the Green Lion." Coran tells them.In the observation room, Allura stood on the center podium once again bathed in blue light. The door beeped open, revealing Hunk and Lance rubbing their heads and lower backs.Allura turned to them as they stood beside Shiro and Pidge. "You made it." she said in relief."Yeah, just barely." Lance gripes, rolling his left shoulder. "That was a nightmare. I almost puked out there. I felt like Hunk!"Hunk looked to Lance mournfully. "Think how I felt. I am Hunk."Pidge turned to Shiro. "Yeah. We had a tough time, too.""Did we find the Red Lion yet?" Shiro asked."Allura just located it. There's a bit of good news and bad news." Coran said, stepping forward, and grabbing his mustache. "The good news is, the Red Lion's nearby." he released his mustache and crossed his arms. "The bad news is, it's onboard that Galra ship now orbiting Arus." however he brightened up almost instantly. "But wait, good news again. We're on Arus!""They're here already?""Yes. Guess my calculations were a bit off. Finger counting- It's more of an art than a science." Coran explained, then turned around as the projector turns on revealing a purple alien with a robotic arm."Princess Allura, this is Commander Sendak of the Galra Empire." He said everyone was stunned. "I come on behalf of Emperor Zarkon, Lord of the Known Universe. I am here to confiscate the lions. Turn them over to me, or I will destroy your planet." with that he was gone.Kate gripped her left arm. Sendak had...his features were...no, it couldn't be.This includes your ancestry. Your heritage, Chaos's voice echoed in her mind.No...she couldn't possibly mean..."All right, let's not panic." Shiro said calmly.Hunk turned to him like he's gone crazy. "Not panic? Th-the scary purple alien thing is driving his battleship toward us. We only have four lions-""Technically, only three working lions." Pidge points out.Hunk puts a hand on Pidge's shoulder. "That's right. Thank you, Pidge." he says sarcastically then picks up where he left off as he walks closer to the center of the room. "Three working lions and a castle that's, like, 10,000 years old-"Once again Hunk is cut off, this time by Coran. "Actually, it's 10,600 years old. You see, it was built by my grandfather-"Hunk interjected, "Thanks, Coran. Thank you for that. See? Now is the perfect time to panic!""Wait! This castle has a particle barrier we can activate." Allura said.Lance makes a flirtatious face at her."Girl, you've already activated my par-""Lance!" Shiro reprimanded.An image popped up on the projection. "The particle barrier won't hold Sendak's ion cannon forever. The Galra technology must have advanced since we fought them last.""Panic now?" Hunk asked Shiro."No. We've just got to figure out our plan of action, and figure it out quickly." Shiro tells the teen strongly."I say we pop through a wormhole and live to fight another day." Lance piped up."I second that. Yes. We tried to find all the lions, right? We gave it the old college try. Couldn't do it. We only have three. We can't form Voltron." Hunk slows slightly, trying to think of what they could make with three Lions. Which ends up being the three Lions all in a row, connecting each other by biting the tail of the one in front of them"I guess we could form a snake. Or a worm! To go through that hole, Lance, that you were talking about.""Then, it's settled." Lance said calmly, walking up to the middle podium "Allura, you ride with me. One of you take the old guy." he ignored the way Coran steamed at his comment."We can't just abandon Arus." Pidge snapped. "The Galra will keep destroying planets and capturing prisoners until we stop them.""Okay." Hunk appeased. "If we run, then maybe Sendak will follow us and leave this planet alone, like when we left Earth. We form the snake-worm thingamajig and we- ssssss- out of here.""Sendak could destroy the planet then come after us anyway." Kate pointed out, standing firm. "Staying is our only option.""Here's an option: shut your quiznak." Lance snapped, stepping in front of her.Her eyes twitched. "I don't think you're using that word correctly.""What do you know, Mullet?" Lance demanded getting in Kate's face.The shorter teen returned the favor. "We're staying." She snarled."Leaving!" Lance shouted."Staying!" Pidge yelled."Snake!" Hunk said, joining the argument."Guys, stop!" Shiro snapped, he turned to the female Altean. "Princess Allura, these are your lions. You've dealt with the Galra Empire before. You know what we're facing better than any of us. What do you think is the best course of action?" he asks her specifically.Allura's eyes widened. "I- I don't know.""Perhaps your father can help." Coran offered.Allura turned to her advisor, unsure how to ask hundreds of questions now flooding through her mind. "My father?"-Later-
Allura entered wearing a space suit. "You five Paladins were brought here for a reason." She said with pride. "The Voltron Lions are meant to be piloted by you and you alone. We must fight and keep fighting until we defeat Zarkon. It is our destiny. Voltron is the universe's only hope. We are the universe's only hope."Shiro nodded. "We're with you, Princess."Coran said with uncertainty after Allura presented them with their pilot suits. "Princess, are you sure about this? They aren't exactly the best and brightest the universe has to offer.""No," she agreed, "but they're all we've got." She sighs when she sees Hunk, the new yellow paladin who is comparing the shape of his armor waist to his shape."Boys, it's time to suit up!" Shiro announced.Kate looked away and bit her lip. Sometimes she felt guilty for lying about her gender.After gearing up, Allura presented their weapons to them. "The Bayard is the traditional weapon of the Paladins of Voltron." She explained. "It takes a distinct shape for each paladin."Their Bayard levitated towards them, san Shiro.Hunk's Bayard changed into a heavy-looking gun.Kate's Bayard changed into a sword, and she was thankful for a close-range weapon.Lance's Bayard changed into a medium-sized gun. "Aw, you got a cute little bayard." Lance teased seeing Pidge Bayard turn into a grappling hook.PIdge struck Lance on his side, electrocuting him."Yeah, it is pretty cute." Pidge said with a smirk. Kate tried her best to smother her laugh after seeing that.They gathered in the Bridge of the Castle. "You'll need to retrieve the red lion from Sendak's ship." Allura said to them projecting Sendak's ship."That's a.. pretty big ship." Kate noted. "How are we gonna know where the red lion is?""Oh, it's not a matter of 'we'. It's a matter of 'you'." Pidge said.
What???
Hunk nodded in agreement. "Pidge is right. Once we get you in, you'll be able to feel its presence and track it down.""Yeah. You know how you felt that crazy energy while we were in the desert?" Lance said facing her.Kate tightened her eyes a bit. "Yeah. You made fun of me for that.""And I'm proud of that, but turns out it's exactly like that mumbo-jumbo.""Keith, remember," Allura proceeds to say to her, "the Red lion is extremely temperamental. You'll have to earn its respect."The raven-haired girl bit her lip. If the lions do connect with their paladins, she wouldn't be able to hide anything from the red lion. The lion would know the dark monster lurking deep within her. Would it accept that?Shiro placed his hand on her shoulder, assuring her everything would work out, just fine. She looked at him warily."All right. Here's our plan of attack." He said. "The Galra empire knows about the Blue and yellow but they don't know we have the Green lion too. Hunk, Lance, you'll act as a decoy by pretending to give yourselves up. While Sendak is distracted, Keith, Pidge and I will sneak onto the ship in the green lion. Keith and I will find the Red lion while Pidge guards our exit. Hunk and Lance find some way to take down that ion cannon."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The plan worked like a charm...sorta. They had to bend it here and there.

Pidge docked the Green Lion underneath the warship and sliced a hole into the warship's hull. Shiro, Kate, and Pidge looked around inside carefully. The place was clear. Good.

Pidge knelt around the corner looking around, keeping guard while both Shiro and Kate went ahead, just like they planned. Except Shiro froze behind her. Glimpses of Shiro's memories flashed into Kate's mind. She didn't understand what it meant, but it didn't look pleasant.

“Shiro?” She asked turning to face him when he grunted.

"I've been here before." He said shakily. "After I was taken by the Galra cruiser off Kerberos, they brought us here."

Pidge walked towards him. "So, that means your other crew members, they might be held captive here. We... We've got to rescue them."

Shiro said reluctantly, squeezing his eyes painfully. "Pidge, we don't have time." He looked at Pidge apologetically. "We have to get the Red Lion and get back to Arus."

"But we can't just leave prisoners here!" Pidge insisted.

Kate stared at Pidge, her emotions were desperate, and ...there was something Pidge was not telling. Kate bit her lip. "Shiro, you're not gonna like this but I agree with Pidge. We should save the prisoners."

Shiro stared at her. "Keith?"

She avoided looking into his eyes. "Look, I know this mission is important, but...leaving prisoners behind just doesn't seem right. Who knows how long their freedom was taken away from them. They probably lost hope and are now treated as slaves and live their lives in despair. I-I can't just leave them when I know we can help them."

The two of them stared at her with a questionable look. Kate pursed her lips, she silently cursed at herself in Russian. She ended up bringing a part of her life into this conversation.

Shiro said to them calmly "Look, no one understands that more than me, but, in war, we have to make hard choices. Now, let's get moving." He turned.

"No!" Pidge screamed. Shiro halted, and both of them looked at Pidge confused. Pidge looked down sadly. "Commander Holt is my father. He and my brother were the ones on the Kerberos Mission with you."

Kate stopped dead…

The other two crew members... were Pidge's family…

Sam Holt was Pidge's father...then...then Pidge's brother was…

No, it couldn't be...

"Commander Holt is your father?" Shiro said stunned. That explained why Pidge was so persistent.

"Yes! I've been searching everywhere for him and my brother. And I'm not going to give up looking when I'm this close. I won't!" Pidge turned in another direction to walk away.

"I'm coming with you." Shiro said. Pidge halted.

"Kate gaped at him. "What?"

"I remember where the prisoners are held." He turned his head to her "Keith, you go find the Red lion."

"By myself?" She blurted, paused, then blushed a bit when she realized it didn't sound the way she meant it.

"Minor change of plans. You'll be fine." He placed his hand on her shoulder to assure her. "Just remember, patience yields focus. " The raven-haired girl looked at him, unsure of herself. "So-"

They heard a door open nearby.

"-Run!"

They parted, running in different directions.

Kate ran through the corridor, she didn't stop until she came across an intersection corridor. She looked at both sides shaking her head. "Great," she muttered. "Now, which way?"

She stared at a Galra Emblem in front of her until footsteps started approaching from nearby. She took the right direction and ran. She kept running, but every corner she turned, she ended up at the same Galra emblem as before.

She gritted her teeth. "You've got to be kidding me!" She really wanted to tear the ship apart. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to calm herself. 'Patience... yields focus..." She said slowly. Her eyes snapped open when she sensed the lion was actually in a direction behind her. "Gotcha!"

She ran off smiling. Shiro's advice did come in handy.

After a couple of more turns, she found the Red Lion in the hangar on Sendak's warship.

"Bingo." She placed her hand on the lion's forcefield around it. "Let's get out of here. Open up." She waited for a few heartbeats, but nothing happened.

Her smile melted away. "It's me. Keith." She tried again. "Your buddy. It's me! Your—I. AM. YOUR. PALADIN!"

Still. Nothing happened. Kate knocked on the forcefield hoping it would open like how it did to Lance, but the yelling she did earlier gave her away. Galra sentries fired their laser guns at her. She blocked them with her armor's shield.

The Red lion still didn't react. Kate grumbled, she summoned her Bayard and launched herself at the soldiers. "You're not getting this lion!" She yelled at them. She knocked one soldier down with her shield and another by slicing its legs. But she was knocked back by a laser fire. She pushed herself up and growled at them, unconsciously, not knowing her canines sharpened and that her sclera had changed color. She looked at her side and found one of the control machines of the ship. She knew it was a bad idea, but what choice did she have? The stupid lion wasn't helping her anyway. She hit the button at the center with her fist, activating the airlock doors, and sending the sentries into space. She held onto the machine, trying hard not to let go as the pressure tried to pull her away. She grunted and looked at the red lion pleadingly.

You've got to earn its respect, Allura told her.

She took a deep breath. It was worth a shot. "I lied. It's not Keith." She whispered. "My real name is Kate. I know I am not a worthy pilot for you if you saw my past, but please... I need to help the others..."

A broken piece of the ship hit her chest, accidentally making her release her grip on the machine. She screamed when she got sucked out of the ship. Surprisingly, the Red lion reacted and rescued her by catching her in its mouth, finally accepting her as its Paladin. Kate sat on the seat in the cockpit. "Really?" She grumbled. "You ate me when you could've just opened your forcefield to let me in?"

The red lion purred in her mind. She sighed. "True...fair enough. Now let's roll."

-later-

Kate had too much to take in. She got the red lion from Sendak's ship. They got the black lion after she returned. Then they fought Sendak, but they were pretty much losing. Then they somehow formed Voltron. Then they some how miraculously won and Sendak and the other galra's retreated.

Allura and Coran greeted the exhausted Paladins in front of the Castle of Lions.

"Good work, Paladins!" Allura said, rushing towards them while the paladins all panted.

"Thanks, pretty lady," Lance said in his normal tone which relieved Kate. If he still had the strength to flirt with her despite what they've been through, she would have snapped his neck.

"We did it," Shiro said he slapped Kate's back playfully.

"Heck yeah, we did." Kate agreed, removing her helmet and smiling at him.
 
"How did we do it?" He asked her.
 
She thought for a moment. During the battle, her mind was focused on fighting Sendak, forming Voltron, avoid getting killed because she had to live to protect Shiro-
 
Wait...Shiro? Why was she...no it didn't make sense. Why was he on her mind when they were in the middle of the battle?
 
...Unless...no...no,no,no,no,no! Her feelings for him were...were they coming back?
 
"Keith?"
 
She flinched. "I don't-don't know, I-I have no idea how we built it, I mean did it.. it must have been magic." She rambled. Shiro blinked at her confused. Her face was flustered as she looked away. Pidge looked at her with suspicion.
 
"I was just, like, screaming the whole time." Hunk said removing his helmet with a bit of a struggle. "Maybe that did it."
 
Pidge looked dejected from not finding either missing family member. Shiro placed his hand on Pidge's shoulder.
 
"We're not going to stop searching until we find your brother and father, " he promised. "Wherever they are, I know they'd be proud of you."
 
Pidge smiled at him.
 
"We won the battle, but the war has only just begun." Allura said grabbing their attention. "I'm afraid Zarkon will not stop until he gets these Lions."
 
Coran pulled his mustache. "Good thing you Paladins know what you're doing, because you're going to have to form Voltron again and again."
 
They looked at Coran incredulously
 
"Totally—Wait, what?" Hunk said.
 
"We barely survived forming Voltron this one time." Lance stated.
 
"And you only had to fight one ship. Wait until you have to fight a whole fleet of them!" Coran threw his hands up. "It's not going to be easy being the Defenders of the Universe."
 
All the Paladins were surprised at the title, they turned to look at their Lions behind them.
 
"Defenders of the Universe, huh?" Shiro mused. "That's got a nice ring to it."
 
Kate bit her lip. She just hoped she could use this chance to make up for the mistakes she made in the past.
 
To make up for the lives she had taken...
 
To protect, and not to kill...

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

-Meanwhile somewhere in space...-

Ulaz stared at the stars with a blank look on his face. He hoped his plan worked, he had sacrificed everything and taken a bold risk to free the champion from Zarkon. What made him nervous was after Shiro left, according to the intel he received from the other members spying from the inside, the old tyrant sent Sendak after the earthling. He may not have met him personally, but the rumors from the shadows say that Sendak was trained by the old galra emperor himself. He was taught to be ruthless and blood-hungry and with only one main thought in his mind. 'Victory or death.' Zarkon would have favored him to be his next heir to the throne if he had not had a son, Prince Lotor. Though it has been quite a few decades since anyone has last seen or heard of the prince...

Ulaz heard the door hissed open behind him followed by an uneven sound of footsteps. He didn't need to look back to see who it was.

He heard his nephew pant as he said, "It has been confirmed, all 5 lions are found. Guess your gamble paid out more than we thought."

Ulaz nodded, pleased with the news, but still, there was more work to be done. "Whatever happened to Sendak?" He asked lowly.

"Voltron defeated most of his command ships so he fled." His nephew replied.

"So he is alive,"

"Uncle, do you still think he is dangerous? He lost all the command ships he brought, what more can he do?"

He turned to him with a serious look. "Ships or no ships, Sendak is still dangerous and cunning in his ways, you may never know when he strikes, Victor."

A pause. Victor nodded without another question. "We cannot afford to let our guard down, yes, I understand, uncle." He said with a bitter tone to it.

Ulaz walked to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Let me remind you again, Victor. Your sister's death was not your fault. She knew her duties, she sacrificed her life for you. All our members of the Blade still honor her as a hero. When we are at war...there are some lives we cannot save, even when you have your healing abilities."

‘And I have a role to fulfill which even you cannot stop’ Ulaz thought to himself. A seer he had not seen in decapheobs had told him his death was inevitable.

Victor sighed and nodded grimly.

-Kate's room-

Kate woke up with a jerk after her dream faded into darkness. She sat up from her bed, her breathing ragged a little. She calmed herself down after a few heartbeats before slowly getting out of bed. That dream she had...no, it wasn't a nightmare, it was a message, a warning. It was a rare time when she saw something like that when it wasn't some dream or nightmare she usually had each night. She was never sure whether it was some sort of ability, but she could never control it as it only occurred once or twice a year.

She didn't know who those two galra were, but from their conversation, it wouldn't be long until Sendak strikes again. And she had to be ready for it.

She narrowed her eyes at the thought. No, it wasn't only her. She wasn't alone this time, she had to work as a team with the others, and they too had to be prepared. She cursed at herself in Russian. That would be a lot harder. How can she do that if they ask her how she knew about Sendak? That would risk telling them about one of her abilities.

She walked to the bathroom and washed her face to clear her mind from her thoughts. She looked at the mirror and was startled by her reflection. She...well, she didn't like looking at herself so much in the mirror back at home, that she had forgotten how she had looked with all her long, flowing black hair out to her waist and how slender her body was. And, of course, she'd nearly forgotten all those scars she had on her left arm and shoulder...

Kate stared at herself with a blank thought before the alarms began to blare.

"Everybody up!' Zarkon's attacking!" Allura's voice echoed through the speakers. "The Castle's about to be destroyed! Go, go, go! We need Voltron now!"

A chill went up Kate's spine. Had Sendak made a move already?

She quickly put her black tank top on over her bandaged chest, then her shirt. She grabbed her pendant and wore it over her neck and willed the power within it. Her long flowing hair turned into a mullet instantly. She grabbed her jacket and knife and took her other two backup weapons before bolting out of her room.

- In the Bridge.-

"Oh, I know! Uaaaagh! If only Voltron had been formed..." Coran said dramatically sinking to the ground.

A false alarm, Kate thought crossing her arms with an unamused look on her face.

Shiro said, "I guess this isn't an actual attack."

"And it's a good thing it wasn't because it took you..." Allura turned to the old Altean, "Coran?"

"Seventy-five degrees." He replied looking at the item he was holding. Allura had a baffled look on her face. "Oh, sorry. No, this is a meat thermometer."

The Princess rolled her eyes. "However long it was," she said focusing back at them "it was too long. You must always be ready to do battle with Zarkon. Look at you! Only Shiro is in uniform. Keith, Pidge, Hunk, where are your Bayards?"

Kate's eye twitched a bit. Oh, if only the princess knew how dangerous she was without her Bayard.

"And where is Lance?"

Right at that moment, they heard the door hissed behind them. Lance entered the Bridge carrying his tea, yawning and looking well-rested. "Good morning, everybody. What's going on?"

"Coran and I have been up for hours getting the Castle back in order. We had to run a test on the alarms, and we decided to test you as well. Guess which one failed." She said the last sentence bitterly.

"Hey!" Hunk griped before yawning. "You got to sleep for 10,000 years, man. Monday night, I was on Earth. Now, I've flown through space, fought some evil alien named Zarkon, eaten goo in some weird Castle. That's a lot to process in, uh... I don't know. What day is today?"

"It's the third quintant of the Spicolian movement." Coran answered. "Hump day!"

Hunk rubbed the back of his neck, and Coran wasn't helping. "—It's a lot to process."

"You must understand the stakes of our mission." Allura brought up a map of the universe from the Castleship's computer and displayed it to them. "Over the last 10,000 years, the Castle picked up distress beacons from the following locations. So, we have to assume that Zarkon has conquered almost the entire known universe." The princess moved the map to the Milky Way where it appeared barely out of Zarkon's reach. "Earth is here. An attack on your planet is inevitable."

"Oh no..." Hunk said slowly.

"Exactly. Our mission is to free all those planets. Coran and I are getting the Castle ready to leave Arus. During that time, you have to learn to form Voltron, so we can begin fighting Zarkon."

"The Princess is right." Shiro said. "Let's get to our Lions and start training."

"Wait. But I want to talk to the prisoners we rescued from the Galra ship." Pidge said.

Coran interrupted "Ah, negative, Number Five." He measured Pidge's height with his hands. "I have you ranked by height, okay? The prisoners need to remain in the cryo-replenishers until tomorrow."

"That's right. Now, get to your Lions." Allura commanded.

-Outside the Castle of Lions-

Most of them waited in their lions for Hunk's arrival.

"... Should someone go in after him?" Lance asked.

The Yellow lion finally arrived flying to them. "Hey, sorry, everybody." Hunk said, "Seriously, though, can't they park these things, like, a little closer to the Bridge?"

"All right, guys. Let's just fly in tight formation until we're totally in sync." The Black paladin said.

Kate heard Allura's voice from the castle, "Feel the bond with your Lions and your fellow pilots until five become one unit and you form Voltron!"

The Lions took off, flying in sync. They flew around the sky like that yelling 'Yeah!'. But with each direction they took, their 'Yeah!' slowly turned less enthusiastic.

"Whoo... " the yellow paladin said sarcastically. "Am I the only one who's still pretending to be excited?"

They all had to agree. This did not make any difference.

"Clearly, this isn't working." Kate heard Shiro say. "Let's set down for a little bit."

"Maybe we should be building Voltron from the ground up." Kate suggested.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, let's try literally building voltron, like, stacking on top of each other."

Lance snorted. "Like a cheerleader pyramid?" His tone was kind of a bit of a mock.

"You got a better idea?" Kate countered. She was sure Lance was frowning at her angrily.

Shiro said, "It's worth a try."

They stacked their Lions atop each other, but the Yellow lion was at the top.

"Hunk, what are you doing?" Shiro questioned

"What do you mean?"

"You're supposed to be the leg, over there."

"What? No. No, no, no. I'm pretty sure that when we did it last time, I was the head. Right?"

"You yelled, 'I'm a leg!'" Lance pointed out.

"Yeah," Hunk said reluctantly. "But, I was yelling a lot of things."

Oh god, Kate thought pinching the bridge of her nose. "Shiro's the head." She stated, getting to the point.

"All the time?"

The raven-haired girl rolled her eyes. It's gonna be a long day.

They tried again stacking their Lions properly. "Okay." Shiro said landing on the red and green lion carefully. "Arms and legs... and I'll form the head. Feel the bonds with your Lions. Now, channel your energy into forming voltron" Kate closed her eyes. "Focus... Focus..."

Still, this was not making much of a difference.

"Is everyone bonding and focusing?"

"Why was this so much easier before?" Lance questioned.

Kate heard Shiro sigh, dejected. "Let's take a break." He said.

Allura appeared on her screen from the Command Room. "Sorry to interrupt," she said. "but I may be able to help. Yesterday, you weren't able to form Voltron until you were in the heat of battle."

They agreed with her. Yesterday's battle was intense and, well, they were sort of in a mess.

"Perfect. Because I need to run a diagnostic test on all of the Castle's defenses." They watched her press a button. "This should help!"

The castle suddenly started firing from its particle barrier, bombarding the Lions. They reacted quickly by screaming and fleeing.

"Allura, what are you doing?!" Kate demanded, dodging the lasers. The princess appeared on her screen, smiling.

"Running a diagnostic test on the Castle defenses and inspiring you!" She said cheerfully. "I believe in you, Paladins! Let fear be your guide! Form Voltron!"

"Fear be our guide? " the raven-haired girl cried. "The last time I let fear override me, I lost control. BADLY!"

That wasn't a lie. When her father was still alive, he didn't trust the group of kids she used to hang out with. They knew she was a girl during that time and most of them were boys. So due to his overprotectiveness, he lied to her saying that all men were wolves and they eat innocent little girls. She was naive and believed it, but his plan backfired. She thought he was also a wolf and he raised her to eat her. She was so terrified that before he could explain, she punched him in his gut and knocked him unconscious when he took another step to her. Things got a little awkward 3 months later, but...(you get the point).

"Oh, forget this! I'm heading back to the Castle!" Kate heard Lance say.

She didn't know which direction he was going, but she heard a huge banging sound from a distance followed by Lance's screaming. His attempt to escape must have failed.

"Please stop! Please! Have mercy on us!" Hunk pleaded.

"You think Zarkon is going to have mercy on you?" Allura said. "He's probably on his way right now to destroy us all!"

True. Sendak could attack any time, they managed to defeat him last time because they somehow miraculously formed Voltron.

But still, this was not the way!!

-Castle Lounge-

(Allura thinks both Pidge and Kate are guys, so this is from her perspective, kinda)

Allura clapped her hands in delight when she saw them, sans Shiro and Keith, on the couch. "You did it! You formed Voltron!"

"No." Pidge sighed. "The shooting stopped and the particle barrier shut down, so we just flew in."

"What?" She said flatly.

"Oh, right. Uh, sorry, Princess." Coran said sheepishly behind her. "I had to turn off the Castle defenses to test the fire suppressors."

"What are you guys doing in here?" Shiro questioned entering the room. "We're not taking a break."

"Shiro's right. You should be training." Allura agreed.

Hunk groaned slumping at the back of the couch. "We've been training. When are we going back to Earth?"

"I'm not going back until I find my family." Pidge said firmly.

"Guys, there won't be an Earth if we don't figure out how to fight Zarkon." The black paladin pointed out. He scanned the room and frowned. "Wait, where's Keith?"

Pidge said, "Well, as soon we got in, Keith bolted from us saying he needed to use the bathroom. But that was like...twenty minutes ago."

Lance huffed. "He's probably taking this long cause he's-"

"Lance," Hunk reprimanded, "I ate my breakfast an hour ago, I'm not in the mood to barf it all out."

"I was gonna say he's probably in the bathroom to look at himself." They gave him an incredulous look. "What? I spend nearly an hour in front of the mirror applying cosmetics."

"Oh, get real Lance," Hunk brushed him off. "Keith gets into fights with other people and I've seen him get a bruise on his cheeks every now and then. Why would he do that if he was vain?"

Lance didn't respond. Both Pidge and Hunk fist-bumped each other.

"Keith caring about his looks is probably the strangest and dumbest thing I have ever heard."

-Meanwhile in Kate's room-

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Kate said looking at her reflection in horror. "Now is not the time!"

She touched the black cat ears sticking out of her head. Great. Her anxiety and fear went overboard. "'Let fear be you guide'" She grumbled, mocking Allura's quote. "Sure, and let my ears and tail pop out, what a great idea!" She said sarcastically, throwing her hands up.

Even though she was born with these, Chaos showed her a way to conceal them so she could look normal. But she needed to be calm first and then meditate for at least half an hour. And right now, she didn't have that sort of time!

She yelped when she heard a knock at her room door. "Who is it?" She asked, followed by a cat purr which she instantly tried to muffle clapping both her hands over her mouth. Gosh, how irritating.

"Keith?" It was Shiro. "You okay?"

"—Yeah, yup, totally," she lied, panicking a bit. "What's up?"

"Okay..." there was a tinge of uncertainty in his voice. "Well, we need to get back to training, so—I mean, if you're well-"

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Kate said quickly. "Go ahead, I'll catch up." She said gesturing for him to leave.

"...okay?"

Her mind was racing. She waited and held her breath until she couldn't hear his footsteps anymore. She then sighed in relief, but her eyes snapped open when she noticed the space mice gaping at her from her bed. What are they doing here?!

"You're not telling Allura," she warned. "You-guys-were-never-here!!"

And to think she had her personal space with these guys around.

-TRAINING DECK-

Kate's ears were hidden by her helmet so that at least put her at ease. Hopefully, it will stay like that for another half an hour.

"Okay, listen up, guys." Coran instructed through the speakers. "The Paladin code demands that you put your team members' safety above your own. A swarm of drones is about to attack. It's up to each of you to do everything you can to protect the other members of your team."

The Altean drones appeared surrounding them. They all raised their shields.

"Get ready." Shiro said.

The drones fired at them. Kate blocked a laser with her shield, from the corner of her eye, Pidge was struck at the back and the green paladin dropped into a hole that opened up underfoot.

Coran said "Protect your teammates-" Hunk got hit and fell into the hole. "-or no one will be there to protect you!"

The remaining paladins walked behind and huddled back-to-back to defend themselves.

"Time to increase intensity." Coran said.

The drone fire becomes rapid. They swirled around them, shooting intensely from all directions.

"You keeping up over there, Keith?" Lance teased.

She blocked another fire, trying to ignore him. "Just concentrate on keeping me safe."

He scoffed. "Me? I own this drill." He turned his head to her. "You're the one who needs to concentrate."

The drones fired at their heads. Shiro and Kate dodge by lowering themselves down, but Lance is distracted and does not. Realizing the situation, he lifted his foot when the shot came. Kate dodged the shot by rolling to the side, which surprised the other two paladins since they didn't see her look back. She didn't need to because she heard it coming. Whenever she had her cat ears sticking out of her head, her hearing senses enhanced. It's always been like that.

Kate quickly got back to her feet blocking more lasers. "Lance, focus!" She chided.

He blinked, he turned, facing her completely, "How did you-"

"Lance!"

Too late. With his back turned, the drone shot him and he yelled when he fell into the hole. Kate grumbled and was now back-to-back with Shiro. They managed to keep up blocking every shot, but her arms were getting tired.

"Keith, you okay?" Shiro asked blocking a laser.

"Never- better," she replied quickly gasping for air.

The drones slowly stopped swirling around them and the shots stopped completely. Both Shiro and Kate lowered their shields looking around.

"Excellent!" Coran exclaimed. "You two seem to bond naturally."

Kate placed a hand on her hips and smiled. "Probably because we've known each other from before."

"Nice work," Shiro praised, clapping her shoulder.

Kate had a funny feeling that her cheeks turned red.

"To form Voltron, you must trust in each other. This ancient paladin maze will teach you that trust. Your teammate can see the walls, but you cannot. So, listen carefully. If you touch the walls, you'll get a slight shock." Coran explained.

"Wait. Who's guiding me through?" Lance demanded.

Kate observed the maze and solved it in a few heartbeats before she spoke through Lance's helmet using a microphone. "Take two steps forward." She instructed.

"Oh, no. Not Keith." She heard him say. "Why does he get to be the man on the mic?"

"Now, just sit tight. You'll get your turn." Coran assured him.

She said again, "Like I said, take two steps forward, turn right, and take three steps that direction."

She watched Lance only turn right and hit a wall, getting shocked.

"You did that on purpose!" He yelled, whirling in the direction of the high room she was in.

"You're not listening."

"You said, 'Turn right.'" He pointed out.

"But, before that, I said, 'Take two steps forward.'" She countered.

She heard him grumble. "Two steps—"

She watched him get shocked again. "We're switching places right now!"

Kate sighed. How was she going to explain to this chucklehead that he had taken a step forward in the wrong direction?

Meanwhile, Coran had just figured out that the castle’s invisible maze was malfunctioning. But he decided not to tell both the blue and red paladins for fear that they might chase him to oblivion. He sighs, these two may fight a lot but they can be pretty mean(and scary) when angered.

-outside the castle-

The team flew their Lions through the sky for the next test.

"You'll never be able to form Voltron unless each of you has a strong bond with his Lion." Coran said.

"No problem." Lance said confidently. "Me and Blue are best buds for life, for real."

"Perfect! Then you won't have any issues with this exercise. Everyone, put your Lions into a nose dive!"

They obeyed, and Coran went on. "This is an expert-level drill that you really shouldn't attempt until you've been flying for years, but, uh, we're in a bit of a rush, so here we go. Activating training helmets!"

Dark visors appeared over Kate's helmet blocking her sight, she couldn't see anything. She heard Lance scream.

"Coran what's happening?!" Lance said in a panic. "I can't see!"

" You must learn to see through your Lions' eyes." The old altein said. "The goal is to pull up right before you crash into the ground. Feel what the Lion feels!"

Kate continued to dive down, focusing on her connection with her lion. She was interrupted when she heard the chucklehead's voice.

"You still going, Keith?"

Great. Judging by his tone, he was going to be cocky again.

"You know it." She replied. "You?"

"Going? I'm speeding up!"

Kate bristled. "Lance, if you're challenging me, now is not a good time."

"You getting scared?" He taunted, which was a big mistake.

Her face darkened when he said that, a memory nearly long forgotten, flickered in her mind.

Kate was no more than six years old, trembling down on the floor in a small room she was locked up in. She touched her left shoulder and winced. "It hurts...it hurts," she whimpered to herself, trying hard not to cry.

She flinched when the door unlocked, a blonde woman entered the room and smiled at her. "Hello, Irina." She said lowly. "Why, what's wrong? Are you scared? You should be. I hear there's a lovely surprise for you."

Kate widened her eyes, she started trembling when the woman walked closer and closer to her. She could do nothing but cry.

But the snippets of memories still went on...

Hello, Irina…

Irina, you should not be afraid of seeing this. It's just one corpse. More are on their way…

Never fear, and never forget during your Hunts, Irina. There is no room for weaknesses...

Irina, Irina, Irina…

That name… that damn name...

Kate gritted her teeth and shut her eyes. "No...stay away!" She shrieked, pulling her lion out of the dive. She heard something crash from below. She removed her helmet, the blue lion was half-buried on the ground. She slumped at the back of the seat and took a deep breath. Damn it, Lance. A harmless taunt is enough to trigger her memories. She looked at her left shoulder and sighed. She made a silent note to herself to meditate for an hour after she got back into her room.

-back in the castle-

The raven-haired girl's cat ears were finally gone. She took her helmet off with ease before putting on a special headset handed to her by Coran. They all sat in a circle in the Training Deck as Coran spoke to them over the intercom.

"Now the most important part of paladin training is being able to meld your minds and focus on one thing: Voltron. Everything else has to fade away. This technique will be essential every time you form Voltron. So, relax and open your mind. No walls, no secrets between Paladins. Come on, everyone, clear everything. Now, focus on forming your Lion."

Kate opened an eye and looked at the image mental image in front of her. It was a gun. She looked at it blankly. To think she still thought of her father this much even though she'd let him go. The image changed into the red lion before anyone could see it. She looked at what the others had in their mind. Hunk was about food (no surprise there), Lance was about his family (Kate thought he would go for girls, maybe she shouldn't judge him too harshly), Pidge was the same photograph Hunk showed to them in her shack (which she thought something was vaguely familiar about), and Shiro was about the Kerberos mission. It may not mean anything in particular to the others, but Kate knew what he was thinking...or rather whom he was thinking about. The feeling stung in her chest as she knew it wasn't her.

Everyone's lions, sans Pidge's, moved to the center of the circle.

"Bring your Lions together a-and form Voltron. Keep your mind open, work together. Good!" Coran cheered. "Keep focusing! Only one to go!"

The Green lion has still not appeared. Pidge's mental image remained fixed and static-filled. Kate narrowed her eyes at Pidge. Something was off.

Lance finally opened his eyes wondering what the problem was. "Pidge stop thinking of your girlfriend!"

"I wasn't!" Pidge protested snapping back, the image instantly dissolved. "Hunk was rooting around in my head!"

"I-I thought we were open. You can look in my head hole." Hunk said waving his hand.

"Everyone has to be able to look in everyone's head holes!" Coran interjected. "Clear your minds!" He reminded.

They all tried again. All the lions appear this time moving together to the center.

"Good! Almost there. Now, form voltron!"

They nearly succeeded, but the image of Pidge's photograph disrupted the process.

"Pidge!" Lance griped.

The green paladin snapped in frustration and threw the headset off. "I'm done with this! Look, I don't like everyone grubbing around in my head!"

"Oh, come on, Pidge, we're starting to get the hang of this." Shiro tried to encourage her.

Pidge hesitated. "I'm just... I'm just tired, okay?"

A lie. It was definitely a lie, Kate could sense it. Sometimes being an empath was useful, she could tell what was true or false by people's emotions. Pidge was missing someone, and it was a guy. His brother, she guessed. But the photograph she had in her mind was of him and a girl, which didn't make sense. Not unless that girl was…

"Okay. Let's take a break." Shiro decided.

Coran handed them packs of fluid to drink as they sat and relaxed down on the floor. "You have been working hard. Maybe it's time to relax a little."

"What are you doing lying around?" Allura demanded, stomping towards them. Kate noticed the mice were on her shoulders, and she tensed. "You're supposed to be training!"

"Just resting a bit." Coran said weakly. "Y-You know, you can't push too hard."

Kate nodded nervously.

"What do you mean, 'can't push too hard'? " the princess questioned harshly. "Get up, you lazy lumps! It's time you faced the Gladiator!"

They all stood with their Bayards in the Training Deck.

"In order to defeat the Gladiator, five paladins must fight as one." Coran said.

A Gladiator robot dropped from the ceiling wielding a polearm staff. It attacked its closest target; Hunk. The yellow paladin yelped and panicked when the robot came charging towards him. He lifted his heavy gun and shot a couple of times but due to his bad accuracy of aim, the gladiator swiftly dodged the attacks. Kate lifted her shield blocking one of Hunk's missed shots, but when she looked at the Hunk again, he was knocked out.

Pidge came running to the Gladiator robot but the robot was too fast for the Green paladin, Pidge was sent flying in Hunk's direction. Lance shot from a distance with his gun, but the robot hit the shots aside with its staff while lunging at him. The gladiator struck, and Lance's gun skidded across the floor. With no weapon to defend himself, the robot hit Lance's side tossing him in the raven-haired girl's direction. Kate ducked when she saw it coming. Lance flew over her and sprawled on the floor. Shiro activated his galra prosthetic hand when the gladiator rushed to him. He was prepared to fight, but he froze. Something was wrong.

Kate launched herself to block the Gladiator's attack on him. The moment their weapons collided, Kate gripped the staff with her free hand and pulled it, making the robot step forward. She then turned and gave a round kick with her right leg, hitting its knee. For some reason, her sword felt oddly lighter, but she didn't let that bother her. The robot fell face flat, dropping its weapon. She used her advantage without hesitation, following a fighting style she was taught and reluctantly had to learn many years ago. Before the gladiator had a chance to get up, she struck. The robot stopped attacking after she stabbed the nape of its neck. She withdrew her weapon a heartbeat later. She looked up, the rest of the team had a twisted look of disgust and fear written on their faces.

"Too far?" She asked, grimacing a little. "Sorry, I was,uh...aiming for the...spine."

Hunk cringed. "That's quite a violent kill." He remarked.

"How did you do that?" Pidge asked, getting up from the ground.

Kate hesitated. "Uhh, well, when your opponent attacks you-"

"No, I mean, how did you do that?" Pidge pointed at her sword.

Or, she thought it was still her sword. It was the dagger. Her eyes widened and she stared at her blade with her mouth dropped. Her bayard changed into a dagger. Kate panicked, oh this wasn't good. The heat of the fight must have made her unconsciously change her weapon. And it wasn't good because she had a bloody history of using this weapon for...

She quickly turned and threw her weapon somewhere before turning to them with a flat face. "Do what? What dagger?" She asked.

They stared at her incredulously. She gave a nervous laugh.

Oh...what a day.

So after a hard time convincing the team that she threw the dagger out of overexcitement and had to deal with Lance's mockery- one thing led to another. She was cuffed... To Lance...Before having dinner.

"God, somebody shoot me now." She hissed lowly. When will the torture end?

"Coran, I want you to think about what you're doing." Hunk warned.

"Oh, this one's a classic." Coran assured. "You get to feed each other, like a pack of Yalmors!"

They gave him an unamused look.

-The Galra Empire, Hagger's experimental room (I think that's what it's called) -

Victor's wolf ears twitched in disgust when he watched one of Haggar's wild lab experiments come to life. Honestly, what is with this woman and her wicked magic? Anyway, he needed to contact Kolivan on what the old witch had planned. Whatever she created is always much more powerful than anyone could imagine. He blended with the shadows and fled to an empty dark corridor, he got rid of the cameras, so there was no need to worry about what they had to do next.

He snapped his fingers and a purple portal opened, its light disturbing the darkness. He leaped into it before it closed on its own. Leaving everything dark again.

-Back to the castle dining room-

"Oh, nice. You defiled my food goo!" Lance scowled at her after he pulled her wrist to his food.

"It's your fault!" She snapped. "This is ridiculous."

Allura growled in frustration for not having a peaceful meal. She set her spoon aside. "Do Earthlings ever stop complaining?"

"Can't you just give us a break?" Shiro finally said, "Everyone's been working really hard today."

"Yeah!" Kate nearly shouted. "We're not some prisoners for you to toy with, like... like..." She couldn't say, slaves. She hated using that word. She hated that word.

"Like a bunch of toy prisoners!" Lance quickly said raising the wrist he was cuffed with Hunk, gesturing what the alteans were doing.

Not really the word she was looking for but...oh forget it."Yes!" She agreed. "Thank you, Lance!"

"—You do not yell at the Princess!" Coran ordered.

"Oh, the Princess of what!?" Pidge said in a mock. "We're the only ones out here and she's no Princess of ours!"

The altean snapped by flinging a spoonful of goo at Pidge. Pidge froze, disgusted. Some of the goo slowly slid off the green paladin's face. Coran seemed surprised by the princess's actions. Pidge and Kate glared at her for a heartbeat before they both picked up her plate of goo.

"Go loose, Pidge!" Kate shouted before they both threw the goo at Allura.

Allura was unprepared, but Coran blocked the attack with a towel and tossed a huge scoop of goo all over the Paladins.

Hunk shook the goo off his head. "Oh, it's on now." He said lowly before vacuuming the goo on his plate with his mouth and spraying all of it to the alteans. This time Coran, couldn't deflect the attack.

They both growled and took a whole plate and bowl of goo to throw at them.

It was like war at first, each side throwing goo with hatred. But it got...fun. Something Kate hadn't experienced in such a long time. She couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed. She'd forgotten the liveliness people had in them, positive things she'd locked away in her heart and built a wall around her to shut the light out. The forgotten world she used to live in when her father was still around...

"Enough!" Allura erupted, causing all of them to stop laughing. "Do you see what you're doing?!" She demanded.

The Paladins stayed silent with an Oh-crap-we-are-screwed note in the air. They waited nervously for another lashing, but Allura's angry expression broke into a smile. "You're finally working together as one!"

"Hey, she's right!" Kate said smiling at Lance.

"I actually don't hate you right now." Lance agreed.

Hunk grinned. "You guys thinking what I'm thinking?

"Let's go form Voltron!" Shiro said.

"Actually, I was thinking about dessert. But, yeah! Let's do it!"

They cheered but Hunk accidentally let them all fall backwards to the chairs.

Guess today didn't go to waste after all.

-castle lounge-

"Man, that was cool!" Lance said punching his fist in the air excitedly after they successfully formed Voltron. "I'm so charged up, I don't know if I'm going to be able to sleep tonight."

Kate smiled a little. "Not me. When my head hits the pillow, I'm going to be lights out."

"I just want you to know-" Hunk said slipping between them. "-that I realized when we were in Voltron, we're brothers, man." He pulled both of them into a tight hug. Kate felt a little uncomfortable and she couldn't breathe. "You know? Like, we're totally connected. No secrets, no barriers, no nothing. Brothers all the way. I love you guys."

Kate stopped smiling and looked down to bite her lip after he said that. She felt a little guilty.

Lance asked, "G-forces mess with your head a little bit?"

"Yeah, maybe a little." He said sheepishly. "I-I don't know. It's been a tough few days."

Most of them started to head to their rooms calling it a night. Shiro asked if Pidge was okay, and the green paladin said yes but Kate knew she was lying again. She waited until only the two of them (except the mice) were in the room. Kate looked at her sadly. "Hey, Pidge?" She called. "Do you mind if I borrow the mice tonight?"

"Sure,"

All four mice left Pidge's side and ran to her. Kate brought them closer to her and placed them on her shoulders. She looked back at Pidge. "You know, if there's anything that's bothering, you could talk to me right?"

"Umm, sure?" Pidge said, her tone questioning why Kate was suddenly being nice to her. "Good night."

"Goodnight," Kate turned to leave but she halted. She said over her shoulder, "Oh, and by the way, you and your brother look alike in that photograph." Pidge's smile dropped, her eyes widened. "I admit, you had me fooled when we first met."

She gaped at her. "What? Keith, you-"

"Good night~" she crooned. And left Pidge, there dumbfounded.

Kate realized a while ago why there was something familiar with that picture. It wasn't the girl because that was Pidge. It was the boy. And it wasn't for the fact that Pidge made herself look exactly like him…

It was because she met and knew Matt Holt before...

On her way to her room, Platt squeaked to her. Kate looked at him from the corner of her eye. "What? So you've known about Pidge's gender this whole time?" Kate hummed. "Wow, that's surprising."

She wasn't exactly an animal talker. Compared to humans, animals use their minds to communicate with one another, not their mouths. Animals have a stronger mental link while others, such as humans, can't. She was a different story though. Being an empath made her communicate with animals more than she ever did with humans. They felt her emotion, she somehow knew what they were saying to her with just one look.

Chulatt squeaked to her and caused her to tense a bit. "My gender?" She laughed nervously. "Nope, I'm not telling anyone. The same goes with my annoying cat looking ears and tail."

Platt squeaked to her again, which made her cheeks go scarlet. "What?" She exclaimed. "You've also known about my crush with-

"Keith?" Shiro's voice echoed behind her.

She halted. She turned to him slowly. "-Shiro! What a surprise. What, uh... what are you doing here?"

"I actually wanted to talk to you." He walked to her.

She blinked. "Me?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm curious about something. Lance told me that you wanted to leave the garrison some reason." She cringed a little. "Did something happen?"

"Uhh-"

She couldn't say that Chaos was whispering in her dreams to find the blue lion. She also couldn't say that she became a little...unstable after she thought he died on the mission. And how was she going to explain that she used one of her abilities to manipulate Iverson and a whole lot of other people's memories to think she had another fistfight with other cadets to get her kicked out?

"I...uh, I couldn't do it." Was the vague answer she came up with.

"What?"

"I...well after I thought you were dead...I just...couldn't go on. It never felt the same back in the garrison. I had fights and..." she bit her lip.

"It's okay," he patted her head with a smile. "I'm here now. Look we are all in this together, so don't worry. If we do get back to Earth, I'll find a way to enroll you back."

She gaped at him. "Sounds...great." Giving him a wary smile.

He nodded and patted her shoulder. "Good night, Keith." He said leaving.

"Night," She replied, in a nearly hushed voice.

She watched him leave until he was gone. She sighed heavily and leaned against the wall, slowly sagging down. The mice squeaked again, laughing.

"Shut up," she mumbled, shutting her eyes.

She hated lying to him, it pained her chest. But there was no way she could tell the truth to him now.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

-Castle Lounge(No one's POV but it does center on Kate/Keith)-

The paladins had been looking forward to their first movie night in space. Pidge had spent weeks scouring the remnants of Earth’s digital archives, finally managing to download a movie she believed would be a nice, heartwarming experience for everyone. It was a rare chance for the team to unwind, especially for Coran and Allura, who had never watched an Earth movie before.

They gathered in the common area of the Castle of Lions. The lights were dimmed, and a cozy atmosphere settled over the room. Hunk had prepared an assortment of alien snacks that vaguely resembled Earth popcorn, and everyone found a comfortable spot.

"Alright, team! I managed to download 'Hachiko - A Dog's Tale'," Pidge announced proudly. "It’s supposed to be a cute movie about a dog. Should be fun!"

Lance then says, “Well if it's about a dog, then we all know the dog movie is going to be adorable!"

"Sounds delightful!" Coran exclaimed, his mustache twitching with excitement. "I’ve been curious about these Earth entertainments."

Allura smiled, settling next to him. "I’m looking forward to this. It’s a wonderful way to learn more about Earth culture."

Kate raised an eyebrow, she felt skeptical as always. "Are you sure it's a cute movie, Lance?" The last time she watched a dog movie, she remembered how her father and Alex had cried for quite a while when the movie ended.

Lance waved her off. "Come on, how sad can a dog movie be?"

Pidge nodded, started the movie, and the screen flickered to life. "Let's just start it. It'll be fun to see Coran's and Allura's reactions."

The lights dimmed, and the movie began. The story unfolded, showing Hachiko as a puppy, his bond with Professor Parker Wilson, and the deepening connection between them.

Allura's eyes sparkled with delight. "Oh, look at him! He's so small and adorable."

Coran, with his impressive mustache twitching in curiosity, added, "What a loyal little creature. I can see why humans are so fond of them."

As the movie progressed, they all became enamored with Hachiko, the faithful Akita dog. Lance and Hunk couldn’t stop commenting on how adorable the dog was, and even Kate, herself, who often kept a stoic demeanor, let herself soften.

“This is really nice,” Lance whispered to Hunk. “Just what we needed.”

The mood shifted subtly as the movie unfolded, but the team remained blissfully unaware of the impending heartbreak. Hachiko's routine of waiting for his owner at the train station became a poignant symbol of loyalty and love.

Shiro, sitting with a gentle smile, found himself reflecting on his bonds with the team. Coran and Allura were thoroughly engrossed, their eyes wide with fascination at this glimpse into Earthly life.

Allura's eyes sparkled with delight. "Oh, look at him! He's so small and adorable."

Coran, with his impressive mustache twitching in curiosity, added, "What a loyal little creature. I can see why humans are so fond of them."

Then came the heart-wrenching twist: Hachiko's owner passed away unexpectedly. The once joyful waiting turned into a decade-long vigil of heartbreaking loyalty.

The room fell silent. The paladins’ initial smiles faded, replaced by furrowed brows and teary eyes. When Hachiko continued to wait for Parker at the train station, day after day, even after Parker's passing, the atmosphere grew heavy. Hunk's face fell, a tear rolling down his cheek, followed by Lance, who tried to blink away the tears rapidly filling his eyes. Pidge felt a lump in her throat, her attempt to provide a light-hearted evening now feeling like a miscalculation. She glanced apologetically at Shiro, who gave her a reassuring nod, though his own eyes were glistening. Kate clenched her fists, visibly moved but struggling to maintain composure.

Allura, seeing the profound sadness on the screen, placed a hand over her heart. “This...this is so deeply moving,” she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. Coran, usually so full of lively expressions, sat in stunned silence, his eyes moist with empathy.

As the movie ended, the credits rolling silently on the screen, the group sat quietly, each lost in their thoughts and emotions. It was Lance who finally broke the silence, his voice trembling slightly.

"Well... that was... more than I expected."

Hunk nodded vigorously, wiping his eyes. "Yeah, me too. I thought it was just going to be about a cute dog."

"It was about a lot more than that," Shiro said softly, trying to maintain his composure. "Loyalty, love... loss. It was a good experience. Together."

Coran cleared his throat, his usual boisterousness tempered. "Earth’s stories are quite powerful. It’s a tale that speaks to the heart.”

Kate managed a small smile. They were right. "See what I told you guys about Dog movies? They are always going to be sad. Just maybe something a bit more cheerful next time?"

Laughter broke the somber mood, the group finding comfort in their shared emotions. The paladins went their separate ways for the night, each carrying a piece of Hachiko’s story with them. As they drifted off to sleep, they did so with the understanding that no matter the distance from Earth, the power of a good story could still reach them, touching their hearts in the deepest of ways.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

-12 years ago... (no one's point of view)-

"Hey, isn't that girl new?" Glade asked the rest of his friends while they ate their breakfast. A little raven-haired girl with short hair entered the room, carrying a tray of her food while she talked to that blonde lady (who worked in the facility) who escorted her.

Felix nodded while he ate his bread. "Yeah, I heard she was brought here by that crazy doctor last Monday."

The girl wore the same white T-shirt as the rest of them. Except her t-shirt was longer as it reached down her knees, exposing her small new scars on her bare legs. She had bandages on her left arm and shoulder.

Emily, the youngest of them all, frowned. "Strange. Why wasn't she eating here for the past 3 days?"

"I overheard the guards say the doctor abused her so badly, she kept passing out from blood loss," Felix replied as he looked at the raven-haired girl with pity.

Elena growled, jabbing her knife at the heart of her bread. "That bastard. What is he thinking? She looks as pale as death."

Alex ignored the violence. The blonde woman left her and locked the room tight. "Hey, you," he called the girl. "Want to sit with us?"

The girl turned her head to him. Her eyes were mismatched. One was violet while the other was silver. "Huh?" she responded warily.

Alex recognized her immediately and went pale. "Katherine?" he breathed.

"Alex..?"

...

-In the castle, dining hall-

The old memory snapped out of her mind and she was brought back to reality when she heard Lance's voice.

"Seriously, how far do you think my Lion kicked that broken alien ship?"Lance asked the rest of the paladins, sans Pidge, when they entered the hall after they’re training. Kate glared at him. "Must have been like a mile!"

"Yeah, that'll come in handy when the Galra challenges Voltron to a soccer match." The raven-haired girl twitted.

"Hey, I did something cool and you can't handle it." Lance said with a smug. "I get it."

"Your kick ruined our balance." She pointed out, countering him. "We

fell.

"

She walked away from him to the table as she heard him grumble lowly, she had a point.

"Well that falling part was Hunk's fault." He said defensively, following behind her.

"Hey!" The yellow paladin griped.

"All right," Shiro interjected stopping their argument, "save your energy for fighting Zarkon."

As they sat, Coran entered holding a bowl with a lid on it. "Hello, Paladins!" He said cheerfully. "How was the Voltron workout?"

"We're getting there." Shiro replied, exhausted. "Are you and Allura almost done fixing the Castle so we can leave this planet? I feel like we're sitting ducks here on Arus."

It was true. They've been stuck on this planet for almost a week.

"Just about." The old altein placed the bowl on the table. "In the meantime, to get your minds off those duck seats you're worried about, I made you guys an authentic ancient Paladin lunch!" He revealed an abomination he cooked up and it made her feel sick. Everyone looked at it in disgust.

Kate averted her eyes to the left, her attention was caught by the mice waving and jumping at her from a distance. They wanted her to follow them somewhere.

"Coran you just got me hooked on that goo and now you're switching it up?" She heard Hunk say.

"This is packed with nutrients." Coran informed, happy with what he made.

Kate turned to them. "You know, I just lost my appetite." She walked a few steps behind her. "I'm not hungry. You guys can enjoy it. I'll see you later." She exited the room in a hurry. Leaving them confused.

-Castle lounge-

Kate entered the empty room and spotted the mice in front of her. She walked towards them. "There you are. Why did you call me?"

"I am sorry, Leana. I asked them to bring you here."

Kate froze, she recognized that voice. She slowly looked up and growled at Chaos. "What do you want now?" She demanded slowly gritting her teeth.

Chaos giggled. "I see you still have not learned any manners since we last parted." Leana Dear, are you pouting?

"Get to the point, Chaos. Why are you here?"

The woman removed her hood revealing her horns and ocean blue hair. "To talk to you, of course." She said in her usual calm, honey voice. "Have you learned anything about yourself so far?"

Her anger dissolved. Kate kept a blank look, chewing her lip from the inside. It might have been a coincidence that her appearance in her other state looked similar to Sendak's features. Features of a galra.

"I see you still have doubts," Chaos noted, seeing through her. "No, matter. Time will tell. We certainly cannot rush things you are still not prepared for."

She still stayed silent. Kate looked down and asked, not looking into her eyes, "You have the power to see the future, how can you be so sure sending me to space was a good idea? I mean what if I...what if I break again?" She looked up, fear slowing filling her chest. "What if I hurt them, my friends? Or anyone? I don't want to leave a trail of murders all over again."

Chaos's eyes softened. "Your feelings are understandable. But all of what happened to you is in the past. Things are different now. You have a choice. I know you suffered terribly, but hiding from your problems is not a way to resolve it. Neither is lying."

"...Are you here just to remind me this?"

Chaos's mist slowly appeared, surrounding the cloaked woman. She smiled. "That depends. If you ask the right questions, I could tell you more. But for today, my time is limited. Goodbye for now." Then she disappeared.

Kate sighed a heartbeat later. She jerked her head to the couch. "You are not telling Alllura this, either." Kate warned the mice.

Then the alarm blared.

Another false alarm, Kate silently grumbled, annoyed. She thought Sendak attacked again and nearly ran to her lion until she saw a short alien the size of a dwarf. They went to visit the Arusian's village to clear off the misunderstandings the villagers had about them and Voltron. Both Kate and Allura jumped in panic when the Arusian king and his people attempted to sacrifice themselves after Allura turned down their 'dance of apology'. Honestly, she'd seen enough people get hurt, a sacrifice was the last thing she wanted. Also, how do you get these things off her? While she liked hugs she still needs to be cautious.

-later-

"Team, come in! We need backup!" Kate heard Shiro say through her armor. "Hello?"

"Shiro?"

"Where is everyone?" He demanded.

"What's going on?" She asked, looking around. She noticed something crashing down to the atmosphere. The incoming spacecraft caused the ground to shake and rumble across the surface. "Oh, no." She turned to the others and shouted, "We gotta get to our Lions!"

The villagers started running for safety, Allura guided them, "Everyone get inside and stay down!" She shouted.

"I'm on it!" Hunk fled along with them. The raven-haired girl stopped him and dragged him back to their lions by the back of his armor.

"Not you!!" She growled.

They managed to save Shiro and Pidge in time before the monster struck. They formed Voltron, but the monster still kicked their butts. Lance tried to show off by kicking it, she tried to protest, but he brushed her off. Hope he learned his lesson, cause he missed and the monster's orb hit them again. Her lion purred in her mind to insert her Bayard in the lion's keyhole and she didn't hesitate to obey. Voltron summoned a saber and delivered its final blow to the monster by slicing it once. The fight came to an end after the monster exploded.

Everyone cheered at their victory.

"We did it!" She heard Pidge say.

"How did you do that?" Hunk asked her.

She was too stunned to respond. "Whoa..." she whispered to herself. "At least it's better than a dagger." She said with a chuckle.

-later, outside the Castle-

She wasn't spying on them. She just wanted to make sure things were alright. When they formed Voltron, Kate could sense Pidge had something against Shiro which made her worry. She watched them from afar, hiding herself in the bush as Pidge hugged Shiro in tears. "I'm so sorry I doubted you!" Pidge cried. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Shiro returned the hug. "I can tell you really miss them. I know they miss you, too. Your brother and father would be proud of you, Katie."

"Katie?" Kate murmured taken back. "Wow...hope our names don't get too confusing."

Pidge too was surprised as she pulled away.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." Shiro assured her.

She nodded, wiping her tears away with her sleeve.

Kate smiled at them before turning and heading back to the castle.

To be frank, being around everyone made her feel... happy. Maybe it was their company or their cheerful attitudes, she wasn't sure what.

It kind of reminded her of how things were when she was with the others when they were held captive in the facility.

Her mind drifted again into that long distant memory...

-In the past-

"I came here because they threatened me." Kate said bitterly as she sat at their dining table. "Daddy is recovering in the hospital, and if I disobey that doctor, they'll kill him."

Alex glanced at her arm. "What has he done to you?"

Kate looked down. "That doctor used a blade decorated with red gems to cut my arm and back. I lost so much blood that I kept passing out. .. I don't know why he's doing this but I think... he's trying to get me used to these pain."

"What happened to your eye?" Felix asked.

Kate covered her silver eye. "I'm currently blind in this side of the eye. My command ability, I went over my limit. He-he made me use it on the rats they brought. Told me this power of control could be used in different ways...

horrible ways

.."

They all went silent when she whispered, "He made me

stop their hearts..

."

Her cousin gripped her hand with his. Assuring her that he's there for her.

"That bastard," Elena scowled, "That sick, unforgivable, bastard."

"Will your eye recover?" Glade asked.

"In a few hours, yes." she replied not looking at him. "My sight will return. But when it does, I know he's planning to make me do it again."

Emily touched her shoulder which startled the raven haired. "It's okay," she said calmly, "we've all been there. I'm not saying it as a good thing, but it's kind of normal for us to take lives. That doctor made me a pro thief and I mug every wealthy looking people. There were a couple of times when that man forced me to kill them for his sick pleasure..."

Elena sighed. "That man once forced me to kill someone working in a drug store with an ax."

Kate turned to her cousin. "Alex, you too?"

His face darkened. "I don't want to talk about it."

"The point is," Glade began, "we shouldn't let our sins get the better of us. Sure we'll feel guilty doing his dirty work, but we have to be strong. One day we'll get out of here and make sure that bastard pay for what he'd done to us because...well, we're kind of like family to each other."

Alex smiled at her. "Be strong, Kate."

She stared at all of their smiling faces, and for once after so many days of torture and pain, she smiled back.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

-Castle, ballroom-

Kate felt sick. It was getting hard to breathe just standing around a lot of people. When they celebrated their victory, the princess invited all the Arusians to her castle. Sure it was nice and all, but not when she had to be part of the crowd! A whole ocean of emotions swept her mind and soul (not in a good way).

This was the drawback of being an empath. Being in a small room with over three people made her sick. Being in a huge hall with over thirty people made her sick. She needed to be in an open area to tolerate all of this.

"Keith, you okay?" Hunk asked her.

"Never better," She rasped, which didn't help.

He looked at her even more concerned. "Maybe you should, like, see a doctor. Or rest somewhere."

A doctor? She'd rather dig her own grave than see a doctor...

Lance came to them with his drink. "Hey, I got an idea about our victory cheer." he beamed. "How about, I say 'Vol' and you say 'Tron.' Vol—!"

He paused, waiting for an answer.

Kate raised a brow, not getting it. "Uh... Vol-tron?" She panted a little.

"No! No, no, no, no, no." Lance said shaking his head. "The cheer includes the instructions. I say 'Vol' and you say..."

She craned her head forward, still confused."... Vol-tron?" She repeated.

The blue paladin sighed. "... We'll work on it."

Hunk turned to her. "You've never tried these things with your friends?"

"I've never had any friends during my teenage years." She replied bluntly. She just casually shrugged her shoulders.

They both tensed. Oops, a wrong way to start a conversation, they mentally thought.

Kate just stared at them, frowning. "What?" Her voice was getting weaker.

Lance scratched his head. "Keith, you okay?" He asked, making her shoulder tense. "You look...really, really pale. Like more paler than usual. Want to drink some of this?" He gestured to the cup he was holding.

Kate sniffed the air and then clapped her hands over her nose from the foul smell. She took three long steps away from Lance. "No," she said quickly. "I don't think you should try it either."

Then she fled to an empty corridor. She didn't stop running until she couldn't sense anything around her. She looked at her surroundings then sighed. Her back hit the wall and she let her body sag down to the ground. She flinched when she heard the mice squeak nearby. She let them climb to her shoulders. "What- what are you guys doing here?" She asked, taking a breath.

Chulatt squealed to her.

She gasped. "Pidge is going to do what?" She said in aghast. She got back to her feet instantly. "Where is she?"

-A carrier pod(Pidge's perspective)-

Pidge managed to slip away from the party without being noticed. She was surprised no one asked her about her backpack full of supplies. She made up her mind to leave the team to find her family. That was her plan from the start when she got blasted into space. Rover silently followed from behind as she climbed to the seat of the carrier pod but froze when she heard a voice next to her.

"Isn't it a little too early to call it a night?" Keith asked casually sitting on the next seat.

She jumped, nearly falling out. "Keith!" She exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Keith shrugged. "Oh, no reason. Just that I was planning to leave voltron tonight to find my family and not say goodbye to the rest of the team."

Pidge looked down and pouted. "How did you know?"

"The mice keeps me updated,"

"The mice?" She questioned. Pidge paused, studying him. "Are you...going to stop me?"

Keith averted his eyes from her. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Normally I would. I probably would be yelling at you right now, but Shiro is against me being unreasonable. So I'm not going to. Though, I'm wondering why you're doing this."

Pidge huffed. "Why? You know why! It's my family!"

He shook his head. "No, I get that. I mean, why are you doing this alone?"

She blinked.

Keith went on. "We're a team, remember? With us, you have everything you need to make your search faster. If you went solo, you have to survive without any help. I can see you packed with supplies, but how long will it last? How long will it take to find your family? You can't fight the entire empire alone. You'll be—"

"Okay, okay! I get it!" Pidge shouted holding up her hands. "I get your point...I didn't think that far." She sighed. "But what am I supposed to do? I don't want just-"

"-Sit around, thinking you're not helping?" Keith finished her sentence. "Yeah, I know how you feel. I always end up doing reckless things and get in trouble for that."

Pidge just laughed. She didn't know why she found that funny, but she just laughed. Keith smiled at her after she calmed herself down.

"You and Shiro known each from before, right?"

Keith nodded. "He was always there for me." He said smiling. "And he always got me out of trouble back when I was still a cadet. I was a hellion. I owe him a lot."

"What about your family? Weren't they there for you too?"

Keith sighed heavily. "Nope. My dad died when I was eleven-" Pidge flinched from the news "-and my mom...well, she was never there to begin with. She didn't stay long enough to leave any sort of memories or messages for me."

"Oh," was all she could say. Both Keith and Allura lost their fathers too. Pidge cleared her throat. "I've been wondering about this for sometime," she said trying to change the subject. "but, how did you know I was...you know..." she trailed off.

"A girl?" He ran his fingers through his hair. "Call it instinct." The raven-haired 'boy' looked down. "And … since we're confessing, I have to tell you something too. I was being a little unfair to you, so I might as well just make it a tie."

Pidge waited. "What is it?"

Keith said nervously. "I'm a girl too."

-Castle Bridge-

The look Pidge had on her face was priceless. She couldn't explain when the entire castle suddenly shook and rumbled.

"Don't tell anyone," was all she said before they both got out of the pod and ran to the bridge.

When they got there, the rest of the team stared at the scene in horror.

"What happened?!" Shiro demanded, helping Coran get up.

"Ugh... I'm not sure." The old altean said slowly.

Allura gasped. "The Crystal!" The smoke cleared, and they saw Lance unconscious. "Lance!"

Shiro ran to his side and shook him a little. "Lance..?" No response. "Lance!"

"We have to get Lance to the infirmary!" Pidge yelled.

Kate stepped to help, but she halted when a memory, Lance's memory, flashed into her mind...

Kate found herself in a room she didn't recognize. It wasn't the garrison, it was someone's home. A young tanned girl sat on the couch, reading a magazine. Her hair was short and chocolate brown and she wore glasses. Lance entered the room wearing...actually, she didn't know what he was wearing. But it kinda looked funny. The girl looked at him baffled by his clothes. "Hey," She said, "I see you're ready and psyched about Halloween...um, what are you dressed as?"

Lance flipped his hat and grinned at her. "Space cowboy." He said with pride.

She gave him an unamused look. "Okay, A: there are no cows in space. B: didn't you wear that last year?"

"So?"

"So, don't you think you should move on?"

"I like it."

The girl just shrugged and went back to her magazine. Lance sat next to her. "So, where's mom and dad, Veronica?" He asked her.

"Dad went to pick up our other younger siblings, mom went grocery shopping." She replied not looking at him. "What about you? How are things going in the Garrison?"

He leaned back on the couch. "The usual. I'm still trying to beat Keith."

"No luck so far?"

"Nope," he bristled. "How can that guy be the top of the class? With that attitude and...and mullet. Tch, I'm jealous of him. I bet his life must be great."

Veronica flipped a page. "I wouldn't really say that. That guy is an orphan."

Lance's anger dissolved from his face. "Oh," he looked away. "Okay, my bad. But still! How the heck can he so natural in flying and doing things that looks cool. Ugh, that guy doesn't even know he's popular with the girls."

"More popular than you?" She teased.

Lance waved it aside. "I'm just envious of him. I'm trying my best to beat him, but he's not trying to push me aside and bring me down. He's just—"

Veronica grabbed both his cheeks. "Hey!" She said forcing him to look at her. "Just because he's better doesn't mean your terrible. I've seen you work hard to get people's attention to show your talent. To show who and what you can do. Forget him, this is you. You're not him. Focus on your life, not his." She let him go. "Besides, even if you don't feel like a hero in public, your the hero in our family." She said smiling.

He was silent for a few heartbeats, letting all of what his sister said sink in. Lance returned the smile. "Thanks, Veronica. You are a great little sister."

She flushed. "I'm literally older than you!"

He laughed. "And you're probably right about this costume, I need to move on." He gasped to himself like a great idea zapped into his mind. "I know, I'll dress up as Shirogane!" He said with glee before bolting out of the room.

Both Kate and Veronica looked at the door he disappeared into moments ago with an unamused look on their faces.

Veronica sighed. "I don't know if Shirogane would be flattered or insulted by this." She said to herself.

Kate silently agreed.

"—where the Crystals come from. I'll tell you about it on the way!" Coran said talking to Hunk as they ran. Pidge followed them from behind.

Kate blinked and looked around. How much time passed? What did she miss?

Allura placed her hand on her shoulder. "Keith, we have to go and see what's happening at the Arusian village." She said.

Kate just nodded.

"I'll tend to Lance and stand watch over the Castle." Shiro said holding him.

Kate was reluctant to leave the two of them, but she couldn't argue. She looked at Lance's unconscious face one last time. The only explanation for how she saw his memory was because he was thinking about it not too long ago. He misses Earth. He misses his family.

Both Kate and the princess sprinted to the exit.

-Forward-

It was too late. She should have seen it, she should have realized it sooner that Sendak planned all this.

Kate punched the particle barrier with her fist in frustration. Shiro and Lance were still in there. And they were stuck out here. She...failed them.

"They have control of the Castle." Allura said in horror. "They're taking Voltron!"

"Can we break through the barrier?" The raven-haired girl asked.

"No. And whoever has taken the Castle has a Crystal, which means they'll be able to fly the ship. We have to stop them."

"How are we going to do that?"

"Keith, can you hear me?" Kate heard Pidge's voice through her helmet.

"Pidge?"

(The old author forwarded a lot if you don't mind)

Kate and Allura watched the barrier come down.

"It worked!" Kate balled her fist.

They both ran inside the castle.

Don't die on me, Lance...Shiro...please

They ran through the familiar corridors and rooms and finally reached the bridge. But she froze.

Kate's senses slowly drowned when she saw Sendak holding Pidge, slowly crushing the smaller girl with his gauntlet.

"You really thought your little hologram trick would work with me?" He said in a murderous voice." Pidge grunted in pain.

The world seemed to go slower around her. She couldn't hear anything else other than her own heart beating inside her.

Pidge was going to die…

"Keith," someone murmured her name.

Kate slowly looked at Lance and Shiro's direction. Lance still had his injuries and he was unconscious, but she could've sworn she didn't feel any sort of life coming from him. And Shiro...he looked more terrible than Lance. He was tortured. He was bleeding badly, and he was tired.

Sendak had tortured him. He made him suffer.

And she wasn't there to stop it.

She should have never left them. Now they were both near death.

It's your fault, an icy voice whispered in her mind.

You're too late. You were always too late.

"Keith?" Allura asked warily behind her.

Allura's voice drowned when she heard her heartbeat again.

No. No more deaths. She was tired of it, tired of experiencing it.

Another heartbeat.

She owed so much...she was not going to fail.

She felt her nails harden.

Another beat...

...

She finally snapped at the galra in rage.

Sendak noticed their presence, but he didn't have time to blink or react when Kate launched herself at him. She leaped at him like a panther attacking its prey from above, swiping for his face with a hand. She struck, four lines she gouged the side underneath his robotic eye with her nails. The galra screamed and threw Pidge to the ground. He tried to slash her, but she was too fast for him. She ducked and rolled to the side and snarled at him like a wild animal.

"What is the meaning of this!?" He demanded, touching his wound. Blood smeared on his fingertips, and he looked back at her. The raven-haired girl stood and growled at him, showing her sharpened canines. He then looked at her hands. "Claws?" He questioned lowly, he narrowed his eyes at her. "

What are you?

"

She attacked again. She lunged at him while dragging her right hand which was grazing the floor, creating marks on the surface. Sendak threw his gauntlet to stop her, but she gave an uppercut to it and deflected the attack, tossing his gauntlet in the air. Pidge took her chance and cut the energy chains that connected his arm to his body with her bayard. The galra's gauntlet fell and rolled away from him.

"No!" He roared enraged even more. He lunged at the green paladin but Kate tackled him to the ground. They both rolled until Kate was atop him, she summoned her bayard which changed into a dagger.

He has done this, he hurt them. He hurt him.

Sendak froze, she could feel fear coming from him. Good. He should be afraid.

The blade plunged down-

"KEITH!"

And it stopped. Her hand just stopped by the sound of Shiro's voice. The blade was just inches away from Sendak's face, another second late, he would never wake up again. Kate slowly looked up at Shiro's face. Then at Lance's unconscious face. Her rage died out inside her, and her senses slowly came back. She nearly tried to kill—

Sendak took this advantage. He grasped her arm and threw her to the ground, her body slid across the floor, hitting the wall.

"Keith!" Shiro yelled.

The galra got up. "Impressive," he mused. "You fight like a galra, so hungry to shed blood in hatred. Except you hesitate. A weakness emperor Zarkon would never tolerate. You-"

While he was distracted, Pidge pushed Sendak to the center of the Bridge and a barrier rose, trapping him. Kate looked at where the princess was, Allura had taken control of the castle while they were busy fighting with Sendak. She'd trapped him.

(Ending scene song - back to December. You can listen to the original or you can listen to the version sung by a YouTuber called krissysings. Recommended by the original author(·ω<)☆)

The red paladin pulled herself together sluggishly and slowly walked to Lance's side while Pidge freed Shiro from his cuffs.

"Lance," she knelt next to him, "Are you okay?"

"We did it." He murmured, as she pulled him upright. "We are a good team." He said grasping her hand before he collapsed in her arms. She let his head rest on her collarbone when she hugged him.

"I'm sorry, Lance." She said nearly sobbing. "I'm so sorry I left you and Shiro alone. I promise, you will see your family again."

-castle lounge-

After locking Sendak up, and putting Lance into the healing pod immediately, her mind eased a bit. Allura said Lance would be fine after a quintent? Oh, a day.

But that's not the only thing that bothered her.

Kate sat alone on the couch. She nearly did it again. Except she didn't break, she snapped this time.

Her anger drove her too far, she nearly killed someone.

Worst of all, Shiro had seen this bloodthirsty side of her. A side she desperately tried to hide from everyone.

Now what will he think of her?

She heard the door hissed open, but she didn't dare to look.

Never let the leash snap again, she told herself silently.

"Keith?" It was Shiro.

She didn't respond. The black paladin sat next to her on the couch. "You okay?"

Kate shook her head. "Thank you," She said in a hushed voice. "If you hadn't stopped me, then I would have..."

There was silence between them. The guilt within her was so strong, that it was swallowing her. Kate looked at her fingertips. They were still dry and dirty from Sendak's blood but they were back to normal. No longer sharp or hard.

The black paladin watched her and observed her behavior, his eyes softened. It wasn't long until Shiro pulled her into an embrace. "Everything will be okay. I promise you that." He whispered. "Don't worry about."

Kate just wanted to cry in his arms. Just why was he still gentle with her? Despite what he'd seen her do, despite how she reacted aggressively towards Sendak. He still never gave up on her. He still never left her behind.

Why did she have to suffer like this with guilt? Why did she love a man who would never feel the same about her?

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

-Castle, kitchen-

"God this coffee tastes horrible," Hunk cried. He took another sip, "Hmm, tastes like monkey peed in battery acid." Both Kate and Pidge gave him an unamused look. He looked at them and raised his mug. "Wanna try?"

"Are you sure drinking that is healthy?" Pidge asked. "The coffee machine we received from the Arusians is nearly 50 years old. That includes the coffee beans. And are you having it without milk?"

"Hey, I just want to have something that's related to earth." He said defensively. "It feels like forever since we left. Wouldn't you agree?"

Pidge hummed in thought. "My family is here somewhere in space. So earth isn't exactly on my mind right now."

"Oh...uhhh, Keith?"

Kate just shook her head from side to side. "Not really. Besides-" she added, "-even if we do go back to our planet early, it's not like there's anyone waiting for me to come back."

A chill air swept around the room. Pidge looked at the raven-haired girl. That was...really sad. Hunk made a mental note not to bring it up again, especially around the red paladin.

Shiro came in. "There you are," he said, Kate looked away from him. "I was looking for you guys. Lance is awake."

-dining hall-

They explained to Lance what happened after he passed out. Hunk and Coran getting the crystal, Pidge facing and defeating a galra on her own, the mice taking down the castle defenses.

"Wow." Lance said amazed. "Thanks, everybody." He turned to Kate with a smug. "Sounds like the mice did more than you, though."

Kate folded her arms. "I punched Sendak!"

"Yeah, apparently after I emerged from a coma and shot his arm off."

"Technically," Allura corrected, "Keith clawed Sendak on his face and was in a verge to kill him. Like an enraged beast." Kate cringed a bit. Allura turned to her apologetically. "I don't mean to offend, Keith. Your claw, or nail marks if you insist, are still visible on the floor of the Bridge."

She recalled grazing the surface before giving the galra's gauntlet an uppercut. Kate rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah...Sorry about that." She tried to change the subject. "But still," she turned to Lance. "We had a bonding moment. I cradled you in my arms!"

"Nope. Don't remember, didn't happen." He looked back at the princess. "So, what happened to Sendak?"

Excuse you!?

"He's frozen in a cryo-pod. We're keeping him here in the Castle."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Kate nodded. "I still think we should have thrown his body to space and let him freeze to death."

"He's too dangerous to be set free." Allura said calmly. "Besides, we might be able to get some information about Zarkon from him."

"So, what's the plan now?"

"We have to get back to the Balmera and save Shay and her people." Hunk said strongly.

"Wow! You are really hung up on this lady." Lance mused.

"No, it's not like that." He said defensively. "Look, guys, when you see how Zarkon treated these people and destroyed their home—They've been under his thumb for so long, they don't even 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."

Kate agreed. Being used and treated badly is what she hated to see. She noticed Pidge frowning to herself. She sensed her feeling guilty.

"Then let's get moving." Shiro decided. "Time to go defend the universe."

"Wait," The smaller girl said as they were about to leave for takeoff. "I have something to say first. 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" she hesitated. "I'm a girl."

Lance and Allura looked flabbergasted. Kate smiled at the smaller 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—"

Lance interjected, "Huh—Eh—Wha—?! You're a girl!? HOW!?" He demanded.

"There was another female in team?" Allura said stunned.

Kate frowned at the princess. "The mice never told you?"

Allura's eyes snapped at her. "The mice?" She questioned.

Kate nodded. "Yeah, the others, except Lance, knew about this too."

"What?!" She turned to the old altean. "Coran?"

Coran pulled his mustache. "Sorry, Princess, but I thought you've known."

"Yeah, I figured it out when we were still in the garrison," Hunk said.

Allura squealed in excitement which made them look baffled. "Oh, how wonderful! A girl on the team!" She hugged Pidge tightly. "This news is certainly pleasing!"

Kate got off the table and stepped back. The princess was really happy, but Kate could sense she had some...plans at the back of her mind. Plans she did not want to know and be a part of.

"It's good to get that off my chest." Pidge said after Allura let her go. "Now, let's launch this Castleship!"

Lance still had his jaw dropped. "Wait, what? Pidge is a girl and the Castle is a ship? How long have I been out?"

Kate just laughed.

-Castle Bridge-

"Okay. So, when we get there, what do you think?" Hunk asked pacing around. "Do we just roll up and like, start blasting? Or do we land and have some... kind of public address system, like, 'Attention, Galras. This is Voltron. Turn yourselves in!'" He paused. "No. Blasting, right?"

Kate raised her hands. "Hunk, calm down. And yes, blasting."

"Eh, it's our first big rescue mission." Shiro said turning to her. "He's excited."

"Excited to see his new girl-friend~" Pidge teased. Kate smiled at her.

His eyes snapped. "She's not my girlfriend!" He said in defense. "She's just a rock that I met and I admire very much."

Pidge snorted. "Please, you and her-I can already feel the spark. Who says romance in space was dead?"

"I do," Kate sighed heavily. "Every passing night." They stared at her with wide eyes. Kate cleared her throat. "I- uh I mean, what Hunk and Shay have is cute and I see it going. Me? My life is pretty dead."

Then the alarm blared.

-after landing on the moon, outside the castle-

"I'm Rollo. This is Nyma, and our cyber-unit, Beezer." They addressed themselves.

"Hi." Nyma waved.

Kate was really tempted to punch Lance's teeth out. He was lovestruck again to a woman he just met.

"Hi! Name's Lance." He said coolly kissing her hand.

Kate probably grumbled. No matter, she still had to keep an eye on him. And the rest of the team. She didn't want anyone getting hurt. And these people, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. They were...it's hard to tell what they were planning. They were pretty calm, was all she could get.

"—we can get you back up and running." Allura said. She missed half of the conversation. "Give Hunk a list of what you need. Coran can show you where to find it."

"We'll go with you." Rollo said quickly. "Don't want you to have to carry all that yourself. Come on, guys." He said, but Hunk stopped him.

"Uh, I don't think so. You can just wait out here."

Allura frowned. " Hunk, don't be rude."

"Yeah, mind your manners." Lance agreed. "There are ladies present." He winked at Nyma. "Hey."

Kate rolled her eyes. Maybe he should have stayed in the healing pod for just one more day.

Hunk crossed his arms. "Oh, I'm sorry." He said sarcastically. "But does anyone remember the last time we let our defenses down? Someone kind of set off a bomb. Remember, Lance? You-"

"-were almost killed." Kate finished his sentence. "I agree with you, Hunk. I'm not taking any chances."

Shiro sighed. "They have a point. Sorry, but we have to be cautious."

Rollo shrugged. "I don't take it personally. That's how it is out here. You've got to look out for your own. You're doing a good job, big man."

"Yeah. Thanks."

Kate watched Nyma suspiciously while she talked with Lance. From the distance she was in, she couldn't hear what they were talking about. Not unless she enhanced her hearing. She thought for some time, before taking a breath. She put her helmet back on. She sat near the fire and made herself look busy by warming herself up. She didn't want to cause suspicion yet. She took a deep breath, then let it all out. She felt her ears, her cat ears, twitch inside of her helmet. She looked at the fire contemplatively while she listened.

"-magic, but also super scientific and advanced." Lance told Nyma. "And they fly crazy fast and have all these incredible weapons. Really, the entire Castle is just insane! I wish you could see it."

Kate gritted her teeth. Great, the chucklehead was giving intel to a woman he just met. His guard was down completely.

"Yes, it's too bad we're not allowed inside." Nyma sighed, dejected. "I would love a tour from one of the knights. But I guess the big one is in charge, huh?" She prodded at Hunk. "You have to obey his orders?"

Kate tightened her eyes. Nyma's tone just changed. It was something like a slight fake disappointment a girl used to persuade her boyfriend to do something that could please her. Many girls in the garrison used this trick to manipulate their boyfriend's behavior to get what they wanted. What made her mad was that the boys were too blind in love to see it.

"Who, Hunk?" Lance snorted. "I don't have to listen to him!"

Kate's jaw dropped when Lance pulled Nyma into the castle. She stood and watched them go in.

"Lance, what are you thinking?" She hissed.

She chased after them.

-Castle Bridge(Lance's perspective)-

"This place is incredible!" Nyma gasped.

"Yeah, I guess." He said still dazed by her beauty. "You get used to it."

"But it's so gigantic." She looked around. "It must take you forever to get to your Lion."

"Ooh, you'd be surprised." He gave her a flirty smile.

"LANCE!"

His smile dropped when he recognized that voice. "What do you want, Keith?" He looked over his shoulder, and Keith approached him wearing his helmet.

"What are you doing?" The mullet demanded.

He huffed. "Oh, I'm just giving a tour-"

"No, I mean,..." Keith growled and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can I talk to you? In private?"

"Nope," He said cheekily. Keith glared at him. "If you have anything to say, Nyma is welcome to listen to it."

Nyma giggled as he winked at her.

"Fine." Keith rolled his eyes. "It's just, you should be ready and prepared to fight if something happens, but you're just goofing around, flirting with a woman you cannot be with for too long. So relationship is pointless. Haven't you learned anything when you were in the healing pod?"

Lance smirked. "Is this you telling me what to do? Or is this you being jealous that I'm hanging out with a girl you find attractive?" He sneered.

Keith clicked his tongue. "What's there to be jealous about? All I'm saying is that you should keep your guard up, and not let other chicks and bimbos side track you."

Keith glared at Nyma, then at him one last time before walking away from them.

Lance blinked. Why was he so against this?

—outside the castle-

Kate watched the fire in front of her while she bit her lip. Her ears were gone, so she tossed her helmet from side to side. The way the flames were dancing was how she was feeling from the inside.

Pidge sat next to her. "You seem mad." She noted.

"Of course I'm mad," Kate growled. "That chucklehead drives me crazy."

Pidge blinked, then frowned. "You mean Lance?"

"Who else is the goofball of the team?"

"Point taken." She asked. "Why are you so obsessed with him?"

Kate huffed. "I. Am. Not. Obsessed. I'm just keeping an eye on him, making sure he doesn't do anything stupid to get stuck in the healing pod again."

Pidge tilted her head. "Okay, why are you keeping an eye on him?"

Kate paused. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "After Lance was put in the healing pod yesterday, I sort of made an oath to myself to make sure he doesn't die in this war. Lance thinks about his family and earth more than we do. He hides it well, so you wouldn't have noticed it yet."

"I see," Pidge hummed. She smiled sadly. "Even if he is a goofball, I'm sure he wouldn't do anything soo- absurd like leave us with his lion-"

Right at that moment, they saw the blue lion come out of the castle. The lion took off into the atmosphere in a flash of light. Both Kate and Pidge gaped at the sky.

"-or maybe he would." Pidge ended.

Kate groaned.

—sometime later—

"How many ticks have they been gone?" Pidge asked dangling her legs restlessly from the high crate she was sitting on.

"I don't know. I hope they didn't break down again." Allura sighed a little worried.

"Something ain't right." Hunk murmured.

Kate silently agreed.

"Guys? Hello? Little help?" Kate heard Lance's voice through her helmet

"Lance?" Shiro questioned, he put his helmet on. "Lance! Are you alright-What's going on?"

"Well, I'm kind of chained to a... a tree."

"I knew it!" Both Kate and Hunk chorused.

"And I think Nyma and Rollo just stole the Blue Lion." Lance added.

"I knew it!" They chorused again. Kate knew she should have double-checked that woman.

"Where are they?" Shiro asked.

"Uh... space?"

-castle, everyone was getting into their lions-

"I mean, at first, it was just like a feeling in my gut, you know? But when I was replacing that thermal pipe, the pipe was cracked, but none of the hardware around it was damaged."

"Okay, we get it!" Lance said.

Hunk ranted on. "I mean, if the thermal pipe is cracked, then, obviously, hello, the entire assembly should be totally roasted."

"Okay! We get it." He said again.

"What's wrong, Lance?" Kate asked him annoyed. "Can't handle the truth that you've been played? You want Hunk to stop rubbing it at you?"

Lance groaned.

Pidge sighed. "You owe Keith an apology, Lance." She prodded.

"What do you I have to apologize for?" He demanded.

Kate snorted. "Oh, I don't know. It's not like I warned you about keeping your guard up and stopping your pointless flirting with a woman you just met. Not to mention the fact that I was not jealous of you being with a woman
I WAS NEVER INTERESTED IN!
" She said the last sentence angrily in a quick session.

"Okay, Okay. Chill. Look, I'm sorry I doubted you. You were right. I'm sorry."

A pause.

"You don't mean that." She finally said, still annoyed.

"What? Of course I do."

"No, you don't. I know your still going to chase after bimbos once we get out of this situation."

"Uhh-"

"Save it! I don't want to hear it." She brushed him off.

The entire team stayed in awkward silence after that.

After they got the blue lion back and freed Lance from the tree, they had to leave Rollo and Nyma on a planet and move on to their mission to free Shay. Lance tried his best to make amends with Kate, but the raven-haired girl just shunned him.

He didn't stop until she locked herself in her room to keep him out.

"Keith?" he banged on her door. "Buddy?"

"Go away, Lance. We have to be prepared for the mission tomorrow." she shouted through the door. "
GOOD NIGHT!
"

Lance sighed. "Tomorrow will be a better day," he said to himself, hopefully.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

-Kate's room-

With a pen, Kate struck a line across four of the tally lines on her notepad.

Fifteen.

Fifteen days had passed since she left Earth and became a paladin. She had been keeping track of the dates and times and noted incidents and events worth noting down.

just in case something happened. Her cousin often told her that it was important to do so. She sighed and went out of her room.

-Later-

She still shunned him.

Lance tried again the very next day, but Kate still didn't forgive him.

Right before they reached the Balmera, Lance managed to talk to her...but it didn't go well. It went out like this:

"Hey! Can we talk about this, please?" He trailed behind her as she was making her to the kitchen.

"There's nothing to talk about," she said wanting him to leave.

"Well, at least let me know what I can do to make it up to you."

"You can leave me alone."

"Yes, I tried and it didn't work. "Hey-" he stepped in front of her to block her path, "-I can buy you a video game!"

"A video game?" Kate huffed. "What am I? Seven?"

He cringed a little by her tone. God this man was hopeless. How the heck do bimbos tolerate him? "God, you are..." she grabbed a fistful of her hair, "...unbelievable" she growled, frustrated by him. Lance gave her a confused look as a reply, which angered her more. She stalked past him, bumping her shoulder to his purposely.

He watched her go and didn't follow her this time.

—Kitchen—

Pidge sat on the table petting one of the mice until Kate stormed into the room. She grabbed a mug from the counter. "Good morning." She said grimly. Filling her mug with a drink.

"Not from the way you sound." She turned her head to the raven-haired girl. "What's wrong? "

Kate dropped to the seat next to the smaller girl. "Men are clueless."

"Men? Or just Lance?"

Kate sighed before taking a drink.

"What'd he do this time?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose and said calmly, "He tried to bribe my forgiveness with a video game."

Pidge gave her a blank look. She huffed, "Oh, he is clueless."

"I'd say all men are."

"Not all men. What about Shiro?"

Kate frowned. "Why are you dragging Shiro into this?"

Pidge crooned. "Because I know you have a crush on him."

Kate choked on her drink, then wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "I'm sorry?" She said to the smirking girl in aghast.

"Don't try to deny it girl. I've seen the way you look at him. The others haven't noticed it yet, so that's one secret I've uncovered."

Why was Pidge so observant? Kate groaned. She drank everything in one shot. "Let's talk about this later." Kate said quickly leaving the room.

Pidge smiled mischievously.

Their mission was a success. They managed to free Shay and her entire family, fight the galra surprisingly without having much of an argument with Lance- and the planet saved them another beast that Voltron couldn't defeat on their own. Allura was drained when she performed some ceremony to heal the planet, so she had to rest.

After they came back, Kate finally forgave Lance. It wasn't because he earned it. He kept pestering her the whole day, she got tired of it. She wanted to have some alone time to herself.

"I still hate you though," she said firmly before she stalked off.

—Castle lounge—

Kate waited on the couch restlessly, dangling her legs up and down. She heard a squeal in the room that made her perk up. The mice climbed on the couch to her lap and looked up at her.

"How is she?" Kate asked.

Plachu squeaked at her, shaking her head.

Kate sighed. "She still misses her planet, huh? Well, do your best to comfort her. She needs a lot of consoling to move on." She heard footsteps slowly approaching. "Keep me posted." She whispered quickly when the door hissed open. The mice quickly jumped down and hid.

"Coran wants to see us, Keith." Hunk said.

—Training deck—

She hit the training deck after she left them. Waiting for intel from Sendak's memories took forever, and she didn't want to waste her time. She needed to train to sharpen her skills to protect everyone, including that annoying chucklehead.

"End training sequence." She commanded when the Gladiator robot she was fighting had become difficult to fight. She decided that she could check the castle log to see what level she needed to keep training on. But the system didn't respond, instead, the Gladiator robot turned rogue and lunged at her.

Kate stepped back confused. "End training sequence." She repeated, but it still charged at her, getting closer. "End training sequence now!" She shouted before her bayard was knocked out of her hand. It skidded across the floor away from her reach.

Before she could react, the gladiator gave her a round kick, making her roll down the floor. She grunted when the pain stung her hips. She pushed herself quickly and got to her feet before she dodged the blade that was aimed at her throat. She recovered her bayard before she raced out the door, and into the hallway. She slammed her fist at the button to close the door. Her breathing was ragged and she could feel her heart beating fast inside her. What the hell happened back there? She took off when the sword pierced through the doors, the robot was still after her.

She ran.

The robot tried to slash at her but Kate deflected every attack while running, but what she didn't expect was a kick that sent her flying. Her back hit the airlock and she heard a muffled scream and faint banging noises behind the door. She turned her head quickly and found Lance stuck there.

"What are you doing in there?" She demanded, she ducked when the robot tried to slice her.

"I need help!" He banged again. "Because if you don't get me out of here right now, I'm going to be sucked out into space!"

"Doors opening." The computer announced.

"I'm getting sucked out into space!" He shrieked.

Kate deflected another hit. She had to think fast, she noticed the buttons from the corner of her eye before she smashed the robot at the door and hit the button. The robot got sucked into the black void before it attacked her. She grabbed Lance's hand and dragged him right before she slammed her fist on the button again to shut it. They both collapsed at the wall behind them taking heavy breaths.

"What were you doing out there?" She repeated.

"Who was that guy?" He demanded.

"He was trying to kill me!"

"Well, is he the Castle? Because that's who's trying to kill..." he trailed off when he looked down at her arm. "What is that?"

"What is what?"

"That?" He pointed at her left arm which was covered in bandages. "Were you injured recently?"

Kate cursed at herself for forgetting her jacket back at the training deck. She tried to hide it behind her back. "No, and it doesn't matter." She got up. "Come on, we need to go."

Lance stared at her with uncertainty, but he nodded anyway

"How can you guys be taking a nap while this castle is trying to kill us?" Lance demanded at Pidge and Hunk after they found Coran.

"Taking a nap? Hunk cried picking himself off the floor. "We've been floating around in Zero G! You know how scary that is?"

"That's not scary! That's fun! I was almost ejected into space!"

"I got attacked by killer food, and that's the most horrifying thing you can imagine! The stuff of nightmares! It'll haunt me to my grave!"

Kate stepped forward. "Well, I had a robot trying to kill me!"

Lance turned to the old altean. "I don't care what you say, Coran. This castle has gone apples and bananas!"

Coran groaned. "Perhaps the infection from Sendak's Galra crystal is worse than we thought."

"Well, let's get rid of it." Hunk said eagerly, the food thing must have really bugged him out.

"It's too late. When Sendak plugged it into the ship, it corrupted the entire system."

Right then, the mice came flying down from the ceiling and perfectly landed on Kate's head and shoulders. Kate flinched when they landed but frowned when they all squeaked to her at once.

"Slow down, slow down," she said gently. She let Chuchule on her palms. "What's going on?"

Chuchule squealed at her in panic. Kate ignored the weird looks her friends were giving her.

Kate's eyes widened at the news. "Oh, no." She said to herself slowly.

"What did the mice tell you?" Pidge asked her, ignoring the weird looks from the guys.

"The crystal corrupted the artificial intelligence of King Alfor," she said, slowly turning to them. She placed Chuchule back on her shoulder. "Right now, the hologram is brainwashing Allura. She's headed to the castle bridge!"

She ran from them. "You guys need to to stop her!" She yelled. "I'll go find Shiro!"

The mice clung onto her shoulders firmly while she ran.

-Detainment room (I think that's what it is called idk)(Shiro's perspective)-

"We're connected, you and me. Both parts of the Galra Empire." Sendak's voice whispered harshly.

"No! I'm not like you." Shiro said weakly.

"You've been broken and reformed." He prodded. " Just look at your hand."

"That's not me!" He clenched his prosthetic hand.

The voice went on. "It's the strongest part of you. Embrace it. The others don't know what you know. They haven't seen what you've seen. Face it. You'll never beat Zarkon. He's already defeated you."

He clapped his hands over his ears. "I'm not listening to you!"

"Do you really think you can defeat the galras? You don't even know what we can do. You don't even know what the red paladin can do."

Keith?

Why was he talking about Keith?

"I know who my friends are!" He yelled.

"Do you really know him?" The voice sent chills through his spine. "You've seen the way he attacked me, these scars under my eye. Those claws that created deep marks on the metal floor, teeth as sharp as knives. There is nothing human about it. Only a wild feral animal that's been waiting to shed blood without mercy. He's not suited to be a savior. If I had raised him, he would have been quite a fine weapon. A heartless Assassin serving under Zarkon-"

"Stop it!" He screamed. He punched the pod with his fist, creating cracks underneath his hand. He looked at Sendak in fear. The galra was still asleep.

But he opened his eyes suddenly causing Shiro to gasp and hit the ejection button. He panted heavily as he dropped to the floor, he didn't realize how much he sweated. He didn't see the pod go when he heard someone scream his name.

"Shiro!"

Keith came running to his side with the mice on each shoulder. He helped him get upright. "Shiro, where's Sendak?"

"I... I had to get him out of here." He said shakily and quickly. "I was hearing his voice. He was talking about yo..." he stopped himself. "He... He can't be trusted on this ship."

Keith stared at him for a few heartbeats before he gently pulled him into an embrace. He let his head rest on his shoulder. "Shhh-, it's okay. It's okay." He said in a hushed voice to calm him. "Everything is fine now. Don't let Sendak's words get to you."

It took Shiro a few heartbeats to realize what was Keith doing. But Shiro appreciated the comfort and buried his face into his shoulder. It was then he noticed the bandaged left arm he'd never seen before. He slowly pulled away. "What happened to your arm?"

Keith tensed. "Umm-"

The alarm blaring interrupted them.

"What's happening?"

Keith looked down when the mice squeaked at him. "Allura's going to start a wormhole jump." He said in a whisper.

—later—

It saddened Kate that the princess was unprepared to say goodbye to her father's memories. She was like her when her father died. Now they had to move on and fight without any wisdom or advice from the hologram.

"I'm so sorry about your father, Princess." Shiro said placing a hand on her shoulder.

"We all are." Hunk said.

"Thank you." Allura said tearfully. "But that was not my father. The real King Alfor was a great man and a great father. He may not be here with us anymore, but his dream lives on through all of us, and his legacy is Voltron."

The mice climbed onto the princess's lap squeaking and squealing, trying to comfort her. Allura smiles at them. "Thank you."

"Oh yeah, about the mice-" Lance turned to Kate, "Are you some sort of animal whisperer? How did you understand them?"

Kate tensed. She backed away a bit. "I, uh,well...you see, I...ugh-" she laughed nervously and touched her left arm. She bit her lip.

Allura stood. "Keith, you can understand them?"

Kate averted her eyes. "Umm, well, no...kinda?"

The princess tilted her head. "Do you have a mental connection with them, like me?"

"No, it's not like that. I..." she hesitated, she looked at all their faces, and lastly at Shiro's. She took a deep breath. "I'm...I'm empath." She confessed.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

They gaped at her.

"Your...telepath?" Lance asked frowning.

"I'm empath, Lance." She correct. "If I was telepath, I would know exactly what an individual was thinking. But being empath is different. I can perceive the mental or emotional state of another individual."

"You had such an ability?" Coran pulled his mustache.

She nodded. "I was born with it."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Shiro asked.

She bit her lip. "Because I'm the only person from Earth who can do it and that makes me...different from others. It's one of the reasons why I became a loner."

They were interrupted when the alarms blared.

(Bro this really needs to stop happening)

"Are we being attacked again?" Hunk exclaimed.

"No," Allura said, "it's a distress signal. From the ruler of planet Disho."

What bothered Kate after they landed on the planet Disho were the locals. She didn't sense any negativity from them, no. It was their appearance. They were basically big cat people purring and meowing to each other as they talked. Whenever she looked at them, she thought of herself in disgust. Before Chaos taught her how to conceal her furry ears, she had to wear a ridiculous beanie or cowboy hat to hide them. Her father and Alex often made cat jokes before she went to sleep but that did not amuse her. She felt embarrassed and humiliated.

The guards came and escorted them to the palace and into the dining hall. Kate sat near the end of the table, Pidge sat between her and Hunk. Shiro sat across the table in front of the raven-haired girl. Lance sat between Shiro and Allura. (Coran was left back at the castle for defenses and stuff)

While waiting for the king, the palace servants poured their drinks in front of them. Kate found it strange that their drinks were in different colors; she had blue, and so did Allura and Pidge. The boys had an orange color."

Finally, the king arrived, passing the grand doors of his palace. "My apologies," he said. The princess and the paladins got up from their seats to pay their respects. The old cat waved his hand. "Please, sit down. Thank you for coming today."

"We are delighted to be here, your majesty." Allura said, smiling. "Did you call for assistance?"

"As a matter of fact, yes" the king sighed, taking a seat. "You may not consider our issue as an alarming situation, but to my people , they are worried. You see, there's been a rumor that a galra was seen entering my planet. This news came a month ago and my soldiers searched everywhere and assumed it was a false, but panic spread when an actress named Hannah went missing four days ago."

"Missing?" Shiro frowned. "She was abducted?"

"I know not," the king replied grimly. "But we suspect there's a connection. Her home was searched by someone and her belongings were torn apart. Please, help us find her. Hannah was a well liked figure to the public and her disappearance has upset her family gravely."

"I suppose we can aid you," the princess said warmly. The other paladins nodded.

The king returned the smile. "Thank you, princess."

Hunk raised his hand. "Um, sorry to interrupt," he said sheepishly, raising his half-empty glass, "but what is this drink? It's good."

"We call it Vatrisa. It is a special drink made from a variety of fruits and it's our custom to serve this drink in two different colors for each gender."

"Interesting," Hunk mused. "So the males would get orange and the females would get blue?" The king nodded. Hunk examined his glass before looking at Kate's, confused. "Then why did Keith get a different one?"

The king frowned and then studied the raven-haired girl before he said, "Is your friend not a woman?"

Then multiple things happened at once. Kate's jaw dropped, Pidge choked on her Vatrisa, Lance bursted out laughing, Hunk just blinked and both Allura and Shiro shared confused looks.

Lance recovered first. "Keith? A woman? Pardon me, your highness, but it is obvious that this mullet here is a guy."

"Yeah," Shiro nodded. He looked at her direction, "Tell him, Keith."

She needed to say something, she needed to lie, but her words fell apart. “I-I uh-I-”

Allura frowned at her. "Keith, are you alright? You look pale."

Fortunately for Kate, Pidge saved her. "We're getting off topic." She prodded, wiping her mouth with her sleeves. "So where should we start looking for Hannah, or the galra soldier?" She asked the king.

"I have already given the assignment to look for the galra to a Valcuz detective named Slaughter. If you'd like, you can partner with him, though, I have to warn you that his methods to find criminals are … disturbing. As for Hannah, you can begin your search in her studio. Hannah was well known because she was a cast member of the show Space Reality Z."

They all frowned. "Space Realty Z?" Shiro questioned. The king nodded.

"So, where is this studio?" Kate asked. She suddenly felt two hands gently holding the sides of her shoulders from behind.

"I can help you with that," a silky voice murmured. She felt a hot breath behind her ear. Kate flinched and turned her head. A male cat smiled, his ruby eyes fixed on hers. If Bimbos saw him, she was sure they would scream with red faces because his appearance was breathtaking.

"My apologies," he said softly, letting her shoulders go.

"Choal!" The king said in delight. "You've returned. How is the situation?"

The cat turned to his father and bowed. "It's getting worse. Hannah's disappearance really is causing a ruckus around the crowd."

The king extended his hand to him. "Paladins, this is my son, Prince Choal. He's been personally keeping an eye on my people for a few days now."

"Oh!" Kate said in surprise. She got up to pay respect. "Uh, my name's Keith. Nice to meet... you?" She frowned at herself,

wait,

why was she suddenly respectful? She sensed Lance giving her a questionable look like he was thinking, 'What's wrong with him? He wasn't usually this mannered or nice.' Shiro too seemed to notice her behavior change.

Both the raven-haired girl and the prince locked eyes for a few heartbeats. "No," Choal said, he held her hand, raising it to his lips, and gave a swift kiss. "The pleasure is mine."

Kate stared at him, confused by his actions. But she didn't notice that nearly everyone in the room had their jaw dropped. Like he did something wrong.

The king sighed. "Choal, how many times have I told you not to flatter women in the dining hall?"

"I apologize, father." He still locked his ruby eyes with her violet ones. "But I couldn't help myself. Especially to a young lady who is so enchanting."

Kate stiffed. They mention 'woman' and 'lady'. Oh god, oh god. She looked over her shoulder at Pidge and gave a panicked look.

Pidge nodded. "Sorry, but Keith and I need to talk for a bit." She said getting up from her seat. She grabbed Kate's arm they both quickly left the room, leaving the others confused.

—empty corridor—

"How is this possible?" Kate demanded. "How do they know about my gender?" She turned to Pidge. "Am I being too obvious?"

"No," Pidge said, "but unless you say something rather than freeze, you're a goner."

Kate groaned. She bit her thumb and looked away from Pidge. So far, only Pidge and the mice knew about her secret. She would have sensed it if Pidge told someone, and the mice...well, only Allura understood them. And if they told her, the princess's attitude would have changed towards her. So how did they know?

Kate didn't like the smile the smaller girl was giving her. She's giving that same expression when she asked Kate about her feelings with Shiro. "What? Why are you smiling at me like that?" She asked turning back at her and crossing her arms.

"I think the prince of Disho has a thing for you," she crooned.

Kate looked baffled. "What?" She exclaimed. "What do you mean by that?"

Pidge looked at her like she was an idiot. "Are you naive? Girl, it is obvious he likes you."

Kate rolled her eyes. "That's ridiculous. Who in the universe would like me? I am just a girl with anger issues and has a history of punching people in the face."

Pidge shook her head." God, you are hopeless. And very naive. Let's forget about it for now and head back. But don't say I didn't say so."

She didn't know what Pidge meant before they went to the city, but she didn't like the sound of it. Choal guided them with directions while he wore a cloak to conceal his face from the crowd. While they walked, a few pretty cat ladies tried to stop the boys by inviting them for a drink.

"It would be fun," a cat in a blue dress said, batting her eyelashes at Lance. "We don't usually have visitors from another planet won't you keep us company?"

"Sure!" Both Shiro and Lance said in union. Kate nearly jumped and asked herself whether she heard correctly. Shiro...agreed?

Allura and Pidge had also seemed surprised by this. Pidge started, "Guys? Did you forget we have to-"

"Later," Hunk interjected. "Right now these girls promised me a bowl of ramen."

The girls exchanged confused looks. Something was off. No, Kate corrected. Something was wrong. Lance still hasn't learned his lesson to not get sidetracked by bimbos, so she ignored him, but Hunk was never into girls. Even if he was, he would probably be with Shay. And Shiro wasn't someone who would easily be influenced by women. He...he had someone else...

What really worried Kate was that the boy's emotions had completely vanished. She couldn't sense a tinge of it from them. It's like all three of them had agreed to these cat girls bluntly.

"Oh, quiznak," Choal said, she'd nearly forgotten he was still there. "I shouldn't have taken you to this avenue."

The raven-haired girl sensed...dislike and irritation from him, he didn't like what these cat girls were doing.

She slowly turned to the girls. What these cat girls were doing? Aside from flirting and giggling, they were doing something else? "Shiro?" She tapped his arm. Her eyes widened when he turned to her. She finally realized that his dark eyes had changed to blue. She looked at the cat girls, their eyes were also blue but were glowing.

They were controlling the boys, she realized.

Then, without warning, Kate clapped her hand over Shiro's eyes. "Sorry, we're kind of busy right now." She scowled at the girl who was controlling Shiro. "We are leaving."

Both Pidge and Allura blinked. "Keith?"

Choal was speechless but was amused by her actions.

A cat girl in a purple dress scoffed at her. "How rude." She flashed her glowing eyes at Kate. "Why don't you leave us and go somewhere?"

Kate clicked her tongue. This form of control was nothing. "How about this?" She smiled at the girls sweetly before flashing her golden glowing eyes at them. "Why don't you stop hassling us and leave? I'm pretty sure there are other old men waiting to be entertained by such sultry women."

The girls stiffened and they fled away whimpering.

Command.

That was the name of her third ability.

She could make people do things if she locked eyes with them, but she hated the ability. She swore to herself not to use it, but without causing much commotion and a punch-up, she didn't have a choice.

Kate glared at the felines while they ran in their dresses, she refused to look at the eyes behind her, she didn't even blink until they were gone. She closed her eyes then opened them, and her violet eyes returned. She removed her hand from Shiro's eyes and snapped her fingers.

The black paladin was dazed for a few heartbeats before he shook his head. "What happened?"

"You were under control," the prince answered, stepping forward. "Hypnotized, to be precise."

Allura frowned. "Hypnotized?"

"As you know, certain species from other planets are gifted with a certain power. My people are capable of hypnosis. Eye contact is merely enough to be under hypnosis. You should thank your friend for saving you."

"Wow," Pidge managed to say. "How did-"

"I just looked at the background behind those girls and threatened them," she lied quickly avoiding their gaze. Kate snapped her fingers again and this time Hunk and Lance came out of their looked around, confused.

"Where did my food go?" Hunk asked.

"Where did the ladies go?" Lance questioned.

Kate rolled her eyes, "Lets just go" she hissed. Without another word, she stormed way ahead of them.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Her head wasn't in the game. She kept her eyes peeled to avoid any other women with funny ideas in their minds. The paladins interrogated everyone in the studio, but no one seemed to have a clue about Hannah's disappearance. A few of them did mention that the actress was acting strange and was being paranoid for a few days before she disappeared, but none of them knew why. After a whole day of detective work, they decided to call it off for now and continue tomorrow.

Kate sprinted through the darkness while wearing a white maxi dress.

No matter which direction she took, the killer easily kept himself just behind her, getting closer and closer. She felt the dark presence behind and her heart was racing.

He's going to hurt me, Kate thought, her mind was racing. He had a massive desire to shed blood around. Her blood.

Before she heard it coming, the killer shot her three times with his gun. The bullets pierced her body and she screamed in the pain. But she still managed to keep running. Kate stumbled for a heartbeat but remained upright. Her dress was now stained red from her blood, nearly turning black. She kept running, but her pace was getting slower and slower.

No. No, no, no, no!

The killer chucked behind her. He was close enough that he reached out his hand and grasped her shoulder. She couldn't run when he made her turn to face him. The sight of his grin terrified her. The red devil mask concealed half of his face, and he quickly put his gun away in his black coat. Just as raised the knife over her head, her eyes widened and she screamed. Before the knife plunged down, her golden eyes shot open before she—

-Kate’s Room-

She woke up with a gasp, her breathing ragged. Kate quickly jumped out of bed and rushed into her bathroom and looked at her reflection. Her eyes didn't change like they did in her dream, thank goodness. She stared at her reflection for some time, mostly on her bandaged chest. Her nightmares replayed yet another part of her past; a forgotten incident when she was shot down by a masked serial killer. She was just fifteen when it happened. The wounds may have healed, but her mind never recovered from the shock. She still remembered the sound of the gun firing, the pain when the bullet struck her chest, the killer's raspy—

Ahh, but aren't you the real killer?

An icy voice said in her mind as it started to laugh.

The real monster?

Kate gritted her teeth. Shut up, she told herself.

Did you forget the kind of horrors you are capable of?

The voice went on.

You deserve to suffer like this. Have you forgotten the names of the lives you had taken when you were six? The reason you manipulated and erased his memories was to protect him from the demon lurking inside you. You lie to your friends now to protect—

"Shut up!" She screamed. She punched the mirror with her fist in rage. It cracked underneath her knuckles, taking the shape of a spiderweb. A few glass pieces fell from it. She withdrew her hand and looked. There was a small cut and blood was slowly oozing out of it.

Anger and violence aren't a wise method to resolve your problems, Chaos once told her years ago.

She exhaled deeply before looking for her bandages. After she wrapped her chest, left arm, and her newly bleeding hand with fresh new bandages, she put her clothes back on and did her hair before she left her room. It was too early for anyone to be awake, so she wanted to walk around the castle for some time before having breakfast. She found Lance, Coran, and Hunk in their pajamas, snoring away on the couch of the castle lounge. She stared at them incredulously when she found out they were up all night watching Space Reality Z. She left them undisturbed and decided to take a walk out of the castle. She looked around the city square. It wasn't that lively, hardly anyone was around and all the shops were closed, so there wasn't much to see since it was also a little foggy.

"Keith?"

Kate jumped and turned.

Choal walked to her. "What are you doing here?"

"Choal...I...had a nightmare and I couldn't go back to sleep so I decided to go for a stroll." She said lowly. "What are you doing here?"

The prince of Disho put his hood back on to conceal his face. "I'm still looking for Hannah, as well as the galra soldier." He looked around their surroundings. "I've been meaning to talk to you for sometime now, but let's talk in another place."

—later, castle—

"Keith?" Shiro knocked on his door again. There was no response. He unlocked the door and entered the room to find it empty. He noticed that his bed was made neatly but his jacket was gone, so he must have gone somewhere. Shiro could have left the room to inform the princess that Keith was gone, but something caught his eye. The bathroom door was left ajar. He didn't know why that caught his attention, but he walked towards it. Part of him was telling his mind that there was something he didn't know. That part of him was right.

As soon as he pushed the door wide, his attention was first caught on the mirror. He leaned forward and touched the broken surface, a few pieces fell as he did that. The mirror had definitely been punched by Keith.

Why?

He then spotted something at the corner of the bathroom which confused him even more. Bandages. At least two buckets full of them. In one, a lot of them looked a bit torn and worn out. In the other, the bandages were covered in blood, not entirely but... Shiro took a step forward with his eyes wide open. So far, Keith never once stepped into the healing pod. Other than Lance, everyone else didn't seem to get hurt or injured. Or at least he thought.

"You of all men would know better than to snoop around in this room," a woman's voice said behind him.

Shiro jumped and whirled around thinking Allura caught him. But it wasn't the princess.

A woman wearing a scarlet cloak greeted him instead. "Do not be alarmed, black paladin." She said removing her hood to show her horns and ocean-blue hair and eyes. "My name is Chaos and I am here to talk to you."

Shiro did his best to calm himself down and kept his cool. He nodded at her.

Chaos gave him a warm smile. "We have not personally met before, but I must thank you for what you have done for Leana."

Shiro blinked. "Leana?"

"Or Keith, you would prefer...for now. That child has been called with
different names
over the years,
I lost count.
"

"Keith knows you?"

"Yes," the cloaked woman said sadly, "you can consider me as your friend's guardian angel, though Leana does not really see me that way."

"Where is he?"

"That child is currently with the prince of Disho," Chaos replied like there was nothing wrong with that.

Shiro gaped at her. "What?" He exclaimed.

Chaos giggled from his reaction. "Do you despise him already?"

He shook his head. He didn't hate the prince, but what he did to Keith yesterday made him worry. If Keith was uncomfortable with the prince but was forced to hang out with him, Keith wouldn't be able to say anything and that's when Shiro came in to help him get out of that situation. He just needed to know if the red paladin was okay. Because if things go out of hand, there would be a fistfight.

Chaos seemed to have read his thoughts. "If you are worried about Leana now for things like this," she said getting his attention, "then you have no idea about the other things that child desperately hides from people."

"What are you talking about?" Shiro didn't like the sound of that. Keith's behavior lately has been strange, especially after he fought Sendak. He was scared about something and he was barely talking to Shiro personally.

Chaos went on and said carefully. "Most of the secrets Leana hides are about 'his' past and the rest are about 'himself'. The truth would be shocking once you know. It is enough to make you wonder whether you really knew anything about the child from the start."

Do you know him? Sendak's words echoed in his mind.

He remembered the bandages wrapped around his left arm. Keith confessed to the team he was an empath, something he didn't tell him when they were both still in the garrison...

Shiro didn't let his thoughts go on. "You're lying," he said clenching his fists. "Keith wouldn't hide anything, especially not from me."

Chaos's eyes softened. "Ah, Do you honestly believe that?" She gestured at the broken mirror in front of her and the bandages behind him. "Or do you demand more proof?"

Chaos snapped her fingers and the universe turned upside down for Shiro.

Shiro was in a room (that looked like the interrogation room) with a male cat he didn't know. The cat was sitting on the chair with the table before him, he looked shaken and Shiro noticed he had an injured leg. Then he found Keith leaning against the wall, leering at the cat.

"Keith?" He called, but the red paladin didn't respond. He didn't even look at him.

"Leana cannot hear you," Chaos said softly behind him. "We can see them, but they cannot see us. This is where 'he' currently is right now."

"Did you or did you not see the galra soldier?" Keith demanded. " It's a simple question."

"I don't know." The cat said, shaking a bit. "I don't – I don't know. I don't remember. After I was shot in the leg, I was in shock. It must have been one of those traumatic amnesia things"

Keith glared at him. "Bobby," he said in a serious low voice that sent shivers to Shiro's body, "don't lie to me."

"I'm telling you, it was all a big blank." He insisted. "It was the trauma."

"It was not the trauma. You do not get to use that excuse!"

"I swear I don't remember!"

Keith lost it. He punched the wall behind him making Bobby jump and cower at the corner of the room. The raven-haired boy removed his hand from the cracked wall, stepping towards the terrified cat. "To hell, you don't remember!" He yelled at Bobby angrily. "I can taste your lies, Bobby. Do you want to know trauma? I was just fifteen when I was shot three times in the chest, and I remember every damn bit of it!" He paused to calm himself down and take a breath. "And so do you."

Shiro stood there in shock. He was just fifteen when...but that was around the time they were still in the garrison. No, it had to be a lie. If Keith was shot, Shiro would have known it. He would have received word from the garrison that the younger boy was injured. The raven-haired boy was doing perfectly well every time he was with him.

He frowned at the thought. No, wait...a few days after Keith punched a cadet named James Griffin, he hadn't seen him for a week. He was informed by Admiral Sanda that Keith's other relatives had taken him to someone's wedding party, so he took a temporary leave.

Was it all a lie?

Bobby sagged down to the ground, sweating bullets. He nodded at him and faltered, "I-I saw him. The g-galra. I saw him."

"Why didn't you say this from the start?" Keith tried to keep himself calm.

"Because the galra threatened to kill me if I told anyone! I saw him a few days ago, smuggling a woman in is van."

"A woman?" Keith narrowed his eyes. "Can you describe her?"

He shook his head. "There was a sack over her head, I'm sorry."

Keith stared at him for a few heartbeats. "He won't find you here," Keith promised. "I'll personally request Prince Choal to put you under witness protection. Till then, you need to stay put."

Bobby muttered under his breath, thanking him after Keith left the room.

The entire surrounding changed and Shiro found himself back in Keith's bathroom. Chaos seemed to have left him there without explaining anything to him. He had so many questions. But what bothered him was...had Keith been lying about his health to him this whole time? Or did he fail his purpose as his mentor back in the garrison?

He sighed.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

—cafe—

"I'm sorry," Kate said sheepishly looking down at her blue Vatrisa before her.

Choal leaned at the back of his chair, one arm draped over the headrest. "What for?"

She sighed, she pressed the heel of her hand on her left eye. "For losing control when I was interrogating an injured witness...I can be pretty temperamental."

Choal asked her to help him find the galra strangely and she agreed. When they looked around the slums, they found Bobby getting all worked out for some reason. Kate sensed something about him, so she asked the prince to take him for questioning, which relieved his nosy neighbors as they complained that the old cat had been going hysterical for a few days now. Choal's guards questioned him first, but Bobby refused to tell the truth, and that ticked Kate off- as they both watched from the observation room. She stormed into the interrogation room herself after the guards left, she let some personal information slip out her tongue while she yelled at Bobby demanding answers and after she was done, she felt the Prince pitying her. And here they are now taking a break in a cafe.

Choal smiled at her. "Let's put that behind us for now, hmm? At least now it's confirmed that there is a connection between Hannah's disappearance and the galra."

Kate bit her thumb. "What I don't understand is what would the galra soldier want from her? If it was a hostage situation, it should have happened much earlier." She paused for a bit. "Was Hannah involved with any sort of criminal activities?"

Choal shook his head. "No, she had a clean record. If we could have identified the van that took her, that would have given us a lead. Are you alright?" He noticed her fidgeting with her jacket.

She bit her lip. "I probably shouldn't be here." She looked into his ruby eyes. "Maybe the two of us pairing up wasn't such a good idea. I...I'm not much help."

The prince raised his brows. "Oh? Why do you say so?"

She didn't reply. The incident with the cat girls put her on edge since yesterday. If it happens again today, and if she wasn't there to stop it...then...

The prince took a sip from his cup. "You don't have to worry about your friends, Keith," he said, startling her as he seemed to read her thoughts. "No one will hypnotize them. I assure you, we don't use our abilities unless we are engaged in battle"

She frowned at him. "Then those girls-"

"It's against our law to misuse our abilities," he insisted, "especially on species from another planet. But lately these incidents have been disrupting the law and order of my planet. And.."

"And?"

The prince placed his cup back on the glass table. "The reason we asked a Valcuz detective rather than a Dishorian to look for the galra was because there's a spy within our own working for the galra. Only a limited amount of people can be trusted. Which is why I asked you to help me."

She blinked. She felt her chest tighten. "Me? Why me?"

The prince smiled at her. "You underestimate yourself, Keith. I'm sure you can look for the galra and find Hannah. "

She gaped at him. Was he flattering her? "You're willing to bet on that?" She shook her head in disbelief. "You don't even know me."

"No, I don't," he agreed leaning forward, he gently reached out his hand and held one of hers. "But I won't mind knowing more about you. Do you have any idea how remarkable you are? You don't, do you?"

Kate swallowed hard. Why was her heart racing?

God, someone save me

He went on, "I am amazed by you. Resisting hypnosis is not as simple as you think. Even I have trouble doing the same."

She pulled her hand as gently as she could from Choal's. She was silent for a few heartbeats. "Can I ask you something?" She said with hesitance.

"Most certainly,"

"How..did you know I was a female?"

The prince chuckled like he was expecting that question. "You may find this strange, but being able to see the aura of a person is another ability a Dishorian can do. Just like how we serve our drinks, the males are orange and the females are blue."

She stared at him blankly after he was done. Well, that explained a lot, she wasn't being obvious by her actions after all.

Her phone rang in her jacket pocket. She excused herself and left the table to answer the call. "Hello?"

"Hey, we continued our search after you left," it was Pidge. "So far, we found nothing. Shiro and Hunk decided to check the outskirts of the city taking their lions with them. Allura went for a meeting to the king's palace, and I'm stuck here in the castle with Lance and Coran and it is dead boring. Lance keeps bragging about one of the actresses of Space Reality Z he met yesterday- he claims that she seems to be into him- and he is supercharged about her."

Kate rolled her eyes. She was glad she wasn't there to listen to his nonsense, otherwise, she would have thrown a table at him to shut him up.

"Speaking of supercharged," Pidge went on, her tone changed, "is it true that you're with the prince?"

The raven-haired girl's eyes widened. She quickly glanced at Choal before looking in another direction. "How—"

"Shiro told us during breakfast this morning, though," she added, "he didn't really say why you're with him."

Shiro? She screamed internally. How did he know?

Pidge said in a dreamy tone, "I mean Kathey, I know you love Shiro and all, but girlfriend-"

"Bye, Pidge!" She quickly said and hung up.

Kathey?

—castle ballroom—

Pidge stared at her phone after Kate hung up on her. Really, this girl was hopeless.

She said to herself mimicking Choal's accent, "Hello there, Kate, I'm prince Choal and I think you're absolutely stunning." She said it as a joke to herself but-

"Pidge? What are you doing?"

The short girl froze when she found Lance staring at her.

Lance frowned. "Did you just...mimic the prince of Disho? And who's Kate?"

She dodged the first question, but the second... "Uhh, my imaginary friend?" She lied.

Lanced stared at her like she'd gone mad, but he shrugged it off and left. Pidge sighed in relief. Kate would have killed her if she was here. Maybe she put the nickname down for now.

—later—

When Kate returned to the castle, she joined the other paladins for lunch. Allura still hadn't returned from the meeting, she suspected she was going to have lunch at the king's palace. She tried to slip into her room after she was done eating like she always did, but Shiro stopped her this time. He asked her to follow him to the lounge so they could talk privately. She was reluctant, but she obeyed.

"Is everything alright?" He asked her seriously. Kate stared at him, confused. Shiro was tensed, and she sensed him...no, it was more than concerned. She felt he was troubled and was worried as hell about something.

She replied, "I think I'm the one who should be asking you that question." She knew it sounded like she tried to avoid the question, but she didn't care about herself. "You look shaken, like you've seen or heard something disturbing." She reached out her hand and touched his forehead. "It does seem a little warm," she murmured.

"What? No, I'm-I'm not sick," Shiro protested. He removed her hand and held it. "Keith, tell me honestly, is everything alright?"

Kate stared into his dark eyes for a heartbeat before she looked away to bite her lip.

"Tell me," he pressed.

"Nothing's wrong, Shiro." She lied.

-Shiro's perspective-

He's lying.

Shiro squeezed his hand.

He's still lying. And it stung him.

Just how long has this been going on? Why hadn't he seen it before? How long and how many times has he averted his violet eyes from him?

"Shi...Shiro..."

Shiro snapped from thoughts and looked up at him.

"It...hurts," Keith whispered, wincing.

The black paladin realized he was squeezing a hand wrapped in bandages, it was probably the same hand Keith punched the mirror with. Shiro loosened his grip. "Sorry," he said letting it go. Keith took a step back from him caressing the injured hand. Shiro was about to open his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted.

"Booyah!" Lance said bursting into the room, startling both of them.

"God!" Keith exclaimed.

"Guess who's about to have the best day ever?" He beamed.

"Could it be the fellow who just interrupted us rather rudely with 'booyah'?" Keith said with an unamused face like nothing happened between the red and black paladin.

Lance ignored his statement. "I have a date with an actress named Kelly today and, no I am not lying, Keith. She likes me i like her, and we just met yesterday."

Shiro raised his brows. "Aren't you supposed to be helping us find Hannah first?"

Lance still beamed at them. "That's the point of our date. See, this woman I hooked up with is actually Hannah's best friend. So I'm having fun and working at the same time. Smart, huh?"

Keith rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. I'll see you later I guess." He walked away from them and left the room.

And Shiro couldn't stop him this time.

—way later, castle bridge(Allura's perspective)—

She knew something was wrong between Shiro and Keith after she returned to the castle. Did they have an argument? She wondered.

"Hey, how was the meeting?" Pidge asked.

The princess smiled. "It went well, the king agreed to form an alliance with us after we solve this case. Did you find any clues while I was gone?" She handed the file, that Slaughter handed to her earlier, to Keith.

They remained silent.

"I see. Well, we are in luck. The Valcuz detective, Slaughter, found someone who may have been involved in Hannah's disappearance. Sadly, the studio pressed charges against him for...um, his aggressive behavior towards one of the janitors he was questioning. So it's up to us to interrogate."

Hunk shrugged. "Okay, who is it?"

Before she could reply, she heard Keith swear under his breath. He shoved the file into Shiro's chest before bolting out of the room.

"Keith?"

"What just happened?" Pidge questioned, adjusting her glasses. She took the file from Shiro and opened it, "one look at the file made— oh," her voice died down and her face grew serious.

Shiro frowned. "What?"

"Umm, this person...um,"

They all looked at the file. It was all written in a Valcuz language, but there was a picture of their suspect at the top left side. It was a pretty cat lady with blue eyes and she wore a pink bow behind one of her ears.

"Isn't that one of the actresses of Space Reality Z?" Hunk prodded.

"Yeah," Pidge said in dismay, "and here's another thing. Lance is currently on a date with her."

—somewhere in the city—

Kate bolted through the city streets. Of course, it had to be Lance, why wasn't she keeping an eye on him when she vowed to herself she'd protect him? Out of all the paladins, he was the most oblivious of them all. He wouldn't know when a woman played around with him with her fingers like he was her toy.

Lance made a fool of himself when Nyma tricked him and stole the Blue lion from right under his nose. She warned him about women and bimbos, but what do you know, he doesn't listen! Kelly could be worse. She might be that spy -Choal was talking about earlier- working for the galra. She might take him as a hostage and demand Voltron in exchange for his life. No, she wouldn't allow that to happen.

The sun was slowly setting, spreading the golden and copper color across the horizon. She needed to find Lance before it got dark.

Kate sniffed the air then she halted when she picked up his scent.

—meanwhile, somewhere in the city—

If he hadn't been knocked to the ground, Lance's day would have been awesome.

His date with Kelly was perfect. She laughed at every joke he came up with, she flirted with him as much as he did with her, and they both enjoyed themselves. Sure he asked a few questions about Hannah, but Kelly just replied with vague answers. She didn't have any intentions of talking about another woman during their date, at least that's what he thought. Kelly invited Lance to have dinner with her in one of Disho's top restaurants to continue their date. Lance knew he could never pass that up. He was pleased with himself. He never dated a celebrity before -and if he did make it back to earth- he would show all the cadets he knew about the pics he took with her. He promised Kelly he'd be there in another hour in the restaurant she'd selected.

Lance sighed dreamily about her. He'd better return to the castle, dress up, and tell the others he can't join them for dinner. He took an alley that looked deserted. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he took it out to read the message. Just before he could read the first line, he turned to the corner of the building then something fast slammed into him and knocked him off his feet. His back hit the ground and he groaned at the pain. Whatever slammed into him fell atop him, landing on his chest.

Lance cocked his head at the figure. "Hey, watch where you're-" he stopped when Keith lifted his forehead from his chest.

"Lance!" Keith said in relief.

"Keith?" He scowled. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, chucklehead!" He snapped.

He blinked, confused. "Why?"

"It's about the woman you hooked up with. You need to stay away from her. She was involved in Hannah's kidnapping."

He stared at him and raised a brow. "What? You don't know her. How can you be so sure?"

The mullet looked at him seriously. "I just read through her files. Lance, she lied to you. Kelly has a bitter history with Hannah and she was the last person to see her before she disappeared."

Lance glared at him. "Keith, all of that sounds circumstantial. It doesn't prove she's guilty for kidnapping."

"Maybe. But she knows something. A witness saw her enter Hannah's studio room and whatever she took is evidence."

He scoffed." And you're betting she's not innocent because of that?"

Keith grabbed a fistful of his shirt angrily. "Lance, you don't even know her, and you're defending her? She's a thief! Before she became an actress, she was a thief who stole art paintings from museums. There's nothing innocent about that! She's probably hanging out with you to see what you know about the investigation to cover her tracks!"

The blue paladin just stared. Something was off. He was more tense than usual. He's been worked up about something.

Keith pushed himself from Lance's chest and sat up. "I know it sounds cold," he said, looking down at him, "but Kelly's been using you." He turned to get up and leave Lance there, but the moment he removed his hands from his chest, Lance grabbed his wrist. Keith looked back at him with a questionable look. He yelped when the blue paladin suddenly pushed the raven-haired boy down to the ground, pinning both his wrists. "L-Lance?" Keith stuttered, giving him a bewildered expression.

He studied the mullet underneath him. "Keith, what's wrong? You've been acting strange after you fought with Sendak."

Keith's eyes widened. He tried to break free from his grasp, but the tanned male held him down firmly.

Then...he noticed something. Keith's build was much smaller compared to his, and his arms were much more slender than muscular. He hadn't noticed it before because he was hardly this close to him. Wait, what's that around his neck-

Keith grunted. "Nothing's wrong, Lance. Let go!"

"Your lying.," he said sharply.

He flinched and stopped struggling. He looked away to avoid his gaze as he sighed. "Fine," he admitted. "I was worried." Lance gaped at him. "I thought you were in danger so I just...look, you were in a healing pod once. I wasn't going to sit around and watch you get stuck in the pod again."

Lance opened his mouth to say something, but his words failed him. This was not what he was expecting, especially from him.

Keith said, "Lance, you won't be involved with Kelly from now on, right?"

He blinked and hesitated. He promised he would continue their date after another hour. He couldn't just show up and leave her there waiting, that would be rude. But after what Keith just told him, he couldn't face her either, she might try and pull out something at him. "Uh... I … ooh. I – uh … uh …"

Keith looked at him incredulously. "Oh my god," he deflated.

"What?"

"Oh my god, you actually have to think about this!"

"Uhh," Lance noticed his phone right above Keith's head. He must have dropped it when they collided. On the screen, the message said:

To: Lance

From: Hunk:

Kelly's using you! She's out kidnapper

"No - Nope. I don't have to think about it." He said raising his hands and letting Keith's wrists go. "I can't trust her."

Keith looked at Lance's phone above him before he gaped back at him. "Are you kidding me?"

"What?"

The red paladin pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. "You know what? Forget it. You won't believe a word I say unless someone else confirms it."

They heard a gasp before he could protest. Pidge stared at them with her mouth wide open. Keith looked from Lance to Pidge and Lance again, realizing the position they were in. He turned scarlet. "P-Pidge, i swear, this is not what it looks like!"

"Oh, don't worry about it," she crooned, grinning like a fiend. "you can tell me all about it back at the castle." She fished out her phone and snapped a picture of them.

"PIDGE!"

"See you later, girlfriend!" She turned and walked away, gleefully.

Girlfriend? Lance questioned.

"Lance get off of me!" Keith hissed pushing his chest with a red face.

Lance didn't understand why his face was red until a thought hit him and he too turned scarlet. "Pidge, this is not what it looks like!" Lance called out.

—later, castle bridge—

"Honestly, Lance, you had us worried there," Hunk said. "Keith ran like hell in search for you."

Lance slumped in his chair at his station. "Yeah, I know." He grumbled. "He ran into me, literally."

"It's a pity to know one of the stars of Space Realty Z is a criminal." Coran said.

Hunk nodded. "But Lance seems rather taken by her."

Lance found himself smiling. "I find her ... impressive."

Hunk turned his head to the blue paladin. "Aside from what we know about her, what is she like personally?

Lance opened his mouth to reply—

—meanwhile, castle lounge—

"She's an uncooperative, cocky, stubborn, know it all." Pidge said reading from her notepad. She looked up at Kate. "Is what the other cast members of the show describe her as."

"But is she good at her job?" Kate asked hastily while she sat on the couch.

"Well, as much as they hate her, they can't deny it. She's a pro. Both Hannah and her had the main roles of the show and they kept competing with each other. I wouldn't be surprised if Kelly is our kidnapper. With Hannah gone, she can have the main role all to herself." Pidge noticed her biting her thumb, staring at the floor contemplatively. She's agitated. The smaller girl sat next to her. "The thought of Lance hooking up with a woman like her bothers you?" She asked.

"Yes, of course it bothers me." She replied, not looking at her.

"Why?"

"Because he's supposed to be ...I don’t know…" She trailed off. She looked at Pidge and sighed before she stood and paced around, feeling restless.

"Be what?" Pidge pressed.

Kate whirled in her direction. "My partner!" She said forcefully, making the smaller girl flinch. "I mean, he's supposed to be on our team. I thought he learned his lesson not to let his guard down around women after what happened with Nyma. He's not supposed to be all smitten."

—meanwhile, back to bridge—

"Smitten?" Lance said in disbelief. "I think intrigued is a better word."

"So your 'intrigued' with every girl you meet?" Hunks said, raising his brows. "Even Allura and Pidge?"

Lance huffed and folded his arms. There was no way he was going to answer that question.

Coran cleared his throat. "Let's drop this topic for now," he said, "but, perhaps you should settle things with Keith."

Lance turned to the old altean like he was crazy. Coran went on, "You should know that number four ran out of the castle in search of you. He reacted much faster than anyone and managed to outrun all of us. Including Shiro. He was worried."

“Fine, I was worried,”

Keith's words replayed in his head.

Keith was concerned about him. Lance was so focused on Kelly's feelings, that he didn't think about how Keith felt. The thought punched his gut. Even though they didn't like each other much, he still cared.

"So?" Coran asked waiting for an answer.

Lance hesitated. "It's...complicated."

—meanwhile castle lounge—

Pidge stared at her. "Why is it complicated?"

Kate still paced around, running her fingers through her hair. "You know why," she said gloomily. "Lance thinks of me as a rival, whatever I say won't change him. He's stubborn that way." She sank to the opposite side of the couch and sighed. She didn't know what else to say. She felt lost for some reason

"True," Pidge said sadly, "but you have to keep trying." Kate averted her eyes from her. "Kate, what are you really scared of? Why do have to distance yourself like this? Are you afraid of change?"

Kate didn't respond, and that was all Pidge needed to know.

—a little later, castle lounge—

"We need to find hard evidence of Kelly's involvement with Hannah's disappearance." Allura said strongly. "Only then we can interrogate with her without any objections."

"According to Choal," Kate said leaning against the wall, "Kelly lives in a hotel not far from the studio. We need to search her room without her finding out. So where is she now?"

"Waiting in the restaurant," Lance blurted. All eyes were on him now, Kate raised her brows suspiciously. He shifted on the couch uncomfortably, "I, err...She invited me for a drink."

"Did she?" Shiro questioned. He looked back at the princess, "Doesn't look like she's in a rush to leave town."

Pidge grinned."Then we press our one advantage. She doesn't know we're on to her. So we make a run on her without her finding out."

Kate blinked. She had a bad feeling about this.

Hunk tilted his head. "How're we going to do that?"

It was Allura's turn to grin. "Simple." She turned to Lance. "All you have to do is keep her out of her room while you're having dinner with her. Just show her a good time. And while you keep her occupied, Shiro, Pidge and Keith would get into her room."

In other words, he was going on a date with her. Kate wanted to scream. She didn't like this plan, but she knew she couldn't protest without a good reason which, sadly, she had none.

She could feel Lance feeling uneasy. "So what am I doing on this date?" He asked Allura with a straight face. "Am I supposed to trip her up? Get her to break?"

"No," Pidge said sharply, "just stall her. Make some jokes like you usually do. The important thing is to keep her out of her hotel room so we can search for it."

"So what do you say, Lance? Think you can charm her for an hour?" Allura challenged.

The blue paladin laughed nervously, but his smile melted away.

—Castle Bridge—

Lance came in wearing a fine black tuxedo, his hair was pulled back and it looked glossy. He didn't look bad, that Kate had to admit, but she sensed him feeling uncomfortable. The suit must have been a little too tight for him. "So, What's the plan again?" He asked.

Allura said calmly, "Now, Lance, be charming, but not too charming."

He snorted. "That's like asking Superman not to be too super. What's wrong with being charming?"

Kate answered. "Look, being charming shows that you're confident," Lance was surprised when she walked to him and placed a red flower she was fiddling with in his front jacket pocket, "but being too charming shows that you're trying to be manipulative." She straightened his bow before looking at him seriously. "And Kelly is a pro actress, which means she knows every trick in the book. So be clam, avoid looking into her eyes, and don't do anything stupid." She stepped away from him.

"Exactly," Pidge agreed, and she playfully slapped his shoulder. "Well, enjoy your date."

"Tell us if you find anything," Allura said to the rest of them, "Hunk Coran and myself will remain here in case Prince Chaol sends another message."

They all nodded.

"Hey, Lance!" Kate called before he made his way to the restaurant. He turned and looked at her. She hesitated. "Be careful, okay?"

He blinked and stared at her for a heartbeat before grinning. "Do I detect actual concern for my well being?" He said cockily.

She blushed furiously. "Screw this up, and I'll kill you."

He laughed. "Oh, never mind."

—hotel, restaurant—

Once they were seated and ordered their Vatrisa, Lance found himself staring at Kelly's turquoise dress. He could have flirted and talked with her all night. But the guilt of only caring about Kelly and not about how his friends would feel, especially the mullet, held him back. Pretending to have fun with a beautiful actress/criminal was a lot harder than he thought.

"Lance?"

He flinched and bumped his knees underneath the table. "What?"

"Is everything alright?" Kelly said with concern. "Our drinks were served a few ticks ago."

"Oh, uh, yeah," he said quickly, "it's nothing. Anyway, let's talk about ourselves for a bit. You're quite an ambitious woman, aren't you?"

She blushed. "Well, I'm a woman who believes in going after what she wants."

Like getting rid of Hannah, he thought. He forced a smile. "I can see that."

"Besides," she added, batting her eyelashes at him. "I didn't really make it a secret that I was attracted to you and I could tell you felt the same way about me." She raised her glass.

He followed her example. "Well, looks like neither one of us is very good at keeping secrets."

They clinked their glasses before they drank.

—Kelly's room[shiro's perspective]—

Shiro knew Keith was in one of his moods. He didn't need to ask. When they searched the room, Keith didn't bother handling one of Kelly's things carefully. Pidge had to dive to the deck to save a plate from breaking after Keith knocked it down with his elbow.

"Keith!" She hissed, setting the plate back on the table. The raven-haired boy ignored her.

He seemed a little off. Shiro walked to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Keith, I know I've asked this to you before, but are you okay?"

Keith stopped flipping over the pages of a book he was holding. He looked at him over his shoulder. "I'm fine-"

"No you are not!" Pidge interjected, putting her hands on her hips. "Keith, you've been been agitated this whole time and I know there is something bothering you. You should tell me about it." She paused. "I mean us"

Keith pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. "I don't know what the reason is!" He cried out suddenly making them flinched. "I'm being emotional at one point, then I feel restless...I don't know. It all started when we arrived here."

They stared at her in dead silence not knowing what to do or say.

"Gosh, I haven't felt this way since..." he looked at Shiro. "...I stole your car."

Pidge blinked. "What?"

He remembered when the red paladin stole his vehicle when they first met, though he failed to see how it connected to this. He watched him sigh heavily.

"My hormones must be acting up again. I'm insecure," Keith said in a hushed tone.

—Hotel, restaurant —

After they'd eaten their meal, which Lance had to admit was delicious though he didn't know what he ate, he tried to buy more time for his team by ordering dessert. He looked at the menu, blocking his view of Kelly so she wouldn't see his sweating face. He didn't understand a word of what was written on the menu.

Kelly took the menu from him gently. "I have an idea," she said, putting the menu aside, "Why don't we skip dessert?"

Lance stared at her and chuckled nervously. "Oh well, what's the rush? I hear that Disho is famous for its desserts.”

She pouted. "Wouldn't you rather come to my room? We can bring a few savories with us while we are at it."

He gaped at her. "Uhhh-"

"Wonderful!" She clapped her hands in delight. "I'll just go and order them right now." She stood from her chair and left Lance. He watched her go until she was out of sight. He quickly scrambled to take his phone out to send a simple text:

To: Keith.

From: Lance :

GET OUT!

-later-

Lance hoped Keith saw his text. The elevator dinged open and they both stepped out to the hallway. They were getting closer and closer to Kelly's room. His phone buzzed in his suit pocket, he took it out without Kelly seeing it and read quickly.

To: Lance

From: Keith:

Leaving now. Stall her.

Stall her? Easier said than done.

Lance rushed in front of her and forced a flirty smile. "I've been wondering about this for quite some time, but why choose to be an actress? Nothing wrong with that, I'm just curious."

Kelly stared at him for a heartbeat before returning the smile. "It's a ... recent career change."

"Really? What did you do before?"

Her cat ears twitched, shaking the pink bow behind it. "Actually, I was a thief."

His smile dropped, and he paused. That was unexpected, she gave an honest answer. "Really?"

Kelly shrugged. "Well, that's what the museums like to call me. I prefer to think of myself as an art retriever."

"What's the difference?"

"The pieces I took had already been stolen from their rightful owners." She explained, "Just because a piece is in a museum doesn't mean it actually belongs there."

"Oh," was all he said. He was not sure what to think. Had they been wrong about Kelly?

"Come on now," she said, shaking the box of savories she'd been carrying after they left the restaurant. "These won't be eaten by themselves. I also want to discuss some things about Hannah with you." She walked passed him.

He followed behind her reluctantly. They were getting closer. To Lance's horror, Kelly's door opened slowly. He grabbed both sides of Kelly's shoulders and made her turn to face him. Then he did something he didn't dream of doing with a criminal. He closed his eyes, leaned forward, and kissed her. Kelly dropped the box in shock, but she soon returned the unexpected kiss. Lance hoped Keith, Shiro, and Pidge quietly crept away from them well he 'stalled' her, but his plan didn't work.

'Hey!"

Lance didn't hesitate to break the kiss when he heard Keith shout. They both faced an angry mullet looking very livid at them, or mainly at Lance.

"Wha-what is- what are you d-doing here?" Kelly faltered.

"Arresting you for theft." Keith snarled at her. He pulled out a silver bracelet which Lance recognized instantly. It belonged to Hannah, she always wore it and he'd never once watched an episode of her without it. "And kidnapping." Keith added.

Lance knew the mullet was going to kill him.

—later, police station, observation room—

Pidge knew the loud argument Kate and Lance were having outside the observation room was bad. She'd never seen Kate react this way before, she must have been through a lot of stress lately.

"Wait. So now you're telling me that you don't believe she's in on this!?" Pidge heard her say to Lance outside the door.

"Why would she tell me she's a thief?" He asked. "Why offer that up?"

"Because she's feeding you enough truths so that the lies would be is easier to swallow."

Wow...

Actually, this was pretty entertaining, Pidge thought. She should have made some popcorn.

—outside the observation room—

Lance stepped towards her, shaking his head. "I don't think she's behind this."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, you're thinking with the wrong body part."

"It was only a kiss!" He threw his arms in the air to protest, but he wasn't doing it well. "I was doing what you told me to do – keeping her occupied. I-I was trying to give you enough time so that you could search her room."

"Yes! The room!" She yelled, "The room where we found the bracelet and other items which all stands as evidence against her right now."

He grabbed her arm. "I just think we should give her a chance to explain."

"We?" She scoffed, shaking him off. " No, there is no way we're going into the interrogation together." She moved to the door. "I'm sorry, Lance. But based on this conversation and your behavior in the hotel, it is obvious that you have been compromised." She opened the door and backed through it angrily.

He tried to follow. "I was just trying to do –" The door slammed in his face before he could finish, "– what you asked." He hissed the last part through his teeth.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

—police station, interrogation room—

Shiro and Kelly were seated on the chairs, listening to the entire argument outside.

"Wow, you're friend is scary," Kelly stated, crossing her legs.

Shiro agreed. He'd never seen Keith react this way before. And when he snarled at her, god, he found himself trembling a bit.

Keith entered the room and took a seat next to Shiro. "Explain," he growled, pulling out Hannah's bracelet, "Now."

Kelly huffed. "Next time I'm hitting on a guy you like, come clean with me before I go out with him so you don't have to arrest me to break up the date."

The raven-haired boy looked baffled. "What?"

"Don't hide it. I know you like Lance. You just wanted to keep him all to yourself. Y-"

"Kelly, your just uttering nonsense," he snapped. "Stop wasting my time."

Kelly glared at him, but she just sighed it off. "Fine...I had Hannah's bracelet because she asked me to keep it."

"Why?" Shiro questioned

She shook her head. "She wouldn't say. She told me she was being stalked by someone she didn't know, and just two days before she disappeared, she came to me and said, ``If anything happens to me, I want you to go into my room and take my bracelet.'"

Keith narrowed his eyes at her. "Wait, so you're the one who trashed her room in her house?"

"No," Kelly said quickly. "when she said room, i knew she was referring to her studio room. I found her sleeping there once when she was acting all paranoid. I was going to tell this to Lance, but you guys busted me before I had the chance."

"Right," Keith said grimly.

Shiro waved it aside. "So, What's so special about the bracelet?"

Kelly hesitated for a few heartbeats. "I found it strange myself, so when I examined it, I discovered a chip hidden in it."

They both frowned. "A chip?"

She nodded. "As I looked into it, the data that was stored had some pretty interesting intel about Vatrisa."

"Vatrisa?" Keith questioned. "What would be so special about a drink?"

Kelly's tail flickered like she was offended by his question. "Well, from what I hear, drinking Vatrisa has certain effects for some species from another planet. It makes them restless, energetic, agitated, sometimes makes them feel lost and confused."

Shiro's eyes widened. He glanced at Keith, the raven-haired boy seemed to have the same idea as him. That would probably explain why he had been acting off lately.

Keith gripped his left shoulder nervously. "Umm, okay, so...why would Hannah try to hide something like this?"

"Probably because she stole it," Kelly replied bluntly.

They stared at her. "What?"

"The data was all written in galra text," she explained. "It took me sometime to translate all of it. Apparently if we somehow enhance Vatrisa, the effects would become more unstable and dangerous for the consumer, yet more powerful and uncontrollable." She looked away from them to take a breath. "I don't know why Hannah decided to be part of this mess, but it cost her dearly." She removed her pink bow and tore it with her claws. She pulled a chip from inside and handed it to Shiro. "I'm sure her kidnapper was looking for this, so here...the responsibility is yours, now."

—later, outside the interrogation room—

"So, are we going to let her go?" Lance asked Shiro.

"Not yet," he said, "Kelly's still a major suspect in this case, so unless her alibi confirms, she has to be detained."

He looked at Keith was currently talking to the prince of Disho. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but it looked serious. He started disliking Choal every passing moment for a reason he didn't know. Especially around Keith. He watched Keith give him the chip and the prince took it. Choal bowed at the raven-haired boy and left. Pidge walked to him a heartbeat later and they started talking.

"You know, something funny is going on between the prince and Keith," Lance stated crossing his arms, looking at them. Shiro agreed.

"What is going on?!" A voice thundered. A fat male cat stalked towards them. He had a weird-looking small medal shaped like a bird hanging around his neck. "I told you, Slaughter has no right to interrogate any of my show's cast members!"

"Well this Slaughter guy is not the person interrogating with Kelly," Lance shot back. "Who are you?"

"The name's Vaughn," he said in a gruff voice as he glared at Lance. "I'm the director of Space Reality Z, now you kids listen to me!" He scanned their faces, "My show has already faced a loss when Hannah disappeared, she was one of my main stars. I don't want a rumor going around that Kelly was the one responsible, they'll claim my taste of choosing actors is choosing criminals and that would give my show bad ratings! I don't care if you're the paladins of voltron. If you want to interrogate any of my actors, come to me and I'll make arrangements." With that, he left them angrily.

—next day, castle, dining hall—

Shiro sat next to Kate while she talked to Pidge about not drinking any of that Vatrisa stuff anymore. He handed both of them freshly brewed coffees. The two girls exchanged confused looks with each other but accepted it anyway.

"What is this?" Kate asked him.

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "It's to apologize for pressing on you yesterday."

"Oh," Kate jabbed Pidge on her side when the smaller girl gave her a smug.

"So," he started, "what did you talk about last night? You and Choal?"

Kate took a sip and grimaced at the taste of the coffee. The coffee beans they received from the Arusians were definitely old. "Oh, we were just going over the investigation, talking out the next few st-" She stopped herself and frowned when a thought hit her. She looked from Shiro, then the coffee he made for her, and back again. "Wait a minute – are you – is this you being...protective and-"

"Jealous?" Pidge added, smiling like a fiend. Kate immediately turned to the smaller girl with an alarming look.

"Jealous?" He scoffed and forced a laugh. "No-no-but, uhh...I saw how you looked at him. And as the leader, I need to make sure all of you are alright."

Pidge laughed. "Oh my gosh, Shiro, it's prince Choal. He's a skilled swordsman and a commander of an army. Of course Keith's going to swoon." She cringed when Kate gave her a reprimanded look. "A little," she corrected. "Just like how Lance would if the girl of his dreams walked through the door."

"But it's meaningless," Kate said quickly getting to the point.

Shiro chuckled to himself and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. It's just – the guy's so impressive."

Kate turned to him. "Don't compare yourself with him. He's not you. Besides, the guy could get anyone he wants. He's not interested in me."

Just as she took another sip from her coffee, Hunk entered the room and said, "Keith, Prince Choal has requested you to his palace."

She choked on her coffee at the news. Pidge had an amused look on her face while Shiro's jaw dropped.

"He what now?" He questioned.

"Why me?" She wiped her mouth with her sleeve.

"I don't know," said Hunk.

"Why him?" Shiro demanded. "W-why not Allura?"

"I don't know why. I just know he wants to see Keith and Keith only."

"Oh, are you serious?" Kate said incredulously. "He wants me to-"

"He's insisting," Hunk interjected. "Apparently you made quite an impression."

Neither Kate nor Shiro is, really happy with that.

Pidge turned to her. "You made an impression?" She questioned and smiled in a silly way. "And here I thought he was smitten by you."

"I am not smitten by him," Kate hissed, blushing furiously, avoiding Shiro's gaze. She grumbled. "Whatever. I'll see you guys later." She left the room with a burning red face.

—a little later, castle lounge—

Shiro did his usual pushups only this time he wasn't counting. His mind wasn't focused. Chaos's words still echoed in my mind.

‘Or Keith, you would prefer...for now. That child has been called with different names over the years, I lost count.’

How many names did Keith have?

He pushed himself up.

‘If you are worried about Leana now for things like this, then you have no idea about the other things that child desperately hides from people.’

What other secrets does he have?

He slowly dropped himself down

‘The truth would be shocking once you know. It is enough to make you wonder whether you really knew anything about the child from the start.’

Do you really know him? Sendak's voice joined in.

He pushed himself up and then noticed Allura's Altein dress before him. He looked up, Allura was looking down at him while carrying a teapot and glass.

"Okay, Shiro," she said kneeling next to him. "This is altean calm tea," she poured the tea into the glass and handed it to him. "And you need to calm down."

He sat crossed-legged, accepting the tea from the princess. "How am I supposed to calm down?" He exclaimed. "Keith is hanging out with a guy against his will and there's nothing we can do about it." If the prince unknowingly struck a nerve, then Keith would most likely punch him, which was a situation he didn't want.

Allura placed a hand on his shoulder. "We should not worry too much about it. I am sure the prince has his reasons. And Keith can handle things on his own"

Shiro hummed. He took a sip, the tea tasted like green tea, but a little sweeter.

Hunk entered the room eating goo on the plate he was holding. "Are you kidding?" he asked. "Keith's with Choal? Well, that was totally unexpected. Keith must be-"

"Hunk," Allura reprimanded.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I just wanted to say something."

Allura sighed. "I was just reminding Shiro that Keith is a grown man. He knows his duty as a paladin, and he is committed to our relationship ."

Hunk hesitated. "Ah ... well... not totally committed."

Shiro gaped at him. "What do you mean?"

Hunk shrugged. "Well, for one thing, he's a loner," he stated. "And loners usually have a lot of secrets that they don't share with their friends. And out of all of us, we don't know exactly what Keith wants. And," he added with a grin, "from what I hear, the prince of Disho actually has a thing for Keith which is why he summoned him to his palace, so he's using his chance now because...well, there isn't a ring on his finger, is there?"

They both gaped at him, speechless. Why didn't he see this love thing before?

He took another mouthful of goo. "Technically he's not really committed at all."

Shiro suddenly grabbed the teapot from Allura. "I'm going to need more of that tea!"

—later, around the city slums—

"I found it!" Pidge cried in her lion.

Hunk appeared on her screen. "You found the van?"

"Yeah, the vehicle was camouflaged between the walls of the slums and blended with—"

"Okay," Hunk interjected. "Sorry but Shiro, sort of pressured me to find Hannah quickly before I left the castle, so cut to the chase. Where is she?"

"Well the vehicle was near an abandoned building and she's still there."

"Alright, Let's inform Shiro right away."

—meanwhile, castle kitchen—

"Keith's hanging with Choal?" Lance questioned, joining Shiro and Coran. He thought for a bit. "I don't think you should be worried about it, Shiro, though, when I did a background check on the prince, you would never believe what I found."

They all stared at him thinking whatever he was going to say was bad. But— "His hit list includes half of Disho's Hot 100 women. How does one guy pull through all that? "

They all just groaned, that was not the kind of thing they wanted to hear.

"Don't listen to him, Shiro," Coran said cleaning dry one of the dishes. "Keith knows he can't fool around since he's a paladin voltron. He's not going to fall for his charms."

"So you'd let Allura hang with him, then?" Lance asked.

"No. I wouldn't let Allura anyway near him." Coran thought for a moment. "Okay, maybe you should be worried a bit."

She sighed. "You know what we need to do? We need to solve this case and fast. The sooner we find Hannah, we get Keith away from Choal. Where are we now?"

"Well, Choal's guards, Pidge and Hunk are looking for the van Hannah was kidnapped in, but so far we got nothing."

Shiro stared at the floor contemplatively.

Lance looked at him worried. "You know Shiro, I can try to separate them right now."

The blue paladin took his phone out and dialed a number, Shiro and Coran stared at him. "What are you doing?"

Lance didn't respond. He punched a button on the screen. "It's on speaker," he told them.

"Lance, why are you calling me?" Keith's voice buzzed on the line.

He gestured both of them to be quiet putting a finger on his lips. "I heard what happened, Keith. What are you doing with the prince?"

"He summoned me Lance,"

"And you just let him do what he wants?"

Keith huffed. "What was I supposed to say? No?"

"Yes!"

"Why are you so against me being with Choal?"

"Because, umm..." he looked at Shiro, Shiro nodded, silently gesturing him to go on and make some stuff up. "-you told me I can't hang around with Kelly. Why did you agree to go with Choal?"

"I was being polite." The red paladin countered. "He is a prince and our other hand in getting an alliance. But, Lance, do you think I want this? D-do you think I asked to be here?"

"Err...maybe. I mean I thought you liked him."

There was an intense silence

"What are..." he growled. "God, do you realize what you are doing? You are obsessing over this because you have nothing to be obsessed about."

Uh-oh. This was not going well.

Keith cut the line before Lance could say anymore.

—meanwhile, palace corridor—

Kate glared at her phone. Lance really knew how to tick her off even when he wasn't here personally. She took a deep breath and let it go before she joined back to Choal and gave him a weak smile. "Sorry about that."

The prince hummed in amusement. "The blue paladin really drives you insane, doesn't he?"

Kate shrugged. "Well, I think he annoys everyone in general, but he just likes to see me go mad."

Choal pursed his lips. "Are men like him the reason why you keep your distance from people?" Her smile melted away and she bit her lip. He stood from his chair and looked at her violet eyes. "I can tell, Keith. Something stops you from connecting with, it made you what you are now."

She stared at him contemplatively for a heartbeat before looking away to take a deep breath. "No, it's...I...someone close to me died in a fire accident and that just...changed things. It changed me."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said with remorse.

She still didn't look at him. She walked away from him to the window, running her fingers through her hair. "So you think you've got me figured out, huh?"

"Except for one thing." He followed behind her. "Are you and Shiro ..."

She halted. She was silent for a heartbeat before she turned back to face him. "No."

"Does he know?"

Shiro wasn't supposed to know her feelings for him yet...but her behavior lately has been bothering him. He just suddenly asked her if she was okay, and he knew she lied... and...god, she didn't want that kind of attention yet. She wasn't ready to confess, but if he knew about this entire crush...and if he's asking her about this...then...

She hesitated a second too long. "I...No..."

Choal tilted his head. "But the truth is you don't really know," he walked closer to her. "Otherwise you wouldn't have hesitated."

She shook her head. "No, it's just – if...if he did know for a while then...then we've never really talked about it."

"Then he's a fool."

"No, it's – " she looked down to think, to avoid his ruby eyes. "It's just – it's complicated."

"Keith," he said softly, the prince gently pulled her chin up. She looked back into his ruby eyes reluctantly. "There's nothing complicated about meeting a woman like you and knowing what to do."

Kate was silent. His words were sinking into her mind. Choal took his chance and leaned closer. Kate just stood there frozen and let him get his way. But the moment she felt his lips brush on hers, her thoughts came together.

"No." She whispered. This is not what she wanted at all.

She planted a hand on his chest and pushed him back. A heartbeat later a laser shot pierced the window and passed to the place where Choal was when he kissed her. Kate jumped and pulled the prince to the floor. "Get down!" She yelled.

Two more shots shattered the window but Choal was still alive.

—later—

After the incident, Choal contacted the police and his guards. The police arrived nearly 5 minutes later after the guards took the prince to a safer location. The cops were sweeping around the corridor when Shiro and Lance rushed into the scene.

"Keith!" They both said while panting.

She turned to them. "Hey, guys. I'm fine."

They both nodded and sighed in relief. Lance looked around. "Where's Choal?"

Kate sighed. "The king hid him in one of the palace's secret chambers," she replied, "a preferably one without windows that snipers can shoot through."

"I don't understand." Shiro said lowly. "Why would someone just suddenly start an assassination on the prince?"

Kate bit her thumb to think. "Well, maybe the Dishorian spy working for the galra kept our kidnapper updated. I gave the chip he was looking for to Choal so—"

"Hey, red paladin!"

They turned. A wolf-looking guy wearing a black suit with weapons strapped to his back, arms, and legs approached them. "I heard what happened," he said in a gruff voice. Lance turned pale and whimpered as he hid behind Shiro. "My name's Slaughter. And I hate to do this to you, but I need to take your statement." He took a notepad out.

Kate shook her head. "No, it's fine."

"So, "he began, "where were you standing when the first shot came?"

She hesitated. She passed Shiro and Lance to get to where she had been; near the window.

"Uh, I was ... right over here." She pointed.

Slaughter nodded. "Okay. And where was the Prince?"

She swallowed. "Right there." She said quickly.

Slaughter nodded again. "Right—" he looked down and moved to where she gestured, "-here."

He looked up and was startled when he realized he was right next to Kate's face. He backed up a bit and looked at the hole in the window.

Lance frowned. "Why was he standing so close?" He questioned.

Kate probably scowled but she didn't say anything.

Shiro narrowed his eyes. "Wait a minute. If Choal was standing there," he moved to them and examined the distance between the glass and their position, "then the shot would have gone right through his head." Shiro waved his hand by Slaughter's face to indicate the path of the laser shot. Slaughter scribbled on his notepad. "How did our galra miss?"

"Well," Kate said quickly not looking at him, "before the first shot came in, Choal stumbled."

Slaughter nodded and made a note, but both Shiro and Lance didn't look convinced. "Stumbled?" Lance asked, still keeping his distance from Slaughter. Kate turned to him and nodded. "Kids and old people stumble. How did he stumble?"

Kate looked away again. "I don't know. He just did."

Slaughter raised a brow but made a note of it anyway.

Lance still made a face. He walked around and said, "So he stumbled just at the right moment to avoid being shot by an assassin- whom we had no idea was going to make a move-through a window which you—" he turned to Kate, "—had no idea was going to shatter."

Why did he make things sound off? Kate wanted to strangle him for that.

"Nobody's that lucky." Shiro agreed. He looked at her with a questionable look. "What's going on here, Keith?"

Kate took a deep breath. She finally locked her violet eyes into his dark ones. "He kissed me, okay, Shiro?"

They gaped at her with their mouths open. "He what?"

Slaughter looked at all three of them, he knew this was going to be something personal. He put his notepad away. "I think I have all I need here. See you around blue paladin." He made a quick exit.

Kate sighed and went on. "Look, I'm not going to lie to you. We were talking about you, w-we were talking about relationships, and then...he kissed me.

They still stared at her, speechless.

"But it didn't mean anything." She held her left arm. "At least not to me."

"Well, if he kissed you," Lance finally said, "why didn't you just push him away?"

She glared at him. "I did."

He looked around and realized what she meant. "Oh. Which is why he's not dead."

Lance's phone rang in his jacket, and he answered. "Hello...really?...thanks." He cut the line. "Pidge and Hunk both found Hannah in an old building. They haven't rescue her yet because they're waiting for your orders, Shiro. "

"Alright, let's suit up." Shiro decided.

—inside the abandoned building—

Pidge was outside the building keeping watch while the others scrutinized every empty room each floor of the building had. They turned to every unfamiliar corridor and room but found nothing.

This is going to take forever, Kate thought. She sniffed the air, but could only get the musty smell of the place. The smell alone wasn't going to help.

‘Patience yields focus,’

and Shiro's advice echoed in her mind.

She thought for a moment then sighed to herself. She looked at the rest of her teammates while she touched her left arm and bit her lip. She put her helmet back on.

One last time, she said to herself before she closed her eyes and enhanced her hearing. She felt her cat ears twitch inside of her helmet. She first heard nothing. Then she heard her teammates' footsteps and voices. She focused her hearing specifically on things a normal human being couldn't hear. She slowly heard their soft breathings and heartbeats inside them. Good, now she needed to extend her hearing to a different location. She couldn't get anything on the floor she was currently on, so she went to the next. Then the next. Then the next. Then the next.

Then...she heard heavy breathing followed by whimpering and cries.

Her eyes snapped open. "Found you."

[In Lance's perspective]

He watched Keith suddenly hit the stairs taking twos and three at a time while he ran.

"Keith?" Shiro called. They followed him.

(Okay, ending song if you want the mood. The Greatest by Sia or you could listen to the cover by Madilyn Paige. Both are really good!)

After another five levels of floors, Keith turned to a corridor and opened a door. They followed him soon after and found a cat woman tied to a chair with a gag on her mouth in the kitchen. Her dress was dirty and torn a bit, she must have put up a fight against her kidnapper.

"Hannah?" Hunk asked putting his bayard down.

Hannah whimpered in response.

Shiro and Keith rushed to her side and untied her. Keith removed the gag from her mouth and Hannah thanked them profusely.

Shiro said through his helmet, "Okay, Pidge, we found Hannah. How—"

Lance turned to the door they came in moments ago, but a cold chill passed his body when he saw a galra and two of his robot sentries pointing their laser guns at them. "Whoa!" He yelled getting his teammates' attention before he dived to the deck pulling Keith along with him. Everyone dodged when the shots came in. The plates and glass vases around them shattered, scattering the broken pieces on them and all over the floor. They all crawled behind the counter for cover while the shots went on. Lance shot back with his bayard from the side, but he kept missing. His sniper gun wasn't designed to shoot from close range.

"Pidge, we need back up!" Shiro yelled through his helmet.

"Copy that!"

"Give me the chip!" The galra yelled

"Put down your weapons now!" Keith barked back.

"Give me the chip!" The galra said stubbornly. "Give me what I want and I walk away with one getting hurt."

Keith tried to peak over but the robots and the galra fired at him, and he sat back down. "I can't see him."

"Oh, I've read this scene about a hundred times in books." Hunk said warily. "We give him what he wants, you know how it ends? Badly. And by 'badly,' I mean us dead."

"Just stay down." Keith told him.

"You stay down!" Lance hissed.

The mullet glared at him. "You can't shoot them from down here."

"Yeah, and they can't shoot us either."

Shiro clapped a hand over his face. "Are you two seriously gonna argue now while the galra are trying to fire our heads off?"

"What else can we do?" The raven-haired ‘boy’ turned to their leader. "My weapon and your hand are meant for close-range combat. Lance and Hunk's weapons are only effective if they are standing from a distance, and we currently don't have that kind of space. We don't have any sort of weapons that can—" he stopped himself and looked at his right leg contemplatively. He pursed his lips and hesitated. "Actually...hey, Lance..."

"Yeah?"

"You don't necessarily need a sniper scope to shoot those guys behind us from this range, right?"

Lance frowned. "I don't think so?"

Keith nodded to himself. "I hope you're right."

"Keith," Shiro warned. "Whatever you're thinking—"

"We won't know unless we try."

Keith removed the white armor located on his right arm. He pulled out something from the inside of the armor. It was a small silver rectangular object, decorated with rubies.

"What is that?" Hunk asked.

He didn't respond. He pressed the circle ruby that was at the center and suddenly two dual blades appeared on both sides that connected to the hilt. Most of them flinched when the sound of the blade popped.

"Whoa—what the heck? Is that a dagger?" Lance exclaimed.

"It's a switchblade." Keith said calmly. He removed the knives from the hilt and turned to Lance. "Okay, listen. I'm going to roll to the next counter right at the side of us to draw their attention."

"I'm not playing games!" The galra bellowed.

Keith continued, "There are two galra robots over there, so as soon I throw my knives at them to take them down, you need to shoot loudmouth over there."

"But my bayard is a sniper rifle." He pointed out. "My aim is not—"

"I know," keith interjected. He then removed the armor located on his right leg. He watched in shock as Keith drew a hidden gun from the ankle holster. "Which is why, you'll be using one of mine."

"You...you had a..."

"This belonged to my dad. Tell you the rest later," he brushed him off. He shoved the gun into his hands before rolling over behind the next counter. More shots came after he did that.

"I will kill all of you!" The galra snarled.

Keith looked at Lance and nodded. "Okay...1...2...3!" Keith stood up swiftly and threw his blades. The blades struck their throats and they instantly stopped functioning. "Now, Lance!" He screamed

Lance obeyed. He stood and aimed at the galra's chest before firing twice. He was just in time because the galra nearly pulled his trigger at Keith. The bullets struck and he dropped to the floor immediately, groaning at the pain.

Everyone just stayed silent for some time, sweating and panting. Keith turned to Lance, "Not bad, Cargo pilot." He remarked.

"Don't call me that," Lance said slapping Keith playfully on his arm.

The rest of them got up from their place and looked around. "Great work, guys." Shiro smiled at them. "But we're not done yet, we may have found the galra and Hannah, but we're not going to let that Dishorian spy get away with this."

"Agreed," Keith growled, putting the knives back to the hilt.

Lance looked back at the fallen galra and noticed something shiny. A weird small silver medal shaped like a bird hanging on his neck.

Hannah flickered her tail. "I know that the spy works at my studio, but I know not of his identity."

"No need," Lance said to them grinning. "I know who he is.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

—studio—

"Vaughn," Kate called to him as both Lance and she approached him through the hallway, "You're under arrest for treason of being a spy."

Lance smirked, "And don't forget helping to kidnap Hannah."

The old cat fumed, "You can't be serious."

"Recognize this?" Lance pulled out the silver medal for him to see. The cat's face turned pale. "You had the same thing hanging from your neck that made me crack this case wide open."

"Your galra friend, Baylor, says hi from the hospital by the way. He confessed to the whole thing. You can't run anymore, Vaughn."

The cat looked at both of them speechless.

Lance then added, "This is the part where you say, 'and I would've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!'"

Kate turned to him with an unamused look but she let it slide. Vaughn did something any coward would do. He fled.

Lance blinked. "Wait, is he actually running away?"

She nodded. "Yeah, it's primal instinct- fight or flight."

"Should we run after him?"

"Eh, no need."

A heartbeat later they watched Vaughn get tackled down by Slaughter. The wolf detective cuffed him and dragged him away. Lance on the other hand tried to hide behind Kate when he saw Slaughter.

Kate looked at him. "Do you two know each other?" She asked. " cause you were whimpering behind Shiro when he was taking my statement."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I partnered with him only for two hours when you were with Choal...he...I don't want to talk about it."

—later, palace dining hall—

"Thank you for your assistance," the old king said bowing at them. "We would have never been able to find the galra without you, or worse, our planet would have been conquered if we realized too late."

Allura bowed back to the king, "As the defenders of the universe, it is our duty to help those in need."

As they talked, Shiro noticed Keith wasn't with them. He looked and turned his head in every direction, there was still no sign of him.

"If you're wondering where Keith is," Pidge whispered to him when she noticed her leader looking worried. "He's with the prince."

Shiro was taken aback by the news.

What? He screamed internally.

AGAIN?!

— palace gardens—

"Keith!" Choal called rushing to her while she sat on one of the benches of the gardens. "I cannot thank you enough for what you have done."

Kate smiled at him. "It's not only me. I had help from my friends. You should be thanking them"

The prince nodded. His ears twitched and his tail flickered when he folded his arms nervously. "Listen, about what I did earlier—"

Kate just chuckled to herself. "Let's put that behind us for now, hmm?" She quoted his words, she stood to face him. "It doesn't matter anymore, my friends didn't react much when I had to tell them about what happened. So I don't really care."

He studied her. "They don't know you're a woman, is what you're relieved about, I'm guessing."

Kate sighed and nodded. "Yeah..." she looked into his eyes intently, "Can you not tell anyone about it yet? Especially to them?"

The prince smiled at her. "To pardon my actions that made you feel insecure," he said slowly, Choal reached over and took her hand, bringing it to his lips for one last kiss. "Your secret is safe with me, Kate."

Kate was surprised when her name slipped from his lips, but she just smiled at him. He was a true gentleman compared to the other boys she had seen when they knew she was a girl.

—later, after the castle left the planet, Castle Bridge—

"I swear to you Shiro, he did not do anything that made me uncomfortable this time," Kate told him while she gazed at the stars. "He was just making amends."

Shiro sighed and walked to her, he placed a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. "I believe you, Keith. But...are you okay now?"

Kate smiled and looked at him over the shoulder. "Now I am." It was the truth. "The Vatrisa effect must have finally worn out. I'm good."

Shiro nodded.

Allura pouted. "I'm kind of envious of you, Keith. Any woman would have gladly accepted his company, but you pushed him aside."

Kate frowned. "I was never really interested. But for one thing," she said smiling, "I admit he's quite impressive."

"And handsome." Pidge added dreamily.

"And don't forget charming." Allura crooned. "And that accent? Ooh~."

"Oh, I know!" Pidge agreed in a low girly squeal.

"All right!" Kate said in a high voice to stop them from going on. She wanted to put all of these events -especially the kiss- at the back of her mind. She cleared her throat. "Okay, um ...can we not talk about him please?"

Pidge smiled at her mischievously. "It must suck that your first kiss was stolen by someone you don't love."

So much for trying to put it at the back of her mind. Kate rolled her eyes and turned to face her. "Choral is not my first kiss." She blurted and immediately regretted it. Shit

They all looked at her with wide eyes. "What?"

She cringed and looked at them uncomfortable, especially the way Shiro was looking at her. "I'm not repeating." She said firmly.

Allura squealed. "Goodness! Someone else stole your first kiss?" She rushed to Kate, her eyes were gleaming.

Kate backed away. "He didn't steal it, he...it was an accident."

"He?" Pidge questioned with excitement. She too rushed to Kate.

Kate backed away again until her back hit the glass, she looked around in panic. God, what was with girls squealing to know love stories and kisses and boys? UGH!

She was trapped, she couldn't escape. She faltered, "I-I'm sorry but that's all i can say a-and...he did not have any romantic feelings for me."

Pidge crossed her arms and snorted. "That's what you think."

"He didn't!"

"Please, you know when someone likes someone else, but you don't know when some else likes you. Like what about the prince of Disho?"

She huffed. "That's different."

Allura giggled. "Would you kindly explain how?"

"The guy who kissed me was a rival of mine. It was when I used to have long hair."

Both the girls’ smiles melted away turning into a frown. "Long Hair?” “Rival?" Allura tilted her head. "You mean Lance?"

Kate nearly jumped. "What? No, no, no, no! Of course not Lance. Wait—" she looked around the room. "Where's Lance?"

—Lance's room—

He tried to get some shut-eye after they left the planet Disho, but he kept having dreams about his family. His home. Earth. He missed them. He missed everything.

He didn't mind being a paladin and all, but leaving without saying goodbye was...it was painful. His parents must be worried sick and Veronica must be secretly crying in her room each night. When she was younger, she would silently go to his room and sleep with him because her nightmares kept waking her up. He missed cradling her in his arms, singing lullabies to her and his other siblings to comfort them. His mother's hugs. Honestly, he could go on and on and list things he missed.

He flinched when he heard a knock on his door. Keith let himself in and found Lance sprawled on his bed. "Lance? Are you crying?"

What? Man, he didn't realize that he was. He cursed to himself and rubbed his tears away with his jacket sleeve. "No!" He lied. "I was...what do you want Keith?"

Keith hesitated. "My...gun?"

Oh, yeah...he forgot he still had that. He got out of bed and picked the gun out of his closet. Lance handed it to him. "So, care to explain why you didn't use this weapon before?"

Keith averted his eyes from him. He pulled the cuffs of his pants and placed the gun back into the ankle holster without uttering a word. Lance growled silently and grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving. The tanned boy then pushed him down to the floor and pinned both his wrists.

Keith looked at him, surprised when he hovered over him. "This position again?"

"Yeah, and I won't mind doing it a couple more times in public if you don't answer my question."

"...Lance...I..." Keith sighed. "Fine...it's because i, well... hated using far ranged weapons."

Lance furrowed his brows. "Are you terrible at shooting? Is that why you trusted the gun to me to shoot Baylor?"

He bit his lip. "I wish i was...but, no, it's not that." He took a shaky breath. "Whenever I shoot...the bullets are always aimed at the target's head. And there's nothing I can do to change that."

Lance stared at him. "Wait...so it's an—"

"—instant kill," keith finished his sentence grimly. "Yeah...someone forced me to sharpen my skills that way and i take the lives of the people...i mean animals, and I hated myself for that."

(Okay, ending song if you want the mood. No One by Alicia Keys or you could listen to the cover by Haley Klinkhammer. Orphan_Account personally likes this cover)

Lance's eyes softened as he looked at the mullet. "If you hated it, then why did you keep that gun?"

One of Keith's front bangs covered an eye. "I told you, it belonged to my father. It's one of the things I had my whole life and I can't let go of. Whether I use them for combat or not...they mean something to me."

The blue paladin loosened his grip on his wrist and pulled Keith upward. "Okay,' he nodded. "What about the switchblade?"

Keith was silent for some time. "That...I stole it from a guy who didn't deserve to have it." Lance gaped at him. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you anymore...it's really personal."

Lance rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah...I think I should be the one to apologize for pressing on you. And..." he looked away and said sheepishly, "I'm sorry for being kind of bit of a dork and jerk lately."

The mullet tilted his head in surprise.

"Believe me, I love to drive you nuts, but this week, I might have been pushing you too far."

Keith raised his brows. "You might have been?"

The blue paladin snorted. "Fine, i put you on edge a lot and I was selfish for only caring about 'bimbos' I don't know personally. Look, I can't entirely promise you that i will stop flirting with women I don't know, but I will at least try to be cautious. If you haven't noticed, not everyone in the team can keep their guard up like you can all the time."

The raven-haired boy looked at him contemplatively. "Well, I suppose that's better than not trying."

Lance nodded and smirked. "But, just because I'm being polite doesn't mean I won't stop competing with you and drive you crazy."

Keith returned the favor. "I'll still hate you and yell at you, but keep in mind I still care."

They both exchanged warm smiles.

Keith stared at him, then narrowed his eyes. "Are you sleeping well lately?"

He blinked. "What?"

"You have black bags under your eyes, Lance," he pointed out. "Your cosmetics or whatever you use, did a good job hiding it, but your tears wiped them off."

"Quiznak!" He hissed to himself. After they fought Sendak, his dreams lately had been about his family and earth, he wasn't sleeping well because of that.

Keith pulled him up by his arms and they both stood. "You should get some sleep."

He laughed. "What? No. I'm fine."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

Keith shook his head and sighed. "Lance," he said softly and closed his eyes, "everything's going to be fine now. We'll start fighting against the galras tomorrow so—" he flashed his violet-, no they were golden? He flashed his golden eyes at him and smiled sadly. "—get some rest tonight." He commanded.

He didn't know why, but his body felt heavy and started sagging down before he shut his eyes.

(Kate's perspective)

Kate caught him in her arms and gently laid him on his bed. She closed her eyes again and her violet eyes returned when she opened them. She pulled the blankets over his body and stared at his sleeping face. "I'm sorry, Lance." She whispered. "But this is for your own good."

She stroked his hair a few times before exiting out of his room. The door hissed closed after she came out. She stared down and sighed heavily when she felt a presence near her. "Come another time, Chaos. I can't talk to you today."

The cloaked woman smiled at her. "It has been a while since I last seen you express yourself to a boy who is oblivious of your past." Kate looked away. "Leana, you cannot deny the fact that Lance McClain, is in a way, behaves like the other boy."

Kate ran her fingers through her hair. "Even if they are similar in a way, this is different. James knew some part of me and Lance doesn't." She squeezed her eyes tightly. "And I can't afford to let anyone know this time."

Chaos took a step towards her. "I still fail to see why you manipulated his memories to forget you, though. He's bound to remember those memories when the two of you cross paths again."

Kate snapped her eyes at her in shock. "I'm meeting James again?" She backed away in horror, hitting her back on Lance's door. "No, no, that...that's impossible."

"It's not impossible, Leana." Chaos said softly. "The situation is inevitable. You cannot escape it."

Kate slowly sagged down to the floor. "But he'll hate me for making him forget." She said shaking, tears were now threatening to fall. "He wouldn't understand."

Chaos kneeled next to her and wiped her tears away. "Have faith, Leana." She whispered looking intently into her eyes. "You should start trusting yourself. Things are different now."

With that she disappeared in her dark mist, leaving Kate there on the floor silently crying.

The strong mask she always wore to hide her true feelings was breaking.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kate struck a line across another four other tally lines on her notepad.

It was sixty-five now.

Sixty-five days have gone by in a flash without her realizing. The galra's sure kept her occupied. She looked at her bed and stared at her gun, which was just lying there on her mattress, contemplatively, letting her mind drift off to an old memory...

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The bullets hit the moving dummy three times from a far range.

"How many times did she hit the head?" the blonde woman near Kate asked the guards who were examining it.

"Twice," the man replied, "the last one hit his neck."

The blonde woman smiled and turned to Kate. "You are certainly improving within one week, Irina. Doctor would be pleased to hear this."

Kate looked away, disgusted with herself. How long do they tend to make her do this? First were just paper targets, and next were dummies... she knew it wouldn't be long until they made her do it on the real thing.

"Hey, fat blonde lady!"

They both turned and Kate's face brightened when Felix and Glade waved at her. "The psycho doctor called for you in his office." Glade said, "Says he wants you there, now."

The woman scowled. "What are you brats doing here? Where are your escorts?"

"We knocked them out unconscious and ate their flesh." Felix licked his lips.

They stared at the boys in shock.

Glade chuckled. "Kidding. The doctor actually summoned everyone because it was a big meeting or something, so our escorts left us here and told us to stay put."

The woman jumped. "Doctor? Meeting? Why didn't you say so?" she turned to Kate. "Irina, stay put. I'll come back as soon as I can." then she bolted out of the room.

"Man, she sure can run in those heels," Felix mused. "How do girls run in those things?"

"Every time when someone mentions the doctor, she goes hyper." Glade chuckled. "She's probably in love with him or something."

"Gross. That guy is a sadistic. He loves to make people suffer, not women. Everyone knows that. If she still loves him despite all that, she's probably lost it. What do you think, Kate?" he turned to but his smile dropped. "Kate are you sick? You look pale again."

Kate sighed. "I didn't lose any blood this time... it's this." She held up the gun. "It won't be long until they switch from dummies to real people."

Felix sighed. "You finally reached that stage, huh?" He gently took the gun from her and shot it to the dummy twice. "I remember when I first had to start this." Felix looked at them who were gaping at him. He pointed his eye. "That's the place where the doctor forced me to focus on. It might be disturbing at first, but you'll get used to it."

Indeed, the bullets perfectly hit both sides of the dummy's eye. Kate just couldn't imagine the pain of a bullet hitting her eye.

"Alright you brats," the guard, who examined the dummy, approached them. "Time for dinner, off you go."

Glade held her hand while Felix held the other. A silent sign to assure her that she was not alone.

She was glad she had them...

The memory came and went and she just sighed.

The past was the past. There's nothing she could do to change that. she got up and left her room.

— Later, Castle bridge—

"Then, we'd better go down to take a look." Allura said firmly after they went through Sendak's memories and found the galra's shipment building between three planets. "We'll need to enter here: the central control building."

Kate frowned and turned to the altean. "I'm sorry, Princess, did you say "we"?"

"I'm going with you. I've traveled through the Galra transportation hubs many times with my father before the war began." Shiro and Coran stood in alarm at her decision. "I know more about them than any of you."

Coran stepped forward with a wary look on his face. "Princess, I'd rather you stay here."

Allura furrowed her brows at him. Kate sensed that the princess felt...offended. "I'm a part of this fight against Zarkon as much as anyone. I'm going." She looked at everyone with an infuriated expression. "Does anyone have a problem with that?" She demanded.

The paladins tensed by her tone, they looked away from her without any signs of objections. Coran on the other hand hesitated. Kate sensed he was still reluctantly.

Coran turned to Shiro, silently signing him to say something to protest, but Shiro just shrugged and said without any problem, "Fine. Suit up."

The old altean jumped and turned pale. The rest of the other four paladins had a bewildered and shocked expression.

This was not a good idea.

—later, the universal base, (or hub)–

Lance sighed dejected "Well, I guess this mission was a bust."

"Let's get back to the Castle." Shiro decided.

"Hold on," Allura stopped, she looked at the younger girl, "Pidge, do you know where that ship is headed?"

Pidge punched a few buttons on the system. "Um, it's scheduled to be here for about a half an hour, then headed off to Central Command." She replied.

The princess nodded and stood. "That's where they have the information we need, and I'm going to sneak aboard that ship and get it for us." She said the last bit filmy.

They gaped at her.

"What?" Lance exclaimed. "No way!"

Kate raised her hand. "How are you going to get in?" She asked with uncertainty.

Allura grinned at her, she removed her helmet. "I'm going to walk right through the front." She closed her eyes and Kate had her jaw dropped while she watched Allura's skin slowly turn purple and her height increase. She was taller than Shiro now.

The rest of them gasped at her transformation.

"How the heck did you do that?" Hunk asked breaking the silence.

"The Alteans are a chameleon-like people who can blend in with the local populations." She explained with a smile. "It's the ability that's made us great explorers and diplomats throughout our history."

Kate stared at her contemplatively. She looked down and touched her left arm. The ability to change their appearance... shape-shifting? Or was it only transforming to a specific look?

"So, can you turn into, like, a balloon?"

"How many different colors can you be at once?"

"Aren't you afraid you'll rip your pants?"

Pidge, Hunk, and Lance asked their questions all at once.

Allura tilted her head from side to side to answer their questions. "No, just one at a time, and I will need a change of costume." She looked in the direction where the unconscious galra soldier they knocked down earlier, sprawled on the deck. "I can use his uniform as a disguise."

"Allura," Kate said sharply to get her attention, "you're in a galra state right now, so...do you feel something different within you?"

"What do you mean?"

Kate said, being careful of her words, "I mean, do you feel overwhelmed by, I don't know, hatred?" She hesitated when she said, "Blood lust?"

Allura was taken aback by the last word. "What? No. Not at all."

Kate nodded. So she could only shapeshift. The princess and Kate's last ability was different. "Forget what I just said, I was curious."

"I can't let you go in there alone." Shiro stepped forward.

"Excuse me?" Allura bristled. "I do not need your permission."

"It's too dangerous." He walked coming face to face with her. "I'm going in with you."

"You will stick out like a Shoferiak's nose."

"You're going to need that nose, Princess." Pidge raised Shiro's prosthetic hand and waved it in the air. "Shiro's hand is made from Galra tech. It's the only thing we have that will allow us to interface with their systems and gather intel." She dropped his hand and looked at her computer over her shoulder. "I can monitor the download remotely from here."

"Fine," she said reluctantly, "you can come."

Kate bit her lip. Why did she have a feeling this was not going to end well?

—later—

Kate watched as both Allura and Shiro entered the building successfully. The plan was to wait for them until they came out, but her attention was drawn to two large containers filled with some yellow substance. What made her more curious was a guy wearing dark robes that covered his body from head to toe and a mask that concealed his face. She sensed a dark air around him from the distance she was in. She followed her instincts and trailed behind the guy when he took two of the huge containers with him to another place. She somehow managed to take down two galra sentries without making much noise, while the hooded guy...actually, she didn't know exactly what he was doing. He just raised his hands and strange purple lights erupted out of his palms forming a round big ball that...whatever the hell it was doing. The two containers that were taken earlier were... well, she found more of them in rows everywhere in the huge hall.

She activated the scanner on her helmet. "Coran, you need to see this." She said in a whisper.

She heard the old altean gasp. "I've never seen anything like it."

"What is that?" Pidge's voice came in.

There was some beeping noise in the background, then a robot voice came in, "The material is quintessence, the substance with the highest known energy per unit volume in the universe."

"What?" Coran said in shock. "Impossible."

The robot went on, "Raw quintessence material is transported here from throughout the galaxy and refined into standardized Galra fuel requirements."

"I can't believe it! They've found a new way to acquire quintessence!"

Kate stayed silent. She wasn't exactly sure what this entire stuff was, but it seemed important. Maybe she could secretly take samples for Pidge to examine. "Guys, I'm going to steal some of this quint-whatever."

She just blinked and the masked guy was gone. She swore in Russian at herself and just as she turned, he was there behind her. The masked guy raised his hand and the same purple lights erupted through his palm and sent her body flying across the hall.

His wolf ears twitched when he heard a huge racket coming from the hall where all the quintessence were kept. He knew something was wrong. There was a new and unfamiliar scent filling the air as he jogged closer to the hall. The first thing he saw was the broken sentries lying on the floor. Victor examined them closely, their metal bodies had been stabbed and slashed with a sword. He looked up, the red paladin was fighting for his life against one of Haggar's Druid. He hid in the shadows and watched them fight. The red paladin howled when the Druid hit him on his left thigh with his magic. The paladin hit his back on one of the containers, breaking the glass and spilling the quintessence all over him. He hit his knees and panted heavily.

This wasn't good.

Just as the Druid lunged at him, Victor snapped his fingers. A portal opened before the earthling and the Druid realized too late he couldn't stop his speed. He entered the purple void and the portal closed on its own. The paladin looked around in confusion. Victor remained hidden. He knew it wasn't time to show himself to Voltron about his organization yet. He silently watched the red paladin get up sluggishly and exited the hall.

—On the ship(Shiro and Allura’s perspective)—

They ran from the sentries while the alarms blared all around them. "The escape pods are up here!" Shiro shouted as they turned to a corridor.

Allura removed her helmet and discarded it. "Hurry!" She urged. "We can't leave once the ship goes into hyper-speed!"

Allura grunted as she tried to keep the doors shut with her own hands, not letting anyone else from coming in. Shiro rushed to help by activating his galra hand to melt the metal together.

Just then Keith entered the place from another door and found them.

"Keith?" Shiro questioned, "what are you doing here?"

The raven-haired boy immediately rushed to their side helping to keep the doors shut. "Long story." He rasped.

"It's taking off!" Allura cried. "Two of you, get in the pod!"

Keith looked back at the pod and frowned at himself.

"I'm not leaving you!" Shiro said strongly.

"You have to!"

"No!" Keith snapped. "The two of you have to leave without me."

Shiro flinched. "What? Keith, what...what did you just ask us to do?"

Keith grunted trying his best to keep the doors closed. "I'm not asking you," he turned his head to them and flashed his golden eyes," I'm commanding you to do this."

His body reacted on its own. Both Allura and Shiro left the door to Keith and walked straight into the pod. It wasn't until the pod closed that he realized what he had done. He turned to the door and watched through the glass in horror as Keith got caught. Keith gave him an apologetic mixed with a tearful smile before the galra ship jumped into hyperspace.

"No!" He slammed his fist on the door with frustration. His legs just moved on their own and left Keith behind.

Allura gasped. "What happened?" She questioned. "It felt like...like my body moved on it's own. Shiro?"

He didn't respond, he lowered his head in dismay.

They lost Keith.

—green lion—

The rest of the remaining paladins gave them a confused look when they only saw the two of them enter.

"Where's Keith?" Pidge asked warily.

He didn't respond, he didn't dare look up.

Lance frowned. "Shiro?"

Allura placed a hand on his shoulder. "He sacrificed himself to save us." She said lowly squeezing her eyes shut.

Pidge flinched. "He's still on that ship?"

Hunk said, "The ship that's headed to Zarkon's Central Command?"

"The place that's way too dangerous for us to attack?" Lance said.

He gripped Pidge's chair harshly. "It doesn't matter how dangerous it is." He looked at them now. "We can't let Zarkon get Keith."

"But you said going there would be a huge mistake." Hunk prodded. "You said for us to attack that place head-on would be the dumbest possible thing we could ever do."

He closed his eyes. "I know," he said grimly, biting his lip, "but now we don't have a choice."

"Without Keith," Allura took a breath, shaking her head in dismay, "how are we going to form voltron?"

—galra ship—

It didn't settle well for Victor when he heard the sentries catch the red paladin. When they brought him and locked him in a cell, he was unconscious. He managed to take a look at the paladin through the small door window without being. Spotted by anyone. He frowned when he looked at his body. The wounds he received during his fight with the Druid were gone. He couldn't smell blood either.

He didn't let his questions go on, he needed to report now. He slipped into an empty and isolated room to open a portal. He entered the void and found a different control room on the other side with only one galra he knew. He said in a hushed voice, "Thace!"

Thace whirled around and pointed his blade at him. He lowered his weapon when he realized who it was. "Victor?" He questioned. He narrowed his eyes at him. "Victor, how many times did Kolivan tell you to not use your abilities in the open like this?"

"We have a situation," he said grimly. "The red paladin has been captured and the ship is bringing him here as we currently speak. And, even if they do know it's a reckless decision, I'm sure his friends would come after him. Bringing Voltron straight to that tyrant."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kate knew where she was before she awoke. And she didn't care. Both Shiro and Allura were safe and that was all that mattered to her. They were alive.

When Allura ordered both of them to leave without her, she couldn't let that happen. From before, she secretly kept it in her mind that the princess stood as a symbol of hope and peace for the universe...unlike what her position was; bloodshed and murder. She would never allow Zarkon to get his hands on her. Until this damn war was over, she wouldn't allow

her or any of them to die.

It may be true that Voltron was the only weapon that could end Zarkon's reign, but she didn't deserve to be a paladin of the red lion. The lion probably chose her because she was the only person available to pilot it. The thought of her being one of the heroes of the universe just made her laugh, it was nothing but
a crazy joke
.

She slowly pushed herself up sluggishly and looked around her cell. Her helmet and her bayard were taken from her, but her armor was still on. Which means her backup weapons were still hidden inside of it. Good. She knew couldn't just sit here and waste time. One of the reasons why she decided to stay back was because Allura wasn't an experienced fighter, so she wouldn't have thought of a way to escape. Right now she was certain that Shiro would do everything to get her back which was risky because she knew he was going to bring Voltron to Zarkon's main ship.

It would be a suicide mission.

She had to find a way to escape before it was too late.

—Castle Bridge—

"Princess," Coran said in relief, "you are okay!" He frowned when he noticed their unenthusiastic expression. He looked around. "What happened?" Where's Keith?"

"They captured him." Shiro said guiltily. "He sacrificed himself to save the two of us and the information."

"How is that possible?"

"Coran," Allura said, "things didn't go as planned, but we can't focus on what went wrong. We have got to figure out how to make it right."

Shiro turned to the smaller girl who was working on her station. "Pidge, anything?"

Pidge pressed a few buttons and gasped. "Guys, look at this." She projected Zarkon's ship.

"Look at the size of it!" Coran cried.

"I think we should go in right away." Pidge said strongly. "Every minute we waste gives Zarkon time to prepare for us."

Lance nodded. "I agree. We form Voltron, fly in, fly out, dust off our hands, and walk away."

"Um, do you guys not remember the Balmera?" Hunk prodded warily. "We could barely take out one fleet. But this... a base this size could hold a thousand fleets!"

Allura turned to him. "We have to, Hunk. Keith is the only one capable of piloting the red lion. With him gone, we have no chance of fighting against Zarkon."

"Okay, we're all upset because we lost Keith." Pidge cried.

"No," Shiro snapped. "I lost Keith. I'm responsible!"

"Okay, okay!" Hunk raised his hand to stop them. "This isn't helping. We can't just sit here and bicker like this."

Allura said calmly, "Let's focus. How are we going to get Keith?"

—In the Galra Empire, Kate's cell—

Kate looked around for any loose vents or some opening to get out, but she froze when she heard footsteps approaching her cell. She dropped to the ground, resting her forehead against her knees like she was doing nothing. They unlocked the door and it hissed open from above. Three people in dark robes stood before her, she could sense they had the same air around them as the other masked guy she fought earlier. The old woman in the middle looked at her with her cold and completely golden eyes. There wasn't any pupil.

"Come with me." She said lowly, that sent chills in her body.

Kate tightened her eyes, but she silently obeyed. She couldn't start a fight now, not until she knew what they were going to do with her.

They cuffed her hands to retrain her. She followed them in silence to unfamiliar corridors that the sentries patrolled around here and there. She didn't realize she was in the throne room when a galra dressed in battle armor said in a grating voice, "You were foolish to let yourself be captured, red paladin."

Kate did her best to keep her expression flat. "Emperor Zarkon, if I am correct." She forced herself to give a sly smile. "I never dreamed of a day I would meet you in person."

He turned to her and narrowed his eyes. His blood-curdling presence was far more terrifying than she thought. "Do you not know the position you are in now?" He asked with cold eyes.

Run, every part of her body screamed at her.

Kate barked a laugh. "I know enough you have quite a nerve to capture me."

The old woman stepped in front of Zarkon and raised her hand. Purple lights erupted out of her palms and struck Kate on her chest. She barely had time to react when it hit her, causing her to suffocate. She touched her throat, trying hard to gasp for air, but what made matters worse was that her ability went out of control again. Some memory flashed in her mind...

She found herself outside a galra building, though to her, it looked like a palace. The younger version of King Alfor stood from a distance, watching the sunset.

Kate frowned and looked around. What was all of this supposed to mean? According to Allura, Alteins and the Galra were at war and they fought against each other relentlessly. But the princess's father just stood there smiling to himself, he wasn't chained and he didn't look tortured. Heck, the sentries just walked passed him like he was their friend.

"Alfor!"

Kate jumped when she found Zarkon walking to him. But, he looked...different. His eyes were not entirely yellow and she didn't sense that same cold air around him. King Alfor turned to him.

"What is it, Zarkon?"

"I haven't...thanked you properly for saving my planet. If it weren't for your lions, my people would have been in danger." Kate blinked, his voice wasn't grating. What kind of memory is this?

The king looked surprised, but his face broke into a smile. "It's fine, really. Though, I have noticed that your behavior has been off lately." He tilted his head. "Is everything alright?"

Zarkon hesitated.

The Altean waited, but he just shrugged. He raised his red bayard. "Maybe you need a break. How about we fly our lions around your planet for a while to forget about it? It might help."

The Galra thought for a heartbeat. He looked up at him and returned the smile. "Perhaps you are right." He said raising his black bayard.

Kate was stunned. Zarkon was...holding a black bayard that belonged to the black lion. The Bayard Shiro was supposed to have. But Allura said it was lost along with its former paladin.

Unless the paladin was...was...

Kate dropped to the ground and took heavy gasps and breaths. Her abilities had certain drawbacks. Being Empath made her feel sick when there were too many people around her. If she used her command ability too much on different people, she would temporarily be blind. And even though she could manipulate someone's memories, the drawback of it was either someone else's random memories flashed through her mind at a random time, or one of her memories flashed to someone else's mind at a random time.

Kate looked up at the galra emperor in aghast. "You...were the former black paladin!?" She questioned as she pulled herself up.

"You..." the old woman hissed at her, "what did you just do? What did I just see?" She demanded.

Kate stared in horror. Damn it. The memory she saw must have shared links with other minds. She avoided the old woman's demands by facing the emperor and growled at him, "I don't know what you're planning, but Voltron will stop you!"

Zarkon observed her intensely with his golden eyes. "No, it will only make me more powerful. And without you, voltron cannot be formed. Your comrades will come for you, and they will deliver Voltron to me, and, with it, the key to unimaginable power." He looked at the masked men behind her. "Take him away for now."

They obeyed. As Kate walked back, she listened to the conversation the emperor was having with the lady.

"Sire, i suggest we end his life now."

"Not yet, Hagger. I am intrigued by this paladin. The way he reacted was like a galra—" Kate flinched, "—perhaps he could he useful. Cain too had told me something quite interesting about this child. You can experiment with him if you wish."

You fight like a galra

, Sendak's voice replayed in her mind.

She felt herself sweating. Perhaps...Perhaps it was just a coincidence.

Kate was back in her cell again. She bit her thumb while she paced around the room thinking of a way out. She needed to escape without raising any alarms to the sentries, but how? Her switchblade wouldn't do any good, she could use her gun and shoot the door open, but without a silencer, the shots would be heard.

She peered through the door window, all the sentries were robots which made her day a lot worse since she couldn't use her command ability on them. Now what?

A purple void just suddenly appeared behind her. She swiftly pulled out her ruby-decorated knife and pointed her blade in defense. Nothing came out of it. She frowned to herself, this was the same particular void that saved her from the masked guy. What was it doing here?

Kate slowly lowered her weapon and cautiously entered the void. At the other end, she found an empty room where her bayard and helmet were kept on the table. It all looked too easy. She sniffed the air, but she couldn't smell anything, she was alone. The portal closed after she came out of it. She quickly got her stuff and exited the place. She didn't know what got her out of her cell, but she silently thanked it. She heard shouting and explosions from the outside of the ship. Her eyes widened. Her friends came back for her.

She hurtled herself through the corridors, leaving broken sentries in her wake. She needed to get out of this damn place as soon as possible, but she didn't know which way to go. It would have been a lot easier if her lion were here.

The side of the wall just suddenly broke apart and she heard a familiar roar. She smiled when the red lion opened its mouth for her, gesturing to come back in. She ran in and sat in the cockpit. "Hey, red," she patted the controls, "thanks." She said through her helmet. "Guys, it's me, Keith. Listen, I escaped on my own so let's get the hell out of here!"

Everyone appeared on her screen, looking relieved. "Keith? You're okay?" Pidge asked, she nodded.

She flew her lion in their direction while avoiding lasers.

"All right, Paladins, time to get out of here!" Allura said as she tried to open a wormhole, but nothing happened.

"Hello? What's going on? I don't see a wormhole." Hunk pointed out.

The Galra barrier is jamming our ability to create one!" Coran cried. "They have us completely surrounded!"

Kate bit her lip. This was not good.

Just then the barrier strangely shut down.

"What just happened?" Pidge questioned.

"Who cares? Wormhole!"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When Kate opened her eyes sluggishly, everything was pitch black. She got out of her lion's cockpit through the entrance of her lion's head and looked around. She was stuck in a wasteland. Her lion wasn't responding to her through her mind. Just how...what happened?

Then it all came back to her.

Something strange happened to the wormhole, the lions being dragged away from the hanger by the pressure, Lance calling out her name and Shiro's. She blacked out after her lion crashed and landed on this planet of barren land and floating dead rocks.

And all of this happened because she got herself captured. She got them into this mess.

"Hunk! Pidge! Coran! Allura, Lance...Shiro..." She called their names, but with each name she called, her voice started to quiver. "...anyone?"

She just received a static reply through her helmet. Otherwise, silence filled the air. The silence she always resented. She sighed and looked around her surroundings through her scanner. She halted when she saw the black lion from a far distance. Shiro was here.

Kate hurried in that direction, her palms turning slicker with each step. "Shiro, can you hear me?" She tried again. "Shiro? Shiro, are you there?" She still received a static reply.

She was running now.

He had to be alive. He just had to be. She picked up his scent not too long ago, it was faint, but it definitely belonged to him. He was out of his lion, that she was sure, but where?

Static still filled her ears until—"Keith. I'm here. Keith." She heard his voice. She sighed in relief.

"Shiro, you made it." She smiled to herself.

She heard him grunt and groan before he said, "It takes more than a glowing alien wound, a fall from the upper atmosphere, and crashing into a hard pan surface, at what I'm guessing is about 25 meters per second squared, to get rid of me." Her eyes widened. "How are you?"

He was hurt?

"Forget about me!" She said sharply, "What wound? Who did you fight?"

"Uhh, an old crazy witch in dark robes."

Hagger. She remembered Zarkon mentioning her name. She cursed in Russian through her teeth.

"Did you say something?"

"No." She quickly lied. "Hang on, I'm coming. Just keep talking to me, I need to know you're okay."

There was a pause. "Uh, Okay?"

She unconsciously muttered a different language under her breath.

"Keith, did you say something again?"

She jumped down a cliff and she glided safely using her jet pack. "I was just talking to myself. I do that sometimes when I'm really tense." She wasn't lying, she did that to herself most of the time when she was alone. To prevent the silence from devouring her.

"Huh," he mused. "You know...for a minute there, I thought you spoke French to me."

She halted. "Oh my gosh, I did speak French to you." she realized.

An awkward silence, but that didn't stop her from running to him. "How do you know French?" He asked, his voice was getting weaker.

She hesitated, she opened her mouth to reply but she heard him yelp and groan. "Shiro? Shiro what happened?"

"There's several creatures." He said while panting. She heard growling and snarling from the background and loud noises she didn't understand.

She was so focused on him, she didn't realize the ground shook and broke underneath her feet then the water spouted. She screamed when the pressure of the water threw her off the cliff she didn't see.

"Keith, are you okay? What happened?"

She was dangling from the edge of the cliff, her claws dug hard on the wall of the soil to prevent her from falling any further. She activated her jet pack to come back up. "Minor delay," she grunted, "but I'm on my way. How are you?"

"I'm all right, but I'm trapped in a cave, and some nasty-looking creatures have me cornered."

She panicked, and her heart was racing. She was losing time. Kate used her jetpack to fly towards the black lion. She landed on the ground a couple of times but she didn't stop. She still went on. "Stay with me, Shiro." She said strongly. "I'm on my way."

"Good," she heard him say in panic, "because these guys just started digging."

She swore. There were more sounds in the background along with Shiro's cries and growling from the creatures. "Shiro, what happened?" But he didn't respond. She swore and swore again and again under her breath.

No. no. not again. Please, not again.

She reached the black lion, but there were no signs of the creatures or Shiro anywhere. She looked down at the crater and found them. And Shiro looked more terrible than she ever imagined. He couldn't fight in that state.

This is your fault.

She was just on the verge of throwing herself off down the crater to fight those creatures, but...then what? They looked really tough to beat, it would be reckless. She turned back to the black lion and flew to it with a crazy idea in her mind. She touched the lion's nose. "I know I'm not Shiro, but he's in trouble." She looked at the lion pleadingly. "We need to help him...please..." the lion didn't respond for a heartbeat.

The lion's eyes glowed and opened its mouth for her to enter. She didn't hesitate. She quickly went to the cockpit and took control. The black lion flew and landed over Shiro to protect him from those creatures. They fled from them after the lion roared. Kate quickly got out and pulled one of his arms over her shoulder. "Hang on." She whispered to him. His eyes were getting heavy. She managed to bring him back to the cockpit and the lion took off in the sky, heading back to the red lion.

-later-

"Patience yields focus," Kate said clutching onto her heart pendant while they watched the flames of the fire she set up dance before them.

Shiro gave a weak chuckle and leaned on the rock behind him. "That really stayed with you, didn't it?"

She turned her head to look at him. "You've given me some good advice. If it wasn't for you, my life...would have been a lot different. Probably worse."

"Yeah. You wouldn't have crashed a flying lion on an alien planet and be stuck with little hope of rescue." He coughed in the middle, Kate patted his back to help him. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes to finish, "So, you're welcome...and thanks for saving me."

She bit her lip. "I'm sorry I got you, and the rest of the team into this."

He frowned at her. "What are you apologizing for? This isn't your fault. We knew the risks and we were bound to embrace it anyway."

Kate shook her head. "I don't think so. So far, it was never this bad. Sure Lance got hurt and you were tortured, but it wasn't long until the two of you got into the healing pod straight away." She gripped harshly on her left arm. "Now you're... hurt and I can tell it's slowly killing you, and we don't have a healing pod now to fix you up and I'm just sitting here doing nothing because there's nothing I can do to—"

"Okay, Keith," he said to stop her, "you need to calm down and take a breath. You're being too hard on yourself."

"But, it's true," she whispered. She rested her forehead against her knees to avoid his gaze. "You know your situation."

Shiro was silent for a while. He sighed and rasped, "Keith, if I don't make it out of here I want you to lead Voltron."

Kate lifted her head immediately by his words and she gaped at him. "Okay, your wound is far worse than I thought. It's making you delirious."

He groaned at the pain of his wound. But he still spoke, "I'm serious. You just piloted the black lion to save me. You remembered what Allura said before, don't you? Only the lions choose their pilots. We don't make our cho—"

The raven-haired girl immediately clapped her hands over his mouth. Shiro muffled something in surprise. "Just stop." She said sharply, her head down to avoid him seeing her wide eyes. "J-just-just s-stop, stop talking to me like that. You're scaring me. You're gonna make it. I'm not letting you die here!"

He was freaking her out. Partly because he meant what he just said about leading Voltron. She couldn't sense him lying or making things up.

Shiro gently put her hands off his mouth and looked at her apologetically. "Sorry… let's talk about something else." He grunted when he turned his head to her. "You still haven't told me how you know French."

Kate hesitated again and sighed. "Well, other than doing pilot drills back in the garrison, I had a lot of other interests and I did them during my free time. Learning different languages was one of them. Half the time, I self taught myself in the library, and the other half I got a tutor to teach me."

"Who was your tutor?"

She swallowed hard before opening her mouth, "Adam."

She probably saw him flinch when she mentioned his name. "What?" He coughed.

"I forced Adam to keep it a secret," she said quickly. "He only taught me Japanese and Italian. I wouldn't say he was perfect, but he did his best to put up with a troublemaker like me."

Shiro stayed silent. Kate didn't bother looking back into his eyes. If she was being honest, she just wanted to know what Adam was like personally. That's why she went and asked him to tutor her. She then understood why Shiro liked him; he was a great guy and was honest with himself to others, a quality Kate lacked. And it hurt her because Shiro deserved to be with a guy like him, a guy who made him happy.

What was the point in thinking all of this, though? She let go of those bitter feelings a long time ago. "I'm going to go retrieve your helmet back. So stay put." She removed the right leg armor and drew her gun from the ankle holster. "And if something attacks you, shoot them with this." She handed her gun to him before stalking off without another word.

—Galra Empire—

"Sire, no! I-I would never do that." Prorok said weakly.

"Get rid of him." Zarkon ordered the sentries.

"No! I'm innocent!" Prorok insisted, but they dragged away anyway, ignoring his pleas.

Thace still knelt to the emperor, keeping his face blank while Prorok's cries were getting fainter behind him. "Before we dispose of him," he heard Hagger say, "the druids will find out all that he knows. Then, he will receive a punishment worse than death."

"Lieutenant Thace," Zarkon said to him. He looked up into the tyrant's eyes, "You are now in charge of the investigation. Commander."

Thace had his mouth open in shock, but he looked down and said in false respect, "Vrepit sa."

After leaving the throne room, he walked to one of the ship's corridors that the sentries hardly patrolled. He jumped and put his hand on his weapon when he heard Victor chuckle near him.

"Commander Thace, huh?" He mused while he leaned on the wall. "Quite a title you made for yourself today. Kolivan would be pleased to hear that you've reached one of the main ranks."

Thace dropped his hand to his side and sighed. "But Kolivan would not be pleased to hear that you acted without his authority again." He turned to Victor with seriousness, "Why did you open your portal to help the red paladin escape?"

Victor shrugged. "Well, we were planning to help him escape, weren't we?"

"Yes, but certainly not by your methods. If Zarkon hears there's another galra in his empire possessing abilities the galra race used to be capable of ten thousand years ago, he would do anything to get his hands on you."

Victor gave an unamused look. "You worry too much."

Thace clapped a hand over his face. "Ulaz really did a terrible job raising you."

Victor huffed. "Hey! My uncle believes in Voltron, so do I. I'm just walking the path that can put an end to this war." He snapped his fingers, and a purple void opened before him and he leaped into it.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"I'm not finding any coordinates in here." Pidge said firmly while scanning his prosthetic arm to her laptop. She turned to him. "Are you sure this wasn't just a dream?"

"I'm positive. Someone helped me escape." Shiro said.

"And he was Galra?" Allura demanded. Kate could already feel the tension and bitterness from the princess already.

"Yes."

"You know you cannot trust them."

"Your father must have trusted them once," Kate said lowly, crossing her arms. They all stared at her while Allura's face darkened. She turned to the princess. "Zarkon was the original Black Paladin, wasn't he?"

She saw Zarkon hold the bayard of the black lion Shiro was supposed to have. The bayard was never lost, he still has it.

Allura looked away and said bitterly, "That was a long time ago."

Lance blinked. "Wait, what?"

Kate ignored him. "Why didn't you just tell us the truth about Zarkon?"

She squeezed her eyes shut. "I wanted to protect you from the dark history of the paladins so that you would have a chance to bond with your lions on your own." She turned to Shiro. "You are the Black Paladin now, not Zarkon."

Shiro looked down contemplatively. "Well, the Black Lion may have a different take on the matter." He turned to Kate, "When we were going to rescue you, the black lion just suddenly rejected me and went rogue. I thought it was some malfunctioning, but… I didn't think Zarkon was the one controlling it."

Was the black lion malfunctioning? Being controled? Or was it scared? The lions do have consciousness.

"Wait a second," Pidge piped. "I think I see it now. Some repeating numbers in all this Galra code." Her fingers punched on the buttons a couple more times. " Let me extract it."

The intel was projected on the screen of a different solar system.

"They are coordinates! They lead here: the Thaldycon system."

"Then, that's where we're headed." Shiro decided.

Kate bit her lip. "Shiro, are you sure you can trust this?" She said warily, he turned to her. "I mean, after all the Galra have done to you. They-they took your arm..."

"It's worth the risk." He said strongly. "Someone helped me escape. If we can locate some allies in our fight against Zarkon, especially ones from his own side, we might just find a way to take him down."

Allura stepped in, "We can check the location, but I do not like this." She furrowed her brows and crossed her arms angrily. "The Galra are not to be trusted."

—later, Castle Bridge—

"There's an intruder in the Castle!" Coran cried.

Lance questioned aloud, "How could someone just sneak aboard the ship?"

"I knew coming here was a mistake!" Allura said lividly. She opened up the cameras in the castle and spotted him. "There he is. Level five."

Shiro got up from his station. "Everyone, suit up."

—Level five—

She didn't know exactly what happened, but whoever the guy was, he managed to beat Hunk, Pidge, and Lance and escaped effortlessly like they were just cheap lowly traps.

"All right, it's up to Keith now." Coran said from the comm.

"Copy that." She summoned her bayard. "I'm ready." She sprinted through the corridors.

"Oh, this is exciting!" Coran said with glee, He's got a sword. One young paladin, one seemingly indestructible foe." She sniffed the air, a new scent was approaching her direction fast. She was forced to duck when he still held onto Pidge's grappling hook, the line nearly hit her head. Kate chased after him while Pidge was still being dragged behind her. "Swing and a miss! Oh, another swing and a miss! He can't touch him! He's too fast!" The old altean narrated the entire situation and Kate did her best to not lash out at him to shut up. Both their blades collided, and she grunted while fighting against the other force. She noticed the blade he fought her with but froze when Kate saw a glowing lightning-like mark above the hilt.

She'd seen that symbol before, she'd recognized it.

The intruder knew her guard was down for a heartbeat and used it as an advantage. He flung his arm and her bayard flew out of her hand and skidded across the floor.

"He knocked his bayard out of his hands!" Coran cried. "It's on the ground!"

Kate swore through her teeth and backed away. With quick speed, she pulled her switchblade out of her armor and activated the blades on both sides before she lunged at him.

He pulled the line off the hook and Pidge came crashing into her before she had the chance to strike.

They both rolled on the floor and groaned, but Kate didn't give up. She pushed herself off the floor and snarled at him, showing her sharpened canines. She lunged at him again.

She was sure he froze for a heartbeat, but he dropped the hook and returned the favor. She tried to slash across his chest, but he harshly grabbed her wrist when she tried to and threw her towards the rest of her friends. They all hit the ground hard.

Her head was pounding and it hurt like hell. Her eyes fluttered open when she looked up. Air filled the corridor when the attacker and Shiro both had their weapons positioned near their heads.

The galra withdrew his weapon and took a step back. He removed his hood and the dark mask he wore vanished to reveal his face. And she recognized that face from one of her dreams.

Kate gasped. "Wait...you..." She said without thinking.

The galra turned to her. "Have we met before?"

She couldn't respond when Allura suddenly rushed passed Shiro and pushed him against the wall with brute force. "Who are you!?" She demanded with a scowl.

"Stop!" Shiro raised his hands. "It's him! This is the Galra who set me free."

—castle lounge—

"I don't think this is necessary." Shiro said looking at Ulaz whose wrists and ankles were cuffed. Kate agreed. Looking at him like this flashed a disturbing memory of herself when she was little...

"I will not have some quiznaking Galra soldier on the bridge of my ship!" Allura said strongly, her words were biting.

"If I wanted to kill you," he said lowly, "you'd be dead already."

Kate narrowed her eyes at him. "He's telling the truth, Princess." She said.

Allura glared at her. "Whose side are you on?" She asked coldly.

Kate looked at her from the corner of her eye. "You forget that I'm Empath. If he was lying, I would have sensed it through his emotions."

She scoffed, "So are his Galra threats supposed to win my trust?"

"I'm not trying to win your trust." Ulaz said calmly. "I'm trying to win a war. And, because of Shiro, we are closer than we've ever been. Our gamble on you paid off better than we could have ever imagined."

Shiro stepped in, "When you released me, you also mentioned that there were others working with you."

He nodded. "Yes. We are called the Blade of Marmora."

"Uh, others?" Hunk asked. "Are they here?"

"Hunk, can you try not to act so scared around the chained-up prisoner?" Lance gripped. "It makes us seem a little lame." Kate rolled her eyes at him.

"I am alone on this base."

"What is this base you're talking about?" the Princess demanded. "Shiro's coordinates just led us to this wasteland."

"The base is hidden." He replied. "Now that I know it is Shiro that has come, you are welcome to our outpost. It lies dead ahead."

Pidge frowned. "Behind all the xanthorium clusters?" She asked.

"No. Right in front of it, in a hidden pocket of space-time."

Kate still senses the princess's distrust of the galra. "Coran, are you hearing this?"

"I am picking up some kind of anomaly on the screen." The old altein said from the castle bridge. "I suppose it could be a cloaked base."

"Just fly straight for the center of the xanthorium cluster. You will see."

"You think you're going to get me to destroy our ship just because you say so?" Allura said with a tone of murder. Kate didn't like this angry dark side of her at all.

"We came out here to find some answers." Shiro defended. "Are we going to turn back now?"

"I support Shiro on this one," Kate said strongly.

"This doesn't feel right," Lance crossing his arms.

Pidge agreed. "The Galra could have implanted fake memories of the escape in your head."

Kate pinched the bridge of her nose and squeezed her eyes shut, she was irritated by this argument. Ulaz was telling the truth, she just confirmed to them that it was the truth, yet why were they still so doubtful?

Hunk's shoulder tensed. "Oh, come on, that would be so evil, which, of course, they are. But they'd have to come up with some molecular level storage unit, which his hand does have. But, to be linked up to memory, it would need a direct pathway to his brain, which...yeah."

Kate groaned. "You've got to be kidding me," She hissed. "Let's get this over with."

"Uhh, Keith?" Lance watched her walk to Ulaz. "What are you—"

"No questions," she snapped at him before she touched Ulaz's forehead...

-memory-

Ulaz took down the two galras that were near him and rushed to Shiro's side.

"Listen to me. We don't have much time." The Shiro that was strapped to the table slowly dozed off, and Ulaz slapped him awake. "Wake up! Zarkon has located the Blue Lion of Voltron on your planet, Earth." He lowered himself to let the cuffs off Shiro. "You must get it before he does."

"What are you doing?" Shiro questioned, the cuffs were off him now.

"I've planted a bomb to cover your escape." The galra said helping him sit up. "Get to a pod, now."

"Who are you?"

"I am Ulaz. Now, come on!"

They looked around for the sentries in the corridor.

"Zarkon will know that I released you," Ulaz said lowly, "so I must disappear. But, if you survive, go to the coordinates in your arm. The Blade of Marmora is with you."

"Why are you helping me?"

"As a fighter and a leader, you give hope. Hurry! Earth needs you. We all do." He said before sprinting away from Shiro.

The memory of the event came and went, leaving everyone in a daze. Kate dropped to the floor near the galra's heels, taking heavy breaths, one of her hands was gripping the collar of her suit. She somehow had a feeling that both Shiro and Ulaz were staring at her for what she did.

"Keith," Lance kneeled next to her, trying to help Kate get up. "What did you just—"

Kate shoved him away and stood. Her front hair covered the right side of her eyes. "No...questions." She repeated while panting. She looked at the princess who stood there gaping at the raven-haired girl. "What we just saw was from Ulaz's memory, not Shiro's...I hope you're convinced..."

She stalked off and exited the castle lounge.

—later, the outpost—

She didn't know what came over her. Seeing that blade put her on edge immediately...she even let another ability slip...

She later came back and apologized to them about storming off. She went with them to Ulaz's base in her lion and tried her best to keep a blank look while she was suffocating and struggling from the inside. It was the same story all over again; being in a small room (her lion's cockpit) with over three people. She didn't know why, but Ulaz kept looking at her contemplatively, it was like he knew what she was facing.

"With our members working on the inside," Ulaz said after they got in, "planning coordinated attacks with Voltron, we may finally have a chance."

"So, you have agents working within Zarkon's ranks?" Hunk said frowning.

Ulaz stopped working his hands on the computer to look at him. "How do you think you got away from Zarkon in that last fight?" He questioned. "Do you think those shields around Zarkon's command center went down on their own? We've got people risking their lives in this war, just like you."

Kate looked down to think. The portal she escaped in...was that they're doing?

"If you have people on the inside," Pidge said stepping forward, "can they tell me where my family is? They were taken the same time Shiro was."

"I knew others from Earth were captured." He admitted, "but I never saw them, but I have some records of Galra prisoners here. I can transmit them to your ship."

The raven-haired girl could have asked more questions, but she only had one in mind. "What's that weapon you carry?" She asked carefully.

He turned to her and unsheathed his blade. "It's a ceremonial blade that each member of our order carries."

Kate examined the blade, or mainly the symbol that was on it. The mark on it was...

It took her a few heartbeats to realize that the galra soldier was observing her intensely. She backed away and asked quickly, "Yes?"

He murmured, "You have her eyes."

...

What?

Then the alarms blared. The screen showed something big approaching the base.

"You were tracked!" Ulaz turned to them in horror.

"What? Us?" Pidge said in aghast.

Kate narrowed her eyes. She didn't sense any sort of acting from him. He didn't set them up. He was not part of this.

Hunk cried out, "It's another one of Zarkon's robot beast ro-beasts!"

"We have to get back to the ship." Shiro ordered.

They all nodded and sprinted back to the red lion. All except Kate as her arm was grabbed by the galra.

"Keith, wait," he said which alarmed her. He pulled out a hard drive from the system and folded it into her palm. "These are instructions on how to reach the Blade of Marmora headquarters. Before you go there, find out how Zarkon is tracking you. If you lead him there, our entire underground network, everything we've spent centuries building, will be lost."

She stared into his eyes, she sensed he was serious about this but...

Kate shook her head in disbelief. "Why are you telling me this?" She asked, her voice breaking. "Why not Shiro?"

"Because you are her child. I'm sure you inherited her talents." Ulaz unsheathed his blade and handed it to her. "Here. Give this to Victor once you meet him."

She just stared at the blade and held it shakily. "Why are you entrusting your blade to me?" She whispered weakly. "What do you know of me?"

But Ulaz didn't respond. Instead, he sprinted in another direction away from her. She screamed his name, but he didn't dare look back at her. He left her without another word.

—somewhere in space—

Victor cursed in his galra language when his target escaped again. He punched the nearest wall in frustration. "Stupid Cain and his stupid ability to teleport." He muttered. "Where did he go now!?"

He walked passed the bodies of broken sentries he hacked down earlier that covered Cain's escape. Zarkon's assassin was grating his nerves for the past week. Why couldn't he just sit still?

His transmitter beeped and he answered the call.

"Victor!"

The galra blinked. "Uncle?" He hadn't heard from him for months now. Why was he calling so suddenly?

"Victor, listen to me. I secretly entrusted my blade to the red paladin of voltron. When you meet that child, take my blade from her and give it back to Kolivan."

He was baffled by the news. "You did— Uncle, what are you..." he paused. "What's going on there?" He demanded.

He heard Ulaz chuckle from the other line. "I knew my path would end much sooner than you expect, and I am going to embrace it. Keep in mind, dear nephew, your sister's death was not your fault. Neither is mine." There was a pause. "Keep an eye on the red paladin. That child may help in this war more than we think."

Then all he heard was static.

—later, castle bridge—

Kate didn't know what she found disturbing. A galra she hardly talked to for ten minutes knew something about her she didn't know, or the same galra sacrificing his life to save all of them. Maybe both facts terrified her. She was feeling insecure about herself.

Shiro watched the stars in silence. Kate kept his distance behind him, she could sense him feeling confused.

"Shiro," she said sadly. "Are you okay?"

"I still have so many questions." He said not looking at her.

So do I, she silently said to herself.

She heard a door hissed open behind her, but she ignored it.

"Do you think Zarkon is really tracking us?"

"We cannot know for sure." Kate turned, and Allura looked at them seriously. "Only Ulaz knew our whereabouts."

"You don't really think Ulaz gave us up?" He turned to face the princess. "After he sacrificed himself?"

Kate nodded. "Maybe Zarkon found out about this place on his own." She defended. "He's probably been searching for the Blade of Marmora."

Allura still furrowed her brows. "It's clear the loss of Ulaz has caused you great concern," she stated, "but, regardless of how Zarkon located us, we cannot stay here any longer. It isn't safe."

"We should meet up with the rest of Ulaz's group," Kate suggested though rather firmly, "finish what we started."

Shiro placed his hand on her shoulder. "No. We're not going to the headquarters until we figure out how Zarkon found us. We can't risk losing the only allies we have in this war."

She looked at him from over her shoulder but said nothing.

—Kate's room—

She compared her blade with his while the mice ran around the mattress of her bed.

The symbols were identical, she couldn't deny it.

Just why did she have this blade? Her father gave it to her before he died and she had it all her life. Why did Ulaz give his to her? It doesn't make any sense. She looked at his weapon hauntingly. The purple glow on his blade vanished after Ulaz died.

She had another question as well. The dream she had when she was still on the planet Arus. She thought it was just a warning message about Sendak, but no, there was more to it than that. Ulaz was with another galra she didn't know and they were both from the resistance. The organization whose members carried blades with symbols on them, which strangely enough, she also had. She somehow knew she had a connection with all of this.

She had been...suspecting herself a few times, but she had to be sure. She needed solid proof it was true.

And if she was uncovering a secret she wasn't aware of her whole life...

Then her position in her life was far darker than she thought.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

—late night, castle bridge—

"You sure you don't to tell Shiro you're in love with him?" Pidge asked Kate over the phone.

Kate squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose. She stopped pacing around and took a breath. "Pidge, we talked about this. I am not ready. And it is—I'm not...it's a stupid crush!" She said the last part blushing.

She heard Pidge chuckle over the line. "Uh-huh. So...what? You're just going to wait for the right time to confess to him?"

"Uhh, yeah?"

"Then you are wasting your time, girl!" Pidge exclaimed, making Kate pull the phone away from her ear by the sharpness of her voice. "Shiro doesn't know about your feelings, and if you wait too long for the 'right' time, those feelings will eat your heart away."

The raven-haired girl put the phone back on her ear. "Pidge, I already feel lost. Forget my heart. What about my mind and soul? I feel like I'm going insane lately. I'm losing myself."

"Yes," she agreed, "because you are love drunk."

Kate grumbled, her cheeks flustered even more. "I'm not—it's a stupid crush!" She insisted. "And Shiro isn't entirely the issue here. There's been...other things bothering me."

She wasn't lying. Ulaz's words to her, his blade and her blade having identical marks, and she didn't know why but when she fought the masked galra guy, the wounds she received from the fight healed after the quintessence poured all over her.

"Talk to Shiro!"

"Pidg—"

"I'm serious, girlfriend! No time is perfect than the present. I don't know how long I can bare to see you go on like this."

Kate bit her lip and shook her head. Shiro would never accept her that way, but it wasn't her place to tell Pidge he was already engaged to someone else.

Someone he deserved to be happy with...

—meanwhile—

Shiro was on his way to bed after he finished training in the training deck, but he stopped in his tracks when he heard a voice coming from the castle bridge. He frowned and turned to the direction of the voice. "Who would be awake around this time?" He questioned himself aloud. He walked to the bridge.

When the door hissed open, he found Keith talking to someone over the phone. The raven-haired boy didn't notice him as he paced restlessly around saying, "Yeah, I want to, I just... I don't know. Yes, I... what? I can't tell him now. He'll freak...He will." Keith turned, finally noticing Shiro staring at him. "I gotta go." He whispered immediately, then hung up.

"Who'll freak?" Shiro asked

Keith's eyes tightened. "What?"

"Who's gonna freak?"

"Oh, um..." he bit his lip, "an alien friend of mine I recently met...You don't know them."

"Are you sure?" Keith nodded. "But I thought I knew everyone."

"Hey, I'm sorry. It's getting late." Keith averted his eyes from his dark ones. "I have to sleep...now."

Shiro stared at him and then rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh. No, yeah. Hey, uh, you know you could tell me anything, right?"

Keith gave him an apologetic smile. "Yeah," he said weakly before walking past him and exiting the room in a hurry.

Shiro looked back while he went.

Do you really know him?

Sendak's voice echoed out of nowhere.

He looked at his galra hand in silence. He did know Keith, perhaps not his past but maybe personally...but he didn't know why he was behaving like this lately.

—Kate's room—

The moment she came in, something attacked her from the side and pinned her down, a hand clapped over her mouth to muffle the screams she nearly let out. She was face to face with a galra with wolf ears sticking out of his head. "Wow, to think the universe's only hope would be this vulnerable," he mused, smirking in a wicked way. "I wouldn't have any trouble ending you with one slash."

Kate's eyes widened. Her wrists were pinned above her with one of his hands, she couldn't reach for her gun or her ruby-decorated blade. Damn it, why were her wrists so slender to begin with? Stupid body!

He shrugged. "That is if I wanted to," he removed his hand from her mouth. "As part of the blade of Marmora, I can't do that."

She gaped at him, blinking several times in the process. He was a...blade of—

She yelped when he scooped her up in his arms, carrying her bridal style. "What are you doing?" She demanded with a tinge of panic in her voice.

He looked down at her. What do you think I'm doing? I'm taking you with me so we could talk somewhere privately." He paused. " Somewhere more private than your room."

She scoffed, "So you're abducting me?"

He rolled his eyes. "It wouldn't be considered abducting if I return you back without alerting the others you were gone...huh, weird, as a woman I thought you would be much heavier."

She had her jaws dropped on this one. "How did you—"

"Maybe from far away, I thought of you as a guy," he interjected, "but from up close, one look at your barely flattened chest is all I need to know. Looks like you're wearing something to flatten it. But doesn’t that hurt?"

Her face went red, and despite having her shirt on, she tried to hide her chest with her arms. "Perv!"

He ignored her. He snapped his fingers and a purple void opened before them. Kate tried not to let a scream or anything loud slip out of her mouth when she saw it. This was the same portal that saved her life and got her out of her cell. She looked up at the galra contemplatively. He was the one who saved her?

He walked toward it, holding her close to him. She rested her head on his chest and grasped a hand on his shoulder, even though he was holding her firmly, she strongly felt he might drop her any moment. "Who are you?" She asked in a whisper.

He cringed a little. "Well, my name is actually Buttons—"

"Buttons?" She raised a brow.

"—but I officially changed it to something else, so—" he looked back at her with a smirk, "—call me Victor."

Give this to Victor once you meet him, Ulaz's voice whispered in her mind.

She was speechless. She didn't dare say another word when he stepped into the portal and they both vanished into the purple void before it closed on its own a heartbeat later.

—kitchen—

"I'm telling you. Something happened." Shiro told Hunk (who also was awake). "Something's changed. It's been weird between us lately."

Hunk raised a brow. "Lately?" He paused. "Shiro, it's been weird since day one."

The black paladin shook his head. "No, this is different. He's different. It's like he's pulling away."

He shrugged while washing the dishes."Well, can you blame him? He's probably tired of waiting."

His brows furrowed. "Waiting? Waiting for what?"

Hunk gave a pitiful look. "What do you think? The guy is crazy about you." Shiro gave him a look, raising a brow. Hunk frowned. "Oh, what? Was that supposed to be some big secret? It's pretty obvious to me—not sure about Lance, Coran and Allura—but I know that you've known for some time now."

Shiro sighed, letting his shoulders slump. "Fine, I admit I've known. I knew he had a crush on me, but that still doesn't explain why he's drifting away."

Hunk tapped a finger on his chin to think for a few heartbeats before sighing. "Look, Shiro. I'm not an expert in crushes and romance, but I know a one-sided love hurts."

He blinked. "Wait, so Keith's avoiding me because I'm... indirectly hurting him?"

"It's just a theory. Keith's known you much longer than anyone of us, so there's probably a reason why he hasn't confessed to you yet."

Shiro thought for a while before rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, umm, it's probably because he knows that I'm engaged."

Hunk nearly dropped a plate, then turned to face him with his jaw dropped. There was an awkward, long, long silence.

The yellow paladin slapped himself and shook his head. "Okay, not a dream. You—you're—since...you're gonna get married!?" He said flabbergasted. "Who's the bride?"

Shiro looked uncomfortable to open his mouth. Hunk realized this and raised his hands to drop the question. "Sorry, didn't mean to pry. "He looked at Shiro sadly. "I bet you miss her a lot."

Actually, it was a he, but Shiro let it slide. "Yeah, same goes for me."

Hunk pulled out a chair and sat next to him. "Well, I kinda feel sad for Keith, too. It explains why he's been avoiding you. The pain inside must be killing him, I'm surprised I'd never seen a pained expression on his face yet."

He thought for a moment. Pain killing him from the inside, meaning he was just bottling everything up? Could it be possible that he's been doing that with his other secrets? Like the time he told that Dishorian cat he was shot himself, or the time he did something to share Ulaz's memory with everyone and said firmly 'no questions'? Heck, he even had weapons hidden under his clothes this whole time...could it be that he wasn't telling anyone about it because it was too painful to talk about?

God, this was...

"Thanks for talking with me, Hunk." Shiro clapped a hand on his shoulders. "It helped."

He quickly exited the room to look for the raven-haired.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

—later, castle, outside Kate's room—

Kate came out of the portal and looked back at Victor standing on the other side. "Thank you," she said to him smiling. "I...I'm really glad I had this talk with you, but I can't tell the others I met you..." she looked down. "Not until I get some things in place."

He nodded. "Do what you must. We can talk another time." He pulled a circular small black transmitter from his dark armor and folded it into her palm. "Contact me through this if something happens." She nodded. "Farewell for now." Then the portal closed.

Kate took a deep breath. "I should get some sleep now," she muttered to herself.

She heard footsteps approach nearby. She turned and frowned. "Hunk?"

The bigger male rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Sorry...um, can I talk to you for a sec?"

She gave a confused look.

-meanwhile-

Shiro looked for him everywhere. Mostly everywhere. The lounge, training deck, dining hall, bridge, yadda, yadda...He nearly had a panic attack when he realized the raven-haired boy wasn't in his room. He was going to ask the other paladins if they'd seen Keith, but his voice was coming from the ballroom. When he came in, he quickly hid behind a pillar and watched the two figures below him; Hunk and Keith.

"—events lately has got me thinking...that maybe one of us may not survive." Hunk said to him. Both Shiro and Keith's eyes widened.

"What?" Keith shook his head. "What are you..."

The yellow paladin sighed. "A:I am not an experienced fighter. B:I have the highest chance of being killed. C:I—"

"Nothing is going to happen to you, Hunk!" Keith snapped. His face growing more paler by the minute. "Nothing will—I'll make sure all of you..." he trailed off when he noticed the confused expression of the yellow paladin from his sudden outburst. He calmed himself down. "Are you dying or something?"

"What? No. No. I just wanted to ask if you could teach me how to fight. Or at least get my aim at shooting better."

Keith froze. He took a step back and Shiro watched his expression twist into shock and...horror?

"I-I..." Keith shook his head and bit his lip. "No...I'm sorry...I can't."

"What?" Hunk frowned. "But you're a great fighter! Better than Lance. Shiro could maybe tea—"

"No," he said again, more sharply. "I'm sorry, Hunk. But, I can't..." he took a couple more steps back. "Look, there are somethings that I can't tell you. Some I might say eventually...but others, they have to be buried deep down. Because if you knew, you'll just see me

differently.

"

"How different?"

He hesitated and shook his head again. "Goodnight, Hunk." Keith ran passed him and exited the ballroom.

Something was not right. He looked a little more shaken and disturbed than before when he saw him talk to someone on the phone. There was a tinge of fear in his voice. Shiro would have sworn he saw tears threatening to fall from his eyes, something he wanted to hide.

He...couldn't talk to him in that state. It just didn't feel right to confront him like that.

Somehow Hunk may have unknowingly pressed his buttons with a simple request.

A request that was sensitive to him.

—Kate's room—

After wiping her tears away, removed her shirt and black tank top, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Mainly on her bandaged chest. If she was being honest with herself, the talk she had with Victor...she wasn't sure if knowing the knowledge was a good thing or a bad one.

She closed her eyes and let the events replay...

—one hour earlier, Victor's cabin—

Kate watched in amazement when Victor healed an injured Dishorian cat with his glowing blue hands. The cat was still unconscious, his head and legs were wrapped in bandages.

"What happened to him?" She finally asked.

Victor pulled a thin blanket over his chest. "Ambushed by some pirates, is my theory. I found him like this in a broken escape pod while I was hunting down a particular target. I couldn't leave him like that."

The raven-haired girl stared at his unconscious face, then shifted her gaze to Victor's hand that was glowing a while back. "How did you do that?"

The galra pulled her up by her arms and they both stood. "It's one of my galra abilities." He replied, letting her go. "Just like how Alteans have the power to camouflage, Galras have have a power of their own...or we used to."

She frowned. "Used to?"

Victor sighed heavily and sat on a chair near him. "Ten thousand years ago, before the old tyrant began conquering planets, the galra race used to be gifted with powers." He explained. Kate pulled out another chair and listened carefully. "Not everyone had the same abilities though. One can have the power of invisibility, while another can have the power of telekinesis. But after Zarkon went power hungry, we ended up forgetting who we used to be and each generation of galra never were the same as before. Only a few are gifted, like me."

Kate looked at his hand contemplatively. "You have the power to heal and...open purple portals?"

He shrugged. "There are a few who can have more than two abilities, but it's been mainly assumed galras with mixed blood can have them. We may never know until we see certain markings on them."

Kate stared at him blankly.

...

...Did he just say markings?

Victor got up from his seat, it made her flinch by the sudden movement. He turned his back and lifted his hair to expose the nape of his neck. Suddenly, purple wide V marks illuminated on his skin going down his neck vertically.

She stared at the marks with her mouth open. Kate felt both her mind and heart racing just looking at them.

...

She touched her chest, just below her collarbones, and stared down at it warily.

There was no doubt about...she knew what she was.

She couldn't deny it now. Not anymore.

"You okay?"

She swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah." She looked up at him reluctantly. "What did you want to talk about?"

He turned and walked to her. "You have Ulaz's blade right?"

She tensed and bit her lip. "Yeah, but it's in my closet back in my ro—"

"Got it." He snapped his fingers. A portal in size of his fist opened to his left side. He reached in and pulled Ulaz's blade from before it closed on its own. He examined the blade from every angle and sighed heavily. He looked into her violet eyes in dismay. "He's dead, huh?"

She held her left arm harshly, looking away with guilt. "He...he sacrificed himself to save Voltron. Were the two of you close?"

"He's a distant uncle of mine. I guess we were close in a way since he pretty much raised me and taught me how to fight. The last time we were in contact was the day he died. He told me to find you and keep an eye on you for some reason."

She tilted her head sideways with a questionable look, but Victor just shrugged. "What I don't understand is why did he entrust his blade to you? Even for him, that is a little too absurd...uh, no offense."

She shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted.

You have her eyes

, Ulaz told her.

Because you are her child. I am sure you inherited her talents

"Was he close to any woman, by any chance?" she asked.

He thought for some time. "No one in particular...why?"

She sighed, dejected. She looked away. "No reason."

—present—

She opened her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror, then her chest again.

Kate slowly peeled down the bandages, the top first layer at least. She watched bluntly as her skin, just right below her collarbones and above her breast, glowed. Purple wide V marks illuminated on her skin and she had at least three of those marks.

Victor said only a galra could have these.

...

She was galra.

And it explained why she was the only one with gifts. She knew she was a freak back on Earth, but having the blood of the race that ruled and destroyed planets over ten thousand years was ... this was too much.

Her mother must have been galra, it explained everything. Why she didn't stay to leave any memories, why her father kept watching the stars at night, why she had the knife, why she kept meeting the supernatural like Chaos back on earth. And the gem...the blue gem that was at the center of her heart-shaped pendant she always wore around her neck was...it had to be from her mother.

This was a huge uncovering of herself. And she had to hide this. All of it.

If the others knew, their attitudes would change dramatically. Especially Allura.

This truth was going to scar their friendship deeply and Voltron would shatter. Zarkon would win.

No...

If she didn't want this to happen, if she didn't want anyone finding out, then would gladly lie for another ten years.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

—Allura's room—

She remembered going to bed, she remembered pulling the blankets and shutting her eyes, but she didn't remember leaving her room and being in a different place. It looked like she was inside of a wooden shack. And her surroundings were dull and...well, not advanced and not full of technologies. To her right, a girl, probably around eight or nine, sat on a couch having a conversation with an older man who sat next to her, perhaps her father. Both these beings were definitely from Earth; the color of their skin, their eyes, and ears were exactly like the other paladins. The little girl wore a blue dress, but she also wore a black hooded jacket over her head to hide her hair. The man just wore plain-looking clothes and pants, nothing interesting to look at really.

"—no one in the world I trust more than I trust you." The man said to her firmly. "And I'm gonna try to be more respectful. Just promise me one thing." The little girl sighed and looked into his eyes. "Be patient with me. I've never had a little girl to raise before."

She thought for a moment before shrugging. "Deal...but next time, please don't stalk me, it is creepy."

He gave her a wounded face, but she just nudged him with her elbow.

"Also," the girl added, "I don't like my current name."

"What? But it's cute."

"Dad, the name is embarrassing. It may be true that I am going as Laura when I am at school, but when you call me...it just feels weird."

The man opened his mouth, but nothing came out, so he just shrugged. "Okay, what do you want your name to be?"

Under her dark hood, her violet eyes gleamed. "I want it to be as Ka—"

The princess awoke with a gasp, startling the mice near her.

What was that dream?

—Pidge's room—

Pidge found herself in a hospital. An earth hospital. She was in the same wide room with a boy she didn't know, but he was good-looking though. He had swooping, one-sided bangs with the rest slicked back. He sat on a chair reading a book while one of his legs —which was covered in a cast—was resting on a coffee table. She heard footsteps approaching the bathroom and when the person came out...it was Kate. But, she looked younger, around 15 or 16 wearing the garrison uniform. This was probably the time before Kate got herself kicked out. Her hair was longer. . .

"Okay, James," she said to the boy, "I'll see you later after my tests."

"I'm missing another simulator drill?" He questioned in horror. The book he was reading moments ago slipped from his hands and fell to the floor. "No! Come on! Take me with you!"

"No!" She replied sharply as she walked to him and picked up the book. "Not until you get better."

He gave her a wounded playful face. "Please?" He begged.

"No, no! Absolutely not! Do not give me those 'Don't go, I'll be lonely' puppy dog eyes."

"They weren't puppy dog eyes, they were kitty eyes."

Kate scoffed. "Wow, hilarious." She sighed at his expression. " Look, just be patient for another two weeks."

James splayed his hands. "It's already been a week! Another two weeks is an eternity."

Kate smirked and handed the book back to him. "Yeah well, maybe next time the garrison takes us skiing, you're not going to be such a showoff."

"I wasn't showing off!" He protested but she gave him a look that made him give in. "Okay, I was showing off a little bit, but I swear to you I can do a tail grab with my eyes closed. And," he added quickly, "without breaking my kneecap."

Kate just hummed in response.

James could tell she didn't believe him. "So, are you hanging out with Shiro later?" He asked.

Kate shrugged. "I would, but not today. We still need to complete our project before I submit it to Iverson. So—" She slapped his shoulder lightly. "—broken leg or not, you still need to finish your half of it. I'll bring as many books as I can from the library." She noticed him frowning at her, she furrowed her brows, "what?"

"Is McClain giving you a hard time lately?"

"Who?"

He rolled his eyes. "You know, the guy you nicknamed as 'cargo boy'?"

"Oh, him?" She pulled another chair and sat before him. "He's still annoying. I'm trying my best not to punch his teeth out, but nothing out of the ordinary. Why?"

He looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. "You've been off lately. You look a little sad every now and then after you found out Shirogane's engagement with Adam." Her smile melted away and she bit her lip. "Is tuition with Adam going well?"

Pidge's eyes widened. Did he just say engagement? Shiro was engaged to someone else?

"Yeah," Kate quickly said not looking at him. "I...it..it's stupid. You shouldn't worry too much." She got up hastily. "I need to go now."

James grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Kate!" He suddenly said and she turned her head to him, confused. He stared into her violet eyes and blushed. "Umm...i just...miss...stargazing on the roof with you." He said slowly, letting her wrist go.

She gave him a sad smile. "Yeah, me too...I'll see you later, James."

He nodded. He watched her go until the door closed. He then clapped a hand on his face. "Stupid me!" He grumbled. "That is not what i wanted to say!"

Pidge's eyes snapped open with one thought in her mind.

There was another boy involved in that raven-haired girl's life.

—Lance's room—

This was probably one of the disturbing things his dreams or nightmares made him see in his sleep. He knew it was a dream. There was fire everywhere in the facility and the flames didn't burn his skin. The entire place was a wreck, chairs, and tables being flipped, the windows were broken, and papers and documents were scattered and now burning away to ashes. He heard gunshots and cries from a distance, but they died down. Then a man wearing a lab coat ran past with full fear in his eyes. His coat was soaked in blood and his neck from the side was bleeding. He tried to exit the room through the wooden door, but the was sealed shut. He banged and kicked it several times, but nothing worked. His back hit the door and he cowered in fear when he heard something. A child's voice was laughing in a crazy and freaky way, echoing all around the facility.

"Оставь сатану! Возвращайся в ад!" The man yelled.

Lance didn't know how, but somehow...he managed to understand the language. Wherever he was, made him understand this. (Leave Satan! Go back to hell!)

There was another freaky laughter, the voice was getting closer and closer. A pair of mismatched eyes opened and glowed through the raging fire before him. One was violet while the other was golden. The eyes burned like coals, whoever the guy was...he couldn't be human. All of this was madness. It was freaking Lance out.

"но, доктор," it said, the voice sent chills down Lance's spine, "ты уже сделал мою жизнь живым адом." (But, Doctor, You've already made my life a living hell.")

The person came out through the fire, but it was a little girl. Lance stepped away in horror. It was a little galra girl. A galra girl with purple skin, short raven black hair, furry ears sticking out of her head, and a cat-like tail flickering behind her. Her claws were completely soaked in blood, but it couldn't be her blood. She just wore a plain white t-shirt that went down near her knees, but the t-shirt was almost fully covered in blood. She had terrible-looking scars trailing down from her left shoulder to her wrist.

The girl went on as she smiled wickedly, "Вы заставили меня сделать всю вашу работу в течение почти года сейчас."("You made me do all your work for almost a year now.") she tilted her head and her smile grew even wider, showing her sharpened canines. "с вами ушли, мои страдания будут все прийти к концу" ("With you gone, my sufferings will all come to an end") she walked towards him slowly with her bare feet, dragging the broken chains that were still attached to the shackles on her ankles and wrists.

The man looked horrified and he whispered, "Пожалуйста, милосердие, милосердие." ("Please, Mercy, mercy.")

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

—next morning, dining hall—

Everyone, sans Coran and Kate, was having their usual breakfast (the green goo).

"Wait, so let me get this straight," Hunk said, he turned to Allura, "you had a dream about a human girl talking to her father," he turned to Lance, "and you had a freaky dream about a galra girl murdering a guy and the entire place was in flames," he turned Pidge, "and you had a dream about..." he paused and frowned, "flying horses barfing out rainbows?"

Pidge nodded and quickly said, "as ridiculous as it sounds, that was my dream."

It might not be the best lie she could come up with, but, hey...they were in space. Nothing normal ever happens here.

They heard a hiss from the doors as they opened. Kate approached them slowly while holding a glass of water, and she looked like a mess. Her hair was not brushed nicely, she looked really pale, and her violet eyes had a darker shade looking very dull, she had the eyes of a dead person.

"Well you look horrible," Pidge stated while Kate pulled out a chair next to her.

"And good morning to you too, Pidge." Kate slurred.

Shiro stopped eating and frowned at her. "You okay?"

Kate closed her eyes and groaned. "I couldn't sleep well last night, and now my head is pounding...I'm not hungry." She placed a hand on her temple before groaning again. "You guys seem well rested."

Hunk shrugged. "Well, me, Shiro and Coran are. The others woke up because of some weird dreams. Allura insisted that our dreams mean something."

Kaye narrowed her eyes —not intensely like she usually does— letting some of her front bangs slide down and cover her left eye. "Dreams?"

Allura nodded. "Alteans always believed that our dreams have certain hidden messages that has to be interpreted indirectly to understand it," she explained.

Hunk frowned. "So Pidge's dream about flying horses barfing out rainbows mean something too?"

"Well, it must mean something," she insisted. "I find it hard to believe that all three of us had these dreams in the same night."

Shiro noticed Lance staring contemplatively down at his food. He wasn't thinking about the food though, that he could tell. "what's on your mind, Lance?" He asked the tanned boy.

"It's my dream," he replied still looking down. "Everything looked so real. The galra girl was...she looked like she was just five or six. I'm surprised galras can still fight from that age."

Allura's face darkened. Just bringing the topic of the galra up made her blood boil. "Galra's are quite different from other species. They are resilient in nature and they will not stop fighting until their last breath. If trained well, a four year old galra child would not have any issues taking down two or three altean guards."

From the corner of Pidge's eye, she could see Kate gripping her left arm harshly, digging her nails into her red jacket. Kate was silent. Maybe a little too silent as she couldn't hear the raven-haired girl breathe.

Hunk blinked and sweat dropped. "Uhh, good to know?"

"And there was something else," Lance said suddenly, all of them looking in his direction. He hesitated before opening his mouth. "Before she murdered the man, they talked a bit...in a different language. And I don't know how, but in my dream, wherever the hell I was, I somehow managed to understand them. If I'm not wrong, they were speaking in Russian to each—"

CRASH!

They all jumped and got out of their seats when Kate's glass suddenly fell and crashed down onto the floor. The glass pieces were scattered to different directions. The raven-haired girl still sat on her seat and grunted lowly while pressing both the heels of her hands across her temples.

"Keith?" Shiro rushed to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Keith you okay?"

Kate shuddered when he touched her and got up hastily and backed away from him. Backed away from them. She harshly gripped both her arms and looked down, her bangs covering her eyes. "My head hurts a lot," she said in a hushed tone. "Sorry...I'll clean this up. I need to use the bathroom first."

Then she bolted out the door.

—the corridors—

She sprinted away. She needed to be far away from them.

She knocked the glass off the table on purpose. Her ears couldn't bear to listen anymore. Lance had a dream of her murdering that sadistic doctor in her galra form. An event from 12 years ago. Things she wanted to hide from the team.

That was her last ability, to shift between her human and galra form. They couldn't know yet, especially not that last ability.

She swore to herself before to never use her abilities on people ever again, except the empath thing, she couldn't do anything about it. But after being blasted into space, she was slowly breaking those oaths. Her command ability, her memory manipulation...

If she used her final ability to transform while fighting, she wasn't just risking the lives of her team and the people she was fighting against, she was risking herself. Her sanity. Perhaps when she first transformed, everything was fine. But after being abused and used as someone else's weapon, getting her hands washed in blood from the lives she took, and when she broke into her human form... her mind changed when she transformed into her galra form. She lost herself and her sanity shattered. Instincts took over, the urge to kill and blood lust were controlling her actions. She vaguely remembered how it started, but she remembered vividly how it ended.

She wasn't herself. And she hated that she let herself slip away.

Kate turned to the corner and stopped there to take breaths. She let her back hit the wall and her body sagged down to the floor. Her mind and heart were racing. She could feel the beats from her heart within, fast and loud in her ears like it was banging on a door that could never be opened.

This can't be happening. Her nightmares were coming true, opening doors and passing them step by step.

"So you finally know," Chaos appeared before her. Kate flinched and looked up. "I knew you would not be able to handle the truth straight away, which is why I let the knowledge of your ancestry slowly pass your mind one at a time."

Chaos's words played in her mind.

This includes your ancestry. Your heritage.

Time will tell. We certainly cannot rush things you are still not prepared for.

God...why was she so blind? Chaos knew who she was her whole life, she knew her fate and...

"Chaos," she whispered closing her eyes. "The only explanation of how they saw bits of my memories through their dreams when I was so far away from them means..."

The cloaked woman removed her hood, revealing her horns and ocean-blue hair. "Yes," she nodded, "the truth pushed you too far to the edge. You are unstable again. Just like the time when you thought the black paladin was dead." She looked into Kate's eyes intently. "But for now, find yourself again and put your mind at ease. You are just three steps away from breaking and you and I know what happened when you broke."

Kate felt her tears roll down her cheeks. She silently cursed to herself and wiped it off. Sometimes she hated being a girl. She was just so emotional at times.

Chaos snapped her fingers and smiled at her.

Kate got up. "What did you just do?" She demanded, finding the harshness of her voice again.

She heard a wailing, echoing from afar. The voice belonged to Hunk as he cried, "NOOOO! OUR FOOD GOO SUPPLY IS BROKEN!"

Kate whirled to face the cloaked woman. "You broke our only food supply?!"

"Worry not for it is not permanent. You will have fun." She said smiling before disappearing into her mist.

Kate frowned and wiped the remaining traces of her tears with her sleeve. Fun? What did she mean by that?

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

—Pidge's room—

Kate stared at the smaller girl in aghast. "Why am I grocery shopping with Lance?" She demanded.

"Because—," Pidge tripped on one of her wires on the floor and fell face flat on her bed, muffling the yelp.

Kate stared at her room incredulously, god this was one hell of a mess. Everything —computers, laptops, clothes, alien magazines maybe?— was all around the place. She raised an eyebrow to the fallen girl. "Because?" She asked.

Pidge jerked her head to the raven-haired girl, removing her glasses. "Because Shiro said you need to bond with him more. You know, since you guys are teammates."

Kate huffed. Is this what the old bothering, annoying, mysterious hag meant by 'fun'? "Yeah, well, he is annoying, self-centered, egotistical and completely—"

"Fun?" Pidge grinned. "And take it from me, girlfriend, you need some fun." Kate rolled her eyes. "Or, you could stay back here and tell who this 'James' guy is."

Kate jumped. "How do you..." she trailed off and grimaced. "You didn't have a dream of flying horses barfing out rainbows, did you?"

"Nope,"

She sighed. "Great," she muttered.

"He was your first kiss, huh?" She mused.

She stiffened. Oh, great, she figured that part out just by a glance of her memory. "It. Was. An. Accident." She said gritting through her teeth.

Pidge smiled at her mischievously. "Do tell~"

Kate groaned. No use holding back now. She sat down on her bed next to her and said lowly, "Well, before he found out I was a girl, we weren't on good terms with each other. He said something sensitive to me and...when he later found out what he said was a sensitive issue, he came back later to apologize...but..."

She hesitated for a heartbeat before opening her mouth to go on...

—a few years ago, garrison corridors—

It was lunch break and after stuffing herself with food, Kate took her notebook and wandered around not knowing what to do. She could head to the library and learn Spanish if she wanted to, or she could go read the Russian novel she found fascinating. Or maybe she could hang out with Shiro again if he wasn't busy. She heard uneven footsteps, running towards her from behind and someone called her name. Kate turned and found James panting when he reached her.

"Was...looking...all over...place," he said while panting. "Why are you so hard to...find?"

Kate's face darkened, and she let some of her front bangs cover an eye. "Are you here to mock me again?" She said while glaring. "You asking for a black eye now?"

"I'm sorry," he said looking away.

She blinked. "What?"

"I didn't know you were an...orphan. I... thought— I was so mad, I just... I didn't know what went into my head..." he looked into her violet eyes. "I'm sorry." He apologized again.

This was not the kind of attention she wanted, especially not from him. Kate clicked her tongue. "Oh? So you're pitying me now?" She was slowly raising her voice. "Right after you found out that I was abandoned by one parent while the other is dead!?"

James flinched by the harshness of her tone. "I didn't know." He said lowly,

Kate snorted. "Of course you wouldn't know. No one is supposed to know me. I don't like to be pitied and I don't want to be pitied by anyone. If you didn't know, I bet you would still hold a grudge against me because you think I punched you out of a 'little' tease."

From behind James, two muscular-looking guys were talking and goofing off by throwing a football at each other.

James gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He glared at her, and she glared back. "Listen, Kogane," he snarled and stepped towards her, "I only came here to apologize, but it's clear that you don—" From behind him, one of the guys bumped into James while he was catching the ball that was tossed to him, pushing James forward. James stumbled forward, unintentionally pushing Kate to the wall behind her, and he...kissed her.

It was light but she still felt his lips, moist and warm...

She shuddered.

Both their eyes were wide open and locked into each other. Kate dropped her book in shock, all that anger that was filling in her chest a few moments ago dissolved and for a moment, just for a second before he pulled away, she would have sworn her heart stopped beating.

He still stared at her with his mouth slightly open. She too had her mouth slightly ajar, words failed both of them.

Oh, god. Oh, god. This was... her kiss was taken by a boy she barely knew. She swallowed hard. This was too much. She couldn't gaze into his eyes anymore, her eyes shifted over his shoulder. Her thoughts came together when the two muscular goofballs gaped at them, one of them dropped the ball and it rolled off. Her cheeks burned and she planted both her hands on his chest to shove him away. "You...idiot..." she hissed. Then she fled.

James snapped from his daze. "Wha.." he looked down," Hey, Kogane! Your book!" He picked it up and shot daggers at the guy who pushed him. "Dude!"

Then he ran after her.

—present day—

"Huh," Pidge mused while Kate buried her scarlet face in one of her pillows, "You know, that is both a funny and cute story."

"It was not cute, it was humiliating." Kate said through the pillow. "And that's all I'm telling you today."

Pidge whined, but Kate hit her face with one of her pillows to silence her. Pidge shoved the pillow away, "Fine, forget James for now, what are your plans with Shiro?"

"..." Kate turned her back on her.

Pidge sighed. "Kate, I know about his engagement. I understand why you were so reluctant to confess to him now." She sat up, "Why didn't you tell me this before? I wouldn't have kept pressing on you."

"It's not my place to tell you this, it's his." She turned to the smaller girl. "But i still want to confess to him. When I thought he died on Kerberos, I regretted not telling him. But now I have a chance, but I'm just waiting for..." she trailed off.

Pidge placed a hand on her arm. "Girl, i know i told you this before, but no time is perfect than the present. But you and I both know he'll..."

Reject you, she wanted to say. She knew.

Kate nodded. "It's not that I feared about being rejected, I knew he wouldn't feel the same. I just want to get this off my chest and get it over with, you know. Maybe it could help figure out our relationship. I'm just afraid that if I do confess, things might...change. I just – I don't want to lose what we have."

"Kate," she said softly, "you won't lose what you have with him, you are his friend. But please, stop avoiding him. You're just making things awkward and complicated. You don't have to be afraid."

Friend.

Afraid.

Those words led her mind to an incident she wished she never had with James...

Because it shattered her heart...

"—you. I'm your friend!"

Kate turned and looked at him incredulously. "Is that what we are?" She scoffed.

He paused and clenched his fist. "No, you know what?" He took a step towards her. "I don't know what we are. We kiss, and then we never talk about it. You nearly died drowning with bullets in your chest, and I dived and saved you, but we never talk about it. I promised I would keep your true gender a secret from other people even though I don't have the faintest idea why you're hiding it to begin with. So no, I've got no clue what we are. I just know I don't want to see you throw your life away!"

Kate forcefully shoved her knife into her bag. "Yeah well last time I checked, it was my life, not your personal jungle gym." She glared at him. "And this whole time, I've been secretly hanging out with the garrison's smartest kid. And it's not enough."

She picked up her bag and stormed past him to the door, but he was not done.

He said harshly over his shoulder, "You know what? This isn't about Shirogane or us anymore." He turned. "This is about you needing a place to hide. Because you've been pushing people away for far too long, you're afraid to connect with us. Afraid to connect with the real world."

She halted in her tracks, his words painfully sinking into her like they were claws. She turned back to him and shook her head. "You don't know me, James." She snarled. "You think you do, but you don't. No one does. Not even Shiro."

He lost it. He suddenly grabbed her arms harshly and pushed her against the wall, pinning her wrists near both sides of her head. She dropped her bag and yelped by the action. "I know you crawled inside your little shell and never came out." He said dangerously, a tone she'd never heard him use before. He daringly moved his face closer to hers, she felt his hot breath on her skin. "I know you still hide there. I know enough now you wear a thick unlikeable mask to push people away so they could never get close to know what you truly feel..." His expression softened a little. "You could be happy, Kate. You deserve to be happy. But you're afraid."

Kate just stared into his haunting blue-gray eyes. She opened her mouth and said...

"Kate?" The raven-haired girl flinched and turned her head to her. "You okay? You spaced out."

She closed her eyes. "Yeah...I'm good."

"Good, "she paused and said firmly, "now confess to Shiro."

A flat stare. "What?"

"You heard me,"

"Now!?"

"Yes, now, 'no time is perfect than the present', remember? How many times do I have to repeat this for you?" Kate opened her mouth to protest, but Pidge held a finger to stop her. "No buts, it is now or never—"

Kate's phone buzzed and she looked at the screen. "I just got a text from Lance, I have to go shopping with him now."

Pidge gave an unamused look while Kate got up. "Don't think you were saved by the bell, Kate Kogane." She warned. "As your friend, I'm not going to let this drop."

Kate laughed and yelled out, "Thanks, Pidge!"

Then the door closed.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Hiii! How are you all today? :) So anyway, if you guys want me to start adding images to the chapters or have any recommendations please let me know! I will likely try to add it in the future. Also thank you for the kudos❤️

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

—later, deep in the forest of some planet—

Lance tapped on a dead log with a stick and made a warbling sound. He was dressed in hunting gear over which the raven-haired girl had no idea where he got it from.

Kate hung up from Pidge. She took her phone out of her ear and stared at him incredulously. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Knocking on wood and vocalizing." He replied. "It's how Bigfoot communicates over long distances and how the real Bigfoot hunters lure him out."

Kate sighed and shook her head. "I can't believe you talked me into this. We were supposed to be shopping in the city, but instead you saw a wanted poster of Bigfoot."

He splayed his hands to protest. "The reward said it was a buffet of good food. And it's not the food we currently eat, it's Earth food! And I am starving. Can you pass up that opportunity?"

They took a right turn and walked alongside each other.

Kate crossed her arms and pouted. "How do you know this isn't a scam made by some crazy person on this planet? We are galaxies away from Earth, so how can the people on this planet make human food when they haven't even tried it?"

Lance shrugged. "Well, they probably did." He gasped when a thought hit him. "They must have! It would explain the weird alien sightings people saw back at Earth during the 1900s. And it's a fact that the producers of the men in black movies were inspired by the supernatural."

The red paladin rolled her eyes. "Right, they probably implanted the idea of the time machine, too." He stopped and paused to think. Kate turned to him. "I'm kidding, jeez. You watch to many action movies."

They continued walking.

"Think of it this way, do you have any idea what this means? We are the first humans to meet and capture Bigfoot."

"Very funny, Lance. But there is no such thing as Bigfoot."

"But we're in Space! There's a high possibility that every mythical creature exists somewhere in different planets."

She ducked from the branch that hung above her. "Well, not Bigfoot. I just got information right now from Pidge when I asked her to dig into some of this planet's local legends and histories. Apparently, like Earth, Bigfoot is a myth. There isn't any hard evidence or solid proof about the creature's existence. Just eyewitnesses, most likely lying for money and fame."

"Keith, when was the last time you didn't ruin the wonders of the supernatural?"

Kate clicked her tongue and countered back, "When was the last time you used your brains to think logically?"

He cringed when he thought about it. "Touché," he admitted. He looked at the greenery around him. "Oh, man, I love the outdoors."

Kate knew he wanted to change the subject. She turned her head to him. "You love forests?"

"I may not look like it, but it's true. Before I enrolled myself in the garrison, I used to come to the forest above my house with my siblings and nephews every Sunday. We would run around for hours pretending like we were on safari in Africa or looking for dinosaurs in China."

Kate smiled at him. "You know, Lance, sometimes I forget that you have such a capacity for pure innocence in your life."

"Yeah." Then he added, "Plus, it was a great place to meet Girl Scouts."

Her smile melted away. "And then you open your mouth and you ruin it."

—galra empire—

A galra wearing a dark mask and torn bloody cloak, kneeled to the emperor before him, keeping his head low while he listened.

"Cain," Zarkon said slowly, "I shall give you the coordinates of voltron's location. Once you reach there, find the paladins and dispatch them all, all except the red paladin. Furthermore, I need to have a word with the princess of Altea."

Cain got up and bowed. "I will not fail you, Emperor."

—back to forest—

Hey, Keith." Lance called, she looked at him. "Do you believe that people get what they deserve?"

Kate hummed. "Well, if they do, then I must have done something pretty terrible to be punished with you."

He glared at her while she gave him a sly side smile. "Funny...So, uh, what's up between you and Shiro?"

Her smile dropped. "What do you mean?"

"You've been, uhh, avoiding him and he's getting worried about you." She looked away. "The two of you were close before, like brothers, but now you've been acting like a stranger to him. Not only that, your behavior has been weird with the team. Did something happen?"

She bit her lip. "It's complicated, Lance."

"I'll try to understand."

She hesitated. "Have you … ever blame yourself for something because you felt responsible for it even though your friends say it's not?"

He blinked. "I...don't get it."

"I felt I was responsible for what happened to Shiro. I let him go on the Kerberos mission, he ended up being abducted by aliens, got stuck in space for a year, lost an arm in the process, and then had no choice but to become the paladin of Voltron."

"That last part wasn't bad."

"Lance, he's a leader of the universe's only hope against a race that's been ruling and killing nearly everything, he has a huge responsibility. That's a lot on his shoulders."

He frowned. "And you're blaming yourself for this?"

"I blame myself for a lot of things."

Because I am responsible, especially deaths

"Keith, you're avoiding him because of some guilt? You didn't even know this was going to happen."

She halted and whirled in his direction. "That's the problem," she cried, "I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know what's in store for me in the future and I..." She trailed off from his confused expression and sighed. "Forget about it, let's go."

They continued walking.

Lance banged on a tree with his stick and made a warbling sound again. Kate turned to him and raised her hands to stop him. "Lance, Lance, please. No more Wookie calls."

He stared at her. "It's not Wookie. I'm not doing Wookie. I can't do Wookie. My sister does a really cute Wookie."

"Well, whatever you're doing could you stop?"

"Are you scared it might work?" He teased.

"No, I'm scared that I might lose my temper and murder you for driving me crazy!"

He dropped the stick and they went on.

"You know, a lot of highly respected individuals believe in Bigfoot." Kate rolled her eyes but said nothing. "Teddy Roosevelt wrote about him in his journals. Jane Goodall has gone on record saying that she's open to the possibility. No, it is possible. You just have to be open to it. Because at any moment life can surprise you—whoa!"

"Lance?" She turned and he was gone. She looked around, "Lance?" She called again. She heard groaning from below and looked down. Lance had fallen into a deep pit.

"Oww," he looked around. "What is with this pit?"

"Looks like a trap of some sort," She prodded.

"Yeah, I can tell. I can't climb my way out, pit's too deep. Keith, get me out of here!"

Kate stared at his hunting gear, "Lance, don't you have anything in your vest?"

"Oh yeah, heck, I've got a guppie multitool, I've got a solar powered hand fan, got camo glasses, built in compass, snake bite kit –"

She gave an unamused face. "So nothing?"

He paused. "Well not nothing. I can build a fire."

She sighed and looked around. "If I could hurry now, I can go back to the city and ask a rope from the locals." She turned to leave.

"W-wait a minute, you're going to leave me here alone?" Kate halted. She looked down with an exasperated look. He considered. "Okay, whoa, just hold on a second. Let's just back up and think about this. What is this pit doing out here in the first place?" She raised an eyebrow. "Someone, or something, had to build it."

"Something, Lance?" She scoffed. "You think that Bigfoot came out here with a shovel?"

He scratched his chin. "No, you're probably right. I don't think Bigfoot built this."

"Yeah, some hunters or poachers probably dug it up."

He swallowed hard. "Yeah, for Bigfoot. Keith, promise me something."

She looked at him. "What?"

"If something were to happen to me while you're gone, I want you to look after my family if you make it back to Earth." She stared at him. "And if my sister's boyfriends get frisky, you can shoot them."

"Nothing's gonna happen to you."

"But if it does...promise me that."

"...Okay, I promise." She sensed he was serious about this but this is...

She turned to leave.

He said harshly in a whisper, "Oh, and would you also go into my closet and get rid of all of my collection of bikini models before she finds it?"

She gave him an unamused look. "Really?"

"Err, forget that last part. Please hurry, I don't want to end up as Bigfoot dinner." He said frantically.

She dug into her pocket and pulled out an energy bar she bought earlier. "In case I don't make it." She said. She threw down the bar and he caught it.

"Oh … that's cute. But seriously, hurry back!"

—castle, lounge—

Shiro did his usual push-ups and had to stop when Hunk came into the room and raised his phone. "It's, Lance."

"Lance," Shiro said as he pushed himself up and stood. "How did the talk go?"

"Uhh, actually. I don't know."

Hunk raised a brow. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"Well, Keith said something about feeling responsible about you and felt guilty about it, but I have no idea why that's making him avoid you."

"Guilty?" Shiro questioned.

"That's all I got from him before I fell into a Bigfoot trap—don't worry everything's under control. Keith went to find some ropes to pull me up with."

Hunk said, "Is it just me, or is Keith the only one that seems to know what he's doing?"

Shiro looked at the big man. "What do you mean?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not saying that he knew things would happen or anything, it's just been bothering me how well prepared he is if something happens."

Lance's voice buzzed from the phone, "Like those back up weapons hidden in his clothes?"

"Exactly. Do...do think that Keith faced these kinds of situations before?"

There was a heavy silence.

"Quiznak!" Lance exclaimed. "He's back! Gotta go."

He cut the line.

—Forest—

He shoved his phone back into his jacket when the footsteps from the ground above him grew closer.

"Keith," He said in relief. "Thank god you are back. What took you so long?"

There's no answer. Then he heard a knocking on wood.

"Ha ha ha ha ha." He said sarcastically. "Okay, get me out of here now." Still no answer. "Keith? What is wr—"

He stopped when he caught sight of a looming figure outside the pit. A hairy shadowy figure that looks like an ape. It's not Keith. It's Bigfoot.

—on the other side of the forest —

Kate was on her way back to him.

Lance's concern about being eaten by Bigfoot was crazy. But him asking her to protect his family if he died was...that was absurd. She couldn't protect, she could kill...it's always been like that.

She heard a ringing in her pocket. It wasn't her phone, it was from the transmitter Victor gave to her. She quickly pulled it out and answered it. "Whatcha got for me, Buttons?"

"Are you in a planet that has that ridiculous story of a hairy forest creature?" He said it sounded like he was demanding an answer.

"Bigfoot? Yes, why?"

"Do you remember my target?"

"Cain? Did he escape from you again?"

Victor sighed. "Worse, Zarkon tracked your location and Cain is on the move. You need to leave that planet as soon as you can. I'll remind you again, Cain Is an ability user of teleportation and poisoning. You wouldn't see him coming with a purple portal because he doesn't need to use one. He can just transfer his entire body—"

"Help!" It was Lance who screamed. Kate looked up in horror.

She sprinted back to his location. "Try to buy me some time, keep him busy, Victor."

"I'll try. Be careful, Kitten."

"Right back at ya, Buttons."

—Lance's perspective—

"Help!" He said much louder this time, hopefully enough for Keith to hear him. He looked at the hairy ape-man above him. "Please … don't eat me." He said weakly.

He heard rustling in the bush. "Turn around!" He heard Keith shout at the creature. "Put your hands up!"

Bigfoot turned. Good, the mullet was here. He must be pointing his gun at the creature...but...wait a minute—

"Keith, what are you doing? Are you crazy? He can't understand you!"

Bigfoot took a step backward and slipped. He fell into the pit with Lance. Lance cowered at the corner in terror. "Whoa! Shoot it! Shoot it!" He looked up at Keith. "What are you waiting for?"

—way later, castle lounge—

Both Kate and Lance came back with a flying table of food behind them.

"You're back!" Hunk said happily but he was mainly looking at the food. "Why the long face, Lance?"

"Bigfoot never existed." He sighed.

Kate smirked. "I warned you not to keep your expectations high."

They blinked. "What?"

Lance turned to them. "Well, I thought I found Bigfoot, but instead—"

"—We found an idiot dressed up as Bigfoot." Kate finished his sentence with triumph. "Which caused the misunderstanding. So we spoke to the guy who made the the ape wanted poster and he considered. He gave the reward to us anyway to apologize for our troubles."

Shiro looked at the table in amazement. "Earth food, huh? Can we eat all of this in one night?"

Kate shrugged. "Well, we got a free fridge along with it, so we could store some. But before that," she said carefully and quickly, "we should get the castle out of this planet. Galra's could, umm, come anytime since we've been here the whole day."

Allura nodded. "Understood."

—later, pidge's room—

The moment she came in, a woman in a cloak was waiting for her.

"Hello, Katie Holt." She said softly. "I am Chaos. I have been meaning to talk to you."

She froze and said nothing. Mainly because a billion questions filled her mind and she didn't know what to say.

"Worry not. I just wanted to say a few things about Leana to you, or if you prefer, Kate."

"Kate?" Pidge questioned. The cloaked woman nodded. "You know her?"

"I am sorry, child." She said sadly. "But my time is limited today. I cannot answer all you question as Leana would soon sense my presence in your room. So I will do most of the talking."

Pidge waited for her to go on.

"Leana's relationships with people are not as simple as you think. Especially with women. Before her father passed away, she lived her life as a female in a name Laura Chang. Yes, she attracted the attention of many boys, and that just made the other girls envious. But that did not bother her, even when they tried to bully her, she turned the tables on them. Her cousin, Alex, was quite fond of her."

Pidge narrowed her eyes. "I don't understand, are you telling me Kate's life story?"

"No," Chaos replied softly. "That is for another time...now, where was I? Yes, Alex, such a sweet boy.. When he thought Leana killed herself, he was devastated."

Pidge flinched. "Killed herself? Wait what?"

"Time will tell...she, well, was not herself after her father passed away. She pretended to be a boy after turning 12 and she broke ties with everyone she knew by making them think she died. Why she did this, I cannot tell. Then her relationships with men were getting complicated. She did not get along with them. But the black paladin changed her a little."

"Shiro?"

"Yes." The woman walked up to her desk. "The very man she fell in love with but knows she was never destined to be with, or at least that is what she thinks. And there is another case, James Griffin, another sweet boy."

Pidge sat on the mattress on her bed. "What is their relationship exactly?"

"It's complicated. Leana doesn't have a clue what to think. When they first met, they were both 14 year olds attending the same class in middle school and they did not get along."

She took a breath. "But, when Leana was shot down by a killer, James saved her and took her to his uncle's hospital. That's when her true gender was revealed to him. It was a little strange at first, but he soon grew a soft spot her. She thought of him as her only true friend, but he..."

"...he didn't see it that way. It was more than that." Pidge guessed.

Chaos sighed and turned to her. "There's a reason why Leana still hesitates to confess her true feelings to Takashi Shirogane. It may be true he is engaged, but another reason was because of James."

Pidge blinked, confused. "What?"

Chaos sighed heavily. "Before, Leana left the garrison, the news of Kerberos mission made Leana unstable. I had to take measures and whisper in her dreams to persuade her to leave. But James tried to stop her and...it is best if you see it yourself."

She snapped her fingers and everything turned black...

—years ago, the old garrison classroom—

Kate pulled her knife and stared at it. She was ready to leave, everyone's memories had been manipulated. There is no turning back.

"Kate," she jumped and turned to James, "I...umm, admiral Sanda said she was proud of our project, so we don't have to be forced as partners anymore."

What was he doing here? "James, you couldn't have just called and told me this over the phone?"

He flushed in embarrassment. "Well, yeah … I thought that…"

Kate sighed. "James, if you've got something to say just please say it."

He hesitated. "You can't leave."

"What?"

"Kate, I know you're leaving."

She took a step back. "How do you...who told you this?"

"It doesn't matter how," he snapped, "you can't leave."

"Oh? And since when did you become the boss of my life?"

"I'm not, it's just..." he sighed. "Did you at least think about this? I know you took Shirogane's death hard, but this— do you realize the kind of decision you're making?"

Kate huffed. "I know that Iverson would be relieved that a brat like me left. It's for the best, I can't control my emotions well, I'm unstable. And when I'm unstable, bad things happen. It's not a good sign."

"The world outside the garrison is dangerous." He insisted. "You were attacked and shot down. And if you don't care about that, at least think about how that's going to affect the people that care about you. How do you think Adam would react? You're like a brother to him and Shirogane."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "And what about you, James?"

He paused. "Well of course I don't want anything to happen to you. I'm your friend!"

Kate turned and looked at him incredulously. "Is that what we are?" She scoffed.

He paused and clenched his fist. "No, you know what?" He took a step towards her. "I don't know what we are. We kiss, and then we never talk about it. You nearly died drowning with bullets in your chest, and I dived and saved you, but we never talk about it. I promised I would keep your true gender a secret from other people even though I don't have the faintest idea why you're hiding it to begin with. So no, I've got no clue what we are. I just know I don't want to see you throw your life away!"

Kate forcefully shoved her knife into her bag. "Yeah well last time I checked, it was my life, not your personal jungle gym." She glared at him. "And this whole time, I've been secretly hanging out with the garrison's smartest kid. And it's not enough."

She picked up her bag and stormed past him to the door, but he was not done.

He said harshly over his shoulder, "You know what? This isn't about Shirogane or us anymore." He turned. "This is about you needing a place to hide. Because you've been pushing people away for far too long, you're afraid to connect with us. Afraid to connect with the real world."

She halted in her tracks, his words sinking painfully into her skin like claws. She turned back to him and shook her head. "You don't know me, James." She snarled. "You think you do, but you don't. No one does. Not even Shiro."

He lost it. He suddenly harshly grabbed her arms and pushed her against the wall, pinning her wrists near both sides of her head. She dropped her bag and yelped by the action. "I know you crawled inside your little shell and never came out." He said dangerously, a tone she'd never heard him use before. He daringly moved his face closer to hers, she felt his hot breath on her skin. "I know you still hide there. I know enough now you wear a thick unlikeable mask to push people away so they could never get close to know what you truly feel..." His expression softened a little. "You could be happy, Kate. You deserve to be happy. But you're afraid."

(Okay, ending song, The Other Side of the Door by Taylor Swift. Orphan_account strongly felt this song suited the mood. But you could also go for the song, Reckless by Madison Beer(·ω<)☆)

Kate just stared into his haunting blue-gray eyes. She opened her mouth and said, "I know what I want and what I don't." She tried her best not to be intimidated by him, but her heart was racing. "And I am not afraid, I am just sick and tired of how this world works and how my life plays a meaningless role." She was afraid. Had she become so clear and visible at some point that it just took a glance for him to understand everything about her?

She tried to break free from his hold, but the male held her firmly.

"And I never understood you, James. What's the point for me to stay back?"

Kate still locked her eyes at him. If she wanted to shatter what they...whatever friendly bond they had, all those moments she found warming and his kindness she could never repay...she...she needed to be honest with him to break the ties. She was unstable, he was not safe from her. "I never understood why the garrison's smartest, perfect, forever rule-following kid stayed around. Why god damn James Griffin tries to be friends with a hellion like me when we both know this friendly relationship isn't going to that sort of path. It's just going in circles that's going to end at some point when the fuel burns out."

James stared at her, but he remained silent. He didn't wince at the harshness of her words, but she could sense it hurt him. Deep within him...hopefully enough for the brunette not to come looking for her after she left. His grip loosened, but he didn't draw his head back, it was still close to hers. He finally said in a calm and low voice, "What do you want me to say?"

"What did you want from me? What could I possibly give you?"

Silence.

"...This,"

Kate's eyes widened when James leaned his head forward and kissed her. His eyes were closed and she slowly closed hers. The kiss wasn't forceful, but she didn't know how to react. The urge to escape from his loosened grip was gone, and her mind went blank. She didn't have the strength to shove or push him away when she felt his hands slide off her wrists, cupping both sides of her cheeks.

"The first time we did this, it was an accident." He said lowly. "But this time, this time I swear I mean it." He pulled away, enough for him to look into her violet eyes. She was speechless, her thoughts were so muddled up inside her brain, that she didn't know what to say.

James now slipped one hand behind her head and leaned his forehead against hers while the other still touched her cheek. "I've been wanting to do this to you for who knows how long and I couldn't help but fall in love with you. And I didn't stick around to watch you walk away and be alone again. You're life isn't meaningless, it never was to me."

Her mouth dropped open, but she didn't dare say anything.

He went on, "You're different from the other garrison girls, and I think you are the most remarkable, maddening, challenging, frustrating person I have ever met. I never once met a rebellious girl like you in my life that truly made me happy to be with. I knew you loved Shirogane, and you knew damn well he loved Adam. He was engaged to him for crying out loud! But you...you just accepted it so easily that you still had the courage to be with him till the very end. You were still happy for him even though it hurt you deep inside. That's not something I see every day and I found that absolutely amazing about you. Most people would just be jealous and try ways to break it off to make someone theirs."

His hand traced down her cheek, and she let his fingertips trail down from her lower jaw to her neck then near her collarbone. She gasped when he yanked the pendant off her neck, her raven hair grew longer to its original length. He kissed the top of her head and said in a whisper, "And I love you Kate, and if that means anything to you, if you care about me at all, just don't do this."

James had trapped her, and she couldn't escape because of the wall behind her. Her chest felt tight and she could hear her heart beating fast. Just how long had he been feeling like this? Just how long had he been wanting to say this? Why did it all have to be now?

Kate didn't look into his eyes. She closed hers and shook her head.

Why was she so blind? Why did it all have to be now?

She felt something warm and wet roll down her cheeks.

Kate felt James's forehead leave hers. "Why are you crying?"

She didn't realize she was. Her eyes snapped open and she tried to hide it by wiping them away with her sleeves. James narrowed his eyes and grabbed her hand to stop her. "You always do this. You always hide your tears from people. Same way you hide the true length of your hair with this necklace."

"It's just, "she sobbed, "I never had been loved by someone else other than family. I never even thought it could happen. I never dared to dream of it because I am not a normal teenage human girl." She looked into his eyes while he stared into her. "James I..." She stopped herself.

...

She couldn't. She just couldn't. Not after what happened to Felix.

He was not safe from her.

...

Tears still dripped from her chin.

...

She gave him a sad smile. "Thank you,"

Kate took a shaky breath before she cupped James's cheeks and kissed him.

A final kiss of goodbye.

She closed her eyes and focused.

...

Please...forget who I am.

What we had.

And what I meant to you.

...

She slowly pulled away shakily and opened her eyes.

James opened his. And he looked dazed. After a few heartbeats, he fluttered his eyes and looked around. "What the? Where am I?" He jerked his head to her and frowned. "Kogane? What are you doing here...are you crying?"

Kate closed her eyes and flashed her golden eyes at him. "Sleep." She commanded.

His eyes slowly closed. She let his body fall and hit the ground to the side. Her back hit the wall behind her and she let it sag down as she broke down crying.

—present—

Pidge gasped awake. She looked around.

Chaos sat on her chair and had her back on her. "Leana's plan on breaking ties always starts with pushing people away, having big arguments and letting it end bitterly. Saying things she never meant in her heart. But James saw her pattern and understood her. Her only choice was to make him forget to break the ties."

"Why would she go that far to push people away?" Pidge asked in a whisper.

Chaos got up and turned to her. "If you only you knew what she had experienced 12 years, you would understand. It was never easy. The thought of James pulled her back from ever confessing to the black paladin. Even now, she still thinks about him. Not sure whether she loved him or thought of him as a friend when she kissed him goodbye."

Pidge sighed.

"Lance McClain is in someway like him," Chaos said with a smile, "he is the constant reminder to Leana about James... so many futures with different men."

"What?"

Dark mist swirled around her. "It matters not, please understand that relationships, whether love or friendships, is never easy for Leana. She is afraid of forming proper ties with people, which is why she pretends to be a man. And so when the truth is finally told, be by her side...I shall be watching all of you very closely."

She then disappeared in her mist.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kate found herself in darkness. She couldn't see or hear anything until she had the spotlight on her. She found herself wearing a white maxi dress and her hair was let loose. She knew it was a dream because every time she saw herself, she would wear this dress. She didn't know why she kept wearing it, but she knew it was never good.

Someone was behind her, she sensed it. She turned and immediately took a few steps back when she found herself face-to-face with Shiro.

"Why would you lie to me, Keith? I thought you were better than this. You shouldn't have let me go to the Kerberos mission. It cost me my arm and I don't know if I'm going to see Adam again."

"Shiro," she whispered.

He shook his head. "Every moment we spent was a lie? I was always there for you, but still… I'm disappointed in you." He said the last part in a tone she never heard him use before.

"Kate, I trusted you," Pidge said behind her. The raven-haired turned her head. "Because of you and your race, my brother and my dad are taken from me!"

Hunk appeared at the side. "Keith… you killed people before? Killing is wrong, and yet, how could you obey that doctor?" He was scared of her. "Are we even safe around you?"

Lance appeared on the other side. "Thanks a lot, Keith. Now we're all stuck in this war because of you. I don't even know if I can ever see my family again!"

Allura appeared next to Pidge, looking disgusted. But Kate knew what she was going to say. "I should have been more skeptical about you from the start." She said with aggressiveness. "Your kind killed my father and people. I should have gotten rid of you sooner."

Then someone unexpected appeared next to Shiro and Kate stared at him feeling like she was heartbroken. "James," she breathed.

"I pleaded you not to leave. "He said, "I confessed to you and begged you, but you just altered my memories and left. Have I meant nothing to you at all?" His words hurt her. It hurt her so badly, her chest felt tight.

"James, "she said in a whisper, "That's not why I did it."

"Then why did you do it?" Her cousin appeared behind James and her eyes widened.

"…Alex…"

"We're both family Katherine. I love you and care about you, and compared to these guys, I know more about your past because I was there…but you still pushed me away."

"…I'm sorry…" she said tearfully.

The scene changed and she found herself back in the facility now in flames. Everyone who worked here was dead, killed by her. Their bodies surrounded her. She looked over her shoulder as she sensed someone coming. She was right. The six-year-old version of 'her' appeared in 'her' galra form, with all that purple skin, cat ears, tail, and sharp claws. 'Her' clothes and hands were caked with blood, 'her' eyes were mismatched; one was violet while the other was yellow. 'She' transformed back to 'her' human state, but the colors of 'her' eyes remained.

It's been a while since she had this kind of nightmare.

"You and I both know we cannot deny the things we are capable of." The smaller 'her' said to her. "We can't break again. The last time that happened, the bloodlust of our galra state took over our mind and we murdered everyone here in one night. It's unimaginable what an eighteen year old can do."

"I know, "Kate said turning to face 'her'. "I know. But there's nothing I can do to atone my sins. I can never be forgiven as long as I live."

"You're currently unstable. We need to think of something to end this war fast, otherwise it'll be murder all over again…or are you going to run? The choice is yours after all."

Kate was silent; the other 'her' had a point. But what could she do? If she was alone, she could disrupt Zarkons plans and distract him from voltron without involving the others. But how could she…

A thought hit her that made her go silent for a few heartbeats. Kate pursued her lips. "I admit I am a coward. But as much as I want to run, as much as I want to disappear, I can't leave my comrades behind. I… I can't leave Shiro behind. He needs to be with Adam."

The other 'her' tilted her head. "We're going to take things into our own hands, aren't we?"

It was a risky plan but if things go on this way, Voltron would not stand a chance. Especially since Zarkon's tracking them somehow. "Yes… if Chaos isn't going to let me die, then I'm going to take this to my advantage. I should be the one risking my life more than them."

"If the others find out what you're thinking—"

Kate nodded "They will never understand. But this is my choice, not theirs."

Then the flames engulfed them both, and they were no more than ashes.

Her dream ended and faded into darkness and she woke up with tears. Her eyes fluttered open to the sound of one of the mice sighing near her head. Plat and Chuchula were fast asleep and she smiled at them. The other two mice slept with Allura sometimes.

Her friends must be still asleep; they'll probably wake up in another hour or so. They just liberated a planet yesterday and fought a whole fleet of Zarkon's ships; they must have been too tired because none of them even ate dinner last night. The castle was still on this planet and Allura said we could get supplies from the markets here before they depart tomorrow.

She opened her notepad that was placed near her head and made another line next to a tally.

Eight months had passed by.

She frowned when she realized what day it was today. Today was… she calculated the dates and months again just to be sure, but she was not wrong. No way, how could she have not realized this sooner? She got up so quickly that she accidentally hit her head on the wall. "Oww," she mumbled. The mice woke up by the sudden sound.

To think it was today…

She bit her lip. She tore a page out of her notepad and began scribbling a message on it. She quickly took a bath, changed her clothes, brushed her hair, and wore her pendant on.

Before she left, she pulled out a transmitter from her closet. She needed to talk to him about the plan she had to take down Zarkon once and for all.

So that everyone can be safe, not only from the galra but also from her.

"Buttons, we need to talk."

-Seven years ago, Kate's shack-

Her father wasn't home.

He left for work when a call came around 11 at night. A fire broke out in a city far away from the desert and they needed him. He'd kissed her on her head and promised he'd be back as soon as he could before saying goodbye.

Kate stood before the embers of the fireplace and stared at the clock, wondering if she was somehow reading it wrong. She was awake and the clock atop the mantel read one in the morning. It continued ticking. Two minutes past the hour. Then five minutes …

She threw more logs on the fire to clear her head. Her father would often come home late because of work; maybe the fire was much bigger and needed more time to be controlled.

She had no idea when she began pacing in front of the fire—and only realized it when the clock chimed two and she found herself still standing before the clock. She didn't understand why she was so restless. Alex, too, seemed to be coming home much later than he normally would. He took a job of modeling in the big city and had quite a hectic schedule, but he would always pick up her calls or text her back.

But he didn't this time.

…

They would come home any minute.

Any minute

-past-

Kate jolted awake at the faint chime of the clock. She'd somehow wound up on the couch—and somehow fallen asleep.

Five o'clock.

She frowned when she realized both her father and Alex. She checked her phone and neither of them replied to her calls, which was odd. She stood and put on her jacket and stepped outside her house to take a walk. She's just worrying over nothing…probably.

She needed to freshen up her mind…

-Past—

She'd been near the river watching the sun slowly rising, its golden colors spreading across the horizon. They had to be home now, where else would they be? There must be another reason why they didn't reply to her or pick up her calls.

There has to be another reason other…other than that.

…

She was probably overreacting.

They'd be waiting for her at home. And then they'd chide her for leaving the house, laugh at her worries. Tell her everything was alright. And then she'd go to school with the same schedule, knowing everything was fine.

They would be waiting at home.

He'd be home.

Home.

-Present, dining hall—

"Keith's not here yet?" Shiro asked noticing the empty chair before him.

"I don't think he's even awake," Lance slurred half from yesterday's battle. Pidge poked him and he yelped, falling to the ground, hard.

"I guess I'll go wake him up then," he decided. He looked at the princess for some time. "Allura, can you come with me for tick?"

Allura blinked, confused. It wasn't every day Shiro would ask her to accompany him. "Of course, she said and followed him out to the corridors.

They walked side to side with each other and before Allura opened her mouth, Shiro said, "I had a dream. It happened around the same time when you, Lance and Pidge had one. "

The princess was baffled. "What? Why did you not bring this around sooner? "

"Because I didn't want to scare the team. Lance was pretty shaken by his dream. And I've been thinking about this for a while now… but, I feel that… it's all connected to Keith."

"Keith?"

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I don't know how to explain it, but it's just a feeling. I mean, to me, the dreams looked more like fragments of memories. I could tell Keith knew something about them, but he probably didn't want to share it in front of everyone. I've known him for a long time, so maybe I could talk to him about it."

"What about me? I doubt he would like to share anything personal with me."

"Remember your dream and Lance's dream? You both said you saw a girl in it, right? I saw a girl in mine, too. I might be wrong, but it could have been his sister."

And he described the dream to her…

-Shiro'dream (Kate's memory)-

Three girls were in an elementary classroom. A blonde girl, a red-haired girl, and a brown-haired girl looked like they were around 9 or 10. The blonde and the red laughed with each other while the browned stayed quiet, guilt reflected in her eyes.

"Did you see her face?" the blonde laughed while the red-haired snickered.

"Hey," the brown-haired girl said softly, "let's stop this. It's pointless."

"You wussing out now, Amy?" the red-haired girl asked.

"You better not go telling anyone," the blonde warned.

The door before them hissed open and a raven-haired boy with sharp silver eyes entered, glaring at them. He looked three or four years older than them. "Was it you girls?" he demanded.

"Huh? What are you talking about, Alex?" the blonde asked innocently.

Amy stayed quiet and took a step back.

"Tearing up Laura's books," he growled, "and putting thumbtacks in her bag."

"What are you talking about?" The red-haired girl asked but she smirked.

"I know nothing about that," the blonde agreed. "I mean, I always knew were protective of your cousin, but we're her classmates. Not to mention, just elementary kids. Do you have any evidence that we did it?"

The two girls gave him a twisted smile while Amy said nothing and just trembled.

Alex clenched his jaw, narrowing his eyes at the two girls with disgust.

Right behind the girls, a raven-haired girl was hiding underneath the tables. She got up from her spot and pressed a button of a recorder she held.

The recorder played. "I just put thumbtacks in Laura's bag!" It was the voice that belonged to the blonde girl.

The girls jumped and turned to her.

"Laura…" Amy said weakly.

The recording went on, "Oh, good one!" the red-haired girl's voice cheered.

Amy's voice quivered in the recording. "Why would you do that to her?"

"Petty threats won't work on her. This is the only way she'll learn her lesson. Besides, it's ridiculous that she even has friends. She acts so innocent around the boys, pretending not to know they're flirting with her."

"Yeah," the voice of the blonde agreed, "That monster doesn't care what anyone does to her. She's nothing but a mindless robot!"

The raven-haired girl stopped playing the recorder. "I merely thought to offer the evidence you wanted." She stepped out from the shadows and glared at the girls. "Got anything to say?"

"…Ah…wh…th…" The red-haired girl started but her words failed her.

"Ah—Wh—Th?" the raven-haired questioned, taking a step forward. "What language is that? Would you mind using one of the seven languages I understand?"

The girls were speechless. Alex said nothing and watched her.

"Well now we know there were two principal offenders," Laura walked past the girls calmly to Alex's side. "And an observer who didn't do any direct action." She looked at Amy was now covering her ears and silently crying as she stood, "Though she's no less guilty since she didn't try stopping them." She said coldly.

The violet-eyed girl placed a hand on her hip while waving the recorder around from side to side. "Now what shall I do with you? Shall I broadcast your whole scheme to the school, including the section I just played?"

The red-haired girl's twitched as she snorted. "Recording us, huh? Are you a criminal?"

Laura narrowed her eyes. "I think your privacy is the least of your concerns, Lacy." She said calmly.

She growled. "Tch, we've been classmates for a year now and you still get the names wrong. I'll never forgive you! Your very existence is a nuisance. If you never existed, I would have had the whole class at the palm of my hand last year. Being gorgeous and wealthy is what made me popular for a long time. But ever since you came around, boys have been flocking around an ugly rat from the desert. What's so special about you, anyway?" She sneered.

"Lucy—"the blonde began.

"Shut up, Rica!" Lucy snapped. She turned to Laura's direction and pointed a finger at her face. "go on, I dare you to broadcast it! When you do, I'll crush your whole gang. You're all getting along swimmingly well, right? There are so many ways breaking that." She dropped her hand back to her side and went on, "I won't stop until your stupid, friendly circle is destroyed!"

Laura's face darkened, but she said nothing and kept it blank. Some of her front bangs covered her right eye.

"Come on! Beg me to stop! Just say, 'I understand and I am very sorry I existed, miss Lucy Myhill, please stop.'"

The raven-haired girl remained silent and kept her head low, now letting both her eyes get covered by her bangs.

"Say it!"

She murmured something.

Lucy took a step. "Huh? I can't hear you!"

"I'll… you…"

She took another step. "Huh?"

Laura jerked her head to her. Her violet eyes became narrow and catlike as she snarled, "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Swift as lighting, before Lucy could even blink, Laura took a step back and gave a high kick round kick to the metallic door Alex had come through earlier. The door broke into two. Chunks of it skidded across the floor to the other side while the fragments of it scattered around.

They all flinched by her sudden violence. The girls were now terrified. Lucy was shaking like a leaf, taking a step back.

Laura still had one of her front bangs covering her right eye while she gave a murderous smile. "Shall I do the same thing to your face next? I bet you never want to look at that gorgeous face again. Oh no, "her smile widened, "the damage would be far too severe, you may need a surgery." Lucy and Rica took a step back in fear. Laura took a step forward. "I wouldn't mind becoming a murderer right now, either."

The girls whimpered. Amy still cried silently with both her eyes and ears closed. Alex remained silent, his expression was unreadable.

Laura took a breath and said calmly, "I don't want to hear an apology. If you are afraid, never appear before me again you—" she jerked her head towards them and her eyes became catlike again, "—TRASH!" she bellowed furiously.

The two girls screamed and fled away from the classroom, leaving Amy behind.

Laura sighed and looked at the brown-haired girl. "As far as you're concerned," she said calmly, "we'll say nothing ever happened. Don't get involved with me again."

"I'm sorry," she sobbed and fled away.

Alex watched her go with pity before sighing. "Why didn't you tell me you were being bullied, Kathy?" he looked at her.

Laura huffed. "I wasn't being bullied. It was today they did something, otherwise the other girls just glared daggers at me every day." Alex sighed again. "I'm surprised they had the guts to pull a stunt like this."

"Yeah, I'm sure they'll think twice before messing with me again."

The raven-haired boy hesitated. "True, but Myhill families really are wealthy, not to mention influential. They could force the school to get you expelled."

Laura looked at the window contemplatively. Alex followed her gaze and shook his head "you can't be serious, altering her memories is—"

"Oh, hush," she gave a sly grin and was now walking towards the window. "When will you ever trust me?"

He gave her an unamused look. "Maybe when you stop hanging out with those boys who keep flirting with you, I will."

She opened the window. “They don't flirt with me, cousin. They just like joking around with me and being sweet."

"Joke? Sweet? Them?" he raised his brows. "Do you realize some of them stalk you in school?"

Laura huffed. "You mean you and dad stalk me. The two of you are us over protective, not to mention paranoid. I still remember when I was eight and when I went to summer camp, you and daddy followed the bus and hid in the bushes carrying binoculars, knives and ammos."

The boy splayed his arms. "That trip was for 5 days! We panicked when we found out you left your phone behind. How were we supposed to know you were safe from those 5th grade boys?"

She rolled her eyes. "Really? Boys? My group could have been eaten by mountain lions, or could have an accident, but boys? Seriously?"

"You have no idea what people are capable of."

"Alex, they were eleven and twelve year olds, I was eight."

"You're an innocent soul, and you still are now."

"Yeah, well, me and my innocent soul can handle things without your over protectiveness."

"You don't understand. When I was their age—" he stopped himself abruptly and frowned. "I can't tell you that story, it's wildly inappropriate, which, oddly, is my point."

She raised her brows. "What did you do?"

"I can't tell you, it'll spoil your innocence."

She shrugged. "Well that's too bad, you just raised my curiosity."

The raven-haired boy grinned. "Don't you know the saying 'curiosity kills the kat'?" Laura grumbled and looked away, annoyed. Alex's smile dropped and he sighed. "Look, the point is, we just don't want anything bad to happen to you again. You've already faced enough when you were six. We just don't want to make the same mistake again."

Laura stayed silent and looked contemplatively out the window. "Fine," she said. "I have to chase after Lacy now." She snapped her fingers and suddenly black cat ears appeared atop her head and a tail flickered behind her moving from side to side. She pulled her hood up and climbed, she jumped down from the third-floor window with a silent thump.

-present—

Allura raised her brow. "A human with ears and tail?"

"That last part was not normal, I admit, but this has to do something with him. I was told that Keith went with several different names before; 'Alex' might have been one of them. And the black haired girl we saw in our dream must have been his sister."

"Did he tell you he had a sister?" she asked.

"Uhh no, but if he did, and didn't tell me about it, that's not the first time he hid secrets from me."

"Lance said he saw a galra girl in his dream murdering a man."

"The recent events of the galra might have mixed Lance's dream/memory." He tried to reason.

"What about Pidge's dream of animals or something?"

"Uhh… most probably a kids program his sister and him watched when they were little?"

When they reached his room; they found the door open and Chaos was there sitting on his bed.

"Chaos?" Allura questioned which surprised Shiro. The princess knew her?

The woman just said, "Leana is not here."

"Where is he?" Shiro asked.

Her ocean-blue eyes softened. "Leana has taken today off. If I were to guess, I would say that 'he' is as far away from the city as 'he' can get in half a day's ride."

"Why?"

Chaos smiled sadly. "Because today is the seventh anniversary of 'his' father's death."

-past-

She couldn't smell her father's scent in the air when she was approaching the shack. Her throat felt dry and her breathing was heavy.

Is he still not back?

She was getting closer.

Why wasn't he back?

A roaring silence hovered around her, a cresting wave that she'd been trying to outrun for hours. She knew that the moment the silence finally hit her, everything would change.

Where's Alex?

Her thoughts melted away when she found herself staring at the door. It had been unlocked and left ajar and her cousin's scent was filling the air.

They were back. They both were.

A strangled sort of noise broke out of her, and she ran the last few feet, barely noticing as she threw open the door and burst into the shack. She was going to scream at them for not replying to her calls. And hug them for scaring the hell out of her. And scream at them some more. A lot more. How dare they make her—

An intense coldness was in the air and the warmth was all gone as her cousin turned his head meeting her eyes.

Kate halted. Not because he was alone in the room, but because of his slightly puffy eyes.

He cried not too long ago.

The expression on his face and the emotions she was receiving from him was… She knew what he was going to say long before he opened his mouth and whispered, "Katherine, I'm sorry."

The silence struck.

-Present-

Shiro's breath caught. Keith never told him anything more about his dad, or anything else, and he hadn't dared ask. He knew he'd been young, but he hadn't realized he'd been only eleven. Eleven.

Shiro ran a hand over his face. "He told you about his parent?"

"No," Chaos said. "Leana did not tell me. But I know. I was there with 'him' during that dark time."

"When is he coming back?"

"He will be back until after nightfall. If I were to guess, I would say 'he' did not want to spend one moment of daylight in this city—especially in this castle. I would not dare visit Leana during this time. 'He prefers to alone." She looked around his room. "Leana had been counting the days now. Just for this day." They were silent.

Chaos turned to them and smiled. "Do not worry about Zarkon. I used my powers to delay his plans, so he will not attack you for a few days."

"If you can delay him," Allura said, "why not help us?"

"My powers are limited in the real world," she replied, "and I cannot intervene too much in your fates. Things must happen naturally in order. I will take my leave now," She stood and dark mist engulfed her.

Then she was gone.

-past-

Katherine…

He would never call her that. He would call her Kitten, or Kat, or occasionally Kathy for fun. But never Katherine since the day she got out of that facility.

Her body started moving, walking straight toward the fireplace.

"Uncle managed to rescue the people trapped in the building," Alex said, his voice pitched at that horrible whisper. "But there wasn't enough time for him to get out."

She reached the mantel and grabbed the clock from where it rested.

"Kate," Alex breathed.

She hurled the clock across the room so hard it shattered against the wall behind the dining fragments and landed atop the coffee table against the wall, breaking the decorative dishes displayed there.

"Katherine!" Alex said again.

She stared at the ruined clock and ruined dishes. There was no end to this silence. There would never be an end, only the beginning.

"I want to see the body." The words came from a mouth she wasn't sure belonged to her anymore.

"No," Alex said gently.

She turned her head towards him. "I want to see the body!"

Alex's silver eyes were wide, and he shook his head. "No, you don't."

She had to start moving, had to start walking anywhere. There had to be a mistake. It just had to be.

He promised he would be back. He promised.

She walked out the door. Before she could step a foot on the sand, her arms were grabbed from behind.

"Please, Kate…it's better if you don't." her cousin's voice quivered.

She slowly turned her head to him. "You'd seen it already… without telling me what was going on." Something wet rolled down her cheeks from her eyes. "How could you?"

Alex was silent and pulled her into an embrace as she sensed guilt coming from him. There was nothing he could do or say to her.

Her father was dead. He was plucked away from her life.

-present—

"How do you know about Chaos?" Shiro asked the princess as gently as he could. It was understandable if Keith didn't share it, but Allura was…

Then again, the princess never told the dark history of the paladins, not to mention that Zarkon was the original black paladin ten thousand years ago.

Allura hesitated. "When I had to destroy my father's artificial intelligence, she visited me on the same night. She told me that I have yet more to trails to face and…" she frowned to herself. "She warned me not to lose trust in the paladins."

Shiro was puzzled. "Not to lose trust in the team?"

"Whatever the circumstances were, I should never lose faith in the paladins." She looked at him. "But I do not understand, we need voltron to defeat the galra, not being able to co-operate with you would be my big mistake. Why would I do such a thing?"

Shiro was silent. "Maybe it was a warning. Maybe there will be a time when you distrust one of us."

"But why—"

"I don't know," he admitted. "But you should keep Chaos's words in heed. She knows a lot of things we don't know," also about Keith's past, he wanted to say, "So don't ignore it."

The princess nodded without any complaint.

(Past, Alex's perspective)

"I decided that I'm going to stay in this country and be with Kather… Kate," Alex said firmly over the phone to his stepfather. "I won't return to Russia until… not until she recovers. Not until I know she's strong enough to live on her own…thank you for understanding, father." He cut the line and sighed heavily. He walked to her room a heartbeat later and noticed the tray of food he'd brought earlier on the table for her was left untouched. Again.

Two weeks had passed since his uncle's death. Two weeks since his funeral, and two weeks she refused to eat or drink anything. He knew that she knew Chaos was the one keeping her alive, but he didn't want to tell her that he'd already met the cloaked woman a few times. He would wait for her to tell him herself about the horned woman, but right now was not a good time. Especially the truth about that gem at the center of her pendent, she knew about it, she would have thrown it out the window.

She wasn't broken; if she was then she would have torn down the shack already. The emptiness she currently had in her made it obvious to him that she had a mental breakdown.

She hardly said a word to him during the funeral and she just stayed in bed with a dead expression on her face. He tried talking to her a few times, but she hardly replied to him. She stayed at home, missing all her classes and Alex apologized to her teachers and informed them about her situation. Few of them recommended her to see a doctor and have therapy treatment, but that was the last thing he wanted for her.

The trauma she faced when she was six was caused by a doctor himself. A very sadistic one, too. It was his fault that Kate was dead afraid to see a doctor and refused to set foot in any hospital. When she got injured, she would keep quiet about it and try to do something about it.

Kate was lying in bed wearing the same old clothes with that same dead look in her eyes. She had that look back in the facility when was forced to kill people, but she took it hard once in a while. But this time, the expression remained every day. He didn't want to admit it yet, but looking at her now just shows…

Alex stared at her.

She was too far gone. She was beyond help.

The death of the only parent who raised her and loved her since she was an infant put her in shock and grief.

If he wanted her to recover, she had to make that effort, because the decision was hers.

But otherwise…Reality had opened wide and swallowed her whole.

And he felt like a fool for not being able to help her.

(Past, Kate's perspective)

Alex fell asleep on the couch she had in her room. He had been doing that for two weeks now, worried that weeks had passed and she never set foot outside, she could tell how much time had passed. Her eyes were always fixed on the ceiling, knowing the days were drifting along because of the shifting of the light on the wall.

The world moved on without her father and she hated that. It's like the world didn't even care about him, about her forever long-gone friends in the facility. She felt like the world didn't care for the dead…

But that didn't mean she would stay in bed forever, she supposed. She would eventually have to walk out again and stop becoming a burden for everyone.

She sat up from her bed and tried to stand but her legs failed her and she hit the deck. Alex murmured something in his sleep and shifted his sleeping position, but he didn't wake up which Kate was thankful for. She groaned a bit while she struggled to stand up. This was the outcome of being in bed for so long, she supposed. Her muscles and body felt weak and shook vigorously against her, she hit the floor again. After many tries, she managed to limp to the bathroom and took a bath.

After getting all the dirt and oil out, she wished her mind was as fresh as it was with her body. The dead were always haunting was just five o'clock, she doubted she would be able to sleep again.

She quietly left the shack and started running. She was glad Alex hadn't called a doctor yet. She would have gone berserk if she saw another white coat. She kept running with one location in her mind and stumbled a few times on a few mounds of sand, but she kept running…

She didn't stop until she finally arrived at her destination. She stood in front of the grave. Breathless, her body was shaking.

Flowers and candles still remained around it, decorating her father's grave. She stared at it silently for a few heartbeats before crouching down, holding onto the pendent he gave to her.

It wasn't long until the waterworks started.

-present—

(okay, ending song, orphan_account INSISTED that you listen to the song while reading because it is a moving song. Red robin-Clark Richard.)

She honestly had no idea where she was going.

But she was sure it would be somewhere where the environment was natural and green. And far away from the city and all its technology.

She had been walking since before dawn, letting Plat and Chuchule follow as she would. Today, even the forest seemed silent.

Good. Today was not a day for the sounds of life. Today was for the hollow wind rustling branches, for the rushing of a river, for the crunch of leaves and twigs underneath her shoes.

Kate stood on the barren edge of a ravine, a chill northern wind ruffling her hair.

Behind her sloped a rocky, wasted plain, and before she stretched a chasm so long it disappeared into the starlit horizon. Across the ravine was a lush, dark wood, rustling with life.

They watched each other in silence.

And let her mind drift off to a memory…

-Past—

She was eight years old and she was angry at both her dad and her cousin. She went on a five-day school field trip, and they ended up coming along secretly carrying ammo and knives, and… god, they were overreacting. Luckily, no one found out about it, she was saved from the humiliation. After she got home, she shouted at both of them and stormed out.

She sat on the couch, trying her best to calm down. Her dad entered the room and she glared at him, still mad.

He looked at her uncomfortably but sat on the couch beside her. "I'm sorry about what I did. It's just parental instinct." He said lowly. "And… it's also because I promised your mother that I would keep you safe."

Her eyes widened. "Mom asked you to…?" she shook her head. "But if she cared about me, why did she leave?"

"It's complicated, Kitten." He replied sighing. "But I promise you. Your mother loved you as much as she loved me, but she had to leave for your sake. Though, I'm sure she would wallop me if she finds out how I've been raising you. I'm just doing everything I can to make sure you have a great life."

She frowned. "When I'm just eight? Dad, don't really need to pamper me right now, and the way you're saying it makes it sound like you're not going to live long."

He stared at her and then looked away for a strange heartbeat. She felt that he knew something but wasn't telling her. He was hiding something from me. He then pulled her into an embrace which startled her.

"Dad?" she asked warily. He didn't reply for some time and let go of her.

He then pulled an item from his pocket and handed it to her. It was a heart-shaped pendant with a glowing blue gem at the center.

"What's this?" she asked because her father knew she wasn't that fond of jewelry or necklaces.

"It's just to show you I'm going to do better as a dad. Because there's no one in the world I trust more than I trust you." Her dad said to her firmly. "And I'm gonna try to be more respectful. Just promise me one thing." The Kate sighed and looked into his eyes. "Be patient with me. I've never had a growing girl to raise before."

She thought for a moment before shrugging. "Deal...but next time, please don't stalk me, it is creepy."

He gave her a wounded face, but she just nudged him with her elbow.

"Also," she added, "I don't want like my current name."

"What? But it's cute."

"Dad, the name is embarrassing. It may be true that I am going as Laura when I am at school, but when you call me...it just feels weird."

The man opened his mouth, but nothing came out, so he just shrugged. "Okay, what do you want your name to be?"

Under her dark hood, her violet eyes gleamed. "I want it to be as Kate."

"Kate?" he baffled. "Doesn't Alex call you Katherine already?"

"Yeah, well, I told him never to call me that again…and…" she smiled to herself, "back in the facility, Kate was what my friends preferred to call me."

Her father smiled at her. "I see, well, I guess I'll have to sign a few papers to make it official." He stood up and went to the counter.

She smiled back. "Thanks dad." She added, "And remember, no more stalking me while I'm on field trips."

He turned to her and raised his coffee mug. "And remember, take your phone with you next time and tell me your safe." He looked at his mug and then added, "Also take a taser with you if a boy conf—"

"Dad!"

He laughed and opened the front door. She knew he was going to gaze at the stars again. "Night pumpkin"

She looked at her pendant. "Good night,"

-present—

She opened her eyes and realized how much time had passed. Her back leaned against a boulder while watching the sunset. The golden colors were spreading across the horizon. Come to think of it, the day her father died, she was already watching this kind of scenario, waiting for him to return, not knowing he never would. She continued to watch as she pulled out her phone and dialed a number, then placed the phone to her ear.

The line kept ringing, but she knew no one would pick it up. She waited until it went to voicemail.

"Hey, this is Kogane," her father's voice buzzed, "sorry I'm busy right now at work. Please leave a message…"

"Hey, Dad," she said lowly while continuing to watch the sunset, "Sorry I'm not at your grave today… and, sorry for leaving without giving a chance to say goodbye. I'm stuck at space… I'm in war… and I might have figured out who mom is… or what mom is and why she left… I finally understand why you insisted on me to know when I get older. I miss you, I miss Alex." She ruffled her hair and gave a weak chuckle when tears were threatening to fall out of her eyes. "I know you're not proud of me, and I'm not happy with myself, either. But… I'm just too scared for the truth to come out. I'm a complete mess without your guidance. Ever since the day you died, I couldn't help but wonder whether you knew about what was going to happen to you if you had me."

She wiped her tears and whispered, "I miss you so much…and I love you…bye." She cut the line and watched the sky grow dark.

She didn't leave until she waited for the stars to appear and gazed at them and the strange constellations they made and pretended that her mother was here, watching it with her.

Just like her father used to do back on earth when he was alive…

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

—back at earth—

it was 3 o'clock in the morning, and Alex Kogane Morcoff had managed to drag himself out of bed to take a bath, leaving his apartment without breakfast and driving into the city on his motorcycle. It was too early that the streets were mostly deserted, but the people who drove past waved as he went. They knew him, he didn’t know them, though. They knew him because of his job.

Modeling made him damn popular in this country for many men's magazines over the recent years. Despite knowing this country for 12 years, he still considered it as his second home, Russia was his first. After his parent’s marriage, his mother married a Russian admiral. He was 3 when it happened so he didn’t remember much of his real dad, he preferred his stepdad anyway. He was definitely better. He grew up in Russia for almost 10 years until...

well... after being in the wretched facility with Kate for almost a year with no help, he spent 6 months living with his uncle and her to make sure she was alright, then the rest of the other months in Russia with his family. it was supposed to be temporary but later became a tradition. His stepfather allowed it as Kate needed a lot of help to get over the trauma, especially since she kept refusing to see a therapist.

But after turning 15, Alex’s uncle—Kate’s father— died in a fire accident that summer and the violet-eyed girl became his sole responsibility. He couldn’t leave her, but he knew she didn’t want to live with him in Russia. So he remained with her and his family agreed to do what was best.

he sighed heavily as he parked his ride outside the cemetery. His uneven footsteps walked on the cobblestones, creating tapping sounds he preferred to hear than listen to the deafening silence around him. He stood in front of his uncle’s grave and placed and lifted the scented candles he brought with him before placing the flowers.

”Hey,” He said softly, though there were no living souls nearby to lose what he had to say. “It’s been a while. Things are fine, I guess. My family still insists me to return to Russia, and I’ve still refused.” He stared at the grave while the trees shook by the wind blowing.”

He sighed again and crouched deforestation the grave. “Katherine is not here today, though I know she didn’t want to miss coming here.” He pulled out a phone and tapped on the screen. “Though left this.”

”Hey, Dad,” Kate’s voice quivered in the voice message, “Sorry I’m not at your grave today… and, sorry for leaving without giving a chance to say goodbye. I’m stuck at space… I’m in war… and I might have figured out who mom is… or what mom is and why she left… I finally understand why you insisted for me to know when I get older. I miss you, I miss Alex.” She paused for a few heartbeats, taking a heavy breath. “I know you’re not proud of me, and I’m not happy with myself, either. But… I’m just too scared for the truth to come out. I’m a complete mess without your guidance. Ever since the day you died, I couldn’t help but wonder whether you knew about what was going to happen to you if you had me.”

Alex's face was blank, but within him, guilt punched his gut. The fact is that he did know about it. They all did, but they never told her. She would just end up blaming herself.

“I miss you so much…” she whispered. “and I love you…bye.” She cut the line. He slipped the phone back into his pocket.

”She still doesn’t know I broke out of her hypnosis,” Alex said. “I could have went after her, but Chaos says it’s not time right. I left her alone for a whole year and I’m still regretting it. I’m not sure how long I can wait. She’s lying to her friends and I can tell it’s killing her. She needs help, and this war ...” he shook his head sadly. “It’s going to make things worse for her. Death, violence, it’s all going to resurface her memories and trauma.”

”that maybe true,” said a honey voice behind him, “but Leana needs to learn to overcome them on her own.”

Alex whirled at her. “You appear before me now but you chose to remain silent for the past year, and the 4 months Kate had been gone to space?” He demanded.

He met Chaos the day Kate received her heart necklace. He was just 12 when she turned 8. His uncle and Chaos explained to him that his cousin wasn’t entirely human, which didn’t surprise him much since he knew Kate was special in a way and not normal. They didn’t explain everything like who her mother was, but just pretended he didn’t know who Chaos was when Kate asked. They even informed him about the inevitable death of his uncle which he dreaded. He still felt guilty not telling her about it, but it was all for her sake. The day Kate left Earth, Chaos whispered in his dreams about the universe, the war, and Voltron, It took Alex a week to let everything progress in his mind.

Chaos smiled sadly. “I am sorry, but Leana is a handful at times. I still need to look after her.”

Alex stared at her. “How is she?”

“Coping,” the woman replied. “Coping as best she can. I will just tell you that no. She has not mentioned you, or her past, or about her hidden scars to her friends. She is still hiding away, trying to keep her distance.”

”Is she going to fake her death or manipulate their memories, like she did with me and James?”

”No, not yet. But she has an even riskier strategy in her mind to end the war, and discussed it with Victor. He opposed it strongly at first, but she managed to persuade him. But it is not time yet.”

”Katherine is going to risk her life?” He questioned. After a heart beat he said, “This is about keeping her team safe, isn’t it?” Chaos nodded and he sighed. “I can’t believe it. She still blames herself for what happened to ‘them.’ I kept telling her it wasn’t her fault.”

”You are not to blame, Alex” Chaos said gently. “Leana was too young and too stubborn to understand. The mind of a six-year-old is not as flexible as an adult. It’s quite understandable why she let her guilt eat her away over the years.” She looked into his eyes intently. “But you will meet her new family soon. And explain everything to them before you go to James and break the hypnosis placed in his memories. Till then, we still have to wait.”

After a long silence, he looked at her face and back to his uncle’s grave warily. “For all our sakes, and hers...I hope you are right.”

He didn’t want his cousin to break
ever again...

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Lots of castle references and a book orphan_account was reading from.

—Late night, castle—

"Lance?"

Kate found him sleeping on the castle lounge couch. He jolted awake when she entered the room. Was he waiting for her?

"Hey, " he yawned. "You came back. It was much later than I expected."

She looked away and sat beside him. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I wasn't planning on asking. But next time, please tell us in advance then leave a piece of vague note behind."

A heartbeat passed before she sighed. "Look, I haven't been myself lately. I've...I've been lacking sleep, having nightmares, getting tense at times. I-I just can't relax. I needed to step away…"

He looked at her, concerned. "You know, if it's bothering you too much, why not talk to Shiro about it? I mean, you two are close, right?"

Her brows furrowed as she bit her lip. "Back in the garrison, yeah. But now, I don't know." It's true. She did want to fight alongside him and keep what they had.

"Maybe you're not used to living with people. You were one of the few cadets that came during the weekdays and left after sessions ended while the rest of us remained in dorms."

"Maybe. My cousin was strongly against the idea of me being in a dorm full of boys."

He leaned close to her. "why?"

Because I'm a girl. She turned her head to him. "He was worried I might get bullied ...and I would break someone's teeth. And…" she trailed off when she realized how close their faces were and she backed away. "What? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"You smell like cherries." he blurted. She blinked.

"What?"

His face flushed when he realized what he said. "I said would care for some berries?"

An obvious lie, she didn't need her Empath ability to tell her.

She stared at him and shook her head. "No...I'm going to bed now…" She stood and passed him to the doors. "Good night."

And then she was gone.

- next day, Kitchen-

Shiro hummed in pleasure and headed for the refrigerator. As he opened it, it took him a heartbeat to realize something was off, and he stopped humming.

"Where'd it go?" he questioned aloud.

Kate sat on the counter and sipped her coffee. "Where did what go?"

"My leftovers last night," he closed the fridge door. "They were right here in the fridge. I was going to use that Chateaubriand for my morning scramble."

"Well, I didn't eat them."

"Yes, well, this isn't the first time this has happened, " Hunk said glumly.

Shiro frowned. "really?"

Think nodded. "Food has been going missing for the past month. It's not just leftovers, either. It was the peanut butter, uh … artichokes, a whole quart of Mulligatawny soup, gone."

"Yeah, " Lance agreed, "and my fries are missing!"

"So some food disappeared, Hunk." Kate shrugged. "What's the big deal? Coran said the goo supply would be fixed tomorrow."

"Yeah, but it wasn't you, was it? I know you hate to go grocery shopping with Lance."

"If I was stealing food in the middle of the night, Lance is the last guy that has anything to do with it. He wouldn't realize if it's his fault, anyway."

The tanned boy frowned. "Am I supposed to feel flattered or insulted?"

"Both." she turned to Hunk. "Well, maybe Shiro's been sleep eating … again."

"Again, " the black paladin laughed. "I've never sleep eat - sleep ate - eaten." Kate gave him a look, and he frowned. "Wait, I ate in my sleep before?"

"Well, there was this one time when Adam told me you went high-"

"Good morning." Pidge interrupted her when she came in.

"Hey," Lance turned to the smaller girl with suspicion in his eyes. "How did you like that Chateaubriand? Wasn't that a wonderful white wine reduction?"

She blinked. "What Chateaubriand?" And Kate frowned at her reply.

Lance gaped at her. "All right." He sighed. "It's the mice. I knew it. Platt has been putting on weight, lately."

"Sorry, cargo boy." Kate smirked as he glared at that name. "But Platt was with me the whole night."

"Maybe there are tiny borrowers living under the floorboards who come out at night to steal your food," Pidge said. She gave him a pointed look before she walked away.

"Not realistic, " Lance murmured contemplatively. "They're too small to get the fridge door open. But something is going on here. Maybe our fridge is being invaded by some kind of space super rat. Whatever's going on, I'll take bold steps to ensure it never happens again."

Kate wasn't sure about that.

—Later—

They took the blue lion and stopped at an advanced technology planet called Valcuz. A planet where the locals were werewolf-looking creatures, not the bad nasty ones people would imagine when they hear it, but it was okay. The locals on this planet were the opposite of Disho; the locals there were cats.

"This is one hell of a pain," Kate muttered while she walked alongside Lance. Why did it always have to be with him?

"Just so you know," Lance said to her with glee, "you're partnered to a genius."

"Yes," she agreed, "a genius at annoying me."

He turned to another direction and halted. He elbowed her, "Keith, is that...us?"

She blinked and frowned at the direction he was looking at. He was right. There was a group of Valcuz dressed up as them and the other paladins while parading through the streets. The wigs, fake bayard, armor, and weird-looking dolls they were carrying were the lions...maybe. The audience just cheered and watched them go while music and balloons filled the air around them.

"What is this?" Kate asked dumbfounded. Lance shook his head.

"You two must be new here," a Valcuz woman walked to them, she said shyly, "Sorry, I couldn't help myself listen. What you see now is a newly made festival the people of this planet came up with."

Kate frowned. "About Voltron? But this planet was never under Zarkon's control. Voltron never came here to liberate it because it was already free."

The woman chuckled, she looked at the cheering crowd. "There was a raging rumor across galaxies that Voltron was fighting back against Zarkon. It's true that this planet was never captured, but we have other friends and have strong alliances with other species from different planets that are still under Zarkon's rule." She turned at them. "And now we are rejoicing that they are finally gaining back their freedom."

"Wow," Kate turned and looked around. What a pleasant atmosphere. She was glad to see so many happy faces people had.

"You know," Lance began with a flirty tone to the woman and Kate's smile dropped and she turned to him.

Uh-oh.

"If we were to add more fun into this, then there's something that everyone should know."

The woman tilted her head with a questionable look.

"We are the paladins o—pfff!"

Kate clapped a hand over his mouth and gave a forced nervous laugh. "Hilarious, Lance!" She cried, "Can you believe how funny this Hispanic is?" The woman looked puzzled. "Nice talking to you, but we have to go, bye!" She dragged Lance by the back collar of his jacket and bolted.

—streets—

"What was that all about!?"

After a long run, both of them were hiding behind a building, standing on an avenue that wasn't crowded.

She replied, "Lance, we are here to buy food, not cause a commotion. And what did I tell you about bimbos?"

He snorted. "Hey, she wasn't flirting back with me, so she is not a bimbo. Besides, in case you haven't noticed, I haven't been hitting on other women so lately." He smirked, "so I am improving~"

"That's because there hasn't been any other woman for you to hit on lately." She countered back making his smile drop. "You are—" she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Wait, we are missing the point. The fact is, Lance, we are the paladins of Voltron, not highly admired celebrities. You can't brag about this in public, especially not when we are in the middle of a war."

Lance stared at her unamused. "is there any day where you spare from your satir- "

A little girl accidentally bumped into him. Her eyes were looking scared and confused. Lance crouched down and smiled at her. "hey, are you lost." he asked gently and softly, and that startled the raven-haired girl. The little girl shook her head and Lance nodded. " I see, well, go find your mommy. It's dangerous for a little girl like you to be on your own."

The girl nodded and smiled. She bowed and rushed to the busy avenue.

Lance watched her go until he was sure he couldn't see her anymore, he then turned back at Kate who was gaping at his face. "what?" he questioned.

"Nothing...it's just...i'm so used to seeing act like a 9 year old all the time, it's refreshing to see you as a gentlemen."

"It's definitely what makes Allura want me, right?" He smiled devilishly, making her want to whack him.

"And there's that 9 year old again."

He turned to his right to avoid looking at her, but Kate noticed he turned stiff.

She frowned. "Lance? You ok—whoa!" He suddenly grabbed her wrist and they both dived to the deck of an antique store near them. He crawled and dragged Kate to the far corner of the room, hiding behind a tower of old dusty mats.

"Shhhh!" He hissed and it was his turn to clap a hand over her mouth to muffle her words. He poked his head out around the corner for a few heartbeats and sighed in relief. "That was close."

She yanked his hand off her mouth. "What was close?" She demanded. "Why are we hiding?"

He turned to her and said in a harsh whisper. "Slaughter is here!"

She frowned. "Slaughter?" She questioned while he pulled out his phone and punched in numbers. "The Valcuz detective guy we met back in Disho?" He nodded. "What's wrong with that?"

"Everything is wrong with that!" He cried splaying his hands. Wow, Lance was really terrified of him. "That guy is a psychopath! Forget food, we are leaving!"

"What?"

He dialed a number and put the phone on speaker as Pidge's voice piped in, "You guys done shopping?"

"DEFCON 1, Slaughter is here!" Lance said harshly.

"Here?" It was Shiro's voice now. "That can't be good."

"Both Keith and I are hiding and can't get out because he's nearby, can one of you guys pick us up?"

Pidge asked, "Is that the old friend that almost got you killed a few months ago?"

"Yeah, like six times." Kate gave an incredulous say-what look at him. He explained to her, "while you and the prince of Disho were having your romantic time—" Kate glared at him, "I thought maybe I could find Hannah on my own, so I thought maybe it would be easier if I partnered with a real detective. I regretted my decision."

"What did he do?"

Before he could explain, a new gruff voice joined in, "Long time, no see, blue paladin."

They both froze and looked up. A wolf-looking guy wearing a black suit with weapons strapped to his back, arms, and legs, was gazing down on them with his green eyes. He noticed Lance's phone and asked, "Who are you talking to?"

(Lance's perspective)

He was faced with the devil himself. The tanned boy put the phone to his ear and stammered as he said quickly, "Oh, it's my mommy – mother. It's my mother." Keith gave an incredulous look, but he ignored it and pretended to go back to a normal conversation on the phone with Shiro and Pidge. "I'm sorry, Mother, what were you uh, what were you saying?"

"We're headed to you right now." Shiro said firmly.

"Oh, you're going to the club." Lance said in relief. "How long until you get her—there?"

"We are five minutes away."

"So just play it cool." Pidge said.

"Yeah," Shiro agreed, "don't let him know you're talking to us."

"Yeah, no problem."

Slaughter huffed as his ears twitched. "That ain't your mom. It's Space dad and Short green charm, isn't it?"

He heard both Shiro and Pidge sigh. Great, they've been found.

Lance cringed and said, "There's a slight problem— "

"Just put us on speaker, Lance."

Slaughter smirked at the screen, "Hey there, paladins, how are things with the galra?"

"Don't try and act natural with us," Pidge snapped, "The last time you did business together, he was on anti-anxiety medication for a month."

Lance forced a laugh. "She's kidding. It was just – just a few weeks."

Keith still looked unsure. "Guys what am I missing?"

Slaughter flashed a grin at him. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure." He reached his hand out for a shake, but the mullet denied. He shrugged and brought his hand back to his side. "Anyway, I don't know what you heard, but things are fine with us."

"Fine?" Lance cried. "The last time you said 'it's going to be fine' , i had a Dishorian psychopath trying to run me down with a golf cart!"

He snorted. "You're alive right? That's good enough for me. Most of my partners are either hospitalized or half dead, so consider yourself lucky."

"Alright," Shiro said, "but don't do anything to him."

"Wasn't planning to, this is my home planet. And in case you haven't noticed, I spread the word of voltron here. Everyone's celebrating, so you're welcome."

Lance could have argued but he didn't want to, especially not with him.

"Oh, and if you are interested," Slaughter dug into his pockets and pulled out several posters, "join the fun. Consider this as a,uhh, proper... token of appreciation."

Keith accepted it but he still frowned. "What do you mean 'proper?'"

He laughed harshly. "Man you should have seen the blue paladin. After we closed down Hannah's case, I gave Lance one of my fine knives as a thank you."

Lance gaped at him. "Is that what it was?" He was shaking now. "A thank you gift? Flowers are a nice thank you gift. A giant Rambo knife, that's psychotic."

"Yeah," the wolf agreed, "different strokes. But it's the truth. I'll see you kids around, Ciao!" Then he left.

Lance sighed in relief. "Thank you gift," he muttered, "can you believe that?"

Keith hummed while going through the posters. "Sure,"

He blinked. "Really?"

"On my ninth birthday, my dad tried to give me his gun but i said no, so he gave me a samurai sword instead." Ha gaped at him. "Hey, I agree he wasn't the best dad, but he was trying to protect me."

"Protect you from what? Ninjas?" Pidge laughed. They had completely forgotten they were still on the line with them.

"No, just weird people."

Shiro asked, "what do you mean weird?"

He hesitated. "Umm...i had a different life back when my dad was still alive, I think my old man called them my...stalkers?"

"

What?

"

Keith looked at the posters Slaughter gave them and frowned. "Guys, I think Slaughter wants us to be involved with him in another case."

Lance looked at her. "What makes you say that?"

He showed one of the posters to him. A note was attached to it. Lance squinted, still confused. "I can't understand a word of it. It's all in Valcuz language."

Keith frowned and looked at it again. "You're kidding, right?"

"What?"

"It's all clearly Russian. I was able to read Kelly's files before, too. How could you miss that?"

"Russian? Hold on a sec, you can understand it?"

"Мне нужна помощь, это о зарконе" he said fluently. "That's what it says."

"Keith," Pidge said from the line, "English, please?"

"I need help, it's about zarkon,"

"Oh,"

Lance shook his head out of disbelief. "How is the Valcuz language Russian? Or is it the other way around?"

Just then Allura's voice came in through their helmets. "Keith, Lance, are you there? Return to the castle immediately at once!"

— castle—

"What is he doing here?" Lance demanded when he saw Slaughter at the castle bridge.

"Lance," Allura said calmly. "The representative of this planet agreed to cooperate to fight against Zarkon with us once we solve a case Slaughter brought."

"Another case?" Pidge frowned. "Was someone abducted again?"

The wolf detective nodded grimly. He projected a hologram of an attractive wolf-looking woman. "Do any of you know who she is?"

Lance scrutinized the hologram. "Well, she's tall, she's gorgeous, she's 10 pounds underweight, her hair is fried, she's wearing too much I make up. she's a model." They gaped at him, processing everything he just said. "it is after all fashion week when all the hottest women in the universe descend upon the happiest night spots like locusts except locusts eat."

Kate turned to him, unamused. " and does any of what you just said help us identify her name?"

"Um...no, but —"

"Then zip it."

Slaughter cleared his throat. "Anyway, as I was saying, and Lance is correct. Her name is Sienna and she is a model. I don't know why the galra targeted her, but according to some of our sources, she likely got herself kidnapped because she got herself into something she wasn't supposed to, or has valuable intel the galras are looking for."

"Do we have any clues?" Shiro asked.

"Well, we do have a lead this time. The galra who kidnapped her goes by the name Roland. There is a high probability that this his solo mission."

Hunk's face broke into a smile. "Well, this should be easy. We just have to use our lions scanners to search the entire city—"

"Unfortunately," Slaughter interrupted with his gruff voice, "it's not as easy as you think. Roland is not just an ordinary galra spy of Zarkon. He is an ability user."

Kate flinched.

An ability user?

Pidge frowned. "What's an ability user?" She asked. Kate had completely forgotten that till now, none of her teammates encountered any galra with special abilities yet. Only Victor was the only galra she ever met with such powers.

"They are galras born with unique gifts," Allura answered, rather darkly. She leaned her back to the window and folded her arms, looking away from them. "There used to many of them back when my father reigned Altea. Each galra possessed different gifts. There were even cases where an individual galra could yield 3 or quite possibly 5 gifts, but not all at once." She looked at them in the eye. "But that was a long time ago. Looking at our situation, and what we've experienced so far, it's clear that they're not gifted anymore."

Coran stroked his mustache, looking uncertain. "We can not be too sure, princess." He said. "If what Slaughter says is true, then perhaps the gift isn't entirely lost."

Hunk shuddered nervously. "Wait, d-d-does that mean Zarkon is an ability user?" Kate's eyes widened. That never crossed her mind. "He's been alive for ten thousand years, I-I mean if he can't do anything—"

"Hunk, calm down." Allura said, though less confident. "We don't know for sure. But let's hope not...otherwise we have a less chance in winning if we fight with him face to face."

Kate stepped forward, curious and bold to ask, "What was his gift?"

Both Coran and Allura looked at each other. "He only had one gift, and that alone made him a warrior." Coran said.

Allura looked straight into her eyes and said, "his gift...is soul controlling."

—later, in a factory
(Lance's perspective)-

Soul controlling

Lance shuddered. That was an absolutely terrifying gift to possess.

Slaughtered ordered both Keith and him to check this old abandoned factory because apparently, their victim had access to this place. And asked them, to look for a certain blade if it was there. Keith complained about why he always had to be paired up with the tanned boy, and Pidge told him that they had to 'bond'.

Seriously, Lance didn't know how long this would go on. The entire 'bonding' was actually a cover-up. Shiro asked Lance to try talking to him and question his strange behavior, and why the mullet was avoiding his leader. Shiro claimed that he did try many times, but Keith kept running from him. Lance didn't know why, either. Only Lance and Hunk were aware of this. Even last night, he had asked the tanned boy to wait for Keith in the castle lounge for him, but failed to get any info from him because his big mouth blurted something incredibly stupid...and awkward.

Now, according to Slaughter, Roland's abilities were unclear, but apparently, he had a way with women to easily control them. Allura and Pidge had to stay at the castle at all times because it was rumored that Roland was a galra...courtesan. He didn't know what that meant when he heard it at first, though both Shiro and Coran turned pale when they heard this and immediately told the girls never to leave the castle. Shiro then explained (uncomfortably) that courtesan was an old word derived from French meaning…prostitute.

Ugh.

Keith opened the entrance of the factory door...or more accurately broke it down with his foot, and the door crashed down to the ground with a bang, which Lance flinched to.

"Have you ever tried being less harsh and violent to things?" Lance asked.

The raven-haired boy huffed. "I just kicked, Lance. I didn't break down with a chainsaw or anything like a psychopath."

"Right," he hesitated. "Can I say something that'll probably annoy you?"

Keith turned to him incredulously. " since when do you ask for permission?" he countered.

"Touché," he smiled, but he thought for a heartbeat. "Does that mean yes?"

The mullet ignored him as they wandered inside. It's dusty and there were spider webs everywhere. The factory definitely hadn't been active for years.

"This place is seriously creepy for a cookie factory," Lance noted. "Why would Sienna have a key to the elevator to this place? There's no electricity. And why does the dagger of doom have to do with any of this?"

Keith turned to him like he was an idiot. Dagger of doom? Really?

They stopped in front of the service elevator.

"Let's go find out." Keith said as he slipped the key into the lock and it turned. The door opened and they walked inside. "There's another room back here." Keith slid open the opposite elevator door and into another room. It's as empty as the first, but a splash of color caught his eye.

"Is this her secret lair or something?" He asked, amazed.

"Along with some kind of a shrine." Keith gestured to what looked like a makeshift altar.

Lance quickly walked to it and picked up the blade from the small shrine. "Check it out. This blade is exactly the one Slaughter's looking for."

They heard a metallic noise from the other room, causing both of them to jump.

"Someone's here." The mullet breathed.

Keith gestured to Lance to keep quiet and wait. He drew his gun from the ankle holster and quietly walked to the other room. As soon as he left, Lance sensed something behind him and turned. A figure dressed in black took the weapon from his hand and rushed away in a puff of smoke. It happened so quickly that Lance wasn't quite sure what just happened. "Keith?" he said warily, still looking around the room.

A few heartbeats later, the mullet came rushing back to him. "Lance, what happened?"

He turned to him, unsure. "Uh … ninja ... stole Slaughter's weapon." He held up the empty cloth.

Keith's jaw dropped with disbelief, but he said nothing.

—later castle—

"You were attacked by a ninja?" Shiro questioned Lance who was smiling. He turned his head to Kate. "And you witnessed it?

Kate rolled her eyes. "Uh, no."

"Because he made a sound and drew him away." Trying to support himself. "Ninjas are masters of the surprise attack."

She rolled her eyes again. "In any case, we think that he's Roland because the knife he took from Lance appears to be the weapon Slaughter's looking for."

"So what you're saying is that – "

"Our Galra is a ninja." Lance finished his sentence.

Kate turned to the tanned boy. "Or he is just an athletic person with a black hooded tracksuit."

"Yeah, that disappeared in a puff of smoke."

"Which I could do, too, if I had a smoke bomb."

Then Slaughter came in with a paper. "I have good news and bad news." He said sternly. "The bad news is that the factory which Sienna had the key to was all wiped clean."

Lance smirked. "Because ninjas never leave a trace. I know what I saw. You should have seen the way he moved! The athleticism, the grace, the agility. He was like –"

"A Ballet dancer?"

He paused to glare at her. "No," he said exasperated. "No."

"—And the good news is, I figured out her second job." He handed a paper to Kate. "That's the location. Find out what happened, question her co-workers if you have to. I don't want my home planet to be under jeopardy."

"Alright," Lance balled his fists. "Let's do this!"

Kate stopped him. "Uh, no. You're staying right here."

They all gaped at her. "What?"

"If Lance was being truthful about the ninja attack," she said strongly, "than he should not come. Our galra saw his face and so he has a higher chance of being targeted. It's best if he stays low for now."

Shiro thought for a heartbeat, then nodded, agreeing with her. "It's for your safety, Lance."

"What?" He whined.

She turned to him annoyed. "Lance, I'm going alone." She said firmly.

He tried to protest. "But we are a team! And the universe demands that I see him crumble."

God, this guy really wants to meet that ninja, huh? What a kid. "He will crumble, but we are not doing it together."

"Why?"

"Because you'll gloat, and your gloating is really unattractive."

He paused. "You find me attractive? " he questioned.

She blinked and then blushed furiously. "No, it makes you look even more annoying than you already are." And with that, she stalked out of the room, avoiding more questions she knew he was going to ask her.

But she wished shouldn't have gone.

—somewhere in the city—

Ninjas...what idiot would go through all that and pretend to be one?

Ugh. People are really going insane lately.

Kate reached the location written on the paper and entered a fancy-looking building.

She wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. She just took the stairs to the top floor and realized the entire level up here was some outdoor cafe.

She asked the nearest person about Sienna, and the man said the woman had hardly been working this week because she had another career as a hostess.

Sienna had 3 jobs? Kate questioned. A model, a hostess, and a...wait, what was her third job? What is this place anyway?

Before she could look around her surroundings carefully, she heard an old woman shouting, "Welcome! Welcome!" The old woman bent and gnarled with age, from a podium at the foot of the stairs. her navy blue cloak covered her head and most of her body, and though her tanned face was saggy and speckled, there was a spark in her brown eyes. An ivory wagon stood before the old woman and Kate had no idea how she missed it. It was like it just suddenly appeared.

"Look into my mirrors and see the future! Let me examine your palm so I might tell you myself!" The old woman pointed with a knotted cane at Kate. "Care to have your fortune told, girl?" Kate blinked—then blinked again, not by the fact that the woman recognized her as a woman, but at the sight of the woman's teeth. They were razor-sharp, like a fish's, and made of metal. Of—of iron.

"Come into my wagon, dear heart," the old woman crooned at Kate, "and let me take a look into your future."

…

Reading the future? It wasn't long until she realized just what exactly this woman was. And didn't believe all of this was a sham.

Kate's face had drained of color, and somebody went to her side and took her elbow. She turned to find it was Shiro.

"Keith," He panted, "I've been looking for you."

"Ah, if it isn't the black paladin of voltron," the old woman mused. "Care to have your fortune read?"

She knew he was a paladin. There was no doubt about it. "You're a seer," Kate said, her voice strangled. Her face was still white as death. Shiro held her close, he knew she was scared.

The woman laughed, a crow's cackle, and bowed. "One of the first born seersin all of the known universe. I am Storm, at your service."Kate stepped back away from the woman, the back of her head resting on Shiro's chest. "Care to have your fortune read now?"

"No," Kate said, almost entirely leaning into her leader.

"Then get out of my way and let me go about my business! I've never seen such a cheap crowd!" Storm snarled and lifted her head to look over them. "Fortunes! Fortunes!"

Shiro took a step toward her, raising his prosthetic arm. "Don't be so rude to your customers."

The woman smiled, her teeth glinting in the afternoon light as she sniffed at him. "And what would a man from earth do to an innocent old seer like me? Have you not come her seeking for answers? Ways to defeat the galra emperor? How to achieve peace throughout the universe? Question whether prince Lotor truly is an ally?"

Kate looked away from the woman. She knew too much, just like Chaos. They need to get out of here. Her eyes caught the attention of a man walking with a woman, and they were both wearing long white coats. Her mind went blank for a heartbeat. She then noticed her surroundings which sent a familiar sort of fear to her chest. The one she hadn't experienced for a long time.

She was wrong. This wasn't a cafe. This was like an outdoor cafeteria for...for—

She was sweating now, she could hear her heartbeat rapidly within her.

"I don't know what sort of sham you're running, old woman," Shiro said firmly while he held her, "but you'd best mind your tongue before you lose it."

Kate's eyes moved from one place to another, catching bits of conversations of random people with

those coats

. She needed to be alert, but her head felt lightheaded for some reason.

Storm licked her razor-sharp teeth. "You should be more concerned about your friend over there," she purred. "It seems the brat finally realized what this place is."

Kate could feel Shiro's gaze at her. And she managed to release her hand from his grasp.

Act natural. Act natural! But she couldn't. She blindly walked into the place she feared most and met another seer, and Shiro was here witnessing her like this.

Too many things were happening. Her breathing became fast and shallow.

The forgotten old screams of the past resurfaced in her head, the laughter of 'those' people, and...and those—

"Keith?" Shiro tapped on her shoulder, but she was so deep in her thoughts that she nearly screamed as she jumped and fell on her back on the floor. She was shaking so badly, she couldn't stand.

Out of all the places, Slaughter just had to send her here. She should have realized that Sienna's third job was as a nurse. The raven-haired girl was on the top floor of a hospital!

A goddamn hospital! The one place she never ever wanted to set foot in.

"Keith, are you okay?" Shiro pulled her up, but her legs felt weak as she was now leaning entirely on him. He caressed her cheek. "Keith, I'm here. Look at me. I'm right here."

She still refused to look at him. She just closed her eyes and said shakily, "Get me out of here, Shiro. Please. Take me anywhere but here."

Shiro didn't hesitate. They quickly walked away, and when Kate looked at the seer, the old woman was grinning at her as she used a long, metallic nail to pick out something from her teeth. "Hide from fate all you like," Storm said as they turned away. "But it shall soon find you!"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

A quick note that Victor's eyes are not entirely yellow. Neither is Kate when her eyes glow yellow to use her ability. Their eyes are both like Krolia and Lotor.

—on the way to the castle—

"You're shaking."

"No, I'm not," Kate hissed, batting Shiro's hand from her arm. It was bad enough that she met Storm, but for Shiro to witness her all terrified and helpless…

God, it was pathetic. Not to mention that he may have had a hint of her fear.

Kate swallowed hard, digging her nails in her left arm. Seeing that woman, feeling the sense of otherness that radiated from her, Kate had no trouble believing that these seers… Those seers were so cunning with their words and knowledge. They were unpredictable. Especially Chaos… Who knows what that woman is planning with her mind games?

But, god! Going to that place was one hell of a mistake. Her trauma resurfaced and now it'll take hours or days, or maybe weeks to shake off those sickening fears. Maybe Victor could help her get over it. He could heal things with a snap because of his ability. She needed to be okay and stay focused.

She avoided her leader's eyes as they walked alongside each other, but remained silent. She tried her best to keep her face blank, but Shiro was right, she was shaking. And her breathing was still shallow, but at least it calmed down. For now…

They finally reached the lounge and were greeted by Lance and the team, sans Coran and Allura.

"Hey, " Lance smiled, but his brows soon furrowed as he noticed the depressing atmosphere around them. "What happened?"

"Lots of weirdos out there with too much imagination is what happened." Kate suddenly snapped, making them all flinched. "And, yes, I'm looking at you, Lance."

Lance stared at her, confused. He jerked his head to Shiro. "What really happened?"

Shiro rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll tell you later. So, where are we?"

Hunk shrugged. "I got nothing."

"Same here," Pidge said.

"Well I do," Slaughter piped in. "I may have got a lead."

Kate glared at the wolf detective. "Lead?" She scoffed. "So far, we've had nothing but dead ends. And I'm tired of not knowing." She didn't know how long she could tolerate all of this.

Shiro looked at her concerned. "Keith, patience yields focus." He gave her a weak smile. "I mean, to find a needle in a haystack, do we not first need a haystack?"

She bit her thumb harshly, frustrated with everything. "Yeah, but not a haystack full of nutjobs!" She said, her words were biting and harsh.

They all blinked at her. Did she just...snap at Shiro?

After a few heartbeats, Kate realized her mistake and pinched the bridge of her nose. Tightly closing her eyes to avoid Shiro's dark ones she took a breath. "Slaughter," She said with maddening calmness, "spill what you have to say."

The wolf detective cleared his throat. "Right. Well, I found where Sienna worked other than the hospital and her modeling place. She's a hostess in a tea club not too far from here. Fortunately, I've been to that bar a few years ago and I know some people there. Are any of you coming with me?"

Shiro looked at the floor contemplatively. "Well, obviously the girls can't go." He looked at the raven-haired girl with a pained expression. "And it may be wise to leave Keith here."

Kate's eyes widened. What?

Shiro went on. "And Coran went to a meeting with the representative of this planet in place of Allura, which leaves me—"

"Oh! Oh!" Lance raised his hand with excitement. "Can I come?"

"Absolutely not!" Kate snarled. "We have no idea what's out there. No idea where Roland is. That's too risky."

Lance rolled his eyes. "It's a tea club, mullet. How risky could that be? Our galra is on solo mission. If he opened fire in public, we outnumber him. And need I remind you, I'm a grown man. I have no need to ask your permission. That being said-" he whirled to face Shiro clasping his hands and sinking to his knees, pleading, "pleeeease, please, please can I go?"

Shiro sweatdropped and sighed. "Okay, fine. I suppose we need someone with a long range weapon just in case."

Kate stared in horror, but she accepted defeat. "Fine," She said lowly, folding her arms. "But only because I know you're not gonna do anything stupid as long as they're both with you." She turned to Slaughter. "Don't let him do anything stupid." She said sternly.

"You have my word,"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I doubt." She looked back at Lance again. "Please, Lance. You have to promise me. You have to call me, or Hunk or Pidge if something goes wrong, or if you're coming back."

"I am setting an alarm right now." He tapped his phone a couple of times. "See, this is what buddies are for."

"Alright," Shiro said. Let's suit up."

Slaughter raised his finger. "Ah, hold on. I forgot to mention. We have to blend in with the crowd. If that place had anything to do with her abduction, no one's going to talk to us if they so much as smell a badge."

Hunk frowned. "But you're the cop, we're not."

"And you would still wear your paladin armor in a club?"

Hunk hummed. "Good point, that would be suspicious."

Slaughter nodded. "Word of a galra would spread like wildfire, and we can't cause a commotion. So tonight we are not cops. We're just upscale gentlemen looking for a good time. If we play our cards right we'll pick up some information along the way."

They all nodded in agreement, sans Kate. She still wasn't sure about any of this.

"Alright, lets go,"

"Wait, where're you going?" Hunk asked Kate as she tried to slip out of the room without seeing them off. They all halted and turned to her.

Kate hesitated. "I – I just have to go do something." She turned to the door again. Then she was gone.

Lance looked at Shiro, confused. "Is he okay?"

—later, outside the hospital—

(Storm's perspective)

The paladins came and went. She was willing to give them some advice, show them a glimpse of a future, but...bah, how ungrateful. Especially that raven-haired girl. She's a fool if she wants to take down the galra emperor without Voltron.

She earned a couple of money from her customers today, though she knew money wouldn't really be useful, anyway. But nevertheless, it was a hobby whenever the ungrateful owner of her gem stopped at some random planet for supplies.

Storm adjusted her mirror in her wagon. She felt a presence behind her, and she smiled. It's been a while since they last spoke to each other.

"Why did you choose to be a patron for a brat?" She questioned her sister turning to her. "That is very unlike you, Chaos."

Sure enough, a woman with a scarlet cloak appeared from her dark mist and smiled at her sweetly. "Nice to see you, too, Storm." She said in her silky honey voice, which at times annoyed her. "How long was it since we last talked again,

sister?

"

Sisters.
That's not what people would think of if people compared. Chaos was a young cloaked woman with horns atop her head. She was more a gentle seer. She, on the other hand, was an old tanned woman with a sour personality, cursing how the young mortals were complete fools. But that's not important since they're both immortal prophets.

"A millennia," Storm replied to her sister's question. "Now, I understand what that child has been through, I admit, it's tragic. But it is not your way to have a broken soul as your host. They're never the same after they break."

Chaos smiled sadly and looked at the sky. The sun was setting, and the stars were slowly rising overhead. "I know...but I made an oath to her mother I would be with her till the very end."

The old woman spat on the floor of her wagon. "The very end?" She said, baffled. "You defied the laws of life and death by keeping her alive. She resents you for sabotaging all her suicide attempts… is it because she plays a part in this war?"

"Partially. Her father's last wish to me before he handed my gem to her was she had to live. She has to realise how much her life means to others. He knew she would be unstable by his death."

Storm looked at her mirrors, uninterested. "That's quite an oath you made. I would be tired to look after a girl with depressing thoughts."

Chaos laughed. "Well we are prophets, are we not? It is our role to take care of the people who carry our gems. Leana certainly has been ungrateful for all my services, but she will change her ways." Chaos's eyes snapped to the door of the wagon and smiled. " Oh! It seems your host has returned." She looked at Storm with pity. "I assume you warned your host about Prince Lotor?"

Storm clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes. "She's as stubborn as your host." She spat. "Ungrateful brat. She's going to regret not taking my advice soon enough… I'll see you again, sister."

Chaos nodded and disappeared in her dark mist.

"Are you and that conceited Prince done shopping on this planet?" Storm demanded. "I certainly had a grand time with my customers, Acxa."

Acxa entered her wagon wearing a cloak that concealed her from head to toe. "Why do you always have that attitude towards Lotor?" She said, exhausted. "Why do you doubt him so much?"

"I don't doubt." The old woman snapped. "I know the kind of man he is,. And once you're done playing his games, you will know what I am talking about."

Acxa revealed a silver gem in her moon-shaped earring, and it was now glowing as she wielded the power within it. "Whatever," She grumbled as Storm's silver misty essence went straight inside the gem, and then she was gone. "I know you are wrong."

The galra stepped out, and the ivory wagon soon disappeared in a white mist.

—Kate's room—

"No, no! You don't understand. I need to be okay!"

She paced breathlessly in her room as Victor sat on her bed. The mice were atop his head, playing with his wolf ears. They hadn't told Allura about him, or what she'd been doing, and she was grateful for that.

"That's not always a choice, Kate." He said as gently as he could. "What you're describing – hypervigilance – is a classic symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder."

Kate halted, then turned to him. She felt like she was going to explode."I do not have PTSD." She kept denying it. Kept refusing that her childhood trauma was that bad. She didn't tell Victor about her past other than her fears her frustrations at times and her anxiety issues.

"You're afraid of hospitals and doctors." He said calmly and softly like she was some injured cat. "You're not even willing to be near healing pods because of the trauma. I think it's fair to say that this case may bring up issues. Issues you still haven't dealt with over a decade."

That wasn't exactly true. When she got shot, and when James took her to his uncle's hospital, well sure she went berserk when she woke up, but she had gotten over it. His uncle wasn't the same doctor as 'that' one. And she did go to his hospital a couple of times when James broke his leg. She felt she had gotten over the fear…

At least she thought she did.

"Okay, then fine!" She cried. "I'll deal with them. Right now, I need to figure out how to make this stop."

"It's not going to stop. Not without time and treatment. The psychological trauma is every bit as real as the physical trauma. My powers can only heal physical wounds. Not cure mental and emotional ones."

This was not the answer she wanted. It's not the answer she needs.

She sat on her bed next to him, resignedly she closed her eyes. "Listen," She said in a hushed voice. "people need to be saved out there. I don't have time to get all weepy over a couple of scars. It'll be a problem."

"Okay, so what's the alternative? Walking around feeling like you have crosshairs on your back? Feeling paranoid? Thinking every stranger around you is an enemy?"

She buried her face in her hands. Shaking her head. "Look, there's got to be a pill out there or something, right? Something to take the edge off?"

"Medication can help," he agreed. "But not right away."

"Well then, what?"

"Well, for one, I think you should consider stepping away from the case."

Her eyes snapped to him. "You don't think I can handle this?"

"I'm saying you don't have to. You're not working alone, Kate. And until I know you're fine emotionally, I'm afraid I have to postpone our plans in infiltrating Zarkon's mainship. It's too dangerous in your situation."

She sighed heavily. Got this was all messed up. Her plans were all ruined. All over a goddamn mother freakin'—

"How is your chase with Cain?" She asked, trying hard to keep herself calm.

Victor groaned. "The same as it was last week and the week before that. And the week before that."

She leaned on the wall behind her. "So...nowhere?"

"Yep,"

"Guess we're both on the same boat, then."

He hummed and looked at her. "I want to give you something."

He pulled out an amethyst rectangular crystal necklace that was at the size of chapstick. (the crystal, not the chain or anything ) and folded it into her palm. She was stunned by it.

"Buttons, this is beautiful. But I'm not a jewelry kind of gi—" she froze when she caught an unfamiliar scent lingering on the crystal. She frowned. "Who did this belong to before?"

"What do you mean?" She could see he was playing dumb.

"There's another scent on this," she examined the glowing crystal. "It's faint, but I can tell it belonged to someone else...someone dead."

Pain reflected in Victor's eyes like she unintentionally punched his gut. "You got me," he admitted. "This was my sister's. She died saving me, and I wasn't fast enough to heal her wounds on time. Before the blades buried her, I took it from her corpse and had it with me ever since."

She looked down, biting her lip. "I'm ...sorry for your loss." And she meant it. "But...why are you giving me this?"

He was silent for some time. "You remind me of her," he finally said, and their eyes met again. "The way you look in your galra form, the way you act and think...it's exactly like her."

Kate chuckled weakly."So your giving me this because I'm like and look like her?"

"No," he looked into her violet eyes intently. "It's because your thinking, 'it's okay if I die'."

Her smile melted away and she bit her lip again. She hesitated for a heartbeat before looking away. "What are you talking about?" A terrible lie, and he knew it

"I can tell, Kate. You sacrificed yourself for the princess and the black paladin. Even now, you want me to help you infiltrate Zarkon's ship behind your friends back. Without involving them so they can be safe." She remained silent. "I want you to keep this as a memento. That every soul has a purpose to live...even yours."

She remained silent. She clutched onto the crystal necklace. Every soul has a purpose to live… what exactly was her purpose? "Why did you agree to help me?"

The galra huffed as he held her hand. "Like I said, you act exactly like my sister. She, too, was stubborn. I know if I don't help you, you'll just find other insane ways to stop zarkon. And I don't want to make the same mistake as I did before."

She looked at him. Was this to...make up for his mistakes? "Victor," she breathed. "I am not your sister."

He nodded, silently agreeing. "I know...but I have a hard time remembering that...which is why… I want to do a blood oath with you."

…

Blood oath?

Someone banged on her door and she jumped, pointing her ruby blade in the direction of the sound.

"Keith," Allura's voice came in. "Are you there? They have returned."

Returned? She blinked and checked her phone. Lance hadn't called her at all. Why didn't he—?

She went stiff when a thought hit her. "That son of—" she didn't complete her sentence as she muffled her growl in her pillows. Either that guy was attacked because the 'ninja' he claimed to see came back for him. Or, he didn't call because he was busy enjoying his time with those hostesses in the club. God that imbecile!

"Tell me what blood oath means later," she harshly whispered to the galra, " for now hide here."

She dragged him and he yelped when she pushed him into the closet to avoid Allura seeing him once she opened the door.

—castle lounge—

(Shiro's perspective)

"Now there are two ninjas?" Pidge was dumbfounded by the news.

"I know it sounds crazy – " Lance began.

"You bet it sounds crazy," she snapped. "One attacks you and the other saves your life? It makes no sense."

When they got to the club and pretended to not look suspicious, Lance somehow charmed one of the wolf hostesses about any info about Sienna. Shiro didn't know what he did as he the two went to a separate room.

Apparently, Sienna flirted with one particular client of the club, targeting him for some reason. And he was rumored to be dangerous. He was probably Roland.

After that, when Lance returned, and when they left the place (and Shiro was glad because the hostesses kept flirting with him and made him uncomfortable, even for the horrifying fact that married men were often customers of the club) a ninja attacked them. The galra was dressed in black and even though they outnumbered him, he was skilled and pretty much creamed them. He nearly chopped Lance in half if the other ninja didn't appear to save the tanned boy. He didn't know who that guy was, though. He wore identical clothing as the first and had masks concealing their faces.

But none of this made sense!

"Unless they are rivals in an ancient feud." Lance said with excitement. "Two warring clans; one committed to the path of darkness, the other sworn to follow the path of light."

"This is not a ninja movie, Lance." Shiro said firmly. "You nearly gotten yourself killed."

Lance smirked. "But I was the one responsible for getting intel from the hostess. I'm quite a charmer with the ladies.”

"Yes, except
me
,"

They all turned to the livid voice of Keith. The raven-haired boy stood there with a dangerous and furious aura around him. As though he wanted to strangle someone and torture them. Actually, it kind of looked like he wanted to do that to Lance particularly. Lance jumped and started sweating bullets. "Quiznak, I forgot to call." He gulped. "Keith, lo—"

"Stop talkin'! Start walkin'!" He scowled. And he grabbed a fistful of Lance's jacket and began to drag him out of the room.

"Keith," Shiro started. "I kno—"

"Not the time, Shiro!" And those words hit home. He shut his mouth.

Slaughter frowned as he watched Keith. "What's your story, red paladin?" He asked, and Keith stopped in his tracks.

The raven-haired boy looked over his shoulders to the detective. "Why do you want to know?"

"Your eyes," He said with such amusement. "They're glazed. You have the eyes of a
broken soul.
"

Those words made his eyes widen, but Keith said nothing. Shiro, on the other hand, was dumbfounded. Eyes of a broken soul?

His behavior clearly shows he has trouble connecting with people, the garrison nurse once told him in the infirmary, about his mood swings and thoughts. It clearly shows that he still suffers from childhood trauma.

"What are you? An eye expert?"

"I'm a detective," Slaughter replied. "I've seen far warmer and bright eyes that reflect their personalities. I wouldn't say that yours are completely cold like criminals, but they are rather distant…" the wolf's green eyes softened. "You act like this because someone close to you got hurt, am I wrong?"

Keith's expression remained unreadable. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. An intense heavy silence surrounded them, Shiro thought it was getting hard to breathe.

"Cute trick," he finally said. "But you don't know me. And my advice to you is that you stop prying." And then he was gone, dragging Lance along with him.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

—castle ballroom—

"'—You mean besides lipstick marks on your shirt?' Slaughter said after we got out of the bar, and I said, 'oh, whoa. Wait. Lipstick marks on my shirt? Where? Keith will kill me.' Then I stopped and clapped my hands over mouth nearly screaming, 'oh my God! I didn't call. You guys, Keith is going to kill me.' Then we got attacked. That's the whole story."

Kate stared at Lance incredulously after he told her what had happened. And how he got intel from one of the hostesses. "Wait, so let me get this straight." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Before that, you didn't call because you were in a private room kissing a geisha?"

He raised his hands in defense. "Whoa, okay, whoa. She kissed me first, not the other way around. I had no idea she was gonna do that. We were just playing our parts to not raise any suspicion. And secondly, she's not a geisha. Geishas are Japanese earthly people. She's a Valcuz hostess."

She clenched her jaw. "What's the difference?" She gritted out.

He paused. "Okay, point taken. But I was undercover with Slaughter and Shiro, and I did get us a lead."

"Oh, you know what I would have appreciated?" She scoffed. "A phone call about this lead because –" she mocked his voice, "– that's what buddies are for." She growled and swore silently. " Lance, I made you call any of us for a reason. Shiro has no phone, and none of you were wearing your armor making you all vulnerable. You could've been killed!"

"I was about to make that phone call and that's when the ninjas attacked."

She stared at him, shaking her head. "You've got an excuse for everything, don't you?"

The tanned boy frowned. "Why are you upset?"

She scoffed. "Lance, as your friend/rival/and comrade in war, I'd like to see you return back safely without losing any limbs. And I am not upset, I'm horrified to know you were attacked and you didn't call for backup!"

"Well you look upset,"

"Well, I'm not,"

"But if you were upset, you would tell me, right?"

"Yeah, but I'm not,"

"But if you were,"

"It doesn't matter because I'm not!"

"Okay, mom and dad," Pidge walked in. "I'd love to watch you fight all night and get divorced, but we all have to sleep now and deal with other problems, tomorrow. Slaughter managed to get hold of another hostess in that bar you just went. He's currently interrogating with her."

Lance frowned at the news. "Think he'll get her to talk?" He asked.

"Who knows, Lance," Kate said walking away from him. "Maybe he'll kiss it out of her."

Lance groaned and grabbed a fistful of his hair. "For the last time, we were not-"

"Good night, "she brushed him off and stalked out of the ballroom.

—Kate's room—

"You're still here?"

"You pushed me into your closet," Victor splayed his hands defending himself. He sighed as he dropped them to his sides. "Anyway, here, I got you these." He handed her a bag of scented candles, tablets, and bandages. "Candles should calm you down when you meditate. Take the tablets twice a day after your meals. If you ever need anything, contact me." She nodded. "So...about the blood oath...well, it's an old kind of magic that keeps us to our word. If we break it, our souls will face severe consequences."

"But we have blood oath back on earth, too, "Kate said, "usually the mafias and gangsters use it. But there is no magic to it."

"That's because only galras are capable of forming proper magical blood oaths. I told you, the galra race used to be gifted a long time ago. Even if we are no longer born with such gifts, it still runs in our blood."

Kate remained silent. "What's your oath to me?"

Victor watched her. "That I will keep you safe and alive until you die a natural death. Is that okay with you?"

She sighed. Might as well get it over with. She didn't have the strength to start another argument with him. "Fine." She removed her right glove.

She watched as Victor slashed his palm, then slashed hers, not too deep, but enough to draw out some blood. He then clasped both their bleeding palms together and chanted something in his ancient language. A violet light sparked from them and quickly faded. He healed her palm soon after that. "It's done."

Kate withdrew her hand and found strange symbols on it. Two identical ones.

"Those markings are for you to access my portal abilities," Victor said. "If I can't be there on time, and if you need to escape, press your thumb on one of the markings, think of your location, and a portal will appear. But you only have two shots, use them for emergencies."

She nodded and looked at him. "Thank you."

A knock on her door made both of them jump. "Keith, can I talk to you?" It was Lance.

"Get in the closet!" She harshly whispered to Victor.

"What?"

"Get in the closet!"

"No, I've already been there, I'm not goi-"

"JUST GET IN THE CLOSET ALREADY!" She hissed and pushed him in, hearing him huff in annoyance at her. She hid the bag in her bathroom before she opened her door, keeping her expression blunt. "It's late." She said coldly. "Why aren't you in bed?"

“Uh who were you- Never mind,” he cringed at her tone. "You know, the French would say, 'Je suis désolé.' In Spanish, 'Lo siento.' In Latin, 'Mea culpa.'"

Kate rolled her eyes and let him into her room. "Okay, you're apologizing. I get it."

"Look, about what happened, I know you're worried, but-"

"It's okay, Lance," She turned to him and forced a smile. "It doesn't matter. I decided to not care about anything and about what you'll do since we're a team."

Lance's face broke into a smile. "Really? Hey, that's the spirit!"

Then she said with a dark tone. "Because it'll all just lead to a disaster."

Lance cringed again. "That's not the spirit"

"What else do you expect me to say?" She splayed her hands, giving him a pointed look.

He frowned at her, saying nothing for some time.

"What?"

"Okay, I'm getting the feeling that this is more than me not calling."

She stared at him before scowling. Kate turned to her bed and sat atop it.

Because he was right and he saw through her. It was more than that.

"What– was it that bad?" She dropped her head into her hands, not answering him. "Did you think we were kidnapped? Fighting Roland face to face?" He paused. "Is this about Shiro?"

"No," she said sharply. "Worse. I just didn't like the idea of you being stuck in the healing pod again."

He stared at her. "What?"

She glared at him. "I've been having nightmares about it, you jerk."

He was silent.

She sighed. "I've lost people before, Lance." She finally said. "I don't want that happening again. I was hell worried."

He said nothing but sat next to her atop her bed.

She went on, "And for the fact that you were kissing geishas clearly shows that your...I shouldn't be worrying too much. I'm overreacting. And that's making me feel frustrated about you, and myself. I hate this feeling."

He still said nothing.

She was planning to leave it like that, get the hell out of this room and leave him. But as she got up, he grabbed her wrist and yanked her back down. She yelped when her back hit the wall behind her bed and he pinned her wrists above her head. How many times is he going to do this?

She stared at his dark blue eyes. What does he even want with her?

"Keith," He said guiltily. "Look, I'm sorry. I really am. Okay? I'm sorry. What I did was wrong. I violated your trust. I opened wounds, and I did not respect your wishes. And if we're not going to cooperate, then you deserve to know, I'm very, very sorry."

She stared at him for a long time, but there was no doubt about it. He really did mean it. "Fine...I forgive you. Now let go of me."

"Right, sorry."

She took a breath, before looking at him. "You know, Lance," she said smiling a little. "I think I—"

A loud bang came from the outside and they both flinched.

"What was that?" She demanded.

"Something set off my trap!" He scrambled off her bed and grabbed his bayard from his jacket, which miraculously changed into a tennis racket.

Her jaw dropped. "You set a trap?"

"I got you now, you super rat." He bolted out her door.

"What?" She followed him out of the bed and to the door.

"No one steals from me!"

They ran down the hallway to the kitchens. Lance flicked on the lights. There was someone behind the refrigerator door. Lance rushed forward, raising his bayard high. But before he could strike, the stranger backed away out of the door revealing… Pidge. Her face was covered in blue.

His arm stopped in midair. "Wha- Pidge?"

She gasped, embarrassed. She rushed past Lance stunned Kate without a word and left the kitchen.

Both Kate and him shared a confused look.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

—Castle, dining hall—

(Pidge's perspective)

"Shiro? Hunk?" Allura called when she noticed they were hardly eating their breakfast. "Is everything all right?"

"No,"

"Yes,"

They both chorused and shared a look. Allura blinked, not sure which was the accurate answer.

Hunk said, "Keith is hiding something from us."

Pidge froze when he said this. She tried to look uninterested. Before Shiro or Allura could say anything, Kate and Lance entered.

"—lips are sealed, Lance." Kate said firmly.

"No, seriously, what did Pidge tell you last night?"

" I promised I wouldn't say."

Good to know her friend was loyal to the core. After being confronted by the two of them in the kitchen, and seeing her with paint all over the smaller girl's face (which was Lance's doing), Kate went after her and asked why she did it. When she explained to her, the raven-haired swore she wouldn't tell anyone.

Lance ran his fingers through his hair. " There's nothing wrong with eating food…" he exclaimed, but paused. "In the middle of the night…" he paused again, frowning . "right?" Kate just crossed her arms, like 'you are so clueless about Pidge'. "At least tell me if it was bad."

Kate snorted and gave him a sly smile. "And put you out of your misery? No way."

"I'm done," Pidge said as she took her half-finished plate of goo with her, glaring at Lance from the corner of her eyes, and before she left, she turned to the raven-haired girl. "Keith, if you please." Then she left.

(Kate's perspective)

"Keith, if you please," Pidge told her and she immediately knew what she meant before she left.

"What?" Hunk questioned.

Kate turned to the tanned boy. "Pidge wanted me to tell you something. Though, it's a bit of a warning."

Lance wanted, eagerly waiting.

Kate opened her mouth and quoted the smaller girl's words:

"Roses are red

Violets are blue

Leave me be

Or I'll kill you"

They gaped at her, speechless.

"Just give her some space, Lance," she told him. "She's going through a lot."

Lance still looked stunned. "Are you sure that threat is not from you? Or—She threatened me to stay away from her...in a poem?"

Kate gave a sly smile. "The poem was my idea, actually. The rest she did. It can help at times."

Lance huffed. "I bet you have plenty about me."

Not really, cargo boy, she thought. "I actually have only one. In a form of a haiku, that is if you kno—"

"I know what it is!" He threw his arms up and quickly dropped it to his side.

She cleared her throat, closed her eyes, and said:

"This Hispanic male

Next to me is a doofus

But yet very sweet"

When she opened them, she found them all dumbstruck which made her laugh. Especially Lance, he was turning red which made her why he was since she didn't find the poem she made last night that flattering.

Hunk rubbed his eyes and whacked his head. "Okay, either I'm dreaming, or did I wake up in a world where Pidge is the one that hates Lance and Keith is making poems and being friendly with Lance when he actually strangled him last night."

Kate smirked. It was understandable why he would think like that, she was barely open to him in the first place. "you're in the real world, Hunk. " she told him.

She felt better. The scented candles helped her when she slept peacefully.

Guess she oughta thank Victor a lot for what he's done for her.

"And what happened to Pidge?"

Kate shrugged. "Well, lets just say that Lance caught his super rat in trap, last night."

Shiro's brow furrowed. "Wait, so Pidge is the super rat eating our food?"

"Yup,"

"Why?"

Kate shrugged again. "Ask her, I can't say anything."

"Yeah, she's still not taking my calls." Lance said finally, taking the phone off his ear.

"Well," Kate started, shaking her head, "can you blame her, Lance? You set a trap that put blue powder on her face. She's embarrassed."

"Maybe she'll appreciate whip cream if she steals-" he paused, "no, the point is, she lied to me. She looked me right in the eye and blamed the Borrowers."

"I'm sure she had a good reason. But you should apologize to her."

He raised his phone. "I'm tryin. She's no—"

"In person,"

"Oh,"

—later, outside the castle, Pidge, Hunk, and Shiro are flying around the planet with their lions. While Kate and Lance are somewhere else—

(Shiro's perspective)

"Pidge, you're really acting Keith-like," Hunk noted when his face appeared on his screen.

Pidge growled. "Coming from you, should I take this as an insult?"

Hunk flinched. "No,no no...it's—"

"If it's about the food," she snapped, "I don't want to talk about it."

What a way to start a morning, Shiro thought.

"The real question," Pidge scowled, "is how does a tall, purple, noticeable alien get around the city unseen?"

"I've thought about that," Hunk replied, "we could follow his big fat footprints."

"What?"

A picture of big footprints appeared on Shiro's screen along with a tunnel which the footprints came from. "According to Slaughter, "Hunk said, "this tunnel was closed for years, so our galra has been using them to get around."

Pidge was silent for a few heartbeats. "That is—"

"Inspired?"

"No,"

"Brilliant?"

"Mm-mm,"

"Genius?"

"Nuh-uh,"

"What?"

"Thin! Hunk, that's ridiculous, those giant clown feet tracks—"

"Galra," Hunk corrected.

"— are not made by our galra because that tunnel has giant reptiles living in. Roland could have been eaten."

Shiro glided his lion past the city's skyscrapers. "You guys," Shiro finally said after listening to all of that, "you two do realize that you're arguing just like how Lance and Keith would argue, right?"

Both Pidge and Hunk were silent, their expressions turning sour.

"Shiro has a point," Pidge sighed. "When they argue, it's like watching a cute dramatic couple fight...we should stop."

"Agreed," Hunk sighed. "Though I wonder what happened? Keith was furious with Lance last night. Now they act like nothing happened."

Shiro silently agreed. They probably made up. But the part of Keith making those poems was shocking. He didn't think he had that side of him.

After being stuck in space for so long, he had completely forgotten that Keith suffered from a childhood trauma. Keith didn't tell him, the nurse in the garrison did after observing him. Which was why Shiro wasn't too hard on Keith. He tried to do his best to keep him at ease and make him comfortable. The mind of a child who's traumatized is fragile, the nurse told him, that trauma could lead to depression, and if things got worse, then it would lead to suicide. Shiro did his best to avoid that.

Do you really know him?

Sendak's voice echoed in his mind again. The Galra's voice had been haunting him ever since the day he set his pod loose in space. But as much as he hated to admit, he had a point.

There seemed to have been secrets that Keith had been trying to hide that led to his trauma. He didn't want Shiro to know how the trauma started, but he may have started having a hint about it.

And it had to do with hospitals.

Do you really know

—

"Stop it, Stop it, Stop it!" Sendak's voice was getting to him.

"Uhh," Pidge's face appeared on his screen, " Shiro, who are you yelling at?"

He looked up, realizing his hands covered his ears. "No one," he said, trying to sound fine. "A-a crazy thought entered my head. I was… just trying to shake it off."

"So you're taking it out on your lion?"

Slaughter appeared on his screen. "Alright, paladins," he said in his usual gruff wolf voice, "I managed to pull some strings to get you guys invited to a party that's happening tonight."

Shiro blinked. "Uh, why?"

"Roland is hosting it,"

Hunk's eye snapped. "Wait, our galra is hosting a party in a planet that isn't his?" He questioned.

"It's a trap, yellow paladin," Slaughter said with disgust, "he made an anonymous identity, and the guests attending his party are important executives and representatives. If he gets his hands on them —"

"Okay, Okay, i see the picture now,"

"Good. Now, remember, no one knows about the galra, so don't let anything come to light, yet. Carrying your weapons, and get dressed."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

—somewhere in the forests of Valcuz—

The opportunity was perfect for him.

It was 5 birds with one stone. Perhaps 4, since his master wanted 'her' alive.

The wind blew through him and swept his bloody cloak as his silhouette blended with the night sky. His eyes were glinting with delight under his dark mask. He would hear the screams of helpless souls once again.

The mansion before was grand and divine, the Valcuz architecture was quite astonishing to look at, but it would soon lose its grace once he was done with his work.

Zarkon's assassin gave a wicked smile.

Oh, he couldn't wait to see 'her' again.

And strap her to the druids' table once again to make her scream in anguish before handing 'her' to his master…

—Castle Bridge—

“Okay, so we all agree that Allura will be left at the castle so that we have someone looking over it, Hunk will b in the yellow lion flying over the mansion to be on the lookout.”
Shiro hesitated then continued,
“While Coran, Pidge, Lance, me, and Keith will be in the mansion wearing disguises.” Shiro said as Pidge looked at Kate with a smirk.

Oh no, what was she planning now?

“Wait, does that mean we can also have different names?” Lance asks, smiling as he looks at Shiro.

“Sure, I guess it could help, since
we have to blend in with the crowd
.” Shiro replies.

Kate then looks at them skeptically. “Doesn’t that mean we have to change our names to a Valcuz name? And we would also need a pass for the party for them to even let us in. We also need to know who will be riding in the yellow lion. Because not everyone can fit in the cockpit. ”

Coran hummed. "Good point Keith, it would be suspicious and it would be a good idea to be in a separate pod just in case."

Slaughter nodded. "I’ve already got us our tickets in, we will all have to show these before we can get in. We can't cause a commotion. If we play our cards right we'll pick up some information along the way." He then
cleared his throat. “We’ll need to bring two females with us, due to some sort of rule. So that means one of us is goin-”

Pidge gasps and then starts to smirk at Kate.

Kate's eyes widened. “No, I can’t, Pidge.”

Pidge then whirled to face Kate. “ ‘We’ll need to bring two females with us, due to some sort of rule.’ ”

Lance rolled his eyes. "It's a dress, mullet. How bad could that be?

Kate turned to him, unamused. “Then you do it!”

Lance
frowned, “Hey I have played dress up with my sisters all the time! But-”

Slaughter interrupted with his gruff voice, “We need someone who fits the part.”

Kate huffed in annoyance, but she accepted defeat. "Fine," She said lowly, folding her arms. "But only if the dress isn’t to revealing.”

Pidge put her arms up and cheered, “Yes! Allura could you show us where the dresses are?” Already dragging Kate out of the door.

Allura chuckled before excusing herself to join Pidge and Kate.

(In Allura’s bedroom)

Allura pulled them to an adjoining room and pushed each into the separate showers. And wow, was this even a shower? This bathroom was amazing, this was more than four times her room. She guessed that were the perks of being a princess.

”So get yourselves cleaned up, I already placed the needed shampoos on the shelf, please use all of them in the right order.” She showed Pidge and Kate how to use and when to use each bottle and then left them there. With so much stuff, the shower alone would take an hour to finish. Just what had she gotten herself into? She took her clothes off, careful not to remove the bandages around her body and necklace. After she was done, luckily it took ’only‘ half an hour, she left the bathroom with only a bathrobe. Somehow her clothes had gone missing, and she was trying to cover her scars and chest the best she could. She hoped nobody had sneaked in while she had been showering. When she entered the other room, it looked like a bomb had exploded. Clothes and dresses were lying everywhere.

”Allura? What the heck happened here?”

”Oh Keith, you‘re done. Excellent. I‘ve been looking for the perfect outfit for you and I think I found something. But that comes later. First, we gonna do your hair and make-up.”

Keith just sighed, letting Allura do her thing, ”Fine.”

She led him to a table with a mirror, filled with all types of make-up, brushes, and other stuff.

”All right! Let us begin!”

”Something tells me, you have been waiting for something like this to happen.”

”Well yeah, kinda, after all, it's been ten thousand years, and Pidge and I are the only girls on board. And Pidge is not really someone to do a make-up session with.”

Allura was looking kind of sad while saying this, and she understood what it was like to have nobody to do fun stuff with.

”Well, I guess then you have to use this opportunity to the fullest.” She was smiling at her and soon she was smiling back at her.

”Thank you, Keith.”

”No problem, Allura. I guess we just have to add one more activity to our bonding sessions. This way the others will have to participate as well and you‘ll have a whole group to do this with.”

”Oh, yess! We have to do this!”

Allura started doing Kate‘s hair. After showering with more than five products for his hair, she added more to it now. After it was dry, it really shone and became soft.

”Keith you have to do this more often. Your hair is just so soft!”

”Ehh, thanks, I guess?” She then continued to add some extensions to her hair making it longer. Letting it end just a little under her shoulder blades and close to her waist, then curled the strands, giving it a natural wavy look.

The next step was the make-up. Allura was going to go all out on her task to make Kate as pretty as possible. However, it seemed that this was going to be easy.

”Your lashes are really long, I don‘t even think we need enhancer. You‘re lucky. Sometimes that can get really annoying.”

At some point, Pidge must have come in, to Kate and Allura bickering about which lipstick color would fit the best. In the end, they used one in the middle - a little darker shade of red.

Kate just grumbled, ”I look ridiculous.”

”That‘s not true, you look amazing!” Allura said from the side while pulling lightly on his hair.

”Pidge don‘t you dare laugh.” Kate glared at her through the mirror.

Before Pidge could even think about laughing, she first had to get her mouth closed again.

”Sorry Ka-

Keith

, but I think Allura is absolutely right. You do look amazing. How can makeup and long hair fit you so well?! I almost didn’t recognize you!”

”Nope, no you don‘t. And I don‘t either.” Kate sighed.

“Oh just go put on the dress! Then you’ll finally agree!” Allura insisted, pushing the folded dress to Kate’s chest and pushing her back into the bathroom for her to change.

Pidge sighed, “When will sh- uh he realize that he’s pretty and likable?”

Allura beamed, “I don’t know Pidge. But heres you’re dress!” Handing Pidge a white tank-topped dress with daisies and sunflowers on the skirt. The skirt had beautiful folds, and the white color faded into a nice shade of green at the bottom.

Pidge sighed again, “Let’s just get this over with shall we?”

(A little later)

Kate finally enters the room to find Allura now bickering with Pidge on her eyeshadow color. Allura had given Pidge some extensions to her hair as well. She had pulled up some strands and fastened them on Pidge’s head in a ponytail. “You know, this dress is surprisingly comfortable.” Pidge said as she touched the fabric of the skirt.

Allura hummed, “I’m glad you like it.”

Having noticed that Kate was there, they both turned to her “Oh Keith you’re- woah”

“Allura, isn‘t this dress a little over the top?” Kate was pulling the skirt fabrics together and trying to hide her chest simultaneously, ”And much too short?” It was a black and red dress with open sides. Because the only thing it covered was her chest, stomach, and parts of her hips and shoulders. The top was also quite tight, it had a lot of padding to curve out her chest. Kate had a feeling she had to hold both together for it not to show further up her body.

Allura, finally having found her words back was shaking her head.

”Nope, you look stunning in this dress. How is it, that it fits you so much better than me?! Urgh doesn‘t matter now. Let‘s do the final touch ups for you.” Allura was pulling her from the bathroom back into the middle of her room.

Kate kept her hands fisted on the seams while being shoved.

“Is it as least covering my ass? I have the feeling it‘s not.”

“No no, everything’s fine with your behind girlfr- Keith.” Kate glared over her shoulder where a little gremlin was grinning at her.

Allura started lightly pulling at some crinkles and strings, while Kate had to constantly check that everything was still in place and then finished fixing her hair again.

”You’re as good as done. Now just the shoes are missing. And here are some accessories. The separate earring is some kind of communicator with a tracking device, so don’t lose it. You will be able to hear our conversations and we are yours, but others around you cannot. You can also turn it off just by removing the earring.” She handed her red high heels, earrings, and a grey choker with a ruby. The red stone hung down from the silky strings to the hollow of her throat.

”Thanks.” Kate said as she grabbed them from Allura to put on her body.

Allura smiled, “No worries, now for you Pidge, I found these. Here are your shoes, and accessories. Just like the earring I gave Keith, it will allow you to hear our conversations and we are yours, but allows you to turn it off by removing the earring.” The ankle-strapped heels, earrings, and necklace were vibrant greens that complimented the dress.

”So, I guess we’re done then.” Allura called, clasping her hands together waiting for the final result.

”Let‘s get the party started then!” Pidge was cheering next to them throwing her fist in the air. Making Kate and Allura smile at her antics.

Allura and Pidge looked dumbfounded when Kate put on the high heels and just strolled towards the hangar without a problem.

”How are you walking so naturally in these monstrosities?” Pidge was trying to run after her after she had composed herself again.

Kate chuckled, ”I had some practice.”

Pidge stared at her and yelled out. ”When?!”

Kate just shrugged, ”Before you knew me.” She held a hand towards Pidge‘s face, ”And before you ask any more, there is still a lot you don‘t know about me. And no, I won‘t tell. At least not yet.”

They kept on walking until they arrived in the hangar. Hunk was already waiting there for them. Like the others before, flies were invited to make a new living in his mouth.

”KEITH!?! PIDGE!?! Is that you?!” Hunk was flat-out staring at her now. Moving his gaze from her top to bottom and up again.

She sighed, ”Yeah Hunk it‘s me.” Self-consciously Kate pulled the dress further together, it really was much too short for her liking. At least Hunk wasn‘t laughing, yet.

Pidge giggled as she finally caught up to Kate, “Thanks Hunk!”

”Ready to go?” She unamused asked the bigger Paladin.

”Ye-ye-yeah, sure. I have to say Allura, you really did a good job here.” Hunk replied still astonished by her current appearance.

”Thanks, but Keith already got the looks to begin with.”

“Come on lets go Pidge.”

Kate turned and walked towards the yellow lion; no way she’d show them how red she was now.

-Meanwhile, in front of the mansion-

(Shiro, Lance, and Hunk were all clothed in tuxedoes with some accents of their lion‘s color. Naturally not too much. It would be quite a picture if five weird, but similar-looking aliens would appear dressed in the colors of the universe's greatest weapon. While they all had black coats, they had different-looking vests, shirts, or ties on. Then there was also
Slaughter and Coran. But were wearing similar yet different-looking
tuxedoes, with hints and changes that showed how they were based on the planets’ culture. During Keith’s and Pidges’ dress-up, they had finished changing and were ready to depart. The four of them[Hunk was with Yellow in the lions’ hanger] filed into an Altean pod that brought them to the planet’s surface.)

“Urgh, where is Pidge and that dumb mullet? He should have been already here! I bet he just got cold feet and now the others have to drag him out of his room.”
Lance ranted, throwing his hands in the air.

Slaughter shrugged, "Well Blue Paladin, for someone who cares about their teammates I would think you’d be more patient with the Red Paladin. Especially since they are a bit tempermental. Or is there another reason your angry?”

“He’s right Lance, calm down. We still have the whole night. Keith will come soon. Give him some slack, after all, it isn’t you who has to play bait dressed as a girl.” Shiro explained trying to ignore Slaughter’s question.

Lance huffed, as he saw Hunk and smirked, “Hey Hunk! Wheres Pidge and Keith?”

“-on’t worry it will be fine. Huh? Oh! Hey Lance!” Hunk exclaimed as he waved back. “------!----.” “What? No, he won’t.” “Sorry, Hunk!” “What? Wait! Okay Fine.” Hunk sighed when he was pushed through the door frame, and was now walking up to Lance, Shiro, Coran, and Slaughter who were waiting a few feet away from a tree near the mansion's entrance.

“Ah! Number 3! Where are Number 4 and Number 5? Did they come in a separate pod? You look quite frustrated!” Coran questioned as he twirled his mustache looking Hunk up and down.

“Well um Coran and also Shiro, Lance, and Slaughter, Keith and Pidge mainly Keith wanted you guys to promise not to laugh when you see them.” Hunk explained while fiddling with his hands.

As Slaughter gruffed, Shiro responded for them “Of course we won’t Hunk, right Lance?” Turning to face him.

“Fine.” Lance huffed as he crossed his arms.

“Okay, hey guys you can come out now they promised.” “Thanks Hunk.” “No problem,” Hunk hummed as he talked into his communicator to Pidge and Keith. Then glanced back at Lance, “I don’t know Lance, I’m sure you won’t be laughing at them, but are you sure you won’t be flirting with Keith the whole mission?”

“What? Hunk, buddy, I assure you that–” Lance forgot how to finish his sentence when their missing team members entered. All of them, well maybe except Coran and Slaughter- but they also looked stunned-, were staring with wide eyes and open mouths at the newcomers or more like the bait for the evening. They couldn‘t believe their eyes. Both Pidge and Keith looked stunning. The dress sat perfectly, accentuating their curves just right as well as showing off their small waists. Pidge’s dress made her look gentle and petite. While Keith’s dress looked a bit too tight on his chest(Also why does it look more feminine and round than it's supposed to?)Plus, Keith’s skirt was a lot more revealing than Pidge’s long, silk, puffy skirt.

”Wow, Keith, Pidge, you two look just- wow.” Shiro was the first to be free from his stupor.

Coran being the second beamed at them, “The Princess did a wonderful job! You both look splendid Number 4 and 5!”

“Huh, you don’t look to bad Red paladin. Same goes for you Green,” Slaughter remarked.

”Thank, guys. I really hope I did not look too ridiculous. The worst thing would be to appear there in an absolutely embarrassing get-up.” That really was the lasting she wanted.

”Oh shut up Keith. We look awesome.” Pidge was still standing next to him, hitting him on the shoulder. With a mean smirk, Pidge looked to the only paladin who had yet to say anything about Keith‘s looks. ”So, Lance, what do you say about Keith‘s look.”

Lance ripped his eyes away from Keith‘s figure and looked away, hiding his tomato face from the others. ”Ye-yeah, you both really look beautiful in that dress. Eh I mean, absolutely handsome.”

”I was just as baffled as you when I first saw him in that get-up.” Hunk said, trying to console his friend a little but failing. Lance was a bit annoyed with how Pidge had teased him.

—later, Party(Hunk was back in yellow on the lookout from above)—

They had somehow got into the mansion unnoticed and had separated into different rooms of the mansion (which was hell big) and looked around.

Everything looked fine, nothing out of the ordinary...maybe except that she felt sick again.

But it wasn't the emotions from the crowd or the space this time,

Nor the dress

it was something only her nose would pick since her smelling senses were always strong like an animal.

It was the alcohol. Or something similar to it at least. That damn thing always dulled her senses, it made her light-headed and less focused. And right now was not the time for it. What's worse was that every single had that drink survey to them.

"Find anything?" Kate jumped at the sudden voice. Slaughter stood there wearing his exquisite white suit.

"Nothing," she replied. "What were you doing this whole time?"

Slaughter gave an easy smile. "Mustering up a few lovely ladies for questioning."

Kate rolled her eyes. If the smell of the alcohol wasn't so strong to make her lightheaded, she would have stopped him and whacked his brains out for being sidetracked by bimbos. She didn't expect him to be a flirt.

But she couldn't, or feel like doing it. It was worse than she thought. The alcohol messed up her Empath powers. Nevertheless, she could still get a shred of accurate emotion from him, or anyone else.

She stalked off to some library and found Pidge at the corner, looking alert. She approached her."Hey, Pidge," she started, "how does it look?"

Pidge gave her an unamused look. "Like you waited too long."

The raven-haired girl blushed. She didn't mean about her confession to Shiro, which she kept delaying again and again...and again. "I mean about you and Lance!" She hissed.

Pidge rolled her eyes. "Like how it was the whole morning. Making poems really helped, by the way. I made a couple more of how much I wanted to strangle, Lance."

Kate forced a smile. Clearly, she was not okay.

Someone tapped her shoulder, and she found her face close to Shiro. "Wah!" She backed away like a crab. "Shiro!" She blushed. "What are you doing here?"

Shiro rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry, can we talk somewhere in private?"

Kate blinked.

—Lance's perspective—

No time for ladies (bimbos, Keith would call), no time to try to be the life of the party (though he wanted to be) and no time to be distracted. He was going to find Pidge and apologize.

He found her at the mansion library, blending in with the crowd. When she saw he coming, her face turned livid which made the tanned boy wonder if he was capable of walking out of this place alive.

"Pidge," he began, " look about last night—"

"Do you realize how embarrassed I was?" She demanded in a hushed, biting voice.

Lance winced. He's seriously wondering if he was gonna be alive."I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you. But why did you lie to me? And why are you stealing food from the fridge...in the middle of the night?"

She glared at him for a couple of heartbeats and sighed. "I did it because...I miss my family."

He blinked. He must have heard wrong since the music was so loud. "You stoke food because you miss your family?"

"I left earth without saying goodbye to my mom," she explained, "And it feels like forever since I last saw my brother and dad. I've been thinking about them a lot lately...I wasn't able to sleep well, and when I don't sleep, I get hungry."

So this is what it all was..."Pidge...we're right here for you. You could talk about us about it." He held her hand. " We'll find them, Pidge. I promise."

She smiled at him and he smiled back. Okay, so he wasn't going to die after all.

—(Pidge's perspective)—

She told Lance she wanted to use the restroom before she ran off in a random direction. Taking turns and going through doors.

But she got lost. The corridors were just too big and confusing, everything looked like a mirror.

"Where is the bathroom?" Pidge said aloud, but her voice echoed which didn't help because it showed no one was around here to guide her. Even though there was no music around here.

She frowned at the ivory door near her. When she opened the door, something big fell out and she yelped in surprise. When she took a closer look at it, she realized in horror what it was...

—meanwhile—

"Shiro, where are we going?" They were moving further and further away from the rest of the team. Moving to unfamiliar rooms and corridors.

Shiro turned to her. "Just somewhere in the gardens. It's much quieter there, and I thought it was a good chance for us to spend some time together when we're talking about something." Kate flushed but looked away.

This clearly is…

"Keith?" She turned stiff when she felt his hand on her forehead. "You okay? Your face's red. Are you sick?"

Kate backed away immediately. Damn it, her head felt light because of the smell of the alcohol! "I'm fine. I'm not sick." She smiled weakly. "Let's go."

Little did she know what awaited her...

—Back with Pidge(Pidge's perspective)—

"Shiro!?" Pidge shook him vigorously. His hands and legs were tied when she found him. She managed to get it off, but he was still unconscious. "Shiro wake up!"

His eyes fluttered open after a few heartbeats and when he saw her face, his eyes snapped open and his big grabbed her shoulders. "Where is he?"

"Where is who?" She asked.

"Roland! He attacked me and locked me in here. Did he attack anyone yet?"

Pidge blinked, starting to sweat when she remembered something. "No," she said. "The party is still normal but...uh…"

"Pidge, what's wrong?"

She pointed at him. "If you were here this whole time, then who was the guy that took Keith somewhere?"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

—In the dining hall of the mansion(Lance's perspective)—

"Shiro kidnapped Keith?" Lance questioned when Pidge called him.

She heard the smaller girl growl. "No,' she exclaimed, her voice buzzing through the line. "Roland transformed into Shiro and took Keith somewhere."

"That's what I just said!" He turned to the next corridor.

"Look, find Keith, and if you find Shiro with him, whack his brains out since the original is with me."

"What about Hunk?" He opened a random door and found a broom closet.

"He's scanning the area with his lion from above,"

"Coran?"

"Slaughter and him are trying to keep things stable. Not raise any suspicion among the executives. But we have to hurry, they can't stall them for long."

Lance rushed up the grand stairs. "So Roland's ability is transformation?"

"Possibly, but we don't know for sure. Call me if you find anything."

"Got it," He cut the line.

Lance looked around at the balcony before him. Nothing. Where would that mullet be?

—In the meantime with Pidge(Pidge's perspective)—

Her leader and her kept running all over the place. But no luck. God, this place was a maze!

They opened another random door (which was probably their 35th) and there was no Kate.

Shiro growled, frustrated. "Come on, Pidge," he said, trying to sound calm. "Next room."

"Wait, Shiro," She said, "this is a surveillance room."

Indeed it was. The screen projected different rooms in the mansion. Pidge rushed to it and started to do her thing. "If we do it right, we'll be able to find Keith much faster... There!" She pointed with her finger. She enlarged the picture and Keith was still alive, unharmed. Thank god. Then her eyes snapped at the man she was with, another Shiro, or more specifically, Roland, transformed as him.

Roland was with Keith in a garden somewhere with a grand big tree at the center. There was some distance between them which Pidge was thankful for. Roland hadn't done anything to her…

Yet...

"-I've come to realise something, Keith." Roland said in Shiro's voice as he turned to her. The raven-haired looked confused.

Shiro gasped. "We have to get Keith out of there!"

"I've ...fallen for you,"

…

Those words stopped everything. Pidge and Shiro stood there stiff, shocked by what Roland said.

Kate was startled by this. "What?" Her eyes widened. " You...Shiro, are you drunk?"

Pidge stared at the screen incredulously. Seriously, girl? She thought that's your first reaction?

"No," he started to walk towards her. "I'm being honest with you."

Kate, on the other hand, went backward, getting away as he kept going to her. She still faced him as she was doing this. "I'm serious, Shiro, are you drunk? I saw you drink that time but I thought it wouldn't affect you that—" her back hit the trunk of a thick tree. "-much…" she whispered, panicking that her backspace was lost. She couldn't escape.

"Do you...still feel the same about me? I've known you had a crush on me back in the garrison." He reached out and held her hand.

She blushed, her shoulders tensing. "You've...known?"

Pidge sighed and what she was seeing. This could have been a marvelous romantic scene she would have enjoyed watching...that is IF THAT GUY WAS THE REAL SHIRO TO BEGIN WITH! She internally screamed to herself.

Shiro banged his galra hand on the machine. "No! Keith, that's not me!" She saw him clench his jaw, something she had never seen him do before. "Pidge," he turned his to her, "isn't there some kind of communication —"

"Of course I did," Roland said to Kate, stopping Shiro's sentence. "Your actions, your behavior, it was obvious. I didn't tell you this before I thought things might have gotten awkward between us and...I was with Adam during that time." His eyes softened. "But after I got myself captured, I realized too late that I have feelings for you, and I regret not telling you this before."

She was silent, staring intently into Roland's eyes. "Why now?" She breathed

He held her hand tighter. God, his voice, his looks, the way he smiled, it was exactly like Shiro's! No wonder Kate believed it was him. "Because I'm afraid I'll lose you," He said. "And I didnt want to tell you after the war because... By then... You'll find someone else. Who knows how long we have to battle the galra and Zarkon... And I just can't stand the idea of you being with another guy, like Prince Choal."

Her eyes widened. "...Shiro."

Uh oh, Roland really knew how to use his words. Pidge didn't know how the galra knew about Kate's and Shiro's past relationship, but it was clear he was using it to his advantage, especially the entire crush/love thing! "Not good, not good, Shiro, what are-" she stopped herself when she noticed a strange look in his eyes. "Shiro?"

"Keith," Shiro breathed, not listening to Pidge, "please… you should know that's not…"

Roland reached out his other hand and caressed the raven-haired girl's delicate pale cheek (which made Pidge gasp, that galra flirt has some nerve doing that!) "I... I love you, Keith... More than anything." Roland continued to say in Shiro's voice. His head dipped down, leaning his face to Kate's.

"I can't look!" Pidge screamed, covering her eyes.

"No!"

Despite screaming, she peeked through her fingers and found that just inches away from being kissed, Kate attacked him, swiping for his gut with her ruby-decorated blade, but Roland dodged it on time.

"You're not Shiro" Kate growled baring her sharpened canines.

"Close…" Roland smiled and transformed back to his original state. His galra form wasn't that bad, Pidge couldn't deny, he was ruggedly handsome, and even his eyes weren't entirely yellow. "I was so close to claiming you."

"Cute trick, Roland," Kate pulled her bayard out of her suit, "but you underestimated me. I am not some daydreaming bimbo stupid enough to fall for your charms. But I can see why women have such a crave for you." She spat on the ground with disgust. "Pulling their heartstrings, and isolating them from the rest of the group. I bet that's how you abducted Sienna."

"Oh? What gave me away?" He said with a smile.

Kate smiled back. "Everything, actually. I couldn't sniff you out sooner since the smell of the alcohol dulled my senses. So I had to keep you talking. For starters, Shiro is a leader. And he knows he has to be alert and not be distracted no matter what the circumstances were. Even if he did want to speak personal things to me during missions, isolating ourselves from the rest of the team isn't something he would do. 'I love you more than anything?'" She chuckled, "Please that's not him talking at all."

"But isn't that what you wanted to hear?" Roland pulled his dagger out from his suit. "You desired him for such a long time."

Kate stayed silent. "Yes, I wanted him," she replied, breaking the silence. "But you misread me. I wanted him to stay alive. I wanted him to live a blissful life, not by my side, but with his fiancé. I never stood a chance from the start."

The galra frowned. "This is how you'll go on living? Accepting the fact that you'll be viewed nothing more than a brother to him. And you would still protect him with all your life?"

"Yes," she replied without hesitation, raising her bayard in his direction. "I love that man more than I ever did with my life. I'm grateful, and I owe him so many things for what he's done for me... I felt I could never pay him back. So if there's anything I can do for him, it's to keep him alive so he could be back with his lover. He deserves that than die in this war."

Roland snorted. "There's nothing rewarding doing something like that."

"I'm not looking for rewards," she scowled, "but I am going to make you regret. Someone like you..." She started shaking her head. "A conceited jackass like you, had some nerve to confront me with his face."

Pidge hadn't realized how silent Shiro was next to her, watching the entire confession unfold before him.

"... Keith…" Shiro said to himself in whispers, " I thought it was a crush... You were... Actually in love with me?"

"She finally said it," Pidge murmured with disbelief. She looked at Shiro, biting her lip. She wanted to tell you this for so long, the smaller girl wanted to say, but the words wouldn't come out.

—meanwhile(Lance's perspective)—

"Any luck, Hunk?" Lance said over his phone.

"Nope,"

Lance rushed down the stairs. This was his third time searching the entire floor. He just wished the mullet wouldn't keep disappearing like that.

Right when he reached the ground floor, something fast zipped past his head. A dagger had embedded itself into the wall, creating spider cracks on it. He looked in the direction where the dagger was hurled and found himself facing a galra wearing a dark mask and a bloody cloak.

"I suppose I shall start with you," the galra said in an icy voice that sent chills down his entire body. "Prepare yourself, Lance McClain."

How the hell does he know my name? He thought in horror.

"Uhh, Hunk," the tanned boy said weakly over the phone, "I think I found Roland. And he does not look happy…"

A Valcuz woman came by and froze when she saw what was happening. She screamed.

—meanwhile—

Kate ducked her head, avoiding him and slicing her throat while she gave a round kick that sent him flying. Roland was quick, though. He rolled and had his feet planted back on the ground after his back hit the deck.

"Just give us Sienna and I won't hurt you!" Kate yelled.

Roland chuckled with that insufferable smirk on his face. "Somehow I don't believe you."

And he was damn right about it. She was planning to punch out his teeth to make him look less attractive so that the ladies wouldn't fall for his charms again. And break his ribs for trying to kiss her.

With Shiro's face!

"I seemed to have got what I wanted," Roland mused looking at the small streak of her blood on his blade. She hadn't realized he cut her on the shoulder. Roland took the bit the blood with his thumb and licked it.

Kate's body immediately froze. Paralyzed. She couldn't move a muscle as she stood in her place. The hell?

"This is my other ability," Roland told her, now walking towards her body," If I drink a bit of blood of someone, I can control them. How unfortunate it had to end this way, wouldn't you agree?" Kate just growled at him as he stood close to her. He raised his dagger to her face but frowned when he looked at her neck. He reached his hand out, and his fingers pulled out two things. Her heart pendant and her new amethyst crystal Victor gifted to her. Roland stared at them, his mouth left ajar. "Where did you find these?" Roland demanded, looking back into her eyes.

A static kind of sound was heard near his ear, and the galra placed his hand on the transmitter. "What?" He sounded annoyed. "...Zarkon's Assassin is here?" His eyes went wide. "Cain is here?"

Kate was stunned. Cain was here.

Victor's target was here. Oh, that was so not good.

Victor warned her to run if she ever met the guy. Never engage in battle with the Assassin, he warned her.

Roland swore in his galra language and suddenly fled from her. The raven-haired girl suddenly collapsed on the floor when she couldn't hear his footsteps anymore. Yes, she could finally move again.

"Keith!"

Kate turned her head to Pidge's voice that echoed. If she called her by her male name, it meant she wasn't alone. Someone who didn't know her secret was here. The smaller girl helped her sit upright. "Where's Roland?"

"Fled somewhere, I don't know where he—oof!" Kate blinked and blinked again when she felt a pair of muscular arms embrace her tight. Kate blushed scarlet red. "S-shiro? Are you okay?" Her Empath power still wasn't working since her focus wasn't entirely fixed yet.

"I'm just glad you're fine," she heard him say as he hugged her tighter.

"Okay?" Kate definitely would have kicked Pidge to stop her that smug.

—later—

When they came back to the main room, everything was a mess.

The tables were turned, chairs were broken, furniture was on fire, yada, yada.

"Where have you been this whole time?" Lance demanded approaching her, his suit torn and bloody.

Kate winced at the sight of all this. "I was fighting. What happened here?"

"A galra with a dark mask and bloody cloak attacked me, then everyone else. I bet he was Roland."

He was wrong, actually. That was Cain. Victor described him to her so many times and warned her to watch out for him,. Honestly, at times Victor reminded her of her overprotective cousin.

"But I got some good news," Lance went on, "The Blade of Marmora are definitely on our side. A galra with portal abilities saved my life." Kate flinched hearing this, "And Roland was like, 'You! Leave my work alone and let me dispatch the paladins!' Then they fought like crazy fast ninjas, then Roland fled the scene and so did the other guy."

A blade with portal abilities? Victor? Did Victor save Lance?

"What happened to the executives?" Shiro asked, she completely forgot Shiro was behind her with Pidge.

"Hunk took them all to safety with his lion,"

Shiro nodded. "Alright, let's head back to the castle. We need to tell Slaughter that we're done here."

—later, castle bridge—

"Yeah, I'm cool with it," Slaughter said casually. And they all gaped at him for some time.

"Wait a minute," Hunk pinched the bridge of his nose. "For the past 2 days, you were all like 'help me save my planet' and 'I don't want to cause jeopardy'. Now that Roland attacked openly in that party and many executives saw him, you're completely fine with us leaving the case and Sienna?"

Slaughter chuckled. "Well, believe it or not," he said in his gruff voice, "it was all a set up." They stared at him, too stunned to speak. "It was all a test to see if you were worthy allies. And you passed. The people of Valcuz would help you against your fight with zarkon."

Pidge frowned. "What?"

Slaughter sighed, getting to the point, "There is no woman kidnapped, no 'ninjas' as they were just friends of mine dressed black, and no galra." He paused. "Well, maybe not 'that galra' that attacked the blue paladin. That was not part of the plan."

"The tea club filled with hostesses, the picture of Sienna?" Lance asked.

"They were all acting, and Sienna isn't real, that picture was a random model,"

"Roland being a courtesan?"

"I lied,"

Lance stepped in. "So there's no Roland?"

"Oh, I am very real and alive," Kate recognized that voice and went stiff when she saw Roland sauntering to them from the entrance of the castle bridge. "Thank you for asking."

Kate's jaw dropped while Allura's eyes snapped at the galra. "What is a galra soldier doing on my ship?!" She demanded, harshly.

Slaughter shrugged. "Don't worry, Princess, he's not one of Zarkon's men. He's one of the members of the Blade of Marmora."

Kate gaped at Roland. "The blade-how do you two know each other?" she demanded.

"I'm his brother-in-law," Roland replied to her, giving her a smile that made her want to be as far as she could get from him, "Slaughter is married to my older sister."

Wow, she did not expect that.

"Everything was a set up?" Shiro demanded, "everything?"

Slaughter rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, Cain's attack was not something we expected, honestly speaking."

"Cain?"

"He's one of Zarkon's notorious Assassins," Roland replied, seriously. "The galra that attacked the blue paladin wasn't me, it was Cain. My advice to you is that you should be careful and be cautious." He turned to Kate. "Especially you," he told her, "I don't know why, but I was told Cain wanted you for some reason."

Oh, who wouldn't? Kate thought. Reality just simply loved to torture her. Did Victor know about this?

"And why should we trust you?" Allura said coldly. "You could be lying for all I kn—"

"He's not," Kate said abruptly, receiving stares from her friends. "Empath, remember?" She could sense lies. Allura scowled but said nothing. Boy, was the princess sure gonna hate her once she finds out what she is.

"Also," Roland added, "Cain is an ability user. And since Zarkon is tracking you down somehow, you need to leave soon."

Lance sighed in dismay. "Great, any more happy news?"

"Yes, you've convinced me that you are worthy to form allies with."

They blinked. "Were we not so convincing before?" Coran asked, stroking his mustache.

"It's not that." Roland sighed. "We made a mistake making that tyrant the paladin of the black lion. Because that made him power hungry for quintessence which made him conquer countless planets. Even now he has control over the lion to some extent, making it difficult for us to take him down. If we managed to overthrow him, would it be for the better? One of the paladins could be even worse than him, which is why the Blade of Marmora protected the remaining lions location if we ever came across it."

Roland chuckled, and went on, "I'm fine working with you, but my leader may have different thoughts. Ulaz's actions to free you," He looked at Shiro's eyes, "was not done under authority. He did it out of his will, believing you were the best paladins the universe could ever offer. And I hope he was right."

Ulaz...

Because you are her child. I'm sure you inherited her talents, Ulaz's words echoed in her mind.

He sacrificed so much. No way she was going to let all of that go in vain.

Roland started to walk back with Slaughter to the exit. "We have to go now. Zarkon would find your location soon."

"Let's move out!" Shiro commanded.

While no one was looking, Kate went after Roland.

—corridors(okay, ending song Happy ending Avril Lavinge from orphan_account’s suggestion or Cupid by Jack Stauber)—

"Roland, wait," Kate called after him. Roland halted while Slaughter continued to move on.

"My, my, miss me already?" He teased.

The raven-haired girl huffed. "In your dreams, pretty boy. In your dreams." She sighed, getting to the point of why she came after him, "Look when you pretended to be Shiro...what part of the story was the truth?"

His transformation powers might have let him have access to some memories. How else would he know so much about Shiro and her?

"Well most I fabricated." She sighed in relief, thank god. "Except the part when I said he'd known about the crush."

She was shocked by this. Her eyes snapped to him. "He… he knew?" She questioned, it was like some bricks of reality hit her in the face. "He actually knew? For that long?"

"Why, yes. Are you alright?"

She couldn't sense him lying. This was the truth. Kate took a breath. Shiro knew, yet he didn't say anything to her. Just why would he…

She remembered the words Choal said to her, and let it replay in her mind…

"So you think you've got me all figured out, huh?"

"Except for one thing." Choal followed behind her. "Are you and Shiro ..."

She halted. She was silent for a heartbeat before she turned back to face him.

"No."

"Does he know?"

Shiro wasn't supposed to know her feelings for him yet...but her behavior lately has been bothering him. He just suddenly asked her if she was okay, and he knew she lied... and...god, she didn't want that kind of attention yet. She wasn't ready to confess, but if he knew about this entire crush...and if he's asking her about this...then...

She hesitated a second too long. "I...No..."

Choal tilted his head. "But the truth is you don't really know," he walked closer to her. "Otherwise you wouldn't have hesitated."

She shook her head. "No, it's just – if...if he did know for a while then...then we've never really talked about it."

"Then he's a fool."

"No, it's – " she looked down to think, to avoid his ruby eyes. "It's just – it's complicated."

"Keith," he said softly, the prince gently pulled her chin up. She looked back into his ruby eyes reluctantly. "There's nothing complicated about meeting a woman like you and knowing what to do."

She opened her violet eyes, now looking less bright.

"Roland," the galra looked at her. "You better not tell anyone about my gender."

Why else would he try to kiss her? He somehow knew she was a woman.

He smiled. "Your wish is my command, my lady." He bowed to her dramatically.

She rolled her eyes. He may not be a courtesan, but he was definitely a typical kind of playboy.

—later, late at night, Pidge's room—

Pidge gaped at her, her eyes focused on the girl sitting before her on her bed. "You're not going to confess to him because you what now?" She demanded, confused. Worried. Stunned by what she told her.

Kate had her head down, staring at the floor, letting her front bangs cover her eyes. "I've...I've moved on, Pidge. There's no point of it. There never was from the start. He'd known I had a crush on him."

The smaller girl blinked. "Isn't that a good thing?"

Kate was silent for a few heartbeats, now crossing her arms. "He'd known, yet he didn't bother talking to me about it." She didn't want to sound hurt, but she couldn't help it. "I know he noticed my weird behaviour around him ever since we got blasted into space, but I thought he didn't say anything about it because he didn't know about the entire crush thing." Her nails dug hard on her left arm. "But the fact that he did...the fact that he...it's just...I can't really explain it but...it hurts. Choal thought Shiro was a fool, he thought I deserved better. He might have been right, but thinking logically about it…" she looked straight into the smaller girl's eyes. "...I'm the real fool." And a damn coward, too.

"Kate," Pidge tried to comfort her, "girl, don't be so hard on yourself."

She stayed silent for some time. "Turns out confessing to him wasn't the only method to get these feelings off my chest...I've finally let him go..."

Pidge stared at her before sighing. "Kate, listen, when Roland pretended to be Shiro and lured you somewhere, Shiro and I saw through the security cameras and heard everything...you kind of did tell your true feelings to him indirectly." She weakly smiled.

Kate's eyes softened. Her eyes were getting watery a bit, but she didn't want to cry over this. There was no point shedding tears, she told herself. "What difference does it make? Nothing will change between us..whether I confess to him or not, he's engaged. And Adam is still the perfect guy for him, anyway. My background is…" she hesitated and shook her head. "I'm unclean. "

"You don't love him anymore, Kate?"

Kate stood, biting her lip. "I do...but...not in the same way as I used to." Adam was definitely the better person compared to her. Good, let's keep it that, it doesn't matter anymore. Damn her for trying to change the impossible. "And that's final." She said firmly.

She left the room quietly, and as she did, a piece of her fell apart, too.

But she didn't break...

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

—Blade Of Marmora base(Victor's perspective)—

"You seem rather in a good mood," Victor noted as Roland strolled into the great hall of the base. The galra with wolf ears just watched him suspiciously as Roland continued to smile. Through this kind of smile was the one he absolutely hated most.

Roland stopped and turned to him. "Is it wrong for me to smile?" He asked.

"It irritates me when you have that look," Victor growled lowly. "It implies that you've found another woman to play with, possibly another woman to seduce."

"I'm still debating whether I should play with her, or stop my little love games with other women to make her mine."

"Oh?" Victor found that unusual, Roland would just move from one lady to the next, but to stick with one was just... "How is she like?"

"I would describe her a bold, deadly...perhaps stubborn-"

"She's not attractive?"

"If she'd grown her hair a little longer, then yes, she would be desirable in the eyes of most men." Roland sighed dreamily. "Her amethyst eyes are quite are like delicate bright jewels, shining away—"

Victor clearly had no intention of those kinds of details. But Amethyst eyes? "Is she even galra?" He demanded

Roland smirked, raising a brow. "Why are you interested, Buttons? If I recall, you lost interest in women after Xia's passing."

He never really liked it when Roland called him by his real name. He would often be teased by it. His mother really had a terrible taste with names. "I'm curious because you and I both know personal affairs is only acceptable if its within the blade. This woman is an outsider, you ought to be careful."

Roland chuckled, brushing the idea off. "There's no need for you to worry. She's one of the paladins of voltron." A few heartbeats passed, letting that intel sink in. "Don't tell Kolivan."

Paladins of Voltron? No, he couldn't…. amethyst eyes were— "...Ebony hair? Delicate pale skin? Smells like cherries?"

Roland's eyes glinted, surprised. "You know her personally? That's quite shocking. You're not having an affair with her, are you? That would ruin my-"

Before he was done, Victor suddenly punched him in his jaw which made the galra lose balance. Roland hit the ground, hard. "My advice to you, Roland," Victor said in a dangerous and murderous tone, his canines bearing, "is that you dare not lay a finger on her."

Roland looked up to him and gave a half smile while touching his injured jaw. "So she is your woman."

"She's not. But I deeply care for her. And you better stay away. Any funny business and I'll deal with and it'll involve a dagger, a shovel, and an unmarked grave."

Roland frowned. "What value is she to you if you are not in love with her?"

"My uncle told me she would be a tremendous asset to win this war.. And.." He hesitated.

"And?"

"...she reminds me of Xia…"

It was then the galra realized how serious the conversation was. The topic of his sister… just bringing it up was too much for Victor, everyone in the blade knew that. "Come to think of it," Roland said contemplatively, "you threatened you'll slit my throat if i ever touched Xia...but.." He looked at him with pity. "But the red paladin isn't your sister."

Victor looked away. He kept reminding himself that. Kept telling himself that his sister wasn't alive anymore… that Kate was not her. "I know...but they are exactly alike. I don't want to lose her, either. It’d be like losing her all over again"

Roland thought for a few heartbeats. "You've given her Xia's crystal, haven't you? I saw it hanging around her neck, but i was doubtful."

Silence...

"...you cannot tell Kolivan about this," Victor finally said.

The galra smiled while he got up and dusted himself. "Unfortunately for me, I have grown fond of her as well. I'm unlikely to tell him. Even if he wallops us."

—past, training room—

"I fail to see how making poems can help me feel better," Elena said in a grumpy way to Felix while she reloaded her gun.

"It is scientifically proven that making poems can help you express yourself better," Felix replied, helping Kate load her gun. "Makes you feel great letting all those words out, you know. Especially since we currently don't have a therapist to talk to about all the killings we've committed at such a young age."

"True," Glade agreed, punching the dummy.

This was completely normal for them. Talking about who or what they were forced to kill, training with guns and knives in this big trading room while they were watched by their escorts right outside the door.

It was totally normal for them.

Elena shot again, shooting twice on the dummy's head. "I feel better imagining about it than letting it all out."

Alex chuckled while bandaging his hand. "I'm guessing it's torturing that doctor and his lackeys for what he turned us into."

Elena smiled. "Oh it's better than that. I imagine I'm in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Inside it's just me, and that stupid, slimy sadistic bastard. And I'm beating the hell out of him. I'm breaking the dining room table over his head, then I rip off his arms, and shove it where the sun don't shine. And I reach down his throat, and shake his hand."

They all gaped at her.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! Don't tell me you don't fantasize yourself getting revenge on that sadistic doc!"

Glade raised his hands. "I usually dream of the day I walk out of this facility alive with all of you and see that doc behind bars."

Elena gave him an unamused look. "You're too soft, Glade."

Felix patted Kate's head and smiled at her weakly. "Just try not to be as violent like her," he pointed at Elena currently headlocking Alex and Glade, "Okay, Kate?"

The 6-year-old girl unknowingly blushed. "Okay,"

But that was one promise she couldn't keep...

—present, castle(Pidge's perspective)—

"Do I look any different to you?" Lance asked Hunk.

Hunk frowned. "No, why?"

"Just-I-I've been feeling so tingy all morning," He paused . "...something's wrong. Slaughter must have given me another parting gift without me realizing. I feel like I'm going to mutate like the Hulk. I might turn into a werewolf. O-or What will happen to my hair?"

Pidge rolled her eyes and looked in another direction. It was clear that Kate was looking completely hollow.

While the boys were busy throwing spores at each other, Kate didn't join them. In fact, Pidge didn't think the raven-haired was paying attention at all. She was completely spaced out, watching the black void before her, hardly saying a word. Letting Shiro go, moving on from him...must have been a huge step for her. Pidge floated in her direction and whispered, "Kate?"

The raven-haired girl suddenly snapped her eyes at her. "Hey, sorry, I was remembering something. What's up?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to see if you were okay...you're okay, right?"

Kate smiled weakly. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

Pidge forced a smile. She was so not okay. And she was terrible at lying. How the heck did she get away with a bunch of lies about her gender all these years?

Kate seemed to notice the containment she was holding. "What's that? Snow?"

"Pidge," Shiro called from a distance, "is everything alright?"

Pidge turned to him with a forced smile, one of her eyes was twitching. Great job you blind, ignorant, high leader. You shattered her soul! Pidge wanted to scream those words to him, but she just grumbled, "it's nothing."

Kate cringed. "Your emotions were pretty negative," she whispered. "I get why you're mad at him."

"Are you going to strangle me for insulting him through my thoughts?"

Kate chuckled. "I moved on, remember? Besides, it's not me, it's his lover to decide." Kate ducked a spore from hitting her and it hit the smaller girl instead.

"Oh, sorry, Pidge," Lance said, "I was trying to hit Ke—"

Pidge stopped him by hitting the spore back in his face. Kate muffled a small laugh that escaped her lips, but said nothing as she floated back in the boys' direction, Pidge sighed heavily.

She was so not okay...

—way later, in the forest—

"When the Galra attacked," Ryner said with sadness as they walked, "only a few of us escaped the cities. We were forced to flee into the forest."

"How long have you lived like this?" Shiro asked.

"Many decapheobs. But, as you can see," she smiled with pride, "our people are resilient. We never stopped evolving. Instead, we adapted our skills to the environment."

Kate watched with amazement. As she stood, she felt someone tap her leg. A little Olkari girl was near her. "Are you here to save us?"She asked innocently, Kate forgot she used to be like that once before ...before that doctor…

She cleared her head. "Yeah," she knelt to her as her friends continued to talk with Ryner. "What's your name?"

"Emily," she replied politely.

Kate flinched by that name, and she nearly jumped. But it took all her self-control to stop herself from looking uncomfortable or horrified. It's just a mere coincidence this little-looking six-year-old Olkarion girl had the same name as her best friend did...Kate never saw her again, though.

She left that hellish world 12 years ago...

"Do you think you can save my people," she asked, "my family? I haven't seen them for so long after my birth."

Kate smiled at her. "We will...I promise you that."

She never kept her promises that well, not even the one she had with Felix, she turned as violent as Elena did after she broke. But she swore to keep this one.

"Hey, tell me, guys," Kate heard Lance say behind her, "do you think my hair is thinning?" He ran his fingers through his hair, showing them.

She heard Pidge growl at him. "For the last time, Slaughter didn't do anything to you. And you're not losing your hair, Lance!"

"Okay, so if I wake up bald tomorrow, women will still be attracted to me?"

There was a pause.

"Ummm…"

Lance looked horrified. "Oh my god, they wouldn't!" He said in panic.

"I didn't say that!" Pidge said quickly.

"No, but you were thinking it! I can see it in your face!"

Kate frowned. Why was Lance worried about being bald now? He wasn't old yet.

—later, when they tried to rescue Lubos—

"Looks like someone came to rescue you, Lubos." The galra commander said after Lubos betrayed them. And that just pissed her off.

"You turned your back on your people to save your own skin?" Shiro turned to that bastard king with disbelief.

"I'm doing this for my people!" Lubos spayed his arms. "They wanted to fight the Galra, but they are too powerful! The Galra could destroy us!"

"So, you helped enslave your people to build some super weapon?" Lance demanded, raising his bayard.

"Don't make me the bad guy! He forced me to do it!"

Kate clenched her jaw. He did all of this...he enslaved that little girl's family from her for so long. To think this bastard could sink so low, despite being a king!

"You're no king," Kate growled. She made eye contact with the other Olkari near him and used her command ability to give Lubos to him. And that's exactly what he did. After her eyes turned yellow, he threw him towards Kate, having him being taken forcefully and her bayard turned into a sword, resting on the scoundrel's neck.

"Okay, we're walking out of here!" She snarled, baring her sharpened canines, "Anyone tries to stop us and Lubos gets it!" They were surrounded by soldiers, she had no choice but to fight fire with fire.

"Whoa, K-Keith!" Shiro was dumbstruck.

"That came out of nowhere!" Lance exclaimed.

"La-sai," Lubos said, "What are you doing?"

"You betrayed our people." The Olkari said strongly, "I can't live this lie anymore."

Kate said aggressively, "You don't want me to hurt your genius engineer, right?"

"Oh, be my guest," The galra commander replied as he smiled wickedly. "His work is done. The cube is complete."

Tsk. Use and dispose was his game the whole time, huh?

"What?" Lubos stammered. "But-But I thought we had a deal!"

Kate threw Lubos at one of her friends and raised her shield. "What did you expect? Zarkon's lackeys always played dirty just like their emperor." The sentries began firing at them, but she firmly blocked every attack, "And they knew you were gullible enough to fall for it!"

Then Pidge came with her lion and saved them.

—later—

Shiro threw Lubos at his knees before his people. The were strange whispers among the crowd, like an echo of words never heard before. Especially about their king.

Ryner walked towards them confused."Lubos, What's going on?"

"While your countrymen starved," Shiro said in a disapproving tone, "King Lubos was well taken care of by the Galra. He willingly helped them build that cube, willingly helped to enslave his own people."

A wave of gasps was heard from the crowd.

"Lubos, how could you?"

"I- I had to!" The king said, "Fighting against the galra is impossible. I've seen their defenses and weapons, we don't stand a chance!"

Kate's face darkened. She lowered her head to let her bangs cover her eyes as fury slowly grew in her chest.

Don't let the leash snap, she told herself. Don't let it snap!

"When we came in, you looked pretty comfortable," Lance pointed out, "care to explain that?"

"I-I was just asking them to bring me things to keep them busy. I was just trying to delay their plans."

That was a lie. Kate clenched her jaw and growled as silently as she could. That was a damn lie.

Don't let it snap. Don't—

Lubos went on, "I helped the galras to help you all. I couldn't stop their plans anyway. I'm no fighter."

The leash snapped...

(Shiro's perspective)

Something fast zipped past Lubos, narrowly missing his neck and embedded itself to a tree trunk behind the king. Shiro then realized it was a dagger. Keith's bayard changed into a dagger.

All eyes were locked on the raven-haired boy. Keith had his head down when he threw his weapon and Shiro knew all hell was going to break loose if he didn't stop the younger boy. "Keith—" he started.

"And you still call yourself a king to your people?" Keith's voice sounded so murderous and livid, that Shiro stopped himself. He lifted his head and the black paladin's eyes widened by the sight of his face. His violet eyes turned narrow and catlike as his teeth sharpened. "You pathetic jackass!" He bellowed.

Lubos and the rest of them flinched. Before Shiro could even move, Keith had already walked to him and grabbed a fistful of his front collar. "Do you have any idea the kind of things your people had been through?" he demanded. "They believed in you, they needed you! And you just sat there with your back turned letting them suffer more while you helped the enemy. You saw their defenses and weapons, so what? You didn't even try defying them! Don't tell me the Olkaris are important to you now, you just ran away!"

Ryner, like the rest of her people, stood there with astonishment and awe, watching the red paladin lash out at their treacherous king before them. Shiro didn't know how many heartbeats had passed, but he knew that cube the galras made shouldn't be ignored. "Keith," he said it as a warning.

Keith growled and pushed the king to the ground. Lubos landed on his back and groaned, but he was still shaking in fear as he looked at Keith. "Oh, I would love to swipe that stupid face of yours with my claws, but sadly, thanks to you, we have a death cube in our hands. You'll regret this for the rest of your life." He hissed the last sentence as he walked passed him to retrieve his weapon.

Shiro continued to stare at him. He always knew that the raven-haired boy had trouble controlling his emotions and temper. But he usually bit people's heads off when he felt upset, annoyed, or infuriated. But this was… it was like Lubos struck a nerve, crossed the line too far because he had never seen Keith express himself in such an impassioned way.

"Shiro," He flinched and turned to Lance. "Uhh…death cube above us? We need plan?"

"R-right." He stammered. Forget Keith for now, he needed to act as a leader. "I know you're devastated," He told the rest of the Olkaris, "but it's time to be strong and use your Olkari spirit to fight alongside Voltron and take back your planet!"

—later, after they finished fighting—

"I want to thank you all." Ryner said to the rest of them after their victory, "You helped us get our home back. And, for that, we will never be able to repay you."

Shiro offered his hand. "Just promise me that when it's time to take the fight to Zarkon, we can count on the Olkari for help."

Ryner gladly shook it. "Now and forever."

Kate watched from afar as the little Olkari girl, Emily, embraced her family. Tears were shed from them, and as she found Kate smiling at her, she smiled back and mouthed, thank you.

And that was more than enough for the raven-haired.

Kate could have watched them go. At least this little girl was reunited with her family, and at least Kate kept her promise this time.

Unlike the other Emily, she once knew. And that other promises that were broken, and nearly stayed forgotten for the past 12 years…

—later, castle bridge(Shiro's perspective)—

Shiro praised, "Nice job, Pidge."

"You know, it's weird," the smaller girl said, "I've always been a tech junkie. That's how I connected with the world." She looked up to them. "But, for the first time, I feel connected to everything. I guess it's like Ryner said. We're all made up of the same cosmic dust."

Shiro noticed that Keith wasn't there with them, he turned back and found the raven-haired sitting quietly at his station. He walked to him. "You okay, Keith? You hardly said anything today...maybe except when you flayed Lubos—"

"I don't regret it," Keith replied, not looking at him. "He deserved that lashing from me."

Shiro stared at him for a few heartbeats. "Why did you lash at him, exactly? Believe me, I was disgusted. But you seemed to have taken it too ...personally."

They heard Coran behind, saying "Well, that was a productive trip. Look at all these cubes they gave me! Coran, Coran, the gorgeous man!"

"Coran, Coran, the gorgeous man!" The cubes repeated.

"I did," Keith looked at him, meeting his dark eyes. "There was this little Olkarion girl named Emily...I once had a friend who had the same name as her."

"Ah," Coran sighed, "sounds pretty good."

"Ah, sounds pretty good." The cubes repeated again.

Had? Shiro's brows furrowed. Past tense? "Really? Did something happen between the two of you?"

Keith's face darkened as he got up from his seat. "She's dead, Shiro." Those words hit home. Keith's expression turned bitter. "I witnessed her murder...and I did nothing about it. Nothing to stop it." The younger boy dug his nails into his left arm harshly. "And the fact that...that king jackass was willing to watch his people die and be slaves for the galra to save himself was...I-I just lost it."

Hunk made a farting sound with his mouth which the cubes echoed.

The boy just walked away from Shiro, towards the glass, shaking his head. "Backstabbing, adultery and betrayal." He said in a hushed voice, "That's what I hate about the world er- universe."

Shiro watched him, surprised. Keith never once brought this up. Something about his past. Death of a friend… Could it be that his childhood trauma was witnessing his friend die? But how did his fear, his trauma, have any connection with hospitals?

Then the alarms blared, interrupting all of them.

Shiro gasped in horror when Zarkon's main ship suddenly appeared before them.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kate didn't know how Zarkon and his fleet found them.

Yet they managed to hold them off for as long as they could. Kate, Lance, and Shiro used the defense drones to fight off the ships, buying time for Allura to create a wormhole. After they successfully escaped, one bad piece of news came to the next. The Teluduv lenses were cracked, and Allura was too exhausted to even stand. Then Coran had the case of the slipperies (which they all backed away from him with disgust), too many things were happening at once! Kate really needed to keep her mind clear and meditate for a long while.

A really long time after she lashed out at Lubos. Thankfully Shiro had just asked them all to take a break, which they all obeyed immediately.

—Kate's room—

After lighting every scented candle she had and placing most of them down on the floor, she turned the lights off, sat crossed-leg on the floor surrounded by them, and shut her eyes. "Okay… take a deep breath and calm down…" she murmured to herself. Felix was the one who taught her to meditate, keeping her stress and guilt away for a while if she wanted a healthier mind.

"A galra tyrant is hunting voltron down, but he's gone now. So I need to calm down and hopefully not let my annoying galra cat tail and ears pop out. No more memories leaking out in front of my friends. I am not unstable. I will not break. Breathe in…out…in…out…in…out…i—"

"Hello, Leana,"

Kate yelped and, by reflex, threw her galra knife at the scarlet-cloaked woman. The blade simply passed through Chaos like she was a hologram and embedded itself into the wall.

"Damnit you hag!" she scowled, "You freaked the shit out of me! I hate it when I can't sense your emotions! What do you want?"

Chaos chuckled. "To ask you if you are sure you want to infiltrate Zarkon's mainship?"

Kate huffed. "Yes, now leave me alone."

"You need to think about this more carefully, Cain is on to you."

"And just why does he want me, exactly? I never even met the guy. Why specifically me?"

Chaos stared at her. "You have forgotten." She murmured.

Before she could open her mouth, Chaos snapped her fingers.

Her mind flashed rapidly with fragments of images she clearly couldn't recognize. When the fragments came together in one piece, it showed her a memory she had carelessly forgotten...

—a few months ago—

The raven-haired girl fluttered her eyes open, unable to move her body.

Kate found herself strapped to an upright table, still wearing her paladin armor in a room she couldn't recognize in Zarkon's main ship. She remembered sacrificing herself for Allura and Shiro before the sentries knocked her out. She remembered being taken prisoner...

"Ah, good. Awake and alert, I see." Kate snapped her eyes in the direction of the voice. A galra who wore a dark mask and bloody cloak stood before her.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

"Does it matter?" He chuckled. "I understand that the naming of a thing would seem to be of paramount importance, but trust me. My name is the least consequential thing for you to know right now."

"It's an embarrassing name, isn't it?" Kate said daringly, "Like A Boy Named Molly? Maybe your mother called you Doofus."

The galra pulled out his blade, examining it before her. "I'm known as Cain. And I have been entrusted with your interrogation. By the time we're done you will have revealed every intel about the paladins of voltron."

Kate laughed. He was trying to intimidate her with his blade, with his threat.

"So you can kill them? Forget it. I'm not telling you anything. I'm not betraying them. I don't care how many thumbscrews you put to me.

"Oh no, I may favour torture," he said with glee, "but I don't believe that'll get me anything from someone like you. Science is much more effective. And the company is making great leaps in the field of chemical truth agents."

He turned and pulled over an IV line. He wiped down Kate's arm and then stuck in a needle. Kate flinched at the sight of the needle. Not really flinching at the pain since he did it on her left arm.

"Within a few ticks," he said, " you will tell me everything I want to know before forgetting all about the interrogation." He turned the IV drip on. "Correct dosage is the key. Just enough to compromise the central cortex and the parietal lobe."

God, there must be a way to get out of these straps.

"Can I ask you a personal question? " he asked her, and she growled at his politeness. He was mocking her.

Kate huffed. "No."

"I never had a family growing up. I never knew to care the way that you so clearly do with your friends."

Kate huffed again, annoyed that he ignored her. "Well then, why don't you unstrap me and I'll give you a big hug?"

So that I could gut you right here!

"Why did you sacrifice yourself to them? Voltron cannot be formed without you."

"Because I thought they deserved better." Why was her mouth moving?

"Why?"

"Because I'd never met anyone like them," she paused, "especially Shiro."

"Well, you've never met anyone like me."

"Yeah, but you don't have his dark eyes. Or the brains, or the heart. Shiro makes me laugh. He never gave up on me and he changed me. He saw me through a more positive light, ignoring all the negative aspects I kept focusing on and I fell in lo—" she bit her lip so hard to stop herself talking, blood slowly tickled down from her chin, "… why am I telling you this?" She questioned aloud.

Cain smirked. He tapped the IV drip.

"Right."

Cain reached his thumb and wiped the blood off her chin. "Now, let's talk about the paladins, shall we?"

Kate turned pale, as he licked her blood from his thumb. She went on, unwillingly answering every question Cain asked about her friends with honesty…

—present, later—

Zarkon found them again and they repeated the same scenario until they managed to wormhole out of the situation.

"Zarkon keeps finding us," Shiro said contemplatively. "It's like he knows how to track us down. Maybe he planted some kind of tracking device.

"Well, there's nothing on the ship," Allura said after checking, "The Castle would have detected any tracking devices.

"Until we figure out exactly how he's doing it, we should assume that he could show up at any minute. So, stay alert."

Kate heard someone snoring behind her, she turned to Hunk. "Oh, man!" He said cried and stood from his station. "Oh, what's going on? What are you guys doing? What are you looking at?"

"You woke yourself up snoring."

"My bad." He said, embarrassed.

Kate turned her head to Lance, who wearing nothing up swim trunks. "And what happened to you? Did a giant alien moth attack you and ate your clothes?" She gave a sly weak smile, "and left your brains later for dessert?"

"No," Lance frowned, "What are you doing?"

"Making stuff up, just like you do."

"Yeah, because that's my job. It's your job to follow the evidence. You're messing with the natural order of things."

That may be true, but she wanted to distract herself from the memory she had forgotten. Chaos hadn't explained anything to her when she woke up. The hag was gone, which annoyed Kate. And Cain… she wanted to distract herself about Cain and the intel he extracted from her…

Then the alarms blared again.

—later—

They were forced to form Voltron to fight off the fleet, but Zarkon took control of the black lion which made things complicated. But they managed to escape. But then for them to wormhole, they all had to, as Coran said, 'we'd still need several people actually physically holding them.'

Her eyes widened. "Oh no. Don't tell me we…"

They had to hold Hunk's cookies and get electrocuted to stay alive.

“I’m just happy people enjoy my cookies,” Hunk muttered to himself, as he smiled at the cookie he was holding.

“Ok, Paladins! For this to work and you to survive, you must stay in the position you are in!”

“Wait what! Coran I did not agree to this! Oh my god I think I moved! Help” Lance panicked as he tried to get back in place.

“Then get back in the position you were in before! And just in case you don’t survive because no one has done this before, it was nice working with you” Coran saluted as the door slid closed. Everyone stiffened at that comment.

This was possibly the worst day of her life...

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When Allura was confident that the tyrant was tracking them through her, Kate protested without thinking. She didn't really have a good reason for how Zarkon was tracking them, but she knew for certain that it had to be her. Pidge suggested it could be through the black lion, but Coran didn't really go for that theory. Shiro declared they were going to go to the planet Taujeer to fight off the nearest galra tomorrow.

"Is everything okay?" Shiro asked her.

"Yeah," she waited until they were gone, and until they were alone. She took a breath. "No...I'm not. Zarkon is clearly tracking through me."

"You said that before," he noted, "Why are you so convinced about this?"

Kate stared at him, not knowing what to say next. She sighed heavily and dropped her head into her hands, avoiding his eyes.

"Keith," He said gently, "I wouldn't know unless you tell—"

"I betrayed the team,"

He blinked. "What?"

She still didn't look at him. "I. Betrayed. The team." Her violet eyes finally met his dark ones, "Cain drugged me in doing so…"

"Cain?" He was astonished. "The Assassin Roland warned us about? You met him?"

Kate moved to the thick glass and watched the stars and the black void before her. "He... interrogated me right after I sacrificed myself to save you and Allura." She looked over her shoulder at him. "And he drugged me with some sort of truth serum that made me tell everything about the paladins... and made me forget the entire interrogation. The lost memory came back to me a few hours ago, and I'm a complete idiot to carelessly forget about it!" banging her hand on the glass.

Shiro stared at him, concerned. "You think he did something to you ?"

"I can't remember how it ended, the memory is still hazy, but he must have done something."

Something like implanting a tracking device in my body.

Shiro reached his hand to her shoulder. "Okay, let's check it out. Go into the healing pod, and I'll check the scanner to see if —"

Her eyes widened in horror when he said 'healing' pod' and she suddenly jumped(back) away from him, jerking his hand off her shoulder with a sharp "NOPE!"

Her leader looked at her surprised. Kate bit her lip and her nails dug hard on her left arm. "No," she said in a hushed voice, "you know what? I'm fine. Just tired. Like you said, I should get some sleep. And take a shower, I smell like live barbecue meat." She walked away from him. "Goodnight."

Shiro watched her go with concern.

Maybe talking about Cain to him was a bad idea.

—later—

(Shiro's perspective)

He was shocked when he heard Keith and Allura use the pods to escape the castle in the middle of the night. He knew he should have talked to the raven-haired before he made such a reckless decision.

"Princess, Keith, where are you?" Coran said after successfully contacting the pod.

"Exactly where we should be," Allura said strongly, "far away from the Castle."

"What? Why?" Shiro demanded.

"We must know if we are the ones Zarkon is tracking."

"They're isolating the variable," Shiro heard Pidge say behind him. "Well, isolating two variables."

"In English, please?" Lance said.

"In order to test a hypothesis-"

"I said English."

"Ugh! Never mind!!!"

"Pidge is right," Allura said, " If Zarkon finds you despite my absence, we will know with total certainty that we are not the ones he is tracking."

Shiro shook his head in disbelief, how did it all come to this? "Splitting up the group makes us far more vulnerable. Come back to the Castle immediately."

"I'm sorry, Shiro," Allura apologized, " I cannot do that."

"If Zarkon does find us," Keith said, "I can pilot us to safety. We're in wide-open space with plenty of room to maneuver. Plus, we'd be able to outrun him. Pidge added that booster rocket."

"That thing's still on there?" Coran questioned.

"We need both of you back here now!" Shiro commanded, but they were interrupted when the alarms blared.

-later-

"We've been here for hour- vargras," Kate observed the black void before her, "Still no sign of Zarkon."

Allura crossed her arms. "Well, I'm glad I don't have to wait here alone." She looked Kate in the eye, "You understand I could never live with myself if Zarkon was finding us because of me. I must know. We face such a dire threat from the Galra."

The same goes for me

, she thought,

but...

"Well, sure, they're bad. No doubt about that." She paused. "But at the same time, couldn't at least a few of them be fighting for good? Just look at Ulaz. He sacrificed himself to save us."

Allura's brows furrowed. "For all we know, his sacrifice was a ploy. One life means nothing to Zarkon."

Kate flinched at her cold statement. Was her vendetta against Zarkon and the galra this terrible? "It means something to me," Kate said strongly. "It means some of them are actually willing to help. And we could use all the help we can get!"

Allura crossed her arms again. "Any offer of help from the Galra is merely a prelude to a trap. I know all too well how quickly they turn."

"It just seems crazy to lump everyone together."

Allura turned her with fury in her eyes. "Listen, if there are any good Galra, they have had 10,000 years to take down Zarkon. I would never count on them for help."

Kate stared at her and turned away saying nothing. She couldn't convince the princess. Now she was certain…

Allura will hate her once she finds out about her ancestry. Disgusted and resentful if she found out about her past...

She tried to change the topic of trusting the galra. "So, what happens if Zarkon does come after us?"

"You said you could pilot us to safety, right?" she pointed out.

"Sure," she shrugged, "but after that, could we even go back to the group? And if we don't, who would pilot the Castle or create wormholes?"

"Well, what about you?" The princess countered back, "Without you, the team cannot form Voltron."

Kate stayed silent for a few heartbeats. "Allura… I don't know if you noticed but...paladins can always be replaced." Allura blinked, surprised. "When Shiro and I were stranded in that moon, I piloted the black lion to save him…"

"What?" She was flabbergasted. "You...you piloted—"

"Yep," Kate quickly said. "So if I don't make it, maybe you or Coran, or someone could pilot the red lion. I don't think I'm worthy of it anyway."

Before Allura could open her mouth, Coran's voice interrupted them. "Keith, Allura, are you there?"

"We're here, Coran." Allura immediately replied. " What is it?"

"Zarkon is definitely not tracking us through either of you."

"He's not?" Kate questioned. Cain didn't plant any bugs in her body?

Allura asked, "How do you know?"

"Because you're out there, and a Galra fleet just showed up here! We need you now!"

The two girls shared a look.

—way later, after fighting and junk—

Allura looked down to the ground. "I'm so sorry for leaving." She apologized to the rest of the team.

"Me too," Kate said guiltily, "We thought we were doing the right thing."

"But clearly you were correct, Shiro." She looked at him. "We are always stronger together."

Lance tilted his head. "At least we learned that Zarkon isn't tracking us through you two."

"Plus," Hunk added. "I learned that my lion can grow armor and extend its claws like that. Ting!" He made a claw-like gesture with his hands. "Which will come in handy if we ever needed to, say, I don't know, slice up a giant steak while getting beat up." He paused, noticing the stares he was getting. "Or fight evil and save innocent people. That too. That would work."

"The fact that the Red Lion came to help Keith from so far away is a vital piece of information." Shiro said. "We now have proof that a lion and a Paladin can, in fact, connect over a far greater distance than we realized. Which means we finally know how Zarkon is tracking us. It's through the Black Lion."

—Kate's room—

The black lion… was how they were tracked, huh?

She was a complete fool leaving them.

Another mistake.

"You ready?" Victor asked her as she came out of the bathroom, wearing a galra uniform.

She nodded. "Yeah," she closed her eyes.

She never thought this day would come.

It's been 12 long years since she last used that other form of hers after she broke.

Even though she vowed herself to never use that form again, this was the best for the team. Besides, it was Zarkon's men who were going to see hell, not her friends.

She was somewhere else away from them. Away from this ship.

A misty purple cloud swirled around her, and when it vanished, her appearance changed. The cat ears and tail, her sharpened claws and canines, and her purple skin, altogether made her a perfect galra. She loosened the power within her pendant and her raven hair grew back halfway, medium length, not till the waist. She made a quick waterfall braid with her wavy raven hair and put a black ribbon. Another reminder she had from one of her dead friends.

She turned to Victor. "How do I look?"

"Too stunning," he replied, "and the braid looks like one of the things my sister would do to her hair…" She gave him a look and he realized what she actually meant. "Oh, uh… your disguise is perfect."

Kate nodded. "So let's get to work."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

—blade of Marmora base—"That will be all," Kolivan said to the members, ending the meeting. Roland sat on his chair, boring himself to tears. Same old routine every day, the same old meeting. Boring as ever.Right after he left the meeting hall, someone tapped his shoulder."Roland," Antok said, "a word."He frowned but followed him anyway to a private room."Is Victor still focused in dispatching Cain?" He asked Roland.The galra frowned. "Is something the matter?"The senior member sighed. "Yesterday we found a surveillance footage of a galra woman creating havoc in that tyrant's quintessence storages.""And?""And this woman is not one of ours,""I fail to understand the issue,""Kolivan and I looked into it and this woman... This woman is Xia."Roland blinked and blinked again. "Xia?"Xia's alive? Unless… no Xia's dead. He had seen her die in Victor's arms."Or possibly a stranger who resembles her," Antok quickly added the other possibility. "We cannot confirm it yet."Resemble—oh… then that's definitely not Xia. It's Kitten. That one paladin of Voltron never ceases to amuse him.The galra tried to hide his glee. It seems she had his leader fooled."All right." Roland shrugged with a smile, "What do you want me to do? Track her?"Antok nodded. "And if you can, make sure Victor does not get a word of this. He may start jumping to conclusions and look for her."He had already met a look-alike of his sister, Roland thought. And the blades did not know he was the one aiding her. "I can do that. Though I doubt he would. Cain is currently keeping him busy, and there is this other woman he met a few weeks ago he's grown fond of.."Antok paused. It was hard for Roland to know whether he was frowning since his senior never took off his mask. "I thought he lost interest in women after his sister's passing.""Surprisingly not. He claims he's just fond of her. Nothing more than that. And I find it strange since he gave her his sister's crystal.""He did what?"Roland gave a sly smile. "That's all I can tell you. The rest are classified." —Castle, Kate's room—"Ow, ow, ow," Victor complained when Kate put antiseptic on his wounded cheek with some cotton."You know," Kate said mused, "You warned me the possible dangers of infiltrating the storages, but ironically, at the end of the day, you're the one ended up being injured."Victor growled. "Beginner's luck. It'll hit you sooner or later.""Beginner?" She snorted. "Buttons I went on missions when I was six, most of them were dangerous enough that an average six year old earthling wouldn't be able to survive.""I get the feeling that is a topic I should not discuss with you,""It's pretty sensitive," she agreed. "I'm surprised your gifts can't heal you own wounds.""It's frustrating at times, but I'm used to it. I can't help myself but can only help others… it's kind of common among grifters." He looked at her. "Hasn't any one of your gifts done that to you?"Kate placed the medicine on her table. "Yeah...actually...I can alter memories, deleting and creating them for other people. But I can't alter my own."Victor frowned at her. "Why would you want to do that?"A knock was heard on her door. "Keith?" It was Hunk."Get in the closet!" She harshly said lowly."Oh, come on, not aga—"She kicked him into the closet before unlocking the sliding door. "Yeah?""Shiro wants all of us at the bridge, now," Hunk spoke, giving Kate a small wave when she appeared. —Castle Bridge—She wasn't really listening to the entire conversation. Her mind was preoccupied with other ways to sabotage Zarkon's plans and break into the quintessence storages so the tyrant wouldn't be able to use them anymore. Along with other things that would possibly shake the whole empire.She got bits and pieces of the conversation like 'stronger bond with black lion', 'space pirates', and 'lenses'."Keith?" Kate jumped and turned to Shiro, "Coran and the others just went. Are you going with them?""Oh, yeah, sorry," and she fled from him.…Why was she running? She had moved on from him, right?
Right??
 —Mall—Kate roamed around the mall, looking at what the stores offered, and wasn't one bit interested. They had some shiny things (which she was sure Allura would have loved to buy for her dresses, not Kate’s taste though) but nothing special, really.Her attention was caught by a couple talking, sitting on a table with a pile of books on the table.She stared at them, her chest tightened… —Past, the Garrison—She was in the library doing her work as well as her project alone when a certain Bennett found her. "Okay, thought I'd find you here."She looked up at him, "Hey,"James and her usually hung out in the library around the corner. It was their usual meeting spot for work and some private place to talk since she usually came into the main library building as herself, dressed as a girl with another name. (No skirts, though)James pulled a seat in front of her. "How's your side of the project coming?"She shrugged. "Eh, coming out all right…" she hesitated when she said, "Hey, James... Am I being too obvious?""With what?"She turned red. "With my crush... With... You know…""Oh," he looked at her contemplatively. "oh, I don't think so. Why?"She hid her face with her book. "When I had tution with Adam today... He told me he knew…"James looked surprised. "Really? Ha ha…" Kate glared at him and his smile dropped. He cleared his throat, changing the subject. "So, uh, you know what day it is, right?"Kate dropped the book and frowned. "Your birthday?""No, try again,""Your mom's birthday?""No. Birthdays aren't related here. Try again."Kate shook her head not knowing what else it was. "Uhh friendship day?"He gaped at her incredulously. "Wow, You are so not like other girls."Kate huffed. "Wow thanks for noticing.""It's Valentine's Day,"Oh, he meant that. "Yeah, I know... So?"James stared at her. "You didn't prepare anything for Shirogane?"Kate went stiff, face turning in every shade of red. "I … I did… I already gave him my box already…"He frowned at her suspiciously. "You didn't tell him the chocolates were from you, did you?" She scowled and that gave him his answer. "Figures. You're going to go nowhere like this, Kate. I'm telling you, confessed to him already. The sooner, the better. And you don't have to deal with this burden of emotions anymore."She huffed. "Easier said than done, Einstein. I don't-I can't bring myself to say it. He already has a boyfriend!" She frowned to herself. "Scratch the last part, a fiancé! I don't want to ruin what they have."James laughed at her like she'd gone mad. "Ruin? Look, the other girls give him love letters every day. His desk is piled with them. They know his engagement, yet they keep trying to break it. It doesn't bother him, neither does it break his relationship with Adam. "She looked away her face still bright red. "Well, I would rather be viewed as a brother than be those desperate hyena girls." James continued to stare at her with amazement. "Oh yeah, that reminds me," She pulled something from her bag and gave him a medium-sized box of chocolate wrapped in a decorated wrapper. "Happy Valentine's Day, James."His face was completely priceless. "Wah- Chocolate? From you?""Don't get the wrong idea here, Jamie." She crooned. "I usually give chocolates to people as a sign of caring." He looked at her confused and she rolled her eyes. "Look, I know Valentine's Day is to celebrate love and romance and whatnot, but I never had that sort of idea in my mind. I used to give chocolates to the guys I used to hang out with when I went as Laura Chang. I give them to Alex and my dad, and I even gave one to Adam this morning.""Adam?" Kate nodded. "Why?""You saying I can't?""No… " he was still surprised. "huh… You know, if this is a sign of caring, did you ever think of giving it during friendship day?" He teased.Kate rolled her eyes. "If you don't want it, just tell me. I can take it back." His smile dropped, and that made her laugh. She packed her books back in her bag and got up. James looked at the chocolates more closely. "Did you make these?""Is that hard to believe? True I mostly grew up as an insufferable, wild brat. But I have a few female qualities in me.""You mean feline," he got up with her, "You still purr in your sleep.""I thought I told you to not watch me if I doze off, it's creepy.""Eh, I find it cute." —present—Kate tossed a stone to a fountain. She kept seeing warm memories she had with James, whether she was asleep or awake. Either because she really missed him, or she felt guilty for how she ended things with him.He didn't deserve that…"Keith?" Lance approached her. "Are you okay?""Yeah," she nodded. "What about you? You...look worried about something.""Yeah," he admitted. "I'm worried about my family. And my older sister…and who her boyfriend is if she is dating."He has overprotective brother issues, Kate thought with a smile. Just like Alex. "I don't think you should be worried, Lance.""Really?""Hm-hmm,' she then gave a sly smile. "My only concern is that girls that admire their brothers a lot, end up marrying men exactly like them."He stared at her. "You're not helping.""I know,"He glared at her but sighed. "Oh, what were you going to tell me the other night?" She gave a questionable look. "You know, before we discovered Pidge was the super rat?""Oh," she smiled at him, maybe she should try to look for some chocolate or brownie mix? It should be Valentines day or maybe Christmas? She would definitely check later. "Well, that night, I just wanted to say that… I think I like you better when there aren't any bimbos around to distract you. You remind me of a guy I lov-" she immediately clapped her hands over her mouth.Lance gaped at her. "Loved?" he frowned, "you loved a gu—""Used to hang out with!" she said forcefully. Great... Her secrets weren't slipping out just because she lost control over her memory abilities, or because Chaos babbles about it behind her back, (which she really wanted to strangle the hag for). It was also her goddamn mouth!"Well," She said awkwardly, "I think I need to get out of here before I start a fight. Bye!" And she quickly ran off. —later, after they escaped and all, Castle Bridge —"We got our lenses!" Coran said with excitement, rushing in."Excellent!" Allura said happily, and Kate incredulously stared at her ridiculously weird hair. "Now, we can get the teludav up and running."Kate looked around. "Where's Shiro?"Just as she spoke, her leader appeared behind them.Allura asked, "What did you do? Take a nap?"Shiro chuckled, folding his arms. "Not exactly," his brow raised when he looked right. "Is that a cow?""Mm-hmm," Lance hummed, "his name is Kaltenecker."Kate rolled her eyes. "So, did you find a way to bond with your lion?""Yes," he replied, turning to the rest of them,  we need to get moving. We're headed for the Blade of Marmora's headquarters." Kate's mind went blank. They were going there now? She bit her lip.She was not ready for this. —later—Coran said reaching the base would take another few quintents? So a couple of days, quite possibly a movement (a week) since they couldn't risk using the new Teluvduv lenses straight away. And since Zarkon's bond to the black lion was weaker, they had plenty of time.She went on another mission with Victor again. They successfully sabotaged another quintessence shipment, and neither of them was injured this time. Victor opened another portal and led her to a galra mall (which she reluctantly went to with him). He promised he just wanted to buy a couple of things before he dropped her back safely in her ship.Kate waited, leaning on the wall, as galra soldiers and civilians walked past her. It was weird, really. She was in an enemy turf, yet they all thought she was one of them because of her appearance. She easily blended in with the crowd.Kate sensed someone was targeting her, their eyes not leaving. She swore in Russian before she moved away from her spot, to the corners of the mall where people hardly came."Hey, sweetheart," a buffy galra soldier grabbed her arm. There were two other goons with him. "Why don't you keep us company?"Kate gave them a wicked smile. She expected this kind of situation and was so in hell ready for it. —after she beat the hell out of them—"Tsk. Men, you never change, do you?" Kate mused. They were all over the floor, groaning and unconscious.Well, that was fun. Time to look for Buttons!She heard a cat meowing behind her and turned to it. It was an unusual kind of black cat, with streaks of its fur in a different color. Kate smiled at the animal. Whatever, a cat is still a cat. She knelt to it and reached her hand to the cat. "Come here."The cat obeyed and walked to her, purring as she stroked its fur."What's your name?"The cat purred."Kova, huh? Where's you owner?""I am surprised Kova likes you," a stranger appeared behind her. A galra with long flowing silver hair smiled at her. He was handsome, that Kate couldn't deny. "Other than me and one of my generals, he does not let other people touch him."She would usually use her hearing and smelling senses to know if someone was sneaking up on her, but that would require her to focus. However, the empath made her know if there were people nearby because of their emotions, it was natural. But this man…she couldn't sense his emotions.He was just like Chaos.She stroked the cat's fur under his chin, trying to act natural. "I assume you're his owner?"The cat left her side and went to him. Kova jumped and landed on his shoulders perfectly. "Perhaps," he smiled at the cat, "he was once mine. Now I am not quite sure who he actually belongs to."She still couldn't sense his emotions. Kate didn't know whether the man was playing with his words or telling the truth. His voice was calm. So calm.She had to be careful."Quite a work of art you made here," he remarked, amused, as he gestured at the fallen bodies of the soldiers she took down earlier."They're not dead," Kate said, getting up, "in case you are wondering.""I know," he looked at her, meeting her eyes, "but you could have killed them. Why let them live?""That's none of your business."The stranger watched her with an unreadable expression, and Kate made sure he kept his distance. The fact that there was another living person whom she couldn't sense his emotions, like Chaos, freaked her out. She usually regarded those beings as untrustworthy and dangerous."Tell me my dear, what is your name?"Kate narrowed her eyes. "I have many names," she said as though she was warning him. "Some consider me as a freak, stranger and outcast. While others claim I am hellion, Satan and death. Which do you prefer?"He chuckled. "I take it you do not trust me.""Is that not how we are? We're galras trust is not something I entirely promise."He stared at her, surprised by her words. She wondered if she said something off or wrong. She didn't really know the galra culture, but whatever she got from the soldiers she was fighting against and the soldiers that worked inside Zarkon's main ship was, 'Destroy them! Capture Voltron! Vrepit za! Kill them! Yada, yada,' and the list of violent words goes on.The galra smiled at her again. "You are not from around here, are you?" he took a step towards her.Kate flinched, but she didn't answer him. God, where was Buttons when she needed him?Loud sounds were heard from a distance, and that alarmed her. Kate turned her head. "What's that?"The stranger chuckled. "Looks like the festival is about to begin."She turned to him. "Festival?" she questioned.He took another step and extended his hand to her. "Care to join the fun?" he asked with a warm smile.She didn't know why, but she reached out her hand to him, letting his gently grasp hers. And she walked with someone she didn't know. The stranger bought her tea as they watched the firework display outside the building. Kova slept on her lap. "It's beautiful," Kate murmured."Indeed," he agreed. "Where are you from?"Kate rolled her eyes. "I'm not telling you. I still don't know your name." He opened his mouth but Kate held one of her slender fingers in the air to stop him. "But that doesn't mean I want to know. So don't tell me."He tilted his head. "You're quite an unusual one.""I get that a lot," she sipped her tea. "So what's this festival?"The stranger looked back at the fireworks. "It's the day when emperor Zarkon became ruler of the universe." Kate's face darkened. "Though," the stranger sighed heavily, "I don't quite enjoy this day. What's more, hybrids aren't welcome to join the festival."Kate frowned. She still couldn't sense whether he was lying or not. And hybrids? Did...did he know she was a hybrid ? "Why?" She asked curiously.He gave a playful smile. "My, I thought you weren't interested about me?"Kate rolled her eyes at his tease. She didn't mean why he didn't like the festival, she meant the other last one.This guy…Just who is he anyway?"Kate!"The raven haired turned. "Victor, sorry I left my spot. I was followed and attacked." She stood, gently placing the cat down on the ground."Kate, is it?" The stranger mused. "That's not a common name." Kate noticed how stiff Victor got when he saw the stranger. "Well, I should be taking my leave now. He stood, and gently reached her hand and gave a swift kiss on her fingertips. "I hope we meet again." And she watched him walk away with the cat, blending with the crowd.Victor suddenly grabbed the sides of her shoulders, after the stranger left. "Did he do anything to you?"Kate blinked. "No? Why? Do you know him?""Everyone knows him, Kate. I'm surprised you ran into him," he frowned when he saw the cups on the table. "And offered to buy you tea."Kate shrugged. "He was being a generous gentleman, I suppose."Victor shook his head. "Kate, this is serious. I'm just so glad he didn't recognize you as a paladin of...you know" he looked around him , making sure no one was listening."Is he dangerous?""Kate...that was emperor Zarkon's son. Prince Lotor."