COMPLETED
Two years have passed since Allura's sacrifice saved all realities. The former Paladins of Voltron have moved on with their lives, though they keep in contact with one another as much as possible.
One day, unexpectedly, Shiro is found dead...
Keith Kogane is happier than he remembers being in a long while. Not only have his efforts to unite the Galra empire proven successful, but he and his mother have been able to turn the Blade of Marmora into a humanitarian relief organization. Having the chance to help others after all the pain and suffering that the Galra caused gives him extreme satisfaction and peace of mind.
And having his mother around so much after being separated all those years is another plus.
At the moment, Keith and Krolia are on a war-affected planet with the other members of the Blade. They have been unloading needed supplies for the past few vargas, but Keith has finally unloaded the last bin. The lizard-like natives smile and thank him and pat him on the back, and seeing their appreciation only makes his heart swell all the more.
"Keith, you have an incoming transmission," Krolia tells him. "It is coming in from Earth."
"Thanks," Keith replies. He rushes onto his ship, followed closely by his mother. Is it time for the group chat again already? He thinks. But the face he sees on the monitor is not anyone he was expecting.
"Keith Kogane," Commander Iverson says.
"Sir," Keith replies with a quick salute. "Is everything okay? I wasn't expecting a call from the Garrison."
"This call is not a pleasant one," Iverson says. "I regret to inform you that your friend, Takashi Shirogane, has died."
Keith's entire body freezes up. "What?"
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"I'm very sorry," Iverson says. "He was discovered this morning, in a small ship of unknown origin that crashed into the Florida swamps. But... we believe he was dead before the crash."
Keith cannot believe what he is hearing. Shiro, dead? There was no possible way. He couldn't even imagine a world without Shiro in it. This couldn't be happening.
"Keith?" Krolia says worriedly, noticing the change in her son's demeanor. She places a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugs it off. Even Keith's cosmic wolf, Kosmo, senses that something is amiss and teleports to his master's side.
"You're lying," Keith says to Iverson. "Shiro can't be dead! He can't be..." His knees suddenly give out, and he falls to the floor. Krolia kneels down beside him and embraces him tightly as his tears begin to flow. Kosmo places a paw on his leg and whimpers.
"I understand this is all very difficult to take in," Iverson says, "but despite the ship being damaged beyond repair, we were able to salvage a message from its data before it lost power. It's for you."
Keith stares up at the screen, tears still streaming down his face. "What did it say?"
"We are sending it to you now," Iverson replies.
A notification pops up on the screen of an incoming message. Without another word, Keith ends the transmission with Iverson and opens the new message. A prerecorded video of Shiro appears on the screen, his face battered and bruised.
"Keith, a lot of things have happened since we last spoke," Shiro says. "I apologize in advance for not telling you about the mission I went on, but I promise I have a good reason.
"If you are watching this video, it's because I am no longer alive..."
Keith pauses the video, crumpling over the control panel. The pain he feels inside is almost more than he can bear. He can't breathe, he can't see.
"I... I can't watch this right now," he says to Krolia. He then shuts off the video completely, and rushes off of the ship.
