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...
"You don't even know anything about the mission, or anything about what's going on!"
"I would if you told me."
"What do you not understand about 'secret mission'?"
Lance is suddenly surprised by the tears that appear in his sister's eyes. "I know that Shiro went on a 'secret mission,' and he didn't make it out alive."
He isn't quite sure how to respond. She's right, though... their mission is following Shiro's mission. What guarantee is there that any of them will make it back alive? "All the more reason you should stay put," he tells her.
Veronica stares at him for a moment, but he doesn't back down. All she's done is make him truly realize how dangerous this mission is going to be, and there is no way he is going to allow his sister to go on a journey like that.
"Ugh... fine, whatever," Veronica says with a scoff. She leaves his room, and slams the door behind her —hard. The jolt causes a framed picture to fall off of Lance's dresser.
He doesn't even bother yelling after her. He knows that his leaving is going to be hard on her; hard on his whole family. If only he could tell them how important this was...
He walks over to the fallen picture and picks it up. It is a photograph of him and Allura, the one taken the night of their first date. He stares at it longingly, and wonders what she would say if she were here now. Would she encourage him and tell him he was doing the right thing? Or would she scold him and say that he was completely crazy for going on this mission? He isn't sure, but he wishes more than anything that he could hear her voice again either way.
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Suddenly he sees the bluish glow coming from his markings. "Again?!" He shouts. He touches them with his fingertips, but spins around when he feels like someone is standing behind him. Just the same as the last time, no one is there.
"What the quiznak is going on?" He wonders aloud.
"If you really are that clueless, then you don't deserve her anyway..."
Lance's last words to him keep ringing through Keith's head. What did he mean when he said that? More often than not, Lance completely confuses Keith. He doesn't understand him at all. He thought he'd gotten used to Lance's antics, but why can't he stop thinking about this particular sentence? Why can't he let it go?
"Are you okay, Keith?" Krolia asks. "You seem a bit out of it."
"I'm fine, Mom," he replies. "There's just a lot going on."
"I still don't understand why I can't come on this mission," she says. "I know it has to have something to do with that message Shiro left you."
Keith sighs. He really does want Krolia to come with them, but he is afraid of how dangerous the journey will be. He knows that he and Krolia have been through a lot of dangerous situations, but something about this one feels different for some reason. He doesn't want to take any chances of losing his mother again.
"I need you to keep directing the Blade of Marmora," he tells her. "They're going to really need you, especially in my absence."
"Especially in your absence, huh?" She says, a smirk on her face. "Are you trying to say that you work harder than me?"
"What? No, that's not what I'm saying at all," Keith replies. "I'm just saying that..."
"Relax," Krolia says with a chuckle. "I'm just messing with you. Go on your mission. I'll be waiting for you when you return."
Keith smiles, and hugs his mother tightly. He is going to miss her, but he knows he'll be able to handle the mission better with the knowledge that she is safe and sound.
Kosmo appears by their side, and jumps up onto Keith to lick his face. Keith laughs, gently pushing the wolf back down and giving him a pat on the head.
"Let me guess... Kosmo is going?" Krolia says.
Keith smirks. "I don't think I could get him to stay even if I tried."
