Ah, I've never liked mornings. This waking up stuff is for the birds. I guess that's why I haven't gotten up yet.

Then again, I haven't seen any birds in space either.

Yet.

I haven't really seen much in the way of signs of life besides the Alteans anyway. What's up with that? I mean, I've always wanted to meet aliens, unless they're the Galra or the evil brain-sucking aliens that want to eat us alive. Then I don't really care to meet them.

The Voltron lions took off a good fifteen minutes ago, hence the reason I'm awake. Why do they have to be so loud? Do we always have to be so over the top about everything? I sigh and tiredly roll out of bed, taking the sheets with me. The lions' roar fades, and I hear laughter coming from the lounge.

Why is life cruel enough to send mornings? Can someone answer that for me?

I moan and slither to my feet, wishing the laughter would stop and I could go back to bed. I don't think it helped I stayed up too late comforting Pidge last night. I felt so bad for her. Poor girl.

All of this has been really hard on her. She knows she'll find her family here in space, and she told me last night that all she wants to do is go find them, even if it means leaving the team. I could only sit there and hold her.

Enough sob-story brain-chatter. I change into my clothes and head for the kitchen. I figure everyone would be hungry after the training this morning, so I go to the place where they're most likely to be.

Sure enough, as soon as I enter through the door, Lance runs up tome.

"Jeez, (Y/N)! You missed it! I kicked one of the broken alien ships at least a mile!" he exclaims a little too excitedly.

"Lance," I chide, "some of us are still trying to get our bearings. Not all of us are as eager to be in space fighting an intergalactic warlord as you are."

"Yeah, and that kick 'll come in handy when the Galra challenges Voltron to a soccer match," Keith remarks sarcastically, rolling his eyes. I bite back a wave of mirth.

"Hey, I did something cool, and you can't handle it." Lance grins complacently. "I get it."

"Your kick ruined our balance. We fell."

Lance turns red and points at Hunk. "That falling part was Hunk's fault!"

"Hey!" Hunk whines.

Shiro sighs as the others take their places around the table. Jerking off the paladin helmet, he scolds, "All right, save your energy for fighting Zarkon."

I sit down next to Shiro and look around. Pidge isn't with them. What's she up to?

Coran enters the dining room with a plate with a cover, like in fancy restaurants. "Hello, guys! How was the Voltron workout?"

"We're getting there." Shiro puts his arms behind his head. "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."

I attempt yawning discreetly but fail. I stretch my back and arms, not listening to Coran's continuing his explanation. He whips off the plate cover, revealing the nastiest thing I've ever seen. I gag and hurriedly get up from the table.

"Ew!" I scream. "Are you sure that isn't alive?!"

Hunk stares at the food questioningly. "Coran, you just got me hooked on that goo and now you're switching it up?"

"This is packed with nutrients," says Coran, grabbing a nearby fork.

Hunk sniffs the "food" once and recoils in disgust. "Oh, it smells disgusting!" he exclaims.

"I know! That's how you know it's healthy!"

Something in the food wiggles, and I shriek. "It moved!"

Hunk looks at me sadly and says, "Coran, we're on a planet now with fresh herbs, spices, and whatever this thing is." He holds up a purple and yellow plant. "A tuber? Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to head back to the kitchen and spice things up." With that, Hunk leaves.

"Where's Pidge?" Shiro asks Coran, obviously not fazed by the vile mound of ickiness before him.

Coran shrugs. "He's probably checking on those prisoners we rescued from Zarkon. They'll all be waking soon in the infirmary." Again, I stifle a laugh. Ah, their lack of observation is hilarious.

Shiro gets up from his seat to go find Pidge when Coran stops him. "Open the hatch," Coran orders. "Food lion coming in!" He then imitates the sound of a spacecraft flying. Shiro looks sick now. "No. Just no."

Coran turns to me with the fork. I throw up my hands in surrender. "Please don't, Coran. It looks so nasty, and I'm not hungry."

"You're not hungry? You haven't really eaten in two days!" Lance remarks.

I quirk a brow. "No, I'm not. The goo-fest yesterday didn't really put me in the mood to eat."

"You don't know what you're missing," Coran scolds, shoveling the forkful of ick into his mouth.

"Ew." I gag and turn away. Hunk soon walks back in with several plates of food and places them before Lance and Keith. Once they see it, they scarf it down. Hunk smiles at them, then turns to me and hands me a bowl. I stare at him curiously, and he simply blushes and says, "I figured they'd do that. So, I made a bowl for you."

It definitely isn't as bad as the "paladin lunch" Coran tried to make us eat. I take the bowl and give its contents a sniff. Satisfied, I take a tiny bite. The flavor explodes in my mouth, and I consume another small forkful. "Mm! Dish ish delishush!" I say.

"You're welcome, (Y/N)!" Hunk replies cheerfully.

Allura walks in behind a very annoyed-looking Coran. "They like the paladin lunch!" she remarks.

"I don't want to talk about it," he huffs, flipping his hair distastefully.

Allura hardly takes notice as she watches the paladins and I feed our faces. "I just got the final nebulon booster working. We should be able to leave Planet Arus tomorrow and take the fight to Zarkon."

I feel stuffed already. And I really haven't eaten that much. Must be my Lion side. Which reminds me...

What am I going to tell my friends? They've noticed that I'm acting differently. Not that I can really help that, of course, but they're going to push me about my odd behavior, and I'm not going to have anything to say. I have to tell them sooner or later.

Alarms suddenly blare out around the castle, and a video feed from one of the cameras pops up on a screen in the window. A small alien with brown ram-like horns and a tiny stature sprints behind a tree.

"What is that?" Keith asks, his voice edging between curiosity and threatening.

Lance shrugs. "I don't know what it is."

"Maybe it's a local Arusian," Allura wonders.

The little alien peeks out from behind the tree and dashes to a rock closer to the castle, letting off an adorable battle-cry. I internally squeal. He's too cute.

Allura notes, "He's approaching the castle." He runs to a bush just by the door with another cute yell.

"Aw!" I coo. He's so cute, I'm gonna die!

"Doesn't look too dangerous," Lance says.

Keith hovers around the screen and draws his bayard. "You never know."

Allura glares at him and says, "No. Alteans believe in peace first. Let's go welcome them." She gracefully glides out of the room, Coran in tow.

"That's adorable," Hunk coos softly, taking off after the Alteans.

Lance smirks at me and follows in hot pursuit. "Hey, maybe we can knit him a little sweater!" he calls ahead.

I turn to Keith, who still is standing by the table. Catching my gaze, he looks away. He shrugs and says, "I'm not taking any chances." Then, he takes off after the others.

"Maybe these guys will give me an idea to tell the others about the Soul of Voltron," I ponder aloud. I go ahead and burst into a sprint, quickly catching up to the others, who've already made it out the door.

The little Arusian hides in the bush as Allura attempts to coax the alien out of hiding. "Greetings," she says, a warm smile on her face. "We know you're there. No harm will come to you."

The Arusian blinks, then jumps threateningly out of the bush. Hunk Aw's in cuteness overload.

"Wait!" Keith warns, wrapping a protective arm around me and raising his bayard. "He could be dangerous. Drop your weapon!" Geez, Keith. No respect for the people who let the Alteans stay on their planet for 10,000 years.

"No one takes Klaizap's weapon!" the alien, presumably Klaizap, declares. He's. So. CUTE!

"Keith, put that away!" Allura orders. Keith glares at her, but he puts away the bayard anyway. She turns back to the Arusian. "Please, kind sir, accept my most humble apologies."

Klaizap looks confused, but he quickly regains his composure. "I am Klaizap," he states, "bravest of our warriors. Our village is over Gazrel Hill. I come seeking answers as to why the Lion Goddess is angered with her followers."

Everyone glances at each other in mass bewilderment. My pulse quickens considerably. Is he... talking about me?

"Followers?" Keith wonders.

Coran adds to the confusion, "Lion Goddess?"

Klaizap points to a nearby rock with engravings on it. Why didn't I see that when we entered the castle a few days ago? "The one the ancients spoke of."

My stomach turns knots. He's talking about the Soul of Voltron. "What makes you think she's angered?" I ask.

"Destruction is everywhere," Klaizap says. "In the past few suns, fire has rained from the heavens, and a giant has danced in the sky!" Clearly, the giant is Voltron.

I notice Hunk whisper to Lance, "I think he's talking about Voltron."

"Yeah," Lance says, deadpanning, "I got that."

"You have not angered the Lion Goddess," Allura tells Klaizap comfortingly. What is she doing?

"How can you be certain?" Klaizap asks. Oh, boy. Here comes the truth.

Allura pales. I wrinkle my brow at her in confusion as she becomes a stuttering mess. I realize she's trying to keep the truth from the others, for my sake. I release the butterflies in my stomach as she tries to make up an excuse. "W-Well, I—uh, I... It—"

"Allura." I grab her shoulder, and she looks me in the eye. I nod at her and turn to Klaizap, who expectantly waits for an answer. "I am the Lion Goddess."

"I do not understand. You do not look like the Lion Goddess," the Arusian says.

The boys stare at me, very confused as to what I said. "I am who I say I am. Do not make me summon my powers."

Lance snorts and falls to the ground laughing. "Powers? What powers?"

I glare at him, my face turning a brilliant red. "Fine. Don't believe me?"

"Uh, no," he scoffs. "You're (Y/N), a normal everyday teenager who just so happens to be the target of my affections." He puts a hand over his heart like he's making a formal declaration of love. The nerve.

"Really? You're just gonna think I'm kidding, just like that?" I snap my fingers in his face.

Hunk casts his gaze to the ground. "(Y/N), we don't understand what you're talking about. What's going on?"

"I don't understand how you all haven't noticed!" I count on my fingers, "The distance, the lack of eating, the sudden skill, the almost psychic abilities."

"(Y/N)..." Keith touches my shoulder. "You're not...depressed...are you?"

I scoff at him, then I snicker, then I laugh hysterically. "Depressed? You think I'm depressed?! I distance myself just a little bit to sort out life choices, and you think I'm depressed?! Why is everyone so obsessed with the negative aspects of life?!"

Klaizap shoots Allura a confused glance, but she just shrugs.

Lance puts his hand on my forehead. "You okay? What's going on with your head?"

"Now you think I'm insane! Ugh! What does it take to get it through your heads!" My eyes flicker with their rainbow colors.

Lance gasps and backs away from me like I'm going to shoot him with lasers from my eyes.

"I'm sick of being taken as a fool! I'll show you I'm not insane!" My Voltron State flickers to life. Light dances around me, and my eyes flash a bright white. I quote from memory:

"Awake, O Soul of Voltron!

Let thy legend live on

To all the galaxies and beyond!
Arise, O Soul of Voltron!"

Lightning flashes around me as I land on the dirt, now in full armor. Why does everything that Voltron does have to be so showy?

The others gawk at me. "So she wasn't making this up?" Lance cries. "I feel so stupid now!"

Coran and Allura share a complacent smirk, as though thinking, Yeah, we totally knew about this the whole time.

Klaizap falls to his knees in amazed wonder. "Lion Goddess," he murmurs, bowing to his face in worship. I kneel beside him and lift his gaze to meet my eyes.

"I am the Lion Goddess, and this is my castle and my friends." Klaizap's eyes shimmer with excitement. "Please, bravest warrior, take us to your village so that we may meet our neighbors."

Klaizap jumps to his feet and bows to me again. "Yes, my ladyship."

Keith finally pipes up again, "What about our mission to get off this planet and fight Zarkon?"

I sigh disgustedly, but Allura takes over from here. "The paladins are supposed to spread peace and diplomacy. Arus has been our host for 10,000 years. The people deserve our thanks."

"You just got schooled, Keith!" Lance laughs.

"Lance!" I chide, glaring at the boy's immaturity. "Allura wasn't just saying that to Keith. We do need to fight Zarkon, but we need to take the time to help others as well, and that's not by flirting with anything with a decent rack."

I turn to Klaizap. "Lead the way, bravest warrior."

Klaizap leads us to an Arusian village. The homes are made of sticks and straw, and an altar resides in the village square. As we arrive in the village, several Arusians cheerfully run towards us, greeting us with every ounce of glee they can muster.

Several wrap their small arms around my legs, and others embrace the other paladins warmly. Tribal drums thud in the short distance to the village square. Klaizap leads on, taking us to the village chief. Laughter rings out from every corner of the square, from child and adult alike.

Klaizap waves to get our attention. "Wait here," he orders. Klaizap approaches the chief and whispers something in his spiral horn. I watch in curiosity, not paying much attention to the Arusians still clinging to my legs. The chief jumps in surprise and asks Klaizap something. They discuss the topic for a while, then stroll towards us. More specifically, me.

"Oh, Lion Goddess," the chief greets, raising his paws into the air, "I, King of the Arusians, formally beg your forgiveness. Please have mercy on us, and accept our traditional Dance of Apology as atonement for our wrongdoings."

I shrug and say, "Go for it."

A small, feminine Arusian runs up in front of us and stands in an almost flamenco-style pose, waiting for the music to begin. The chief cheers her on. "Commence Dance of Apology! Hoorah!" The other Arusians shout a loud cheer as more tribal music fills the air.

The Arusian's dance seems complicated. I've always had two left feet, so it is wonderful to watch someone with more skill than I do with dancing. As I start to grin and sway along with the beat, Allura suddenly interrupts the dance. "Please, there's no need for this."

"Moontow, halt!" the chief bellows, and the music stops abruptly.

"Hey!" I glare at Allura. I was enjoying that. The Arusians' faces turn to expressions of fear as the chief announces," The Goddess has refused the apology. Start the sacrificial fire! We must throw ourselves in!"

I gasp. They're not going to commit suicide on my account. "No!" I shout, dousing the fire with a massive deluge from a nearby river. "No sacrifices!"

"So, we may proceed with the dance?" the chief asks.

"I was enjoying it, actually. Don't know why somebody told you to stop." I glare at Allura again. "Yes, please continue."

The music resumes, and Moontow returns to dancing for my pleasure. As she finishes the dance, she falls to the ground, leading the other Arusians in a worshipful bow.

I grin. "Wow," I breathe. Oh, I wish Shiro was here. He would've loved this. I gather my confidence and stand boldly before the alien race in front of me. "Rise, please."

The Arusians rise and stare me in the eye. I've never felt this much pressure in my life. Clearing my throat, I address the Arusians, "Thank you for the dance. I loved watching Moontow." The little alien gasps when I say her name. "But my friends and I aren't here for your worship or your sacrifices. You've already sacrificed enough letting the Alteans live here for 10,000 years. Now we want to sacrifice something for you.

"I'm (Y/N), the Soul of Voltron, and these"—I gesture to the group behind me—"are the Voltron Paladins. We come from different worlds, have different traditions, and lead different lives, but we wish to live alongside you as friends."

The chief raises his hand. "But the mighty robotic angel—has it not come to destroy us because of our immoral ways?"

"Voltron? No," I say. "That robot is to protect every innocent being throughout the known universe. We paladins will sacrifice everything to relieve this universe of Zarkon's evil regime, whether it be our desires, our dreams, or our very lives."

After I finish that very long, inspirational speech, the Arusians let off a joyful cheer. They jump around and hug us excitedly. In the commotion, several Arusians tackle me to the ground, clutching me tightly. I think Moontow is one of them.

I spy Keith trying to escape the chaos, being the little emo child he is. I kindly ask the Arusians to let go. They do, and I stroll towards Keith. As I walk to him, the wind blows my hair around.

I watch as one of the aliens jumps up and hugs Keith's waist. Keith doesn't really seem sure how to take this. He pets the Arusian's head and says, "Uh, I don't usually hug strangers, but, uh... Man, you are cuddly." I giggle softly in the background.

Suddenly, the Arusian replies in a baritone voice, "Thank you." Keith's eyes widen. I stifle a loud snort. Keith picks up the sound and whirls to face me, his face slightly turning a shade of pink. He's actually very attractive in his paladin uniform. Wait.

WHAT? Did I just think that?

"You're not much of a social guy, are you?" I ask, beginning to walk a circle around him.

"Uh..." Keith trails off, his gaze finding the ground interesting. "N-Not really."

I smile gently at him. "Don't worry. I'm not a fan of all these hugs, either. Here, let me help." I touch the Arusian's horns softly and whisper in his ear, "Please let go of my friend."

He frowns at me, but he lets go and immediately runs up to Hunk to join the dog-pile there. I giggle quietly, and Keith laughs with me. Spotting Allura, I grab Keith's wrist and run. "Quick, let's go before we get caught."

We flee behind a nearby tree, and I drop my Voltron State form. Keith laughs, and his mirth is contagious. I laugh with him. Keith realizes he's pinning me against the tree. He backs up a little bit and blushes shyly. "Um, (Y/N), I-I'm not sure how comfortable..." He trails off, and I pick up on what he's saying.

"It's because I'm the Soul of Voltron, isn't it," I say dejectedly, my face falling.

"N-No," Keith admits. He then flushes tomato red. "I... uh... I, just, um..."

I quirk a brow at him. "You what?"

"N-Nothing."

My cattish senses pick up his nervousness. His heart pounds rapidly, palpitating each time I look him in the eye, and perspiration beads on his temples. He's lying. "Keith..." I lay my hand on his chest, and he looks at me. His breathing speeds up. "Please don't lie to me. I can tell if you're lying."

"(Y/N), please. Please, don't." He pushes me back gently. His walls block me from any sort of actual answer... 

Oh...I know what's going on.

"Keith, are you okay?" I chuckle. "You seem like you're the depressed one instead of me."

"Yes, I'm o - what are you doing?"

I hug Keith. "I'm giving you a hug." I turn my head to look at him. "You clearly weren't hugged enough in your childhood."

Keith blushes again but hugs me anyway. I can't help but breathe in his smell. Almost like...Peppermint. I love the smell of peppermint. Does he know that?

Terrified screams from the village break our hug. "What's going on?" I ask.

Keith is about to reply, "I -"

"Team, come in!" I hear over Keith's communicator. "We need backup!"

"Hello?" Keith questions into the com-link.

I snatch the communicator from Keith's hand. "Shiro?"

"Where is everyone?" Shiro's voice sounds strained.

"What's going on, Shiro?" I ask, darting out from behind the tree to find Allura. The ground thunders, and I look to the sky. A black monolith blocks out the sun for a split-second before a loud crash resounds from a vast distance away. The Arusians whimper fearfully.

"Oh, no," Keith whispers next to me. "We gotta get to our Lions!"

We rush towards the village, but my Voltron State speed allows me to get there before he does. Allura guides the Arusians to a safe cave outside the village. "Everyone, get inside and stay down!" she orders.

Hunk runs by. "I'm on it!" I stare at him.

He suddenly runs into the cave. Keith rolls his eyes and chases him down. He drags poor Hunk from the cave by the collar. He grumbles, "Not you!"

"Shiro, what's your location?" I demand. "The others may be a while, but I can get there in a flash."

"We're—UNGH—at one of the demolished Galra ships!" Shiro yells. "Wait, how are you going to get here? You don't have a lion!"

I smirk. "You'd be surprised." With that, I flash into the air, leaving a crumbled patch of ground where I took off. I don't notice Allura's pleased grin as I speed away with a loud BOOM!

So where is he again? There are lots of demolished Galra ships on Arus.

I spy the monolithic space junk slamming down into the crust near a large Galra ship. Oh. That one. I cover my eyes to shield them from the barrage of upturned dirt. As the dust settles, I shriek, "NO!" I can't believe it.

I was too late.

Suddenly, two large catlike robots emerge from the dirty fog, raising their heads inquisitively. Two small humanoid figures crouch beneath the Lions' protection. Shiro and Pidge. They're alive!

I laugh in gleeful relief and rush towards them, light streaming behind me as I fly. "Shiro! Pidge! You're alright!"

My ears pick up on their conversation. Shiro breathes, "Our lions just saved us."

"I didn't know they could do that," Pidge exclaims. She spies me zooming towards them. "Um, Shiro?"

Shiro sees me, too, and shouts to Pidge in warning, "Get in your lion!"

I flash in between the lions and set down on the dust. "Guys, wait! It's me!"

Suddenly, the space junk opens, revealing a massive robot. Its dark metal armor glints dangerously in the sunlight, and it raises a black torch, a purple orb hovering at its base. The base begins to spin, and the robot slings the orb at the Green Lion.

Pidge desperately fires her laser at the orb, but it's useless. The orb slams into the Green Lion, sending it crashing to the ground. I hear Pidge's strained groaning as she attempts to right herself.

"Pidge!" I cry. I flash over to the Lion, touching its muzzle gingerly. "Pidge, get up!" A loud CLANG! resounds from the battlefield below, and I spy the Black Lion atop the robot's shoulders, clung to its neck. Annoyed, the robot throws the Black Lion off its shoulders and the Black Lion slams into the dirt, bouncing with the force of the impact.

No, I think. Not again! Please, no! God, please don't let this happen again. My mental prayer is met with silence. But then, something happens.

Lasers rain down on the massive robot, and it raises its arm to protect itself.

"Lay down some covering fire so they can get out of there!" Keith orders, maneuvering his lion to attack the space junk with his mouth laser.

Lance speaks up, and I could feel him smirking, "I'm on it!" He continues blasting the piece of Galra equipment.

The Yellow Lion charges the monolithic robot. "Check this out! Battle-lion head-butt!" He rams his lion's head into the Galra weapon, and it topples over.

"You guys okay down there? (Y/N), you're down there with no armor!" Keith chides.

"I'm fine!" My voice booms across the glade like thunder, easily ringing through the Lions. "I'm stronger than I look."

Shiro's voice comes over the communicator I stole from Keith. "Still alive for now. Wait, that's (Y/N) down there?"

"Are the Galra behind this?" I ask, ignoring Shiro's question. I'll have to answer it later.

"I think so," Shiro replies, "but I've never seen anything like it."

"So, what's the plan?" Lance questions. "Shoot at it with everything we've got? Take out its weapon? Call it names?" I chortle at his last suggestion.

Shiro motivates inspiringly, "If we want to take this monster down, there's only one way to do it. Form Voltron!!"

With a vast display of light and a mighty roar, the Voltron Lions bond together, building the most powerful weapon in the universe.

Shiro once again urges us on, "Remember, we are one unit, fighting with one goal."

I hover out of the way as the robot and Voltron clash arms, sparks flying between the two. The robot grapples Voltron furiously, determined to overcome the ultimate weapon of the universe. Voltron swings a powerful uppercut, and the robot staggers away. As it regains its balance, it flicks its metal wrist, and the orb appears behind Voltron.

"Guys! Your six!" I was too late. Again. The orb pounds into the back of Voltron's head, sending it careening forward. Swinging back around, the orb slams into the warrior robot's front, and the impact sends Voltron flying backward.

"I thought Voltron was the most powerful weapon in the universe!" Keith shouts into the comms.

Hunk adds, "Yeah, so how is this thing kicking our butts?"

"Hunk, wouldn't it just be 'butt' the singular?" I ask. "Voltron only has one butt."

"Tell me again, how that's is relevant to beating this thing?" Shiro complains.

"Right, sorry!"

"Jeez, you two act like a married couple," Lance remarks.

Shiro's agitated voice scolds Lance. Lance just laughs.

"Frankly, I'm not sure how I can help," I say. "The robot isn't really leaving an opening for me to jump in."

Silence deadens the communicator. Finally, Keith says, "You're a third human, a third cat, and a third robot, who just so happens to have light speed, and you can't find an opening?"

"I don't have full control over my powers, okay!" I flash to the sky. "It's not like I've had these powers all my life and have loads of time to practice with them!"

The robot's orb slams them from the front again, and Voltron spins before falling on the summit of the mountains before the Arusian village. The pilots inside groan loudly. Shiro gets his bearings first. "Oh, no! The village! We have to protect those people!"

I have to do something! I think. I can't be useless again like I was last time!

The robot looks ready to strike at Voltron again while they're down. I zoom in front of its face, shoving it to the side. "Hey, numskull!" The robot looks around confusedly.

"Over here!" I singsong, waving at the robot flirtatiously. "Come get me, love!" I let the cockney voice and sarcasm drip from my words. Whatever I'm doing, it's working. The robot's chasing me instead of Voltron. My flirtatious voice drops as I taunt the Galra piece of trash further.

"NAH-NAH-NAH BOO-BOO!! YOU CAN'T CATCH ME!" Maybe my powers can be of use. I summon massive rocks from the surface, hefting them with my magic. I pitch them one at a time at the robot. They clang against its metal face, one even cracking the glass on its eye. Good. That thing was creeping me out.

For good measure, I speed past the clouds, turn, rush back towards the crust, and pound my fists through its head. I leave a good-sized dent in its metal surface. "Here you go, boys!" I loop-the-loop and uppercut it back onto the battlefield.

"Whoa, was that dent from the rocks?" an awestruck Lance asks.

I smirk. "Nope. That was from my fists."

Keith laughs over the comms. "Remind me never to get in a fist-fight with you then."

"Will do. Now, kick its butt!"

That's all I say before I'm knocked out cold.

Stupid Galra orb.

"Lion Goddess..."

"Lion Goddess, wake—"

"Do you think..."

"...couldn't..."

I let off a small groan and flash open my eyes. Blinding light forces them shut again. I muster my strength and open them again.

"Sh, the Goddess is coming to," a deep voice echoes.

A ring of Arusians watches me worriedly. As my vision clears, I sit up, and they all let off a sigh of relief.

"What happened?" I ask them.

One says, "You fell from the sky."

"We would have taken you to our healer, but we could not even touch you," the chief adds. "Your skin was burning hot."

"Where are my friends now? Did they win?" I try to get up, but my legs buckle, and I fall back down.

"(Y/N)!" I hear Coran and Allura running towards me. I crane my neck to see them. Allura kneels at my side.

"Did we win?" I moan out.

Allura smiles at me. "Yes, Voltron won, but now we have to get you back to the castle."

Coran adds, "You took a major hit. It's a wonder you're still alive."

I try to laugh, but it comes out as more of a cough. "I'm immortal. I knew that would come in handy sometime." Again, I attempt to stand. Allura and Coran help me regain my balance, and I walk around.

"This is incredible!" Coran looks at me with wonder. "You've already recovered from a fatal hit!"

I quirk a brow at him. "How long was I out?" I ask.

"Only a quintant," the chief says. This only adds to my confusion. How long is a quintant?

Allura catches onto my bewilderment. "About an hour."

"Oh. Where are the others?"

"They're back at the castle." Allura brushes some dust from her attire. "They're sending off the Galra prisoners. They're worried about you."

As soon as she said that, my eyes widen in alarm, and I take off, leaving a cracked spot in the crust. I flash to the castle, skidding to a stop in front of the doors. I sprint to the lounge and burst through those doors. "I'm okay!"

I'm filled with dread as my friends stare at me. I forgot they haven't really had time to accept that I'm not like them. I close my eyes and expect rejection, but it never comes. I feel several pairs of arms wrap around me in a tight embrace. Tears slip down my face, and I pull my friends closer.

"(Y/N), we love you," Pidge says. "I'll always accept you for who you are."

"Same here," adds Hunk.

Shiro grins. "I don't know why you didn't come to us sooner. We were really getting worried. Also, why didn't you wait for Pidge and me to be there when you confessed?" Everyone started laughing.

"Thanks, guys," I say, wiping my eyes. "You're the best."

They all smile softly at me and walk out. Lance hangs behind, however, and I tilt my head in curiosity. "Lance, what's up?"

Before I can comprehend what happened, Lance throws his arms around me. He clings to me like I'm the only thing keeping him steady, and he buries his face into my shoulder. I can feel moisture absorbing into my shirt. He's crying.

"Lance," I soothe, rubbing circles on his back, "what's wrong?"

"I saw you go down during the fight. I wasn't sure if you were okay, and I couldn't even do anything. I didn't know if you were alive. Y-You scared me." He holds me tighter.

I move my hand to rub the back of his head. "It's okay. I'm okay."

"I really care about you, (Y/N). You've been like another sister to me, and I don't want to lose you." He pulls back, drying the tears from his eyes. "Even though I know you have these new powers, it's not going to stop me from worrying. Just be more careful, okay?"

I laugh. "Lance, you almost sound like me."

"Well, you almost always sound like Shiro."

"Uhm..." I blush. Lance chuckles and claps me in the shoulder.

"You're cute when you're flustered," he compliments. His tone turns back solemn. "Just...don't take what I said for granted?"

I smile and nod. "I won't."

Lance grins and leaves me alone in the lounge. I smirk, and I leave the lounge as well. As I walk past the outdoors, I spy Shiro and Pidge sitting together, chatting. I slip behind the wall and eavesdrop on their conversation.

"...I did it to save him," Shiro says.

Pidge stares at him in confusion. "What?"

"My memory of the event came back when we were fighting the monster," explains Shiro. "Your dad was being sent off with the weaker prisoners to a work camp. Meanwhile, Matt and I were forced to fight in the gladiator arena. Matt was going to fight first, but he was scared. We all were. He wanted to see you again.

"Before the guard took him into the arena, I faked bloodlust and attacked him. The Galra were convinced I really wanted a fight." Shiro sighs.

Pidge looks like she's about to cry. Why is everybody in such a weepy mood today? "You saved him?" she questions disbelievingly. "You attacked him so they would choose you instead." The tears were pouring down the sides of her face now as she hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry I doubted you! Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"I can tell you really miss them." Shiro awkwardly hugs her back. "I know they miss you, too. Your brother and father would be proud of you, Katie."

I gasp, and Pidge does, too. Shiro knows?

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

Pidge laughs along. "N-No worries. I know yours, too."

Secret? Shiro has a secret?

"Heh, heh. I thought we were keeping that one under heavy wraps." Shiro's face is a light shade of red.

"I think you should tell her," Pidge says. "It's something she deserves to know."

Shiro stutters, "W-Well, I'm not sure how well (Y/N) would react to that."

Seems like now would be the cliché time to interrupt this pleasant conversation. "How I'd react to what?"

"Oh!" Shiro's face flushes a deeper shade of red. "N-Nothing, really. It's a—uh—little inside joke." Pidge frowns and elbows him in the side. "Ow." Pidge grins up at me and is about to say something when Shiro's hand flashes over her mouth.

I hum and stroke my chin in thought. "This doesn't have something to do with me, does it?"

Pidge smirks at Shiro, who turns into a complete stuttering mess. I laugh. "If you've got something to say, then say it."

We stand in awkward silence for a moment.

"Welp, I'm just gonna go find Rover and do some sciencey stuff," Pidge says. "See ya!" She promptly leaves, abandoning Shiro and me to our lonesome. Bless her savage soul.

"So...?"

Shiro freezes. I quirk a brow at him. He does this when he's scared, but why would he be scared. I notice beads of sweat forming on his temple, and a small tremble in his body breaks the stillness of the moment. Weird. Keith was acting like this earlier.

I sit on the ledge by him. "Shiro, are you okay?" I ask, laying my hand on top of his. "Are you flash-backing again?"

"No, I just... I-I'm not good with girls," he says.

"You seem to do just fine with Pidge."

Shiro sighs. "That's different. I like her like a younger sister, not as a... Y-You know."

"Ooh, does Space Daddy have a little crush?"

An obvious flinch racks his torso, and I chuckle softly.

"(Y/N), making fun of people isn't nice," he scolds.

I ignore his criticism. "Who's the lucky girl?"

Shiro once again freezes up, but this time turning fire engine red. He puts a hand to his face to try to hide it. I put two and two together...

"Shiro, you... like me, don't you?"

He windmills his arms, and his eyes look about as big as saucers. "N-No! I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"You're lying," I sing-song at him. "I can see it in your body language. And your smell changed, too." Man, I need to get these cat instincts under control.

"My smell?" Shiro looks confused.

"Yeah, your scent. The smell that lets me know if you're lying, or happy, or sad." I shrug. "It's a cat thing."

He nods in understanding and rubs his neck sheepishly. "Oh, forgot about your new powers."

I notice the sun falling behind the horizon. "The sunset is beautiful here."

"Yeah," Shiro agrees.

"You know, Shiro, it's not a bad thing to have a crush. In my opinion, it's good for hormonal balance."

"It's just a little hard for me since...you know." Shiro turns away from me. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to..."

I start laughing. "It's okay, Shiro. It didn't bother me." Much.

A chill sweeps across my skin, and I shiver. "We should probably get inside. It's getting dark."

"I'll stay," Shiro says. "I've got some stuff I gotta think through. It hasn't been easy for me to be back in space after barely even getting out of it."

I smile. "Do you want me to stay with you?"

"No," he replies with a shake of his head. "Go do what you gotta do. I'll see you in the morning."

I hum softly and peck his cheek. As I pull back, his face turns red again. "Good night, Shiro. And you might want to do something to cover that sunburn."

A/N: Whew, finished with the editing. I have another chapter underway, guys! I promise!!