Shidge
Five years into war, they have Shiro back
Pidge is 20 Shiro is 7
Haha, kidding, he's 30
But seriously
Time to start writing this angst
Fluff*
Haha! Stupid auto correct.

Katie sighed, sinking off a large boulder and to the gray ground. "Can't we just, I dunno... Go now?"

Keith huffed, then flicked her head. She pouted and swatted at him. "No. For one, Allura isn't here, she's in the Exerton Galaxy. Second, Shiro is making negotiations with the Fentusion's Queen. We need these people as our allies."

"Why?" The green paladin rolled onto her stomach. "They're technology is about as advanced as Earth's tech. That's not by much. How much help can these people be?"

The red paladin shrugged, folding his arms over his chest. "Dunno." Katie groaned, then they both looked up as a thunderous sound burst across the sky.

Both shot to their feet and grabbed their bayards. "Galran?"

Keith pulled his helmet on and it zoomed in on the speeding ship. "No. I don't recognize the symbol on the side or the make of the ship."

Katie studied the ship in the quick time she had before it vanished behind mountains. "Get on your speeder. We've got to go check it out. I'll contact Shiro on my way."

They nodded to each other, then bolted off to their lions.

~

"We're about forty meters from it, now." Katie whispered and Shiro huffed. She barely heard him over the wind rushing into his comm and whistling in his helmet.

"Do not approach until I get there."

"Yes sir." Keith grumbled, then jumped off the boulder he was standing on anyway.

Katie sniggered and followed after him. They used their jetpacks to make the travel down and across easier. Keith waved in front of his as the black smoke billowed onto them.

Both started coughing and turned away as the door fell open, forcing more smoke out into the air.

"Shit, shit!" Keith waved his arm about until he got Katie. He pulled her back out of the smoke as another set of coughs joined theirs. "Fucking hell..."

Katie sucked in the less smokey air, then waved at Shiro's approaching figure.

"Quiznak, you two. Just like you to disobey more orders as I'm giving them."

Katie grinned as she took his offered hand, then took off her helmet. "I was just following him. He did it first."

Keith rolled his eyes and climbed up beside them. "Whatever. Anyway, someone's in there. Neither of us could recognize the model or the logo."

Shiro hummed and nodded as he narrowed his eyes to inspect the ship. "Only one?"

"Unless the rest died, there was only one person coughing. They haven't come out, yet." Katie sighed, then raised her bayard. "But you just might wanna pull your thingy out, just in case."

The black paladin nodded, summoning his bayard.

Keith, being dirty minded after hanging around Katie and Lance too much, snorted at Katie's choice of words. This earned him a playful punch in the arm from the smaller paladin.

"Do we wait for the guy to come out?" Katie sighed and Shiro nodded. "How do we know that he will come out?"

Shiro sighed. "They might not. Hold on." Shiro took a step forward. "I am the black paladin of Voltron! We mean no harm! We wish to help! Who are you? Where do you come from?"

For a moment, only the sparks from the flames were heard. Then they spoke. "Paladins of Voltron?"

"The black, red and green paladins." Shiro confirmed. "Who are you?"

It was another quiet moment before they stepped out of the smoking ship and raised their head. Katie and Shiro froze. "Lieutenant Matthew Holt of the Shicharn Resistance against the Galran Empire, originally from a planet called Earth."

Slowly, realization dawned on Keith. "Oh, shit..."

Katie's hands flew to her mouth and she dropped her helmet. Tears streaked her dirty cheeks, Shiro's eyes wide.

Shiro took off his helmet. "Matthew? You...? You're alive?"

Matthew blinked, then his shoulders tensed. "Shiro? You're the black paladin?" His hand slid slowly behind him.

Katie suddenly lurched forward and Keith hurriedly grabbed her before she went tumbling off the boulder. "Matthew! Matt!"

"Katie!?" Matthew's stance straightened while also stiffening. "What... How..? You're...?"

Shiro jumped down from the boulder. "Matthew, oh my God, we've been looking for you! Have you been with this resistance this whole time!?"

Matthew took a stepped back. "Stay back!" Matthew snapped, eyes hardening.

Keith got a sinking feeling in his gut and he kept a tight hold on Katie. "Shiro..."

The black paladin froze at Matthew's abruptly angry words. "Matthew?"

The young man sneered, then yanked out a small blaster that looked more similar to an Earth gun. "Damn you, Shiro! I thought you would be the last person to be like this! And to bring someone to act as my sister? How cruel can you get!?"

Keith's teeth clicked together as Katie froze in his arms. "Matthew? No, no- it's me... It's Katie, your sister..." She whimpered. Keith began to pull her back.

"You're not my sister." Matthew growled, tightening his grip on his blaster. "My sister is safe on Earth with my mother. She wouldn't be out here, trying to overthrow Zarkon to control the galaxy for herself and the rest of Voltron."

"What!?" Shiro jolted back. "No- Matt, that's not-"

"Don't call me that!" Matthew snapped, finger flying to the trigger.

Katie wailed and started fighting in Keith's grip. "Matthew! Matthew, please, it's not- it's me!" She managed to get out of Keith's grasp and bolted forward.

"No!" Keith shouted, darting after her.

Shiro lashed his arms out, trying to grab at her, but Katie was just out of reach. "Katie, no-"

"Don't go to him!"

"Stay back!"

"Matthew, I-"

A sound like an explosion ripped through the air. It pierced their ears, making an irritable ringing echo through their heads.

Shiro hunched over, hands over his ears as his sight blurred. His head pounded and he couldn't tell if he was in any actual pain or not.

Everything hurt, but was numb at the same time.

"Katie... Katie?" He called out to her, or thought he did, at least. Shiro reached out, searching for the youngest paladin as he stumbled through the rocks and broken metal from the ship.

Red pooling in the gray dirt and on the gray rocks made him freeze.

The ringing started to clear and he could see more easily.

"Katie?" Shiro could hear his voice shake. "Keith?"

"Here... Over here..." Keith coughed and pulled himself on top of a boulder. "Shit... Shit... Pidge, where's Pidge?"

Shiro groaned, raising his head to look around. The ship still smoked, a small flicker of fire coming from inside. He spotted their speeders at the top of the ridge. Matthew was no longer in sight.

He blinked.

Wait... Red...

Shiro gasped and looked back down. "Katie!"

The black paladin scrambled over and fell to his knees. "Katie- Katie, holy shit- oh my God!"

The green paladin's breaths were quick and weak, whimpers and sobs falling from her trembling, red lips. Her chestplate was unscathed, so what-?

Shiro's breath caught and his chest tightened. "Shit! Keith! Go get help!" He cried, pressing his hands down firmly on Katie's abdomen. She cried out in pain and Shiro winced at the blood seeping through his fingers.

"But the pod-"

"We don't have time to wait for the pods! Go get help! I'll contact Allura and stay with Katie!"

Keith nodded, then shot up the ridge to his speeder with the help of his jetpack.

Shiro looked back down to Katie, tears streaking from her eyes and into her hairline. "Katie, Katie, look at me. Look at me." She listened and locked her wide eyes on him. Katie cried and lashed out. Katie clutched onto Shiro's arms.

"It's okay, it's okay!" Shiro shouted, putting pressure onto her abdomen with his prosthetic to brush her hair out of her face. He winced as her blood stood out on her pale skin. "I'm right here. I'm not leaving." Katie nodded with a whimper. "Keith is going to be right back with some help... You'll be okay..."

"It hurts... It hurts..." She sobbed, grip tightening on his arms. Shiro nodded, then glanced down to his hand on her wound. He flinched as he raised his hand and red gushed from her. He asserted more pressure to the wound, causing her to cry out. "T-Takashi!"

Shiro leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers. "I'm right here, Katie. Keep your eyes on mine. Stay awake, keep looking at me."

Katie sobbed, but looked back into his eyes. "Matt... I want Matt... I want my brother... And dad... I want dad..."

The black paladin gulped, then nodded. "I know... I know."

The sound of sirens and Keith's speeder had relief coursing through him. "Keith's back... You'll be okay..."

Katie nodded, breathing shallow and pained. "Shiro... Shiro..."

"Shiro!"

The black paladin looked up to Keith as the younger paladin rushed down. "I got the medics, but they can't come down. We have to bring her up to them."

Shiro's jaw clenched, then he looked down at Katie. "Alright, but we have to somehow keep pressure on the wound. She'll bleed out if we don't."

Keith nodded. "Okay. Hey, get ready!" He shouted up to the Fentusions. "We're bringing her up! She's bleeding a lot!"

~

"Have you contacted the others?"

Shiro jolted at the sudden question, then glanced over his shoulder to look at Keith. He sighed, his shoulders dropping. "No... I haven't..."

Keith shook his head, then rubbed his face. "Shiro, we have to get them back here so we can get Pidge in a pod."

"I know, I know." Shiro nodded, walking over, then sitting down. "Alright, I'll do that now."

Shiro swipped the armor on his forearms, then touched one of the glowing buttons.

The comm clicked before Allura spoke. "Shiro? What took so long?"

The black paladin gulped. "Katie... She was shot..."

Allura gasped and fumbled around on the other line. "What!? Shot!? How- who would-"

"Her brother."

The princess went silent. There was a shuffled and Shiro thinks she must be sitting down to gather herself. "Matthew? Why would he shoot her? She's his sister, you'd think he would-"

"Allura, please, I-..." Shiro cut her off. Keith placed a hand on his shoulder. "They still won't let us in to see her. Is there any chance you could wrap up your business?"

Allura sighed. "It's already wrapped up. I just need to find Lance and Coran in the mall."

"Where's Hunk?" Keith chipped in, putting on his helmet.

"He's repairing the damage to the training deck. I'll call Lance and see if he has his helmet. I'll get there as quickly as possible."

Shiro closed his eyes. "Thank you, princess."

Allura was quiet a moment. "No need to thank me, Shiro." Then her line went dead.

Keith stared at Shiro a moment, then flinched back as Shiro shouted and threw his helmet after angrily ripping it off his head. "I can't- how could he do this!" Shiro snapped, tears building up in his eyes.

"Black paladin?"

Shiro and Keith both paused, then looked up at the medic. Fentusion's were similar to humans in many aspect, like the Alteans were. However, none had any type of bodily hair, their eyes were completely black or a dark blue, and their skin had a marble effect of all kinds of colors that faded as they got older. This Fentusion was a mix of blues and greens. Her hands were over her chest and her head was lowered in respect. "You may go see the green one, now."

Shiro's shoulders fell in relief as he got to his feet. "Thank you."

~

Shiro took Katie's hand as he sat in the metallic chair beside the hovering bed the smaller paladin was lain in. Keith stood beside Shiro once he came back from talking to one of the medics.

"Shanté said that she's going to need help breathing until she's in one of our pods. That's what that thing is on her nose and why her head is tilted like that." Keith murmured and Shiro just nodded.

He rubbed up and down her arm and kissed her knuckles. "We need to find Matthew."

Keith's hands clenched into fists as his jaw tightened. "After he shot her?" He managed to keep his voice low.

Shiro nodded. "I need to know why he'd shoot at us... Why he hates us... Have him as a prisoner more than a guest."

The red paladin studied the older, then breathed deeply. "Okay. I'll figure something out. It's not like the castle has a dungeon or anything. I'll leave you alone."

"'Kay." Shiro whispered, eyes on the youngest paladin's face.

As Keith left, Shiro reached over and pet Katie's hair back. Her hair had grown much longer in five years, despite her many attempts at keeping it short. About two years previous, she gave up completely and just let it grow, only letting Lance trim it when her split ends began driving him nuts. Shiro liked her long hair. It was more Katie than Pidge. However, it probably wasn't the best idea to have long hair in a battle.

Shiro looked up to the heart monitor in the wall. A steady, calm heart beat with steady, soft breathing.

Suddenly, her breathed hitched. Shiro looked back down to her and scooted closer. "Katie?"

Her brows furrowed and she rolled her head. "T... Taka...shi?"

Shiro pet her hair back out of her face. "I'm here, Katie. I'm right here."

Katie's eyes fluttered before opening. She looked up at him. "What happened?"

"You were shot." Shiro whispered and she nodded.

"Right... Right... Can I move? Was I in a pod?"

"No." Shiro sighed through his nose. "If you move you could tear it open, and I think the castle just arrived. We can't get you in a pod just yet."

Katie nodded slowly, then Shiro looked over his shoulder as the door opened.

"Oh my goodness, Pidge, are you alright?" Allura and Hunk rushed over, Allura immediately taking Katie's other hand.

"Could be better." The green paladin huffed. "Where's Lance and Keith? Fucking in the janitor's closet?"

Hunk chuckled. "If only... No, they're out hunting down- uh, no- looking for your... Brother..."

Katie blinked, then gulped. "My brother..." She breathed deeply, bottom lip quivering.

Shiro brushed his knuckles over her cheeks, turning her attention to him. "Don't think about it, okay? Think about your lab, finding your father, your projects- think about your mother."

The smallest paladin's eyes fluttered shut. She took deep breaths. Shiro hummed, looking up to Allura and Hunk.

"I want to go home..." Shiro nodded. Katie whimpered. "I want to go home..."

~

Shiro stayed by the pod or at least nearby, making sure he was there when she woke up. He steadied Katie as the pod opened and she rested on his chest.

"Did they find him?" She whispered and Shiro sighed.

"Yes... He's locked in one of the lower level rooms."

Katie looked to the floor, clutching his arm. "Why? Why did he...?"

Shiro helped her sit on the stairs, then knelt in front of her. "It seems the resistance Matthew was with had made him believe Voltron is the enemy... That Voltron is at fault for this war and we're not here to save people... He thinks we're here to conquer and control like Zarkon and Lotor have..."

"But we're not..." She whimpered, her building tears not leaving her eyes.

"I know..." Shiro lowered his head, taking her hands. "I know, Katie... I don't suggest you go down there. He doesn't believe you're you. Matt thinks you're an imposter. A chamelion. He thinks you're still on Earth with your mother."

Katie nodded. "Okay... At least he's safe."

Shiro smiled, then leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "You're so brave. I'm honored to have you as my teammate, Katie."

Her amber eyes sparkled at him as a small smile built on her lips. "Really?"

Shiro chuckled. "Really. Come on. Let's get you dressed."

Katie nodded and let him help her stand. "Thank you, Shiro."

"You don't need to thank me." Shiro grabbed a blanket and wrapped the fabric around her shoulders. "You'd do the same for me."

-----

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