AN EXPLOSION!!

A huge pressure wave hit you. You flew quite a way slamming straight into the floor. And you felt a sharp pain on your left shoulder as you landed.

Your ears were ringing loudly, and your head started to ache immediately. It even hurt to cough. And the whole place was suddenly filled with dust and smoke.

"Lance!?" You tried calling his name when you couldn't see him. "LANCE!" You yelled once more. But no answer. You tried to get up, but your whole body was aching and the pain in your left shoulder kept getting worse. "Shit." You cursed out loud as the sharp pain cut you and you couldn't get up.

And then you heard Shiro's voice. "Lance!? (Y/N)!? Are you here!?" His voice echoed in the room even though you couldn't see him. "I'm here Shiro!" You yelled with a shivering voice, trying to keep yourself calm. And then you heard footsteps coming towards you.

Keith ran to you with a worried look on his face. "You okay (Y/N)?" He asked while trying to help you up. But as you tried to get to your feet, the sharp pain cut you again and you slumped back on the ground. And you screamed from the pain. "Shit!" You cursed again. You weren't used to that kind of pain. It just cut through you instantly and made you immobile.

"Where are you hurt?" Keith lowered himself to his knees and looked at you. But you kind of disregarded him as you were trying to block the pain away. It was just so numbing.

Soon the rest rushed in. You could only see their shadows because of the smoke still lingering in the room. But they all stopped and stared at the devastating sight of the now destroyed control room. "What happened here!? Lance!?" Hunk asked with shock in his voice. And you still couldn't see where Lance was. What had happened to him?

You looked at Keith with worry in your eyes. "Is Lance okay?" You asked from him, but Keith disregarded that, wanting to know your state. "(Y/N), tell me are you hurt!?" He asked again. "I'm fine..." You finally answered him as you coughed, trying to bear the pain. And then the ringing in your ears started to fade away.

And as the smoke started to clear up, you finally saw Lance lying on the ground. Allura just sat down next to him, lifting his head to her lap. And you had to go see if he was all right, so you started to get up. You flinched from the pain but tried to block it out as well as you could.

Keith got up too and tried to help you. And as you finally got up, you took a couple of breaths, trying to calm your mind. Then you made your way to Shiro, who was just checking for Lance's vital signs. "What happened in here!?" He asked as you approached him.

You kneeled down next to Lance and looked at him. He looked so vulnerable, just lying there, immobile. "It was an explosion. We saw Rover. I think..." You explained as your voice started to shiver. "I think Lance saved me." You were able to say before your eyes started to get teary.

"We have to take him to the healing pod!" Pidge raised her voice, ready to run out immediately. But Allura stopped her. "We can't. The crystal is broken. It was a bomb. Without the energy source, we can't do anything." Allura stated with a sorrowful voice. And everyone gasped. What could you do? Lance needed help!

On top of that, suddenly the Arusian King came running in. "Lion warriors! Our village is under attack! We need help!" He yelled in panic. "Into your Lions!" Keith yelled straight away, ready to go help them. But he was also stopped by Allura. "You can't. They are locked in their hangars." She said crushed.

Everyone looked at each other horrified. What was happening? Suddenly everything was a mess. The castle was in shambles and Lance was in a bad condition. "Will you not help us?" The Arusian King also asked concerned. "This is bad." Hunk mumbled. And everyone looked so devastated. Everyone felt beaten since you didn't know what to do. You started to breathe more rapidly and felt like your mind started to panic.

"We have to get a new crystal to operate the ship." Coran explained, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. "Where are we going to get that?" Keith asked anxiously. "We need to find a Balmera. But to get there, we need a ship." Coran explained while spreading his arms, clearly feeling helpless.

"We can use the pod I was loading. I left the bay door open." Pidge said a bit hesitantly. And you looked at her. Was she still going to leave? Still after she promised you? And it was like Pidge had known what you were thinking as she didn't even look towards you. But you looked at her, your eyes getting teary again. Suddenly you felt like you were falling apart.

But her plans of leaving helped you out at the moment. Coran cheered up and started to make plans straight away. There was no time to lose. "Good, I can scan the nearby area to see if there's a Balmera there. Hunk, you come with me. I need a strong one to help me carry it." Coran urged Hunk as he was leaving. And Hunk didn't even have to think twice as they were already out. "Be careful!" Allura still encouraged them as they left.

Pidge went to escort them to the pod. And as she was leaving, she looked back at you. And you could see her teary eyes. She gazed at you apologetically as she hurried out of the room.

"I'll go see what's happening at the village." Keith said looking at the Arusian King, who was still standing there in slight panic. "You go with him (Y/N)." Shiro ordered you. And you nodded, even though you were still feeling like you would crumble down any second. But before you started leaving, you still glanced at Lance who had his head on Allura's lap. You really hoped that he was going to be okay.

But as you were getting up, the pain you had blocked out, came back stronger than before. You stumbled back down on your knees as the sharp pain cut through you again. And it felt like hell. "(Y/N)!?" Keith yelled as he ran to you. "What's wrong (Y/N)!?" Allura asked worried. "I..I can't move my left arm..." You said, shivering under the pain.

Shiro immediately kneeled down next to you. "Can I try?" He asked after observing you. And you nodded at him. Then he took a hold of your left arm. With the other hand he grabbed your shoulder and slightly moved it. It sent a piercing pain through your arm. And you screamed from the pain. "What are you doing? Can't you see she's hurting!" Keith yelled agitated.

But Shiro just ignored Keith's yelling. "(Y/N), your shoulder is dislocated." He said to you calmly. "I can't function. It hurts like hell." You said with a trembling voice. But then Shiro lifted your chin up and looked at you straight in the eyes. "(Y/N), I can put it back, but it will hurt. Can you handle it?" He asked, still as calm as ever.

You looked at Shiro. And those reassuring eyes always made you feel comfortable. You really felt like everything would be all right with him. So you took a deep breath and nodded. You could handle it.

Shiro didn't hesitate as he started to take the armour off from your arm and upper body. And you groaned. You knew he tried his best not to hurt you, but every little move made a sharp stinging pain go through your body.

"Keith, come help me." Shiro ordered Keith, who was standing a bit farther. "You have to keep her still. She cannot move." Shiro explained to Keith. And he quickly came next to you and lowered himself to his knees.

Keith hesitated at first, but then he put his right hand behind your neck and turned your head towards him. With his left hand he took a firm grip on your back. He looked at you while he pulled you close to his chest. And you could feel his breath brushing against your face. He held you tight so you wouldn't move.

Shiro looked at Keith, who nodded at him. "Are you ready?" Shiro then asked you. And you took a deep breath. "I am." You quietly said as you looked up at Keith, who gave you a reassuring nod. Then you prepared for the pain and tensed up. You felt Keith's hold tighten around you as Shiro moved your arm carefully. And then he popped your shoulder back.

A sudden stinging pain went through your body. You screamed and leaned closer to Keith. And as tears started pouring from your eyes, the pain slowly started to fade. And you cursed aloud. But Keith never let go of you, and somehow the tight hold he had made you feel a bit better. It made you feel safe.

"Did it work?" Shiro asked calmly. You took a couple of breaths, trying to calm your fast beating heart. Then you wiped your tears, lifted your head and looked at Shiro. "Yes, the pain is starting to fade. "You answered him, your voice still slightly shivering.

Then you started to move away from Keith. For a moment it felt like he didn't want to let go of you, but eventually he did. You carefully tried to move your arm. And it moved, even though it still felt stiff.

And even though you still felt a bit dizzy and aching, you started to get up. Keith again helped you as he saw you slightly staggering. "Thanks Keith." You gave him a small smile. And he just nodded back at you, like it had been no big deal.

"Go see what's happening in the village. I'll tend to Lance." Shiro said to Keith, who nodded and started rushing away. "Wait, Keith, I'll come with you! (Y/N) can't go and I brought this on the poor Arusians." Allura suddenly stated as she got up from the floor.

And after Keith and Allura left, you went to Lance. You looked at his calm but hurt face and let out a sorrowful sigh. Just moments ago, you had been laughing together with him. And now you felt so helpless. He saved you and you couldn't help him. "You dummy, thanks for saving me." You whispered to Lance as you planted a kiss on his forehead. It felt so warm even though he was so still.

"Don't worry (Y/N)." Shiro said as he realised that you were really struggling. Then he took a deep breath. He seemed worried too, even though he wouldn't say it aloud. But then he got up. "Let's go." He took a hold of Lance and lifted him on his shoulder. You got up feeling your body aching, but you still followed Shiro as he carried Lance out from the control room.

You walked a bit behind them and looked as Shiro was carrying your unconscious friend. Lucky that Lance wasn't heavy. He was tall but slim, so Shiro didn't have any trouble carrying him. But still, he looked so fragile now, lying on Shiro's shoulder.

"He will get better." Shiro said without hesitation, like he knew what you were thinking. How could he keep so calm in a situation like that? When you on the other hand started to feel like really panicking. You really felt like everything was crumbling down. Was this the life of a Paladin? To worry if one of you will even see another day?

But when you looked back at Shiro, you knew that you could learn so much from him. That's why he was the leader. "I trust you." You quietly said. "If I had just realised it was..." You continued to talk when Shiro suddenly interrupted you by stopping. And you stopped too.

"Sendak..." Shiro almost hissed under his breath. You looked ahead, and to your horror, you could see Sendak at the entrance of the castle. It was the same Galra that you had seen once before. He had the same vile energy surrounding him as he walked towards you. And his smirk sent shivers down your spine. His left arm was also prosthetic, just like Shiro's, but bigger. And behind him was other Galra wheeling a large crystal inside the castle. What were they up to?

That's when Shiro put Lance down to the side of the hallway. "You stay with Lance. Keep him safe." Shiro looked at you seriously. And you couldn't say anything back, you just nodded. Your mind was a muddy mess. You had thought that in a time of crisis, you would be more focused and composed, but now you felt like you were just crumbling down under the pressure. It was all too much.

You crouched down next to Lance and tried to move him into a comfortable position. "Stand aside!" Sendak said with a threatening voice as Shiro started approaching him. "You're not getting in!" Shiro stated clearly as his prosthetic arm started to glow in purple. He also looked threatening now that he was so serious. But his arm still looked so small compared to Sendak's upgraded prosthetic arm.

And just then Sendak's arm rocketed towards Shiro and grabbed him in an instant, starting to drag him towards the entrance. Shiro didn't even have time to react. And even though Shiro fought back as well as he could, Sendak had soon brought him close, hitting him with force. And then they started to fight.

And just then, you almost stood up. You thought about intervening since you couldn't help Lance anyways now. But something was holding you back. You saw how Shiro attacked Sendak and how Sendak evaded every time. And even though Shiro was soon starting to get exhausted, something was still holding you back.

"I see you've spent some time with the druids. They do love to experiment. Too bad you didn't get the latest model." Sendak said as his prosthetic arm suddenly sent Shiro flying back towards you.

"Shiro!" You yelled as he fell to the ground exhausted. And even though he was clearly hurting and struggling, he still tried to get up. And as Sendak started to walk closer to you, with a frighteningly calm demeanor, you knew you had to finally act or otherwise you would be finished.

You finally gathered your courage and stood up. You took out your bayard and let it turn into your fighting staff. Then you went to stand in front of Shiro defiantly even though your body was slightly trembling. But you remembered what Allura had said when she told about your Lion. Peaceful but with sharp claws when needed to. This time you couldn't avoid. You had to hurt.

"(Y/N), don't..." You heard Shiro's voice from the floor behind you, but you wouldn't hear of it. You took a few steps forward. You took your fighting stance, and waited. And that made Sendak stop. He looked at you and suddenly started to laugh.

"Are you trying to stop me with that stick of yours?" Sendak's laughter was deep and sadistic. And you were too frightened to say anything back. You just stood your ground as he looked at you wondering. "Fine. Have it your way." Sendak still said as his arm rocketed towards you.

You waited, looking at the approaching arm. And just as it was about to hit, you jumped to the side and started to run towards Sendak as fast as you could. And before his arm could reach back to him, you had already swung your staff to Sendak's side.

You silently cried in pain as you felt a sharp twinge in your shoulder from the impact. You knew you just had to block the pain away for now. And you were good at it. Heck, you had done it so many times in your life that you had gotten used to it.

From your hit, Sendak slightly gasped and stumbled backwards. You stopped and gazed at him enraged. Then you hit your staff again, this time to his shoulder. And when you saw his arm trying to grab you, you tried evading it. But before you could move further, his arm already punched you. You were too slow and the arm hit your body.

You screamed as you flew back and hit the wall. Your breath was taken away as you fell on the ground. "(Y/N)!" You heard Shiro shouting. And as you glanced at him, you saw him trying to get up. But you had no time to worry about him as you saw Sendak approaching you again.

And just as Sendak was about to hit you again, Shiro suddenly charged towards him. He surprised Sendak and landed a hit. And that's when Sendak's attention was drawn to Shiro again. They started clashing their arms again.

That's when you saw an opening and decided to act. You got up and ran to them. And while Sendak had his attention on Shiro, you jumped up while swinging you staff in a large arc. But Sendak saw you coming and blocked the hit easily by taking a hold of your staff. He swung you around with force, sending you flying back again. And this time you hit the ground harder. You coughed as your eyes started to blur.

And just then you heard a sudden sound next to you. You looked up, and saw a Galra pointing a gun at your head. "Stop, or your friend won't make it." The Galra said while pressing the gun closer. And that's when Shiro stopped, beaten.

"Shiro, don't!!!" You still tried to yell at him when the Galra hit you to the back of your head with the gun, and you fell unconscious.

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(A/N) Oh, another cliffhanger! Thank you for reading again!