You woke up to a horrible headache. Your body was aching and you felt a bit nauseous. And as you slowly opened your eyes, you realised that you were in the control room, again. Now lying on the floor, your hands tied behind your back.

You looked around while your mind just went numb. You saw Lance next to you. His hands weren't tied and he still seemed unconscious. At least that's what you hoped for. And that's when you heard Sendak's voice from the center of the room.

You turned to look and saw him standing in front of the screen. "Haxus, ready the castle for a takeoff." He spoke to someone through the screen. "Yes, Commander." Someone answered him. And again hearing Sendak's voice sent shivers down your spine. You had never heard such a devious tone in someone's voice.

Just then you felt as the castle started to rumble underneath you. "Raising particle barrier. Begin launch sequence." Sendak said again. And you gasped. Were they trying to leave with the castle!? Where was everyone else!?

Then you heard Shiro's voice next to you. "(Y/N), you're awake. Are you okay?" Shiro whispered quiet enough so that Sendak wouldn't hear it. And as you turned around, your whole body started aching again. But at least Shiro was there and he was alright.

Shiro also had his hands tied up behind his back. He was on his knees on the floor and he looked like he had been beaten. He had some bruises and some dried up blood on his face. And you smiled sadly as you looked at him. "I'm so glad to see you." You let out a deep relieved breath as you whispered to him.

"How long was I out?" You asked since you had no idea how you had gotten back to the control room. "Not too long." Shiro just answered while gazing at Sendak.

"Is Lance still..." You started asking, but stopped. You didn't know if you really wanted to ask that. You were afraid of what Shiro might tell you. But he just nodded at you calmly. "He's still unconscious." Shiro answered reassuringly. And you sighed from relief.

Then you turned your attention to Sendak. "What are they going to do?" You whispered to Shiro. "I think they are trying to take the Lions to Zarkon. They had their own crystal. And as they have the barrier up...I think the others are locked outside." He told you hesitantly.

"But, maybe Keith and Allura were able to get back into the castle in time?" You still tried grasping at straws. But Shiro looked at you seriously. "I don't think so. I think it's just us three." He said while glancing at Lance. And suddenly you felt so empty. You might never see the others again. Just as you were about to become a real team, it might all fall apart.

"Shut up maggots!" You startled at the sudden yell. And you immediately felt as your heart started to beat fast. You turned around and saw Sendak approaching you. "You are all alone now." He said while smirking at you. And you tried to look away so he couldn't see the fear on your face. How did he have such a strong influence on you?

But Sendak saw you trying to hide your face. "You're mine now!" He took a hold of your hair and lifted your head up forcefully. It hurt like hell, but you wouldn't scream. You didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing how you were hurting.

"Sendak, stop it!" Shiro tried to yell. But Sendak wasn't listening. He looked at you straight in the eyes. His other eye was also some kind of a prosthetic one, and his other eye glowed in yellow. And as you looked into them, it felt like you could look straight into his vile soul. You tried your hardest to keep your composure, but you started to feel nauseous from all the pain.

"Your friends aren't coming for you." Sendak laughed his sadistic laughter as he leaned his head even closer. "Sendak!" Shiro tried to sound threatening, but he was too helpless being tied up.

Then Sendak looked at you from your head to toe. "The druids are going to love you." He said and you suddenly felt yourself go limp. "Who knows, maybe they won't stop the experiments to just one arm." Sendak added with a wide smirk.

"Stop it!" Shiro yelled as he suddenly jumped up on his feet and tried to kick Sendak away from you. But Sendak evaded it and slammed you back down. And you screamed as your body hit the floor.

Sendak immediately took a hold of Shiro instead and repressed him back on the ground. And he could do nothing to defend himself. He growled as his head was pressed down.

"You humans. How I despise you. Why do you keep trying to help each other. Pitiful. You won't succeed." Sendak smirked as he finally let go of Shiro. And when Shiro was free, he immediately glared back, breathing heavily with a fresh cut on his forehead.

Sendak looked at the two of you and laughed. Then he walked back to the screens. And as you looked at Shiro, you knew you both had the same expressions on your faces. It was sadness mixed with the realisation that you might not make it. You were helpless.

You leaned closer to Shiro. "Isn't there anything we can do?" You whispered with a trembling voice and Shiro's expression immediately changed. He looked like he was carrying all the problems in the world on his back. "I have been trying to figure that out, but I don't know." He said while averting his gaze. "What a leader I am. I can't even protect you." He added.

You looked at Shiro and saw pain in his eyes. The pain of once losing his crew, and the possibility that it might happen again. The pain of old wounds starting to open up again. And suddenly he seemed so fragile. It was a side of Shiro you hadn't seen yet, as he was always so composed.

"Shiro." You said his name with a firm tone. "Without you, we wouldn't probably even get along. At least Lance and Keith. And you've helped Pidge a lot too. You always make us feel comfortable and we trust you. So, shut up. You are an excellent leader." You spoke from your heart looking at him straight in the eyes. And his eyes widened with surprise.

And after a moment of silence, Shiro let out a small laughter. "Thanks (Y/N). I'll try to live up to that then." He said seemingly more relieved than before. And that's when you felt the castle calm down from the launch. "The main engine just shorted out!" Sendak's ally reported instantly.

You turned to look at the screen in front of Sendak. And from there you saw an image of Pidge running somewhere in the castle. And you gasped. Your heart almost burst with joy as you saw her. "Oh Pidge, you are the best." You silently said as you smiled. You were always happy to see Pidge, but now you were especially happy. She was so brave.

"We have a saboteur. Find him and take him out." Sendak stated with a frightfully calm tone. Then he opened up the speakers. And from there you heard Allura's voice. She was telling Pidge what to do. And you almost broke down to tears. They were trying to stop Sendak. They were trying to save the castle and you.

"There's not much time before they get the ship running again. You must shut off the particle barrier so we can get in." Allura's voice echoed in the room. We? Was she with Keith? And for some reason, the thought that Keith was with her, trying to help you out, seemed to make you feel slightly better.

You had a feeling that Keith was the kind of person who would go to the world's end to help out his friends. At least for the ones he accepted as his friends. Keith had that kind of fire in him that was hard to find. The fire that seemed to burn uncontrollably and without restraints. And just as you again realised what you were thinking, you snapped out of your thoughts. And you mentally chuckled. For a focused person you were really unfocused sometimes.

"Find that room. Kill the Paladin." Sendak said to his ally. And you let out a deep breath. You really hoped that Pidge would be alright. "She will be safe." Shiro whispered like he had read your mind. And that's when you turned to look at him. He had just called Pidge a she, not a he. You looked into Shiro's eyes, like you were inspecting him. And then you smiled. He knew Pidge's secret.

And just then you heard grunting and shouting through the speakers. Sendak tensed up. "Haxus?" He tried to contact his ally. But nothing. "Haxus, report in!" Sendak repeated. But no report. And you could see Sendak getting nervous.

Then Pidge's voice echoed through the speakers. "Haxus is gone, and you're next!" She yelled at Sendak, her voice so full of confidence. And you almost laughed aloud. She was safe! But Sendak growled, clearly getting angry. "You will turn yourself over to me immediately!" He stated with a threatening tone. "Never!" Pidge yelled defiantly.

Sendak was silent for a moment. Then he lifted his head up and smirked. "Maybe your friends can convince you." Sendak said as he turned towards you and Shiro. And your heart started to race as he confidently started to make his way over to you two.

"What do you want!?" Shiro growled as Sendak was getting closer to you. "(Y/N), Shiro!?" You heard Pidge yell on the speakers as she heard Shiro's voice. "Pidge, we're fine!" Shiro yelled back at her, convincing her not to worry.

And as you looked at Sendak, you realised that he was heading towards Shiro. He was staring at him, probably thinking about all the ways he would make him suffer. And you knew you had to do something. If someone was going to die that day, it couldn't be Shiro. Not him of all the people. He was the leader, he was irreplaceable. You on the other hand weren't, you thought.

You glanced at Shiro, who just gazed at Sendak defiantly. He clearly tried to brace himself for the up and coming attack. And you felt like you started to panic. Shiro was all you got now. You needed him. You knew you had to do something.

As unnoticed as you could, you got on your knees, crouching. "Pidge, don't listen to..." Shiro started to yell as Sendak was reaching out for him. But you cut him off when you pushed with your legs and leaped towards Sendak. "Shiro, look out!" You yelled as you slammed right into Sendak's side, making him back away from Shiro.

Since your hands were tied, you couldn't keep your balance and landed stumbling down in front of Sendak. And he flinched a bit by the surprise. Shiro also startled from your actions. "(Y/N), don't!!" He yelled as he realised what you tried to do.

Soon Sendak looked down and the same smirk came back to his face. He took a hold of your throat and lifted you up. And you started to feel like you couldn't breathe as the pressure was trying to choke you. And you started to wriggle in Sendak's grasp, trying to get off. "Sendak! Not her, you want me!!" Shiro tried to yell, but Sendak glanced at him and smirked even wider.

"You must want this bad." Sendak said as he leaned his face close to yours. "I wonder if everyone in your planet is similar. Perhaps it would be worth the trip to your planet to see if the rest of your kind have your spirit." He said with his voice low. "(Y/N)!!" You still heard Shiro yell before Sendak put his prosthetic hand on your chest and electrocuted you.

You felt as a huge amount of electricity went through your body. And you screamed. "(Y/N)!?" You heard Pidge yell through the speakers. But the warm static that went through you, made you lose consciousness. The last thing you remembered thinking was that you didn't want to leave. Then your body hit the ground and you fell unconscious.

----------

You started to hear voices. You felt someone free your hands and lift you up a bit, like you were in someone's lap. And that someone was touching your face and feeling your pulse. "Is she okay!?" You knew that voice, it was Pidge. She sounded concerned. And then you heard another voice closer to you. "She's breathing! She's just unconscious." It was Keith's relieved voice.

Then your consciousness started to return to you. And so did the aching in your body. You started to open your eyes carefully. "She's coming to it!" Keith yelled next to you. And as you opened your eyes, you saw Keith's face above your own.

You realised that you rested in Keith's lap and he was looking at you with worry in his eyes. And as you really realised where you were, you slightly breathed. How glad you were to see him.

"(Y/N), are you okay?" Keith asked you concerned. And just then Pidge ran to you. "(Y/N), are you okay!?" She asked, her face appearing above your own. "Yeah...I think so." You said, trying to clear your throat. But it was dry and sore so all you got out was a whisper.

Then you started to get up, even though your whole body felt stiff and aching. "Try not to move too fast." Keith said with a firm tone as he took a hold of your arm and helped you up slowly.

As you were up, you looked around. The whole place seemed to be a mess. "What happened?" You asked after a cough. "We trapped Sendak and saved the castle." Pidge looked at you while lifting her glasses and smiling proudly. And you looked at her amazed. Her proud smile lightened up the whole room and you couldn't help yourself but smile too. "You did good then." You let out a laughter.

Then Pidge suddenly jumped on to hug you. You were surprised and almost fell down, still feeling weak. But then you felt Keith's hand on your back, helping you keep your balance as Pidge hugged you so tightly. And you glanced at him and smiled as you got your balance back.

"I'm so glad you're alright. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't." Pidge sobbed a bit. And you hugged her back and smiled. "Not leaving any time soon." You answered her reassuringly. And then she finally let you go.

Just then Shiro stormed into the room. And as he saw that you were awake, he frowned. He seemed really angry. And you held your breath. You had never seen that look on Shiro's face. It was a mix of anger and relief. "(Y/N), what the hell was that!?" Shiro said firmly as he came closer to you. And you slightly flinched at Shiro's tone and readied yourself for the scolding.

But as Shiro came to you, he wrapped his arms around you tightly. "What the hell were you thinking, getting electrocuted for me. Are you stupid!?" He held you tightly as he spoke. And you almost broke down to tears because of his warm hug. You felt that you were finally safe.

"I'm sorry. I thought that it was better me than you." You said to him timidly. And that's when he let you go and looked at you. "What are you talking about?" He asked frowning. "You are much more worth than I am." You answered him with a shivering voice.

Shiro looked at you for a moment, then again wrapped his arms around you. "Don't ever say that. It's not true. But thank you. You stupid reckless Quiznak!" He said with slight joy in his voice. And you couldn't help but burst out to giggles from Shiro's choice of words. "Oh wow, thanks Shiro!" You laughed. Until you started to cough.

"We have to get you to the healing pod too." Shiro said calmly as he rubbed your back to ease the coughing. And then you remembered Lance. You pulled away from Shiro and looked around. But you didn't see him anywhere.

"What about Lance?" You gasped, afraid of what had happened. "He has already been taken to a healing pod. He will be fine." Keith said while glancing at you from the corner of his eye. And you felt so relieved. "Good." You let out a deep sigh. He had saved you. And he would be okay. Everything would be okay.

Then you were escorted to the healing pods. Pidge helped you change into the healing pod suit, and then you went in. You had no idea what it would be like, but you had to use it to get better.

----------

You got out of your house and looked around. It was a nice spring day. The sun was shining and everything seemed peaceful. Except you. You were distressed.

A gentle wind brushed your shoulder as you went to pick up the mail. You opened the mailbox and looked inside. There was a bunch of letters. You picked them up, and quickly browsed through them.

You stopped when you saw a letter addressed to you. It was from the Galaxy Garrison.

You gasped as you looked at it. Your heart started to race. You felt anxious and relieved at the same time. Was this a new start for you?

Then you heard a voice coming from inside the house. You quickly folded the letter and hid it in your pocket. You glanced back at the house to make sure that nobody saw you. Then you filled your lungs with fresh air before you started heading back to the house. "Sorry, I just picked up the mail, that's all." You said as you went in.

----------

You started to wake up. You felt so comfortable. This serene energy was surrounding you wholly. Like you were sleeping in the most soft and warm place. Like someone was holding you tightly in their arms and never letting go. You didn't want to open your eyes. You didn't want the warmth fading away.

But you still opened your eyes and looked around. And you remembered that you were in a healing pod. And just then you realised that everyone was staring at you from the other side of the pod. Pidge and Hunk were smiling their noses squished up on the glass. Keith was a bit further away. And when your eyes met, he turned to look elsewhere.

And that's when the pod's glass opened up. "How are you feeling?" Allura asked delighted as you carefully got out. You stretched out your muscles a bit and everything seemed to be alright. Your left arm felt a bit stiff, but worked just fine as you moved it. And the aching in your body was gone. It felt like you could even breathe better.

"Those things are a miracle. I feel quite alright." You smiled at Allura. And that's when Coran got overjoyed. "Oh, aren't they? They are! You were lucky number 5. You only had to spend a couple of Vargas in there. Just some minor fractures. You will be left with bruises, but other than that, your body will be same as before. Maybe even better!" Coran stated happily.

"It looked like you were dreaming." Allura then said to you. And you remembered that you had seen a dream. Or more like a memory. "Yes, I think so." You nodded at Allura, keeping the memory to yourself.

Then you saw Lance on the other healing pod. "What about him?" You asked. "He will be fully healed after a quintant." Allura explained. And as you looked at Lance's silent figure, you were just so glad that he would be alright. And that everyone was safe. It really had been an awful incident, but everything had turned out alright in the end.

Suddenly Shiro went to Pidge and put his hand on her shoulder. "Pidge, we can't thank you enough for all you did." He said while smiling proudly. "I can't help but feel that you were meant to be part of our team. But I understand if you still want to leave." Shiro said, turning serious. And that's when you remembered what had happened before the explosion. Pidge was going to leave the castle.

Pidge thought for a moment, then spoke up. "Dad used to tell me how close he was with his crew members. They were like a family. Now I understand what he was talking about. I'm staying with you guys. Let's stop Zarkon for all of our families." She stated quite firmly, like she had thought about it a lot. And you sighed in joy. Your heart felt lighter and you smiled at Pidge.