The sound of a bayard's formation was equivalent to one of Flood warnings.

Lance swiftly moved to his right, just missing a quick kiss with the blade of Keith's sword.

stumbling backwards to get on his feet as keith makes standing seem so easy to do.

Lance started breathing heavily, his grip on reality? Gone. Where was he? what happened? who is this?

where is keith?

He looked for signs of him left in the figure in front of him.

The purple tint in his hair.

it didn't seem as soft as it used to be.

The purple skin?

pink would not adorn it as nicely as it used to.

The ears?
they would never hear Keith's name.

The eyes?
they would never see what he'd become.

The tilt of the unknown persons head did not sway to the right.

showing Keith's confusion and wish for explanation.

but to the left.
showing knowledge and something more...

ominous.

"Where's your weapon McClain?" The playful voice purred.

the smile on his face...

who's was it?

"Keith?" Lance questioned, the look on his face could be described as pure fear and abandonment.

what just-

who-

He shivered over his words "what happened-"

"I'll give you two seconds to stand."

Lance fell silent.

"one..."

Lance stumbled to his feet. His Bayard in hand.

Keith looked at the bayard, than back to lance

"Answer my question."

Lance didn't remember. couldn't remember. He couldn't remember ever seeing keith so cold and emotionless.

his look of confusion didnt help him.

his lack of response was worth death.

Keith's gaze went unamused.

"Where's your weapon McClain?"

Lance finally understood.
"Keith I'm not gonna-"

Lance flinched to the tip of a sword at his neck.

"That wasn't a question."

" It was a suggestion. " the voice growled.

Hunk backed away slowly
.
"pidge..." He whispered .
"yeah Hunk?" her voice answered.
"Can you hurry?"

Lance gulped.
"Keith." He started. "I'm not gonna fight you."

"How pathetic."

" A paladin of voltron who does not want to fight his leader? "

"How do you think they progress in the Galra Empire?"

Lance still held his confused expression.

"This isnt about progress!" he said.

Keith seemed to tense up.

" I don't care about being the leader. " Lance tilted himself back from the nearing blade.

"We've been over that a long time ago!"

" Lance! " Hunk called.

Lance and Keith both turned. Hunk just now really noticing the physical changes in Keith, He backed up two steps.
"I told Pidge to hurry!"

" snitch. " Keith said. Though he didn't really care.

Lance frowned and looked back to keith. "I'm not fighting you."

The tip was pushed to just barely touch his neck.

"would you rather die?"

Lance felt a drop of sweat, in his right hand, his Bayard transformed into his gun as he swiftly moved it, clashing and shoving Keith's sword out of range.

Keith gave a slightly amused expression.

"Bringing a gun to a knife fight?"
Keith spun his sword for a moment and held it diagonally.

" That won't work in your case, sharpshooter. "

Lance raised his gun, aiming at keith.

"It doesn't need to."

Keith's ears seemed to lower in preparation for an attack.

Lance held his position for a moment,

before quickly moving his aim to the bayard and shooting the handle.
The impact landed the weapon out of Keith's hand and far to lances left.

Keith looked to lance, who had already started running towards it.

In no time, Keith caught up to lance, and managed to trip him with his left leg. As the boy falls to the ground, Keith takes the opportunity to land his right foot on Lance's back. Ultimately pushing him into the ground and using him as a boost.

Keith's right hand lands on the handle of the sword, which is stabbed into the ground.

By skidding along the surface, he's able to dislocate the weapon and turn around to face his challenger.

"Pidge? Pidge?!"
The teen heavily sighed. "Yes Hunk?" she answered
" I told you to hurry! " he panicked, obviously impatient.

"what's taking so long?"

"Look," Pidge sighed. "I don't know what Shiro thinks is a short walking distance, either I can't find it, or its really far."

" Just ask him where! "

"There aren't exactly road signs on the moon, Hunk."

" what for anyways? "

"Its keith! He's -"

lances shriek filled in the void.

" LANCE! " Hunks voice screamed. "Pidge I gotta go just tell Shiro we need him immediately!"

"Hunk?" Pidge called.

no response.
she grunted and accelerated in the vehicle.

"Contact Shiro."

" Shiro? "

"Yes Pidge?" His voice answered, seemed preoccupied . " Is everything alright? what's taking you so long?" The voice calmly questioned .

"I can't find you guys, and Hunk needs us urgently."

Shiro looked at Allura with a worried expression, she held a small bag of things he wanted to take personally, and Shiro carried a box of things they might want to display back at the garrison.

"what happened?" asked Allura .

"I'm not sure. He didn't tell me. But the call ended with lance screaming."

Allura pouted, unamused. "probably just another argument with keith."

" No. it can't be. " Shiro said. "Keith would never harm Lance, it has to be something serious."

" Pidge, have you tried inning on our location? "

Pidge smacked her forehead. " Quiznack!" she called, then immediately tapped her arm piece to hold up a screen. She tapped a black square icon.

"why didn't I think of that sooner?"

Pidge did a U turn and began to close in on Shiro's and Allura's location.

"Stay out of this Hunk!" Lance demanded.

Keith took lance's distracted moment and charged at him with his sword.

Lance noticed a bit too late and his shield had come just in time.

"Yeah Hunk!" Keith called. Pushing his sword against the shield.

"Better to play a coward than to enter what you don't know."

Lances eyes widened. Out of anger, He shot Keith's leg.while his strength wasn't fazed, there was now a burned spot on the armor, and for the small moment Keith seemed to be in pain, Lance instantly regretted his actions.

Keith's eyes immediately met Lance's.

Those unforgiving eyes

Lance opened his mouth. "Keith I'm-"

" Dont. " He grunted, coldy.

Lance shut his mouth.

Lance forgot where he was for a moment

He shot Keith.

And Keith spun around Lances shield, And struck him in the back.

Hunk held his breath as Lance fell to the ground, conscious, but weak.

Shiro sat next to Pidge, Allura in the back, as she tried her best to summarize what happened ever since they left to the base.

"I have no idea whats happening right now, no one is answering me."

" Well, we're about to find out. " allura said, seeing the top of Red as Pidge was ready to make a left turn, a pile of destroyed tech, maybe a large communicator, had been blocking the sight.

Everyone tensed up.

They saw Hunk form his Bayard, Lance on the ground,

And they saw a purple tint in a helmet.

and two yellow eyes.

Allura's shoulders lowered.

"Is that a Galra?" She said.

Pidge's expression began to drop.

"No, Its-"

"Keith!" Shiro screamed.

Before Pidge could even halt, Shiro jumped out, throwing and leaving his bag on the moon rock.

Allura and Pidge got out and ran over.

"Hunk I told you to stay out of this!" Lance screamed, straining to speak.

" I can't just let you die out there! " Hunk called back, reading an aim on keith.

The galra male ran over to Lance, who was be subtly regaining his strength to sit up. His back having a large stinging sensation as he sat up in his knees.

Hunk fired two shots at Keith. Both were easily deflected.

"Don't hurt him! " Lance coughed.

Keith lowered to Lances eye level.

"Don't hurt him? " Keith tilted his head with an annoyed look.

"Here you are, on your knees, probably in excruciating pain,"

"and your worrying about him?" He scoffed.

Keith's eyes narrowed in a look that seemed...

hurt.

" That's always where we're weak, isn't it? "

Before Lance could even show his concerned confusion,
keith spun on his heel to deflect three on coming shots.

Two of which, returned to land on Hunk's left shoulder and right arm.

Hunk fell back, his Bayard deformed as he reached for the impact on his shoulder, groaning in pain.

lance's heart sunk.

Keith looked at Lance, now preparing to strike with one person out of the way.

Keith raised his sword, and just before he could swing, a green grappling hook swung around his blade, almost pulling it out of his hand.

almost.

Keith, already knowing who it was, swung his sword around.

Pidge gasped before she was pulled in and swung in front of keith.

A split second their eyes met.

The next Pidge was kicked into a crater.

Her hands landed on the edge, trying to pull herself up, being kicked in the gut, she could barely do so.

members like shiro continued jumping in an attempt to distract keith.

Lance stood and could only shoot at the ground by Keith's feet.

even that hurt him.

it finally came to a point where no one knew if the fighting would ever end.

or if keith would ever get tired.

As shiro deflected hits from Keith's blade with his arm, allura wrapped her lasso in an attempt to constrict him.

There was no plan. No time to think of one.

It came to a point where they became helpless.

Hunk managed to pull up Pidge, who shot at hook at the back of Keith's head. catching him off guard just enough for Hunk to run over and get a close shot.

Lance stood up, managed to shoot Keith's blade a second time just enough to unbalance it from nearly cutting off the lasso.

Allura slammed Keith down, they finally seemed to have a lead.

The Galra male struggled under the tight rope. Trying to push against his shoulders.
Shiro neared him.

"Keith, listen to me." He calmly stated to the struggling paladin.

Keith only continued to hiss and growl.

Shiro placed his robotic hand on Keith's shoulder. It started to glow a light blue, and keith seemed to calm down.

"Keith, speak to us." Allura said.

Keith only regained his anger, with shiro's only shield down, He landed a kick in the man's chest.

Lance was close enough to see it.

and it hurt.

He knew what was coming.

"Keith don't do this!" Lance screamed at him in hopes to reach out to the lost soul.

but keith didn't hear him.

Keith jumped to his feet. kicking at Allura's thigh and sending her off balance. The rope loosened and he was free.

Keith quickly picked it up by the loops and threw it into a crater, long gone.

Shiro readied to reenter as Hunk took a stance to punch keith.

After deflecting a strike from Allura's staff, Keith kicked Hunk in the head.

his body landed far off.

How.

How could he

who -

"Hunk!" Lance screamed .

Pidge tried to attack from behind, she grazed the shoulder piece of Keith's armor, but her arm was grabbed and she was thrown against the harsh metal of the lion. Her pain escaped her lips as she hit.

Lance began to shake.

He didn't know why this was going on.

or how to stop it.

"Pidge!" he yelled.

Lance turned to the sight of Shiro thrown into the cart.

"Shiro!"

No.

Not him.

keith would never-

Lance's heart skipped a beat when Allura and keith charged at eachother.

The princess gasped for air, slightly fogging the glass of her helmet.

She pushed all her strength to running, deflecting a hit from keith, but his sword pushed from under her staff, immediately sending her over his head.

she landed on her legs, feeling incredibly tired.

She kept her position.

" Keith!" she called. "this is not who you are! "

Lance winced at the pain in his back, looking at Allura He knew this wouldn't end well.

He looked around him, Hunk seemed unconscious, Pidge had dragged him to the lion somehow, He could see her working on something, typing and touching certain parts of the lion's curled tail.

He looked back to the fight, keith Landing harsh hits on Allura as she tried to give her all.

He wanted to protect allura, but it didn't feel right. He couldn't get keith. He'd try to kill him

There were so many things he wanted to do, but jumping in right now?

Allura was sacrificing herself to keep him safe.

and he need to regain as much strength as possible to make it count.

"Your right." Keith hissed, as he pushed against Allura's staff. " I'm better than before."

Alluras eyes widened, when Keith pushed harder and her legs began to lose their stance, she pushed him off.

" No your not! "

Keith ran up to her with his blade, ready to attack. Allura held up her staff diagonally and pushed off His sword to her right.

Now she stood holding her staff vertically as one side touched the ground, clinging to it for strength.

Keith turned and looked at her, a harsh empty look displayed.

"I showed weakness. I let someone in. And you know what happened?"

Keith's eyes narrowed as he moved his other hand to his sword, preparing to run.

" I was forgotten!" He spat harshly, running up to the weak altean princess.

Just in time allura spun her staff up to diagonally meet Keith's blade.

"I'm sorry." she pleaded, hoping that would do anything.

Her look seemed pained and distressed. tired and weak. as she tried to maintain her strength, she started to shake.

She had struggled trying to breathe, her elbows began to buckle, giving Keith the advantage.

" You deserve better. "

Her expression hardened to determination. "But being this way does not fix anything!" she called as she pushed against keith with all her strength .

Keith drew back his weapon. "you've been through the exact same thing!" he growled.

Allura's eyes showed confusion.

" You opened up to Prince lotor, and where did that get you? "

She turned to anger. Clenching her teeth as she ran to him with her staff.

The staff and sword clashed. The sharp blade left a notch in the staff's center.

"You've changed princess."

" I thought you knew better. " He said, disappointed and with intent to hurt.

Allura fought harshly to keep her staff up. Her eyes full of determination. "You've forgotten your self keith."

Keith's eyes narrowed. all emotion was devoid of his face.

" Than im just as good as you. "

And just like that,the staff broke in two uneven pieces. Allura lost her stance, and was kicked past the boy in blue.

He threw out an arm to his right in her directon.

"Allura!"

He turned to the sound of fast footsteps. He saw Keith running at him, his Bayard at his side ready to be swung.

his mind screamed "me"
but his lips whispered "Keith-"