Loving You to the Stars and Back // Keith x OC //

The Chosen

54

The next day, we all gathered in the lounge. Keith stood far from the group, leaning against the wall while the rest of us sat down in the center of the room. "I wish Shiro were here to tell us how to go on without him," Lance said with a hefty sigh.

"Allura," Pidge spoke up as she looked at the princess." When we came here, you told me that I would fly the Green Lion, and I thought there was no way. But then I found it and flew it. Hunk flew the Yellow Lion, and he's not even a pilot. In fact, you told everyone who would pilot which lion. With the exception of Athena."

Pidge made an interesting point. It was something that I didn't think about since we met Allura and Coran on Planet Arus.

"Yeah, how did you do that?" Hunk asked, "Did we ever find out how you did that? Can you do that now?" His eyes beamed with excitement, urging Allura to do that once more. Perhaps she could use that ability to find a new paladin for the Black Lion.

A disheartened expression fell on the princess' face. "Sadly, no. When you arrived at the Castle of Lions, I immediately recognized the special qualities in each of you," Allura replies. "But I don't know how to search the entire universe for a new Paladin." 

"Keith, you piloted the Black Lion when you had to save Shiro. Perhaps you're the one to fly him," Coran suggested. At least there was one person other than myself who believes that Keith should be the Black Paladin.

"Keith would be the worst leader of Voltron!" Lance turns down the whole idea completely.

"Yeah, we all have our thing," Pidge chimes in. "Keith's the loner. I'm the brain. Hunk's the nice one. Allura's the decision maker. Athena's the beauty. Coran's the wise old guy, and Lance is the goofball." Never once did I think I was labeled "the beauty" before. It felt kind of embarrassing to think about.

Lance nodded his head in agreement, "Yeah, exactly! Totally right --- Wait a minute." Lance paused for a moment, rethinking about Pidge had just said. "I'm not a goofball! I'm like the cool, ninja sharpshooter!"

Keith scoffs from across the room, "Are you joking?"

Lance quickly jumped to his feet. He was outraged by Keith's comment about him, "I'm being completely serious when I say I do not want you to lead me anywhere." Lance uses his hand to exaggerate that he really didn't want Keith to lead the team. At this point, this was going to be another argument between the two.

"I don't want to be the leader!" Keith yelled back, "That's just what Shiro wanted!" We all looked over at Keith as he suddenly realized what had come out of his mouth.

"What are you talking about?" Hunk asked in disbelief.

"Shiro wanted you to be his successor, didn't he?" Pidge replied with a disheartened look on her face. Keith didn't respond, only to turn his eyes away from us.

"Well, I never heard Shiro say any of that, and how convenient that you're bringing it up now, when Shiro is gone!" Lance was picking up the fight again, throwing it back to Keith. Keith's fist closed tightly as he was about to lash out at Lance.

Before he could, I spoke up, "Back on that planet we were stranded on, Shiro had asked Keith to be his successor. If anything happened to Shiro, he would want Keith to take over and lead the team," I replied. Everyone had their eyes on me now. I could tell that they were on the fence about Shiro's decision to make Keith the next leader of Voltron. I saw the qualities in Keith that would make him a great one, but it doesn't seem to show to the rest of the Paladins.

"Well then," Coran coughs. "The only way we can decide is if we allow the Lion to decide."

"Coran is right," Allura added on. "We must all present ourselves to the Black Lion to see who will bear this glorious burden."