Part 35

                                    

                                          
"Lance, you're an idiot," Kai said, "A brave idiot. Don't just go off on your own like that, Voltron is a team, one that you're part of. A crucial part, you're the right leg and you help support the others so stop thinking you have to prove yourself by going and putting yourself in danger," she sighed and placed her hand on the healing pod the blue paladin was in, "Get better soon, I'll look after Blue while you heal."
                          
On their last mission Lance had tried to take out a Galra warship on his own and had gotten badly hurt so he'll have to stay in the pod for a while. Everyone was worried about him but Shiro said they have to focus if they want to defeat Zarkon. Kai walked to Blue's hangar and smiled.
                          
"Heya, girl, miss me?" she asked and in response the blue lion turned on and roared. "Thought so, let's make Lance proud while he's healing up," she entered the lion and sat in the pilot's seat, soon joining the others who were waiting.
                          
The black paladin's face appeared on Kai's control panel, "Nice of you to join us, Kai, you ready?" Shiro asked.
"Yeah, I may be a little rusty with this girl but I'm sure I can remember how it goes," she smiled and patted the panel.
"Alright, let's do this," Shiro said, "Form Voltron!"
Kai cleared her mind and thought only of five becoming one, before she knew what happened Voltron had been formed. Everyone cheering like the first time they did so.
                          
"Pidge, behind you!" Kai shouted then slid and grabbed the blue bayard she'd dropped, turning it into a blaster and shooting the sentry before sliding to a stop and standing, shooting a few more.
"Thanks, Kai, it's almost done, just a minute more!" Pidge said, waiting for the virus to upload onto the Galra ship. The alien computer chimed and Pidge grabbed Kai by the arm, "Let's go, let's go!"
Kai ran behind the green paladin, turning every now and then to shoot at the sentries behind them before she blocked Pidge and got shot in her weak spot and a growl escaped her throat. Her arm was bleeding and she was shaking, losing control of herself.
"Kai!" Pidge cried out and went to help the girl but got stopped.
"Go! I'll hold them off!" Kai shouted and pushed Pidge through the door before turning into her giant wolf form, growling loudly at the sentries before running to them.
She ripped them apart, going crazy to protect those close to her. Pidge met up with the others and told them what was going on, Shiro had to stop Keith from going after the temporary blue paladin.
                          
"Shiro, you have to let me go help, Pidge just said she's hurt!" desperation laced through the teen's voice.
"She can handle herself, we don't need three hurt paladins! Hunk, grab the blue lion and let's get to a safe distance before the explosion, Kai can handle herself," Shiro replied sternly.
"Yes sir," Hunk flew his lion over and grabbed Blue as her mouth closed on something, or rather someone.
                          
Kai had jumped in at the last second and now she shed her armor and bodysuit, she laid in the lion's closed mouth, bleeding and dizzy. No one knew she was there and Keith kept shouting into his com for her but her helmet was a few feet away from her.
                          
"Kai!" the red paladin growled, "Shiro, let me go back for her! I'll be qui-!"
Shiro interrupted, "Keith, she'll be fine, she always pulls through, she has since we've known her."
                          
All of a sudden everyone saw a blur of silver as the silver lion flew out of the castle, taking the blue lion from Hunk and Yellow then zooming back to the castle as the Galra ship exploded behind them.
                          
"Guys, the silver lion is just as protective as the red if not more so, Kai must be inside Blue already," Pidge said into her com.
"Wow, for the smallest lion, Silver is really strong," Hunk observed.
"She is a support lion, meant to help Voltron and the paladins," Pidge said matter of factly, "Also Kai told me that Silver is pretty ferocious."
                          
Everyone docked their lions in the proper hangars and raced to the blue hangar where both the silver and blue lions were. The latter limp on the platform of the hangar as Silver stood over it, off but still standing. Coran opened the mouth of the limp lion manually and allowed the paladins to access the injured, unconscious girl. Keith ran up first as was expected but the tall girl was so injured that he was afraid of hurting her further if he so much as touched her so Shiro picked her up instead, being gentle and carrying her to the healing chamber where Allura got Kai into the proper suit and into a healing pod next to the blue paladin who stumbled out of his pod a dobash later.
                          
"Huh? What happened?" he groaned then got hugged by Hunk.
"Lance! You're alright!" the yellow paladin beamed.
"While we're all glad you're alright, Insui got hurt taking your place," spoke Allura solemnly.
"Kai? Wait, she was piloting Blue while I was healing?" Lance asked.
"Um, I know it's probably not a good time to say this but I'm starting to think the blue lion might be bad luck," Hunk commented, "I mean the blue lion's pilots have been hurt enough to go into healing pods. Lance got hurt twice and Kai got hurt right after piloting Blue."
"Hunk, I think you're forgetting that our resident Kalvorian paladin princess gets hurt often and she's reckless," Pidge pointed out.
Keith frowned as he stared at the injury on Kai's arm then looked over to Shiro who had her blood on his hand since he carried her, looking at it. The black paladin was deep in thought at the moment as the blood dried and fell to the floor with a metallic clink as Kai's blood was really molten gold.