#(RYO VOICE ' so you know ' ' there's this sWORD ' ' that just mIGHT help with at least SOME of this ' ' you fought Diablomon ' ' ..right?')

[sabraeal]

Get Up Eight, Chapter 5

River of Silk | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

Written for my birthday buddy @fade-touched-obsidian‘s birthday! Which is TODAY, since I finally managed to catch up to all my owed (birthday) fics.

The sun lingers at the horizon when they reach Fujisawa, Shirayuki’s feet aching and sore even through the thick wrap of her bandages. Obi’s sandals might have saved them stopping earlier, but his gift would not keep her from hobbling in the morning. If she soaked and dressed them again it might save her some suffering, but--

But she would have to ask for those things, and comfort was in short supply on the road.

“You are shivering, ojou-san.” When she dares to look up, Obi is watching her with those strange eyes of his, narrow. “Are you cold?”

“No.” A pleasant breeze has been rising off the waters, and she only wishes she could remove this scarf, letting it blow away the deep itch that has settled into her scalp. “I’m warm enough.”

His brow raises, skeptical. “Is it your feet then? Do you need to tend to them?”

The checkpoint’s line is long, and standing here, shuffling along at a snail’s pace is certainly not helping, but still she shakes her head. “No, no need stop. I only...”

Her teeth snap around the words, but far too late. Obi stares at her, expectant, another brow joining the first when she hesitates.

“It’s the dōshin,” she admits, as easy as pulling teeth. “What if they think we’re suspicious? Are you sure that we don’t need to--?”

“Ojou-san,” he laughs, “I’ve told you before-- no dōshin guard these gates. They leave it to administrators who report back to them, and then they report to the yoriki, and then the yoriki decide whether they report to a bugyō today or not, based on how far they feel like walking.”

Shirayuki squints into the distance, mouth bending into a frown. There are two that she can see, inspecting a cart that has come to the gate, and they are dressed in the same subdued black as any other samurai, blades slung at their hips.

“They have swords,” she informs him. “A chonin can’t carry--”

“A katana. But those are wakizashi.” His lips curve in a smirk. “This is all theater, ojou-san.”

One of the men smacks the cart, urging it on, as the other calls the next group forward, hand on his hilt. Their authority may all be an illusion, but the men seem to believe in it well enough-- they may not be real dōshin, but a short blade will cut her as easily as a long one; a fact that makes this bit of kabuki uncomfortably real.

“Besides.” He hooks his hands behind his head, rolling his neck until it gives a sickening crack. “What’s there to be suspicious of? You’re a well-dressed-- if a little worse for wear-- ojou-san, and I’m your yojimbo.” His teeth flash behind his lips. “Unless you don’t think I’m convincing?”

“N-no!” she protests, tugging at her scarf. “You are! I just--”

Her words shrivel on her tongue as his hands come out, tugging the cloth from her grasp.

“Enough of that, ojou-san,” he tells her gently. “Or else it might come loose.”

“Oh.” Her hands knot in the strap across her chest. This close she can see the gold in his eyes, like fireflies caught in amber. “Right.”

He pulls the cloth just so, so that it sits tight against her skin. “I should carry that bag.”

She blinks, shuffling back a step. It nearly sends her sprawling; between her blisters feet and her too-large sandals, she stumbles, but Obi’s hand snaps out, catching her by the sleeve of her yukata.

“Easy, ojou-san,” he murmurs, setting her back on her feet. “It was a suggestion.”

Her fingers tighten on the strap, blanching at the knuckles “I have to be the one that carries it.”

“I understand.” His gaze flicks pointedly toward the men at the gate. “But fine young ojou-san like yourself don’t typically--”

“Please.” The word is hardly more than a breath. “No one else should carry it.”

He lets out a long breath; a noise she knows all too well. She’s testing his patience. “I understand duty, ojou-san, but please--” his mouth curves in a smirk-- “I’m your yojimbo, and you’re carrying the bag that clanks. At least let them think my bags are heavier.”

The other shukuba have been crowded-- this close to Edo, it would be hard for them to be anything but-- but Fujisawa is more crowded still. Even in the streets, Shirayuki is pressed shoulder to shoulder with other travelers, jostled this way and that by the current of the crowd.

A hand spans the small of her back, and she nearly yelps for the dōshin before she realizes it’s Obi, keeping her close.

“There’s so many people,” she murmurs, tucking tighter against his side. The press may not part for her, but he stands half a head taller than most, and near him the path is easier.

“It’s the temple.” His fingers tighten on her back, just a moment, before relaxing. “Most of these people aren’t merchants, they’re pilgrims.”

She blinks, scanning the crowd. How he can tell is beyond her. “The temple?”

“Yeah,” he hums, moving her close as a man nearly knocks into her arm. “Some water goddess lives on an island down that way. It’s always a pain to get through.”

She follows the jut of his chin, but there’s only shops in front of them, with their serving women out in front, trying to gain some last minute custom before the travelers took lodging for the night. “Water goddess...”

“Okyakusama!” a woman lilts, voice pitched enticingly high. “Come try our fare! I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

In one hand she’s clutching meat on a stick, though it’s hard to see what kind from this distance, especially when Obi’s hand presses more firmly at her back, driving her along.

“No, no,” he calls back to the woman, mouth curving in a smile. “I couldn’t.”

“Then try here, okyakusama!” another woman calls out, holding a bowl of soba. “You’ll leave more than satisfied!”

“No, come here, okyakysama!” yet another sings, holding out what seem to be small, fried balls. “Just a little taste couldn’t do any harm.”

He raises his hands, as if fending them off. “Please, ladies, I’ll ruin my appetite.”

“Are you sure?” The woman cradling her soba gives him a long, appreciative look, and-- oh. Oh. This wasn’t just about food. “I’d hate to see a strong, young man like you go hungry.”

“Don’t worry about me, ojou-san.” Her stomach churns as his smile slips to a smirk. “I’ve been fed well enough.”

His hand falls to her back, and she doesn’t think it’s her imagination that he hurries her along somewhat faster, careful not to make eye contact with any more of the serving women as they walk.

She can’t help herself, she looks back at them, watching as they descend upon another unwitting traveler. “They were all so interested in you.”

He gives her a wolfish smile, just a flash of teeth. “I must look hungry. What do you think, ojou-san?” He holds out his other arm for inspection, oblivious to how his kimono gapes across his chest. “Am I wasting away?”

If only she could keep her cheeks from flushing, it could stay that way. “N-no. You look fine enough to me.”

Oh, that was-- that was not the way to put it.

“I mean,” she blurts out, melting under his grin, “that I don’t think that was it.”

“No,” he agrees, gaze slipping from her to fix itself ahead of them. “The last time I came through here I was skin and bones, but they didn’t have any time for me.” He slants a wry look at her. “Merchants can smell money, ojou-san.”

Her hands tighten around the strap at her chest. Funny that they hadn’t taken notice of her when the ryo in her bag must stink to high heaven.

“You know,” he murmurs, guiding her until she’s nearly under his arm, “the head covering doesn’t help.”

She blinks up at him, confused.

“With blending in,” he clarifies, gaze drifting over the crowd. His eyes are always in motion, always wary. “Not many women are wearing them now, in summer.”

Her fingers brush at the silk, tips catching on its smooth weave. He’s not wrong, but still--

“Though I imagine--” he glances down at her with a meaningful look-- “taking it off would be worse.”

His gaze drops, sweeping up her with a heat that makes her sweat, like standing much too close to a cook fire, and--

And he has only seen her hair the once, wet from the bath, its color muted and dark, and there had been-- well, there had been more to see than that. Something that a man like him would find more exciting than a hint of red.

By his look, he hasn’t forgotten.

“I-it would be,” she manages, ducking her head, hoping it hides her flush. “Just as much as taking off that sword.”

Obi lifts his arm, blinking down at where it rests on his hip. “Ah,” he hums thoughtfully. “I see. Still,” he casts her a slanted glance, “there are things that can be done if you want to draw less attention.”

“O-oh?” They may be only passing glances, the same any traveler might give another, but every gaze that lingers on her scalds, reminds her that any stray doubt could cause this whole plan to come tumbling down.

Obi leans close-- entirely too close, until she can smell the sweat on his skin and some other, more pleasant scent, musky and natural. “Let me take care of you, ojou-san.”

The soft rumble of his voice, a distant storm in his chest, sends the same frisson through her as when lightning strikes, the air buzzing between them. “W-what?”

He pulls back, gesturing to the strap across her chest. “No yojimbo worth his pay would let his ojou-san carry something that heavy.”

Her shoulders round under her burden. “It’s my responsibility to bear. I’ve told you that.”

He sighs, long-suffering. “So you say, ojou-san, so you say. But--”

“Obi,” she pleads, words little more than a breath. “Don’t ask again.”

His lips press tight, another white scar across his bronzed flesh, the opposite of a mended pot.

“All right.” His gaze fixes ahead, tight lines etched above his brow. “If you say so, ojou-san.”

It is only when Shirayuki is certain she can take no more, each step like walking on glass shards, that she asks, “Is there something wrong?”

Obi blinks, the gold of his eyes catching in the dying light. “Ojou-san?”

“It’s only...” She lets out a huff, drawing to a halt. “We’ve passed so many hatago! Is there something wrong with them?”

He stares for a long moment, two steps ahead of her, body limned in dusk, and lets out a laugh. “Nothing so wrong. Just too crowded.” His mouth curves, wry. “And with the wrong sort of people.”

Her head swivels back toward the last hatago, eyes wide. “You mean...criminals?”

She would have never guessed, not with its well-swept stoop and second floor, screened off from the street. Then again, she, of anyone, knew how appearances could deceive.

Obi coughs, shoulders shaking, and she nearly asks if he feels ill--

But he’s only laughing. At her.

“No, ojou-san. Those places are full of pilgrims.” He casts a wary glance back. “They pay far too much attention to the company they keep. And that’s not what you’re looking for, is it?”

“N-no,” she murmurs, gaze dropping to the cobbles beneath them. “Not...not as such.”

Obi nods. “Then we need to get past the temple road, and probably off the main street. It shouldn’t be too far.” He drags a speculative look over her. “Do you need me to carry you, ojou-san?”

“No!” she yelps, hurrying to his side. “I--I’m fine. Is the temple road far?”

She hopes not; another block and she might need to take Obi up on his offer; she’s not sure she could live with the wound to her pride.

“Not at all.” He nods his head toward the thoroughfare they’re crossing. “It’s here, just at the end of this street.”

Shirayuki blinks, disoriented, her feet stalling out beneath her. There’s nothing special to mark it, just another street like the one they walk, lined with shops and merchants trying to hawk their wares. If she squinted she could make out the lines of the torii gate, spanning a bridge that led out over the water and--

“Oh!” she gasps, hands flying to her mouth. “This is Fujisawa!”

Obi stares down at her, wary. “Yes. I told you that before, ojou-san.”

“Which means--” she whirls to him, hands curling in the wide sleeve of his kimono, “--that is Enoshima!”

He shrugs a shoulder, raising one hand to rub at it. “Sounds about right.”

It’s impossible for her to be able to see the isle from here, not with the way the buildings all crowd together, leaving only a sliver of the sea visible, but she squints at the horizon still, straining to catch a glimpse. In the hazy air, she can almost convince herself that she can see the leafy outline of the mount, the last earthly remains of a dragon tamed--

“Ojou-san?” His worry sings through the word like a plucked string, and, ah, that is what he resembles most now-- a string strung too tight, left vibrating on the fret.

“This is Benzaiten’s shrine,” she tells him, breathless. “One of her most sacred sites. Oba-san...”

She closes her lips around the words. He doesn’t want to hear about her grandmother, about how Oba-san had always swept around the sake house, threatening to play her biwa. How she would pour for their customers, telling them that she was the kami of all that flowed, and Oji-san would only laugh, shaking his head as another discordant strum sent their custom howling into their drinks.

And she can’t afford to tell him. Wealthy ojou-san going to their rich cousins in Kyoto don’t have those sorts of stories.

Obi raises a brow, mouth canting at a corner to match. “Considering a detour, ojou-san?”

Shirayuki casts one last look down the road, chest strangely tight, and shakes her head. “No, I only...wanted to look.”

He hums, taking a glance himself. “Look as long as you can,” he murmurs, so close she can feel the warmth of his body, “if you come back this way again, she might not be here.”

She blinks up at him, wide-eyed. “What do you mean?”

“Haven’t you noticed? Foreigners aren’t welcome, ojou-san.” His mouth twists, wry. “And it seems they mean men and kami alike.”

Shirayuki wants to refute him, to tell him they could never pry Benzaiten from the hill of Enoshima, that the very island itself would rise up and eat their children once more before that would happen--

But the sack at her back has never felt heavier, her knees trembling beneath the weight. She would be far from the first to be exiled under Ameterasu-ōmikami’s rule of the kamidama.

“Too bad.” Obi hooks his hands behind his head, picking up a casual stroll. “I heard the one they got there is naked.”

“W-what?” she splutters, cheeks burning. “I never--”

“Blue-haired and naked with a biwa on her lap,” he clarifies breezily, leading her down the road. “Artfully placed, of course, ojou-san. They take it out once every seven years. I wonder--”

“Is that a hatago?” she asks, too loudly, hurrying in front of him so he can’t see her flush. “Perhaps we should stay there for the night.”

“Mm,” he hums. She doesn’t need to turn to know that he’s smirking. “If that’s what you want, ojou-san.”

Despite his deference, Obi does not select that hatago for their stay. One glance at their custom and he shakes his head, herding her away from the doors.

“Pilgrims,” he explains casually. “And dōshin.”

“Dōshin?” She glances back, brow furrowed. “But wouldn’t they be in their own houses? Or at least the honjin?”

“One would think,” Obi agrees, hurrying her along the cobbles. “Down this way, ojou-san. There should be a suitable place here.”

“Mm,” she hums, absent, as he leads her away, the laughter from the hatago following after her. “I wonder why they are there. Do they have better service than the honjin?”

Obi’s arm quivers against her back, and when she looks up, he’s smothering a laugh. “I wonder.”

The one he chooses is off the main thoroughfare, though not by far-- it’s a respectable establishment, tucked onto a side street, clean and well-lit. Its custom seems to be mainly merchants; none so well-off as to have silks or any expensive merchandise, but most of them have the alluring smell of spices coming from their packs, anise and saffron and others that must have sailed from the mainland. They fill the common room, but it is not overfull, and when she and Obi wind their way through the tables, no one spares her more than a cursory glance.

It’s a lively place too; both sake and laughter overflow as they seat themselves, her delicately on her knees with feet laid blessedly flat, and him cross-legged, like a ukiyo-e of a daimyo in repose. She puffs out her cheeks-- surely he doesn’t need to do this here, where there is no one to impress-- but a serving girl arrives before she can scold him, pouring him a cup of sake with effortless elegance.

“That is the very expression of temperance,” he tells the girl, and she lifts the jug away with a demure smile.

Shirayuki frowns, not liking the sick squeeze of her stomach. Owner of a sakehouse she might have been, raised under the bar, but she had never been this-- the sort of woman who received compliments on pouring instead of what she poured.

“We will be taking dinner as well,” he informs the girl, his voice strangely crisp, like--

Like Kino-san’s. Her eyes narrow, taking in how the serving girl curves closer to him, how he leans oh-so-subtly toward her.

“Will there be anything else, okyakusama?” the girl asks, eager, hands folded so gracefully around the ewer of wine.

Obi opens his mouth, corners already lifted slyly, but his gaze drifts over her shoulder, and he-- he stops, mouth gently clicking shut.

The girl frowns, the red of her lips making her pout more pronounced, more-- more sensual. Shirayuki had never painted herself; Oji-san had insisted that their sake could stand on its own, without women to sell it, and when the decision had passed to her, well--

There was a thin line between a woman in her position and a-- a yujo. She did well to leave as much space between them as she could, for men in their cups often let them blur. Still, a girl like this one might not have had to struggle so much to keep custom.

Shirayuki bites her cheek. A girl like this one might not have had somewhere to run when Raj’s men came for her either.

“Okyakusama?” The girl cocks her head, impatient.

“Ah,” Obi breathes, dragging his gaze away. “That is yet to be seen.”

The girl flushes behind her paint and nods, flouncing back toward where the purveyor stands, inquisitive. The man is probably eager to know if he’ll be out one girl tonight, when the guests turn down their beds.

Shirayuki darts a glance at Obi, mouth thin. Already his gaze is back over her shoulder, distant. “Already making arrangements for the night?”

“No,” he replies after a long moment, absent. “That can be handled when we go upstairs.”

She shifts on her knees, restless. “I thought you meant to be vigilant while we’re out on the road. No distractions.”

His eyes snap to her, brow furrowed and questioning, but his mouth twitches at the corners, settling into a self-deprecating smirk. “If I’ve learned anything today, ojou-san,” he hums, lifting his sake to his lips, “it’s that some distractions can’t be helped.”

Her shoulder jostles, the other serving girl passing a little too close. Ah, so that had been what he’d been looking at. Probably trying to choose which of them would provide his distraction for the night.

Her hands clench, nails leaving stinging crescents on her palm. Perhaps she should take Kino-san’s advice; she still had enough money to hire another samurai, though maybe not as richly. If Obi felt comfortable breaking his word when they could still see Mount Fuji over the water, who knows how he would feel about other promises when distractions were thin on the ground, and even she--

“How does your cousin feel?”

Shirayuki jolts, gaze snapping up to meet his. It’s warm on her, inquisitive, as lively as the lanterns above them.

“About your studies,” he clarifies, taking another sip from his cup.

She stares, heart pounding in her chest. Surely he couldn’t know that she had-- that she wasn’t-- “My...studies?”

He cocks his head, inquisitive. “You said you carried books for your studies. Earlier.”

Ah, yes, back at the stream. She’s just blurted the words out, trying to keep him from touching her bag, from feeling what was inside--

“Your cousin supports them?”

She blinks. Yes, her cousin. The cousin who exists and lives in Kyoto, richer than Kino a dozen times. That man. “Yes,” she manages. “He believes that a young woman is made better by expanding her mind.”

Obi stares, a brow raising in a dubious arch. She huffs, blowing out her cheeks. If this cousin is fictional, there’s no reason he can’t be fantastical as well. It’s not as if she said he turned into a dragon or said he was a humble cobbler with the ear of the emperor.

Shirayuki has a sinking suspicion Obi might believe those better.

“He thinks it makes a better wife,” she adds lamely, “for reasons.”

“Ah.” He nods. Of course, as long as it made a woman a better prospect for marriage, men would believe anything. “You have a lot of books for just that.”

“Oh, um, well.” She squirms, feet protesting beneath her. “I’m learning about medicine.”

Both his brows lift, one of them rucking up against his scar. “Medicine? Isn’t that-- oh, thank you,” he says as the serving girl places their dishes in front of them. “That will be all.”

With a frown, the girl minces away, sparing a disappointed glance back while Obi digs into the food in front of him, layering vegetables heavily over his rice.

“That’s from the foreigners, isn’t it? Rangaku?” At her alarmed glance, he clarifies, “Your medicine books. The foreigners write them.”

“Some,” she admits haltingly. “It’s not all Rangaku. They have a better understanding of the body, but their understanding of disease and chi...”

His attention drifts again, back over her shoulder. One of the serving girls is there, bent down to serve a table of merchants, and that’s-- that’s--

Quite enough, in her opinion. She stands with a huff, dusting off her yukata.

Obi’s gaze jerks back to her, his eyes pulsing wide as she wobbles on her feet. “Ojou-san? What--?”

“Since you are so concerned about your sleeping arrangements,” she starts, embarrassingly breathless, “I thought I would get out of your way.”

He stares, uncomprehending. “But dinner--”

“I’m not hun--”

Her feet are ungainly beneath her, swollen and aching from the day, and the moment she takes a step they give out beneath her. She hurtles toward the floor gracelessly, but before her knees can hit the tatami, she is caught, warm, worn cotton beneath her fingertips.

“Ojou-san,” Obi breathes, annoyed. “Wait a moment.”

With careful fingers, he pulls her scarf up to cover her hair, mouth a grim line. Once he’s done, he sets her back on her feet, hand still tightly gripping her elbow.

“Obi,” she gasps, leaning heavily on his arm. “I--”

“I think,” he says slowly, as if he’s tasting the words, “it’s time for us to go to bed, ojou-san.”

[tiny-opal-essence]

Pocket Paladin Chpt 17

Whatever can go wrong will go wrong

Previously...

Team Voltron has discovered that the person they rescued from Lotor was not Shiro, but a clone with Shiro's memories.  While initially unsure of how to proceed, they are fully supportive of the renamed Ryo.

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Lance blearily opened his eyes.  It was still dark in the room.

How long until breakfast?

He shoved Keith’s bandana off and got out of his bed.  He walked over to the edge of the dollhouse floor to check the clock on Keith’s wall.

Still a few varga.  Yay.

Lance had been having some trouble sleeping through the night lately.  Even though the doll bed was a huge improvement from the improvised cotton balls and Kleenex, it still wasn’t designed for someone to actually sleep in comfortably.  He didn’t think it was really that important to mention to anyone.  There are more important things than one person’s comfort.

He looked over and saw Keith was still asleep in his bed.

At least one of us is comfortable.  Glad I didn’t wake him up.

Keith’s face was relaxed for once.

He looks so soft.  Huh.  Never thought “soft” would be a word associated with Keith.

Lance sat down on the edge of the floor, kicking his legs slightly.

I’m glad he and Ryo were able to talk things out yesterday.  It would kind of suck for Voltron if the black and red paladins weren’t speaking to each other.  We don’t really have anyone who can sub.  At least, not until I’m back to normal.  And who knows when that’s going to be.

Lance leaned back on the floor keeping his ankles dangling off the edge.

Even if I do get back to normal, would Blue want me back?  Allura’s done such a great job with her.

‘The team does work better without you.  You’d hate to ruin all of their progress, right?’

Yeah.

‘They’re better off without you.’

Before Lance could dwell more on those thoughts, he heard a soft *groan*.  He sat up and looked over.

Keith’s face that had been relaxed just a moment ago was now scrunched up in discomfort.  He started shifting around in his bed while mumbling out something unintelligible.

He’s having a nightmare!  I have to help him.

“Keith!  Wake up!” Lance called out, but Keith did not wake up.

Maybe I’m too far away.  I need to get closer.

Lance stood up and looked off the edge of the dollhouse floor.

Yeah, nothing there to break my fall if I jump.  Guess the quickest route is the stairs.

He ran across the room and opened the door to the hallway.  He nearly tripped down the stairs in his haste.  He stepped down onto the nightstand and saw that Keith was now laying on his back.

“Yo, Mullet!” Keith showed no signs that he heard him.

Quiznak.  Still not close enough.  Okay.  There’s only a couple inches between the nightstand and the pillow.  That’s not too far, right?

‘It might as well be the grand canyon at your height.’

Well, if I get a running start, I should make it.  I was always good at long jump in gym class.

‘But in class you didn’t have to worry about falling to your death.’

Ok, that’s enough from you, stupid voice.  I’m going to make it.  Just you watch.

Lance hurried over to the far side of the nightstand and took a deep breath.

Ok, here goes nothing.

He ran back towards Keith and leaped off the edge.

Yes!  I made it!

He had landed on the edge of the pillow that was hanging off the bed.

Phew.  Wait, no no no no no!

He started sliding down towards the chasm between the bed and nightstand but managed to grab ahold of the pillowcase.  He could feel the pillow shifting somewhat beneath him.

Oh yeah, the pillow would shake because Keith’s twitching in his sleep.

Lance began climbing up the pillow making sure to keep a good grip on it in case Keith really started moving around.  He could see the beads of sweat on Keith’s forehead.

He looks hot.  And not in the good looking kind of way.  Ok, maybe partly in the good looking way, but now’s really not the time to focus on my stupid crush on him.

Lance continued climbing along the pillow until he reached the indent caused by Keith’s head.  He slid down the incline and came to a stop in front of his cheek.  As Lance tried to stand up on the soft pillow, Keith let out another *groan* and moved his head slightly, causing Lance to fall back against his face.

“Really, Keith?  I try to help you out and this is the thanks I get?  *sigh* You’re lucky you’re cute.”  Lance said in good humor as he tried to stand again, this time bracing himself against Keith who had become still once more.

That means he probably didn’t hear me call him cute.  Good.  Don’t know what he’d think if he found out I like him.

Lance was now standing in front of Keith’s ear.

Let’s hope he can hear me now.

“Keith!  Buddy, pal, my dude!  Despierta!”

Keith shot awake, causing the pillow to rise up and Lance to fall down on his butt yet again, but he wasn’t too concerned about that since it was a soft landing.

Keith looked around the room as he got his breathing under control.  Once his breathing sounded normal, Lance called up to him.

“Glad you finally heard me.”

“Of course I heard you,” Keith said as he turned to sit facing Lance.  “You were yelling right in my ear.”

“Heh heh, sorry.  You didn’t seem to hear me until I got closer.  Did you hear anything else I said?”

Please don’t have heard me say you’re cute, please don’t have heard me say you’re cute.

“No.” Keith lied.  “Why?”

“No reason.”

Phew.  He didn’t hear that.

But Keith had heard.  He had heard Lance say that he was lucky he was cute.  He had also heard the sarcasm in the lines before that and assumed the last line was also meant sarcastically.  It was a common saying after all.

“Wait a minute, why are you here?”

“Why are any of us here?”

“Lance, you know I mean why are you here sitting on my pillow?  And how did you get there?”

“I jumped.”

“What?”  Keith said with a blank look on his face as his brain tried to piece things together.

“Well, you were having a nightmare and couldn’t hear me from my bed, so I came over to help you wake up from it.”

“And you jumped down from your room!?”

“No.  I would have broken a leg or something if I jumped down from there.  I jumped from the nightstand to your pillow.”

Keith looked over and saw the gap between those two objects.  He realized just how far of a jump and how long of a fall that would be for Lance at his height.

“What the hell, Lance?  Do you realize how dangerous that was for you!?”

“I’ve always been good at long jump.  I knew I would make it, and besides.  You needed help.  Your nightmare seemed pretty bad.”

Keith was too tired to argue with Lance about the dangers of parkour at his height, so he decided to move the conversation in a different direction.

“It wasn’t a nightmare.  It was a memory.”

“Oh.”  Lance paused for a moment.  “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Maybe…I don’t know.”

“Don’t worry, Keith.  If you want to talk, I’m here.  If you want to just go back to sleep, that’s fine.”

Keith let out a small *yawn*.

“Maybe you should lie down.”

Don’t want you literally falling asleep on me.

“I should move you back to the nightstand first.”

“Dude, I don’t take up that much room.  Here, I’ll even scoot over.” Lance did just that.  “Now you’ve got plenty of space.”  Lance patted the pillow next to him to emphasize his point.

“But-”

“Lie down, Keith.  As long as you go slow it shouldn’t be too shaky for me.”

Keith hesitatingly lied back down on his side.  As his head sunk into the pillow, he was only able to keep one eye on Lance as the other one’s vision was blocked by the pillow itself.

Once Keith was still, Lance lied down on his side facing him.

“Draw me like one of your French girls,”  Lance said with dramatic flair as he struck the pose.

This earned him a *snicker* from Keith.

“Ha!  I got you to laugh!”

“That wasn’t a laugh.”

“It’s close enough!”

Keith rolled his eyes while Lance let out a *snicker* of his own.

“All seriousness though, are you ok, Keith?”

“Yeah.  Or mostly, I guess.  A lot happened yesterday and it brought up some memories.”

“I can understand that.  We were all pretty shocked with Ryo’s reveal.”

“It’s more than that.  It just…it feels like everyone who cares about me winds up leaving in the end, willing or not.  My mom, my dad, Shiro, twice.”

“Keith-”

“And I know why my mom left.  I understand.  But that doesn’t change the fact that she left.  And I haven’t heard anything from her since finding the Blade of Marmora.”

“Keith, Kolivan told us how much danger she would be put in if any attempts were made to contact her.  Remember what happened to his sister, Keerthana?”  Lance gently mentioned.

Keith *sighed* “Yeah, I know.  It might blow her cover because of how high up in the chain of command she is.  But I don’t even know her name!  My dad never got the chance to tell me before he died.  And Kolivan thinks that if I knew her name I would get Pidge to find her in the Galra Empire’s database.”

“Well, would you?”

“Yes.  I wouldn’t contact her though.  I know how important her mission is.  And I don’t even know what I’d say.  It’s just…what if we’re fighting the empire and just happen to kill her before realizing who she is?”

Lance could tell how worried Keith was about that happening.

“Have you told Kolivan why you want to know?”

“No.  It’s a stupid thing to worry about.”

“It’s not stupid to worry about your family, Keith.”

Lord knows I worry about mine all the time.

“Easy for you to say.  You and your family are close.  My mom’s the only family I have and I don’t know her.  All I ever got from her was a lockbox with a self-storage key in it.  That’s where I found the hoverbike, Marmora sword, and a letter saying that since I was old enough then, my dad would explain everything.  Too bad my dad had died 8 years before that.”

“Do you still have the letter?”

“I tore it up after I read it.  I was angry.”

“*dramatic gasp* Keith?  Angry?” Lance said while trying to hide a smile.

“I was 16, I had anger issues.”

“Newsflash, you still have anger issues.” Lance teasingly responded.

“I’ve gotten better.”

“And we are all proud of you for that.”

There was a bit of comfortable silence between them.

“So…your dad died when you were…8?” Lance did the math in his head.

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t.  I got so sick of people saying that to me at his funeral.  Everyone said that if I needed anything all I had to do was ask.  What I needed was my dad.  It had always been just the two of us.  He didn’t talk about my mom much, but when he did, you could see how much he missed her.  There was always this hidden sad look on his face.  I hated that she was making my dad feel upset by not being there.  He said that mom was working and would come back to us someday.  I thought she might come to his funeral, but that didn’t happen.  Now I know why.  He always said she was out of this world.  I never realized how literal he was being.”

“Not to interrupt, but props to your dad for one of the best dad jokes ever with the whole ‘out of this world’ cause your mom’s an alien thing.”

“Yeah.  He’d’ve liked you.”

Lance perked up slightly at hearing that.

My crush’s dad would have liked me!?

“You both have terrible jokes,” Keith said.

“Hey, my jokes aren’t terrible!” Lance sat up indignantly.

“Okay, they’re not terrible.”

Lance saw the amusement in Keith’s eyes.

“Darn right!” Lance said as he lied back down.  He let out a *yawn* a moment later.

“Do you need me to give you a hand back to your bed?” Keith asked.

“Keith, was that a pun?"

“Not an answer.”

“Ok, maybe eventually, but I can stay up a bit longer.  I’m comfy.”

“If you say so.”

There was more comfortable silence before Keith spoke up again.

“Sorry for talking so much.”

“Dude, it’s fine.  I’m glad you trust me enough to open up more about what you’re going through.”

“You’re not going to tell anyone else, are you?”  Keith asked.

“Of course not.  This is your tragic backstory.  I’m not going to force you to tell the others.  That would be rude.”  Lance paused for a moment.  “I am a bit curious about one thing.  How did your dad die?  Please don’t feel like you have to answer.  I totally understand if you don’t want to talk about it.”

“It’s ok.”  Keith *sighed*.  “That’s actually what I was remembering in my dream.  He died in a fire.  Some sort of freak accident.  He barely managed to push me out the door before the house collapsed on him.  The only part that didn’t burn down was the shack.”

“Wait, the shack in the desert?”

“*mhmm* I lived there after being kicked out of the Garrison.”

“But you said earlier you grew up in the system.  Why didn’t you go to your foster family?”

“I had already aged out of the system by then.  I went through a few different foster homes.  The last one was nice, but their house never felt like home.  It’s ok though.  I spent most of my free time at the shack with my hoverbike anyways.  Living there just made more sense.  My dad had already paid for the land and left it all to me in his will, so I didn’t have to worry about rent.”

“That’s nice.”

“Yeah.”  Keith paused for a moment.  “You know what’s ironic?  My dad was a firefighter and he died in a fire in his own home.  And now I’m the red paladin, the paladin of fire.”

“The universe has a twisted sense of humor sometimes.”

“*mhmm*” Keith agreed.  “I can still remember so many details from that day.  It had been a dry summer.  The house lit up like kindling.  I was so scared I couldn’t move.  I could hardly hear my dad over the roaring of the fire.  He gave me his bandana and told me to put it over my mouth and close my eyes while he grabbed me and ran for the door.  That was the last time I saw him alive.”

“Keith, are you ok?”  Lance sat up as he saw Keith’s eyes starting to tear up.

“…No.”

“I’m going to hug you now.  Is that ok?”

“Yeah.”

Lance moved closer to hug Keith’s face, albeit awkwardly due to the unique surface of the pillow.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry you’ve had to go through all that.  And I hope that you know none of us would ever leave you by choice.  You’re stuck with us whether you like it or not!”

“*heh* Thanks.”  Keith sniffled out.

“Anytime.”

Lance tried to make it seem natural, but after several minutes of comforting Keith, even he had to admit

“This is a weird kind of angle for a hug, isn’t it?”  Lance felt the air blow past him as Keith *sighed* through his nose.

“-s fine.”

“Yeah, but are you fine?”

“I will be.”  Keith’s eyes were clearer now.

“Do you want me to stay with you?  In case the nightmare memory comes back?”

Keith had to stop himself from blurting out ‘Yes’.  He was surprised how quickly he wanted to respond ‘Yes’ to Lance.  He wanted Lance to stay.  But that might not be the safest place for Lance to be.

“Aren’t you already technically staying with me since you’re rooming here?”

“Good point, but I wasn’t able to wake you up yelling from the dollhouse.  I had to get closer, so it would make sense for me to stay closer to you in case the dream happens again, but I would only do that if you’re ok with it.  Do you want me to stay?”

“That might not be the safest idea.  What if I roll over in my sleep and hurt you?”

“You’re a pretty sound sleeper.  You don’t move around at all.  Well, except for nightmares.  And as soon as I feel the pillow move, I would know what’s happening and help wake you up from it.  It would be fine, long as you’re ok with it.”

“*sigh* Ok.  You can stay.  Just for tonight.”

“Deal.”

Keith knew he rarely moved in his sleep, yet he was still worried about accidentally hurting Lance.  But he trusted that Lance understood the risks.  He sat up slowly and reached over towards the dollhouse, grabbed the bandana, and handed it over to Lance before lying back down.

“Thanks, Keith.”

“No problem.”

“Wait, is this the bandana from the fire?”

“Yes?”

“Dude, this is like the only thing you have left of your dad’s.  I shouldn’t be using this!”  Lance pushed the bandana away from himself.

“It’s fine.”

“But this is probably really special and significant to you.” Lance paused as he realized something.  “Oh my God.  I’ve been drooling all over the last thing your dad ever gave you!”

“It’s ok.  It does mean a lot to me, but you need it more than I do.  Besides, your drooling’s not really that noticeable at your height.”

“Yeah, but-“

“I said it’s fine, so it’s fine.”

“If you say so.”

Lance grabbed the bandana and pulled it up to his chin.  A part of him still felt a bit guilty about using something that meant so much to Keith, but Keith had said it was fine.

“*heh* Usually I’m the one telling you it’s fine.”

“*heh* Yeah, I guess you are,” Keith responded with a small smile.

Lance could feel his eyelids growing heavy.

Keith *yawned* a moment later and looked over at the clock on the wall.  “It’s getting late.”

“Or is it getting early?” Lance joked while trying to stifle a *yawn* of his own.

“Either way, it’s probably time for us to get some sleep.” He paused for a moment.  “Thanks for listening.”

“No worries, Keith.  If you ever want to talk about that stuff again, my door is always open.  Or I guess my wall is always open since the wall of the dollhouse is open.”

“Does everything have to be a pun with you?”

“You know you love it.”

-me.  But that’s just wishful thinking.

Keith rolled his eyes with a smile.  “Goodnight, Lance.”

“Night, Keith.”

It was quiet for a minute.

“You’re staring again,” Lance said teasingly before he opened his eyes.

“Oh, uh, sorry.  I’ll just turn around and-”  

“Don’t worry about it, it’s fine.  I’ve gotten used to it.  Besides, I know how hard it is to take your eyes off all of this.”

“Oh my God, Lance, just go to sleep.” Keith *groaned* out into his pillow to hide his smile.

“Ok, fine.  Buenas Noches, Keith.”

“G’night, Lance.”

This time, they both closed their eyes and fell asleep once more.

It was the best sleep Lance had had in a long time.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lance had lost track of how long they had been walking.  Well, how long everyone but him had been walking given that he was riding in Keith’s utility belt pocket.  He would have preferred a jacket pocket, but since the savanna-like planet of Gefahr was so warm, Allura thought it best that everyone wear their armor as it regulated temperature.  There was no need for added layers.

Lance had tried to argue for riding on someone’s shoulder since the planet was uninhabited, but was quickly shot down by Hunk pointing out that just cause there are no people on the planet doesn’t mean there aren’t other creatures who might mean Lance harm.  So Lance was stuck in the utility belt pocket.

Hunk had finally gotten around to fixing his own utility belt pockets so Lance had assumed he would go with him, but was surprised when Keith had volunteered to be the one to bring him along.  Lance had jokingly said that he ‘could do with a change of scenery’, but once you’ve ridden in one utility belt pocket, you’ve ridden in them all.  There was only the slightest of differences in material.

He kept watching the tall blue grass go by through the partially open zipper.

I’d ask how much longer it’s going to be, but I’d just get the same answer as all the other times.

‘You don’t want to bother them, right?  Though you’ll find another way to bother them regardless.’

I don’t remember asking for your opinion.

Lance worked to ignore those thoughts and relax with the slight swaying of the pocket he was in.  He could tell Keith and the rest of the group were moving slower than usual, most likely so it was a less bumpy ride for him.  He was grateful but wanted to get out of the pocket sooner rather than later.  It was starting to get a bit claustrophobic, but Lance didn’t want anyone else to know that.  He didn’t want them to see him as weak.

Ok, it can’t be that much longer, right?  Hunk was so excited to find a planet with new types of food to work with in the kitchen.  Allura would have parked the castleship closer if we could, but apparently, the ground is too soft for the castleship to land without damaging it.  She wouldn’t make us walk farther than we had to.  Actually, no.  She might consider it part of training, like pulling your weight.

‘You’re certainly not pulling your own weight.’

Hey, I have less weight to pull, so I don’t have to do as much.

‘And a good thing too.  There’s not much you actually can do.’

I can do things!

‘Like what?’

Stuff…things…umm…

Lance was shaken from his thoughts as he felt the pocket stop swaying.

Finally.

“Can I come out yet?” Lance asked through the comms.

“Not yet.  Pidge still has to do a scan of the nearby area to make sure there’s no animals that might be a threat to you.”  Ryo answered.

“Don’t worry, it won’t take more than a few tics,”  Hunk added on.

Lance heard the wrist scanner boot up and make a few sounds.

“Looks like we’re all clear.  You’re good, Lance.” Pidge stated.

Thank God.

The zipper was opened all the way and Lance climbed onto Keith’s offered hand.

Keith brought him up to his shoulder.

“I’ll keep the scanner running so if something does get too close we’ll get a heads up since the castleships scanners are down while Coran works on them,”  Pidge stated as she pushed a few buttons on said scanner.

“An excellent idea, Pidge.  This way we can ensure Lance’s safety.”  Allura commented.

“So this is the schakalberry tree?” Lance asked as everyone looked at the tree in front of them.

“Yep,”  Hunk responded.

“That is one tall tree,” Ryo commented as he looked up towards the top of the tree.

“It’s huge!” Pidge exclaimed.

“I feel like an ant,”  Keith added on.

“Think about how I feel,”  Lance said from his shoulder.

I feel like an ant around the rest of the team.  If they feel like ants with this tree, what does that mean I feel like?  An ant to an ant?  Is there a better way to phrase that?

‘Of course there is, but you aren’t about to think of it.’

“What exactly is an ant?” Allura asked.

“They’re a type of bug on earth,” Hunk responded.  “They’re pretty little, like yea big.”  Hunk pressed his pointer finger and thumb closer together but kept them from touching to show Allura how small ants are.

‘And that’s exactly what you are.  A little bug, a pest.  And what do we do with bugs?’

Nope, not thinking about that nightmare.  Never thinking about that again.  They would never actually do that.

‘Not intentionally, but well, accidents do happen.’

Lance could almost hear the smirk in the voice.

“Looks like there are some low hanging branches.  Keith, why don’t you and Lance work on those while the rest of us pick some from the higher branches?”  Allura suggested.

“That’s where the sweetest berries are according to the Falleans.”  Hunk commented.

“Sounds good,” Keith responded.

“Here’s a bucket for you two.”  Pidge handed one of the 5 buckets to Keith.

“Don’t I get my own bucket?”

“You aren’t really in the position to carry a bucket right now, Lance.”  Hunk said gently.

“Even if we did have a bucket in your size, it would only hold a few berries.  It just makes more sense for you and Keith to share.”  Pidge pointed out.

“Ok, fair point,”  Lance responded from Keith’s shoulder.

Pidge gave everyone else a bucket and they used their jetpacks to fly up towards the uppermost branches of the schakalberry tree.

Lance felt a little upset that he was, in essence, grounded even though his jetpack worked just fine.  He understood the others’ worries about him falling, but the jetpack would stop him from falling.  Or slow his falling enough for one of them to grab him.  It wouldn’t be that big a deal.  He knew they wouldn’t let him fall.

Keith was now standing in front of one of the low hanging branches.  He put his hand out for Lance to climb on.

“Relax, Mullet.  I got a jetpack too.”

“Are you ever going to stop calling me that?”

“Are you ever going to not have a mullet?” Lance stood up on Keith’s shoulder.

“No.”

“There’s your answer.”

With that Lance used his jetpack to fly over to the nearest branch.  He almost didn’t notice Keith’s hands below him ready to catch him if he fell.  Key word almost.

Does Keith think that I can’t do this too?

‘Of course he does.  He’s stuck babysitting you while the others are actually doing something productive.’

Keith put the bucket down on the ground underneath the branch Lance was now standing on before walking over to another low hanging branch and starting to pick berries.  Lance did the same.

The berries were the size of basketballs to him.  He grabbed the closest one and started pulling on it.  He could feel the resistance of the berry.

Ok, this is harder than I thought.

He looked over and saw Keith having no trouble with his branch.

Ok, maybe it’s just me.  How to do this?  Aha!  Got it!

Lance grabbed the berry once more.  This time as he pulled, he also used his jetpack for an extra boost.  The berry resisted for a moment before coming free.

“Oof.”  Lance landed on his back on the branch.

“Are you ok?” Lance saw the concerned look on Keith’s face.

“I’m good.  Just needed a little boost strength-wise.”

“You don’t have to do this if it’s hard.”

“It’s fine, Keith.”  Lance dropped the berry into the bucket below.  “I want to help the team as much as I can while I’m like this.  This is something I can do.”

Not well, but I can still do it.

Lance couldn’t help but feel inadequate when Keith walked over and dropped a handful of berries into the bucket.

Is this even worth the effort?  At the rate I’m going, I’m only going to pick like 10 before Keith manages to fill the bucket.  Every little bit counts, but my little bit is hardly a drop in the bucket.  Or would it be berry in the bucket?  Lance thought with a small smile.

‘You’re not funny.’

Yeah, I know.

It wasn’t too long before Keith was back with yet another handful of berries.

Lance grabbed another berry and started to pull with the help of his jetpack.

“Um, Lance?” Keith said.

“Yeah?” Lance responded after dropping the second berry into the bucket.

“I wanted to apologize for last night.  The whole waking you up and-“

“You didn’t wake me up, Keith.  I was awake for a bit before your nightmare memory thingee.”

“You were?”

“Yeah.  The doll bed’s not really designed for actual use, so I’ve woken up in the middle of the night a few times.  Last night was probably some of the best sleep I got since the whole getting shrunk thing.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.  Pillows are like clouds at this height.”  Lance paused for a moment.  “Thanks again for grabbing the bandana blanket for me.”

“No problem.  Sorry about grabbing you in my sleep.”

“Grabbing’s a bit of a strong word, Keith.  If anything, you draped your hand over me.  Wait, is that the right word?  Anyways, it’s more like your hand was a heated blanket of some kind.  You didn’t smush me down into the pillow if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“But what if I had?”

“You wouldn’t, Keith.  I know you wouldn’t hurt me.  I’m fine, you’re fine,” very fine, “And everything is fine.”

That is the exact moment that things went wrong.

“Guys, something just popped up on the scanner.  Make that several somethings.”  Pidge warned through the comms.

“What direction are they coming from?”  Keith looked around to see if he could figure it out himself.

“Overhead.”  Pidge and the others landed in front of Keith and Lance.

Keith held out his hand for Lance to climb onto.

“What are they?”  Ryo asked.

“Not sure.  We designed the scanner to warn us of things that would be a threat.  It doesn’t necessarily tell us what they are.” Hunk explained.  “Bit of a design flaw on our part.”

“Well whatever it is, we should get ready,” Lance said.

“Coran, do you see anything on the ship’s scanners?”  Allura asked through the comms.

“I haven’t finished updating them yet, so they’re not active.  Why?”

“We have a lot of movement near us.  We may need to make a quick exit.  How soon can you get the castleship ready to leave?”

“Give me 15 dobashes and she’ll be ready to go.”

“You might want to hurry with that, Coran.  We’ve got company.”  Ryo said as an all too familiar ship came into view overhead flanked by two battle cruisers.

“How did Lotor find us here?  The Falleans said that this was a safe planet!”  Lance exclaimed.

“*Hmm* It has been a while since we’ve heard from the Falleans,” Keith commented mostly to himself.

“Lotor probably figured we were on their tail and would be looking to resupply somewhere,” Allura responded.

“What if there’s something you missed in my head?  What if I’m the reason they found us?” Ryo worried out loud.

“We went over the data multiple times.  If they had put anything in your mind we would have found it.” Pidge answered.

“Is there a chance they don’t know we’re here?”  Hunk asked hopefully.

The ship started shooting at them.

“Well, that answers that question,” Keith said as he transferred Lance to one hand and activated his shield with the other.

“Coran, how much longer till the castleship’s ready to go?”  Ryo asked.

“We’re working as fast as we can.  It shouldn’t be more than another 13 dobashes.  Do you want me to send the lions to meet you?”

“No, the planet drains their power somehow.  We can’t risk them being grounded here.”  Pidge responded.

“That means we can’t form Voltron.  What do we do?” Hunk asked.

“We hold out until Coran can get the ship to us,” Ryo stated.  “Keith, hide Lance.  We don’t need Lotor to know he’s here with us.”

Keith slid Lance back into his utility belt pocket and zipped it most of the way shut.

“Everyone, protect Keith.  We know he’s the intended target.”  Allura reminded the group.

Lance remembered exactly what Lotor had said back then, all the way back when Lance took the hit for Keith.  How it was ‘high time someone cut him down to size.’  They were lucky that Lotor hadn’t managed to hit his intended target.  Lance wouldn’t want anyone else to have to go through what he’s going through.

I wonder why they’re targeting Keith anyways.  Maybe because he’s half Galra?  Or is it racist to assume that?  Uggh.  I hate not being able to see what’s going on.

“I don’t need protection,” Keith stated.

“True, but Lance does,”  Allura commented.  “Lotor finding us here is an unforeseen risk.  We can’t afford anything happening to either of you.”

Nice to know they care, but I can protect myself.

‘Really now?  Then, what would you call all the other times?  You were almost stepped on, nearly crushed under a fist, trapped in a jewelry box, and let’s not forget all but dropped to your death, I could go on.’

Please don’t.  That was before I knew how to handle myself at this height.

‘But that last time was only a few days ago.’

Lance ignored the voice as much as he could and tried to focus on the voices around him.  He could hear Lotor speaking.

“You have something of mine, paladins.”

“Yeah?  Well, you’ve got something of ours.  Where’s Shiro?” Pidge demanded an answer.

“Ah, so you’ve discovered our little ruse.”

“Answer the question,” Keith growled out.

“Even if I did know his location I would not share it.”

“We will find him.” Allura declared.

“Do you hear that?  They actually think they can find him.”  Ezor mocked while the rest of the generals laughed.

Guess all of team Lotor is here too.  Yay.

“We found Ryo.” Hunk pointed out.

“Oh, is that what the project’s calling itself these days?” Zethrid asked out loud.

“You only found this clone because we let you.”  Lotor declared.  “We left you a trail of breadcrumbs and you didn’t suspect a thing.  True, we were hoping that it would be longer before you figured it out.  We believed that with what’s happened to your most important paladin your team would fall apart, but you are still going strong.  Credit where credit’s due.”

“Uh, thank you?”

“Hunk!”

“What?  I’m just being polite.”

“Tell us what you’ve done with Shiro,” Ryo demanded.

“I haven’t done anything with him.”

“LIAR!"

Lance could feel how agitated Keith was.  His shaking in anger was causing the utility belt pocket to shake as well.

“Believe what you will, but I was not involved in that aspect of the project.”

“Then why were you there guarding him?” Allura gestured to Ryo.

“I owed someone a favor.”

“Who?”  Pidge glared at Lotor.

A look of realization came across Ryo’s face.

“The witch.  Haggar.”

“I guess they did give you a brain after all.”

“Hey!  Leave him alone!” Lance had managed to unzip the pocket enough for him to stick his upper body out.

The rest of his team turned and glared at him and Lance swore he could hear them all going “Boiiiii!” in their minds.

“It seems you have a little stowaway,”  Lotor smirked down at Lance.

Oh, yeah, that’s scary.  That is very scary.

“Good to know the spell worked.”

“What do you want, Lotor?” Allura asked while Keith put a protective hand in front of Lance to shield him from view.

“I already told you, you have something of mine.  I am simply here to retrieve him.”

Lance figured Lotor had gestured towards Keith based on how the others reacted.

“We will not allow you to take him,” Allura stated.

“Yeah!  Keith’s our friend!” Hunk declared.

“And teammate!”  Pidge added.

“If you want him, you’re going to have to go through us,” Ryo said.

“So be it.”

Lance was glad that Keith had managed to zip him back in the pocket while everyone else was talking because things started moving quickly, causing him to fall down.

Ok, I’m a little sick of that happening.

He felt something press against the pocket.  Whatever it was stopped and stayed in place once it felt him through the material.

“That you, Keith?”  He hoped it was Keith.  He couldn’t see much in the pocket with just the lights from his armor, not that there was much to see anyways.

“*mhmm*” Keith responded in the comms.

He must be using his shield to protect me.  But what about him?

Lance could hear the clashing of metal around him.

There has to be something I can do.

Lance felt his surrounding shift as something hit the shield.

What was that?

Keith’s hand moved slightly but still managed to keep Lance from being shaken around in the pocket.

This kind of feels like being on that one flying saucer looking ride at the fair.  The one where it spins really fast and you’re pushed against the wall and can’t move.  What was that called again?

There was another sharp lurch in a different direction.  Then yet another direction.

Or maybe this is more like bumper cars.  With a blindfold on.  Would it be better if I could see what’s happening?

Lance barely stopped himself from puking as there was a sudden drop.

Yeah, don’t think seeing would help.

The force pressing against him disappeared and he fell on his hands and knees as the pocket was jerked once more.

“I got him!” Lance heard Zethrid say.

“Good.  Get him to the ship.”  Axha responded as the pocket started shaking.

Keith must be trying to get away.

Lance heard a zipping sound and saw that more light was coming in.

Why would Keith be opening-?  That’s not Keith!

Lance had learned to recognize his teammates’ hands from his new perspective.  He was pretty sure none of them had claws or red skin.

“And he even brought his little friend along for the trip.” Ezor taunted as her hand approached Lance.

Lance backed up into a corner of the pocket in an attempt to get away.  Seeing one of his friends’ hands reaching for him was intimidating enough at this height.  Seeing an enemy’s hand reaching for him was downright terrifying.

“Get away from him!”  Keith was still trying to break free from Zethrid’s grip causing the pocket to shake and making it harder for Ezor to grab at Lance.

Lance managed to avoid the first few attempts, but Ezor eventually snatched him up and start lifting him out of the pocket.  Lance’s fight or flight instinct kicked in and he bit Ezor’s finger.

“Ow!”  Ezor dropped Lance back into the pocket and yanked her hand out of it.

“Babe, are you ok?”  Zethrid’s grip loosened slightly at her girlfriend’s exclamation allowing Keith to break out of it and quickly re-zip his pocket shut.

“He bit me.”  Ezor shot an offended look at Keith and Lance.

“That’s it.  No more Mr. nice guy.”  Zethrid said.

That was her being nice?!  Lance thought as he worked to get his heart to stop racing.

Zethrid and Ezor started charging towards Keith but were suddenly blasted back by a flash of pink energy.

“I believe we said we would not let you take him.”

Keith looked over and saw Allura standing nearby, a small hint of a pink glow still around her outstretched hand.

“Besides,” Pidge joined Allura, “2 against 1 isn’t really fair.”

What about me?  Don’t I count for something?

‘No, you don’t.’

Hey, I can fight too!

‘Yeah, cause biting someone’s finger and then cowering in a corner is a real asset to the team.’

“You ok, Lance?” Keith asked as he put his hand back protectively over the pocket and reactivated his shield.

“Yeah, you?”  Lance put his hand against Keith’s through the fabric of the pocket to let him know he was alright.

“Just a scratch.  No big deal.”

“You can’t keep him from us forever,” Axha commented as she fought against Ryo.

“I can do this all day.”

“And they can do this for much longer,” Lotor stated before multiple transports full of robot sentries dropped down into the fray.

“Why does every villain have an army of robots?” Hunk asked as he avoided a hit from Narti, who had Kova perched on her shoulder.  “Nice kitty.  I don’t want to hurt you-”

*HISS!!!*

“-But you clearly want to hurt me!  Coran, what’s the ETA?”

“It’ll be at least another 4 doboshes until she’s up and running.”

More sentries dropped from the sky surrounding the group.

“That’s not going to be enough time,” Allura stated as she blasted 3 of the sentries to bits before more took their place.

“We need a new plan,” Ryo added as he sliced one up.

“Wait, Lance,” Keith said while blocking a strike from another sentry.  “What about pharaohs?”

“Pharaohs?  What do dead Egyptian dudes have to do with anything?”

“No, pharaohs!  What we talked about yesterday."

“Wait, do you mean Feroz?”

“That’s what I said.”

That was hardly close at all.

“Why not just say ‘Red’?” Lance was honestly curious as to why Keith was trying to be cryptic.

“Think, Lance.”  Keith was forced back by yet another sentry.

“Oh!  Because Lotor and crew can hear what you’re saying, but not so much what I’m saying.  That way they don’t know the plan!”

“Good.” Lance could hear the smile in Keith’s voice.

“I think I’m thinking what you’re thinking.  Coran, would you be able to open Red’s hangar door?”

“Yes, but that would just drain her energy.”

“True, but Red’s the fastest out of the lions.  She could make it to us and bring us to the ship in time for liftoff before being drained completely.”

“It’s risky,”  Allura commented.

“But it might be our only chance,” Ryo added.

“It seems doable.  Pidge, do you think it would work?” Hunk asked.

“Yes.  It will work.  Do it, Coran.”

“Red’s on her way.  I’ll have Black on stand-by in case she doesn’t make it all the way back.”

“She’ll make it back” Lance stated.  “She’s Feroz.”

“Whatever you and your paladins are thinking of doing, it won’t work,” Ezor stated.

“We have you surrounded and outnumbered,” Axha said from the opposite side of the group.

“You’re not getting away this time.”  Zethrid threatened from another side with Kova *meowing* in agreement on Narti’s shoulders opposite her.

The sentries closed in more on team Voltron.  All members of team Voltron found themselves turning between facing each of the 5 members of team Lotor, not sure which of them might strike first.

Keith was the only one to notice Axha aiming a shot at the back of Ryo’s head.  He ran over and reached his arm and shield out and blocked the shot.

Ezor aimed her gun as well.

*pa-choo*

Suddenly there was a hole right through the utility belt pocket only an inch above Lance’s head from his perspective.

“¡Ah Dios!”

“Lance!”  Keith quickly put his shield back in front of Lance.

“As we said before, there will be no escape for you this day.”  Lotor proclaimed.

*ROAR*

All eyes turned towards the sound to see Red racing towards team Voltron.

“That’s what you think, suckers!”  Pidge exclaimed as Red grabbed everyone in her tractor beam and activated her shield.  Once in the cockpit, Keith grabbed the controls and Red started heading back to the castleship.

Team Lotor continued to fire until they could no longer see Red in the sky.

“What are your orders?” Axha looked over to Lotor.

“Let them leave.  We’ve accomplished our goal here.”

“No way they’re letting him on any more missions after that stunt,” Zethrid commented.

“Is that really going to stop him though?” Ezor added with a smile.

“We’ll have to see what the cameras show us on their ship,” Axha answered.

“Is your finger alright, Ezor?” Zethrid let a bit of worry show on her face as she cradled her girlfriend’s hands in her own.

“It’s fine, babe.  He can’t bite that hard at that height anyway.  He just surprised me.  Why? You gonna kiss it better?”

“Of course.  Now, was it this finger?” *kiss*

“Nope.”

“Was it this one?” *kiss*

“No.” *giggle*

“How about this one?” *kiss*

*giggle*

Kova *meowed* on Narti’s shoulder.

“You’re right, Narti.  It is interesting that the green paladin didn’t try to hack the sentries.  And after all the trouble you went through to take down their firewalls and make it so they would self-destruct once hacked.” Lotor lamented.

“Voltron seems to still believe that the red paladin is our target,”  Axha observed.

“Good.  They won’t realize our true target until it’s too late.  You three can head back to the ship now.  I have something to discuss with Ezor.”

The other three generals headed towards one of the transports, but not before Zethrid kissed Ezor on the back of her hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze.

Once the transport took off, Lotor turned to Ezor.

“When I chose each of you as my generals, I asked for one thing in return: Loyalty.  To me and the cause.  You were told to target only the red paladin.  Why did you deliberately go against my orders?”

“I saw an opportunity to take the blue paladin without having to deal with the more complicated parts of the plan.”  Ezor tried not to show how nervous she was.

“And what did that get you?”

“My finger got bit and he got away.”  She looked down in shame.

“Exactly.  You gained nothing from your actions.  By targeting the blue paladin directly, you nearly alerted his team to the truth.  If Voltron found out that he was our true target this early it would be disastrous.  Not only that, when you were told to aim near the top of the pocket, you aimed for the middle.”

“I thought that it would be more effective if the ‘close call’ shot was closer to him.  It would convince them even more that he shouldn’t be out in the field.”

“And in doing so you risked everything.  If he had been sitting up any more in the pocket, your shot would have killed him.  Need I remind you we need the blue paladin alive for the plan to work?”

“I understand, Lotor.”

“I’m not so sure you do.”  Lotor brought a hand to the hilt of his sword.

Ezor *gulped*.  She watched as Lotor seemed to debate something in his head while tightening his grip.

Lotor *sighed* to himself before letting go of the hilt and letting his hand fall back down to his side.

“You are young and naïve.  There is much you do not know.  Consider this a learning experience and see that it does not happen again.  Fate may not be so kind to you in the future.”

“Yes, Lotor.”  Ezor’s voice shook slightly from nervousness as she avoided looking him in the eyes.

“*sigh* You know I care about you.” Lotor put the hand that had grabbed his sword on Ezor’s shoulder and noticed her slight flinch.  “I still hate to think about what might have happened all those years ago if I hadn’t intervened.  They were hurting you.  And all because you are only ¼ Galra.”  Lotor used his other hand to tilt Ezor’s head up so she was looking at him.  “You are Galra.  That should be enough for them.  I know it is enough for me.  Us part Galra have to stick together.  We’re family, after all.”

“I know.”

“I realize I have been unfair to you and the others.  I have been keeping many details of the plan under wraps for fear of anyone beyond us learning of them.  I am deeply sorry for that.”

“You don’t have to apologize, it’s ok.  We all understand. If we needed to know you would let us know.”

“While on the subject, I have an important task for you and Narti tomorrow.  I’ve already explained Narti’s role to her, but you are the key to this portion of the plan.  Everything depends on you doing exactly as I tell you.”

“I won’t let you down again.”

“I know you won’t.  Now pay attention.  This is important."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Are you sure you’re ok, Lance?”

“Yes, Hunk.  I’m fine.” Lance tried to push away Hunk’s worried hands that had been hovering around him since he came out of the healing pod.  “I mean, yeah, I’m a bit shaken, but not stirred!” Lance smiled at the reference he made.

“I’m going to assume that’s another earth phrase?” Coran said.

“Something along those lines,” Keith responded.

“*ahem* If we could get back on topic, please,” Allura interjected.  “Given recent events, we have a few things to discuss as a team.  Coran, have you had any success in contacting the Falleans?”

“Not yet, Princess.  All I’m getting is static.  I’ll keep adjusting the frequency and see if I can get through.”

“We need to let them know that Gefahr is no longer safe.  What could have happened that would affect the signal?” Allura wondered out loud.

“It is possible their communicator was damaged,” Pidge suggested.

“The Galra could have something to do with it.” Ryo pointed out.

“Either way, we should continue trying to contact them.” Allura declared.

“Why not just teleduv over there and see what’s going on?” Lance suggested.

“Because we can’t form Voltron right now,” Pidge answered.

“Red was barely able to make it back to the castleship before being completely power drained,” Hunk added on.

“We don’t know what’s on the other side of the wormhole,” Coran mentioned.

“If it is the Galra, as Ryo suspects, it would be best to be able to form Voltron,” Allura explained.

“True, true,” Lance commented.

“Plus, if the Galra are involved we don’t want to walk into a trap,” Ryo responded.

“When does Red say she’ll be ready?” Lance asked.

“Red says she should be ready by tomorrow morning,” Keith answered after asking Red herself through their mental link.

“*sigh* Good.” Allura switched back to her serious face.  “We also need to work on our protection formations.”

“I thought we did a good job today.  They didn’t get Keith.” Pidge commented.

“They almost did,” Allura responded.  “It was sheer dumb luck that Keith got away.  We need to be better next time.”

“I don’t need protection,” Keith said.

“Until we can figure out what Lotor wants with you, you do.  And in the future, we might have to protect someone less capable of protecting themselves.  It is a good idea to do some more training.” Ryo pointed out.

“Fine.” Keith accepted.

“And finally, Lance.  Are you quite sure you’re alright?” Allura asked.

“Yeah, it was just a few cuts and bruises.  Nothing too serious."

“Nothing too serious?!  You almost died!” Hunk exclaimed.

“But I didn’t!  I’m fine.”

“You got lucky this time,” Pidge interjected.  “If that shot had been a millimeter lower, you wouldn’t be here now.”

“And now we know Lotor and his team are not above targeting you in the field.” Ryo pointed out.

“It is for all these reasons and more that certain precautions must be made.  Pidge, would you be able to bring up the rules list?” Allura asked.

“Give me just a sec.” Pidge typed on her laptop.  “Got it.”

“From now on, Lance is not to go on any mission regardless of the risk involved.” Allura declared.

“What?” Lance said softly.  He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“No missions.  Period.” Pidge simplified as she edited the rules list.

“We discussed it while you were in the pod and agreed that the risk is just too great.” Ryo apologetically said to Lance.

“But…but the other missions I’ve gone on like this went ok.  We didn’t know that Lotor would show up!”

“Exactly,” Allura stated.  “We do not always know what we will face in the field.  This last mission was proof of that.”

“That was probably just a fluke or something!”

“A fluke that almost cost you your life,” Keith responded, worry showing in his voice.  “You didn’t even try to stay hidden when Lotor showed up.  You let them know where you were as soon as they landed.”

“Well, next time I’ll stay quiet and if Lotor and crew show up, they won’t even know I’m there.”

“Even if you could manage to be quiet that long, Lotor’s team would assume you’re tagging along on every mission now.” Pidge pointed out.  “The best thing for you to do is stay on the castleship where you’re safe.”

“But I want to help!”

“You can help Coran on the bridge,” Ryo mentioned gently.

But that’s not the same.

“Please, Lance.  We just want to make sure you’re safe.” Hunk said upon seeing Lance’s dejected face.

“We’re paladins of Voltron.  We risk our lives every day.”  Lance said while wondering

Why is it different for me?

“And we can’t risk something happening to you,” Coran responded.  “You are the most vulnerable of us right now.”

‘See?  Even Coran doesn’t think you can do anything.  Vulnerable, weak, useless.’

“The Galra almost took you,” Keith said.

“If they had taken you, who knows what they would do?” Hunk worried out loud.

“Lotor would use you against us.  He could force us to hand over Keith.” Allura stated.

‘See who she actually cares about?  Surprise, surprise, it’s not you.’

“For everyone’s safety and peace of mind, yours especially, you need to stay where it’s safe, ok?” Ryo said.

“*sigh* I’ll stay where it’s safe.” Lance agreed.

“Good.”

But I never agreed that that was the castleship.

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Realities without Lance: 137 (+11)

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[furederiko]

Advance Notice: Behold, for this is my first monthly review for "Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger"...

I had planned on publishing a First Impression post when this show premiered on February 11th, 2018, but I ended up scrapping that idea due to several reasons. I figured I should just go ahead with the review for the first episode having seen it with subs, but another hurdle came barging on my way (forcing me to be off the grid for a brief amount of time prior to my latest post) to the point that now I practically have watched 3 subbed episodes already. LOL. So as you can see, I've finally decided to just convert it into a monthly review (consisting of episode 1 to 3 that aired Sunday, February 25th) for the series anyway. Not unlike what I did with "Kamen Rider Build", of course. But there's a catch! Since I don't want my efforts for the First Impression to go to waste, I'm going to start with them first before heading directly to my Overall thoughts on each episode. Okay then, here goes...

First Impression

NOTE: Another reminder before I start. This list was written as soon as I finished watching the first episode. It contained my personal notes and INITIAL reactions to the story, theme, and also characters, some of most definitely have more or less evolved since then. So if it might sound a bit outdated, that's just the way it is. Can't help it, these were from three weeks ago... XD - Phantom Thief? More like... burglar. I'm talking about the premiere's opening sequence, that is. While it was designed to be cinematic, to me it also felt like a missed opportunity. The writer for this episode (was it lead writer Junko Komura?) probably forgot or got him/herself confused on the basic rule of a 'Kaitou'/Phantom Thieves. What made a Phantom Thief different than regular thieves or pickpockets, was in their modus operand of sending/handing out notice way ahead of their operation in order to challenge the owner of the item. Hence why it is called ADVANCE NOTICE. Moreso, they would infiltrate the target location meticulously and secretly using tricks and deceits while naturally avoiding to cause too much of a fuzz as much as possible. Those are the basics of a Phantom Thief. If you're uninformed and curious to see how this plays out, look no further than towards the many Kaitou Kid-centered story arcs in "Meitantei Conan", or the children show "Mysterious Joker". Even the heist aspect of Marvel Studios' "Ant-Man" fit in perfectly in this method. - This show DID capture the extravagant and stylish flairs of Phantom Thieves in this opening sequence. It was undoubtedly a flashy scene. But the biggest issue here was they did NOT give off an advance notice to the Casino boss, who was, in fact, the first Gangler or MotW of the show. A missed opportunity, because they could have easily inserted that bit in a quick dialogue or two. Breaking and entering, proceeded by shooting randomly at things to retrieve their target was clearly NOT the style of a Phantom Thief. Nope, this was plain robbery or burglary at play. Huge difference, right there! LOL. Handing out a calling card afterward would be considered pretty much useless because it could no longer count as an 'Advance' notice (get it?). The later mission of the episode was better, as it required a good amount of sneaking and sleuthing. No sign of advance notice though, so what a shame *sigh*. Even if this show hasn't managed to get the thieving part correctly, it was pretty apparent that the source of inspiration for the Lupinrangers was the iconic series "Lupin the 3rd". At the very least, I'm instantly reminded of that series every time they got out in action, both in or out of suit. - Oh yeah, there's another missed potential regarding that opening sequence. In this case, it's a bit technical. Debuting the theme song of "Lupinranger VS Patranger" in the first episode sounds natural, right? Well, that should've been the case. Yet when it was played WITHOUT having the Patranger around... it bugged me big time. I personally think they should have either: used the Lupinranger-only version in that scene. Especially because the Patrangers didn't even have the ability to transform until the closing scene. Or...; rewrote the scene and have it showcase both teams at the same time, fully in costume. I know the Lupinranger is first-billed, but if I were this episode's writer, I would totally use the theme song during an actual kerfuffle between the two teams. For example, in that brief part before the episode wrapped? Heck, the episode could've started with that before going into flashback mode or some sort. It would have made a major difference if you ask me... - Characters!!! I know I should never judge a book by its cover, but seriously, Kairi Yano (LupinRed) is unappealing and squeaky. No wonder some folks were surprised that his actor Asahi Itou could be appointed as Red. Plus, it's clear he still needs to improve his acting skill, with all those constant unnerving glares. Touma Yoimachi (LupinBlue) is the usual cool type, who this time gets mixed up with the chef trope. Think of it like Kyuranger's Stinger and Spada in one body. For some reason, Shougo Hama reminded me of Kamen Rider Ibuki or Mamoru Chiba from the live action "Sailor Moon" series. I think Umika Hayami (LupinYellow) is the most likable member of the Lupinranger, albeit being the usual bumbling 'my pace' girl. It felt that graduated Morning Musume member Haruka Kudo's deep affection to tokusatsu really showed, as she looked the most comfortable in her shoes. Their names combine into 'Kai-To-u'. - Keiichirou Asaka (Patren 1-gou) is undoubtedly the better Red for me so far. I sensed that Kousei Yuuki was also more convincing as an actor than Asahi. Unfortunately, Keiichirou is also the loud brash stereotype (kind of reminds you of Go Yellow, huh?), so he and his mysterious endless rage and anger will either impress you or grate on your nerves. The same couldn't be said about the other Patranger members. Sakuya Hikawa (Patren 2-gou) and Tsukasa Myoujin (Patren 3-gou) are nothing more than... generic stereotypes in the premiere. For now at least. Which was disappointing, because Ryo Yokoyama and Kazusa Okuyama (who somehow reminded me of Red Racer and Go-On Silver) could only do so much with the limited materials they were given. These two are likely the lesser important characters (Super Sentai always have ones), which says a lot about the Patranger's position. None of these three managed to... grab my attention, because aside from a stubborn hot-blooded Keiichirou, the other two could be considered as bland. Just like the Lupinranger, their names combined into 'Kei-Sa-Tsu'. - Youichi Nukumizu's Kogure and Ike Nwala's Commisioner Hilltop are the show's MVP for me thus far. In Kogure's case, the air of mystery and elusiveness easily stole my attention and made me want to see more. I think he could work as a secret big boss vibe pulling the strings behind the scene, though it would likely end up as some kind of Alfred Pennyworth scenario instead. Likewise, Hilltop showed hints of eccentric personality due to his Japan Culture-obsessed hobby (mirroring "Sakura Taisen V"'s Sunnyside). I can't help but wonder if he's meant to be the Jim Gordon of the show? It also helped that he joined the limited list of foreign actors who played a crucial role in a tokusatsu show. I hope these two will have bigger and more important roles in the future... as suggested by that recent rumor. Sadly, I couldn't praise the same about Jim Carter (voiced by Rie Kugimiya), the Global Police's mascot robot. I disliked its design, and see no actual use of it. Not to mention that name. Why TOEI, just why? - Comparing these two teams have always been an ordeal since I saw their first images. Each one has their pros and cons that sort of balanced my impression on them. I liked the Patranger cast better, but those suit design totally threw me off the table. I dig the style of the Lupinranger suit, but feel mixed about its actors. It's clear however, that the Lupinranger was put center front in the premiere (as evident by the flashy top-hatted transformation sequence and cool silhouetted roll call), to the point that the Patranger was basically just... there. Thus it felt somewhat premature and unfair to compare them due to the state they are right now. Not surprisingly, the scene in the Bistrot Jurer was executed better than the one in the GSPO's Tactical Unit Operations Room. The latter just looked more... fake somehow *sigh*. - Speaking of suits, Patranger likely had inspirations from "KyuKyu Sentai GoGoFive", "Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger", with a hint of "Go Go Sentai Boukenger". Sadly, these are not as good as those three. The Lupinranger ones are clearly a "Mirai Sentai Timeranger" nod, complete with that giant hands of clock-shaped swords that reminded me of the Vector Swords. Still, they should've gone with a long coat tail like in the transformation sequence (Zyuoh Whale and Draco Commander style). That would've made for a more elegant look. - I'm not that fond of the design for the show's main antagonist (a mixture of dinosaur and... guns?). Not the grenade-inspired but watermelon-looking Destora Mazzio (voiced by Pokemon's Brock himself, Yuuji Ueda), and particularly the hideous Goshu Ru Medu (voiced by "K-ON!"'s Ayana Taketatsu). Perhaps it's the way that every Gangler needs to include a safety box on their body that made them look... I don't know, silly? On the bright side, it does have this interesting mafia family style that would provide great potentials assuming it's explored properly. Cues from "The Godfather" movies can be felt from their so-called leader Dogranio Yabun (voiced by Mitsuru Miyamoto), as well as an obvious nod to Don Dolnero of Timeranger. In the case of those Lupin Collection, I'm sure Super Sentai fans would easily be reminded of Boukenger's Precious. - Neat camera works for the action scenes. Some... inventive movements that involved plenty of 360 shots taken from kinetic angles. Unfortunately, they would work much better in a fast-paced viewing. When you slowed the sequence down, it's more than obvious that the transitions between the different cameras (the regular huge and docked one, and possibly a drone/hand-held for the moving parts) aren't exactly as smooth. The switching was more than apparent, because there's an easily noticeable fluctuation in video quality. Not to mention, it did feel confusing to see after repeated viewings. - Last but not least, the absence of an ending sequence could be a make or break situation for the show. Many audience particularly Japanese kids genuinely loved an ending song that they could dance along with. I know that this one felt more mature already without one, but is that really a good thing? We'll just have to wait and see...

01 - "Here Comes the Flashy Burglar / Off-Beat Arrested Development"

Overall: I admit, after seeing this episode again with English subtitle, it was better than my first initial watch. Unfortunately, many of its issues (that I have pointed out above) are hard to overlook and still render my overall judgment. This was meant to be a groundbreaking series that actually features two existing Super Sentai teams at once, yet in my opinion, it ended up feeling more or less like your standard Super Sentai show. It didn't feel that much 'different', despite being taunted/promoted as such. Same old, same old. Most of that is likely due to the fact that the Patranger didn't have equal footing in it when they really SHOULD. Everything this police unit does (always-late appearance, bland characters, unimpressive significance, etc) didn't account much, giving off a distracting vibe that they were merely a set of supporting characters in a Lupinranger show. Seriously, they didn't even have a proper transformation scene and roll call because of how heavily Lupinranger-focused this has been. I'm not fond of police-themed Sentai, to begin with, hence why I already liked it less than other Super Sentai fans. Not saying this debut episode was bad, but more like... not my cup of tea? Didn't win me over? I do get why many are loving it though. This was a breeze of fresh air, especially when compared to the recent WEAK (I'm being NICE here) seasons of "Power Rangers" adaptations. Still, in my opinion, it's a pretty standard premiere, heavy on expositions, and due to its minor flaws, wasn't really on par with previous Super Sentai premiere episodes. On the bright side, if the show's future development is consistent with a recent rumor flying around the internet, then they will be enough to keep me watching this show. Here's hoping...

02 - "Frozen Back-Story / Fudging-Sweaty Fusion"

Overall: If I have to choose one word to describe this episode, that would be easy: HECTIC. Yes, as fittingly represented by the official opening sequence that... in my honest opinion, could have used better editing. The action parts felt busy and rushed, to the point that when it slowed down for the dramatic parts, the episode became uneven. I have this feeling that the debut of the vaguely disturbing Patren Union (defying all kinds of real life logic) was meant to put or even push the Patranger into the spotlight. Heck, they finally got their own flas... er generic roll call now (it still looks bland compared to the thieves no matter how you put it... *sigh*). Unfortunately, it's the drama part that pretty much stole every attention and became the major highlight of this episode. And sadly, it was particularly shining a light towards the Lupinranger... all over again. Yes, Kairi, Touma, and Umika remained to be the first-billed characters, as the show decided to reveal their real motives/goal to collect the Lupin Collection. Which was emotional and VERY personal at best. Hence our supposedly good officers were still being relegated as second fiddle, showing that the show hasn't managed to divide the focus evenly between the two teams. But hey, the Patranger also helped debuted the sentient-chatterbox Good Striker/Goody (voiced by legendary Virgo Shaka himself, Yuuji Mitsuya), right? Only to jumpstart the arrival of Lupin Kaizer when the Collection Piece combined with the Lupinranger's Dial Fighters instead. And while the show's first mecha (which didn't look as good as its design, I can't tell why) dealt with the Gangler in a flashy way, Keichirou, Sakuya, and Tsukasa only stared blankly into the night sky. Oh Patranger, I feel truly sorry for you... Ignoring the fact that it's still an uneven affair, it's indeed a much better episode than the first. It's not perfect by all means, and probably could do with better editing, but that genuinely intriguing backstory honestly did much of the heavy lifting. It's probably the show's best episode so far, though I'm hoping it's not the extent that this show has to offer.

03 - "Fiance on Ice / A Sticky Reinforcement"

Overall: LOL, did anyone actually expect some secret identities to be exposed, just 3 episodes in? That's NOT how Super Sentai works, especially in a full-year extended version of a Versus movie like this. So in that sense, what a pointless cliffhanger that was at the end of episode 2, huh? This intro scene basically answered one lingering concern I had since episode 1. Remember how Keiichirou and Kairi had a civilian stand-off about that newspaper ball in the park early on? If Keiichirou has good photographic memory and critical analysis skill as a competent police officer, he would've instantly recognized Kairi in Jurer. Not just that, he should also recognize LupinRed's voice coming from his mouth. But noooope, that did NOT happen. Frankly, I'm not sure how I feel about this. I just hope this didn't simply mean that Kei, as well as Sakuya and Tsukasa, are being written off as a bit... slow. That would be a disaster! How could one root for them if they are so unreliable? We got more insight into Touma's character concerning his fiance Aya. Not much of a surprise, because the previous episode had openly shown the identities of the frozen closed ones *sigh*. His character now reminds me of Joe Gibken from "Kaizoku Sentai Go-kaiger", who so happens to be sharing a similar cool-blue stereotype. But I'm not sure why there's something off with Touma that I couldn't really put into words. A relentless darkness that is rubbing me the wrong way. Which is strange, because Joe is my favorite Go-kaiger. It felt like Sakuya was probably meant to be the 2nd focus here, or at least meant to have his share of the spotlight. But since the execution was still uneven, still favoring heavily on the Lupinranger side, inevitably the rookie member of the Global Police ended up being eclipsed by both Touma and also Kairi. On the bright side, him showing instant attraction to Umika at the end implied that he's destined to be the awkward but likable goofball of the series. Assuming this angle will be explored in the future, of course. I might be wrong in this, but it felt like the Patranger has gotten the short end of the stick... again. Three times in a row! I mean, when the whole episode established that the Lupinranger will now be using the Patranger as tools to do their bidding, that... kind of says A LOT, right? The thieves (true to their namesake) kept on stealing attention from the public servant (fittingly so), always acting one step ahead of them. And their version of Good Striker's Finishing Move wasn't even better (lamer IMO) than Union to begin with. Even Kogure singlehandedly stole the scenes with his elusive appearances and mysterious relationship with Goody! Marvel Studios carefully constructed a story that enabled "Captain America: Civil War" audience to be divided between the two conflicting teams, but there's none of that here. For the time being, the Patranger only feels more and more like an afterthought, a lesser team that probably shouldn't even get a mention in the title. I don't think that's fair... Oh well, at least their Pat Kaizer debut was great. I can't say why, but it honestly looked much better in action. That's a hugely pleasant surprise! Was it because Lupin Kaizer's battle relied too heavily on CG to showcase its fluid movement? Not really, because Pat Kaizer also had its fair share of CG. Because the battle took place in the daylight? Regardless, the combined Trigger Machines was sturdy and strong. And though I could do without that pink pole stick, this mecha looked impressive overall and just more fun to see in motion. Next Episode: A Closed Room Case...

Episode 1 Score: 7,2 out of 10 Episode 2 Score: 7,8 out of 10 Episode 3 Score: 7,4 out of 10

All images are screen captured from the series, provided by the FanSubber Over-Time. "Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger" is produced by TOEI, and airs every Sunday on TV-Asahi. Credits and copyrights belong to their respective owners.

[bloojayoolie]

Back to Back, Blade, and Boxing: Something strange happens after the ice skating round. The contestants have been whittled down to the four final this final four. The League of Background Characters. Four-way hive fives circulate when RBR-kun's eighth successful back-to-back quad cinches him the round. The commentators take note that, for a set of rivals entering the semi-finals, the four of them sure do seem friendly. And the four of them note with a bit of melancholy that they may have to part ways for the final two rounds. It can't be a collaborative effort anymore if they're going face to face. But at least one of them - one of them will win in absolute. And it won't be Villain-chan. They let their guard down. Until a scream wakes them in the middle of the night. One of the defeated girls - with the pure white hair has been shaved in her room. Her bags are already packed. Her loss is official. And she is murdered anyway. The four of them reconvene, in a maintenance tunnel under the hotel for added security, as the rooms just don't feel safe anymore. They're lit only by the emergency lighting along the walls and GG-chan's laptop, whispering back and forth. Why is the murderer still active when she can't possibly be part of the competition anymore? Why murder a contestant who's already lost? Is causing her victims to lose not her end-goal? Is losing not the end of it? Would she follow them elsewhere? Would she follow them home? Is this something beyond the competition? Suddenly, their conviction that unmasking Villain-chan isn't im portant is wavering. If it's not about just surviving the competition, then it's about surviving her, and the possibilities of what she's after become much more unclear, and much more scary. "I don't like this.." MG-chan mutters. "We should have weeded her out. Instead we might have made ourselves the last targets standing. Did we make it easier for her?" "We could always still just, you know," RBR-kun strikes his index finger out with only half conviction. "Lose." "Sure, if you wanna throw your match against me, l'll take it" MC-kun reaches a hand out and lowers RBR-kun's finger. "Seriously, though, we're not doing that. We don't even have any evidence that'll help." GG-chan is typing in silence, a pale and almost ghastly figure against the laptop light. "I tried this already, scraping the outgoing and incoming messages, emails, texts, google searches coming from the hotel for anything suspicious. It always came up empty but, I'm broadening my filters. It might take a while to sort through but, anything suspicious, anything concerning that my Al grabs, it's worth looking into. We're blind here otherwise. Her screen stutters and flashes, and the results pour in as plain text in the command prompt. The rest of them lean in, crowding the screen, eyes skimming. A google search for "best blue hair dye fast delivery an email titled "Im sorry. I lost grandma's special coat" a text message: "/ lost today, Mom. I hope you're still proud of me..." "None of that is useful.." RBR-kun mutters. He sets his hand to the track pad and scrolls further. "All of these are just... about the murders and defeats. Not the why, and not the who." "Wait, scroll back up," MC-kun cuts in. He pulls the laptop over. "I saw something weird. There-" He points. RE: FW: FW: Uncle Ryo still trapped in shadow realm "What does that even mean?" MC-kun asks. "There are weirder ones," MG-chan points out. Incoming text: Your little sister was spirited away. We're looking for her. Love you lots. Google: How to take over as mafia don in murdered brother's place? Yahoo Answers: Is 15 too young to avenge my entire family? "Avenge?" MC-kun asks. "There's too many of these to be coincidence. What do they... mean?" MG-chan now. "Terrible, isn't it all?" It's a female voice that speaks. And it's none of theirs. All four of them spin in place, hairs along their neck standing on end, and in a split second GG-chan's glasses are shattered. She shrieks as the glass explodes around her. RBR-kun reaches a hand out, her name in his throat, before he's silenced by a wave of bleach sloshes across his front. He lights to his feet, aghast, dizzy from the fumes eating into his suit. "My Gucci suit!" "Shit, she's here," MG-chan says, and it's all she has time to say before a quick swipe of twin blades shears both her twirling pigtails off. It shears down to the netting, taking a chunk of natural black hair with it. MC-kun has only a second to react, and he does. He leaps back back arched so that the incoming blade knicks only the tip of his hair. He completes the backflip, springing on his hands and landing square on his feet, eye-to-eye with Villain-chan. "I didn't know l could do that, MC-kun whispers, somewhat amazed. And it's all he has time to do before Villain-chan launches another attack. MC-kun parries this one, with a blade that's appeared from nowhere. But he doesn't think about it too hard. He shoves her back, twisting her blade off-center so that it strains her grip, and he lunges. One of her twin swords goes clattering to the ground, and with the same motion he catches the netting under her wig, sweeping it off with masterful precision. It falls unceremoniously to the floor. MC-kun points his sword at Villain-chan's neck before she can retrieve it. She's entirely of shed her disguise now. It's the same burning eyes staring back at him, but with colored contacts removed. They are blue pools of pristine aqua, and her bubble-gum pink hair flows past her shoulders, luminous even in the dark tunnel. She kicks vertically, connecting with MC-kun's wrist and knocking the blade from his hand. She sweeps in fast, a spin-kick knocking MC-kun off balance as he struggles to find his footing. It's Tae-Kwan-Do, and an masterful display at that, throwing MC-kun into a panic until he finds his balance, and blocks, counters. His hands suddenly know what to do, how to imitate her style. He's on par with her. She flicks a row of throwing-stars out of her sleeve, and the battle shifts again. MC-kun digs his own kunai out of his sleeve, and the face off starts again. Stars crash against the back concrete wall and echo, the scraping sound of steel-on-steel following as MC-kun blocks. They're fighting bare-handed, and they're on horseback with javelins, and then without warning they're crouched on the floor beside each other playing a children's card game. The fight becomes a race, an actual foot-race, until both Villain-chan and MC-kun are aggressively cooking at separate cooking stations that have manifested underground, with RBR-kun, MG-chan, and GG-chan awaiting happily to be the judges. What's happening? MC- kun tries to mouth to one of his friends, but the fight is too fast paced. They're boxing now, him and Villain-chan, and he can't speak well through his mouth guard. Villain-chan attacks with a wave of fire, that MC-kun counters with a wall of ice, which still surprises him even after the long montage of uncanny battles. He hadn't know he had ice powers. He's still not sure how that works. The wall melts under her barrage, and Villain-chan races across the puddles with a long sword in her hand. MC-kun has one too, and he steadies himself, looking for an opening. Villain-chan slips on the melting ice, not much, but enough to shake her focus. Enough for MC-kun to lunge in, and swipe her blade out of her hand, and lodge his own sword tip under her chin. They stand frozen in place, both breathing heavily, the maintenance tunnel echoing the drip of melting water. "What did you mean by, 'terrible? What do those emails mean? And what are YOU trying to do here? Tell me." She slips beneath his blade, her skin suddenly glowing. The glimmer coalesces in her fingertips and manifests as a pulsing ball of light, which she fires directly into MC-kun's chest. He's blown back, the wind knocked out of him, and he drops his blade. "I'm trying to make you all go home!" She races to cover the gap between them, collects another ball of light in her hand and slams MC-kun into the ground, hard enough that an audible crack follows as his head collides with the pavement. "I'm trying to put you back to normal. And save you from being like that." She points to GG-chan's abandoned computer, still scrolling text across the screen. "From being like the rest of us!"