Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11
Rating: PG
Series: Voltron Legendary Defender/Avatar the Last Airbender
Summary: After the fight with Zarkon, Shiro accidentally gets tossed into another reality where humans have the ability to bend the elements. His best shot at returning home is with someone called the Avatar, while he waits he might as well take on the job of being the Firelord’s bodyguard.
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Keith had to admit that, in a way, Slav was kind of amazing. This wasn't due to intellect or dedication to his work - it was because Slav was one of the only people Keith could think of who had ever made Shiro lose his temper. Shiro had always made it a point of pride to approach challenging situations calmly and maintain self-control, so Keith couldn't help but be impressed that Slav had driven Shiro to the point of shouting in a rage. It was honestly incredible.
Keith had no clue how he was supposed to keep his own temper in check. He was just grateful Hunk was the one that had to pick him up since Slav refused to go into the Black Lion with Keith.
Slav didn’t like that Keith’s red armour didn’t match the Black Lion. Lance and Allura had been placed into the same boat with him and he had yet to hear any of them complain. Having the honor of Slav riding with them wasn’t exactly something anyone was desiring.
Once Slav arrived, and seemed to mostly approve of the lab set up, it didn’t take long for them to explain the situation.
“So, what do you think?” Pidge asked.
Slav’s third and fourth arms were crossed as he stroked his chin with his second arm.
“And you are able to confirm at least 89 percent that he is there?” he asked.
“Yes,” Keith stated firmly and pointed over his shoulder. “From what I sense from the Black Lion he is there 100 percent.”
“Hmmm,” Slav said as he rose from his and began to pace. “It will be tricky to pinpoint, but if we are precise with how much quintessence we use we might have a probability of 72 percent.”
“That chance of success should increase given we should be able to use Shiro’s connection to the Black Lion to track him,” Allura said.
Slav narrowed his eyes. “While that is very true, Princess, we still need to be very careful.” He waved the fingers on his second and third arms. “Crossing into another reality can be very difficult.”
Lance gave a shrug. “Well, we already did it once, so it shouldn’t be too hard.”
Slav’s arms became still. His eyes widened in alarm as he slowly turned his head to Lance. “What do you mean?”
“As Voltron,” Keith explained. “When we were trying to retrieve a comet we accidentally made a tear into another reality and-”
“YOU DID WHAT?!” Slav cried as he leaped out of his chair and seized Keith by his arms. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?! You could have shattered all of reality!”
“Whoa, whoa!” Hunk said as he pried Slav off of Keith. “What are you talking about?”
“Every time you cut through reality you run the risk of severing quantum strings and creating instability that threatens to unravel localised space-time!”
“He means it would be bad,” Pidge stated as she adjusted her glasses. “But it was one tear, and you’ve created pocket dimensions.”
“My pocket dimensions are localised in eddies of gravitational curvature! No tearing of reality is necessary if you’re CAREFUL!”
“But that is the Black Lion’s ability,” Coran replied. “It’s how Shiro got into this other reality in the first place.”
“From what I’ve been able to analyse, the Black Lion is a different case,” Slav ranted as he waved his hands. “It seems to be able to access this ‘astral plane’ through direct fifth-dimensional movement vectors, allowing it to travel without rending holes in the universe. The combined power of Voltron, on the other hand, seems almost designed FOR tearing apart universes!”
“So, what are you saying?” Hunk asked. “We can’t go as Voltron?”
“NO!” Slav said as he held up a finger. “Only the Black Lion may go to retrieve Shiro and that’s it! That is the only way I will agree to assist you.”
Keith sighed, but shook his head. “Alright, fine.”.
Slav seemed satisfied with this.
“It will make getting back a bit trickier,” Coran commented. “If you went with all of Voltron you could find your way back by tracing its energy trail, but with just the Black Lion it will be harder to track if you take too long.”
“But if the other lions are left behind we can use our connection to them as our guiding point so we’re not so rushed for time,” Allura offered.
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Keith said as he crossed his arms. “I’ll go fetch Shiro and bring him home.”
Lance raised an eyebrow as he placed his hands on his hips. “Excuse me? What’s this ‘I’? nonsense?”
Keith resisted rolling his eyes. “It has to be me. I’m the only one who can fly the Black Lion and I’ll use my connection to the Red Lion to get us back home.”
“Yeah, sure, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t just go in the Black Lion with you,” Lance retorted.
“He’s right,” Pidge replied. “Did you forget we all got here because we all got into the Blue Lion?”
Keith couldn’t deny that. “Yeah, but we don’t know what this other reality is like. There’s less of a risk if it’s just me-”
“And what if something happens to you and Shiro ends up stuck?” Hunk argued. “There’s safety in numbers.”
“He’s right,” Pidge replied. “If the rest of us go with you then in the worst case scenario we can use our own connections to our lions to get Shiro home.”
“Agreed,” Allura said with a smirk. “You’re not winning this argument, Keith. The rest of us paladins are coming too.”
Keith looked amongst his friends. He could keep arguing and even pull his rank as leader, but they did make solid points. He didn’t like putting them in needless danger, but they all agreed they had to do everything they could to get Shiro home.
He would never hesitate to take the same risk if the roles were reversed.
“Alright, we’ll go, but it’ll be a tight squeeze,” he replied.
“Can’t be any worse than when we were all travelling in the Blue Lion,” Pidge said and glanced at Lance. “Just as long as SOMEONE doesn’t decide to ‘hear something’ again.”
Lance snickered. “No promises.”
Allura frowned. “What are you referring to?”
Lance’s snickering halted as Pidge grinned. “Oh, you don’t know? You see Lance decided to-”
“She doesn’t need to hear that,” Lance said as he slapped a hand over Pidge’s mouth. “And it’s nothing, nothing, Allura.”
Allura still looked baffled as Hunk began to pace. “Um, but we still have the problem of how we get there? I mean, the Black Lion isn’t strong enough by herself, right?” Hunk said. “We only go into that other reality because we were all combined.”
Lance sighed. “Couldn’t we just…I don’t know, take the energy when we’re Voltron and store it in a giant battery or something?”
“That’s…” Pidge started, but then paused as she slowly grabbed her chin, “not a bad idea.”
Lance blinked. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Hunk agreed as he crossed his arms. “It’ll probably take us a couple of days, but we could build a battery, form Voltron and fill it with just enough of its quintessence to give the Black Lion the boost she needs.”
“We’ll need help with the design though,” Pidge said as she glanced over. “Willing to help with this?”
“Yes, this plan would be acceptable,” Slav confirmed.
“Then it’s settled,” Keith declared. “You three work on the battery while the rest of us will get supplies ready.”
Lance raised an eyebrow. “Do we need that much? This Aang said he and his friends were taking care of Shiro, right?”
“We still don’t know how truthful he was being,” Coran stated, “and as my Uncle Yevern would said ‘You don’t want to be caught short on acid when facing a one-eye Dunga.”
“Exactly,” Keith replied even though he didn’t quite understand the saying. “Shiro’s counting on us so we can’t afford any mistakes.”
The others nodded as Keith’s body tensed.
We’re coming for you, Shiro. Hang in there!
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Katara sighed as they walked down the palace hall. “Sokka, will you stop pouting?”
Sokka glared as he kept his arms crossed. “I’m not pouting, I’m grumpy and can you blame me?” He pointed over his shoulder. “I liked that shop and Toph and Shiro got us banned.”
“We’re not banned,” Aang added hastily. “It was just heavily implied for us to not come back for a while.”
Shiro rubbed his neck. “Does it help to say ‘sorry’-”
“No, Shiro, no it does not,” Sokka snapped as he whirled around and pointed. “I expected that kind of behaviour from Toph, but not you!”
“Hey, guys,” Suki cried as she rushed to greet them. “Glad you guys are back-” She trailed off as she noticed her boyfriend’s face. “What happened? Didn’t you have fun?”
“We did,” Sokka said as he pointed, “until Shiro and Toph got us, me included, banned from that weapon store I liked.”
Suki blinked as she glanced at the others. “How?”
Aang gave a nervous laugh. “Toph kind of metal bended one of his new and very expensive swords.”
Toph shrugged. “Hey, if a man claims he has the ‘strongest steel in all the Fire Nation’ and gets cranky because someone metal bends it, it’s his own fault.”
“Ookay,” Suki said. “Couldn’t you just bend it back to the way it was?”
“Tried to,” Toph said with a scoff. “But the owner was all huffy that it wasn’t straight enough.”
“That’s when I stepped in and tried to use my cybernetic arm to help,” Shiro said sheepishly as he raised his arm. “And…kind of accidentally snapped it in two.”
Shiro did feel bad about it. It didn’t happen often, but it could be hard at times to predict how much strength his arm had. He had tried to get better ever since he accidentally broke one of Coran’s favourite tools.
Granted, at least Coran didn’t cry about it like the poor shopkeeper did. At least, not while Shiro was watching.
“Still say it wasn’t a strong sword in the first place if you could do that easily,” Toph commented.
Sokka groaned. “I had a discount there.”
Suki gave a soft laugh. “Well, it’s good you guys are back.” She clicked her tongue. “We’ve had some developments.”
Shiro frowned. “What kind of developments?”
Suki sighed as she rubbed the back of her neck. “I think it’s best if Zuko explains.”
The group exchanged anxious looks as they followed Suki. They found Zuko and Iroh in the meeting room.
Iroh finished setting up tea cups and greeted the group with a smile. “Welcome back. Did you get a nice tour, Shiro?”
“I did,” Shiro said as Iroh began to pour tea, “but we can discuss that later.” He glanced over to Zuko. “Suki said something happened?
“Yes,” Zuko said as Katara took a seat next to him. “We were given a message.”
“Ookay,” Aang said as he scratched his cheek, “I don’t see how that-”
“From Ozai,” Zuko finished.
The group went silent. Katara's eyes narrowed as she touched his shoulder. “Is it actually from Ozai? Maybe someone-”
“No, it’s him,” Iroh said as he handed her a cup. “A guard gave me the message and I went to confirm it myself.”
“It’s been three years,” Sokka retorted as he took a seat. “What could he possibly want to say to you?”
“Not to me,” Zuko said and looked up. “He requested to speak to Shiro.”
Shiro's eyes widened. “Me?”
“He claims to have information.”
“That still doesn’t explain why he wants to talk with me,” Shiro said as he sat down and took a cup of tea. “I’ve never met him.”
Zuko sipped his tea. “If I had to guess, he heard the rumours about you and wants to attempt to convince you to turn against me so he can gett back on the throne.”
Sokka stroked his chin in thought and gave a slow nod. “Yeah, that would track.”
Shiro raised an eyebrow. “You honestly think he would waste his time on that?”
“He’s been stuck in a jail cell for three years,” Aang said as he crossed his arms. “He’s probably willing to give anything at least a try at this point.”
Shiro frowned, but gave a slow nod. Aang was probably right.
“So, I guess the real question is do you think Ozai is telling the truth and actually knows anything?” Suki asked as she leaned against the wall.
“Considering how long he’s been cut off from the outside world, I want to say no,” Zuko said and sighed. “But it’s not impossible.”
“So, I should probably go and talk to him,” Shiro said.
Zuko frowned. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’ve never met him and he has a way of getting into people’s heads.”
“I agree,” Katara replied as she touched Zuko’s shoulder, “especially since he’s probably lying.”
“Except we don’t know for certain, do we?” Shiro said as he crossed his arms. “We can’t afford to not take any possible leads.”
“I have to agree with Shiro,” Sokka said as he stroked his chin. “As much as we hate it, we can’t ignore his claims either even if they do end up being false.”
“Then why not have Toph go with him.” Aang sighed as he glanced at Toph. “You would be able to detect if Ozai was lying, right?”
Toph sucked air between her teeth. “Probably? I mean, he can be tricky but he’s not as hard as Azula. I should be able to handle it.”
“At the very least you’ll be solid back up if Ozai tries to pull anything funny,” Zuko replied.
Shiro frowned. “Do I really need back up though. Aang took away his bending, right? What could he do behind a prison cell?”
“Truthfully, not much,” Zuko admitted, “but I don’t like taking any chances.”
“Even a defanged spidersnake can still hold a deadly bite,” Iroh admitted.
“That’s fair, but whatever Ozai wants to tell me he might not be willing if I have company,” Shiro replied.
“I can just stay hidden,” Toph said with a smirk. “I don’t have to be standing next to him to tell, just close enough to feel the vibrations. I could probably just hide in an empty jail cell next to him.”
“That could work,” Shiro said.
Truthfully, Shiro would have felt better going on his own. If this Ozai was as dangerous as the others feared he would rather not put any of them in danger. However, he needed Toph’s ability to determine if he was telling the truth or not.
“I guess we should get going then,” he replied.
“Not before tea,” Iroh said as he gestured. “There is nothing better to strengthen the mind before battle than a cup of tea.”
Shiro gave a slight chuckle and he sat. “Alright, but I’m not heading into battle.”
Iroh frowned. “Not of the body, but of the heart. Be wary, Shiro. My brother is not to be taken lightly.”
Shiro gave a thoughtful nod as he slowly took a sip.
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Shiro and Toph didn’t talk much as they approached the prison cells.
“Are there any other prisoners kept here?” Shiro asked.
“Ozai is the only one as far as I know,” Toph replied. “Sparky once explained to me it’s only for members of the royal family. Granted, I think everyone feels safer Ozai’s in a place where he can better keep tabs on him and he can’t gain ‘friends’ with other prisoners.”
“Makes sense,” Shiro replied and then frowned. “Wait, was I near Ozai when I was put in a cell?”
“Naw,” Toph said with a hand wave. “The prison here has levels to it and you were in an upper one. Ozai’s cell is in the deepest one.”
Two guards were stationed outside the entrance. Shiro couldn’t resist a smile as he spotted a familiar face between them.
“Hey, Ling,” he said with a wave. “It’s been awhile.”
Ling gave a smirk and poked her fellow guard in the rib.
“See, Azai, I told you he’d remember me.”
The other guard sighed as he rubbed his side. “Yeah, yeah, you win the bet. I’ll treat you later.”
Ling chuckled, but it quickly turned back into a frown as she turned back to Shiro. “Should I assume you’re here to see Ozai?”
“I am,” Shiro said, “but how do you know about it?”
Ling sighed. “Because I’m the one that had to deliver the message to Prince Iroh.”
“I see,” Shiro said and then gestured to Toph. “Um..I don’t know if you two have formally met.”
“Not personally, but Master Toph’s abilities are famous within the palace,” Azai replied. “Especially with the gardeners considering that damage you cause-OW!” Azai rubbed his arm and Ling glared. “What? It’s true.”
Toph smirked. “Relax, I’m not offended. I’m just glad my reputation precedes me.”
Shiro gave a small smile as he patted Toph’s shoulder. “Toph is going to accompany me.”
Ling grasped her chin. “I’m not against the idea, but I’m fairly certain Ozai was implying to speak with you alone.”
“And as far as he knows, he will,” Toph replied as she crossed her arms. “I’m planning to stay out of his sight. You just need to direct me to the closest cell where he won’t see me and I’ll handle the rest.”
Azai rubbed his neck. “He is the only prisoner down there currently, so that shouldn’t be too hard to do.”
Ling went quiet as she thought, but gave a nod. “Yeah, alright,” she said as she turned to open the door. “Azai, you stay here and I’ll take them down.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice,” he said as he stepped aside.
Ling gave a smirk as he patted his arm and then led the way inside. No one spoke as they went down the stairs. Once they reached the bottom, Ling gestured towards a nearby empty cell.
Toph responded with a nod as she quietly stepped inside it and leaned against the wall.
Ling then continued to the next cell which was not empty. A man sat in the centre of the cell with his back to them.
“Lord Ozai, you have a visitor,” she said.
There was a chuckle. “Oh, do I?”
He rose and turned around smiling. “And who do I owe the pleasure?”
Shiro narrowed his eyes.
Having only heard about Ozai, Shiro didn't know what to expect. On Zuko’s orders all portraits of the man had been removed from the palace. However, he wasn’t surprised by what he saw either.
He was wearing prison clothes similar to what Shiro had been given when he had first arrived. Ozai was tall, with long black hair and a beard. Shiro could see traces of some of Zuko’s features in the man, but not in the eyes.
He had the same cruel eyes he had seen in Zarkon and Sendak.
No compassion, no empathy and all calculating. Definitely the eyes a formal tyrant would have.
Shiro crossed his arms. “I’m Shiro,” he replied curtly. “You sent a request to see me?”
Ozai smirk tightened. “So I did,” he said and then sharply turned his head to Ling. “Leave us.”
Ling looked prepared to argue, but Shiro reassured with a nod as he patted her shoulder.
“It’s okay,” he said.
Ling sighed as she bowed.
“Let me know if you need assistance,” she said and then turned to leave.
Ozai didn’t speak until the two of them heard Ling walk up the stairs.
“So, you must be Shiro,” he said as he approached the bars. “You’re quite famous within the palace these days.”
“Am I?” Shiro said with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh yes,” Ozai purred as he tucked his hands behind his back. “Bujing’s defeat and sudden retirement spread like wildfire. The ‘living dragon’ is what some of the guards are calling you.” His eyes landed on Shiro’s cybernetic arm. “I find myself curious how you were able to acquire such a powerful arm. The Fire Nation’s technology is quite advanced but even-”
“Is there a point to this?” Shiro cut in. “I doubt you called me here just to ogle my arm.”
Ozai smiled. “Forgive me, I seem to have picked up some of my idiot brother’s habits while being cooped up in here. I fear I was about to offer you tea.” He gripped the bar cells. “I wish to make you an offer.”
“Oh, really?” Shiro replied. “And what would that be?”
Ozai released his grip on the bars and began to pace in his cell. “My son is weak. He doesn’t have the strength it takes to rule.” He turned to Shiro. “Help me break out of here and restore my rightful place on the throne. If we succeed, I guarantee you honor and glory beyond just being a bodyguard for a failed heir to the throne.”
Looks like Sokka and Zuko’s hunches were right, Shiro thought. “What about the assassins? You claim you knew about them.”
Ozai shrugged. “Why do they matter beyond proving the pretender to the throne is unworthy of it? I just said that to convince him and my brother to let you down here.”
“So, you don’t know anything then,” Shiro said simply, “which means you’re just wasting my time.”
Ozai glared. “Should I take this to mean you’re refusing my offer?”
Shiro turned to walk away. “We’re done here.”
Ozai gripped Shiro’s human arm through the bars. “No, you must assist me!”
Shiro glared down at him. Ozai didn’t seem intimidated by it. Either he was very stupid or very desperate.
“I don’t have to do anything-”
“The brat doesn’t have the conviction to do what needs to be done! He isn’t strong like you and I!”
Shiro paused and blinked. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“My son is a weakling, following my brother’s foolish philosophy. He refuses to believe killing is necessary.” Ozai smirked. “Unlike you.”
Shiro became still. “I don’t know-”
“I heard how your angi kai went, the ruthlessness that brought you victory,” Ozai continued. “Had it not been for that weakling’s presence you would have removed Bujing permanently as a threat.”
Shiro’s hands tightened. “You don’t know a thing about me.”
“I know the signs of a killer,” Ozai said with a smirk, “and an experienced one. How else could a non-bender take down a top general so easily.”
Images flashed through Shiro’s brain. Faces. Screaming. Blood. What had he done? Focus on the enemy. No time for distractions!
“The worthless pacifist lacks the resolve that we have,” Ozai continued. “At my side, you could be my greatest weapon-”
Shiro lunged and sent his arm through the bars. He seized Ozai’s neck and yanked him forward to slam against the bars.
Ozai gasped for air. He frantically tried to break free, but Shiro kept his hold.
“You shut up,” Shiro snapped as he brought his face closer. “You don’t know a damn thing about me!” His grip tightened on Ozai’s neck. “From everything I've heard about you, everything I’ve seen, I should do everyone a favor and just end your life right now.”
Ozai coughed as he attempted to lift his head to stare at Shiro’s glare.
“Go..ahead,” he spat. “Do what my son is too weak to do.”
Shiro glared, every human muscle tensing, his fingers tightening, but after a moment he shoved Ozai to the ground, standing still as a statue.
“The only reason you’re still alive is because of Zuko,” Shiro snapped. “There’s a lot of people who would love to see you gone. If I were you, I would be careful with my words because I imagine even Zuko’s patience can only hold out for so long.”
Ozai coughed, trying to gather the breath to say something. Whatever it was, Shiro blocked it out as he focused on walking down the hall. Once he was out of Ozai’s sight, he braced against the wall and covered his face with his hands.
I’m not a killer, I’m not a killer, he repeated in his head.
“Shiro?”
He jumped, sharp breaths coming rapidly, his heart in his throat-only slightly calming when he saw it was Toph.
I forgot she was still here, he thought as he hastily gave a smile.
“Sorry, I needed a minute.”
Toph frowned. “I think you need more than that. I could feel your heart racing, still can.”
Shiro swallowed. “I’m fine, Ozai just brought back some unpleasant memories. That’s all.”
Toph touched his arm. “Do you want me to get-”
Shiro pulled away. “No, I’m fine, really,” he insisted and went to the doors. “I just need to be alone. I’m going to the garden a bit, alright?”
Toph was still frowning. She didn’t look convinced.
Shiro opened the door and went up the stairs. “I’m fine, really.”
He didn’t bother to turn his head, but he could hear her say.
“You’re lying.”
