I'm Not Leaving You (Keith Kogane x Reader)

XI

The sentries holding Allura and I guided us to a cell. Just before one of them could throw us in, I wrenched my arm from his grip and ran. I must've just gotten thirty steps in before a woman in a dark robe stopped me.
"A fighter." She scowled, "You remind me of someone who used to be on one of the cruisers."
"Who are you?" I asked, "What do you want with us?"
"I am Haggar," She gripped my jaw, "And if you think for a second that I need to answer to you, you are sorely mistaken. Take her back to her cell."
One of the sentries grabbed me by the shoulder and shoved me forward, closing the cell door behind me.
"Y/N, are you alright?" Asked Allura.
I scoffed, "Am I alright. Am I alright? Of course I'm not alright! I just watched my brother lose me for a second time and now I'm stuck on a Galra ship headed for Zarkon's Central Command. I am anything but alright."
She stared at me, and I finally realized that she isn't that different than me. She's a kid. And just like me, I could tell she felt small after I yelled.
I sighed, "Allura, I'm sorry. It's just-"
A soldier broke into the cell, "Get up. We're here."
I nodded and grabbed Allura's hand, pulling her up with me. We walked off of the ship and walked onto Central Command. Two new guards came and handcuffed us, bringing us to the cells where Haggar was waiting.
"Wait..." Began Haggar, "I want that one."
She pointed to me.
"What? Why me?"
A devilish grin found its way onto her face, "You are a fighter. You belong in the gladiator games." She turned to one of the guards, "Send her to Battle Cruiser H-237. She'll feel right at home there."
The guard shoved Allura into her cell.
"No!" She yelled, "Please! Don't take Y/N away."
A wave of fear washed over me as my heartbeat became more rapid. The door lammed shut and I was escorted to a pod. I walked towards a corner and laid down, completely giving up.
"Are you afraid?" Asked Haggar.
I sat up and glared at her, "Not at all." I lied, "I have nothing to be afraid of. Zarkon isn't here and I'm almost as strong as my brother. I'll be fine."
Though I was saying that to her, I was also saying it to myself. I needed to be reassured. I'll be fine.
"Your brother?" She asked.
"Takashi. Or... Shiro."
She smirked, "Ah, yes. I did a number on that one."
"What are you talking about?"
Haggar shook her head, "Don't be so sure Emperor Zarkon won't be there. He's making a special appearance just for you."

***

I walked onto to the cruiser and was directed to an elevator. After about a minute, we stopped and walked onto a new level of the ship. I lifted my head and there, in the flesh, was Zarkon.
"Zarkon." I cursed.
"Hello, White Paladin. Where is your friend? Princess Allura."
"Why don't you ask your witch?" I asked scowling.
"I am asking you."
I scoffed, "Voltron is going to put an end to your empire."
He slowly began to walk up to me, his footsteps echoing throughout the room.
"No." He began, "It will only make me more powerful."
He grabbed my by the collar and started to drag me away. He was solid, and every time I tried to fight my way out of his hands, his grip would only become stronger.

***

"The paladins will be coming for you," Beamed Zarkon, throwing me into my cell, "I'm sure of it. And when they do, the will deliver Voltron to me. The key to unimaginable power. But, if the paladins go to find the Princess first, don't count on them to find you."
He shut and locked the door, leaving me to lay on the cold, hard ground.
I crawled into the corner, holding my knees to my chest.
"I hate that man." Said a woman in my cell. I jumped at the sound of her voice.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"Larmina," She answered crawling out of the shadows, "You?"
"Y/N."
"Now where did the Galra find a sweet little girl like you?" She asked.
"I sacrificed myself to save my brother from being caught. Me and my friend Allura were taken, but they transferred me here. Allura is on Central Command."
She stared at me, analyzing my features.
"You look familiar," She started, "Who's your brother?"
"His name is Takashi, but everyone calls him-" I was cut off.
"Shiro." She finished.
"How do you know Shiro?"
"He was the champion gladiator here. Terrified anyone who didn't know much about him. Very disoriented though, but I guess I would be too if I had my whole arm replaced."
I looked down, missing the sight of my brother, but... also missing the sight of Keith. If only he were here right now.
"You okay, kid?" She asked.
"About as okay as I can be in this situation."
"You miss someone else, don't you?"
I nodded, "His name's Keith."
"Well Y/N, are you in love with this 'Keith'?"
I stared at her. Am I in love with Keith? I mean sure, I care about him, and if it came down to it, I'd die for him, but am I in love with him?
"I-I don't know..." I answered.
She smiled, laughing a bit, "Just think about it. Does he drive you absolutely crazy sometimes? Just one wrong move and it'll set you off the edge? Do the little, annoying things he does bother you?"
Yes, yes, and yes, I thought.
"If so," She continued, "Then you've got to feel something for him. Opposites attract, right? Well, that's why he drives you crazy. You guys are opposites. You may have similar personalities, but your thinking is different. He thinks one way, and you think another. Now the one wrong move thing, that's a bit tricky. Your obviously comfortable enough with him to the point where you'd let him know if he set you off the edge, so I guess it also means you trust him. You trust he won't completely ignore you. And as for the little, annoying things he does, just the fact that you noticed them proves you feel something for him."
Wow, I thought. I'm completely and utterly in love with Keith Kogane. The boy who took me in when I had no one. The hot-headed, irritating boy who I went to the Garrison with. The boy who complained about having to pilot the Red Lion. That Keith.
"Now let me ask you again. Are you in love with Keith?"
"Y-yes..." I answered.
"Then take my advice kid, hold on to that love. Protect it with all you've got. Don't let it get away from you. Your gonna need it here. This place can drive you crazy if you don't have something to keep you going. Make him the reason you get up in the morning, and the reason you want to live another day. Make him the reason you fight, and the reason you survive. Believe that you'll see him again."
I stared at her and managed a faint smile, "Thank you."
"You bet, kid."