Hey, Brother? {a Voltron fanfic}

Chapter 23

The prison walls glowed purple and black as Kiera was dragged through them. She was battered and bruised and a thin trail of blood lay on the floor. Her blood made a trail down the hallway, like breadcrumbs in some psychotic fairy tale.

Her eyes were wide as she watched the floor go by beneath her. Breathing heavily, her mouth was open and blood dripped into it.

Her nose was bleeding heavily from the kicks she had received from the guard dragging her. The arena had left her with a broken leg, bruised ribs and a dislocated shoulder. The guard didn't care. Kiera didn't care either. Pain meant she was alive. Pain meant she might live to see another day.

A metal foot hit her in the face and she cried out, more blood rushing from her nose. The guard wrenched the handcuffs painfully and her shoulder screamed in protest. Kiera shut her mouth and bit her lip.

Her cell door slid open and the guard threw her in. She screamed in pain as she rolled. She slowed to a stop in the middle of the room with her broken leg bent at an odd angle and her shoulder so clearly out of place, it could be seen from a mile away.

The guard looked down at her in disdain. It opened its mouth to speak but it didn't speak in a robotic voice.

"Kiera! Kiera wake up!"

Kiera sat up faster than she thought she could and gasped. Her eyes were wild and sweat drenched her body. She whipped her hand around, feeling her shoulder and leg and ribs. All were fine. She sighed in relief.

"Kiera, you had a nightmare." Kiera turned to find Pidge.

Kiera's voice shook "Thanks for waking me, Pigeon. I-I needed to wake up." She took a shaky breath.

"I heard you scream and came to see what was going on." Pidge explained "But you'd better get up. Breakfast is soon."

Kiera nodded "Thanks Pigeon. I'll be there in a bit." Pidge nodded and left.

When she was gone, Kiera placed a hand on her heart, feeling it beat. She was alive. She wasn't in prison. She breathed out a sigh.

Kiera stood gingerly and walked to her mini bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair was disheveled and crazy. Her eyes were filled with fear and her cheeks glistened with tears.

She looked like a nightmare. So she fixed herself up and braided her hair in a crown on her head. She pulled on the jumpsuit she had borrowed from Allura and slung on the cloak. She felt more or less back to normal.

Simplicity popped sleepily from his corner and stretched. When he noticed Kiera leaving, he popped angrily and leaped onto her shoulder.

"Simplicity, what?" Kiera demanded. Simplicity whined "I see. You don't want to be holed up in my room anymore, huh? You want to roam around like Ace."

Simplicity popped excitedly and Kiera sighed "Well, come on then." She walked out of her room with Simplicity bouncing on her shoulder.

She made it to the eating room and entered "Morning, everyone!"

A chorus of "Morning" came from everyone in the room.

Then Pidge noticed Simplicity.

"Hi Simplicity!" She said. Simplicity popped excitedly in response.

"Oh, I've been meaning to show you this." Kiera said and set Simplicity on the table. She started fiddling with some wires and buttons under a little compartment in his belly "I figured that, since he is so light, he might be able to float. So I tested the code and..." she closed the hatch and nudged Simplicity.

He floated up, as if there was no gravity in the room. He swung his head around and popped in utter confusion when he bounced off the ceiling. He started to flail his little limbs and failed miserably.

"Woah!" Pidge said "That's so cool!" She watched Simplicity and nudged him a few times, earning her a few annoyed pops.

Kiera turned to the rest of the group and saw Allura. She smiled at her sadly.

Allura stood and started to say "Kiera, I want to apologize for what I said yesterday. I didn't think it through and I let my tired brain do the thinking."

Kiera cut her off with a curtsy "I forgive you, Your Highness."

"You really won't stop with the formalities will you?" Allura scoffed lightly.

"Of course not, Your Highness." She rose out of her curtsy with a smug smile on her face "Who do you think I am?"

Allura smiled timidly and put her hand out to shake "A friend?"

Kiera smiled and shook her hand "A friend."

Shiro interrupted "So, Kiera, we only have five more days to prepare, including today. What are we learning today?"

"Oh, well, um..." Kiera hadn't thought this through "I thought you all could practice together and help each other. I need to get us all something to wear."

Hunk said "How will we practice together? There are only two girls without you."

Kiera looked her brother in the eye and winked a little "I think you will manage." A blush rose on her brothers face and he quickly shoved a spoonful of space goo into his mouth.

"Coran, do you know anything about the planet below us?" Kiera asked, taking a seat at the table "I'd like to be able to fit in a little bit."

Coran grinned "Lets check the control room."

Kiera groaned "But I just sat down. Space Dad, tell Uncle Coran that I need to eat." She whined a little.

Shiro's face turned bright red "U-um, what?"

"Space daaaaaad." She whined and put her face on the table to hide her triumphant smirk "Tell Uncle Coran I need foooooooood."

Lance and Pidge started snickering. Shiro stuttered something along the lines of "What did you call me and what are you... huh?" Allura giggled. Hunk put a bowl of space goo in front of her, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Uncle Coran?" Coran asked "Is that my new nickname?"

Kiera lifted her head off the table and pretended to be dead serious "Absolutely not. I was calling you that to annoy Space Dad."

Everyone burst out laughing except for Shiro who kept stuttering and Kiera who just smiled at him, glad that there weren't any hard feelings in the room.