Cave of Fate (Voltron: Legendary Defender Fanfic)

Cave of Fate

Thick ropes stretched across the gaping void. A soft wind made the papers tied to the ropes for purification purpose flutter in the wind, bidding the young man to enter the forbidden world.

"Hiroshi, what are you doing?"

"Takeo, I told you to leave me alone." Hiroshi let his duffle bag drop to the ground beside him. His calloused hands from kendo practice reached up to the tie of his high school uniform, loosening the offending item. The young man swallowed, attempting to work up his nerve to enter the place nobody but the village and shrine heads entered.

"Please tell me you're not going in there. You know it's not allowed."

The older teen took a deep breath, then turned to look at his younger brother. His mouth pushed tight, the irritation at everything seeping into his bones. The soft wind blew the leaves of the forest and his brother's hair, yet Hiroshi could also see clearly the look of worry on the younger teens face. "Relax. I'll be fine."

"It's sacrilege. Taboo. Breaks every one of our traditions."

"So?" Hiroshi's head turned back to look at the cave as he further loosened his tie. "Screw tradition. I'm going in." He darted forward at that point down the slight slope which led to the cave. Upon reaching the cave, Hiroshi allowed his momentum to slide under the ropes into the dark cave. He heard his younger brother's panicked voice yet didn't care that he messed up his school uniform, or slightly scraped up the palms of his hands. "Seriously. Screw tradition."

The young man started forward, taking a small flashlight from inside his pants pocket. The mysterious world behind the purification papers at the cave entrance seemed, upon closer inspection not at all mysterious. Letting out a sigh, Hiroshi walked forward, ignoring Takeo's voice as his brother called out for him in fright.

The gravel under his shoes scrunched as Hiroshi continued down the cave. The walls were bland. He'd not broken tradition to simply look at the boring, uninteresting grey rocks of a cave. The only consolation came in the cool air which calmed the burning sensation on Hiroshi's cheeks made by the hot summer sun.

The flashlight traveled around the cave as he continued down, but his mouth twisted into a frown. There were no side branches or anything worth noting. Sometimes the cave turned its path in a different direction, and he kept finding himself traveling down, further and further into the earth. "Please let this not be a big disappointment. I'll be getting into trouble for nothing. Nothing, I say."

"That's just it, isn't it? You're doing this because you want to get in trouble. You're doing this because you want to show the entire village that you're going to choose your own destiny and not be married off to whom the village head chooses simply because I'm his heir." Hiroshi took a deep. "Yeah. The perfect heir to the perfect head."

The depths of the cave remained quiet except for the dripping sound of water. Hiroshi no longer heard his brother's panicked voice, nor did he hear the echo of footsteps behind him. Taking a deep breath, he knew Takeo hadn't followed him, but knew in the back of his mind his younger brother likely fetched help. "Not that I need it."

After all, he was fine being alone but wanted to be alone. The bus ride home for summer break proved the most dreadful three hours of his life. The dreadfulness of the ride wasn't simply from the lack of air conditioning on a hot, stagnant summer day, or the way his exposed skin stuck to the worn-out seats in a manner which hurt slightly when pulling away. It had nothing to do with the foggy windows of the old glass that ever so slightly obscured the beautiful scenic route.

It had to do with the fact he didn't want to come home, nor did he want to see anyone.

"Isn't he going to make a lovely couple with..."

"Oh no. He'd be much better off with..."

When he arrived at the bus stop, he found Takeo waiting and sweating, yet Hiroshi found himself unable to say anything about how the village elders were already talking about his upcoming marriage despite the fact he was only in his freshman year of high school. The idea of marrying a girl he never met didn't sit right, but neither did settling down with the perfect village girl he barely knew. Instead, he said, "Will you please leave me alone Takeo."

Swinging the flashlight around, the cave remained a dull sight, yet he still felt relief washing over him. He'd defied the fate the village put in place for him, even if it was only in the moment. He continued down the path, wondering when he'd finally reach the end.

It was then that he turned the corner, and saw it.

The end of the long path through the cave was blocked off by a rather large boulder. Wrapped around the boulder were thick ropes like those which blocked off the cave entrance. The attached paper didn't move. Lines with no particular significance were etched into the surface of the cave and boulder. Taking a deep breath, Hiroshi felt disappointment wash over him. "This is the cave of the tenchi himi of legend everyone fears?"

The teen shook his head, only to startle when his flashlight started to flicker. He tapped the back of the light on the palm of his hand, hoping this would stop the light from turning off. Instead, the entire place became a black void swallowing him up. Taking a deep sigh, Hiroshi moved forward, placing his hand upon the large boulder, his mind contemplating how to leave.

A spot under his hand started to glow before the light spread out over the surface of the boulder in the cave. Taking a deep breath, Hiroshi found himself taken in by the sight. The insignificant lines remained insignificant, as he knew not how to read or understand the meaning, yet he still found his breath taken away. "This was so worth it."

He felt a rumbling sound but felt his body pitched from his feet as the ground gave way. The cave floor suddenly became steeper, and he found himself tumbling into a place located underneath the boulder. He landed with a resounded thud, the air escaping his lungs. Closing his eyes, Hiroshi let out a mild curse at having landed hard on his behind, and yet the glowing light made him open his eyes again to see where he ended up.

His jaw dropped.

In front of him was the tenchi himi, encased in what looked like glass, but what modern science might define as a cryostasis pod. He stood up, his hand reaching out. The person looked female, but as his hand touched the alien pod, he knew all too well he'd fallen head over heels for the occupant. After all, that was the power of a tenchi himi, was it not?