A Matter of Family

Chapter Eleven: The Oncoming Storm

*note to readers* Whew! Sliding in a little late XD I typically try to post stuff at around the same time since it sets me into a kind of repetitive mode each day. I had some homework from my class though and I couldn't do anything else til it was done. I'm here now though, and with another chapter! Thank you for your support through your reading of this story and I hope you're still liking it!

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Before the ambush.

"So," Eliza said after she had wrapped up her story, "I suppose that's it, unless I remember more."

She looked over from where she stood (leaning on the wall beside the pilot's seat) to Shiro, who was staring rather blankly into the space in front of him, processing.

"You look, confused." Eliza remarked, looking at her son closely. "Is there anything I need to re-explain?"

Shiro silently, as well as blankly, shook his head slowly a little, looking like he was still letting it all sink in.

"Any questions?" Eliza asked.

Shiro was still for a moment, then shook his head in the same way he had before.

"Your not mad or unhappy at all, are you?" Eliza asked nervously.

Shiro shook his head again, more sure and not as blank in showing he wasn't at all feeling any negative emotion about the news his mother had just explained to him. The second life she had made out in space. He was silent for a little while.

"I guess," He finally spoke after a moment, a small smile starting on his lips, "nothing really feels different. He's always been like a brother to me, so now that I know he is my brother, nothing really feels different. Just clarity and an interesting fact. I still see him as the same Keith, only now I know he truly is family. I think you explained it well to be honest."

Eliza gave a small sigh of relief.

"I'm glad." she breathed. "It's such a miraculous thing that you two already know each other, isn't it?"

Shiro gave a small chuckle.

"Yeah." he agreed. "I guess family always finds each other, somehow."

They were both silent for a minute, until the communicator on Shiro's dashboard suddenly beeped with an incoming transmission. Shiro raised an eyebrow momentarily and then answered. The face of Allura and the rest of team Voltron appeared on the screen.

"Princess Allura?" Shiro asked, surprised.

"Shiro," Allura breathed, relieved to see his familiar face, "we haven't heard from you in two quintants, is everything alright. Have you found Keith?"

"Oh yeah, sorry." Shiro reolied, inwardly smacking his forehead at forgetting about his team. "I guess I hadn't really looked at how long I've been gone. We know where Keith is now and we're on our way to him. We should be getting close by now."

"Wait a tick," Lance suddenly said in the background, "we?"

Shiro hadn't realized his mother had cautiously come to his side at hearing the voice of another woman, and (not wanting to intrude) was curiously poking her head into view as she tried to see who was talking. At realizing they now all saw her, she gave them all a polite smile of greeting and a little wave.

"Hello." she greeted in a warm and friendly voice.

Everyone was silent as they looked from her to Shiro, questions in all their eyes.

"It's a long story." Shiro replied to those unsaid questions after a second, and it really was. "I'll tell you guys all about it once we find Keith-"