Hunting the past (Kit Keith)

1: Betray the Trust Given

Narrator

It was weird. The feelings he felt around the others. It had been that way since the very beginning. It was as if they were leaving him out. Lance was always happy, yet all he seemed to do was start pointless arguments with him, and for what reason? What did he do? Then there was Pidge who was too busy with her techy stuff, and Hunk always busying himself in the kitchen. After the Galra had Shiro, the man was different, he had lost his memory and knew nothing of Keith or how me came into his care. It was the worst treatment of all.

When he tried to tell them, they just called him a child, they called him a baby and that he should hurry and grow up to move past his behaviour, the personality everyone seems to hate. They never listened, they thought it was just another act. But it wasn't. Keith was suffering all on his own. He stopped sleeping and barely ate. Agitation also came easier. They all put it down to him just wanting more attention and decided they would give him none for his childish behaviour. After all, how could they know he was just a kit? Really. How would they know he was touch starved to the point he could kick the bucket at any moment? How would they know he was only a child? They couldn't see his pain and agony. They were too swept up in their own bubbles to notice Keith's strange tendencies. Naturally, he was young, without care, whined when he was in distress or hurting. But it wasn't human so Keith tried not to do the weird noises when the paladins were around. He almost never chirped or purred like any normal kit would, never happy or excited. And when he made any noise what so ever the others would look at him strangely or call him a weirdo, of course Keith was never discovered as luck actually favoured him in those moments. Allura and Coran were never around at those times to hear him.

* In the Training Bay *

Shiro

It was an average day as paladins so of course we were all training. Not that I could personally complain, it was what was needed to get stronger, move faster, become smarter because this was what would help them defeat the Empire. Aside from myself, the rest are all teenagers, save for Allura. Maybe. I'm still trying to figure out her age but asking would probably be rude. But frankly, all of the paladins need to work harder. They're all slacking. With the slow rate we're all progressing at, how are some inexperienced pilots supposed to defeat the Galra? 

After an hour of steady training, each of us paired up evenly with the addition of Allura to actually even out the matches, although now that I look at it, she opted on abandoning Keith to group with Pidge and Lance. I see the bot at the corner of the room and then hear a sudden distressed whine sound off. I stop the spar to find the source. And of course, it's Keith, as it always is, on the floor, weapon feet away from him. Sometimes I wish he would just stop acting like such an idiot and focus on his opponent. The boy wouldn't last in a battle one on one at this speed! 

I hold my hand up to Hunk, stopping and ushering him to join the others. Sighing deeply, I walk over to Keith and grab an arm to haul him up to his feet and inspect his wound. The nerve to sound like he's been atrociously stabbed when it's just a minor scrape? Really? 

"Keith." He flinches and I almost feel bad but this needs to end. "It's just a scratch! What happened to the mindless machine at the Garrison? The number one student? I know what you're capable of so get your head in the game!" I let go of my hold and watch him hopelessly drop to the floor with a thud. "Our training session is over everyone. Head to the showers. Pidge breathes a sigh of relief and is the first to race out of the room. Faintly, in the background, I hear the others muttering quiet words. I know they're insults to Keith. They should be stopped. This isn't what being a team is. 

But I can't bring myself to care. 

Keith

Loneliness. It was something I was used to, since I was young and abandoned, since I was forced into the military nightmare known as the Galaxy Garrison, since Shiro was blasted off into space and labeled as 'dead' to all of Earth, and then since we were thrown into space to fight in a war nobody wants to be part of.