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The planet was barren. According to their scans, there wasn’t much life beyond the rocky terrain, some local wildlife and a few plants. There was no civilization living here, and yet they took a detour from their trip back to Earth to come here.
Shiro glanced over the broken debris from the clone facility before he glanced back upward. It had been built right above this planet. His memories had merged with the clone’s, but the clone had been unconscious when he and Keith had fallen from it. Part of him wondered if he could see still see it from here, and the other part hoped he didn’t.
He shut his eyes before he glanced back over to the other paladins. “Anything?”
Coran stroked his chin as he lifted his scanner. “I’m not detecting any intelligent life,” his scanner started to spark before he whacked it with his hand. “Granted, this thing did take a beating when we fled the castle.”
“We’ve been here for hours,” Pidge stated as she approached Shiro. “If anything had survived crashing here we would have found it by now.”
Shiro sighed and gave a nod. “I know, but I want to make certain.”
Keith’s eyes hardened as he stood at Shiro’s side. “There were...a lot of clones when I was there.”
“But you said you saw them all destroyed, correct?” Allura said with a frown as she climbed over some debris.
“Yes, but I’d feel better if we made certain there aren’t any loose ends that we’ll have regrets about later,” Keith replied as he crossed his arms.
Shiro couldn’t help but agree. He glanced to his shoulder where his cybernetic arm use to be before Keith had cut it off. He frowned as he gripped his shoulder.
“We weren’t able to help the clone, so I rather make certain there are any others we should be taking care of,” he stated.
It had been his idea to come here. When Shiro pictured all the clones being used as tools it made him sick. If there was a chance one survived and needed assistance, he couldn’t ignore it. When Allura brought him back, his link to the Black Lion had also been removed. He may not be a paladin anymore, but Shiro couldn’t sit back and do nothing.
Everyone went quiet until Lance shut his eyes and sighed. “Well, as much as I hate to say it, but I don’t think there’s anything here.”
“And we do have to get moving soon,” Hunk said as he kicked a stone away. “For all we know there could be a bunch of Haggar’s goons heading this way.”
Shiro opened his mouth, but then promptly shut it as he turned to Keith. I’m not the leader, Keith is, he reminded himself. “What do you think?”
Keith glanced around and rubbed his neck. “It is getting dangerous staying here. We should get back to Krolia and Romelle and fly out.”
Shiro didn’t like it, but they didn’t have a castle to protect them anymore. They were more vulnerable to attacks. The team’s safety had to come first.
“Let me just grab some spare parts,” Pidge said as she approached one of the broken tubes. “I may be able to use some of these parts.”
“Alright, but be fast,” Keith said as he got closer. “Hunk, could you give her a hand?”
“Don’t have to ask me twice,” Hunk said as he marched over.
Shiro watched them before he moved over to a large boulder and sat down. He sat in silence as Lance approached.
“Hey, you doing okay?” he asked.
Shiro took a deep breath. “Yeah, still a bit tired, but I’m fine.”
For the first couple of days Shiro couldn’t do anything except sleep and wake up long enough to eat. Then there was readjusting to touching, hearing, and even just breathing. In a way he had to re-learn to be alive again.
Lance gave a small smile as he sat next to him. “Sorry we didn’t find any survivors.”
“It’s not your fault,” Shiro said softly, “and, you’re right, we can’t stay here forever.”
Lance nodded as he shut his eyes. “I still feel bad. I should have realized-”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Shiro said as he patted his shoulder. He kept telling Lance this over and over, and he would keep doing so until Lance believed it. “I’m amazed you were able to hear me at all.”
“I know,” Lance said as he turned his head to him. “Still I…” Suddenly, his eyes widened as he trailed off. A tight frown formed as he gradually rose.
“Lance?” Shiro asked.
“I..I just saw something,” he whispered as he pointed.
“What?” Shiro asked as he rose and looked. “Where?”
“That giant boulder? I swear I just saw something peeking around it?” Lance swallowed. “I..maybe I was seeing things, but it didn’t look like an animal.”
Shiro’s eyes narrowed as he gestured for Lance to follow him. Without speaking, Lance summoned his sword as they headed towards the boulder. As they got closer, Shiro was positive he heard heavy breathing as if someone was trying to remain calm.
It grew louder. Shiro placed a hand on the boulder and put a finger to his lips before he crept around. Curled up, dressed in a black torn outfit, with his face buried into his hands, was a human boy. The boy raised his head and Shiro let out a gasp. The boy’s hair was longer, but his face was identical to Shiro’s back when he was only ten years old.
Shiro froze as fear filled the child’s face.
“G-get away,” the boy whispered as he scrambled to his feet.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Lance said as he held out a hand. “We’re not going to-”
The boy didn’t let Lance finish. He sharply turned and bolted.
“No, wait!” Shiro cried and gave chase.
The boy ran and nearly stumbled as he sprinted towards the others.
“GUYS! Heads up!” Lance yelled. “We found a kid!”
“What?!” Coran called and turned just in time for the boy to ram right into him
The two of them tumbled and rolled onto the ground. Coran groaned as he sat up and rubbed his head. “That will leave a mark.”
The boy groaned as Shiro approached. However, upon seeing him, the boy tried to run and was stopped when Shiro grabbed onto his arm.
“Wait, hold on,” Shiro said as the others gathered round.
The boy snarled as he tried to kick Shiro away. “Let go! I’m not going anywhere!”
“Take it easy,” Keith said as he held up his hands. “We don’t want to hurt you.”
“I..I don’t believe you,” the boy said as his body began to wobble and his hands shook. “I...I..” Suddenly, his eyes rolled up to the back of his head and he fell back.
Hunk swooped in to catch the kid before he hit the ground and frantically looked him over. “Is he okay?”
Coran instantly got up and checked the boy’s pulse. “Yes, he is weak, but I believe he just fainted from exhaustion.”
“Is he a clone?” Allura asked as she loomed over.
Shiro let go of the boy’s hand as he moved closer. He chewed his bottom lip as he brushed the boy’s bangs away from his eyes. “Yeah, he looks just like I did as a kid.”
“But why is he a kid?” Lance asked as he scratched his head. “I mean, weren’t all the clones adults?”
“From what I saw they were,” Keith said, “but maybe he hadn’t finished growing.”
“In any case, we should get out of here,” Hunk said as he scooped the boy up in his arms. “Now that we found him we need a safer place to check him out.”
Keith nodded as he began to pick up his pace. “Let’s head out. Shiro, you okay to watch over him while we fly?”
“Definitely,” Shiro said softly as he glanced back. There was one left. There’s one we can save, he thought to himself.
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Shiro kept close to the boy and covered him with a blanket as he flew on the Black Lion with Keith and Krolia. Keith’s wolf seemed slightly curious and came over to sniff the kid, but the second the boy muttered in his sleep the wolf teleported away and back to Keith.
As soon as they reached a safe planet, they landed the lions and set up camp for the night. Shiro stayed inside the Black Lion next to the boy and stayed there when Hunk came in with dinner.
“Hey, I got some for you and for the little Shiro whenever he wakes up,” Hunk said as he set the plates of cooked meat on the ground.
“Thanks, Hunk,” Shiro replied as he offered a smile and looked back at the boy.
Hunk frowned as he sat next to him. “So..I hate to ask this, how do we know this kid isn’t controlled by Haggar like the other clone?”
Shiro sighed as he rubbed his neck. “It’s a fair question, but I’m certain he’s not.”
Hunk raised an eyebrow. “What makes you so sure?”
“Because he has both of his arms,” Shiro said as he squeezed his shoulder. “From what I remember from the clone, Haggar was controlling him through his arm. He was only able to see things clearly once Keith cut it off.”
“Oh, that make sense,” Hunk said as he crossed his arm. “Man, I wish Pidge and I had looked at your Galra arm more closely.”
“You guys couldn’t have known,” Shiro said.
“But we’re the tech guys, it’s our jobs to know,” Hunk replied as he shook his head. “I know Pidge still feels guilty for activating that kill switch.”
“I’m glad you did,” Shiro said softly. “It was a life or death situation. You didn’t have a choice.”
“Yeah, I know,” Hunk said as he shut his eyes. “Still, we should keep a close eye on the kid.”
Shiro cringed, but nodded. He didn’t like the idea of being paranoid about a child, but they couldn’t risk Haggar using someone like that.
Suddenly, they heard a moan. Shiro looked over and saw movement underneath the blanket. The boy groaned, grasping his head as he sat up. However, his eyes widened as he spotted Shiro and Hunk. He yelped and instantly backed up against the wall.
“Where am I?!” the boy cried. “What do you want with-”
Shiro shushed him, but made certain to keep his distance. “It’s okay, we’re not going to hurt you.”
“Yeah,” Hunk said as he held up his hands. “We’re your friends, Shiro.”
The boy’s body relaxed slightly, but he blinked in confusion as he tilted his head. “Shiro?” He gave a gasp. “Wait, is that my name? Do you guys know me?”
Shiro was taken aback. “Know you?” He looked to Hunk who seemed just as shock before Shiro looked back to the boy. “Do you not remember your name?”
The boy swallowed. “No.”
“What about your parents? Your friends? Your home?” Shiro asked.
“No, nothing,” the boy as he lowered his hands and gave a small growl. “I just found himself in this broken tube. I spent the last couple of days wondering where I was when I bumped into you guys.”
“Why did you run?” Hunk asked.
“Because you’re strangers and for all I know you wanted to hunt me down,” the boy snapped.
Hunk opened and shut his mouth. “Okay, yeah, can’t blame you for that.”
Shiro moved an inch closer. “Is there anything you do remember?”
The boy frowned in thought. “Um..I know I’m from Earth and that I’m human.”
“Do you remember what Earth looks like?” Hunk asked.
The boy nodded.
“Do you know what the Galra are?” Shiro asked.
“They control the universe...I think?” the boy scratched his head. “It’s kind of muddled.”
“I can imagine,” Shiro muttered as he picked up a plate and handed it over to him. “Here, you should eat something.”
“Um..thanks,” the boy said as he took the plate. “But who are you guys?”
“Well, this is Shiro and I’m Hunk,” Hunk said as he pointed to himself.
The boy blinked. “But..you just said I was Shiro.”
Hunk choked. “Oh..uh…”
“There was a bit of confusion,” Shiro added quickly as he waved a hand. “But since you don’t remember your name is there something you like us to call you?”
The boy shrugged. “I..don’t know, maybe Ryou?”
Shiro froze at that. Ryou had been his late grandfather’s name, but he gave a small smile. “Ryou it is then,” Shiro said as he got up. “Be right back, kiddo.”
The boy watched them as he slowly began to eat. Hunk scrubbed his face with the palm of his hands once they were outside. “This just got extra complicated, didn’t it?”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Shiro said in agreement.
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“Let me get this straight,” Lance said as he paced. “The kid-”
“Ryou,” Shiro corrected.
“Sorry, Ryou,” Lance replied as he stopped pacing. “Ryou doesn’t have any of Shiro’s personal memories, but he knows about Earth and the Galra?”
“Yeah, it seems he has basic knowledge, but none of the personal stuff,” Hunk explained as he gave the wolf the last piece of his food.
“It’s probably because he hadn’t completed his growth before the facility was destroyed,” Krolia stated as she picked up the dirty plates.
“So, in conclusion,” Romelle said quietly as one of the mice crawled into her lap, “we have found a clone, who is merely a child with no memories.”
“And has no connection to Haggar since he didn’t get arm replaced with a cybernetic one,” Keith as the wolf crawled over to his side. “Question is, what do we do with him?”
Lance raised an eyebrow. “Uh, take him with us? We can’t just ditch the kid.”
“Obviously,” Keith replied, “but we’re not exactly the most secure place for a kid right now.”
“That is true,” Allura said as she crossed her arms. “Perhaps we could drop him off at a planet where he would be better protected-”
“Uh, no,” Hunk replied as he shook his head. “Ryou remembers Earth and I sincerely doubt he be thrilled to be dropped off on an alien planet he doesn’t know.”
“We’ll just have to take him with us for now,” Shiro said as he ran a hand through his hair. “We might be able to find him a more stable home once we get there.”
“Yeah,” Lance said softly but then chewed his bottom lip, “but how do we explain the whole clone thing to him?”
Silence followed. Coran cleared his throat as he ran a hand through his hair. “Perhaps it would be wise if you didn’t tell the boy.”
“He’s going to need to know,” Pidge asked as she adjusted her glasses. “He probably already suspects something’s up.”
“Yeah, but he’s still a scared little kid,” Keith stated. “It might be best to at least hold off until he’s more comfortable with us.” He glanced to Shiro. “What do you think?”
“Me?” Shiro asked.
“He is your clone, Shiro,” Allura stated. “In an odd way that does make him your family.”
Shiro stared into the fire quietly. That was true. In fact the sole reason this kid existed was because of his DNA. In a way, it was partly his fault. “Keith’s right. We should tell him, but not right now.”
“Tell me what?”
The group jumped as they spun around. Ryou hugged himself as he took a step back. “Um..sorry, but I got bored.” He pointed to the Black Lion. “Should..I just go back inside?”
“No, no, it’s okay,” Shiro said as he moved over and patted the spot next to him. “Why don’t you come sit by me for a bit?”
Ryou nodded as he sat. He slightly flinched when Krolia offered a blanket, but then relaxed when she placed it over his shoulders and stepped back.
Ryou seemed anxious as he looked around, but it seemed to vanished when he spied Keith’s wolf. “Is that a dog?” he asked.
“He’s a cosmic wolf,” Keith asked as his wolf raised his head.
Ryou fidgeted slightly, but stayed where he was. “Can I pet him? I love dogs.”
Shiro blushed slightly as Keith shot him a smirk. His love of dogs was no secret between them.
“Sure, but he’s a bit skittish around new people,” Keith said as he handed over a piece of meat to him. “Offer this to him.”
Ryou nodded as he took the meat. With the blanket still over his shoulders, he carefully approached the wolf and held out the meat. “Here, want some?”
The wolf sniffed, looked at Ryou and then snatched it from his hands. Ryou raised a hand and waited. The wolf blinked at him, but then lowered his head to let Ryou pat him. The boy beamed and smiled as he ran his fingers through the wolf’s fur.
“He’s so soft,” he cooed and laughed as the wolf licked his cheek.
Shiro chuckled and smiled more as the mice climbed up the Ryou’s shoulders. It was a rocky start, but at least it was a start.
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Once they completed their proper introductions, they explained to Ryou they were taking him with him back to Earth for the time being. Shiro expected Ryou to ask more questions, but he simply nodded and kept quiet.
Coran dug through their supplies and found some spare clothes.
“They’ll be a bit big on him,” Coran said as he gave them to Shiro, “but they should do until we’re able to do some proper shopping.”
Shiro agreed and Ryou looked relieved to get out of his current clothes. Once he finished getting dressed inside the Black Lion, Ryou tugged at his hair.
“Would it be possible I could get this cut?” he asked with a pout. “I don’t like having hair this long.”
“I’m sure we can snag a comb and a pair of scissors,” Shiro said as he tucked the old clothes in a pile in the corner.
Ryou turned to him as he rubbed his arm. “Can I ask you something?”
Shiro held his breath, but kept his face neutral. “Sure.”
“Why do you only have one arm?” Ryou asked as he pointed.
“Oh,” Shiro said softly as he looked. “I had a cybernetic arm, but it got broken during a fight. I’m hoping to get a new one soon to replace it.”
It wasn’t the whole truth, but it was enough to serve it’s purpose.
“Did it hurt?” Ryou asked as he sat next to Shiro.
“Not as much as it could have,” Shiro replied with a bitter smile. “Losing my original arm hurt way more.”
Ryou gave a nod as he hugged his knees against his chest. Wrinkles formed in Shiro’s forehead. He knew this gesture. Shiro had often done this as a kid when he wanted to ask a question, but didn’t know how. “Is there something else you wish to ask me?”
Ryou glanced up, took a deep breath and turned to him. “Shiro, are you my dad?”
Shiro choked and quickly regained his composure. “What?”
“It’s just we look alike, and you’re old enough to be my dad, right? You’re like what, 40?”
Shiro felt his pride shatter. He resisted the urge to ask what lead the kid to that conclusion, until he remembered his hair had turned white. Oh, yeah, I probably look like an old man.
“I’m not even 30 yet,” Shiro replied with a small pout.
Ryou suddenly blushed and turned away. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean-”
“But we are related,” Shiro briskly added in. “I’m..more like an uncle or big brother.”
Ryou raised an eyebrow. “Which is it?”
Shiro raised and lowered a hand. “Um...let’s just go with uncle for now.”
Ryou shot him a skeptic look before he sighed and leaned against him. “Yeah, alright.” He shut his eyes. “I know there’s something you guys aren’t telling me. I could tell from the weird looks everyone has been giving me.”
Shiro stiffened. What should he say? He didn’t want to lie.
“I’m not sure I want to know, at least not right now,” Ryou said as he wrapped his arms around Shiro’s waist. “It’s just...did I do something terrible and I don’t remember it?”
Shiro’s gaze softened and he wrapped his arm around the boy. “No, I swear you didn’t do anything wrong,” he told him. “It’s just a complicated situation.”
Ryou’s grip tightened as he buried his face into Shiro’s chest. “So, you don’t hate me?”
“No,” Shiro replied with full earnestly. “We just want to help you, Kiddo.” He patted Ryou’s head. “And I promise I’m going to do everything I can to keep you safe.”
Ryou looked up, tears coming up from the corner of his eyes before he buried his face again. Shiro continued to pat the boy’s head until he felt him dozing off. He then reached for a blanket and shut his own eyes with Ryou still tucked under his arm.
“I’m going to protect you,” he whispered to Ryou. “I promise.”