Chapter Text
"Time Traveling"
Keith looked around. He didn't recognize the planet he was on, but he noticed there were sentries and low level Galra officers there. He avoided attracting attention to himself as he observed the installation we was near. There was something not right; Keith could feel it, even though he couldn't figure out what it was just yet.
He stayed in the shadows and slunk along the edges until he saw something that got his blood hot. There were Galran kits here that were being used for labor. There were four of them, and they looked familiar. One was lavender with short white headfur, and another one was violet in color. There were two other kits that were the same color, but one had red markings on his head and shoulder length white strands and the other was taller and had a tail.
Something about these kits was familiar to Keith, but he was sure that he hadn't met them before. However, he couldn't allow these kits to be used for slave labor. It was wrong. Kids of any race were precious; he had learned that. He had always enjoyed caring for the younger kids at the orphanage.
He leapt out and used his Marmora blade to dispatch the sentries that were in charge of watching the kits. This man with violet cheek stripes destroying the sentries scared the kits, the violet one hiding behind the lavender one. The one with the tail was shielding the other three. Once the danger passed, the man turned to the kits.
"Don't hurt us please," the tailed kit pleaded.
Keith couldn't explain his actions, but he followed his instincts. He purred to the kits, which put them at ease. The violet one poked his head out and approached the man, who scooped him up. The kit nuzzled Keith's head before he turned to the others and chirped. The other three slowly approached the pair.
Keith smiled. "What are your names, kits?"
"Thace."
"Ulaz."
"Kolivan."
"Antok."
Keith was in shock. These kits were his pack members as kits. He must have been sent into the past somehow. How didn't matter at that moment. He had four kits to take care of. "I'm Keith. Where are your parents?"
Tears gathered in the golden eyes of all four, but Ulaz spoke. "We were taken from them. We don't know where they are."
Keith purred and gathered all four into his arms, hugging them. "It'll be okay, kits. I'll see if we can find them."
Suddenly, a roar drew their attention. Little Kolivan perked up, recognizing the sound. A large Galra in a familiar Blade uniform appeared out of the forest. He unsheathed a Marmoran blade. "Release my kit!"
Kolivan wriggled out of Keith's grasp and rushed over to the Blade. "Papa! It's okay. He saved us!"
Keith set the other kits down, unsheathed his blade, and knelt down, holding his transformed blade in his hands (palms up). The older Blade seemed to freeze, looking at Keith's position. It was the position of a younger Blade to show deference to an older, more experienced Blade.
"Rise. You're a Blade? I've never seen you before."
"Can we talk somewhere else? These kits need to get somewhere safe."
"Follow me." The Blade scooped up Kolivan, who wrapped his arms around his neck and purred.
Keith scooped up Antok and Ulaz. Thace jumped onto his back and clung to him. Keith purred to the three kits as he followed Kolivan's father to the pod, where he radioed the members of his team. The kits slipped out of Keith's grasp, calmer now that they were somewhere familiar.
Kolivan's father entered the pod and allowed Keith to sit down near the only member of the team that stayed behind. The female was holding a younger kit that had violet headfur with magenta underneath and purple fur with slightly darker purple stripes on her cheeks. The younger kit sniffed in his direction and let out a questioning noise. "Shh, Krolia. It's okay. We'll find our pack kits."
Keith's eyes widened. That was his mom as a kit! Just then, Thace, Ulaz, Antok, and Kolivan rushed in and over to Krolia and her mom. The tick her eyes landed on her pack brothers, they lit up, and she leapt out of her mom's arms and onto her brothers. Nuzzles were exchanged, and purrs were heard, which masked the hurried footsteps of three Blades.
"Ulaz!"
"Thace!"
"Antok!"
All five kits looked up, the three in question looking up.
"Daddy!" Antok rushed over to his Dad.
"Mama!" Thace was scooped up by his Mom.
"Papa!" Ulaz purred to his Dad.
Krolia turned to look at Keith and approached him. She lifted her arms up, and Keith gently picked her up. She patted his cheek stripes. "You have the same stripes I do."
"You're cute," Keith said.
Kolivan's father put a hand on Keith's shoulder and spoke when Keith looked up at him. "Now that the kits are safe, I want answers. You are clearly a Blade, but I have never seen you before."
"This is going to sound weird, but it's the truth. I'm from the future. I do not know how I got here or why I was here, but I need to go back. My pack is going to be worried about me."
"Who is in your pack?"
"All of these kits but as grown ups plus another kit a little older than me."
"Another kit?"
Keith tensed slightly. He hadn't meant to let it slip that he was still technically a kit. He bowed his head a little. "Yes. I am still considered a kit."
"How old are you?"
"Eighteen."
Of all the reactions Keith was expecting, being pulled into a cuddle pile with all five kits and the five adults was at the bottom of the list. He relaxed, his eyes drifting closed, when he felt claws being dragged through his hair and all the kits cuddled up against him.
%%%
Keith's eyes opened, and he noticed that he was on the castle ship. He was standing off to one side with Pidge, Lance, and Hunk while Shiro had his Galra hand at a Blade's neck. The Blade stepped back, his mask disappearing and his ears flicking out.
"Ulaz?" Instead of Shiro asking the question, it was Keith.
Ulaz turned and looked at the Red Paladin, whom he had flung around and who was removing his helmet. "Keith?"
"Hi, kit," Keith said softly.
Keith was unprepared for Ulaz to nuzzle his head. "Keith."
Keith reached up and stroked Ulaz's headfur. He whispered, "It's all right, kit. I'm here."
Ulaz softly purred at the term, even though he was older than Keith now. "Don't call me that in public, please."
"All right." Keith closed his eyes, enjoying the proximity of one of the kits he saved.
%%%
When Keith opened his eyes, he was standing next to Shiro at the Blade of Marmora headquarters.
"I am Shiro, and this is Keith. We are Paladins of Voltron."
"Keith?" the tall masked Blade from behind them asked. Keith turned slightly, removed his helmet, and smiled when Antok caressed his cheek stripes. "It's you."
"Hi, Antok."
"Keith?"
Keith turned around and faced the approaching Blade, who was deactivating his mask. "Hi, Kolivan."
To Shiro's surprise, Kolivan reached out and pulled Keith close, nosing his hair. "It really is you. We thought you might have been a dream."
"I'm no dream. I'm here to take the trials and awaken my blade."
"Very well."
Keith closed his eyes and sighed. This was going to hurt.
%%%
Keith opened his eyes and wasn't surprised that he was some place different. He realized what was going on. He was traveling through time, reliving the moments he had initially met the Blades. Currently, he was on Zarkon's command ship. He was hiding while Thace typed in the old code while being taunted by the Druids. He leapt out of hiding, throwing his blade with a cry of "Kit, duck!"
Fortunately, Thace did duck. It was in response to Keith's voice. Once the two of them took care of the Druids, Thace turned to Keith and chirped. He nuzzled Keith's head. "Keith, it's you. I missed you."
Keith stroked Thace's headfur. "Yeah, it's me, kit. However, we have to continue the mission first, and by the way, I will not allow you to die. You are going to set this up, and then, you are coming with me, kit."
"Yes, sir."
Keith smiled and closed his eyes, satisfied that another one of his kits was safe.
%%%
When Keith opened his eyes again, he saw he was in the nest at headquarters. It was full of the pillows and blankets he was used to, and Regris was sleeping in the spot next to him.
As Keith sat there trying to figure out what was going on, the door to the nest room opened, admitting the rest of his pack. Krolia noticed her youngest kit was awake and deep in thought. She knelt down and rumbled to him. His head shot up and smiled as his eyes landed on each adult member of his pack. "Hi, kits."
He grinned as he dodged Antok's tail as it tried to land a soft blow to his head. "Sorry. Now that I saved you all in the past, multiple times for a couple of you, it's hard not to call you guys 'kits'. However, I will try hard not to."
Ulaz and Thace pulled Keith in between them and nuzzled his head. Ulaz whispered, "Just between us, Keith, if you want to refer to Thace and myself as 'kits' in private, then you may. You saved us twice, after all."
Keith purred to Thace and Ulaz, returning the nuzzles. He still didn't know why he had been traveling through time or how it happened, but he was glad he did.
Fin