Chapter thirteen: Shiro's Voice and Allura's Kiss

Nighttime in a dark forest, Shiro stood silently in the underbrush, staring at Allura as she lay in the boughs of the bare tree. She seemed...peaceful, almost as if she were in deep slumber...and yet, there was an eerieness to it. A foreboding atmosphere that practically screamed at Shiro to just leave him here.

Shiro quietly swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Is Allura asleep? She seems a bit sad". he slowly turned to walk away...but then, she took one last glance at Allura, who remained still. "...you know...now that I look to her...now. She is way different from my dreams! It's been so long since I last her" He then shook his head. "What am I doing, I should be focusing on finding Keith!"

Just as he was about to do just that, however...

"Halt, you."

Shiro squeaked and froze in his tracks the moment he heard Allura's voice...but he didn't dare turn to look at him.

"How did you pass through my barrier?" asked Allura.

"W...what barrier?" Shiro asked, though he still did not turn to face her...which caused Allura to narrow her eyes at him.

"Turn around," she said, almost in a demanding voice. "Let me see you."

Shiro gulped as he slowly turned to face Allura...who's eyes went wide.

"It's you, again...!" she whispered.

"Uh...hi...?" Shiro asked, nervously. "Listen, I-I didn't mean to disturb you, so I'm just gonna go ahead and go, okay?"

"Wait!" Allura said. "Come closer...let me look at your face."

Shiro swallowed, again, unsure of what to say or do...and yet, his instincts, for some reason, were going into overdrive, telling her to run away as fast and as far as she possibly could. However, Allura only glowing at him in irritation.

"I said come closer," she said in that same demanding tone, again...and suddenly, Shiro found himself moving toward the undead priestess on his own.

"My body…can't move!" he thought "I wanna run away but I can't!"

As Shiro drew closer, Allura sat up and reached her hand out to the young man, who tensed up slightly as he felt her fingers lightly graze his skin.

"Her Skin...They feel so cold!" Shiro thought.

"I see now," Allura said. "The man who died alongside me!"

"Uh...well...that's what people seem to say," Shiro replied, trying to make small talk. "If there were people who said that!"

"Where is he?" Allura asked.

"He?" Shiro repeated.

"Keith!" Allura answered. "Isn't he with you?"

"Uh...n-no," Shiro replied. "He went off in search of you."

"...Is that so?" Allura inquired. "And tell me, boy-"

"Shiro," Shiro interrupted. "My name is Shiro."

"Fine, Shiro," Allura said. "What are you to Keith?"

"W...what am I to him?" Shiro repeated. "Well...uh...I'm a friend of his," he said in confidence and Allura only raised her eyebrow at him.

"I see!" Allura inquired as to her spot on the tree "Well, regardless...you're in the way."

"E-excuse me?" Shiro asked. "You the one who has been luring women's souls away? If so, please let them return!" But Allura didn't listen to him but instead, she lightly touched his forehead...and suddenly, the young man gasped.

"What's going on?! I...I can't move my body again!"

Suddenly, the wind blew softly, causing Allura to look up at the darkened sky, where she could see her Soul Collectors fly while carrying more disembodied souls.

"Keith," Allura said. "He's coming this way." She then looked at Shiro. "However...he is not coming for you. He only comes to see me."

Though Shiro couldn't move...his eyes did go wide in shock.

Not too far away, Keith running through the forest, following after the Soul Collectors. As he did, many thoughts raced through his head.

"Allura...did you die, hating me?' he thought. "Do you still hate me, even now? Is the only way you'll truly find rest...is if I die?!"

And soon, Keith stops by a river, the same river that the place that the monk spoke of?!, out of breath. Suddenly, he gasped at the ground, A hair cord that belongs to Allura, as he picks it up, He could smell the scent of death on the cord.

"Allura!" he thought, and suddenly, he found himself running faster than he ever ran, before!

Shiro found himself tied to the tree where Allura once laid, bound by the priestess's Soul Collectors. Even though he tried to struggle, not a single part of his body would do as he told it to.

"I can't move!" Shiro thought. "It's no use!"

"You can do nothing," Allura said. "Even if you scream, Keith will not hear you. I will see to it that Keith does not set his sights on you...you will not interfere."

"Allura!" Shiro choked out. "What do you want with Keith?! Are you planning to kill him?! Do you really hate him that much?!!"

"Keith wished for my death," Allura said.

"What!? You don't still mean to kill Keith?! No, Allura! Someone purposely set you two at odds! It wasn't Keith who killed you!" Shiro shouted.

"You look as though you expect me to be happy," Allura said. "The one who caused my death… If that person dies, will I be resurrected?"

"That's…" Shiro added.

"The dead wish for one thing… To live once more. Hah! A wish that cannot come true. However, the dead can wish for one thing which can come true. I want to steal his heart from the one I will never forgive if he dares to forget me." Allura explained.

"Never forgive if he forgets you? Do you mean Keith?" Shiro said.

"He wishes for my death. That is good. That means he has regrets about our fight." Allura continued "Regret all he wants. I shall never let him forget…about me. Time will not go forward. Then I can exist in the time that is frozen. I will be able to continue living in his heart."

"Even now, Keith thinks about you! Isn't that enough? Keith cares for you! He always has! Isn't that enough?" Shiro said.

"Keith and I parted despising each other. The love you speak of is but a shallow emotion which only served to deepen the hatred. Nothing is stronger in strengthening revolve than bitterness. If he must care, then my care consuming hatred. As for me, I will love his heart which is about to fall into deep despair." Allura ended.

"No! Your hatred is pointless! It makes no sense!" Shiro shouted.

"Silence," Allura ordered, and suddenly, Shiro's eyes close and collapse to sleep. At that moment, the sound of a branch snapping was heard, causing Allura to look over her shoulder.

"You here!" she whispered as she turned around, and sure enough...there was Keith, gaping at her.

"A...Allura...!" he whispered.

"Hello, Keith," Allura greeted.

"So it is you who's been gathering the souls of dead women." Keith asked. "why!"

Allura gasped but she wasn't taken back. "This body, molded from earth and bones, needs to be nourished with human souls, else I cannot move."

"So that why you need the girls' souls!" Keith asked.

"Yes, Keith…you must despise me. Driven by my hatred towards you, I have gathered the souls of the dead to remain in this world." Allura answered

"How stupid! You may hate me, but…" Keith said. "Never a day went by without my thinking about you! Not even for an instant!"

Allura only glared at Keith...while her Soul Collectors gathered around her, dropping souls into her body as she never thought that Keith has never forgotten Allura.

"No matter what your appearance, I would never hate you or think less of you…" he said. "besides if you really wanna hate someone, hate Haggar".

"Haggar?" Allura repeated.

"Allura...listen," Keith said. "the one that set up off with was Haggar, she pretended to be a bandit to get near us and now because of her, the Galra invaded Aurs! and I had nothing to do with your death! Just please...move on!"

"Is that true? then what do I matter!" Allura said as she touches Keith's face "Even if I were to kill you with these hands?"

"Huh?! W-wait…!" Keith said as Allura surprisingly kisses him.

"Keith…after meeting you, I stopped being a priestess. I became a mere woman. This is what I longed for when I was alive." Allura said as hugs him.

"This nostalgic scent of her… It's just like back then. The only difference is that she has no warmth. Her body died…so it's cold…and sad…and lonely." Keith thought.

"We cannot return to that time. So I want to stay like this a little longer." Allura declared.

"I can't save you… If I cannot do anything for you…to stay like this… How I wish time would stop!" Keith said as he tried to return the hug.

"Is that all right? If time would stop?" Allura said.

"Yeah…I don't care…if I'm with you". Keith said as he felt very tired.

Suddenly, the ground began to sink beneath Keith and Allura, and it felt like they were slowly being pulled down!

"Keith…I will never let you go. Come with me to the neverworld."

It was dark all around, only the unconscious body of Shiro lay tied up to the nonexistent ground. A mysterious figure could be seen surrounding him, having a light aura around them. The figure looks down towards Shiro in worry as they kneel next to him, whispering. "Please wake up, He needs you!"

Leaning in closer towards the ears of Shiro, it mutters, "I know you can be better than me, So please wake up, Take care of Keith, Save him!"

Hearing that, Shiro immediately wakes up and grasping on what transpired, Still tied up, Shiro looks over to see what happens here and to his surprise, Keith and Allura are sucked into a hole along with the souls of dead girls.

"What's going on!" Shiro said as he grabbed on to something. "Keith's being dragged in!" he thought

"Keith, what're you doing?! You must get away!" Shiro said

"No! He's unconscious!" Shiro thought as he struggled to get free!

"Allura, stop!!" Shiro shouted. "What are you doing?!!" But Allura or Keith Couldn't hear him. Instead, they were trapped in their little world.

Elsewhere, Lance grunted as he tried to force his way through the barrier, and yet, he was only met with more resistance. He cried out in pain from every electric shock that he got, and by now, his jacket was beginning to tatter. Even so, he didn't give up.

"Lance, stop!" cried Pidge. "If you keep forcing yourself against the barrier, you might not survive!!"

"I have to try!" Lance shouted as he tried to push against the barrier, once again. "Shiro's in danger! If nothing's done, she might be the one who dies!!"

Hunk and the others gasped silently while Lance kept attempting to force himself through the shield...but alas, he was pushed back, once again. The monk panted as he stumbled back, his clothes nearly in ruins and his skin badly singed. Despite that, he kept trying.

"Urrrgh...almost...there...!" he grunted.

Shiro tried to pull himself off of the tree as the crater that was beginning to form in the ground. The air was growing hot around him, Keith, and Allura, with the Latter being knocked out and her been bitterly at Keith remained by her side...a wicked smirk forming on her face. It was almost as if she was enjoying herself.

"Allura! You can hear me, I know! You coward!" Shiro cries out "What did Keith ever do to you! he never wanted to die with you! Unlike you, Keith must go after Haggar and the galra who tricked him! More than anything, Keith wants to live to fight! determined to avenge your death!"

With that, Shiro struggling out of the soul Collectors' grasp as he sees Keith and Allura in front of him "Hands off of him!" Shiro screams out and soon Shiro frees himself from the soul collectors' grip before running towards the crater.

But Allura dissipated this and sends a current at Shiro.

"Darn it," Shiro thought, not having enough time to dodge as the current released a pure shockwave, resulting in Shiro to taking the full brunt of the hit and launched into a short distance away, recovering himself and stopping himself, think to the ground, created by the crater.

"Don't interfere with me, getting revenge won't bring this body back to life?!" Allura said, causing him to look at her. "Keith will Rather than living with my memory, Weather to come with you."

"What do you have against him?!" Shiro questioned. "Keith loved you like a sister! Did you ever felt the same for him!

"Loved him?" Allura repeated as her eyes narrowed. "How could anyone love a disgusting half-daemon such as him?"

"What!" Keith said, in the unconscious plane! "What did she say!"

As for Shiro, upon hearing that, Shiro's mind was going to so many places, Allura never love Keith or not like that! But that didn't matter right now, he needed to get Keith out of there.

"How dare you! If Keith were conscious, he would never follow you! No way! Get away from Keith!" Shiro said. "Wake up, Keith! Keith! Keith!

With these words, Keith's eyes suddenly open as he comes around, to listens to Shiro's voice

"Shiro…is…here?" Keith said as he speaks slowly, trying to wake up.

"Keith!... WAKE UP!" he roared, and suddenly, Allura gasped as she felt a powerful shock to her body...and just like what happened at Urasue's lair, the souls began to fly out of her body!

"This man… He's taking my souls once again! Before this body is completely emptied…" Allura said. "Keith! Come!"

"No!" Keith shouted, finally awaken.

"What!" Allura gasped as she felt his body grow heavier than the first time as Keith notices Shiro in the Crater.

"Shiro! Shiro!" Keith said as he pushes Allura away and leaps to Shiro, and then, using all the strength he could muster, he leaped out of the crater, carrying Shiro in his arms.

"Shiro! What're you doing here?" Keith said.

"Huh!? What about you? Are you all right!" Shiro said.

"Me? Well…err…" Keith said, able to muster any words.

However, Allura panted as she began to limp away...then she glared at the two, who only stared back at her. The undead priestess seethed angrily, and yet she said no words. Instead, she let her Soul Collectors gather around her...and carry her off into the sky.

"Is that man dearer to you?" Allura thought.

Keith and Shiro watched on as she fled higher up and disappears.

"Wait, Allura! I…!" Keith said as he knew deep down, somehow he could tell that this was not the last he had seen of Allura.

"I spoke the truth, And my words were real."