So, Joaquim and Lauren confirmed that Shiro will be officially retiring from his position as the Paladin of the Black Lion, and that, as a total Shiro stan, made me very sad. And I was just going to write this to wallow in the sadness, which I did by crying for an entire hour on the train as I wrote this, but then I decided that this was only making it worse, so when I got to the office, I decided to put a more positive spin on it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this barely proof-read emotional drabble.

"We've had a good run, haven't we?"

It was eerily quiet in the city of Olkarion. The only thing breaking the silence was Shiro's voice, as he spoke from his perch at the top of the Black Lion's head.

"It's strange, though, you know? When my conscience was inside you, I wanted nothing more than return to the team, even though I knew the chances were slim, but now that I'm here… it's like there's a piece of me missing. Even if that missing part is probably my link to you."

A deep sigh escaped Shiro, and his lip quivered as as he fought back his tears, driving the heel of his hand into his eyes as he laid down on his back.

"It makes sense, I guess, if Allura really pulled all of me out of you, but… it doesn't feel fair. It's not like I'm not proud of Keith for establishing his bond with you, that's what I was hoping he would do, after all… but I hadn't considered that after all we've done and all we've been through together, losing you would hurt this much. I hadn't considered I'd be alive to feel it..." Shiro sniffed ad a sob bubbled from his chest.

He was all alone up here, no living creature, not even another presence in the back of his mind. There was no one to hold back his tears for anymore. He sobbed again, and allowed the tears to freely flow from his eyes.

"'I can't think of anything that's more fulfilling than being a Paladin'... And now I'll never be one again..." He choked out as another sob wracked his body. There was a twist in his stomach, a lump in his throat, and he swore there was something squeezing the air out of his lungs. His mind ran at a hundred miles an hour. "Maybe it's true what Sendak said. Maybe I am too broken to be a Paladin of Voltron." Shiro sighed in defeat. "I'm just a dead man walking, living on borrowed time in a body I wasn't even born in."

"No…" He gasped. "What was I even saying? I sound like Zarkon of all people! This isn't right. You are your own being, I can't claim some kind of ownership over you, however much losing you might hurt me. I can't become the person we've spent years protecting the universe from." Shiro spoke as he hopped to his feet, pacing around on the flat surface of the lion's head.

"I mean, it stings not being your Paladin anymore, but maybe it hurts so much because I derived my sense of self worth from being your Paladin. Maybe I can turn losing my connection with you into something good. I mean, there's so much left to be done. I could still help so many people, and I don't necessarily have to be your Paladin to do that, do I? Maybe I could find confidence in being myself, rather than being just your Paladin." A laugh rose from his chest. "Thanks, Black. You're a great listener." He said as he hopped down to the lion's shoulder, and slid down her front leg. A hopeful smile crept onto his face as he ran back to his team, and he swore, if only for a second, he could hear the Black Lion's satisfied purr in the back of his mind.

Takashi Shirogane was no longer the Paladin of the Black Lion.

Takashi Shirogane was truly reborn.