Even after all this time. Even after everything that happened. Shiro could still remember the training he'd gone through for the Kerberos mission.

It was an odd thing to cling to. The memories of several months worth of repetitive tiring training. But somehow, even though he couldnt remember his time in captivity well, Shiro knew for a fact that the training he'd received at the garrison had been at least partially responsible for his survival in space.

He could still remember one of the earlier training sessions that he, Matt, and Commander Holt had had to endure. It stood out espcially clearly due to requiring them to travel all the way to the artic to practice with the cold out there.

Shiro had been rather confident about it at first. He'd expected to struggle just a little at first, but then adjust to the freezing tempetures rather quickly.

He'd been dead wrong.

As a matter of fact he was the last of the three to overcome the cold enough to manage to stick it out for even a quarter of the time Matt and Sam did.

It had been an embarrassing moment of self clarity for him. Though not a shocking one, as he later learned that this was actually Commander Holts tenth excursion to the north pole, and Matt's third (having tagged along with his father on previous excursions).

Even after he managed to get to a point where he got used to the chill, the two researchers moved with an ease that betrayed their raw experience in the enviornment, whereas Shiro was slowly catching up.

Despite the struggles, Shiro looked fondly back on the months he'd spent with the two of them. The way they'd spend their evenings just talking about all the numerous discoveries and theories the Commander had formed based on the latest discoveries. The newest breakthroughs in technologies. They'd even discussed some more casual things like books and movies and the like.

But the moment that stood out to him the most was when, during one excursion, Matt tugged on Shiro's sleeve and pointed up into the sky above them.

He'd shifted his gaze upward and instantly had his breath taken from him.

Even now, that he'd traveled the univerese and seen sights that humans had never had a chance to see before, Shiro could still picture clearly the sight of the aurora borealis above his head. How it just seemed to appear and stretched through the sky like an etherial ribbon. Both then and now he thought that it had been breathtaking.

There were other aurora borealis on other planets, he knew. He'd seen them himself first hand. They, too, had be things of wonder a beauty. Unique to their own atmosphere and planetary makeup.

Maybe it was his homesickness, or just his nostalgia for those nights on eaths northernmost magnetic pole; but if sincere asked Shiro would be forced to make the rather bold claim that the Northern Lights was the most beautiful thing hed ever seen.