Wow, it's been AGES since I last posted anything. The idea for story has been running around my brain for a long, long time. Too long. I havent completely written it out either, so you'll have to excuse me for the delay between chapters once I run out of them. Anyway, thank you for giving it a chance, I hope you'll let me know your thoughts on it in a review!

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I claim to own, Voltron: Legendary Defender or Inuyasha. They each belong to their respective creators.

Warnings: This story contains violence and suggestive themes. I will write the appropriate warnings at the start of each chapter.

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Prologue

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She was the youngest of all her classmates on the day of their graduation but that had always been the case for Japanese kids born in May; her eighteenth birthday was still a few months away. And, although age had nothing to do with it, she was also one of the shortest girls there. It was all too noticeable when she stepped up to receive her diploma. Kagome felt almost out of place as she stood there amongst all her peers, but she kept her chin raised and her shoulders set back, her posture straight and proud, because she really was.

There'd been times when this day seemed like a faraway, unattainable dream. She was proud to have made it so far.

Her mother was snapping pictures of her every few seconds, the flash of her tiny digital camera was nearly blinding when coupled all the other parents keen on capturing every single precious millisecond of their child's most significant academic achievement to date. She would've sighed, if it hadn't been for Souta making funny faces at her from behind their mother's back. The top of his head already surpassed her shoulders, and he'd just turned eleven three months ago. Life was truly unfair.

Kagome smiled and held her diploma close as the photographer took the group shot. For the last picture, Yuka and Eri scrambled over and put an arm around her shoulders, while Ayumi placidly held up a peace sign from under Eri's other arm. Caps askew and robes more rumpled than they'd been before, the four of them laughed and smiled for the camera. Or cameras, seeing as their families had caught up and were set to take pictures too.

This was what she'd stayed for, the teen thought as yet another flash made spots dance in her vision. Her friends, her family, her future. Nothing on the other side of the well would've been able to replace that. Not even Inuyasha.

Her only regret was that she never got the chance to say goodbye.

"Earth to Kagome-chan. Welcome back, space cadet." Yuka bumped her hip, literally jostling her out of her depressing thoughts. She smirked. "How was your trip to the moon?"

Of course, Eri had to join in on the fun. "You should consider a career in astronomy, Kagome-chan. You can space-out all you want~!" Kagome groaned at the terrible joke as Yuka and Eri exchanged a high five, nearly tipping over with laughter.

"I actually think Kagome-chan would be suited to being an astronaut." Ayumi piped up, her index finger tapping her chin in thought. The laughing pair snorted, and Kagome could only shoot them a mild glare before they burst into giggles again.

Kagome brought her hands up to cover her face. "Not you too, Ayumi-chan." She'd of course expected it from the other two, but Ayumi was rarely one to tease her… on anything really.

The curly haired girl waved the comment off, her face pensive. "No, no, I'm being serious. An astronaut is much more active than an astronomer, which is why I think it'd be a better fit for you." She shrugged in the face of her shock. "Weren't you into stars and such when high school started?"

Yuka agreed, "Oh yeah, I remember that! Our geography teacher was so surprised when you named a bunch of constellations when he caught you, wait for it… spacing out."

Kagome bopped the teen on the head with her diploma, ignoring her protests. "Eri-chan already used that one, genius." But while the four of them talked and joined up with their families, Kagome's mind was wandering somewhere above the clouds, envisioning a future exploring places no human being had ever seen before.

An astronaut, huh.

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"It'll be barely more than a few months, mama. You know I've been away longer." Her mother was still fretting, something she'd never done when she was time-hopping as a young fifteen-year-old. Not as much as she was doing now. She'd been in more danger back then than she would be when she finally boarded KIBO, the most advanced man-bearing space-craft to date, and set off for Charon.

She could hear her mother huffing on the other line. "Well, you were always on the same planet. I doubt we'll be able to call you in outer space."

"You couldn't call me when I was in the past either, but I can actually call you if the satellite's aligned properly." Kagome gently reminded her as she packed the last article of clothing in the standard military green duffle bag: an evening gown she'd bought the day before.

Jamming her phone between her ear and shoulder, Kagome fought to get the zipper across the opening of her bag. She'd had it since she joined the Japanese Academy for Astronautics and, although it looked nothing like the monstrous yellow backpack she'd toted around in the past, but she couldn't help feeling the two were similar anyway. "Yes, yes, I know that- Souta, you've broken enough things in this house with that ball…" Her mother's voice faded as she most likely held the phone away from her to scold her little brother.

"Hey nee-chan, bring me back a space rock from Neptune!"

She heaved a tired sigh that was much too exaggerated to be genuine. "Souta, I'm not even going to Neptune. Charon is one of Pluto's moons."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, just remember to bring a space rock back with you!" If anyone would be receiving a rock from Charon, it'd be the research team waiting back at the station, certainly not her bratty seventeen-year-old brother, but she'd told him enough times already.

"Mm-hm... Put mama back on, will you? And stop slowly demolishing our house with your soccer ball, I know it was you who broke the glass moon I sent back for jii-chan's birthday last year."

"Sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you, oh hey, here's kaa-san, see you later~!" Kagome rolled her eyes, but couldn't keep the smile from her face.

Hearing her mother huff on the other line, she asked, "Is the squirt coming to see me off too?" Finished with her bag, she went into her small den to get her purse while she waited for an answer.

"Of course. Even jii-chan is coming, and we're planning on bringing Buyo to your aunt's so he can see you. He misses you terribly." Her mother crooned.

Kagome raised a brow as she rifled through her purse, taking out what she didn't need and replacing it with her passport and plane tickets. She snickered and shoved a pack of gum into one of the compartments, "Who, Jii-chan or Buyo?"

"Both of them!" With how indignant her mother sounded, she may as well have stepped on her.

Deciding to change the subject, Kagome looked around her small bedroom and found an old picture frame she'd knocked over on accident at least three times since receiving it. She flopped onto the twin mattress and snatched it from her bedside table. Four faces smiled back at her, one of them her own. She snickered at Ayumi's serene peace sign. "Have you heard back from the girls yet?"

She could hear her mother chuckle, "I did. We'll be meeting them at the airport, Yuka-chan is bringing her fiancé."

Kagome blinked in surprise. "Oh, I didn't think Hojo-kun would be able to make it. Is he done with his internship at the hospital already?" They hadn't seen each other on her last trip to Tokyo because of it. It'll be nice to catch up. She smiled at the thought.

There was a faint rustling on the other line before she got a response. "I suppose so... When did you say your flight was, dear?"

A heavy sigh escaped her. "In a few more hours. The plane leaves at seven. Then it's going to be a wonderful, eighteen-hour flight to Houston." At least she wasn't paying for it. It was part of some sort of program to make nice with an American organization with the same goals as the one she was a part of. In her mind though, it was just an excuse for the Academy to flaunt their very young team of space explorersand their super innovative space program-expedition, both things the other didn't have yet.

They always act like little kids with these things… so competitive. It didn't stop the pride she felt at her own accomplishments however. So what if she did preen a little when the board chose her to lead the mission despite her field being wildly different from a pilot's? Even if the addition of the piloting course to her own biomedical engineering program had been pretty heavy-handed, she'd pulled through on raw determination alone. She'd never known so many sleepless nights, but she'd persevered, and now six years later she was reaping the rewards of her hard work. Or would be soon, anyway.

"Oh, I still can't believe you'll only be there for the weekend before they send you back. The least they could do is grant you an entire week to meet some cute guys and have fun before shipping you off to space." Kagome nearly choked on her own spit.

God, please don't turn this into a talk about my love life, please don't turn this into a talk about my love life.

"I don't suppose there will be a handsome future son-in-law that will be waiting for you here one Earth, hmm?"

It turned into a talk about her love life. What a surprise.

The flight left her as tired as she'd expected it to. She had arrived at Houston, Texas in the early afternoon of the following day with the energy level of a lethargic sloth. After a fifteen-minute wait for her luggage and another ten-minute wait in line for the bathroom she changed out of her comfy t-shirt and leggings and made herself as presentable as possible in a cream-colored peplum top and tube skirt. Sneakers were promptly replaced by wedge sandals and placed back inside her suitcase.

Besides the usual fight with the baby hairs where her hairline started, her hair was easy to take care of. The messy bun she'd put it in for the flight was quickly undone; she ran her fingers lightly through the black locks to avoid disrupting the curls that had formed. After another short fuss over the short wisps of hair above her forehead –getting bangs again was becoming more appealing by the minute- she moved on to makeup.

On the academy-provided car ride to the hotel there was nothing to keep her occupied; she was too exhausted and jetlagged to enjoy the sights or be even remotely interested in them. In the end the car pulling to a complete stop beside the hotel's entrance was what roused her from something that was not quite a nap, not quite a daydream. The driver helped her get her suitcase out of the trunk and pointed her to the lady waiting for her by a large revolving door. Kagome eyed the lobby from behind the glass doors. Fancy, no wonder the party is going to be here.

"Miss Higurashi?" The woman in a pretty black vest and skirt suit asked, holding a clipboard close to her chest.

She was led to her room. Once inside, she tossed her shoes aside and collapsed onto the bed.

Hours later, she was dressed up and waiting anxiously by the entrance to the ballroom. Her mentor was the first to greet her, thank goodness. "Ah, Higurashi-kun, the lady of the hour. Come, you must meet your rival." He led her away from intrusive reporters to a corner of the ballroom where a tall older man and a guy around her age stood, purposely angled toward the wall.

Kagome had to admire their strategy. The pillar behind them successfully hid them from unwanted attention. Her mentor switched seamlessly to English when they were within earshot, "Samuel! It has been far too long, old friend!" She hoped to achieve that effortless transition one day. Thankfully she wasn't too far, since the Academy's language classes were just as intense of the rest of them. She was still unsure how she'd done better in Russian than English when the latter had been part of her education since elementary school.

The ash blond turned around immediately, she assumed he was "Samuel" and not the youngest of the pair who looked up in surprise. Both of their faces lit up in recognition once they spotted them. "Manabu, you old dog! Finally got away from your lab? Is it doomsday already?" The pair chuckled at what must've been an inside joke, since the man beside Samuel looked just as lost as she did.

She locked eyes with him and shared a bemused smile. As soon as he met her stare a jolt when down her spine. Beautiful dark gray eyes crinkled into a grin, and wow, what a charming face. Kagome quickly looked at the laughing pair next to them, tugging at a curl near her face as a sudden fit of nerves washed over her. Her face was burning; she resisted the urge to press the back of her hand to her cheek. Barely.

"And this must be the precious student I've heard so much about! It's a pleasure to finally meet you, I'm Samuel Holt, an old friend of your teacher here." He shook her hand respectfully, his face alight with curiosity and genuine excitement.

"The pleasure is all mine. I am Higurashi, Kagome, but I guess you already knew that." She shot a playfully scolding look to her mentor, "Sensei, I didn't know you gossiped about me." She chided good naturedly, enjoying his faux affronted expression, and the hearty laugh escaped his friend at the sight. A chuckle from the younger man next to him had her blush returning and her heart doing things that definitely couldn't be good for her health. And she had a medical degree, she would know. If it skipped any more beats, she'd go into cardiac arrest.

Samuel steered her towards his companion with a light hand on her shoulder, as if sensing her need not to see him directly and feeling obligated to make sure she had to look right at him and turn into a blushing puddle of Kagome goo. "This is the Galaxy Garrison's finest pilot. Shiro, you remember the Academy student I was telling you about, right?" It was a strange way to introduce someone, but recognition had "Shiro's" eyebrows rising and his mouth parting the slightest bit. Kagome felt herself twitch. What have these people been saying about me?!

There was a new gleam in those gray eyes when they settled on her again. She couldn't tell what it was, but her heart was doing that fluttery thing again because of it. "You're the pilot of the Charon Mission?" He asked with no small amount of awe. The amazement on his face boosted her self-esteem like nothing else.

Unconsciously standing just a little straighter, with a bit more confidence, Kagome grinned and nodded. "That would be me. Pleased to meet you...?" She trailed off and watched him flounder as he seemed to remember he hadn't introduced himself yet. He offered her his hand, which she delightedly shook. His hold was firm, and wonderfully warm. She made sure to apply the same amount of pressure before letting go.

"I'm Takashi Shirogane, pilot of the Galaxy Garrison. Is it true you beat Japan's flight record when you were in your second year of flight training?" He looked fascinated, and the change from the quiet stranger she'd initially pegged him as was a pleasant surprise.

Sadly, she had to dash his hopes. "Ah, that's just a rumor. I was already done with my training when I broke it."

He didn't appear to be any less impressed, or disappointed, and he had no problems letting her know that."That's still amazing. Did you know you set a standard over at the Garrison? Cadets are constantly trying to beat your score on their flight tests. None have succeeded so far."

Oblivious to how flustered she'd gotten from the flattery, Samuel chortled, "Well, they've succeeded in getting themselves in trouble with the General when they go off course."

Her mentor gaped, "Don't tell me Iverson's seeing over the cadet's training now?!" at Samuel's nod of affirmation, he let out a snort. "Never thought I'd see the day. How did that happen?"

"Well, you see, it happened after the Austin incident..." Soon they were wrapped up in their own conversation, leaving Kagome and Shirogane to themselves as they wandered a ways away.

Kagome stared after them with a raised brow before turning back to Shirogane. "So, Shirogane-san. You mentioned you're a pilot as well?" She asked in hopes of keeping their previous conversation going. He quickly brought his attention back to her when she began speaking, and she felt very important because of it. Wow, a guy treats you with common decency and suddenly you're head-over-heels for him. Get a grip, Kagome!

"I did, actually. In a few years, I'll be the pilot in charge of the Kerberos Mission. And please, call me Shiro, or Takashi, if you prefer. Shirogane is a bit of a mouthful." He insisted, so who was she to deny him? She'd forgotten how forward Americans were with addressing each other, but she could go along with it. Inuyasha hadn't bothered with honorifics, and now that she thought about it, neither had Shippo or Sesshōmaru. Was it a demon thing?

"Alright, T-Takashi-san. You said the Kerberos Mission?" She stumbled over his name a little, thankfully he didn't comment on it. Instead he launched into whatever details he could reveal over his mission to one of the other moons orbiting Pluto.

"Will it be your first time in space?" She asked, but she already knew the answer. Back at the Academy, any astronauts going on long-term missions in space had to undergo a month-long training course in the station orbiting Earth first, at least three months before the date of the assignment. She assumed it was similar in the States.

"Apart from standard visits to the ISS, yeah. But I've been flying for years already, so I'm not too nervous about it. What about you, any thoughts about spending the next seven months in a tiny ship?" He countered, and she found his teasing grin infectious.

"I'll have the best crew with me for the ride, so I think I'll be fine. We've been stocking up on all kinds of road trip games just for this mission, so I don't think it'll be any close to boring. Besides, I'll be in space, what's more exciting than that?"

Takashi grinned, and she felt warmth travel from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes because of it. "True."

A little while later, after they'd both acquired glasses of champagne from a passing waiter, her Commanding Officer found her and ushered her to meet with the rest of the important guests there. When the man walked off, Kagome turned to Takashi and offered him a lopsided smile. "That was my cue. I'll see you around, Takashi-san."

"W-Wait a sec. Here." He'd scribbled something down on a tiny notepad he pulled from the inside of his suit. She took it with interest and found a series of numbers written down in in black ink. Heat pooled in her face for the umpteenth time that night. Her stomach felt like it was doing summersaults inside of her. Oh my god, he gave me his number. Her brain damn near short-circuited."Call me sometime- or text. That works too…" He mumbled and she found the bashful way he ran a hand through his short hair adorable.

She held up a finger and grabbed her phone from her clutch. Within seconds she'd input his number and sent him a simple text. 'Hey. This is my number :) ' She heard his phone vibrate in his pocket and had to smirk when he jumped in surprise. "Don't be a stranger, Takashi-san." She cautioned, then decided to take it one step further and add a little wink before she turned and walked away.

Did I just do that? I can't believe I did that! Kagome couldn't hold in the nervous giggle bubbling in her chest. She covered her mouth and laughed.

If she had the courage to look back, Kagome would've seen the way Shiro was slowly turning a deep shade of red while he gaped at her retreating back.

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Chapter 1: Fleeting hope

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Vaguely, she knew time had passed. A lot of time. How strange that she'd resorted to checking her hair to know as much. It was long, too long in fact, she noted as it brushed over her thighs when she walked. It hadn't been nearly as long before, barely reaching her waist when fully straight. At least a few years had to have gone by since she was taken by the Galra Empire, but how much time it was since she was abducted was a mystery.

She never stopped wondering how they made everything work: the artificial gravity, the weapon system, the navigation, the speed at which they moved and, her eyes narrowed in front of her, the security. If she hadn't been a prisoner, and if there weren't so many more trapped there like her, the experience on the alien vessel would've been magnificent, a chance to take back some of the knowledge back home and exchange what she could.

But things didn't work that way with this species, it seemed. They'd been unlucky with their first alien encounter, or so Kagome hoped. The Earth was doomed if there were more conquering races out there.

The robotic sentries leading her stopped in front of a familiar door and stepped aside as it opened. Knowing that the pair behind her had their guns trained on her (a consequence to her latest escape attempt), Kagome sighed and stepped into the extraction room. She'd be in there for the next few days, as was customary, until most of the desired substance was filtered out in tubes from her body. Then, she'd be returned to her cell with the other prisoners, until she recovered. And the cycle repeated.

The droids stripped her down to her tattered bra and underwear, then bound her neck, torso and legs to a metal examination table. After checking her restraints (they'd learned to do as much after a different escape attempt) they began to sedate her so they could start the decontamination process. Which was basically a shower, but more clinical and not at all how she would've wanted it to be.

At the touch of a floating screen the machines on either side of her whirred to life and hosed her down. There was a faint smell afterwards like usual, but she no longer dwelled on it. The only thing that mattered was she was clean again. Even if it wasn't on her own terms. The thought of the one pulling the strings had her glaring blearily at the ceiling.

For the things he's done, I'll never forgive him. It was the only thing going through her head as If she never saw his face again, it would be too soon. Naraku couldn't hold a candle to the vileness of the one responsible for her exploitation. Zarkon. The time when she learned his name, when she was being restrained for the first time to be shoved inside a pod, his name was spoken by one of the living guards assigned to the room. Always "emperor Zarkon" this, "emperor Zarkon" that; everything was ordered by him, it seemed. He was responsible for the imprisonment of thousands of innocents, she'd met a couple of other humans, and people from other worlds scattered among the stars. He was responsible for what happened to her crew.

He was the reason she'd never see her family or home planet ever again... not if she remained on this ship.

I hope that boy and his father made it out fine… She didn't want to think about the alternative. Those other humans… had they been two or three? It was difficult to remember; their arrival at the prison had been after the Galra began their tests on her. She hoped they hadn't been subjected to the arena like she was at the start. Her memories of that time were hazy, at best. Whatever they were doing to her, was messing with her head.

Sometimes, when her memory was out of whack and she was disoriented after the extraction, the only things able to ground her were the scars that wouldn't fade no matter how many times she was dunked into the precious gold the Galra prized so much. In a way, she was grateful for them, as a link to the recollections she'd unconsciously buried. Yet, at the same time she resented them. They were just another mark the Galra left on her body, proof that she was too weak to escape.

No, they're proof I've survived.

Kagome knew she had to get out. Before she was reduced to a limp sack of skin and bones whose only purpose was the production of a golden substance she didn't even know the purpose of, and barely even knew the name of. But escaping had been impossible up until that point. How could she... there was just no way...

I can't afford to think like that... it's what they want me to believe. I have to hold on to hope, I have to keep trying. Immobilized as she was, tears gathered in her eyes, pooling until they spilled over the corners of her eyes to fall across her temples and into her hair. She couldn't wipe them away.

She no longer flinched when they inserted the needles attachedto several tubes, no longer struggled to avoid the mask they secured over her nose and mouth. She was only thankful they didn't see the need to strip her completely. Not after the first time they'd tried, and she incapacitated one of the few living guards on the ship as a result.

The droid sentries stationed at the door remained still; one of the armored guards and a creature with a pointed, angular mask moved her from the stretcher and into a cylindrical pod, where they finished attaching several more restraints to her wrists and feet. The cuffs, she discovered early on, had needles in them too. More transparent tubes were connected to them.

Her consciousness began to wane as the pod closed. She let her eyes fall shut as golden liquid was dispensed into it; the warmth from it always made her feel cold. Her last thought before she was fully gone and the fluid covered her head was a prayer for help.

If there is a god that can hear me…

Please…

Let me get out of this place alive.

A/N:

And that's that. I'll have the next chapter up... soonish. I was going through ffn's guidelines earlier and was guilt tripped into revising everything again. And I take forever to do that. It should be up this month though.

Thank you again for reading! I will absolutely appreciate your critique of my work. Let me know if any spelling errors slipped through, if something wasn't clear in the narrative, or what sneaky things you think will happen in the next chapter. See you later!

Originally posted: June 10th, 2018