Raising the Hero

By: Sinead

Chapter Four:

Rodimus’ Gate . . . Trinity City . . . Northwest Quadrant . . . Cybertron

“And so you’ve always protected Yuki just because you were older than her?”

“She’d do the same for me,” Kenrei replied over the drinks they had been served at the quaint diner they were at. “And she’d protected me in return, in her own ways.”

Kiri smiled. “Yeah, but you’re the one that leads her everywhere. I mean, some of the only times I’ve seen her without you was when I came to visit her at your home while you were at the arena. Does she mind being alone?”

“Sometimes. Usually Tekk or the twins are around, since they have different school and arena schedules.”

“Your father doesn’t run them too hard, does he?”

“They want to learn. How can you stop one from learning when they have the urge to do everything in their power to grasp at that knowledge?”

“Point. And speaking of your father, I haven’t met him yet, even though I’ve been at the arena over a year.”

“He doesn’t teach too many classes anymore. You have to be nominated by your instructor to get to one of his, and he usually passes the nominees to me to be tested if they need more training before entering one of his classes.”

“Oh.”

“I take it you haven’t been nominated.”

“No. Not yet. I hope that I can.”

“But you don’t need to be nominated to meet him.”

“So you see him outside the arena?”

Kenrei smiled. “Of course. Sure, we haven’t had a vacation in over three years, and he’s always busy with his work, but he always comes home for dinner, and always has enough time for one of us, no matter what he’d be doing. If one of the twins needed him for even the most trivial of questions about a homework assignment, he’d pause a meeting with the arena-managers of all the other arenas on Cybertron to answer that question.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No. Why would I be?”

“Well . . . and mind you, I’ve seen this in other widowers, including my own father . . . most fathers remarry, and let that new wife take care of the kids. Within a year.”

“Dad loves Mom with everything. He has no room in his Spark for another.”

“But . . . she’s dead, Ken.”

The fighter nodded. “Yes. But they have a saying on Earth: ‘Love never dies.’ Sure, she’s not with us. That much is acceptable. But Dad still loves her.”

“You berserked on the doctor.”

“Yes, Dad.”

“You hit his chin rather hard. Did you break it?”

“No, Dad.”

“And how do you feel about it?”

“I’d hit him again and twice as hard if he spoke the same way to me again. The Maximal is a complete fool, and deserves it.”

Arashi smiled weakly up at her son, speaking slowly through her pain. “You hit him because he told you there was no cure.”

“No. I hit him because he said that I was only a kid, and since I was only a kid, what could I do about your condition.” The eighteen-year-old folded his arms over his chest. “And I’d do anything to save you. Even give my own life.”

“But you cannot. You have your brothers and sister to watch over. They’ll need you now more than ever, Kenrei.” She smiled up at Karasu, who was holding his wife’s hand. Her tears dripped slowly down the sides of her face. “Because it’s to be my time, soon. And I will miss you all so much . . .”

“Ken.”

He shook himself from his thoughts, seeing Kiri leaning forward, face worried. He sighed, shaking his head. “Memories. They’re hard to hold down.”

“Can you tell me?”

He shook his head. “Not yet. Gomen.”

“Iie, daijoubu. You’ll tell when you’re ready.”

“Well, excuse me, but when did you suddenly become interested in romantic excursions with an individual of the opposite gender?” a familiar voice said.

Kenrei looked up in shock to meet a skeptical Tanarius’ gaze. His face lit up, and he reached up to grip her hand firmly. “Where the Pit have you been?! Your brothers tell me nothing about you these days.”

“They were afraid that you had a crush on me at one point, and since I’ve been preparing to marry a wonderful bot who happens to be an Elder, they didn’t want to have to deal with a jealous younger male who would pout at the ceremonies.”

“Hah! You’d rip my throat out if I tried asking you out, regardless of the fact that I didn’t have the time! Besides. You’re old.” He winced away from her punch. “Matrix, but it’s good to see you again. Even after two years of not knowing where you were.”

“Aah, but introduce me to your lady-friend, first. I’m here with the brothers.” She play-glared at him. “And hurry, before I hit your face this time.”

“Kirishin, this is Tanarius. I trained with her younger brother for a few years.”

“Tana to friends,” the older femme said, holding her hand out.

Kiri grasped it as firmly as Kenrei had, replying, “Kiri to friends as well. An honor to meet you.” She looked at Kenrei. “Wait. Is this Optimus’ sister?”

“Yes.”

“There’s enough room here for four more! Come on!” Kiri said, moving Dinobot over so that they could all managed to squeeze into the almost-too large booth for two. She ended up being seated to Kenrei’s right, between him and Lumius, who charmed her immediately, while Graius sat next to Kenrei’s other side, Tana between him and Optimus. For over a full hour they all caught up on events. All conversation stopped, however, when a cleared throat sounded from the booth to their left. Karasu leaned over the partition to land a “love-tap” upon his son’s head, sending stars shooting across the younger male’s vision.

Kirishin was about to leap over the partition to wipe this strange Predacon’s smirk off his face with a balled fist, but she saw her informal date sit back up to return the punch soundly. “Dad, knock it off!”

“When Yuki tells me that you’re out to dinner with a girl from the arena? Hah!” Karasu extended his hand to Kirishin. “I am absolutely charmed to meet your acquaintance, Kirishin.”

She gripped his hand firmly, and Yuki’s sweet voice called over, “Can I squeeze in over there?”

Lumius checked and then replied, “I believe that there is. Here, I’ll move over.”

Kiri yelped. “That was my foot, you lummox!”

“Sorry.”

“Gah, lemme move my drink.” She turned to see that Karasu was watching her silently, Kenrei busy trying to make sure that none of the drinks would fall over from all the moving around.

His smile was kind. “Will you be coming back to the house after your dinner-date?”

“If it isn’t too late.”

Karasu nodded his head once. “And I have seen your style of fighting.”

“I’ve heard it, too!” Yuki piped up. “And there’s a few things that I’d suggest brushing up on, but they’re nothing too serious.”

Ken smirked. “You really want her to help teach already, eh, Father?”

“Impudent brat. Of course I do. But I want you to test her for me.”

“That’s what you always say.”

“Just a test. You don’t have to train her. She already knows what she’s doing, and I hardly think that she needs training in any special field. Least of all one that you have no experience in.” The father smirked, while the bots in the other booth either groaned or hid their faces and laughed at the remark that was meant to be translated in at least three completely separate ways.

Kenrei felt the dire need to hide. “Dad, I’m going to bury you next time we spar.”

“Try it, son.”

“Try? I will. Don’t doubt it.”

Kirishin walked next to Kenrei while they strolled back to his house. Yuki and Karasu had returned early to the house in time for Tekk and the twins to get back from an after-school club, and only within the last thirty cycles had Lumius, Optimus, Tanarius and Graius had to go back to their home. Trying not to stare at her openly, Kenrei asked, “Do you think you could possibly consider going to dinner next week with me?”

She laughed kindly, letting her fingers brush his. “I’ll consider it. What night?”

“Whatever night you’re free?”

“That’s every night.”

“Oh. Then, ah . . .” Kiri’s chuckle at his sudden ability of speechlessness caused him to smile. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“All the help you’ve given to Yuki and myself, as well as . . .”

“As what?”

Kenrei sighed, shrugging. Kiri stopped him, turning him so that he was facing her. They were alone in the well-lit street. She reached up to trace his nose, his cheeks, then said softly, “Whatever else there is that you want to thank me for . . . don’t worry about it. I wanted to help, and I wanted to know you. And I still want to know you, and continue to learn about you.”

He took her hands in his, sighing, smiling slightly before slipping her closer to him, embracing her. “And I want to learn about you. One step at a time.”

“Atta boy,” she chuckled. “Now, don’t we have a meeting with your father?”

“Do we have to?”

“I said that I would if it wasn’t too late in the evening. And it isn’t.”

Sighing, Kenrei nodded, leading the way home, his hand holding Kiri’s all the way and into the house, both of them ignoring Tekk’s teasing.