Taiyoo was ready for the hit, as he glared at Tsuki. What he wasn’t prepared for, was how hard she would hit him. He blinked a few times, shook his head, and snapped, "You call yourself one of us!"

"Bastard! Traitor! And here I was, thinking that we had cleared things up, that we were going to actually get over the whole mistrust! I can’t believe that I had thought you were telling the truth! I’m such an idiot!"

No, Tsuki . . . you’re not the idiot.

"Well?! Don’t you have anything to say?!"

Taiyoo looked up at her, and saw behind her the looks of shock on his parents’ faces. Wrangler was there as well, with Ai and Kirau. All were shocked. "No. Nothing." He straightened his shoulders, and sneered down at her. Tsuki’s face was red with fury, but it turned white with shock with what he said next. "And I will have nothing to say to you for quite a while, Tsuki. I’m leaving. I swear upon my honor, that I will never speak to you. Farewell."

I’ll remain silent towards you until the time comes when I most likely will need your wisdom. Please forgive me.

Tsuki hissed back, "Don’t worry. The vow is mutual."

He turned, and left, closing the door behind him gently. As he walked down that hallway, there was nothing more than he wanted, than to run back, and say that he was sorry, that it wasn’t what it seemed. There was nothing more that he wanted, than to feel her in his arms once more, just one last time, and to say that he still loved her.

But this was the only way that he could protect her, and she needed to stay ignorant of the truth, so that she would be safe.

The two scientists were waiting for him, at the entrance of the building. They had given him a card that would get him through all the security points. His head was bowed, as he followed them through the strange streets.

 

 

As his footsteps faded, the nineteen-year-old fell to her knees, shaking, pale. Her hair was spread around her, hiding her face from view. However . . . it could not hide the weeping that racked her body. Satsujinhan’nin looked down at his partner . . . his soon-to-be wife. By all other standards, however, they were already married. They had been married since the "conceiving" of their son, nineteen years ago.

Kelsi looked up at him, tears falling from her eyes. He wiped them away, then held her closer, willing his body not to shake. He looked up, at Ai and Kirau. "Go. Tell the others quietly. Whatever you do, though, only tell them that Taiyoo . . . my son has left. That’s it. Nothing else." His voice changed to a growl. The pair could barely make out the words, yet they already knew what he was going to order them to do. "And for Primus’ sake, don’t let any in here! Suu does not need that stress! Get going."

Wrangler was picking his daughter up into his arms, and rocking her back and forth gently. He was no stranger to the pain of losing someone who he loved. But . . . he hadn’t known Willow for nowhere near as long as Tsuki had known Taiyoo.

It was time.

"Suu . . . daughter, look at me. Come on, show your dad those wonderful black eyes of yours."

She looked up, her face a mask of grief.

His voice was solemn. "I know how you’re feeling. I know that it hurts."

"How?" she managed to croak out.

"Your mother did something like this, before you were born. You have to know, now. You’re old enough to know about her, and what she was really like."

Tsuki was silent.

"I don’t hate her. She was sixteen, and had just been given the fact that you had been created."

"Why?"

"Hm?"

"Why don’t you hate her?"

Wrangler smiled down at the daughter of his dreams. "Because I knew her. She was a good girl. She had confided in me early, that she and the others had been abducted, and thus violated, so that you would be created. She cried upon my shoulder, while telling me about that. She was too young to take that responsibility, and she recognized that."

"Kelsi . . ."

"Kelsi was different," Satsujinhan’nin said, walking over, and resting his hand upon her head. The very human was kneeling next to the younger girl, as he had been talking. The tall Predacon sighed. "She was aware of what she was taking on, and was ready to face it head-on." He smiled, and stole the younger human from her father’s lap, to place her upon his own, and embraced her, as she wept once more at the sound of his voice, the tones it took on. "Suu . . . you’re a strong girl. I think that your mother would be proud of you."

Tsuki sighed, and said, "I’m going to miss him."

"We all will," Kelsi replied, toying with a strand of the long white hair. "But my son . . . you know him almost as well as I do, Suu. But the parts of him that you don’t know, I do. I have the distinct feeling that he will be back, somehow."

 

 

Late that night, Satsujinhan’nin walked out on the balcony, then down, oddly, instead of looking up at the stars, as he usually did.

Two crimson optics met his. He thought that he had looked into a mirror, at first, but then they blinked. Kelsi joined him, and looked down, as the optics re-activated. The owner of the optics walked out of the shadows, and looked up mournfully at them. Satsujinhan’nin indicated the ladder to his right, and the son nodded. Kelsi went to closed the door, then returned, to glare half-heartedly at her son. He started the conversation in a hoarse whisper. "I’m sorry. Please don’t tell her that I’m here."

"Wasn’t going to," Kelsi whispered. "Why did you do what you did?"

Taiyoo sighed, and said, "Because I had to. Megatron heard of Suu’s extraordinary looks, and thought that she would be a good prize."

"What has this to do with anything?" Kelsi hissed.

Satsujinhan’nin put his hand upon her shoulder. "Hush, love. Taiyoo, please tell us."

"I spoke with the two scientists who had told him. And I struck a deal. I would come, willingly, instead of Tsuki. He could claim me as his protégé, and I would willingly agree to it. He would be able to order me around, and I would do so. I’d . . . I’d do his dirty work . . . and take blame."

"You would allow yourself to be treated as a drone, a slave, in order for Tsuki to be free from him?"

Taiyoo lowered his gaze. "Mother . . . you once said, nine years ago, that you had been violated here, in order for me to be created. Take the worst pain that you had received then, whatever it was, and multiply it by ten. That is what that slagging monster would do to my Tsuki. I could not live, knowing that she was in pain, and that I could do nothing about it. This is the only way that I could protect her."

Satsujinhan’nin sighed, and nodded. "I know. You did the right thing, son."

For once, the boy was as informal as he could be with his father. "Dad . . . treat her like a daughter. Please. In my place."

"You’ll be gone long, then."

"Longer than I want to be. Longer than is necessary."

"How long?" Kelsi whispered.

Taiyoo bowed his head. "Five, possibly seven years."

The door opened, and Taiyoo leapt into the shadows, as nimble and as fast as ever. Wrangler came out, then closed the door after him. "Gerrout here, Taiyoo."

The younger Predacon did, only to have hands placed upon his broad shoulders, and to look into blue optics. "Thank you. From now on, you’re a son to me. And if you ever manage to make it up to my daughter, then may your marriage be blessed. Even if it lasts three seconds, because of the fact you’ll end up saying something, thus getting yourself killed."

Taiyoo smiled, and bowed his head, accepting the blessing. He stood straight again, and was embraced by his mother. He bent to kiss her cheek gently, resting his head upon her shoulder, and sighing, holding onto the last piece of true comfort, until who-knew-when. Finally, he stood, and looked to his father, who embraced him roughly, only to turn it into a gentle hug. "Be careful, son. And I’ll do as you ask. But never in your place. Beside you, I will agree to, but in your stead . . . never."

Taiyoo took one last look, then swung over the railing, and climbed down the ladder. The three parents watched the shadow retreat into the shadows, then stop abruptly by the end of the alley. A tall bot walked by. Taiyoo fell into step behind him, and out of sight.