Taiyoo Soshite Tsuki
(Sun and Moon)
By: Sinead
Chapter Seven: Arrival
Year 5874
A flash brightened the afternoon, and Rampage recoiled from the edge of the sea. A winged creature appeared, and Megatron growled, "Get it."
The crab raced forward, but skidded to a stop, and transformed, optics disbelieving. He walked the final three steps to her, and kneeled, reaching a hand out tentatively, hoping that it was who he thought it was.
Megatron looked on in confusion, as the creature smiled, grasped the homicidal killer’s hand, then embraced his neck, causing as gentle a scene as if a butterfly was just alighting upon a hand. The tyrant shook his head, but was unable to see the creature fully, as Rampage was in his line-of-sight. However . . . he had the feeling that he had seen her before . . . somewhere.
Tsuki released him. "Xanthos."
The crab-bot shook his head. "No. I’m Rampage, now."
The smaller Predacon chuckled. "So your name finally matches your temper, now, eh?"
He nodded, happy to see her again. "Yes."
"I’m gonna be blunt. You’re in pain."
Rampage’s child-like good nature dissipated completely, and Tsuki backed a half-step up, but the bot reached out to her again, still gentle, although his voice held a growl. His gaze was a silent plead. "He has half of my Spark."
Tsuki sighed, and reached up to touch his cheek once more. "I’m here for Taiyoo."
"Taiyoo? He’s here?" The Predacon male paused. "Oh. Of course. He changed his name. But, still, Tsuki. Can’t you please . . . ?"
Tsuki’s head fell. "I cannot help you, Big Brother. Not at the moment. I wish I could."
"Correct me if I am wrong," Megatron’s voice wafted over, "but I thought that I had heard you call him ‘brother.’"
"Then you heard wrong," Rampage snarled. He looked at her quickly, and said quietly, "Taiyoo’s Maximal now. You’ll find him in that direction."
The faster she gets to that deranged life-partner of hers, the faster she can help me, Rampage thought, just as the first waves of pain shot through him. Tsuki smiled, squeezed his hand, and he threw her upwards, giving her as large a head start as he could, hoping that she would get to the bot quickly . . . and to get her away from Megatron. She waved once, shifting to her beast mode, and sped off in the direction he had pointed out. Once, she thought that she had heard a cry of agony, in Rampage’s voice. She flew faster.
Rhinox looked up at the map, as an insistent beeping started. Rattrap shared a look with the larger Maximal, then tapped Cheetor’s shoulder. "Kiddo. Flier. Just up your alley."
Cheetor grinned, then left, happy to be getting out of the base, and doing something. Rhinox frowned, hitting a button, coming up with one more Predacon on the head-count, than was usual. Rattrap blinked, and whispered, "An extra Pred? Where the Pit did ’e come from?!"
"Dunno."
Optimus walked in, and Rhinox filled him in. He quickly left, and took to the air, following Cheetor. Soon, he saw two dark dots appear in the air in front of him, still far away. One was attacking the other, and Primal assumed that the attacker was Cheetor. The Predacon, however, was dodging gracefully, making Cheetor seem clumsy. He finally reached them, and tugged on Cheetor’s tail, growling, "Back down."
The silvery-white cat with wings of the same color flapped in mid-air for a moment, then transformed, so that she could hover. Cheetor blinked, his jaw dropping. She was singularly the most beautiful bot he had ever seen. She blinked at him, and smiled, then gently pushed his jaw back up to its proper place. Optimus sighed, and asked, "Who are you?"
The Predacon blinked, then replied in a whispery voice, "Tell me where my life-partner is, and I will tell you my name."
"Who?" Cheetor asked. Both adults ignored him.
"Back at the base," Optimus replied. "And your name?"
"Tsuki."
Optimus smiled. "You’ve grown even more beautiful since I last saw you."
"He’d kill your for saying something like that."
"Perhaps. That, and he’s already tried. He’s waiting."
Cheetor followed the two in a haze of confusion. Once they had entered the base, then blinked, and asked, "An’ so we’re s’posed ta let da Pred waltz right in here without a guard, why? Not that dat’s a bad thin’ . . . since she’s–"
Optimus shook his head. "Rattrap, that’s enough. Dinobot will keep an eye on her."
"Really? And how’s he gonna do dat while being flat on ’is back?!"
Tsuki chuckled, and shifted to her human mode, resting her hands upon the tri-dimensional map, and looking straight into the bot’s optics. "Rattrap, if the bot Primal is talking about is the one I am in search for, then you have nothing to worry about. I could not harm you, nor any of your comrades, knowing that he’s befriended you. If he trusts you to guard his back in battle, then I will do the same. Consider me as an ally."
Rattrap sighed, shrugged, and went back to working on a control panel. Optimus beckoned for Tsuki to follow him, as he walked down the hall to the sick-bay. His voice was lowered to a whisper, as he called in, "Silverbolt, your shift is up."
A moment later, the Fuzor opened the door, and walked out quietly. He blinked once at Tsuki, taking in her looks, then smiled. "A pleasure, milady."
Tsuki smiled, nodded her head, and Silverbolt walked off, as Optimus walked into the room. "Dinobot."
"I’m awake. Silverbolt’s rambles, however, could have put even that infernal tyrant to sleep."
Optimus chuckled, and said, "You still look like slag."
There was a dry chuckle, and he sighed, his optics activating, to look up at his commander. "Get to the point, Primal."
"You were talking in your sleep again last night, on Rattrap’s shift."
Dinobot growled. "Fine, yes, I dreamt of her again. But I doubt that you would understand even if I took the time to completely explain it to you."
Optimus sat, and replied, "Try me."
Dinobot winced, then said, "We left on bad terms. I swore upon my honor that I would never speak to her again. She did the same."
"From what I remember of the Maximal investigation that went on, I remember that you two were close."
Dinobot’s broken sigh caused Tsuki’s eyes to begin to water. She bit her lip, and rubbed at them, looking up at Optimus. He released a small, barely-noticeable nod, stood, and left as silently as he could, just as Dinobot’s optics deactivated again, unwilling to look to the present, but instead delighting to dwell in the past . . . in happier times.
Tsuki entered the room, closing the door silently, and seeing Dinobot’s slowly healing wounds, noting each and every one. Finally, holding her hair back, she leaned over her life-partner, and kissed his brow lightly.
His optics activated with a flash, and Tsuki leaned her forehead against his. He reached up, but his hands wouldn’t move more than an inch off of the bed. Tsuki didn’t notice this, as she said, "I’m breaking my oath, Taiyoo. I had to come."
"Please . . . tell me that I’m not dreaming again . . ."
"No," she whispered, "you’re not dreaming. Neither am I, I guess."
She wrapped her arms around him, cradling his head against her shoulder. Wearily, painfully, he managed to reach up and place one arm around her shoulders. The weakness of his grasp scared Tsuki. She pulled a bit away, until she could see his face clearly. "You have to let me help you."
He shook his head. "I can’t forgive myself about walking away two years ago, without telling you the truth. I can’t let myself accept your love."
Tsuki smiled. "You have more than enough time to tell me later. And I love you because I always have. Your Mum an’ Da are worried about you. They say that they forgive you, and that they don’t mind that you’ve gone and done whatever it was that you had to."
"And . . . and for you?"
"Tai, I could never hold a serious grudge against you."
He sighed, and Tsuki gently placed him back then shifted to her beast mode. She transformed, and cradled Taiyoo Dinobot against her, then opened the Spark connection fully between them for the first time in nearly two years. Dinobot let his optics deactivate, as he fell into a restorative, healing sleep. Tsuki sighed, and kissed him, her touch as soft as a breeze, then set him back gently. With a yawn, she folded her arms upon the bed by his side, and laid her head down. She was asleep almost instantly.
Rattrap had seen the whole thing from a vent. He looked at the graceful features of the femme’s face, which contrasted sharply with Dinobot’s own harshly-drawn face. The Maximal was asleep, peaceful for the first time since the valley. So . . . if what he had overheard on Primal’s comm-link was true, and these two were life-partners . . . then that meant that Dinobot had to be something less than fully Cybertronian, since . . . since Rattrap had now seen the female transform twice, now. She had looked almost human . . . but . . . was that why Dinobot had really done what he had? Merely to save his own skin?
No . . . no he could tell that wasn’t the case. The look on Dinobot’s face, as he had spoken with this girl . . . something that he had only seen a few times before, and not with this bot. But it was at the mention of his mother that he had seemed to completely relax.
But why?
What had she to do with anything?
The vent was pulled away from before Rattrap’s face. He found himself looking stupidly into the white optics of the Predacon. She smiled, and whispered, "You think too loud. I can smell your processor burning all the way over by his bed."
Rattrap grinned, noting that she had almost the same type of humor as Dinobot, and climbed out of the vent. He looked up at her, as she replaced the grating, and asked, "Weren’t you asleep?"
"Was. Your foot tapped once against the side of the vent when you relaxed, thinking I was out cold for a while. That’s what gave you away."
"’Ya’re really alert, Pred."
She smiled, and replied, "We all had to be."
"‘We’?"
Tsuki sat upon the side of another bed, as Rattrap leaned against a wall. He didn’t need to be too close to her. She belonged to the Choppuhface, and he respected that. Besides. It looked as if she really loved him, and Rattrap wasn’t about to interfere in a relationship that had probably developed over the course of years.
The Predacon held a sad smile upon her face. "We’re like Xan . . . Rampage. We were, and still are, I guess, experiments. We were put through tests that had unimaginable pain. But by the time we were thirteen, we learned that we were stronger than pure-blooded Cybertronians ten years older than us. Excluding Rampage, of course. He’s still stronger than one of us, but against two . . . not a chance. Anyway, we had also learned before then, that we heal naturally. Our senses are more acute, and still grow more so with every passing year."
"’Ya sleep light, too," Rattrap stated.
"Of course. We never wanted to be caught unaware by the scientists."
Rattrap finally moved to a stool about seven feet away from her. It was still a bit too close. The Transmetal sighed, and rubbed at his face. "How many of ’ya are dere?"
"Tsuki and myself led," Dinobot’s voice replied. He sounded as if he were fully awake again. "Then our second-in-commands were Ai and Kiran. Then there were Jinsei and Shi, Shizukesa and Tatakai, and finally Shinri and Uso."
Never once, Rattrap noted, did the ex-Predacon stumble over the odd-sounding syllables. But Rattrap didn’t jump this time, now understanding why he had only once caught Dinobot asleep, and why the ’Raptor had been so irritable and nasty about it. With a passing thought, as well as a grin, Rattrap remarked, "Jeesh. ’Ya sound as if ’ya knew dem since ’ya were in diapers."
"We did," the pair chorused. Tsuki grinned to Dinobot, and said, "And those things were slagging uncomfortable. Diaper rash."
Dinobot laughed, while Rattrap just blinked at the comment. "Oh. Woah! Wait one slagging nano-click, here! Are you actually sayin’ dat you and he were in diapers, once?! Only humans wore dem!"
Tsuki sighed. "Rattrap, by right, we’re–"
Rhinox opened the door, gracing Rattrap with a glare, before seeing the extra bot in the room. "Oh. You’re Soki, I take it?"
"Tsuki, yes." She turned to glance at Dinobot, who stopped trying to sit up to blink at her. Her glare was swift and black. ~Don’t you even think about it.~
~Tsuki . . .~
~No. None of it.~
Dinobot sighed, and lay back. "Slagging stiff."
"You get that pretty head of yours out of your overly large tailpipe and smell the roses, Taiyoo. You’re staying flat on your back until I feel you’re well enough."
"Tsuki . . ."
"Nope! That’s enough!" she snapped, still glaring.
Rhinox chuckled at the exchange, and said, "Rattrap, you’re wanted to finish taking your shift. Come on."
They left, but Tsuki stayed sitting where she was, on the bed a few beds over from her life-partner. Dinobot blinked at her. "You met Rampage on the way here. That’s how you know that he had changed his name."
She nodded, and said, "I think that this latest chip that they put in him is faulty. It failed for the few cycles that I was with him."
Dinobot reached out towards her, and she walked around the beds, to grasp his hand. She brought it up slowly to her face, and, keeping eye-contact, kissed it softly, experimentally, waiting for her life-partner to tear it away from her hold.
Dinobot saw the fear within her optics, knowing that she was remembering their "final" exchange two years ago, and knew that it was up to him, to complete healing the rift. He stroked her cheek with one finger, smiling gently. "Tsuki . . . I’m sorry."
"I know."
He sighed, and she rested his hand upon her cheek, taking in the comfort, as he pushed it gently closer. "Listen to me, Tsuki . . . I know you love your name . . . but you have to change it for this war. I changed mine, when I was still on Cybertron. Only Tarantulus and Rampage know what my real name is. All the others know me as Dinobot. The names we were called when we were born are too exotic for this war. Too elegant."
Tsuki moved to sit upon the side of his bed, smiling. "Your voice has finally matured fully, Taiyoo."
"Dinobot," he corrected gently. He paused. "And I didn’t know that."
Tsuki smiled, and whispered, "You sound just like your father."
Dinobot’s face brightened slightly, and Tsuki saw that what she had said meant a lot to him. It meant a lot to her, as well, since she loved his father as much as she loved her own. And already, she sensed how far along he had healed, in the mere thirty-five cycles she had been next to him. His strength was greater as well, she noticed, as he gently pulled her close to him. Without completely knowing it, they had kissed, holding one another tight.
Tsuki pulled away slightly once more, and Dinobot shivered at the loss of heat. Nevertheless, he asked her what he had been wanting to for quite a few years. ~Tsuki . . . please . . . answer one question for me.~
She smiled. ~Anything.~
~Will you marry me?~
She blinked, then smiled, and kissed him again. ~Of course.~ She laughed, and smiled gently at him. "How long have you wanted to ask me that?"
"Four years."
"And why didn’t you ask me before?"
"I was . . . apprehensive. Scared."
"Reasonable answer."
He smiled, and Tsuki pulled herself closer to him, smiling, resting her forehead against his. He sighed, and they met in another kiss, each afraid to let one another go, for fear that they would lose each other once more.
Rattrap turned the camera off, smiling, as Rhinox teased, "Nymphomaniac. You know that you would have watched if you were alone."
"Nuh-uh, Big Green. Nope. Dose two deserve some respect and privacy." He grinned. "’Sides. It ain’t like I’m a stranger ta dat, or nuthin’."
Rhinox chuckled, but his look turned swiftly to one of quiet sadness. "I know, Rattrap. Optimus was one of the investigating team for both the Protoform X Project, as well as those two’s own, although they really shouldn’t know . . ."
"Know what?" Rattrap asked.
Rhinox shook his head. "Nothing."
Rattrap shrugged, knowing that when Rhinox stopped himself short, it was for good reason, and one shouldn’t prod. The bigger Maximal tended to get testy then. "Eeh . . . sumthin’ tells me dat dose two are big. Y’know . . . big like da Disk bein’ stolen an’ da X project put together."
With a solemn look, Rhinox nodded.
Optimus was about to knock upon the sickbay door the next morning, when Rattrap skidded to a halt between the commander’s fist and the door, holding his hands up. His voice was low. "Boss Monkey, if ’ya were smart, den you’ll let ’er come out on her own time."
A look of amused embarrassment crossed over the leader’s face, as he managed a small, "oh."
Three steps later, they heard an evil chuckle. Tsuki’s voice drifted up to them. "And how would you know, Rattrap?"
They turned, Optimus looking down to his second-in-command, wondering the same thing himself. The rat shrugged. "Dere was a camera in dere, you know, in case sumthin’ happened to da Choppuhface. Don’ look at me like dat! I turned it off the moment dat I thought dat you two were gonna do what ’ya probably didn’t do. Ask Rhinox! ’E was there!"
Tsuki glanced back into the room, then virtually disappeared. Less than a second later, something hit something else. Optimus and Rattrap ran to the door, and looked in, to see Tsuki sitting astride Dinobot’s midsection, her hands on his shoulders, and in a glaring contest with him. Rattrap intervened. "Was ’e tryin’ ta get up again?"
"Yes," Tsuki growled. "And I swear that I’ll knock you out if you try it again, Dinobot."
"Slaggit, female–"
She hit his shoulder, and he stopped struggling as she pulled her left leg back to cross over her right. She sat upon his stomach, crossing her arms over her chest. He rubbed at the shoulder she had delivered a right-cross to. "Ow. You didn’t have to hit me that hard!"
"Where did you pick up that habit?!"
He crossed his own arms, and snarled, "Well, I had to ward off femmes somehow! Slaggit, I could never cheat on you, and there were some who would have wanted me to do so!"
"Dat’s sick. Who would want ’ya in da first place?"
"Me," Tsuki replied lightly, displacing the comment from the shorted Maximal. "Oh, and shut up, Rattrap." She looked back at Dinobot. "Lose. That. Habit. Your mother would strongly disapprove of it."
Rattrap snickered, not seeing the look of frustration Optimus shot his way. However, Tsuki was instantly in front of him, her hand holding his chin up so that he was looking into her optics. "Did you have something else to say, Rattrap?"
Once she let go of him, he shook his head vehemently. Dinobot sighed, and snarled, "I’d like you to meet my mother, Vermin. She’d cause you to slagging burst something vital." He chuckled. "And if you survive her, you may speak with my father as well."
"Please tell me dat he’s easier to deal with den your Ma."
Tsuki patted his head. "Don’t you worry about old Satsujinhan’nin. You’ll meet him in due time."
". . . what was ’is name?"
Dinobot laughed outright, calling over, "I may sit up, now, correct?"
"If you behave. Otherwise–" she was sitting on him again, smirking, causing him to momentarily lose his breath, "– you can deal with me in a sparring match later on."
"Slaggit, that does it. I’m renaming you Hellcat."
"Fine by me," Tsuki said amicably, getting off of him, to face Optimus, who had been watching all this silently. "So how can I help you and your team, Primal?"
He blinked, "When do you think Dinobot will be able to patrol and preform his normal duties?"
"Does that include fighting?"
"No."
"Three days."
"And including fighting?"
"Three-and-a-half."
Optimus paused. "Why the half?"
"Do you honestly think that he’d stay out of a skirmish?" Tsuki Hellcat sighed, and indicated him. "Look. He’s sitting up, moving easily, no struggling, although he’s stiff. Yesterday, at this time, he could barely breathe. You know that. When I came, he was still like that. I know his rate of healing, and I just know how he is."
"A mirror image of my father," Dinobot said, chuckling.
Rattrap blinked. "On second thought, I think dat I’m gonna stay away from your family, Choppuhface."
Tsuki smiled. "Don’t worry. They’re not as ferocious as we make them sound."
"Somehow, I ain’t convinced."
Silverbolt stopped the conversation short. "Predacons approaching, sir." He nodded once to Tsuki Hellcat. "Milady."
Tsuki blinked at his code of chivalry, and shook her head. ~And you call me a stiff, Dinobot.~
~Hah! You haven’t seen anything yet. Wait until you see him in combat against a femme, and then you see how bad that boy really has it.~ Aloud, he said, "If Megatron sees you again, he’ll surely recognize you, whatever mode you are in, and make the connection with me. And he already despises me." He paused, and closed his eyes. ~He’ll know even the fourth mode.~
She sighed. "Rampage will then attack."
"I know." He looked her fully in the eye. ~If he knows that you are in here, then he will rebel against Megatron fiercely, and might just end up getting himself killed. Although . . . that is supposedly impossible.~
Optimus indicated for Rattrap and Silverbolt to leave. He looked at the two life-partners, and asked, "How can I help you two?"
Hellcat looked up at him, as did Dinobot. "Optimus, there really isn’t much you can help with. We’ve had to survive and deal with multiple situations that would kill you."
The femme sat upon the edge of Dinobot’s temporary bed, letting her legs swing free. "We’ll think if there is, but I’m willing to let Dinobot speak about this one. He knows you; I don’t."
Optimus nodded, replying, "Then the two of you stay here, and sit this one out. I’ll be back in when everything’s done."
"Wait," Hellcat said, standing, her white optics flashing. " I want to see who I’m hiding from."