Prime Blood: Prowl-her What if Prowl found a reason to change into his organic side? Who is she?) Inspired by blitzwing's painting (on deviantart )Animated Prowl.
Time line: After Heart Wrenched, after BeeWare.
Chapter 1
It was a wonder that silent nature could hold such wonders sounds. If only one sat and truly listened. The flutter of a butterfly's wings could actually be heard. The footsteps of the bark beetle can be heard.
The footsteps of a mere hundred pound woman on her tip toes across the clover grass could sound like thunder. The rustle of her silk robe sounds like a hurricane. The robe flutters to the ground at the edge of the koi pond. Dressed in the ancient bathing garment of one strap of white cloth around her chest and another for a loin cloth, her toe breaks the tension of the water without a sound. Her foot slips under the water without even a whisper. Then the other pointed foot follows. She wades into the pond.
Her voice is as light and welcoming as the flight of the incoming crane. In Japanese she calls to each koi by name in a soft whisper. A large white crane settles on the grass near a large rock to watch her.
The woman, Su Kim, plucks a piece of koi food from her net bag and feeds each fish as it's lips break the surface. Her smile is all the giggle she needs. The pond water comes to her caves and the fish clamor around her begging for more food. But she notices one missing.
"Koshi, where are you? Come, come Koshi. You don't want the others to eat your share." She sees the reluctant gold and black fish poke out from under a rock. She smiles, "I see you there Koshi. Come now." Koshi turns towards the rock and the crane and darts back under the rock. Su tries again, "You know that old crane doesn't like koi." And then a tiny bit louder she tells the fish, "And he won't hurt you either. He's been sitting there not moving for almost two hours. Now come on." The fish looks back to the rock beside the crane. The fish moves a little further out, checking the creature sitting on the rock. The creature doesn't move. So Koshi darts over to his brethren and gets his fair share of the food.
Su smiles broader and strokes each fish with a tender call of their names. When her bag of food is spent, a few of the fish try nipping her ankles to get every fleck of food. Su touches them lightly, "You are already too fat. You need to watch out for that new black cat. He will have you for dinner if I feed you any more. Now go swim. Go find some bugs or something."
Watching her steps carefully, she steps out of the pond. She picks up her robe, slips it back on tying the red silk sash. Then she comes over to the crane. The crane stretches out it's neck for her touch. When Su speaks, it isn't to the crane, but the creature sitting cross legged on the flat rock, "So how long do you plan to stay in the garden?"
The black and gold slim metallic creature with blue glasses to conceal his blue glowing eyes only turns his head and ever so softly ask, "Do I need to leave?"
Su smiles, "Of course not. Have I disrupted your mediation?"
He smiles at her concern, "No. I was just watching nature." Now he turns his shoulders to face her better, "The fish know their names?"
Su lowers her head, "Easy to do when they get food."
His own smile broadens, "Koi are rather greedy." They both watch the crane walk away and start poking around in the bushes for frogs and other delicacies.
Su sits on a smaller flat rock beside him. But she keeps her eyes focused on the crane, "Please feel free to come to this garden anytime you like." Then she looks up to him, "Prowl." He only dips his head in acknowledgement.
And then they go back to watching the early morning life of the garden. Thirty minutes seems to pass too quickly for Su Kim. With a soft but heavy sigh she rises to her feet. Once again, he only nods to her in respect. Silently she heads down the smooth stone path that disappears behind a huge cherry tree. Prowl follows her with his eyes as far as he can. He knows it is a sin in this place of solitude, but he scans where she is going. Behind the foliage, is a large house built in a mixture of traditional Japanese and modern safety materials. Scanning even closer, he can see Su Kim go up the stairs to the top floor. She has the whole top floor, addition to the house, as her apartment. As she drops her robe, he quickly disengages his scanner. Without time to refocus on the natural beauty around him, his com pings. He sighs heavily as well, Time to go to work.
The next day, Su Kim comes to the garden. Prowl is kneeling by the pond, trying to coax Koshi out. Su comes to his side and kneels beside him, "Here, try this." She pours some fish food into his palm. With his long fingers, he is easily able to take one pebble of food. Koshi won't come out. So ever so carefully, he lets it float on the water just outside the lair. Then Prowl pulls back so his shadow won't be seen. After a few minutes, the fish pops out, snags the bite of food and darts back under. Prowl only beams a smile. Su giggles at his delight. Prowl tries again with Koshi. But this time he ends up with all the fish gathering around him. Prowl gives Su a confused look.
She pats his shoulder. "I'll try to take the others with me. You keep trying with Koshi." Then with a slight cluck to her voice, she wades into her typical spot in the pond. Her plan works. The fish clamor around her, and Prowl has gotten Koshi to actually look at him, before darting back under. By the end of the feeding, Prowl has only had one successful feeding with Koshi. But it was all he wanted. Su shares his smile of triumph.
She puts back on her robe and comes to his side sharing the sight of the fish. "Do you Ti Chi?" He turns to her in surprise. Su finds her words stammering, "Would… would you with me?"
Prowl gives her a tender bow, "I would be honored."
They take a few strides away from the pond and get into position. Then silently, they begin their meditation moves. Su knew she should be centering her mind, but she found herself watching him. How could metal be so graceful? How could an alien be so respectful to this planet? What is he thinking? Would he talk to her?
Her foot stumbles and he gracefully puts out a hand to catch her. His hand on her waist is so light. Tender. She looks up to his face. Without a word, they begin to giggle. He had been watching her too and not mediating, otherwise he wouldn't have caught her so quickly. Su recovers her footing, but doesn't step out of his grasp. Nervous, he's the one who relaxes his grip and pulls his hands behind his back. The moment is pondering if they should try again. But, his com pings.
Touching it, "Yes sir?" Prime gives him instructions. "Understood." He turns to Su and is at a loss of words.
She helps him, "Until next time." He bows his head respectfully, and steps towards the stone wall, then leaps over. Beyond the stone wall is a side street. He wouldn't dare bring his war and destructive ways into this garden of serenity.
~~ Later that evening, Bee and Bulkhead are driving him crazy again. Prowl strides up to Prime, "I'll take the night patrol." Prime is about to protest, when Bulkhead slams Bee into the wall again. Prime just nods grimacing. Prowl burns rubber to get out of the base. Prime finds that rather curious.
Prowl has one place he is headed, not at all on patrol. Yes, a slight fib. Well, he would patrol the Japanese garden. There, not a complete fib. Leaping over the stone wall, he lands ever so gently. Just as he makes it over the wall, he can hear the modern door slam shut. Then he can hear the crying and grumbling in despondent Japanese. When the figure comes around the corner, he holds up a hand of friendship. He doesn't want to startle her. She takes a deep breath of shock, but doesn't cry out. Prowl takes his seat on the large flat rock. Su takes her rock beside him. Lowering her head, her silk black hair falls forward over her shoulder hiding her face. It grieves him to see anyone in pain. Certainly her pain is deep, because she isn't speaking. Her shoulders begin to shutter. With one finger, he strokes down her back in soothing comfort. It only seems to rack her body even more. But for some reason, he knows not to stop. After a few minutes her sobs, subside. He retracts his hand. She turns to him, "Would you follow me?" He turns his head curiously. So she stands and strides to a clearing in the garden. He follows her. He also follows her posture of laying down with hands tucked behind their heads and looking up to the stars.
"Would you tell me…." her voice trails off. He knows she wants him to talk to distract her grief.
"What do you want to know?" with a voice so soft she thought the breeze was speaking.
"Tell me something amazing you have seen," softly she returns.
He remains silent. How could he tell her that she is the most amazing creature he has ever met? And he barely knows her. Then she has to turn to him, and his spark freezes. "Please don't run off right now. I could really use a friend."
His brow furrows, "Don't you have any?"
"Not like you."
He turns on his side and props his head up on a palm and elevated elbow, "What does that mean? I've only known you for two days."
She rolls to her side, matching his posture. "My friends would never take the time to talk to Koshi."
A smile beams across his face, neither would his. "And what is the crane's name?"
"Sushi," Su blushes.
"Sushi?" Prowl gapes in amusement having spent time dabbling in the Asian languages once he found their martial arts similar to his dojo training.
She waggles a finger at him, "You think that bird is a crane, but trust me, he's more like a vulture. He was brazen enough to steal the sushi right from my desk." She points to a lit window through the cherry tree branches, on the second story of the house.
Prowl narrows his gaze, "But he doesn't eat koi?"
"Those koi are so fat, he would choke on them."
Prowl chuckles with her. It felt so good to laugh like this about nature. It felt so good to make another laugh. That was normally Jazz's trait.
Then her black silk hair falls over her shoulder again. He finds himself unable to resist reaching out. The tip of his finger ever so lightly lifts the strands of hair. She watches his face as he lets the strands slide off his finger tip. Soft and a so tender. Then he does it again. As they fall off again, he glances down to see her watching him. He swallows hard and quickly tries to pull his finger away. But she catches his finger, "Please don't leave." He freezes. She moves closer to him. He sits up and starts to pull away. Su stops and puts a hand to her mouth. She's afraid she has offended him. But he stops again. Now he is afraid he has offended her.
So he tries again, "I don't really know what I can tell you. There is so much that is classified."
"Then don't tell me anything, but please don't go." She begs. With out a word and breaking his gaze with her, he lays back down. She lays beside him, but this time with her head on his bicep.
The silent night closes around them. It is becoming late night and the traffic can barely be heard. She whispers to him, "What do you see?"
"A bat," he simply answers. She giggles. "What? I saw a bat."
"I don't doubt that. It just wasn't the answer I expected."
"Then what did you expect?"
"Oh something more alien like."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Truly confused.
"Forget I asked," she giggles. He just shakes his head in confusion.
As her giggles subside, he asks very carefully, "What do you see?"
It takes her a few moments before she finds the courage to say, "Stillness in time."
"Yes," he breathes. And then nothing else is said. Nothing else was needed to be said.
He hears her breathing begin to slow. Ever so carefully he sees that she has fallen a sleep. Even more carefully he slips his hand under her, and then with two hands carries her towards the house. He can see all lights are off except the one she had pointed to earlier on the second floor. There is a wide porch outside a traditional Japanese paneled window/door slid open. He examines it's structural supports then with the lightest leap, he lands on it and looks down at her. Still asleep. Crouching carefully and softly through the doorway, he lays her on the traditional Japanese low pallet bed on the floor. With two fingers he pulls the crochet blanket over her. She only reaches for a piece of the blanket and rolls onto her side, but doesn't stir anymore. Silently, he leaves.
He leaves her room, but goes back to the lawn and remains watching the stars. There is so much peace here with her. A peace he hasn't known in a very long time. Jazz….
Certainly not something these friends and comrades ever understood. Yes, he understands her earlier comment about her own friends. There were so many other things that bound his current team in comradery, but not this stillness within the garden of time.
~~~ With the rise of dawn, he finds himself enjoying the waking of the garden life. But what he enjoys most is watching her come down the path. His smile spreads clear across his face.
His smile brings her comfort. He puts a finger to his lips, letting her know, no words need to be said. Instead, he takes his first position for Ti Chi. Without a word, she joins him. This time they make it through the whole routine without a missed step.
When they are done, a word would destroy the moment. They are left looking at each other. He holds out his hand and she lays hers in it. A touch. That's all they need. Just a touch. She wraps her fingers around one of his fingers and leads him to the pond. Silently they feed the fish.
And so they begin a routine.
That is if he wasn't at battle and she wasn't staying late at the office.
Back in his quarters he began composing his sonnets and painting again. This time of koi and cranes beneath cherry trees. Even finds time to send some messages to Jazz telling him not to worry so much about him. Stress wasn't getting to him like it used to.
Jazz's simple message helped: :About time!:
{flashback}
Jazz had saved Prowl's sanity during training in the dojo. Jazz let Prowl beat on him. Jazz let him yell, scream and say everything he couldn't to Master Yokitron.
And while he was panting, sweating coolant and squawking with fritzed vocorder, Jazz ever so calmly asked, "So are you done being an aft and ready to listen?"
Prowl just stared at him, "I'm not even warmed up and you are exhausted. Who do you think is going to win this fight? I haven't even gotten out my good lines to use on you. Gird yourself, here it comes."
Prowl flinched ready for an aft-kicking and verbal assault. Instead what he got was a tight embrace that lifted him off the ground and a very soft vow, "I will never let you down Prowl. I will never dishonor our friendship. I will have your back, I will keep you in line, and I will always be there for you. Alright?"
Prowl nodded and then sobbed in complete exhaustion and break down. Prowl sobbed himself into stasis in Jazz's arms and Jazz only gave him comforting words of a brotherhood. Lifting Prowl, Jazz took him to his recharge pallet and carefully laid him down.
Yokitron was at the door way when Jazz had finished, "Jazz, I have never seen you say that to anyone before."
Jazz nods respectfully to his Master, "Master, there has never been anyone who needs a friend more than Prowl does."
Yokitron smiles and pats his arm, "Yes, that is true. He will need you."
"And I will need him." Jazz answers. To which the master bows in reply.
The next day, the Prowl we all know arrived at Ti Chi. Focused and in control. Beside Jazz, he followed every move and let Jazz correct and guide him. The two became best friends and partners. Prowl was the one who became ever more and more mindful of the organization and structure he needs to curb his anger and in a proper way release it. Jazz, on the other hand, seeing how Prowl was going to become the tightwad, decided to remind Prowl of the good things life had to offer. Prowl swore to kill him if he ever brought that Saki-gon anywhere near him again! Little pink Drillers chased him all night in his dreams!
~~~ While Prowl stayed at the dojo and practiced, Jazz returned to his duties to the Autobots. They kept in contact through texted messages and occasionally Jazz would come to visit. When Yokitron was killed, Jazz bid him to come join him. Prowl was never more grateful to Jazz. A purpose, a cause and a mission. Introducing him to the new Prime was an added bonus. Prowl respected and helped Prime any way he could.
Soon enough, teams were being sent to other areas of the planet and galaxy.
Missions came, and missions ended. Bot's joined the ranks, and bots died. Some bonded (like Jazz did to Strifer) while others welded plates over their sparks in fear of joining and the pain that would ensued (like Powerglide).
Prowl did not search for love. He was busy enough just trying to keep peace with himself. No need to invite more trouble.
Jazz never pushed. He understood all too well. Prowl saw spunky, highly charged Jazz pacing halls in anxiety clutching his spark or tearing up training ground in frustration when he heard nothing through his bond. A couple of times Prowl found Jazz huddled in his respective bunk or corner crying. At those times, Prowl would silently come to him and pull him into meditation. And every time they emerged, Jazz would shoot him his grin of gratitude. {end flashback}
Prowl looked at a holo-image of Jazz and himself beside an Earth tree. Butterflies litting on the tip of their servos. To many a hardened warrior, this was sissy. A few had even made slash comments about the Ninjabots. Ever the "water off a duck's back" Jazz would laugh and smirk, "You will never know."
Prowl couldn't help but laugh. He knew how in love Jazz was with Strifer. When they were together Jazz was like glaze on a donut with Strifer.
Even now, Prowl was letting himself laugh lightly. He sent a message to Jazz, "When did you know you loved her?" There was so much in that message that Prowl was sure Jazz would be the one to glitch this time.