Different Languages

Miko sighed, watching the news cast, her elbows on her knees and her chin resting on her fists. Things weren't good already, and they just seemed to be getting worse.

Tornadoes in the Central and Southern Americas. Earthquakes all over Europe. It seemed like Unicorn could never get enough.

Unicron, she reminded herself. Not the prancy sparkly horse.

She sat, or rather slouched, on the couch with Jack and Raf, both having wrinkles and creases in their faces from concentration, soaking in what was being seen and heard on the news channel. June was currently standing on the sides, watching the TV, nonchalantly biting her nail as Fowler stood beside her as still as a statue. It had been a shocker to them all, human and Autobot, about Unicron being the Earth's core. The Earth's freaking core.

Oh yeah. The Autobots. Miko looked over at Ratchet, who was busy staring at the controls and typing away some code or whatever. Bulkhead, Arcee, and Bumblebee were all standing behind them watching the news with them. Optimus was standing behind Ratchet watching him work, sometimes muttering something to him as he muttered back an answer.

The news reporter was talking about a hurricane in Texas now-no, actually, three, bouldering down houses and cities like nothing. June tsked and shook her head in disbelief as Fowler simply sighed.

All of a sudden, Miko's phone rang, loud among the silent room, save the urgency of the voice coming from the newscaster. She jumped, eyes widening, clearly not expecting a phone call like this at this point in time before quickly recovering and whipping out her phone from her pocket.

She froze. Oh my God, could it be?

It was her parents.

And not her host parents at that, her real, biological parents in Japan.

They must be worried sick about me, she thought hopelessly, faintly remembering an earthquake, tornado, and strong thunderstorm booming throughout Japan.

She closed her eyes as her phone continued to ring, taking a deep breath, before flipping it open and answering, "Kon'nichiwa!" She tried to remain a smooth, calm, cheery voice to her parents in Japan.

"Miko, anata wa daijōbudesuka?" It was the worried sound of her father, the naturally deep voice of his slightly higher and out of pitch from worry.

"Hai, hai," she answered, nervous already. Where they going to make her go home? Surely not in this weather-no, they wouldn't permit it. But knowing them they'd take the damn Titanic just to get to her if need be. "Anata ga shinpai suru hitsuyō wa arimasen."

Out of the corner of her eye she caught everyone staring at her, even Ratchet. They never heard her speak Japanese before. Jack mouthed 'who is it' to which she mouthed back 'my mom and dad.' Then figuring no harm could come out of it she shrugged and put the phone on speaker to all momentarily distract them from the epidemic outside and listen to another language.

"Anata wa shinpai suru hitsuyō wa nani o imi shimasen ka?" her dad yelled, or, the more politically correct term is 'shrieked.' "Anata wa nyūsu o mimashita ka? Anata mo sekai de nani ga okotte iru ka shitte imasu ka?"

"Hai, papa," she confirmed. "To watashi wa daijōbu yo. Amerika de no watashi no jitaku de subete no anzen katsu kenzen'na." It felt great to be speaking her home language again as she literally felt her accent heavy in her tongue.

"Watashitachiha Amerika ni anata o okutta koto ga nai hazudesu!"

Miko sighed and ran a hand through her hair. If this all goes over and everything is alright, it's going to be way hard to convince them to let her stay in America here, with all of her new friends and the Autobots. It was much better here because of them, but she couldn't say she didn't miss Japan.

"Watashi wa ue ni haha o irete iru. Kanojo wa anata ni hanashi o shitai to kangaete imasu."

Miko gulped. Her mother wants to talk to her or her mother wants to shriek at her and blow things out of proportion as usual?

And, as suspected, when the familiar voice of her mother came on the speaker phone, Miko twitched as her mother began her shrieking. She way yelling at her about how she was so worried and that sending her to America was completely ridiculous and that Miko should have never convinced them to do it, yati yata yata. She didn't really bother to listen to her mother rant.

Even, as a half-hearted joke, she muted her mother for a second, muttering, "Yeah yeah yeah." Jack and Raf both looked at her in surprise and she shrugged, taking the mute off. Her mother kept on rambling in Japanese as Miko played with the mute button, turning it on and off for a few seconds each, slowly gaining a few chuckles from the people around her.

Finally, Miko had enough. "Oh my God she never shuts up!" she yelled, earning gasps.

"Wow, Miko," Jack said. "You know she can hear you, right?"

Miko shook her head. "She can't speak English, not one bit." Then she smiled deviously and turned her attention back at the phone. "Can you, mom?" she yelled. Her mother paused but then continued her rambling. "Mom, please stop talking, you're really annoying me right now!" Jack snickered besides her as Raf shook his head, but retained a smile.

"Mom, I'm okay, alright?" she continued, her voice growing higher to beat her mother's going higher. "Can you just stop worrying, I'll be fine! You're really annoying me right now!" But her mother kept on rambling, pissing her off even more until she hit her breaking point. "Okay, you know what mom?" she shouted. "Bye!" Then she hung up on her mother and promptly put the phone back in her pocket and leaved back on the couch, sighing hard.

"You're crazy," Jack muttered, eyeing her with amusement. Bulkhead was chuckling behind her, along with Arcee and maybe Bumblebee, as he was chirping something she couldn't understand. Ratchet shook his head and tsked, going back to his work, clearly annoyed-yet again-at her interruption. Optimus looked at her in disappointment but with clear amusement at the young girl's antics on his faceplates. June rolled her eyes and Fowler smiled, but Raf just shook his head and upped the volume on the TV.

"It's the benefit of knowing two languages," Miko explained cheerfully, before yet more terrifying news came from the reporter's mouth.

But, for that short time, the young Japanese girl had both amazed and amused them in their time of need and were glad they had a friend like her to boost their moods in Earth's time of crisis.


Author's Note: Different from what I wrote before, I know, sorry, but this plot bunny wouldn't freaking get out of my head. I mean, wouldn't you expect YOUR parents to AT LEAST call you when the EARTH IS THROWN INTO CHAOS? You'd think hers would, right? Well...and I can't wait until February 18th! I'm squealing I'm so excited, they can't constantly keep me waiting for so long! First it was the other episodes, then it wasn't November 28th and was pushed back to February...GOSH I JUST WANT TO SEE IT! ;)

Oh, and if you're wondering what was said in Japanese, here it goes in chronological order: (by the way I didn't use symbols so you can try to say it in your head as you're reading it)

Miko: Hello?

Miko's Dad: Miko, are you alright?

Miko: Yes, yes. There's no need to worry.

Miko's Dad: What do you mean no need to worry? Have you seen the news? Do you know what's going on in the world?

Miko: Yes, dad. And I'm alright. All safe and sound at my home in America.

Miko's Dad: We should have never sent you to America.

then,

Miko's Dad: I'm putting your mother on, she wants to talk to you.

AND SCENE lol. I didn't decide to put the translation up there while you were reading, sorry. I kinda wanted you to guess what was being said and it kind of all flows without the translation, if you will.

Hope you liked it! I just MIGHT do a bunch of little shorts on TF:P in this doc IF I get enough good reviews and people asking me to do them. ;)

Okay, thank you for reading! That it all! :D Please review!