after the fact

by Heero de Fanel

It's been years since the Masterforce war ended, and everyone's gone their separate ways. The bonds formed back then continue to endure, but when an older Shuta and Minerva encounter each other the situation starts to change rather quickly...

after the fact

Disclaimer: I don't own Super God Masterforce, or the characters within. Hope the POV experiment worked okay.

---

You're bored.

To be more specific, you are currently sitting in an Engineering class at the International Institution for Accelerated Learning, and you're bored out of your mind.

Considering the amount of work you've put in to attend this school, you really should be paying more attention to the professor's lecture on – well…

It turns out you can't even remember. A shame, that.

Your eyes roll, and you discreetly tune out the man's droning (while mentally taking the time to bemoan the fate of the poor cat he's talking about; quantum mechanics is a bitch, it seems) and surreptitiously instead decide to do something "productive" with your time.

The laptop's e-mail program pops up on the screen, and your sharp eyes immediately catch a message from Cab. You chuckle quietly, pleased; while it's been a while since the jungle-boy's last message, you could hardly fault him. Running a kingdom certainly sounded like a difficult job, even taking into account his myriad of helpers.

Responding to your friend's latest letter (which mainly consisted of complaining about duties, annoying stewards and certain oblivious female friends, much to your amusement) makes you glad that you and he never lost contact, in spite of the distance or time. Nor had you lost contact with Minerva, though it had been years since the former Headmaster Juniors had last met in person.

You absentmindedly wonder how the blonde is; it's been a while since her last message, although you vaguely recall her mentioning a medical program she planned to enter – it was only a matter of deciding the school…?

"Whatever – I'll remember eventually," you think, pushing the thought out of your head as you lean back, and begin to type a response to Cab that begins with:

"Hey buddy, I'll trade you ruling over a country for lectures on Schrodinger's cat any day…"

---

Mercifully, the end of the lecture is signalled by the sudden halt in the professor's speech, and a mad rush for the doors. Needless to say, you can't get out of the classroom fast enough -

And judging from the comments of those around you as they move at speeds that track sprinters would envy, neither can anyone else.

A small smirk appears on your face, though the expression is tempered by noticeable exhaustion as you walk over to a large tree and plop yourself down under its cooling shade. You exhale as you lean against the bark – it's been a long, tiring day.

Hawk, had he seen you, undoubtedly would have started teasing – probably would have tossed out a "Second thoughts, Shuta? No one ever said following in your father's footsteps would be easy…"

Yeah, he probably would have said something like that. But Hawk wasn't here.

You let out another sigh, as you let your thoughts drift to your absent mentor, only pausing to briefly look at the students from the medical branch passing by, most looking about as happy as you are.

Had you been paying closer attention instead of zoning out, you would have seen one of them return the cursory glance back in your direction before doing a rapid double-take, sapphire eyes widening.

"The conflict must have gotten bad, if he's been gone for so long without a word…" you quietly murmur, eyes focused on the ground, lost in your train of thought and oblivious to the rapid footsteps moving closer to your location.

The sudden, sharp poke to the side of your head breaks your reverie, and you whirl to your right, eyes narrowed –

Only to see the amused expression of a beautiful girl staring back at you, as she withdraws her finger. "What are you thinking so hard about?" she asks playfully, using her other hand to quickly fluff her blonde hair.

The irritation evaporates immediately, only to be replaced by recognition and a welcoming familiarity upon seeing eyes that shade of blue.

You school your features into a mock-serious look as you cross your arms over your chest. "Would you believe Cab got a zero on another test?"

Minerva simply laughs in response and reaches down to help you up.

---

"Mechatronics? I've never heard of the field…" she tells you, as she takes a sip from… whatever trendy tea-concoction she ordered from the coffee shop. (You could have sworn there was a tinge of blue. Should tea be blue?)

You shrug half-heartedly, stirring your coffee. "Not surprised. It's basically just a really fancy name for a mish-mash of stuff – mechanics, computer engineering, cybernetics – wasn't nearly as bad as the engineering class I had before I ran into you, though. Quantum mechanics is a total…"

The words die on your lips when you register the absolutely stunned expression on her face, and you chuckle a little bit sheepishly, your hand going to the back of your head in embarrassment.

"… yeah. Well, no one said taking after my dad would be easy, right?"

Minerva immediately nods in understanding, in spite of the rather abbreviated explanation. "Mm! So that's why you're taking all these difficult courses…" she states, as she briefly pauses to take another sip from her tea before setting it down. "It's really amazing, though – I never would have imagined you to be so academically inclined…"

You resist the urge to sigh. No one ever did. It bordered on insulting at times, to be quite frank, though coming from Minerva it stung quite a bit less considering the idiots that you and Cab made yourselves out to be on a regular basis.

A second passes.

You can tell from the way she suddenly freezes that she's regretting her last statement, and you want to smile in spite of yourself. Instead, you merely raise your coffee to your mouth and take a sip, eyebrows raised, waiting for the inevitable attempt at retracting the perceived insult.

"Wa-wait!" she spits out hastily, her hands going up in apology. "I was just caught off guard that your line of study was so difficult! I never meant to imply that your grades were poor, or anything – "

"… I never said anything, Minerva," you comment innocently, as her eyes grow wider and her hands clap over her mouth. "Now, had you been Cab…"

Her facial expression changes multiple times in the space of a few seconds, though she finally settles on a familiar pout as she reaches over to swat your arm lightly. "Mean," she tells you petulantly, though the hint of a smile indicates that there's no harm done. "Is that any way to treat a pretty girl?"

"No, it isn't," you deadpan, giving her a critical once-over. What can you say, the mischievous urge was too strong to resist. Turnabout was fair play, after all.

Your reward is a much harder swat, coupled with a rather familiar "hmmph!" and a huffy turn-away, complete with crossed arms and indignant expression.

Smiling openly now (because frankly, you had almost forgotten how fun this was) you quickly make a move to placate her. "Hey, hey! That's no way for a doctor to act, is it?"

She merely gives a haughty sniff, though she's relaxing rather quickly. "No, but you deserved it. Besides, I don't have my medical degree yet."

"Guess that explains why you're here," you toss back, pulling the mug back to your lips to have another pull of the hot liquid. "I'm surprised you chose this school, though – it's far from Mont Porte, right?"

"That's true," she acknowledges, all traces of her previous irritation forgotten as she lifts her cup again. "But the faculty is top class, and most of the graduating students – in whatever field – find work extremely quickly. Mama and Papa thought it was a good idea, and besides, having graduated from the feeder school helps!"

"Didn't help with the entrance requirements any," you groan, the memories of many all-nighters and cram sessions unwillingly surfacing. Judging from the weak laugh and the subsequent look on your friend's face, she feels much the same. "Cab's almost lucky he's not here right now, y'know?"

Your last statement obviously caught her attention, as she sets her drink down and leans forward with interest. "Really? I thought Cab would have settled into his duties by this point…"

It's your turn to look a little bit nonplussed, as you smile dryly and chuckle. "Haven't been reading jungle-boy's e-mails too closely now, have you?" you ask, leaning back and crossing your arms. "Most of his messages lately have been – "

The words abruptly cease as you catch the guilty expression on her face, and you belatedly realize that it had been quite some time since the two of you had last contacted each other; it would only make sense for her and the king as well. "Oh, hell – look, I didn't mean to…"

She holds up her hand quickly, once again stemming the flow of words from your mouth. A good thing too, considering your past tendency to make things worse by speaking before thinking.

"No, it's all right. I suppose that I've been rather hard to get in contact with recently, haven't I?" she says sadly, her eyes focused solely on the floor while her fingers play nervously with her mug. "I'm sorry."

Saying you feel like crap right now is an understatement, to say the least. "Sorry for what? It's not like you just disappeared off the face of the Earth, or anything like that. We lost touch for a while. Big deal," you conclude with a shrug, hoping that this is enough to ease your friend's discomfort.

You aren't entirely surprised to see the expression on Minerva's face change to a weak attempt at a smile, though it's clear she still feels bad. "But still, it was irresponsible of me to go so long without contact," she tells you, her eyes still locked on the floor tiles. "Finding time to send a quick message shouldn't have been that hard, even with all the preparation I've been doing for school…"

"It's okay," you say quickly, trying to fix the mess your mouth has made. The only response from the blonde is a shake of the head.

"No, it's not!" she insists, the distress not showing any signs of abating.

Up until now, only Cab – and occasionally Ginrai – had made you want to run your head into a wall. Minerva was skirting dangerously close to the threshold; she really was too nice, sometimes. "Look, don't worry so much about it," you tell her firmly, as one of your hands goes up to quickly brush bangs out of your eyes. "It's not as if we all lost contact completely. I'm his royal highness will find time eventually to catch up, and besides; you're sitting in front of me now, aren't you?"

Minerva blinks twice at your statement. Then, a slow smile – a real one, this time – begins to make its way across her face, as she laughs quietly under her breath, the simplicity of it all seeming to lift her mood. You're certainly glad for it; you never were adept at dealing with her when she was upset. (The fact that she's prettier when she smiles has no bearing on you. Really.)

"Yes, I suppose I am," she answers, her smile growing wider as she sees you start to grin slightly. The air of tension that was slowly building is now dissipating rapidly, and you discreetly sigh in relief. "Still, I plan to make it up to you. And to Cab, whenever we see him next," she adds quickly, grasping her mug to finish off whatever was left of her tea. "That I can promise you."

The scoff escapes unbidden from your lips. Upon seeing the inquisitive look return to the blonde's face, you chuckle. "Don't expect that to happen for a while, Minerva."

"Why not?" she asks, staring at you intently. When your response is to leisurely lift up your own mug and slowly finish off your coffee, she starts glaring at you. "Hey! Tell me!"

You wait until the lukewarm brew has made its way down your throat before setting the mug down, sighing as the porcelain makes contact with the glass tabletop. "That was good," you comment, all the while aware of her dirty look. "Sorry, what was the question?"

"Shuuu-taaaa…" Minerva murmurs, drawing out both syllables rather ominously. You resist the urge to laugh. This really was fun.

"Easy, easy! Anyway, Cab's doing all right, for the most part. He's got a bunch of advisers working with him, so it's not so bad – kinda overwhelmed at first, but I guess that's to be expected. Still, I don't think he's quite used to being in charge of his own country, even with Donq-san hounding him…"

---

It's 8:00 by the time you get back to your dorm apartment. The two of you spent a lot more time catching up then you had anticipated, but you don't find yourself too upset with the change in schedule.

(As if you actually intended to start that physics assignment right when you got back, anyway.)

You kick off your shoes and go to the pantry (dodging the textbooks, papers, spare bike parts, and a steering wheel that you somehow obtained - you really need to clean up), only pausing to turn on your desktop and heat up the water for some ramen; you haven't had anything to eat since breakfast, and 3 minutes is stretching your patience when you're hungry.

As the water boils, you head over to the computer and once again boot up the e-mail program. While there's no response from Cab, you are surprised to see a new message from Minerva. Curious, you click on it:

Shuta! I'm glad that we're attending school together again; it's just like old times, isn't it? I had fun catching up with you today… I promise the gap between earlier and our next conversation won't be as large!

Minerva

PS: 090-6557-9900

My mobile number. Send me yours; I'm serious about not losing contact again!

You blink twice. That… had been unexpected, to say the least. Sure as hell wasn't unwelcome, though.

You feel yourself smiling again, as you pull out your phone to reply to the e-mail. The slight crush you had on her may have faded, but she's still one of your closest friends, and you're intent on making sure that bond never vanishes.

The same went for Cab, assuming that the king didn't go insane from his job and run off into the jungles. Still, his position had to give him perks of some kind. You briefly wonder if being ruler meant having a bigger tree-house.

A whistle cuts through the air, interrupting your bizarre train of thought. You grin a little, flipping your cell shut with a flourish. "Physics can wait," you think, as you head over to the kitchen to make yourself some dinner, slipping your phone back into your pocket along the way.

---

Three and a half weeks pass before Hawk sends you a message.

Naturally, it takes you by surprise; you're sitting and talking with Minerva after classes had ended for the day, relaxing on the grass of the school's quad when your phone suddenly goes off.

Growling in irritation as you fumble ineffectually for your jacket pocket, you hear Minerva laughing softly in the background. "Having some trouble, Shuta?" she asks innocently, mirth lacing every word.

"I'm fine, thanks," you shoot back, as you finally grab the device and free it from its fabric confines and flip it open with a deft flick of your wrist. "Wonder who it is?"

The European girl shrugs, a hint of mischief on her face. "Admirer, maybe?" she asks playfully, as she stretches her arms and yawns before flopping back on the soft turf.

"Nice thought, but personally I prefer my love letters to be paper and – Hawk?" you gasp incredulously, looking at the bright display as the message from your mentor blinks up at you.

This catches Minerva's attention immediately, as she scrambles up from her relaxed position and swiftly moves to your side, craning her head to see what he had to say:

"Shuta. I'll be transmitting at 7:30 tonight. Remember; be sure to adjust the array."

The last part of the message makes you frown in annoyance. "I wouldn't have forgotten," you mutter semi-defensively, as you pass the phone over to Minerva. "What the hell took him so long, anyway?"

"I don't know," she tells you, looking at the message before passing your phone back. The blonde frowns slightly. "Where is Hawk right now, anyway? You never told me he left…"

You can't help but wince a little. There wasn't really any accusation in her tone, but there were a myriad of unspoken questions in addition to the verbalized one. Sighing, you run your fingers through your hair and stand up.

"I'll explain on the way to my dorm room. It's where I need to be to talk to him, anyway."

The Look (complete with arched eyebrow) she gives you makes you rethink your words in a hurry. "We. I meant we," you amend hastily, as you reach down to help her up. She gives a little sniff but allows herself to be assisted, her free hand brushing grass off her skirt as she stands.

"Guess we're off, then," you tell her, as you turn around to leave, your focus shifting quickly. A sudden tug on your sleeve stops you suddenly, however, and you turn around questioningly. "What's wrong?"

Minerva frowns. "Nothing, just… stand still for a second," she orders, as she quickly brushes the grass and dirt off your jacket sleeves, before adjusting the slightly-askew collar with a flourish. "There!" the blonde says happily, stepping back to admire her handiwork.

The confusion you feel must be mirrored by your expression, because a slight flush soon spreads across her cheeks. "What?" she asks, her tone slightly defensive as she places her hands on her hips.

"Nothing," you chuckle, before throwing her a quick look of gratitude as you turn and begin walking, your mind solely focused on what Hawk has to say and the story you're about to tell Minerva.

Pity that you fail to notice how the flush takes a little longer to vanish than it really should.

---

"When God Ginrai beat Blackzarak and Devil Z," you begin, as the both of you walk across the rather large campus. "That was the end of the conflict for Earth. Hawk and the other Pretenders stayed to help guard our planet, while God Ginrai and the other Transtectors left to join the bigger war."

Minerva nods in affirmation. "I remember. Everyone left so quickly…"

"Yeah. That was because the fighting was finished here, but a lot worse somewhere else. From what Hawk told me back then, the Destrons don't really exist as a large, organized army anymore."

Your companion's brow knits in confusion. "Then why…?"

"It's the smaller, splinter groups that are really causing trouble, apparently. To make things worse, it looks like the leaders of these smaller groups are damn tough. Some guy named Deszaras is really raising hell near Cybertron, or so I heard. Overlord isn't leaving things alone either, and he and his troops are giving God Ginrai all the grief he can handle."

You pause briefly, to let this all sink in. "Jerks," you growl under your breath, and are a little bit gratified when you hear Minerva make a sound of affirmation. "Anyway, the little battles were annoying, but recently they've been getting worse and worse. Hawk's still a high-ranking Cybertron officer even though he's been here for so long, so he's been going back and forth a lot to do what he can."

"… But he's never been gone for so long, has he?" Minerva asks suddenly, taking you off guard. "That's why you were so surprised earlier, and that's why you're so worried now," she concludes, looking at your strained features. The expression on your face morphs from concerned to a little bit stunned (you had forgotten how perceptive she was), but you nod nonetheless.

"This is the first time," you admit, as you bite your lip slightly. "Before, he was usually back in a week or two. Little bit banged up most of the time, but mostly okay; I guess Cybertron's medics do good work."

Minerva arches an eyebrow. "Did you expect anything less?" she asks in a faux-haughty manner, her theatrics clearly an attempt at getting your mind off the subject. "Remember, technically I'm still there."

"I haven't forgotten," you mumble half-heartedly, not willing to take the bait. "Your partner's been doing great work, from what I hear."

Your friend sighs. "I'm sure he's all right, Shuta," she tells you, her confident voice a strong contrast against your subdued demeanor. "Just trust him, okay? He's obviously well enough to talk, so that has to count for something."

"That's true," you acknowledge, as the both of you come up to your building. "I guess we'll find out what's going on soon, anyway."

---

You're halfway through turning the key when your hand suddenly stops dead. Minerva looks confused.

"Shuta? What's wrong?" she inquires, her head tilted to one side. You laugh sheepishly.

"Just … don't judge too harshly," you mutter under your breath, as you push the door open.

She waves her hand in dismissal. "I'm sure your apartment isn't that – oh, my…"

You wince. Her reaction at seeing your living space, while not one of horror, isn't exactly ideal. Minerva's eyes flit warily from the strewn books on the ground, to the stacks of papers everywhere, and to –

"Is that the back seat of a car?" she asks incredulously, her march into your apartment having been totally halted.

"Right next to the steering wheel and the motorcycle muffler, yeah," you respond, scratching your cheek in embarrassment. "Well, things could be a lot worse. It's really disorganized, but it's not the total pigsty it looks like, either."

"… Really," she says vaguely, not looking entirely convinced.

"I know where everything is! Besides, it's not like there's half-eaten food lying around…"

"Hmm."

Figuring you're fighting a losing battle, you simply kick off your sneakers next to the door, as you gesture for her to do the same. After a brief moment of hesitation, she does, albeit far more gracefully than you did.

Silence reigns for a moment.

"Want anything to drink, Minerva?" you ask, not quite used to playing host for people – especially females. (Not for lack of prospects though, you muse.)

Luckily, she doesn't seem to sense your concern, as she simply shakes her head and smiles. "I'm all right. Thank you for the offer, though."

"Well mannered as always," you think, walking over to the desktop to boot it to life. As you focus on the screen, Minerva's voice cuts through the air.

"How do you communicate with Hawk-san, Shuta?

You point at your computer absentmindedly, before your fingers start fly over the keyboard. You're suddenly aware of Minerva coming up behind you, as she stares, fascinated, at the screen.

"What? But this looks like a typical computer! How does it…?"

"Hawk gave me instructions on how to manipulate the communications array at the new Cybertron base - well, outpost, really - from here," you explain, as you make the necessary adjustments on the screen. "From what he told me, the Transwarp signal that he sends is relayed at the base then converted and transmitted to this terminal…"

Upon seeing her questioning look, you grin at her. "I don't get it all myself, but the picture and sound quality are decent, so why hurt my head over the details? I have enough trouble with school as it is."

The sound of static draws your attention away from Minerva and to the screen, as the blank image is replaced by a fuzzy, indistinct silhouette. It does not last long, however, as the picture clears and you are staring at the grey, blue, and gold profile of Metalhawk.

You give a little cry of victory, echoed by Minerva's delighted laugh.

The robotic face staring back at you smiles. "Shuta. Glad to see that you're well."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," you chirp back happily, not particularly caring if your behaviour is slightly reminiscent of the thirteen year-old you were, and not the nineteen year-old you are. "Good to see you're still in one piece, Hawk – you had us worried there for a while."

Hawk smiles wryly. "I don't doubt that. I'm sorry for being delayed for so long – Destron activity in this sector is getting worse and worse. In fact – " he pauses now, tilting his head quizzically.

"What's wrong, Hawk?" you ask, wondering what was on the Pretender's mind.

He points directly at the screen. "Minerva knows that she's more than welcome to say hello as well, doesn't she?" Hawk inquires jokingly, as you turn around and realize that she never stepped around from the position behind you.

You chuckle a little as you take in her slightly embarrassed expression. "What's wrong? I'm pretty sure he won't bite…"

The low 'hmph' that she emits indicates to you that your choice of words probably weren't the best. Still, they're enough to make her leave her point of observation and stand by your side, looking at the screen with a shy smile on her face. "Hello, Hawk-san. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

The Pretender responds in the affirmative with a warm laugh, obviously pleased to see his long-absent female charge. "Longer than I would have wished, Minerva. I trust everything's going okay?"

She nods happily, the smile on her face growing slightly wider. "Stressful yes, but I have no complaints. You look well, especially considering what Shuta's been telling me about your travels."

The smile on the Cybertron's face dims somewhat, and you shift uncomfortably. You learned to read his human expressions long ago, and his robotic ones aren't all that different. This isn't going to be a particularly pleasant story.

"Yes, well… I'm still in one piece, and so are the others. That's something to be grateful for. Still, these constant skirmishes are starting to turn more serious."

"It's Deszaras, isn't it?" you ask quietly, recalling the stories that your mentor had told you about the newly crowned Emperor of Destruction. Minerva looks at you worriedly, before turning back to Hawk, the perturbed expression still on her face. The Pretender nods in affirmation.

"That's correct. He's only recently assumed command from Overlord, but from what I've seen it was a mutually beneficial arrangement. Their current power structure allows for an attack on two fronts; the group led by Deszaras leads strikes against peaceful planets in order to gain resources and power, while Overlord's forces are centred in the G-Nebula. It's very troublesome."

Hawk pauses for a moment. "Do you see why?" he asks, the old tendency to make sure you're paying attention once again rearing its annoying head.

Still, you're able to grasp the answer quickly. "The locations," you utter. "The Cybertrons can't mobilize all of their troops fully against either group because of the guerilla tactics; that would be a waste of soldiers. Even if they could spare the troops for a full sweep, they still can't neglect either side. If they move against Overlord, then Deszaras runs rampant and gains a tactical advantage. Same thing happens if they focus on Deszaras, with the added complication of the G-Nebula being the source of Godmaster technology, something that I'm guessing we don't want the Destrons to get again."

Hawk nods approvingly. "Very good," he says, the tension on his face easing somewhat.

"You figured that out fast," Minerva murmurs under her breath, a faint trace of astonishment in her tone.

You manage to resist the urge to flash a smirk. Now's hardly the time.

"Still, we're at a stalemate right now. Deszaras is slowly building up power and forces, and Overlord hasn't been driven from Sector Two yet, but we've surmised that they're nowhere near ready for all-out war. Attacking us directly is out of the question, even with the strength of their faction leaders."

"That's good to hear," a relieved Minerva says – a sentiment you wholeheartedly echo.

Still, Hawk's expression remains solemn. "The lack of a large-scale conflict is a good thing. The fact we can't stop them cold is not. The truth is, Deszaras and Overlord are both shrewd, intelligent leaders. They know when to strike and where to hit to inflict maximum damage. They don't have a lot of troops compared to us, but the ones they do have are strong and dedicated – "

A familiar laugh cuts across the transmission, then. "Strong? Dedicated? I think you're giving the Dinoforce way too much credit!"

Normally, a person might be a little confused by hearing the voice of their thirteen year old self. You don't have that problem.

"Still alive, partner?" you call out, crossing your arms with an amused expression on your face. Hawk merely sighs, shrugs, and steps aside, the expression on his face lightening noticeably. Behind him, you see Goshooter in a CR Chamber, his azure optics glowing with mirth as he flips a casual salute at you.

A troubling thought flashes through your mind then, tempering the joy you feel at seeing yet another old friend again. "He's a Headmaster, why does he need to be in a healing – "

"Hey! That's all you've got to say to me? How about some concern, here?" Goshooter demands jokingly, cutting off your train of thought. His gaze then turns to your companion, and he speaks before you can answer. "Huh. Having a reunion without us, are we?"

"Not exactly," Minerva responds brightly, smiling at your counterpart. "We just happen to be attending school together – funny how things work out, isn't it?"

The blue and white robot nods in understanding. "Gotcha. Guess that explains why Cab isn't with you guys, then?"

"Pretty much," you comment, before taking a closer look at your partner's surroundings. "Then again, it doesn't look like he's with you, either."

A dismissive wave and a chuckle. "Nope – he's on patrol right now with a few others. Nothing major, but the Destrons have been popping out of everywhere lately. I'd be with the patrolling squad too, but I got tagged kinda badly in the last fight…"

"Lucky shot, I hope," you crack, figuring that if Goshooter could speak about it so lightheartedly the situation couldn't have been all that bad. The Headmaster's metal features sour in mock annoyance.

"Of course! Those Dinoforce idiots can barely walk straight most of the time, much less take the time to aim and fire at the right targets! I'll pay Goryu back next time, for sure…"

Metalhawk interrupts now, a perturbed expression on his face. "I would recommend instead that you focus on seeing Goryu and his troops as the legitimate threats they are instead of dismissing them without a thought," he tells your partner evenly, as he crosses his arms at response to Goshooter's incredulous expression. "Deszaras keeps them around for a reason, and your stay in the CR Chamber is proof enough of that."

You resist the urge to grin. Having grown up with Hawk and been on the receiving end of a few lectures yourself, you're all too familiar with the tone that the Pretender is using. Goshooter looks like he wants to retort (actually, considering his personality is based off yours, you know he wants to retort) but before he can voice his rebuttal, you try to jump back in and ask why he needs repairs in the first place –

"Honestly!" an exasperated female voice rings out, the sudden and chastising tone making the recovering Cybertron flinch just a little bit. "You really should try to be more careful in the field, Goshooter. Listen to Hawk, won't you?"

Minerva's ears perk up immediately, and you hear her gasp as she draws her hands to her mouth. You know that voice, you remember that voice, and it's clear from the blonde's reaction that she does too.

Why wouldn't she? It's her own, after all.

You can't help but smile at her delighted laugh and step aside to let her begin talking. The enthusiasm clearly goes both ways, as the former Transtector is just as happy to see her partner, and Metalhawk can only sigh and shrug, though the small grin on his face mitigates any effect that the interrupted conversation might have had.

Still, the lingering worry about why Goshooter even needs time in a healing tank is still very much present, but the mood's too jovial to bother bringing that up. Besides, he was recovering nicely, and who knew – maybe this would keep him from getting injured again in the future.

You resist the urge to snort. Wishful thinking at best; you remember quite clearly how reckless you were at that age.

The calling of your name snaps you from your reverie, and suddenly you find yourself startled and looking at Transtector Minerva, who's clearly amused.

"Problem, Shuta?" she teases, her voice and tone bringing back unbidden memories of an earlier time. "You seemed to be zoning out, there. Getting bored already?"

"Nah, not so much," you shoot back, as you shake off your brief disorientation and grin at the screen. "Just thinking about something, that's all. Sorry I missed whatever you were saying, though."

She giggles in response (and you're still not used to hearing that sound from a robot, sentient as though she may be) and merely gestures towards you. "Nothing important – I was just telling Minerva that your hair wasn't nearly as long as it is now the last time I got a glimpse of you. You look like you've been taking style cues from Lightfoot and Wilder."

You resist the urge to groan and laugh at the same time. Keeping it short hadn't exactly been high on your list of priorities, not with school annihilating your time on a regular basis. Still, your bangs weren't blocking your vision and besides – your ego hadn't been quite tamed to the point where you wouldn't acknowledge it looked more than halfway decent.

Still way shorter than Cab's, anyway. And getting you started on Wilder was probably a bad idea. It had taken weeks for your hand to heal after that little dust-up.

"Whatever," you tell the medic, waving your hand dismissively as you turn to your companion. "You think it looks good, right?" you ask, playfully looking at her with the best puppy dog eyes you can muster. "Please say better than Wilder's or I'm throwing myself out my window."

(You don't realize until much later that you were kind of flirting, and her following actions were kind of a hint. You're an idiot. She agrees.)

As Goshooter yells "It's way better than Wilder's!" from across the room, Minerva schools her expression into a mock-intense stare as she pretends to scrutinize you…

… Which she manages to hold for all of three seconds before breaking into laughter, reaching out to move your bangs out of your eyes as her fingertips just brush your forehead.

"Looks fine to me," she murmurs to you quietly, her fingers playing with your hair for a split second more before she steps back, a small smile still on her face. You're smiling like an idiot right back at her, and it takes a theatrical cough from Hawk to get your attention again. Beside him, you see that Minerva's partner is resisting the urge to start grinning madly herself, and you see Goshooter giving you a thumbs-up from his vantage point in the CR Chamber.

Belatedly realizing what that last exchange must have looked like, you clear your throat quickly and turn to face Hawk, your posture stiff and straight. Minerva follows suit, though the smile still hasn't quite left her expression and she's not quite as unnerved as you are. Small wonders, you suppose.

"Anyway," you mutter, failing miserably at keeping your cheeks from heating up as you try to make eye contact with Hawk. "You guys still okay for the most part over there?"

Your mentor sobers immediately, though you can tell his demeanour is much lighter than it was before. "For the most part," he agrees quietly, his tone even and confident. "Don't worry. Star Saber and his troops are more than up to the task of dealing with things as they are now. Ginrai wouldn't have chosen him, otherwise."

You nod, though in your heart you can't really see anyone being able to truly equal the Godmaster. Still, if Hawk was endorsing him, he had to be at least competent, right?

"Yeah," you utter, sounding confident. "You're right. And as long as my partner over there stops getting shot up – " you stop and chuckle as Goshooter starts yelling obscenities at you, most of them involving "slag" as Minerva's partner tries unsuccessfully to calm him. "You guys'll be just fine."

"Agreed," Minerva says firmly, stepping forward and looking at Hawk. "We believe in all of you, so keep fighting hard!"

Hawk says nothing, but the glow in his optics indicates he appreciates the support immensely. The two former Transtectors in the background pause in their squabble and too, smile warmly at you and Minerva.

"Thank you both," Hawk tells you sincerely, nodding his head at the two of you. "On that note, we'd best be getting ready to depart. Take care, you two. Pass on my regards to Cab if you happen to see him."

"Will do!" you respond, flashing one last grin at Hawk.

"You too, Hawk-san," Minerva tells him. "And it was a pleasure seeing all of you again," she adds, having clearly enjoyed the opportunity to speak with her partner again.

Said partner smiles back at the blonde girl, the sentiment reciprocated. "You as well, Minerva. I hope to see you again soon! And Shuta – don't worry too much about Goshooter. I'm sure he's not likely to repeat the same mistake."

"I keep telling you it wasn't…! Oh, forget it. Take care, guys," your partner calls out, a small grin on his face despite his current status.

"Same to you," you call out, right before Hawk gives one last look of farewell to you both as the image dissolves into static.

You're both silent for a few minutes, as you try to process what happened. Everything sure as hell wasn't alright, Hawk's initial explanation had made that clear. Still, from the sound of things the situation was… under control, at the very least?

Well, whatever. They weren't likely to be wiped out any time soon, which was good enough for you.

The question of why your partner was in the CR Chamber is still eating at you though. As a Headmaster, the Masterforce should have been healing him, so why in the world was –

"… okay, so that's the second time in a half hour that you've tuned one of us out," Minerva says wryly, once again breaking you out of your stupor. Startled, you look up and see her with one eyebrow raised, looking slightly concerned. "Is everything okay? "

And there's the rub. Everything is okay for the most part, and you don't see the need in burdening her with needless worries. You've done that enough for one day, anyway.

"Yeah, I'm fine," you tell her, as you shrug your shoulders. "Just a little bit tired, that's all. Didn't get much sleep last night."

From the appraising look she's giving you, you deduce that she's not quite buying what you're selling. Still, she sighs in acquiescence and drops it. "Okay," she says doubtfully. "If you say so."

"Really," you assure her, as you lean back and cross your arms. "I'm fine."

She relaxes somewhat. "Good," she murmurs, almost under her breath, before she remembers something and jolts right back up. "So who's Star Saber?"

"The new Cybertron Commander," you tell her, feeling odd for uttering the word when it didn't refer to Ginrai. "He took over so that Ginrai could chase after Overlord in the G-Nebula. Divide and conquer, I guess. Other than that, I don't know too much about him other then the fact he's supposedly pretty tough."

"He'd have to be," Minerva says distantly, the memories of the last conflict clearly coming back to the forefront of her mind. You stay silent in understanding; it wasn't a long war, but it fundamentally changed who you were and there's no doubting it did the same for her, too.

A short silence passes. Neither of you know what to say, but Minerva takes it upon herself to break the spell and excuse herself. "Anyways," she says quickly, shaking herself out of her reverie as you had done twice prior. "I should be going, but thank you for letting me speak with everyone – it was really good to see them again."

"No problem," you tell her, feeling more than a little awkward that she sort of had to drag it out of you to begin with. "There's no need to thank me, though – if I had been using my head I'd have told you sooner. Live and learn."

She merely giggles at you in response, before stepping over to her shoes and slipping them on. You hurry to open the door for her (you think that's what polite hosts do, but really, what the hell do you know?) but as she walks out she stops for a second mid-stride, and glances at you, that small enigmatic smile from earlier back on her face.

You blink. "What's wrong?" you ask her, curious.

The sudden urge to blurt out "So, what was up with the hair thing earlier" suddenly seizes you, and it takes all your energy to keep your expression suitably puzzled instead of lapsing into horrified. Lucky for you that your mouth got reigned in a while ago. Kind of.

After a long moment, she finally shakes her head and sighs. "Nothing," she murmurs, looking at once slightly put out but rather amused at the same time.

"Nothing?" you say skeptically.

"Nothing," she assures you, before stepping back through the door. "Good night, Shuta," she tells you, a final smile gracing her features as she turns to leave.

"Yeah, you too," you manage to get out, before closing the door with a 'click'.

Dead silence reigns now, and suddenly the apartment seems a lot emptier. You sigh and lean your head against the door, as you close your eyes for a few brief moments.

"Interesting day," you mutter to no one, as you stand straight and walk to the kitchen. It's high time you ate, anyway.

---

As the professor halts his speech as the lecture ends, there's once again a mad rush for the doors. This time, however, you don't join in.

You've had today's date marked in your calendar for a good month now. You know exactly what it means and what you plan to do. Still, it's not the kind of thing you ever look forward to, and the passage of time doesn't make it easier.

You thought it would, at one point. Shame that didn't pan out.

You trudge half-heartedly through the campus on the way to meet Minerva, making your way through slush covered sidewalks. Really, couldn't it just snow for real instead of dropping down this wet crap that didn't even stick and just made everyone's life miserable? Weather absolutely blew, sometimes…

It takes you a little longer than normal to make it to the coffee shop, and your mood hasn't exactly improved by then. Still, the sight of your pretty blonde friend – and the brilliant smile she shoots you as she sees your approach – is enough to lighten your mood somewhat.

Only somewhat, mind you.

"Sorry," you apologize, as you open your stance just the slightest bit as you tilt to your right. Minerva quickly slides into the vacant space before coming to a stop, her shoulder just barely resting against yours.

You briefly wonder when this kind of casual touching had stopped being weird. Hell, you wonder if by the time it started happening either one of you even considered it weird. Neither one of you was ever awkward about it, so…

"It's okay," she says before mock-shivering against you. "Brrrrr."

You bite back a weak, probably unconvincing chuckle. "That bad, off, huh? Told you last week that jacket probably wasn't enough."

"It's never this cold in Mont Porte, though!" she exclaims, looking up at you with her blue eyes sparkling. Well, at least one of you was feeling good.

"Shame you're not in Kansas anymore, then – so to speak," you deadpan back. She playfully sticks out her tongue at you before pulling away to start walking.

You march together in a comfortable silence for a little while, before Minerva breaks it. "Are you busy tonight, by any chance?" she asks you, raising her hand to brush her hair a bit.

You bit back a curse. Truth be told, you aren't really sure how to answer this. You two see each other a fair bit in your spare time, so something like this isn't exactly uncommon.

On the other hand, you've been conflicted all day on whether or not you'd like to be alone for later, to say nothing of the fact you'd be imposing on her free time, which would naturally make you feel like a jerk if she had something important to do.

When in doubt, probe. "Probably busy until later," you tell her offhandedly. "Why, what's up?"

She turns and gives you a quick grin. "Cancer's going to be in the area – he's catching a flight to China later, and the layover's here. He said he'd like to stop in for a bit and catch up with us. Sound okay?"

You just barely bite back a scoff. "Yeah. Catch up with you, maybe," you think, while fighting down a curious mix of relief and just a little… envy?

After a moment, you simply chalk it up to being a little bit uncomfortable around the ex-Destron Headmaster, which you know for a fact is patently unnecessary. Really, he wasn't that bad when you had gotten to know him after his defection, though considering you and Bullhorn simply didn't talk and you and Wilder pretty much antagonized each other constantly it wasn't much of a contest.

Still, you really didn't mind his company, and your plans wouldn't take all evening, anyway. "I'll probably be busy early on," you answer evasively, trying not to give specifics. The choice had been made for you, after all. "But I'm definitely free after eight or so. Think you guys'll be still good to go by then?"

Minerva nodded, clearly pleased. "That sounds great! I'll tell him now," she says, before reaching to grab her phone and presumably send a message. After a second though, she pauses and looks at you, suspicious. "You don't have any assignments that are going to be late soon, are you?"

"No," you respond a little sharply, before catching yourself and relaxing a bit. "I learned my lesson last time, thank you very much."

"Oh," she says, looking slightly chastened. A second later, she looks at you again –

"Not a date, either," you tell her, a small smirk working its way onto your face despite your mood. She flushes just the slightest bit, her glance going toward the ground before going to you again.

"Not remotely what I was going to ask," she huffs, though without any real anger to her tone.

"Suuuuuuuurrrrreee," you drawl, happy to have successfully deflected her curiousity (for now, anyway).

As you arrive in front of her dorm building, she steps away from you and toward her door. As she reaches toward the keypad, she turns back to you and flashes you a small smile.

"See you later tonight?" she asks, and when she sees your nod, she turns and enters the building. You wait for the door to close.

A moment passes.

You turn and start walking again, your expression utterly blank now. Right, left, right, left. Your feet pound the pavement in a steady rhythm as you leave the campus, and you keep walking with your head down the whole time, not even noticing the snow starting to slowly fall.

An hour passes by without any incident, and soon you arrive at your destination. You inhale deeply, the crisp, cold air jolting your lungs, as the flakes continue to come down around you, turning your surroundings into a picture perfect winter landscape. There's no one else around, and it doesn't surprise you; very few people would be here right now unless absolutely necessary.

A stiff breeze blows through, rustling the bare branches of the tress surrounding you. You don't flinch.

You stand silently, and you curse yourself. After all this time, you still find it hard to start these proceedings.

"This never does get any easier," you think, as you quietly look down at the two markers on the ground, and you can't help briefly – but fiercely – wishing Minerva was beside you right now.

… Well, whatever. Couldn't be helped, right? Looking down, you inhale one more gulp of cold air before finally starting to speak.

"Hey, dad. Hey, mom. Another year already, huh?" you ask quietly, before kneeling down to reverently run your fingertips along the half snow-covered stone. While it wasn't your dad's anniversary, it wasn't your mom's either – you figured a halfway point would be a fair compromise.

As always, you greet them. As always, there is no answer.

Continuing to kneel, you simply keep talking, telling stories. You tell them about how you met Minerva again. The meeting with Hawk. How Cab reacted when he found out that you and her were attending the same school (Kaiser-sensei's not there, is he!)

You talk about a lot of things. You talk about nothing.

Finally, when you can't speak anymore and the wind picks up, you stand again, looking down sadly at the ground.

You don't feel the hole in your heart that you did when your dad passed away in your arms. You don't feel the confused pain that you did when dad explained to you as a boy that mom wasn't going to wake up anymore as Hawk sympathetically looked on, unsure of what to do with a puzzled, distraught human child. Time and scar tissue have done their job admirably.

Still, you hurt nonetheless. Heaving one last sigh, you smile at the twin stone markers affectionately, trying to mean it as much as you can.

"Until next year, guys," you whisper, turning to leave as the unspoken 'miss you, wish you were here' hangs in the frozen air.

---

You're on your way back to the campus coffee shop to meet Minerva and Cancer. You can't help but be grateful for the convenient location; thank goodness for small blessings.

As you walk, you try your hardest to get your mood up, but this day always takes its toll on you, and by the time you hit the coffee shop you wish you had just begged off.

Still, you said you would be here, and besides – you were cold enough that a cup of hot coffee would be paradise.

As you walk in you immediately see Minerva sitting at a table in the corner of the room. A rucksack is in the empty chair across from her; you figure that has to be Cancer's, considering how beat up it looks.

… damn, that was a lot of flag patches. This kid's been everywhere.

As you walk up to the table, you resolve to keep a reasonably happy expression on your face. You've done it with others before, how hard could it be with her?

"Hey!" you chirp in greeting, pulling up an extra chair.

Minerva looks up and smiles in response. "Shuta! Good timing, you actually didn't miss much, he got in late and – what's wrong?" she asks you, her tone going from happy to anxious in two seconds flat.

"This woman's a witch."

Out loud, you start spouting rhetoric, reassurance and denial, though probably not in that order. "Wrong? Nothing's wrong, just uh… came from doing… stuff. Y'know, in the cold. And snow. Can't forget that snow."

Dead silence.

"Brrrrrr," you fake shiver, as if that would remotely help.

Minerva narrows her eyes, and you're bracing yourself for a full bore interrogation when you see a tall figure walking towards you from the rest room.

"Hey! Cancer!" you call out, nearly knocking your chair over in your haste to stand up.

"Wait a second – " Minerva began, but she was cut off by you walking (quickly) away and extending your hand out to the martial artist.

"Long time no see," he says, gripping your hand firmly and shaking it. You notice that he can pretty much look you in the eye now; he definitely wasn't a runt anymore.

The slightly panicked look in your eye didn't escape him, however, and he looks at you quizzically. "You okay?"

"Fine!" you say much too brightly, as you reach to pull out his chair whilst avoiding Minerva's questioning looks. "Just uh… was busy earlier. Cold outside, had to rush to get here… y'know how it is."

"Ah," he nodded, satisfied with your explanation. "Yeah, haven't really been through a cold winter in a while – just been lucky with my travels, I guess."

"I suppose," you respond lightly, glad to have the attention centred on Cancer and not yourself. "Coffee?" you offer, standing up and reaching for your wallet. "My treat."

He starts to wave you off, but as you're already moving he simply laughs, thanks you, and stands up to go with you. "Tea for you, Minerva?" he asks her, his tone noticeably softer.

"Yes, thank you," she says, favouring Cancer with a smile. You feel that pang of envy return from earlier, but you don't dwell on it too much as you walk towards the counter and place your orders. As you wait, you make small talk with the fighter; working with children in China there was no doubt that he had made up for any of his transgressions many times over, and the glow on his face makes it clear that he enjoys it.

As you return to the table, he winds up asking about the others on your side. As Minerva gives an abbreviated account of what's been going on lately (all while giving you worried side glances), you find yourself relaxed, if not a tad melancholy still.

"… and that's what's been going on with Cab!" Minerva concludes, before taking a sip from her tea.

"Hard to see that guy as a king," Cancer laughs, a grin on his face. "I'd tell you guys about my friends, but Bullhorn's hasn't changed that much and Wilder – well, the less this guy hears about Wilder the better," he says in a cheerful way that chills your blood.

"Oh, crap."

Minerva simply laughs, waving her hand in response. "Oh, come on now! All that was ages ago, there's no way Shuta and Wilder would hold a grudge for that long…"

"Cancer," you silently plead. "Please tell me you didn't hear about…"

Cancer simply looks puzzled. "Well, Shuta probably not, but Wilder's stubborn as hell. Bullhorn told me that he threw the first punch in that bar fight you two had, didn't he?"

Her cup stops halfway to her lips, before she slowly – almost primly, really – sets it down. She gazes straight at you, her expression and voice as pleasant as could be. "Bar fight?"

You exhale slowly. "Uh… well, that's kind of overstating it. We kind of ran into each other one night, words were… exchanged, and things got a bit heated. No big deal," you conclude, knowing full well that she's not believing a word of this.

Cancer, to his credit, looks more than a little bit horrified at how far he's jammed his foot in his mouth. Still, he didn't mean anything malicious by it, and you've said some pretty dumb things over the years yourself.

This, of course, did nothing to help you, but giving credit where it was due was something that had been drilled into you by Hawk.

"Fat lot of good it does now though, doesn't it?" you think wearily, taking another sip from your coffee as you try to avoid Minerva's eyes.

---

"Well," you comment as cheerily as you can while watching Cancer's bus pull away from the curb. "I'd say that went well, wouldn't you?"

Truth be told, it hadn't been that bad. It hadn't taken Minerva that long to start chatting animatedly with Cancer again, who responded as best he could while shooting you apologetic looks every few minutes.

You? You kept quiet and spoke when spoken to (by Cancer, naturally, because Minerva sure as hell wasn't doing it) and somehow the entire evening was salvaged. He had even tossed out an invitation to come and see him when he was in China, if we were so inclined.

Okay, you're relatively sure that was meant more for Minerva than for you, but you doubted he'd make too big a deal about it. Besides, you get the feeling you'd feel more welcome there than here right about now.

The blonde didn't bother to reply to your inane attempts at conversation, instead opting to turn and start walking back to the dormitories with only an inscrutable look aimed at you for a half-second as acknowledgment that she even heard you.

Resisting the urge to scream is becoming harder and harder. Really, what the hell was her problem? So you and Wilder had a little dust-up a while back. Whatever.

"Okay, look," you start, making a genuine attempt to sound conciliatory. "I'm not really sure when I could have mentioned that yeah, me and him got into a little scrap. It's not the kind of thing that you just blurt out – "

"I don't care about that."

Wow, she hadn't sounded that clipped and terse since… she caught you and Cab spying on her swim class that one time. Damn Cab.

Still, jungle-boy wasn't around to take 50% of the blame, and even if he was he shouldn't have had to; her voice and demeanour made it perfectly clear that this is your screw-up.

You forge ahead relentlessly – you're not a fan of passive-aggressiveness, particularly when it's aimed at you. "Okay, then why are you angry?"

"I'm not angry."

"Had me fooled," you think with just a touch of bitterness as you keep walking. You're almost back, and you'd really like to get this resolved before then… or at the very least have her start yelling. At least you'd be comfortable with that. "Then why are you – "

She stops then, and turns to face you. Any more words you might have had to say die before they can leave your mouth when you see the forlorn look on her face. You try to speak a few times, but you simply can't.

Amusement, anger, grief. You've seen all these expressions on her before. This is the first time you've ever seen her hurt, and the idea that you caused it makes your stomach twist violently.

"You know you can trust me, right?" she finally says, unable to look you in the eye.

"… Yeah," you respond uncertainly, not sure how to approach this. "Absolutely."

Minerva merely nods at your answer, though she doesn't look like she believes you. Saying you're unnerved now is a bit of an understatement.

"I see." A pause. "You looked like you were about to cry earlier, you know. You couldn't hide that from me, no matter how well you tried. I don't know why you wanted to hide it, but… I would have liked to have been there, because it doesn't look like you should have had to be alone."

She stops talking then, having said her piece, but her downcast expression makes it clear how she felt.

Her words hit you like a punch to the sternum, and you respond without thinking as you take a few steps toward her. "I would have liked you there, believe me," you whisper quietly, gripping her shoulders with both hands even as you utterly destroy your earlier pretense of indecision.

She looks up at you again, confusion etched across her face. "Shuta, where…?"

You sigh quietly before speaking again, your breath coming out shaky and staggered. "Went to go see my parents," you tell her, your head dropping slightly as you recall the earlier visit.

"Oh," she murmurs, before the meaning of your words really hit her and her eyes widen. "Oh."

"Yeah," you mutter, hating despite how far you've come this day manages to reduce you to a morose brooder. "Just something I do every year, y'know? I just – um… yeah."

You stop speaking then, afraid of saying anymore. While you're not about to burst into tears, you're definitely not in any shape to hold a coherent conversation right about now, and hopefully your friend sees that.

The sensation of Minerva stepping closer to you hits you then, and before you know it her arms have slid around your neck and she's hugging you tightly, her face pressed against your left shoulder.

You swallow hard and let out another ragged breath. She's offering you comfort, and your pride isn't so dominant over you any more that you would turn it away. Your own arms slide around her waist in response, holding her slim form against yours.

Any other time, you'd probably be fighting down some seriously improper thoughts. Right now though, you're simply content to keep the embrace.

"What were they like?" Minerva inquires quietly, sounding as gentle as you've ever heard her.

"My dad was nice. And smart. Really, really smart. Makes me look dumb, as a matter of fact," you answer, the corners of your mouth upturning just a little at her squeeze of disapproval at the last part of your statement. "Hey, just calling it like it is. And my mom…"

The sentence hangs in the air, and you don't quite know how to finish. Finally, you just tell the truth. "She passed when I was young. I don't remember too much, but I do remember she was pretty. And kind."

Exhaling softly, you continue in a halting voice. "Very kind. You would have liked her. Both of them, actually."

"I think so too," she answers softly.

You're not sure how long you remain like that, but eventually she moves her head away from your shoulder and looks up at you, concern shining in her eyes. "Are you okay?" she breathes, and when you see the look on her face you can't muster up any attempt at insincerity.

You shrug as best you can. "I've been better."

Minerva nods then, before laying her head against your chest and closing her eyes. You follow suit, and you can't help but notice you feel significantly lighter than before.

"I would have been there, you know," Minerva murmurs against you suddenly, sounding just the slightest bit muffled before she looks up at you again resolutely. "I would have come."

"I know," you assure her, and before you can do something sensible like think about it you find yourself leaning down and brushing your lips across her forehead in gratitude (or so you tell yourself at the time). "Thank you."

You're not sure if you imagine the quiet, yet sharp intake of breath you hear, and you can't understand why you want so badly for it to have been real.

(You'll learn.)

Minerva's still stiff for a second or after you pull away, but the brilliant smile (and slight blush) that blossom on her face erases any thoughts about you had about being out of line.

"Silly boy," she teases, sounding happier than she has all night as she removes one arm from around your neck to tap you on the nose. "There's no need to thank me for something like that."

A smile of your own breaks out then, and you know for a fact it's the only real one you've sported all day. "Maybe not," you concede. "But I'm doing it anyway."

"Stubborn as always," she sighs, before stepping back and removing herself from your hold entirely. You feel the slightest hint of longing, then, but that's quickly swept away when she reaches out to fix your jacket, her sapphire eyes bright. "It's getting late. Walk me to my dorm?"

"Sounds like the least I can do," you tell her agreeably, not bothering to point out that you were actually pretty close already or to put up even token resistance as she adjusts your coat.

"No, the least you could do is tell me when you get into bar fights with ex-Destrons, but I'll forgive you this time," she laughs as she finishes her little ritual and steps back.

"Well, aren't I the lucky one?" you ask rhetorically. She merely swats your arm playfully before threading it with hers and pressing herself against your side as you start walking in sync, all tension gone.

Seriously. When did this stop being odd?

---

"What a day," you moan, tossing your bag in the corner and kicking off your shoes. Early classes were never fun, but they was usually never this back-breakingly bad, either. Did someone piss off the prof recently, or something?

Reaching into your pocket to flip through the mail you picked up earlier, you can't help but grin at seeing a postcard with Big Ben from Ginrai at the forefront.

"Probably bugging Lightfoot-san," you murmur with a small chuckle as you flip to the back. Ginrai had been travelling for a long time now, but that didn't really surprise anyone – after what he had experienced there was no way he could have gone back to driving trucks permanently. Thus, starting a few years ago you found yourself receiving periodic postcards from random places at random times – you still recall the one he sent from Vatican City, of all places. How the hell did he wind up there?

"Doesn't change, does he?" you ask rhetorically, moving past the various topics, 'how's it going, hope you're destroying your classes right now, think Cab mentioned he wanted to swing by and visit you guys, Lightfoot needs to get laid as soon as humanly possible, stop reading over my shoulder man, that's really creepy' –

… well okay, you hadn't expected that last part. Still, it brightens up your day just a little bit, and you stand up to go place it in the drawer with the others. You mentally make a note to dash off a reply sometime later tonight, though the odds of it actually getting to him are about 50/50.

So, Cab wanted to come out here, huh? You're not surprised; his last few e-mails have sounded happy, but you could practically feel the exhaustion through the screen. He must have been pushing it lately. Looking idly around you dorm apartment, you can't help but laugh. This place is barely fit for you, much less a king!

Too bad no one told Cab that, because when the furious knocking at the door two hours later happens to be an… incapacitated him and a frantic Copo, you're kind of pole-axed. So much for getting some soccer in later.

---

"Cab? What the hell, man?" you exclaim, as the door is pushed open frantically and the first thing you see is a cyan ponytail as its owner falls to the ground.

"I'm so sorry," a female voice apologized profusely, following the fallen king into your apartment. Your eyes narrow for a brief moment. You… know this girl. But from where?

"Is that a steering wheel, Shuta?" Cab slurs from this prone position on the ground, and you see for the first time the redness in his cheeks. "Why's there one just hanging around on your floor?

"Oh, for the love of – drunk at 3:45 in the afternoon, your highness? Are you serious?" you demand, not remotely recovered from the intrusion. His pretty female companion merely starts bowing furiously.

"I'm sorry, Go-kun! It's really not his fault! Donq-san was insistent he take a break because he was over-working himself, so he arranged for us to be sent here for a little bit as a surprise. Then, on the plane, he was offered some drinks, and you know how he is with new things…" she trailed off lamely, not knowing how to finish.

You resist the urge to snort. "Dove in head-first into the joys of drinking, huh?"

Wait. The girl called you 'Go-kun', so she clearly knows who you are. That doesn't go both ways.

"Sorry to be rude," you begin, the irony not lost on you at all. "But uh… who you are you, exactly?"

She stops fussing over Cab for a second, and smiles in your direction. "I'm not surprised you don't remember. We only met once, but it was when I was very ill. You, Cab-sama and Minerva-san helped save my life in Karin."

You blink then, as neurons start to fire and start matching names to faces and events. You do remember this girl now. Her name is…

"Copo-san, right?" you say, snapping your fingers in recognition. "I knew you looked familiar, but…"

Copo laughs wryly. "The last time you saw me I was totally bedridden," she tells you. "I can hardly blame you for not recognizing someone you last saw the better part of six years ago."

"Yeah, well…" you say lamely, rubbing the back of your head slightly in mild embarrassment. It hadn't been that long ago, not really. "So, you're babysitting Cab now?"

The small blush that appears indicates you aren't that far off. "Well… not really. I was just accompanying him along on the trip, but after he… overindulged, I thought it best to get him somewhere he could recover…" she trails off, her voice hopeful.

You raise an eyebrow. "Here, huh? Well, some advance warning would have been nice, but I guess I can't leave him like this. No matter how funny it would be," you finish with a melodramatic sigh.

(Cab, meanwhile, has managed to push himself to all fours and is crawling for your room – you can't really blame him, because he looks like hell).

Upon hearing your answer, the girl's eyes light up, and before you know it she's grabbed both your hands and started thanking you profusely. Startled (to say the least) and reeling for an opportunity to get a word in edge-wise, a familiar voice ringing out makes you whip your head around. Finally, some help!

"Shuta! Why are you leaving your door open like…"

Minerva's voice trails off as she enters and sees you being accosted (borderline exaggeration, but there were serious personal space issues coming to the front) and she stops dead in her tracks.

"Hey!" you call out, relieved. "You picked a great time to show up, Minerva – little help here?"

The blonde stands rooted to her spot, however, rather focused on Copo's hands grabbing yours. She looks as if she doesn't know whether to be more annoyed or confused – something Copo takes out her hands when she lets go of yours and grabs Minerva's, much to your friend's surprise.

Your grin is barely repressed.

"Cab-sama mentioned to me that you were here too!" she greets enthusiastically, shaking Minerva's hands about as ferociously as she did yours. Minerva, for her part, is looking even more flummoxed then you were, and she's looking at you helplessly for an explanation.

"I never did thank you enough for helping save my life back then," Copo says gratefully, and you can't help but notice just a glimmer of recognition appear on Minerva's face.

Deciding to throw her a bone, you call out "Remember Copo, Minerva? She's here with Cab, and Cab's here because he's on a bit of a bender right now."

Confusion shifts to delight in an instant. "Oh!" Minerva exclaims, looking much more relaxed now. "Copo-san! I haven't seen you since – wait, did you say on a bender?" she demands incredulously, the second part of your statement having registered.

Jerking your head in the direction of your room, you comment "Yeah. He's still… pretty smashed, but he can talk. Sort of."

As if on cue, a pained but exuberant voice cuts through the air. "HI MINERVA!"

Minerva, despite herself, can't help but laugh. "Hello, Cab! It's been a while!" she greets, sounding exceedingly happy to talk with her old friend. "We'll catch up when you're better, okay?"

"Sounds good. I'm gonna go die now, okay?" Cab calls back out, sounding utterly pitiful. Seeing Copo's expression change to one of alarm, you roll your eyes and gesture in the direction of the room.

"Can't be that bad if he was able to crawl in there without hurling everywhere," you mutter under your breath, before turning to Copo, whose concern looks way too intense to be totally platonic. Go Cab.

"Want me to take care of him for a bit?" you ask wryly, knowing that Copo's probably tired as all hell by now. "I'm sure you could use the rest."

She immediately begins to protest, but Minerva cuts her off at the pass, shaking her head. "Cab will be fine," the blonde reassures the brunette, patting her back reassuringly. "You can handle it, right Shuta?"

"Yeah, it looks like the worst of it is over," you tell the Karin girl, waving a hand in dismissal. "Don't worry – hisroyal highness is just being a wuss!" you yell, making good and sure your comment carries.

Cab doesn't waste any time jumping into the old routine despite having had better days. "Whatever, buddy! At least booze doesn't make me go around brawling with Wilder!"

Your jaw drops. "What the – HOW THE HELL DID YOU EVEN HEAR THAT STORY!" you demand, totally missing Minerva and Copo failing to restrain giggles.

"And you used to call ME uncivilized, to boot!"

Okay, those right there? Fighting words. It's on, Tarzan.

"Real big talk from a guy whose country got electricity like what, yesterday?" you holler, feeling the beginnings of a familiar smirk work its way across your face.

"Say that again, you – "

Minerva clears her throat delicately while trying hard not to burst out laughing. "Boys?" she calls out stridently, her voice cutting through your argument.

Dead silence. After all these years, some things don't just change between you three.

"That's better," she says calmly, still looking amused. All you can do is nod agreeably.

"Please teach me how to do that," Copo says in utter awe.

"You'll learn," Minerva tells her, before grabbing her by the arm and guiding her to the still open doorway. "You must be famished. Shall we grab lunch?"

Copo resists though, still looking concerned. "But – Cab-sama – "

"Just needs some time," you tell her, radiating confidence as you lean against the wall. "Trust me – a little bit of rest, a lot of water, no bright lights and he'll be back to normal in no time."

"Yeah, just gimme a few hours to hang out here, Copo!" Cab called out again, a little more strength in his voice this time. "I'll be fine, okay?"

Copo bit her lip, still not entirely convinced, but she soon found herself gently pushed to the door by a smiling Minerva who whispering reassurances all the way.

"We'll be back in a few hours, Cab-sama!" Copo finally called out before leaving. Minerva turned to follow, but she paused and gave you a mischievous look.

"You seem to have a good handle on how to handle hangovers, Shuta," she jibes playfully. "Something you aren't telling me?"

Your response is a smirk and a salute. "Couple of sub-par experiences with alcohol," you drawl. "Nothing too major."

"Hmm – is that so?" Minerva asks you, finger to her lip in an exaggerated thinking pose. "I look forward to hearing about them, then."

"And here I thought you were above schadenfreude," you lament, shaking your head before gesturing towards the door. "Right now, though, I think Copo-san needs some food and an ear."

"Sounds about right," she agrees amiably, before moving to close the door. "See you later, Shuta. Bye, Cab!"

The king yells something unintelligible in response, and you merely grin and shrug. Minerva flashes a smile of her own at you before stepping out into the hallway and closing the door.

Now, to help his lordship deal with his probably massive headache. After grabbing two glasses of water and some painkillers, you go back to your room only to find your friend sitting up, a determined expression on his face.

"Hey, thought you were here to rest," you lightly rebuke as you hand him the water and pills. "Copo-san's liable to kill me if she gets back here and you're worse off."

He snorts in response, before downing the pills and water in one gulp. "Nah," he comments after he finishes, looking slightly better for the drink. "She's too nice for that. I'm sure Minerva would be happy to do it, though."

"Probably," you laugh, before taking a drink of your water. "She's tough, that one."

"No need to tell me that," Cab shoots back, chuckling right alongside you. "Remember when she exploded on me, you and Ginrai that one time?" he said, which got you both laughing. God, had it really been that long? Because it didn't feel like it.

"So," Cab asks, finally flopping back down on the bed as you went to take another drink. "You guys been dating for a while now?"

The sensation of drowning briefly hits you, but you belatedly realize that it's just water going down the wrong pipe. Which, in retrospect, has the same net effect. Better than doing a spit-take, though.

"H-hey!" the king yells, amazingly jumping out of bed and slapping your back as you cough furiously. "Don't die! Otherwise Copo's going to kill me!"

"First off," you begin, drawing your sleeve across your mouth. "No, she really wouldn't. Second, where the hell did you get the idea that we're going out?"

The jungle-boy blinked. "Because… you are?" he asked vaguely, looking genuinely confused. Seeing that this answer doesn't placate you any, he hastily continues "I dunno, just the impression I got from that last little conversation. You never talked like that to her when we were kids."

"That's because thirteen year olds don't really talk like nineteen year olds," you fire back, feeling annoyed and uncomfortable now for some reason. "Seriously, where's this coming from?"

Saying he looks surprised by your reaction is an understatement. "Hey, take it easy Shuta. Gotta say, though - if you were trying to keep it a secret, you were doing a crap job of it."

"Nothing to keep secret, Cab," you say firmly, putting a lid on the conversation. And that was that.

"Please. That's bull and you know it."

Or that wasn't that. Fine. Whatever.

"Okay," you sigh, massaging your temples tiredly. "I'll bite. Why is it bull?"

"Same reason if I were to say that Copo and I weren't together. Implausible deniability," your infuriating cyan-haired friend tells you as he flops back onto the mattress.

"Implausible deniability?" you demand, your eyes widening in disbelief even as Cab confirms your suspicion about him and Copo. "Did Karin start importing word of the day calendars or something?"

"Well, I'll say this much – if you're not together," Cab said, rolling past your comment like you never even said it. "Get your ass in gear. Help your old pal make some money, will ya?"

Oh man, you don't even want to know what that last comment means. But, in for a penny, in for a pound.

"Money?" you repeat weakly.

"Yeah," Cab says casually, closing his eyes and relaxing into the pillow. "I started a bet with Ginrai-san about when you two would get your acts together. He said it would take a while, I said not that long."

He paused. "Make it not that long."

You let out a frustrated sigh. "Ginrai-san's in on this? Why would he even bet on this with you in the first place?"

"Probably because he's Ginrai-san and none of the others wanted to bite," Cab comments, sounding a little more sedate now. "Also probably because of the way you two mention each other in your postcards."

Okay, Ginrai-san? Not cool, talking about that kind of stuff. Whatever happened to privacy?

… wait. You two mentioning each other? She wrote about…?

Cab cracks his eyes open wearily again, and barks out a laugh when he sees the look on your face. "Crap, Shuta. You've got it bad."

"I do not!" you almost snarl, being snapped back to attention by Cab's 'observation'. He merely waves a hand in response, clearly not believing you.

"Fine, fine. Think what you like. Just one question."

"… What?" you ask warily, not sure of what to expect.

"She ever tell you what her favourite food is?" Cab asks you casually.

You make a face and answer without thinking. "Pasta carbonara, for whatever reason. Thought'd be something more French, y'know? Weird thing is she keeps complaining that she can't make it right, even though I never taste anything wro – oh, fuck."

The smirk on your friend's face is damn near evil. "Told ya."

You slump against the wall, exhaling loudly. "I - you - she - damn."

"First step is acceptance," Cab tells you, the sound of victory in his voice. "Just uh… don't do what I did to tell her you're interested."

"How did you tell Copo?" you ask, honestly still a little bit blindsided.

"Oh, there was this jerk that was going after her non-stop. Eventually got my bodyguards to run him off."

It was such an audacious and Cab-like abuse of power you can't help crack up. Cab continued, mirth lacing every word to the point where it was hard for him to talk. "Yeah, got them telling him that he was a threat to security, that he had to come with them… she was mad at me for a bit, but she didn't exactly react badly when I told her why."

"Well, no," you admit, recalling all too clearly how worried she had looked when she had barged into your apartment. "Surprised you didn't sic the armadillo and bird on him, though."

"The king of Karin is above such brass tactics," he informs you, with such a 'refined' air that it makes you both burst into hysterical laughter after just a few seconds.

When you finally get control of yourself and wipe the tears from your eyes, you look at your brother in all but blood. "You're still a little drunk, huh?"

"Oh a little bit, I'm sure," Cab replies, flopping back on the bed again, the ghost of a grin still on his face. "Thanks again for the bed and pills, by the way."

"Any time, Cab. Good to have you back."

"Good to be back, Shuta."

A companiable silence.

"But really, get to it already. Ginrai-san's so sure he's got this wrapped up, and there's no way in hell the king of Karin is losing like this."

"Easier said than done. Now, when the girls get back you're gonna need to be in talking shape so shut up and sleep already, would you?"

---

Time for finals.

And in a matter of marginally more importance, you want to help Cab win that bet. You really do.

Sort of.

But for better or worse, you're having a hell of a time doing it. In a lot of respects you're not better off then when you were thirteen, except you're not dealing with an adolescent infatuation anymore and that's complicating things like there's no tomorrow.

Damn. You briefly wonder how this even happened; wasn't it not so long ago that you wanted to keep in contact even though you didn't have a crush on her anymore?

… Great. Crush, infatuation. Two words that make it seem like you're just starting high school. Good grief.

Massaging your forehead, you can't help but take notice that what you thought was a mild migraine hasn't gone away. In fact, on the whole you've felt… off, today.

That in itself would be fine if it didn't carry hand in hand with it the gut feeling that something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

Like any hot-blooded male, you try and wave it off – you've gutted your way through sickness before, and considering the amount of studying you have to do it's probably wise simply to do so again, if only for the sake of your grades.

Still, on your way to Minerva's dorm, you can't shake the unsettling sensation and a cold feeling has wormed its way into your stomach. Looking around the crowd of people surrounding you, you shake your head furiously and resume walking – whatever's wrong with you, it can wait until you return home.

"Just make it through a few hours of studying, pop a Tylenol, then sleep," you reassure yourself quietly. "Nothing to worry about."

When you knock on the door, you're greeted by a tight-lipped, tense Minerva. You're not surprised – exams made her get like this back in the Junior days, too. Ordinarily the sight would make you start cracking-wise – 'Someone die, or something?' – but right now you simply nod back, schooling your face into a neutral expression.

Apparently seeing you just as serious as she is throws her for a little bit of a loop, because she blinks in surprise a couple of times before hurriedly motioning you in.

Pausing only to take off your shoes (and marvel/shudder at how neat and tidy everything is, how does she live like this), you close and lock the door behind you before you join her at the table, your sense of unease having not abated since you noticed it. At all.

"You're nervous too," Minerva notes quietly, not looking up from her medical text. You resist the urge to sigh in relief; she's taking your tense body language as exam anxiety, and you're going to milk the lifeline for all it's worth.

"Understatement," you mutter under your breath, pulling a sheaf of scribbled notes on quantum theory out of your bag. "If I hadn't started studying a few days ago I think I might be crying right now," you add, trying to throw a little bit of levity into the situation.

Satisfied, your friend nods curtly and returns to her reading. Looking down at your notes (which actually aren't terrible, much to your surprise) you start attempting to review but you soon find yourself adrift. Familiar terms and equations are staring up at you, but you can't concentrate at all. Your eyes flicker across the pages, with nothing registering – Planck goes to Schrodinger, who passes off to Dirac who starts mouthing off about entanglement, his goddamn Sea and suddenly you're looking up at what used to be your robot form while he looks down at you despite being one and the same -

'Primus, partner, I never thought I'd be going down like this'

Exhaling sharply, you drop the notes on the table in a hurry, resisting the urge to double-over and start dry-heaving. "What the hell is wrong with me!" you think wildly, unable to process just where your mind has gone to. Across from you, Minerva flicks up her eyes with more than a hint of irritation, not exactly appreciating the distraction. You merely wave a hand in apology while trying to calm yourself.

You thought it would go away. Clearly it hasn't. Seeing the girl merely shrug tiredly and return to her review, you try to collect yourself. Focus, regroup, and try to figure out what the hell's going on, because it's not sickness doing a number on you, it's -

'Slagging Dinoforce please let Cab and Minerva be okay sorry Hawk'

The chill that you felt in your gut has now worked its way to your bones, and with a sickening clarity your mind puts together the pieces and realizes what your soul already knows.

"No," you breathe, your eyes going wide as you drop your notes again. Minerva practically growls as she sets down her book and prepares to tear a strip off you, but no words of recrimination leave her lips – as soon as she sees the look on your face her expression morphs from angry to alarmed.

She's saying something. You know she's saying something because her lips are moving and you're going to be okay, just hold out for the CR Chamber, wait just a few more cycles, please don't die, please don't die'

Abandoning all thoughts of pride or dignity you bolt, practically kicking the chair away from you as you stumble for the door, your mouth dry and your breathing erratic.

You don't make it two steps before Minerva's grabbed you in desperation. You can barely make out her pleading for you to tell her what's wrong, what's happening to you, but what can you say? You don't know yourself, you're barely keeping yourself upright for god's sake –

And suddenly the ice cold feeling in your bones zeroes right in on your chest, and before your world shatters apart and makes you collapse, all you can think is,

"Don't bother trying to catch me, it's gonna be a rough landing anyhow'

---

(a dream, a vision, something more metaphysical and outside your scope of comprehension – you will always subconsciously seek an answer for what this was while knowing you will never find out)

"Hey, partner."

"Hey yourself."

"You're not looking so hot. Minerva's going to have her work cut out, eh?"

"Not really. I mean, not even Wheeljack could fix me up at this point and I've heard rumors he builds neutron bombs out of rusty actuators and scrap bearings."

"… that bad?"

"Goryu got me right through the chest. Laser core got hit the worst."

"… that bad?"

"You're an idiot. Yeah, it's that bad. Only good part is that I managed to keep Cab and Minerva from getting slagged – they'll be okay. Diving save, too. You'd have been proud."

An azure light, slowly pulsating.

"That's – "

"My spark, yeah. See how it's kinda going from bright to not bright? Sparks aren't supposed to do that."

"Wait a minute! You're a damn Headmaster, shouldn't you be – hell if I know, not dying?"

"Was a Headmaster. The Masterforce went about the same time as you did, partner, and so did the perks."

"Then I – you…!"

"What was I supposed to do, keep you hitched onto me? Nah, you had your own life to live back on Earth, and I owed it to you to let you do that. You gave me mine, after all."

Silence. A kind smile.

"It's okay, Shuta. I'm not afraid. Well, not really. A little bit. Maybe."

(and somewhere else, far removed from where this conversation is being held, tears start rolling down your cheeks)

"Is there anything I can do?"

"… stick around for a while, maybe? I wouldn't mind the company. It won't be long now, anyway."

"… Yeah. Sure thing."

"Sorry for doing this to you, by the way. Don't even try to blame yourself, I know how we get."

"Easier said than done, you…!"

"Take it easy. Don't blow a neuro-receptor, now."

"Human. We just call them neurons."

"Weeeellll. Sorry if the dying bot gets your biology wrong."

"Slag off, why don't you."

"Hey, you're learning. Pull that in front of Hawk sometime. Do it for me, huh? He'd probably pitch a fit, but… he…"

"Partner? H-hey, partner?"

"Heh. Told you… I wouldn't keep you here… very long..."

"…"

"I've got… no regrets. So don't look… like that, okay?"

"… okay."

"That's better."

The light's almost out now, but the violent flickering indicates signs of struggle – it will hold on, if only for a few more precious seconds.

"See you around, Shuta. 'Til all are one."

One last glow…

"… yeah. Yeah, partner. 'Til all are one."

And it vanishes into the dark, shining no more.

---

You awaken violently, sitting up with a start as you gasp for air. Minerva (whose lap you had been resting on) immediately tries to calm you down.

"Thank goodness you're awake! Shuta, what happened? Why were you…?"

She trails off as you your breathing grows more labored and you swipe at your eyes furiously, your battle with tears close to a lost cause.

"Shuta?" she asks you again, her voice trembling, as she places one hand on your moist cheek. She's never seen you like this, and she looks afraid.

All your maturing, all your growth, all your experiences – nothing could have prepared you for what you felt when your partner left. Formed from your soul, his Spark beat in tandem with your heart, and when it was extinguished you swore the universe wept.

"Goshooter's dead," you whisper numbly, finally surrendering as you start to cry.

She gasps, but you barely register it before trying to get up. "I – I'm sorry, but I need to…"

You don't bother finishing the thought, as you push yourself upright with one hand and scramble unsteadily to your feet. You need to be somewhere else, somewhere that you can be alone, somewhere you can scream your rage and grief to the sky, somewhere that's not here –

"Shuta – wait, you can't just – wait, I said, please…!" Minerva half-asks/half-pleads, her own voice sounding choked and unsteady now as she holds you tightly, refusing to let you go off half-cocked.

You can overpower her without hurting her easily. You could be at the door in seconds.

Instead, you merely break and sink to your knees against her, bowing your head in resignation. You don't know when you start to sob, your body wracked with gasps that sounded like they would tear it apart, but she merely keeps holding on to you, cradling your head against her breast. She says nothing as you weep, and the kindness breaks your heart more. Distantly, you recognize she's crying too and knowing that it's your fault is just another blow on the day.

In the back of your mind the possibility that you might be hurting her a little rears its ugly head, but when you try to relinquish your hold Minerva tightens hers while her lips gently ghost across your forehead over and over, her comfort and affection washing over you in waves and ever so slowly making it easier to breathe.

A while later – it could have been minutes or hours – you're still settled in her embrace, though your breathing is stable and your hysterics have ceased.

Feeling more than a little embarrassed at your loss of control, you brokenly whisper "I'm sorry," and she tightens her hold around you upon hearing your apology.

"Don't you dare say sorry. You don't have to justify something like this to me. Ever," Minerva tells you fiercely, the protective sound in her voice echoing your own from the past, and without a doubt you know that you love her, then.

"I owe you a new shirt," you try feebly, and she simply shakes her head before kissing your brow again.

"Shhhh. Forget about that. Just rest. For me, okay?" she tells you, one hand coming up to stroke your cheek. "It's fine. Rest."

"Here?" you murmur dumbly against her, your utter emotional exhaustion starting to manifest itself physically as fatigue. "S'okay?"

"Of course it's okay," Minerva assures you, a hint of relief in her tone at seeing the worst has passed and you're not going to run off by yourself and do something foolish. "Sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up, Shuta."

Taking one last ragged breath, you nod and close your eyes. Adjusting yourself into a comfy position, you register the sweet sound of her softly humming, as her hand moves up to play with your hair.

"Thank you, Minerva," you murmur, putting as much emotion into the words as you can muster before blissful unconsciousness overtakes you.

It's not quite 'I love you', but considering the affectionate sigh your statement elicits the sentiment was received well enough.

---

After that, it was really only a matter of time. Things were only compounded because exams be damned, she wasn't letting you out her sight for the next little while – it was borderline miraculous you both did as well as you managed to.

She was distracted because she was constantly worrying about you. You, on the other hand, were distracted because having a beautiful woman fussing over you tends to have that effect.

You weren't going to lie, though – her presence managed to offset the sense of loss you felt, and it was comforting to know that you weren't going to have to mourn alone. Her whispered assurances as you drifted in and out of sleep had told you that much.

The downside, however, was that having her in constant proximity really drove home what you had just realized and what Cab had told you; you were undeniably smitten with your friend, and as a result in addition to being stressed and grieving, your nerves were shot to hell.

Really, thinking about this was so much easier when the centre of your thoughts wasn't consistently near you, reading, taking notes and just looking attractive in general. The way things had gone it was shocking that you hadn't managed to let anything on to her…

(In retrospect, you probably had, though as it turned out that wouldn't exactly matter).

---

"All right," you moan, after finishing the last section of your current set of notes. "I can't do this anymore. Breaking!"

Minerva simply raises her eyebrows in mild amusement as she watches you walk over to your couch (kicking the ever present soccer ball out of the way) and throw yourself down on it, leaning your head back as you sigh loudly.

"You've only got one exam left, though – you're sure you don't want to give it a few more minutes?" she teases, sounding much lighter than she had when exams had started – getting most of them out of the way did wonders on her mood, it looked like. Standing up and walking over to join you, she adds "It probably couldn't hurt."

Opening your eyes again, you look at the pretty blonde with an unconvinced expression. "It'll be fine," you tell her, reaching out with your right hand to grab the TV remote and using the left to pat the spot next to you. "I know that's stuff backwards and forwards by now – besides, it's more principles and theory than application. I can handle that in my sleep. Now, with that settled – wanna see what's on? You're pretty much set with your stuff, so don't even try to pull that card."

An exaggerated eye-roll and a dainty sigh. "Honestly! There's no such thing as too prepared, Shuta," she tells you, but she sits down and curls against your side unbidden anyway, your arm coming to rest around her. "Still, I suppose a little break wouldn't hurt either one of us."

Considering how content she was to simply slump against you and watch you idly flip through channels, she's not exactly concerned about academics right now. Again, you can't even remember when such casual intimacy stopped being abnormal and entered the realm of the everyday occurrence – Cab had even pointed it out before he and Copo had returned to Karin (thankfully out of Minerva's earshot):

"You know, for two friends you guys are pretty grabby. Can't believe no one's asked questions yet…"

Luckily, Minerva had bought Copo's hasty excuse for scolding the king at face value and the matter hadn't escalated beyond that. Still, the memory did get you thinking…

A soft yawn got your attention, and you look at Minerva again. "Tired?" you ask, a playful grin on your face. The blonde flushes slightly, but smiles and nods in affirmation.

"A little bit. I stayed up a bit later than normal last night trying to finish off my revision, plus Mama and Papa called so I talked with them for a while."

"Ah, gotcha. How're your parents doing, anyway?"

"Oh, same as always. Mama wants me to come back for a visit when this semester's over, though. Either that or they want to come here and see me. I think they would prefer the latter, to be honest with you."

"I guess even diplomats need vacations, huh?" you ask rhetorically, and you jump a bit as she lightly jabs you in the ribs. "Hey! What was that for?"

"Well, I'd like to think they'd be coming to see their only daughter, but I suppose a pleasure trip to Japan would be enjoyable as well," she tells you, her faux-imperious voice coming to the front. You don't bother to repress your smirk.

"Coming aaaaaallllllll the way here to see little old you? Someone's getting cocky in their advanced age," you joke. She tries to give you an evil (by Minervan standards, meaning it's mildly disquieting at best) glare in response, but the effect is ruined when she yawns cutely again.

Shaking your head slightly, you chuckle. "Feel like a nap? I'm not gonna be offended if you conk out for a bit, nothing's on other than J-League highlights, anyway. I can get up if you want the couch…"

"No, thank you," Minerva responds, looking up at you with a content expression. "I'm quite happy where I am."

You don't know if that's supposed to tell you something, but seeing the look on her face makes you decide to forget about thinking anymore. You may have inherited your father's intelligence, but you've also always done your best work charging straight ahead, instincts at the front, and if it burns you this time – well, you'd have tried. That's more than a lot of people do.

"Really?" you ask, cocking an eyebrow and regarding her with a touch of mischief. "Glad to know you think so highly of my company."

Your words evoke an immediate reaction, causing her to blush a little and nervously nibble her lip before catching herself and clearing her throat as her expression returns to neutral.

"Still," you continue, feeling oddly at ease with yourself. "I'm sick of studying, and like you said, a little rest never hurt anyone…"

You don't know who's more surprised when you flop backwards, pulling Minerva with you, landing flat on your back lengthwise along the couch. She gasps softly when she settles on top of you, but makes no attempt to protest or move, her face buried in the crook of your shoulder and her arms around your neck.

And there it was. There was no way this could be mistaken for anything else, and now all that's left is her reaction.

Despite everything you can't help but laugh a little. So much agonizing and you still wind up settling for the direct approach. Go figure.

"Hey," you say softly, your grip having readjusted itself to have settled around her waist. "I think I get it, now."

After what seems like an eternity, Minerva nods. "I see," she says, before raising her head to press a soft, brief kiss against your jawline. You can't help but shiver at the sudden contact, and you hold her tighter as she pushes herself up to look down at you, your faces inches apart.

"I was beginning to think this was hopeless, you know," she tells you a little petulantly, though the affection in her voice is impossible to miss. "For someone who can be as brilliant as you are, you're very dense at times."

You feel your heart leap.

"Brilliant's putting way too much of a spin on it, but yeah. Can't say you're wrong on the dense part," you tell her, directing a small grin at her.

She simply shakes her head in seeming bemusement, but the smile on her face and sparkle in her eyes betray any attempt at fakery or deceit. "Silly boy," she breathes, her favourite term of endearment coming to the front as she moves to brush her lips against your cheek.

You don't give her the chance, as you tilt your head a few degrees in the other direction and meet her halfway.

The purr of contentment she sighs against your mouth is a good sign, but a better one follows moments after when you pull away slightly only to have her follow you, your lips muffling a noise of protest. She's clearly not eager for this to end anytime soon, and you don't have any intention of breaking until lung capacity demands it.

This felt right. You're sure you could have come up with more superlatives if you had tried, but really, this just felt right. Why didn't you do this sooner, again?

Finally – regretfully – the blonde pulls away, looking down at you with swollen lips and smoky eyes, a combination of want and uncertainty meeting your gaze. You could get used to that expression, especially from this vantage point.

"So, you meant what you said about being happy where you were?" you ask softly, knowing what she'll answer but having to ask anyway if only to erase her doubts.

You get your answer when she shyly nods and bends down to kiss you again without hesitation. There's more aggression this time, more hunger, and as her hands move to tangle in your hair your tongue flicks experimentally against her lips, trying deepen your connection.

The moan of approval indicate that she's got no problem with that, and before you know it what had started as relatively tame has grown into passionate and fiery – it takes all your willpower to pull away to breathe, but this time you pull her with you, her forehead touching yours.

It wasn't the first time the gesture had been made, but it was light years removed from the expression of platonic intimacy it had been and you'd have been loath to break it if you hadn't wanted to kiss her again.

You swallow shakily, your breathing haggard, before moving forward and giving in to your mutual urge one more time. This one is feather-light and shorter than even the first, but considering how fast your heart is beating a little slow-down might be smart.

After taking a moment to collect yourself, you open your eyes and look up at a furiously blushing – but very happy looking – Minerva. "Hi," you say dumbly, a smile threatening to rip your face in half.

She laughs aloud then, sounding happier then you've ever heard her, before she relaxes and tucks her head against your neck. "Hi."

"You all right?" you ask her, and are rewarded by another giggle and a tight squeeze.

"Never better," she murmurs, and you can feel the smile against your skin. "I still say you should have known sooner, though."

"For the record, I say I should have known sooner too," you mutter under your breath. "Y'know that Cab had to point it out to me? Drunk Cab, no less?"

"Copo-san said that'd probably be the case," she tells you. "She had the same problem," Minerva adds, and for the first time you wonder just how much you had missed.

A thought comes to you then. "Guess that explains the hair and jacket fussing, anyway," you muse, and again her peals of laughter ring out.

"Well they didn't start out that way, but yes, I thought those were fairly transparent. I mean, really – short of throwing myself at you, what was I supposed to do?"

"Well," you shrug. "You could have thrown yourself at me. I'll tell you right now that would have worked. Just saying."

Another jab to your side. "I'll bet it would have," she huffs indignantly, but makes no movement to get off or even move. "I'm glad I didn't have to resort to that," she says, her raised eyebrow clearly daring you to make a smartass comment.

"I'm undecided," you deadpan, mainly because you're not sure of how far to push but also because you really don't want to freak her out because your mouth ran away with you again.

Somehow managing to give off an air of mild disapproval while looking as content as a cat lying in a patch of sun, Minerva shakes her head, sighs, and snuggles bonelessly against your chest. Feeling her warm weight settle on you fully again, you exhale slowly and adjust yourself as best you can to make sure she's comfortable.

"I wasn't kidding about that nap, you know," you tell her, as you see her eyes close. "If you want the couch – "

"Nuh uh," she shakes her head, and you almost burst out laughing at her adorable response. "Told you. I'm happy here," she says, her arms still wrapped around you like she didn't want to let you go.

Her words cause warmth to spread throughout your being, the utter antithesis of what you had felt on that sad, fateful day, and you reach out and stroke her cheek absentmindedly. "Yeah. So am I."

Considering what she does next it was safe to say she felt that was worth another kiss. Not that she was looking for an excuse or anything.

---

You stand in front of the terminal, expression solemn and optics somber. It had been a rough few orbital cycles – while the long-term outlook was favourable, Goshooter's loss had hit everyone hard, particularly Cab and Minerva. Seeing the young bot's grey, lifeless chassis held by his two friends made your Spark constrict, and you swore that you would never let anything like that happen again if you could help it.

A resigned sigh. You spoke the same words every time you lost a comrade. You've spoken them to yourself like a creed for as long as you could remember, back many, many vorns ago when Seibertron was your home and you flew above the skies of Iacon, and later when you and your friends landed on the planet called Earth.

Perhaps that was why you had become so enamoured with the blue world. After epochs of fighting a war without change, it was comforting to see the inhabitants of Earth evolve and grow into a flourishing race. Witnessing life was infinitely better then dealing out death, and thus you gladly watched and protected. Still, you could not save everyone, and you mourned for those whom you could not reach.

Shaking your head to clear your thoughts, your fingers dance across the keys in a practiced rhythm, and you are rewarded when moments later the static screen above is replace by the image of two very familiar humans.

You smile at them in greeting. "Shuta. Minerva. Good to see you again."

"Hey, Hawk," Shuta responds in kind, a good-natured grin on his face and you can't help but feel a sense of fierce pride at seeing the man Go's son has grown into. Your late friend would have been just as proud.

Beside him, the blonde favours you with a gentle smile. "Hi, Hawk-san. I'm glad to see you're well."

In spite of Minerva's intent, her words make you dim. "I wish that that was the same for all of us," you tell her quietly, before focusing your gaze at Shuta. How to break this to him…

He takes you by surprise, however, when he looks you right in the face and smiles. It's a pained yet proud smile, an expression not befitting someone with his zest for life, but it's a smile nonetheless. "I already know, Hawk. I'm not sure how, considering how long he and I have been separated, but… I heard him. Saw him. I was with him at the end, and I'm happy as hell he went down fighting. All I could have asked for, really."

Your keen vision immediately notice that as Shuta was talking, a concerned looking Minerva had stepped closed to him and slipped her hand into his, intertwining their fingers tightly. As Shuta turns briefly to smile fondly at his friend, you note his thumb running small, random patterns around her wrist before turning back to face you.

Suffice to say, you've been around humans long enough to recognize what's changed since the last time and saying you're happy for the two is a vast understatement. You had a sense from the last time, of course – considering how ebullient Minerva and Goshooter were, you're guessing they did too – but it still gladdens you considerably to receive confirmation.

"I'm happy to hear that," you tell him sincerely, feeling much better that the young Cybertron hadn't been alone before he went offline. "It won't be in vain. I promise."

Shuta nods resolutely at you. "I know it won't be," he tells you, his expression noticeably brighter now. Beside him, Minerva whispers something to the younger male; you can't hear whatever it is but it makes him break into an affectionate grin nonetheless. "On a brighter note Hawk, how are the others doing?"

You know the others he's referring to immediately. "As well as can be expected. They were of course quite saddened by what happened, but they're living on, doing what they can do to the best of their ability."

Minerva's resolve and Cab's fire – they had been on full demonstration in the last sortie, and you had no doubt that they had the memory of their dear friend spurring them on. They would be fine… they were strong.

"I'm relieved to hear that," Minerva says, and underneath her words is the unspoken admission that if luck had turned against them in the Masterforce War and one of the Juniors had fallen… she probably wouldn't have dealt as well. Then again, it's doubtful Shuta or Cab would have remained calm, either.

"Still," you say lightly, surprised at how genuinely casual your tone is. "They could still use some good news from your end, you know."

Blatantly focusing your optics solely on their locked hands, you smile and ask "So, you two. Anything you want to tell me?"

Both of your charges blink before looking down, leading to near simultaneous blushes. You don't bother to hide your mirth at their embarrassment – that's what mentors were for. That oblivious, were they?

"Well," Shuta speaks, gaining control of himself quite quickly as he let go of Minerva's hand only to slide an arm around her waist, pulling her to him without a hint of protest from the blonde, who indeed looked quite cozy where she was. "You might say that. Funny story, really…"

---

AN: Wooooooooooow. Having not written since 2007, (no inspiration, I guess) I thought that dashing out a few drabbles would be a good way to get into it. I saw Masterforce a few years ago, but didn't really get into it until I marathoned the damn series recently, and came away with a distinct love of the human characters. While still very much a collection of tropes and clichés, they were executed in such a way that made 'plucky boy with hard-hat' seem a little bit dated. (No offense, Spike).

I don't know what endeared me so much to Shuta and Minerva in particular. There was very little – if any – explicit shippy stuff for them in the show, but I came away with a very strong sense that they, like all the other humans in the show, shared their own unique bond. Then I thought hey, age them up a little bit, try to see how the traits from MF would carry over as young adults, and try to see if I could make this plausible.

19000+ words later and a major change in POV, here is my completed love letter to Masterforce and to my two favourite characters. I tried to keep this as 'canon' as I could, but that was really tough considering:

A: The G1 continuity is convoluted, at best, when you take into account all the elements going on at once. The Japanese exclusive shows, manga, etc. Thus, I limited any explicit references to events (outside those shown in MF) and opted to apply a 'broad strokes' approach. Stuck with the Japanese terminology for simplicity's sake. Also threw in an explanation for why God Ginrai went down like a punk in Victory – any Master type transformer without the human component just doesn't seem as tough.

B: Characterization. Having everyone more mature but still retaining their own unique traits without going too far into virtual OC territory was tough. I hope I did a good job with everyone – Shuta in particular was tough, as he clearly wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps as a scientist, but I just couldn't see him as the same kind of person Professor Go was. (Dude had brains, though. When a Cybertronian Brainmaster representing cunning and intelligence picks you for his partner in the Victory manga, you've got something going on upstairs).

Scary thing is, this could have been a lot bigger. There were a lot of scenes I elected not to write, (the fight with Wilder for instance) but if I'm bored in the future/there's enough demand for it, who knows? Maybe I'll flesh out the back-story of this fic a little more. And with that, I'm cutting off because this is the longest set of AN's I've ever written. That seems fitting, somehow.