Okay so this chap took a bit long but not so much. And be warned…some mech/human action in this one. Though believe me this is just the beginning and not even the way they're supposed to figure it out & experiment on how to 'be together.' The truly good stuff will come later. Ha!

But for now enjoy!


Last time…

Yes he understood indeed. For he allowed her closer, allowed her to touch him without any fear.

Kagome infused her hands with her miko energy as her soul seemed to be instructing her to do. Then, ever so slowly, she brought both her hands forward, and closed her eyes as she made contact with his light.


Ch.7 To get to know you

Pain.

Duty.

Sorrow.

Loss.

Heat.

Inexplicable emotions of…need, want, desire, and…

love?

Kagome couldn't name all the sensations that were cursing through her body, her mind, and her heart at this very moment. For if it weren't for the stupid rational part of her brain, she would have to say that this -this was beyond her comprehension. This sudden connection was making her body shudder with the most unexplainable feeling of…of -she felt as if she was going to come apart at any moment.

Her body's sensitivity was so heightened, and the strange sensation that was pooling in the pit of her lower belly felt as if she was going to -going to explode into a million pieces. She wanted to -to touch him, and merge with him until they became one soul, one entity, until no one could separate them or tell them apart. She felt as if she wanted to became his in every possible way; as if she wanted to comfort him and soothe his hurt and pain. She wanted to -to love him?

She felt Optimus shudder beneath her as their energy's touched and combined almost in an intensely passionate yet wanton manner. Were they…that is to say, could this feeling be attuned to that of -that of….sex? She was still a virgin both by choice and by obvious lack of partner as she was an old fashioned girl and was waiting for the 'right one' to come along and sweep her off her feet. Yet here and now, as she heard this beautiful mechanical being moan beneath her, and as she heard the sound of what could only be his powerful engine roaring to life drowning out all other sounds, she could only come to one conclusion; this was indeed a merging on an emotional, physical, sexual, and heartfelt level.

A merging of two souls.

While her body and soul seemed to fight her very being to stay connected to the light of this robotic alien, her mind was in a whirl screaming at her to let go, asking her if she had completely lost all of her senses.

Kagome would have probably fought her rationale, and told it to shut up, as the feelings she was experiencing were incredibly arousing, breathtaking, and like nothing she had ever thought she could experience with another being; yet her mind supplied her with two reasons why she should cease this connection immediately.

One, he was an alien from another planet made up of metal and wires. Although…her heart quickly countered that excuse as it brought up the time she thought she was head-over-heels in love with a non-existent half demon which was supposed to be her exact opposite in every way -aside from the fact that he was supposed to be a myth and not really exist either.

Then her mind argued over one fact she had neither paid attention to, nor had any reason to contradict. In fact as soon as her mind supplied the little forgotten detail -that there were three other beings in the room no doubt watching her little…er…'connection'- she sobered pretty quickly removing her hands -and thusly herself- from his hold almost stumbling away from him in sudden shock and utter embarrassment. His large hand was the only thing that kept her from taking a head long fall several stories down in her rush to step away from him.

"I -I didn't…umm…w-what…something just happened between us…didn't it?" The priestess asked breathing heavily to afraid to look around her, her morbid mortification staining her cheeks crimson.

Optimus chuckled with the way the little human female was behaving. Did she not know that they had just shared their spark. His metallic brow slanted downwards in confusion as he suddenly wondered how that was possible. She didn't have a spark yet they had just…joined as one being.

Kagome was suddenly too afraid to look into Optimus' face, and even though she heard his deep resonating and quiet laughter, she couldn't bring herself to look at him, let alone discuss something like this in front of everyone.

"Why do you hide Kagome?" He questioned as she covered her flushed face with both hands to cool herself down as she rested in his hand comfortably. "We have done nothing wrong. We have just shared our sparks." He said matter-of-factly bringing her closer to his face before continuing. "I am unsure as to how such a thing occurred but it has happened…twice already. It is unheard of to share such intimacy -someone like myself with someone like…you. For your race is so unlike our own, yet we transcended the barriers that we thought separated us from achieving such a feat and have joined as one. We have--"

"Optimus please!! Wha…twice?!" She all but screeched praying he wouldn't continue sharing his 'insight' into what had just occurred between them in front of everyone.

"Hm…why are you uncomfortable discussing this? I know your race sees coupling as--"

"OPTIMUS!!" Kagome shrieked. "Not in -not in front of everyone!" She all but scolded the great robot in a harder tone of voice.

"There is no one else here." He answered, his deep voice penetrating her discomfited mind making her suddenly whip her head around in surprise.

Kagome looked around her noting that he was right; there was no one else in the building beside them.

"Oh…I…"

The young woman realized she still didn't want to talk about this.

'Did I just….did I just lose my virginity?' She wondered in sudden apprehension her confusion clearly mounting as to what had really happened.

"You have not lost your physical innocence, or your virginity as you organics call it, but you have indeed just shared an intimate encounter with me. Although this was on a much more personal and inti--"

"What?! Did I -did I just ask that out loud? Oh kami." Watching him about to speak once more she held up her hand looking at him intently. "Please just…just let me process this for a second okay?" Groaning when she realized she wasn't going to 'process' it anytime soon she spoke instead. "Ugh…can this get any worse?"

"Optimus." Ratchet burst in then calling out to his leader. "Are you done with the human? I wish to discuss my findings with you both."

This time it wasn't a groan, but a moan and wail of frustration and humiliation, as the miko allowed her body to fall back on his hand and proceeded to curl in on herself.

"Wait…did he just ask…i-if you were done with me?!" Kagome suddenly squeaked snapping up from her fetal position eyeing the yellow and chrome medic incredulously her powers flaring to life as she realized what he had just asked.

Ratchet looked at the female in question before speaking once more. "Why do you have a twitch in your eye girl? Did Prime leave you unsat--"

"If…" she interrupted her voice going deathly soft, "…you finish that sentence, I will practice my powers on you until I learn how to fry every damn Decepticon…or Autobot that--"

"Leave us Ratchet. We will be out in a moment. Kagome," Optimus called to her noticing that her eye was still twitching, and that her strange energy source was surrounding her body. "We need to discuss this connection, this unidentifiable link we share. For our union, our joining, has never been known to happen to an Autobot and… another life form. In all of our millennia of existence, this has never occurred. I wish to know more about it; to identify it and examine it."

"S -So you're saying that I'm some kind of anomaly, some kind of freak to be studied because we…because we…" Darnit! She just couldn't finish that sentence, no matter how upset she was becoming.

She barely knew him a-and she had already 'joined' with him?! She thought almost hysterically wanting to laugh at her own stupid thought pattern. He was an alien being from another planet for kami's sake, and she was complaining that she had sex -or whatever it is that they did- with someone she barely knew? Of all the--

"Kagome, your breathing pattern has become irregular. Are you feeling any ill effects from our coupling? Is there something you wish to share with me?" Prime questioned while looking at the little fleshling in his hand intently.

The miko gaped at him for a second or two, incredulous that he would be so -so fine with everything that happened between them, even to go as far as to ask if there was anything she wanted to share with him.

Of course there was something she wanted to share with him!! She wanted to give him a piece of her mind, of her….of her….

She couldn't finish her internal ranting for the look he suddenly bestowed her with, and the feelings that suddenly washed over her, reminded her of several important factors. She had been the one that had instigated this. She felt his overwhelming sadness and even a hint of fear of her rejection. She had been the one who touched him, who -who merged herself with him. Though he didn't deny her this, and perhaps didn't even know what would happen as she herself did not know, she had -she swallowed, her mouth suddenly going very dry. Could it be possible that she….that she in essence, violated him somehow?

Well he hadn't said no per say, or -or rejected her when she said she wanted to feel him- but she didn't quite ask his permission either. Of course she didn't know that this 'thing' between them would happen, but still.

And she did want to feel him. Kami, she wouldn't lie to herself. She wanted to be close to him. She -she wanted to comfort him and be there -be there for him. She had felt his loneliness and his pain, his hurt and his obligations as they nearly overwhelmed her heart. They were so like her own yet much greater in comparison.

The question was, was she ready to be there for him? To provide him with her affection and attention, and -and love? She knew that the love factor was still much too far off, and a vague concept to grasp so willingly at the moment, so she allowed it to slip past her thoughts. Yes the pain of getting hurt again was there and ever present but -but she was alone. Just like him. No one on this earth would ever know the things she had seen, the feelings and events she had been through.

No other human. But perhaps….

"Gomen nasai Optimus. (I apologize /I'm sorry Optimus.) I -I spoke truthfully when I said I wouldn't hurt you. I don't….I don't want to hurt you…ever. And I'm sorry I…" she licked her dry lips and sat upon her knees to look at him directly in his blue optics. "I shouldn't have done what I did. I d-didn't know that we would -that something like that would happen, or else I would have…I would have…"

"Kagome," Prime interrupted softly, "I do not wish for you to apologize. Some things are beyond even our control. Your intentions were not wrong and I…I allowed it to happen as well. I believe there is a saying you humans have that says, 'it takes two to tango.' And while we have not done this dance -the tango- it still took two beings to accept and come together. I too promised you that I would never hurt you. Did I not?"

Kagome was a little teary-eyed and she didn't quite understand why. And though she wanted to giggle a little bit at his reference to the tango, she was quite moved with his promise to never hurt her.

The priestess looked down as something occurred to her then. "But…you will Optimus. You will hurt me one day. One day you will leave and I…I will remain here. Or maybe -maybe you will simply leave me behind when your duty--"

"No. I will not hurt you. You have my word as the leader of the Autobots. I will not leave you now Kagome. We have merged, we have become one. On my planet Cybertron, two mech's were unable to join sparks unless they intended to become mates. I do not understand how it happened between us, without either of us intending this, or even speaking about such a thing, but it did. I will not take it back, ever."

The conviction she heard in his deep voice almost broke her resolve to just run away from all of this, to just run away from…him. She just didn't think that she was ready yet. This was all just -just happening so fast and the miko didn't quite know what to think.

"Optimus." Ironhide called from the doorway. "Bumblebee and his boy are approaching and I don't believe we should all be milling around outside waiting for someone to spot us. We should--"

The thoughtful leader raised his free hand for silence. "I believe Kagome and I are not--"

The miko interrupted before he could finish. "No, its okay Optimus, I…we can talk later. Ratchet wanted to talk to us too remember?"

"Yes I have logged that into my database. We will speak to Ratchet privately Ironehide, then I believe Kagome will tell us what she knows about her energy. That is why I called Bumblebee here."

"Wait a minute!" Kagome interjected somewhat miffed. Why had he just assumed she was going to tell them anything? "I never said I was going to tell you about my energy."

"No perhaps not, yet I, as well as my fellow Autobots, have need to know. You did kill a Decepticon and we would like to have answers Kagome. We cannot simply wait around until you decide to be more forthcoming. Besides if they have found out, as you narrowly escaped Barricade, then they too will eventually want answers and will come after you." Prime answered calmly and rationally.

Kagome slumped. Damn, why did he have to be so logical. Well she did say she wanted to start to- swallowing a strange lump in her throat- she finally acknowledged that she had indeed already made up her mind and had wanted to know more about them and well…about everything.

Feeling Optimus' deep gaze didn't help her resolve any either for she suddenly felt very self-conscious, seeing as how they still had not really discussed matters as of yet.

Optimus couldn't help the way his eyes kept locking unto the small woman's. He had not been expecting them to couple, to… share sparks. Granted it was not exactly how the Autobots had done it, nor was the same effect quite present, but it was still rather…nice.

He hadn't shared a spark with another being for over a millennia. Not that he really had the inclination to, and seeing as there was no one with whom he desired such a thing, it had never even occurred to him. He had not even thought it possible seeing as how there were neither any femmes here on this planet, nor perhaps not even any left after all the destruction that had occurred between the two sides of the warring parties.

The connection they just shared was on entirely new level. In all his thousands of years of understanding and knowledge, he never once had an experience such as the one he shared with the human woman. His very life force seemed to have come forth at her touch, merging with her own, joining with what the humans call, a soul. It was really quite extraordinary and he found himself somewhat eager to explore and experiment with this new experience.

He could only wonder what Ratchet had to say. Her 'spark' -her energy- was fascinating as he had never come across another being with a similar signature upon this planet.

Bumblebee entered their new base then, followed by the boy Sam who looked around him apparently searching for the girl. Optimus frowned slightly with this action. Though he was not, nor had ever been, a mech with jealous tendencies, he felt slightly upset that the boy seemed to be a little too attentive to the woman he still held in his hand. The boy already had a female of his own and should not be looking to obtain another, if that was indeed his intention.

It seemed that the organic's of this planet were rather fickle creatures when it came down to love. Cybertronians found their soul mate, their lovers but once, and were faithful to them until the day they offlined. There would never be anyone else in all their seemingly eternal years but each other. Though he had never found such a soul mate, he had shared a few experiences with the femmes on his planet. Although the times on his planet -before the war had ravaged his world- began to change. More and more mechs seemed unable to find their mate, preferring to couple with one of the few femmes that had remained unscathed.

Yet now it seemed that this little human had captured his…interest. How intriguing.

"Hey Optimus, have you seen Kagome?" Sam called out craning his neck to look up at the mech that stood in the center of the room Bumblebee already having informed him the reason of their impromptu visit.

"Indeed boy." He answered dryly.

Sam was a little taken aback with his answer for he had not heard Optimus call him 'boy' since they had met. In fact the term eerily reminded him of the way Megatron had said it, with so much malice and disgust that he couldn't help but feel goosebumps rise on his skin with the dreaded memory. Then again Optimus didn't make it sound that way, but still, he sounded a little… upset. About to ask him what was bothering him, he quickly halted his words when he saw someone peek over the rim of the Autobot's large hand.

"Did you need something Sam?" Kagome questioned feeling as if Optimus was a little displeased for some unknown reason.

Kagome felt a little pleased to see Optimus get a little upset -if that was indeed what he was. For Sam often times had gotten on her nerves and she was glad to see that Optimus didn't have an endless supply of patience, wisdom, and plain 'ole 'you can say whatever, and do whatever, and I wont loose my cool or ever raise my voice' attitude.

"I just wanted to check up on you. Y-You know, make sure everything was cool." Sam answered with a shrug of his shoulder as if his question was no big deal.

"We would never harm her Sam." Optimus answered feeling slightly…well he was quite unsure what exactly these 'emotions' were, but he didn't like how the human male was suggesting that she was 'not alright'; for they would never hurt her, for any reason.

"A-Alright. Just you know -uhh- just making sure and all." Sam answered rubbing the back of his neck nervously unsure why Optimus seemed to be a bit more edgy of a sudden.

Kagome seemed to feel his agitation for she suddenly began to stroke one of his fingers calmingly although she didn't give the impression that she was even aware of what she was doing. Oddly, it was helping him unwind.

The raven haired miko was beginning to grow nervous. She saw the way the rest of the Autobots walked in and shut the huge sliding doors behind them and she began to feel almost -almost as if she were…trapped.

Optimus seemed to sense her skyrocketing apprehension and panic and began to rub a finger down her back soothingly.

"Do not worry, all will be well. I will be here for you Kagome." He spoke softly yet reassuringly, and the miko briefly wondered if the rest of those present had heard him as well, fervently hoping they hadn't for they would surely wonder what had her heart slamming against her chest.

"I…umm…o-okay. I suppose you should…you do have to know." She answered shakily knowing she was just about to divulge everything she had come to suppress, everything she had desperately wanted to forget and move on from.

They all assembled around Optimus, Bumblebee taking into account that Sam did not have the height advantage that they did, picked him up and placed him on his shoulder.

For some reason Kagome noticed that Sam didn't look too happy. He seemed to have a frown marring his face as he looked at her sitting in Optimus' hand as she continued to allow him to stroke her back softly, and comfortingly, as he had done once before when the asthma attack had struck her.

Looking around her she noticed similar expressions of -of disapproval o -or…she swallowed as she realized that perhaps she was only imaging and misinterpreting their expressions. They were rather hard to read, she thought continuing to look around as Bumbleebee met her eyes and gave her a strange look that seemed to signify that he was uncomfortable and annoyed. Then again Ironhide crossed his arms over his massive chest as if he too were annoyed and rapidly running out of patience, while Sideswipe gave her a small smirk, his metallic mouth turning up at the corner. The only one that seemed to be genuinely interested seemed to be Ratchet but it was probably only on a medical standpoint that he wanted to know what she was.

Feeling Optimus nudge her slightly with his finger, she inhaled before beginning her tale.

"Well three years ago, as I chased my cat into the well house on the grounds of my family's shrine in Tokyo Japan, I…."


It had taken her almost four hours. Between the muted yet rigid questioning, and her streaming tears as the memories had flooded her heart and mind once more, they had remained in that old building until the sunlight cascaded through, lighting everything within. She wasn't too sure but since she had arrived here at twilight, she could only assume that the sunlight she saw was from the sunrise.

Kagome's throat began to ache with the frog that seemed to have gotten lodged in her throat. She had spoken too much, answered all of their questions while being as honest as possible, and had attempted to keep herself from bawling like a child who had been taken from its mother, with all of the memories that had resurfaced.

She was completely drained.

"So you are telling us that these myth's you humans had invented to frighten small children were indeed real?"

"Yes, Ironhide." She answered emotionlessly. No longer upset that he continued to ask the same question over and over again in a roundabout way.

"And you have said that you do not know how far down your ancestral line you can trace this -this phenomenon, this energy source you project. Hmm." Ratchet stated more than asked. "Yes that coincides with my findings as well. I was going to wait to speak to you and Prime alone, yet now that the subject has been broached, it would be best to share my findings with everyone."

He paused a moment looking at all those around him before giving them the big news. "Your energy is almost identical to that of our Allspark. Your ancestors must have come into contact with it somehow and gotten it into their bloodstream thus passing it down to their descendents. Then, they set themselves apart from normal humans and took on a new name for themselves. As you have told us you are called a shrine maiden, miko, or priestess."

While everyone seemed to be shocked and were all asking questions excitedly and inquisitively, Kagome remained silent. Sure she had already told them her story but they had yet to tell her anything.

Seeing as how they were all suddenly interrogating Ratchet now, she cleared her raspy throat while trying to make herself as comfortable as possible on Optimus' metallic hand. It wasn't exactly cushiony; warm, but not cushiony.

Flaring her aura slightly, she achieved what she was after; everyone stopped talking and looked at her. Sam turned to her too but only because everyone else did since he looked as if he didn't know what was going on. Well that and he had already told everyone that he would stay and listen even if he was going to get grounded for life for staying out past his curfew.

Having garnered everyone's attention she spoke. "I have yet to be told anything about you. I know nothing of your kind, the Allspark, the Decepticons or of your war. If one of you would be so kind as to tell me, I would appreciate it seeing as how I've already shared my life's story with you. Maybe this way I'll be able to understand what it is you're talking about." She added the last with a bit more irritation in her voice.

Optimus looked down at her, gifting her with a small smile, before he began his tale.

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Poor Kagome, so many emotions. Well at least she seems to be coming back to herself just a bit more.

Anyway, please remember its still unbeta'd so any discrepancies should be ignored. And as always I love to read your comments.

So please don't forget to review!!