The Flaming Dawn
by Zaru
New Summary: Time has passed. A government team is now working with the Autobots. The past comes to present and a relationship is tested. And Decepticons are ready to make their way back to earth only to realize their sparks are pulsating for none other, than humans.
Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. I do own Zaru Kiys. I own Club Kunoichi. Leiana Lopez belongs to Ninjalala. Rose Connelly belongs to BlackwingRose. Jade Rivers belongs to Icarian Angel Wings. Kia Hawkins belongs to weapon13white fang. Piper Somoon belongs to BlackHealer222. Erin Timmons belongs to Strawberrytop007. Bethany King belongs to Mrs. Optimus Prime. I own characters with small/very minor roles as well. Songs sang/mentioned belong to their writers/singers/creators.
A/n: Chapter 10. I didn't think I would be able to get this chapter up so fast, but I did! And so, as London Tipton from 'Suite Life on Deck' says, "Yay me!" (clap) XD
Chapter 10
Week and a half later….
Zaru had not heard from her father since that day she walked out of the club. Although she was still upset about the things he explained to her, her heart just told her that something he said was truth. But she had no idea why there was not a believing bone in her body to help back up what her heart thought. It came to her that possibly with all the years of listening to the unfortunate accusations about her father from her family sank through and wouldn't let her believe in whatever words he chose to tell her.
She sat down at her office desk pondering those words he had told her a couple weeks ago. There had to be some truth. And the secrets? She was not so sure exactly what kind of secrets he was keeping from her, but if it was only for her protection, well, that she couldn't keep against him. Although the harsh words her grandfather dealt to her over the years along with her mother's didn't seem to connect somehow. Since she was older, all seemed to become clear. They must have only spoken to her about him just to keep her protected from those secrets her father weighed upon his shoulders.
But is he willing to share those secrets with me now?
Zaru groaned as she buried her face in her hands. It wasn't going to be easy to get a hold of her father since he never left numbers or addresses of where he would be located. Would she even see him again soon? Or would he just continue doing what he did best? Disappear without a trace for years. Her heart sank at the thought of never seeing him again for a long time.
I hate and love my father at the same time. Between those two feelings, which one should I feel more about for him?
It was going to be a hard life for her. She knew it.
Looking up, she glared at the clock located above the door of her office. It was still early morning, around eight o'clock. The club owner had been there ever since five sorting through and helping to plan Rose's birthday party that was going to be held at her house. The reason for not having it at the club? It was too obvious. The group never had surprise parties, except for a few times over the years the club had been open. Jade and Leiana had theirs when they first started at Kunioichi, but not since. It wouldn't be much of a surprise having them all the time. Although, parties were at the highest when the person knew about it. And Rose? Well, she hadn't had a surprise party in all the five years of working there. And now was the time she would be able to shine at her first one ever.
She smiled small when she thought about the first time she ever met Rose. It had been five years since that day and it was hard not to laugh about it.
FLASHBACK
Five years ago…
She was bewildered and surprised at all the sights around her. The huge mass of ocean straight in front of her caught her off-guard. This was tremendous compared to the water areas around England. Although the beauty of the River Thames will forever flood her mind. And the skies were absolutely gorgeous as they contrasted with the ocean water that sparkled with the bright afternoon sun. The beach down below, where the seagulls squawked picking up bits and pieces of food left behind in the sand, reminded her of the flocks of birds that passed through the sky in London, chirping as they flew gracefully above London streets.
The sound of ringing bells in the distance pulled her from the view. They were church bells. A beautiful ringing sound. It reminded her of the clock tower - Big Ben - in the Palace of Westminster. There was so much around that she could compare to England and remind her of her home sweet home. It saddened her heart that she left all that beauty behind, coming to America to start a new life after graduating high school. But it was for the best as it was her dream to find peace in America.
The very young gothic girl was only 18 years old, turning 19 very soon, within a couple months. She had only been in America for a week and lived in a city known as Tranquility. It was a peaceful city, although sometimes the noise of the busy streets would make her think of home which pulled her into a melancholy state. But she hardened up. Now wasn't the time to be worrying about home. It was time for her to find her first job in America. And the only way should could do that was to go through the want ads and fill out applications in different areas.
Driving around wasn't easy. She was on the wrong side of the road. Or was it the right side? Sometimes she forgot she wasn't in England anymore and driving on the right side of the road was the right way while in America. The confusion would continue to dwindle on her until she became used to the American customs.
So, she continued her lonely journey, traveling around to the different stores, shops and libraries in which she applied for a job. There was nothing that suited her except for the libraries. She loved books. The knowledge she was able to gain from them increased her intelligence, giving her a high I.Q. with a sweet personality to match. Sadly, no library was hiring at the moment, but she was able to go back later on sometime and check in and see if there were any openings. Not exactly what she wanted to hear. Finally, she came to the edge of town, seeing a dirt road up ahead. She was a little confused as to what could be down such a dusty old road until she saw a sign that said 'Help Wanted. Apply Within Kunoichi.' It was the break she had been waiting for, but only another application needing to be filled out.
Eighteen-year-old Zaru Kiys supervised the construction and renovations within Kunoichi. It would take another couple of months until it was complete which made her more anxious than usual. She smiled brightly at the workers that walked by her and towards her.
"Hey, Zaru, how's it going?" A worker asked. He was a young, Asian man around Zaru's age. His gray eyes bore into her and she blushed.
Zaru pushed strands of green-streaked auburn hair away from her face. "I'm fine, Lyric. Just a little bummed that the club won't be open for another couple months."
Lyric smirked as he leaned forward and kissed her chastely. "It'll be fine, koi. Don't worry. All this work won't go to waste. Trust me. You'll have the best club in all of Tranquility."
"Let's hope so." She crossed her fingers. "Here's hoping."
The half-Japanese man just laughed as he sneaked a kiss on the top of her head before heading off in the opposite direction toward another worker who he began to chat up. Zaru pursed her lips together and looked around. It was a little boring without anybody else to talk to. Not to mention no more new applicants have shown up to see about a job. Only a few had shown up that day and that was it. Groaning, the young woman trudged over to a dusty bar stool and plopped down on it.
The front doors to the Kunoichi opened. Rose gasped at the inside. It was huge and amazing. Although the smell of sawdust and noisiness of the machines running weren't easy to tune out.
Great idea for coming in here, huh, Rose? They're still working on it.
She reached into her pocket to pull out car keys, but couldn't find them.
"Oh no. Where'd I put them?" She growled and checked her purse. They were nowhere to be found. "I hope I didn't drop them somewhere outside."
Zaru heard a new voice in the club. It was female. I wonder who that is? She blinked as she saw a redheaded woman looking around the floor of her club. Did she lose something? Standing up, the club owner headed over to the stranger.
"Um, hi there. Can I help you?"
Rose looked up. "Uh, thanks, love. I lost my bloody keys."
An accent? "You have an accent. Where are you from?"
"Oh, I'm from England. I just moved here a week ago."
Zaru folded her arms across her chest. "That's neat. So, what are you doing here at my club?"
The British woman stared at the other person. "I came here because I saw a sign out there asking for help. So I came."
"You're looking for a job?" Zaru was hopeful.
"Yes. But I see it's still in construction so I thought I would come back another time."
"Oh. Oh no! Please don't go! You can fill out the application right now and we can do the interview after that."
Could this be what Rose was waiting for? There were a few questions she wanted to ask the woman, but other things came first. "I have to find my car keys before I do anything else."
"Oh. Well, I'll help you look for them if you want."
Relief washed over her face. "Thanks so much, love. I tend to be a little confused these days. Ever since moving here that is." She sweat dropped a little.
Zaru waved it off. "It's okay. I get so confused all the time, I wonder how I'm able to get through each day." The 18-year-old gestured toward the club-in-progress. "It's not easy when you have this going on."
The young women went outside, treading down the same path Rose took as she walked toward the club. Ocean and stormy eyes searched the grounds for the missing keys. And as they walked, they spoke with one another, getting to know the other better.
"So, you own this place?" The gothic's jaw dropped.
"Yep. Land and all." Zaru nodded. "Jii-san and grandma helped me to establish this area. They're investing in the club. Which is why there's so much going on with the building right now. They want it to be perfect for when it opens." A smile spread across her face. "And I can't wait until my goal has been reached."
"Goal, love?" When she received a nod from her new friend, she asked, "What goal would that be?"
"Well, it's not necessarily a goal, but more like a dream. Ya see, I've been clubbing a lot over the past few years. And seeing the business and atmosphere they produced, I realized how comfortable I was in it. So, I set forth to wanting to create my own club where everybody is welcome. No matter the day or night. No stereotypes, discrimination, orientation, age, gender. Just… fun."
Rose couldn't help but stare wondrously at this girl. She was so young, but upon her shoulders was a high amount of expectations for a dream she had been wielding for a couple years.
"Wow. That's… amazing, mate. I would love to be around when that happens." She tried hinting about how desperately she wanted and needed a job.
Zaru smiled and looked down after hearing a jingling in front of her shoe. Reaching down, she pulled up a set of keys to which Rose accepted gratefully and hugged the stranger for it.
"Thanks, love. I couldn't leave without these."
The auburn-haired woman shook her head. "You're not leaving here until you get an application and an interview, hon." Setting a hand on her shoulder, she asked, "I don't believe I ever caught your name."
"Oh." How could I be so rude and forget to introduce myself. She mentally slapped herself silly. "I'm Rose Connelly."
"Zaru Kiys. Pleased to meet ya, Rose."
END FLASHBACK
Afterwards, Rose had filled out the application and was interviewed by Sakauchi. Although the new applicant had filled out for a witnessing position, the old man saw something in Rose and decided to have her try another job. With her intelligence and knowledgeable use of bookkeeping and mathematics, he knew she would be perfect in trying out for the financial advisor position of Kunocihi.
Zaru was taken out of her thoughts when she heard a knock on the door. Quickly hiding the party plans, she took out a pen and began writing on a work paper before replying.
"Come in."
Rose's head poked in the doorway with a smile on her face. "What are you doing up here this early in the morning, love?"
"Just thinking. That's all."
"Hmm. When you think, it could mean trouble."
Grabbing an eraser, the club owner threw it hitting Rose square in the nose.
"Ow! What'd you do that for?"
"For being a smart-ass. That's why."
She rubbed her aching nose. "Well, you didn't have to be that mean. I was just saying." A false frown appeared. "You are just a meanie, love."
Zaru stuck out her tongue and smirked. "And I like it that way."
Later in the morning….
Maggie stood behind Glen as he sat in a swivel chair working on a computer. The blonde was utterly exhausted after spending the whole night trying to get the computer systems fully online. Although Wheeljack and Skyfire offered their help, Maggie insisted they concentrate on the Decepticons. They were more important than primitive technology.
Glen glanced back and forth from the keyboard he was typing frantically on. The data he was inserting was top secret. Even from the highest government. The only ones who were allowed to access those files were himself, Maggie and the Autobots. Although, they pretty much are the ones who gave them the data in the first place. It was a secret they held together.
The doors to the Autosect team room hissed open as a new face joined them. It was Mikaela. In the past couple weeks, the group had not seen much of her or Sam since they were getting his stuff ready for college. Bumblebee was overly excited as well even though Sam had already mentioned that he couldn't have a car while he was a freshman. The bot intended to sneak out to join him sometimes when he could.
The brunette teenager plopped herself down on a small stool right next to Glen who didn't' even notice her arrival. Maggie did and smiled.
"Hello, Mikaela. What are you doing here?"
She shrugged. "I got bored after helping Sam finish packing. Bee brought me to see what everybody else was up to for a change."
"Well, we haven't seen either of you much over the past couple weeks." Mikaela nodded. "Must have been one hell of a pack." She grinned and Mikaela blushed.
"Uh, yeah. A lot of…packing."
With a laugh and a playful smack on the arm from Mikaela, they continued to watch Glen work his magic.
Security Room
Mirage stood, metal palms leaning against the control panel as he scoured the radar and scanner for any other Decepticon activity. He had been put on duty after he came back from taking Zaru to the club. Unfortunately, the mech didn't have a proper recharge overnight, so he was at a disadvantage. It was planned to head back to his quarters for a recharge nap, but he had to relinquish those thoughts after Optimus set him up on duty. The mech sighed heavily as blue optics continued scanning.
The double metal doors hissed open to reveal Prowl. The black and white Autobot was mumbling something about being woken out of a sound recharge. Mirage knew just how he felt. And not getting enough recharge would put the team at a disadvantage if the Decepticons were ever to attack. But for a couple weeks, there had been no attack by Starscream or any other of the Decepticons. So, they were safe. At least for the time being.
The blue spy mech gazed over at his friend.
"You know, Prowl, you need to quit complaining. I haven't had enough recharge either."
Prowl rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, well, I just fell into recharge when Optimus messaged me to come here to replace you."
"Replace me?" Mirage was surprised. The shifts usually lasted ten hours at a time. Not three. "Why are you replacing me now?"
"Because Optimus ordered it. Since you are the guardian of a human, he felt you should be on call just in case she needed you." Prowl set a hand against the base wall and glanced at the monitor. "So, anything yet?"
Mirage shook his head. "Nothing. No sign of Starscream or any of the other Decepticons." He tapped his face plate. "Do you think they might be planning something big?"
The Autobot vented out some air. "I don't know. If I know Starscream, he'll find some cowardly way to get things done. Even if it takes him awhile to plan it."
Mirage scoffed. "Probably send a Decepticon lackey to do his dirty work."
Both mechs nodded in agreement
Sakauchi's Home
Sakauchi finished getting himself dressed for the day. It was the first day he was to go back to work and he wanted to be well-prepared for it. Checking himself last minute in the mirror, he grabbed his house keys from his dresser on the way out of the bedroom and down the hallway. Passing by the kitchen, he heard a soft noise and went to investigate. Peeking inside, his dark eyes narrowed and brows knitted together. The sight he saw made him want to use violence. There was no way anybody could hold him back if it came to it.
So in a low voice he asked, "What are you doing here?"
Arc smirked, sitting down in the kitchen chair cross-legged, two Japanese men in polo shirts and Bermuda shorts on either side of him.
"Hello, Sakauchi. I believe we were never able to finish our talk a couple weeks ago while you were in the hospital."
The old man stepped foot into the kitchen, arms folded across his chest.
"There's nothing for us to finish, Arc. You already spoke with Zaru yourself. And after she lost sight of you, I thought you'd be gone at least for a few more years." He shook his head. "But here you are in front of me."
The shaggy-haired man shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere, Sakauchi. Not until you tell Zaru the truth."
"What truth? There is no truth to you, boy. You left my daughter and granddaughter without a word."
"Do you have any idea the hell I went through to finally be able to speak with my daughter?" Arc stood up quickly and snapped. "Quickly. But it was hell having to speak to you. A man who's been lying to Zaru all these years."
"I haven't been lying to her. I was just stating what I believed was truth." Sakauchi dropped his gaze. "And it's the only thing that kept Zaru on her feet all these years."
"I love her and you know it, old man. You know the full truth. And she's already found out about it. At least I hope she'll take what I told her to be the truth."
Angrily, Sakauchi rushed forward grabbing Arc by the collar of his shirt. His eyes darkened to an angry crimson almost. "What right do you have to speak with her? She's my granddaughter! I've raised her all these years! I'm the one who's played the part of father to her!"
Arc reached up, grabbing a hold of his daughter's grandfather's wrists. He looked into the aged gaze.
"You don't know how much I've wanted to see her all the time. To touch her and hold her. To be able to see my own daughter all the time would have been worth more than all the money in the world." He pursed his lips together. "But you and Jessica pulled her away from me."
Sakauchi pulled Arc close to him so their faces were only centimeters away from each other.
"What kind of person are you for leaving as soon as you found out Jessica was pregnant?"
The blue-eyed man glared straight into the dark eyes.
"The kind that was keeping his family safe. That's the kind of person I am, Sakauchi."
For once, Sakauchi was speechless.
Couple days later; Zaru's house
Erin finished putting up the last decoration in the living room. She had been working on the ceiling for at least an hour getting the streamers criss-crossed like a checkerboard. The poor girl had no idea why she was doing it, but if it was for her boss and new friend, it was worth the time and effort. It was nice and decorative.
Jade walked into the living room and gasped at the sight before her.
"Oh my gawd, Erin! You've done such an awesome job in here! Zaru is gonna flip out!" The blonde-brunette laughed, handing her friend a bottled water.
"Yeah, well, my mom's a fashion designer, so with the boss' request I just pulled a simple design from my head. Not a big deal."
Jade shook her head. "No, Erin. It's awesome. Not to mention rather creative with the different colored streamers."
The strawberry-blonde smirked. "Yeah, well, I guess so." She giggled a little before a taking a sip of water.
"Guys, is everything done in - Oh this is sweet!" Leiana spun around and glomped Erin. "You are a genius! This is great! Rose'll absolutely love it."
"Seems you guys are going through a lot for a simple surprise party." Another voice came from the front door that was now open.
Kia stood carrying a couple six packs of beer. Maggie was right behind her carrying a few heavy-looking plastic bags most likely filled with even more alcohol and sodas.
"She's our best friend, Kia. Not to mention she's done so much stuff for us." Jade answered.
"Or do you need more facts, Kia?" The familiar voice of the club owner came from the opposite side of the room. She had a beer in one hand and car keys in another.
Kia snorted and headed through, shoving by her instantly.
Leiana set her hands on her hips. "Damn, isn't she such a rude little bitch."
"Don't worry about her, Lala. This is Rose's day. Remember?"
"If she even remembered her own birthday."
Erin was confused. "What are you talking about?"
Zaru smiled. "Well, Rose is always so busy with work, sometimes she'll forget what day it is. The poor woman gets so stressed with her job, her sleeping schedule is hell and its been hard for her to keep things in order."
The new group member nodded. "Oooh. I see now. She probably doesn't realize it's her birthday today which will make her think there's really nothing unusual going on."
"Right." Nodding, the older woman walked forward.
"Uh, where are you going, Zaru?"
"Left my bag in the car. Rose's present from me is in there." She took a swig of beer before turning sideways to get past Erin and Jade. "I'll be right back."
Maggie set a bag down before grabbing a hold of Zaru's forearm. "I'm so sorry about Kia these past couple of weeks. She can be rather…"
"Annoying? Obnoxious? Bitchy? Maddening?"
"I was going to say rude, but I guess your words make some sense to her actions as well." Maggie huffed a little. "I truly am sorry for her though. She rarely drinks."
"And she acts all big and bad when she does?"
The blonde shook her head. "Kind of. When she does drink, she gets all 'manly', I guess would probably be the word. She tends to start fights and wants to finish them in a round of fisticuffs."
Zaru cleared her throat. "Either way, if she drinks around me, she just better keep her mouth shut. Because last time she decided to open her mouth to me, Kia almost got clobbered." Her back turned. "And I won't miss this time.'
Maggie closed her eyes and sighed.
Later On
"You didn't have to pick me up, Blurr. I do have my own transportation you know." Rose continued to hound her guardian. "And another thing, why exactly are we going to Zaru's house again, love?"
Blurr sighed mentally. "Rose, we must head over to Zaru's residence to pick her up. Mirage is busy at the base."
"Right." The redhead huffed. The club was supposed to be open within an hour and there was still a lot of stuff to do.
Rose's guardian shook his head. She has no idea. The poor femme has been so busy, stress has taken its course on her. Forgot her own birthday. Zaru was right.
Blurr pulled up in front of Zaru's house. The lights in the living room were off, but the bedroom light upstairs was on. Rose honked her guardian's horn to make sure Zaru came out. A few minutes passed with no view of her best friend.
"Damn it. I'm going to kick her bloody arse." The English woman muttered while getting out of the driver's seat.
The door to the house was unlocked so she let herself in.
"Bloody hell it's dark in here." Closing the front door, she could faintly make out the living room doorway in the darkness. Reaching her arm around, the woman felt a light switch and flicked it on.
"SURPRISE!"
Everybody shouted and laughed seeing the shock on their friend's face.
"Happy Birthday, Rose." Jade clapped her hands.
A thud resounded around the room. Shouts of "Oh god, Rose!" and "Oh, shit!" echoed in the house on top of each other. All flocked over to her. The reason?
Rose had fainted.
TBC…
A/n: Poor Rose! She fainted! O.O Poor thing! Ha Ha Ha.
Sweet Mechs,
Zaru