CHAPTER 21

"I'm fed up! Every time! Every single time! He will always escape!" Sideswipe exclaimed, furious.

"Hehe! I just want to punch that smile right off his face!" Grimlock growled, cracking his knuckles.

"We must chase after him!" Strongarm cried out.

Bumblebee nodded.

"You are right. He couldn't have got far. Grimlock, Windblade and Strongarm will go with me. Drift and Sideswipe…"

"No" Drift cut him in.

Drift called Jetstorm and Slipstream. The Minicons turned into buzzsaw before attaching themselves to his wrists. Bumblebee worriedly glanced at him.

"What are you going to do?"

"I will find this Ronin. The one who robbed us."

"What? No!" Windblade cried out, getting closer to Drift.

Bumblebee disagreed with him too. Their other comrades also reacted with incomprehension and disbelief. Drift wouldn't change his mind. His decision had been made at the exact moment Fracture showed him the Ronin blade.

"Drift" The yellow bot said. "We don't have time. We must run after Fracture."

"Yes!" Grimlock agreed. "We will catch the robber later!"

"Fracture is a stubborn bot" Drift sighed. "He will go where the robber is."

"Do you believe he is smarter than us?" Sideswipe asked him, unconvinced.

Drift gazed at his Minicons. Even they disapproved his decision. He could feel it. However, he couldn't remain here without acting.

He had felt his teammates' emotions. For one moment…Just for one moment, they had doubted him. They had doubted his honesty. They could pretend otherwise but Drift had felt it.

"It's my fault if the Ronin attacked us."

"We don't even know if the culprit is a Ronin!" Windblade said. She pulled his arm, desperately trying to talk some sense into him. "Beside a piece of blade, we have no other clues! It can be another Decepticon! Or a human!"

"Yes" Bumblebee agreed. "It can be anyone. Then, you said Ronins were stuck on the moon of Athena. Furthermore, maybe someone used the same scrapyard as Fracture. Maybe they left that piece of blade."

Drift didn't listen to them. He remained firm.

"Maybe it is a Ronin. Maybe it isn't. I don't know. Whoever they are, whoever robbed us, that person is related to me. They may be dangerous. I must find them."

He let out a deep sigh.

"I must stop them. That's my fight. They could cause more damage."

"So, let us assist you!" Bumblebee said. "After all, we are a team"

A team? He looked at his comrades, one by one. Members of a team should trust each other. Yet they had doubted him.

Since his arrival on Earth, he had spent his time to make amends. Yes. He was a bounty hunter once. Yes. He was a Decepticon. But…How long should he redeem himself?

Or maybe there was no redemption for him.

Maybe Bumblebee's team…Autobots…maybe they weren't the family he wished to have. He had bonded with them…He had fought by their side. But his past will always catch up to him.

He had thought he had friends, a roof over his head, a sanctuary for his pupils…In the end, he didn't have any of this.

Why should he remain here?

He shook his head.

"I don't want to get you involved. The past is mine. I will always endanger you."

"Drift…" Windblade started.

"I must right my wrongs. It's not your role"

He turned around to leave. Once he was near Denny's and Russell's house, he released his students to pack their things. Both Minicons faced him, a disappointed stare.

He understood. They didn't want to leave.

"Master…"

"We leave in an hour"

"But Commander Russell and the others will need us!" Jetstorm objected.

"It's none of our business. I do it for them."

He glanced back at their team. They were in a circle, talking. He couldn't hear their words from this distance. What did he need to know after all?

A Decepticon will always be a Decepticon, he thought. Wherever he will go, people will never really trust him.

"Master" Slipstream seriously asked him. "That's not a farewell, right? We find the culprit and we come back here…?"

Drift didn't reply. He silently ordered them to perform their task. They reluctantly complied, leaving his side.

Why should he remain with Autobots when he was Decepticon?

Maybe was it a mistake to choose a faction? Maybe should he have remained a neutral party?

One hour later, Drift and his pupils were ready to leave, saying goodbye to their team. Bumblebee's teammates wished them good luck in their own ways. Jetstorm bowed to "Commander Russell". He promised him to come back soon. Russell smiled and asked him to stand up.

"Hey! We are equals! We can shake hands?" The boy said.

"Shaking hands?"

Jetstorm wasn't used to it. Russell smiled and took Jetstorm's servo to shake it. The Minicon shook it back, a bit hesitating. Sideswipe patted Slipstream's head.

"Take care of your Master. Don't get lost on the way."

"You can trust us!"

Drift choked, someone suddenly grabbing him from behind. He let out a gasp when Grimlock hugged him tightly. The others laughed while Drift begged him to release him.

"Grimlock…Please!"

"Haha! Only if you promise me to return in one piece!"

Drift couldn't answer. Grimlock kept hugging him until Bumblebee told him to stop. Indeed, Grimlock was almost strangling him. The Dinobot complied and Drift simply shook hands with him. He turned toward Bumblebee. The leader smiled, patting his shoulder.

"If you need help, call us"

"Got it."

But Drift didn't think he would need to call them. The team had other Decepticons to stop. Steeljaw's pack was still around…Just like Fracture. Just like Ronins. Drift let out a sigh before heading for Windblade. The fembot warmly smiled at him. He noticed her optics were wet.

"Windblade…"

"Are you sure you do not want me to accompany you?" She asked him.

He slightly smiled at her.

"You must keep a watch on the kid" He said.

"HEY!" Sideswipe objected.

"Hehe…don't hesitate to contact me."

They made a step toward each other before they hugged tightly. Drift put his head on her shoulder while he reassuringly caressed her back. He tried to remain impassive but…it broke his spark. It would be so lonely without her.

They probably would catch the Ronin quickly…but everything became long without her. Especially if he decided to quit Autobots.

How could he leave the Autobots? She was one of them.

He ended up by wrapping his arms around her neck to pull her closer, passionately kissing her. Windblade kissed him back, opening her intakes to deepen it. He closed his optics and heard a sigh near them. It definitely was Sideswipe. Windblade pulled back before kissing him again.

"Okay" Bumblebee said, sounding awkward. "Do you have…clues?"

Drift and Windblade finally pulled apart though he kept an arm around her waist.

"I remember the last time where we came on Earth with Ronins" Drift said. "We always reunited in a specific place."

"Mount Fuji" Slipstream added.

Drift scolded him for talking without permission. Slipstream immediately hunched his shoulders. Fixit nodded, using the main computer to check any Decepticon signal in this area. After all, Ronins were Decepticons once.

"Indeed. There is a signal near the Sacred Mountain"

"How can you be sure they are in Japan?" Denny asked.

"We can always try. They can be anywhere. Though in the end, if we are wrong, it's still a criminal to arrest."

"Very well. I send you a groundbridge."

A few minutes later, the groundbridge appeared. Drift kissed Windblade one last time before waving at his comrades.

"See you soon"

"The stasis pod for the robber is ready!"

"Don't forget Shanix!" Sideswipe warned them.

The samurai rolled his optics before stepping inside the groundbridge, closely followed by his students.

They landed near a lake while the groundbridge closed behind them. Drift stopped one moment to enjoy the view on the Sacred Mountain. He closed his optics, inhaling fresh air. That was completely different from Griffin Rock. That city was polluted, full of humans and annoying noises. This place was quiet. He was alone with his Minicons. The perfect sanctuary to train and meditate.

Even Ronins repeated that the Sacred Mountain was the most beautiful thing on Earth. Even criminals enjoyed the finest things. They had enjoyed the moon of Athena until they decide to destroy it.

"Let's go"

They set out to find the Ronin. Drift ordered them to stay close to him. His students walked in front of him while he brought up the rear. He expected everything, even a treacherous attack. Their weapons at hand, the trio climbed a path leading them to the Mount Fuji.

"Master" Slipstream spoke up. "Jetstorm wondered…"

"We wondered" Jetstorm corrected.

"We wondered if the culprit was really a Ronin…"

Jetstorm agreed.

"Indeed. It can anyone. Why are we going to the Mount Fuji?"

"If it truly was a complete stranger, why is there this blade with their symbol on?" Drift said.

He understood their doubt. Nevertheless, he was sure. Ronins may not be on the Sacred Mountain. They came here to check.

However, Ronins were their culprits. He swore it.

"Master Drift" Jetstorm added. "I talked with Commander Russell before our departure."

"And?"

"He thinks we paid enough for our crimes."

"Yes" Slipstream agreed. "You don't have to feel guilty. You saved us. You lifted us out of the gutter…We saved Bumblebee. We fought a lot of Decepticons and-"

Drift stopped. He gave them a hard look. Who did they believe they were?

"Commander Russell has no experience. He doesn't know anything about sins we committed. He can't judge us. He can't know if we truly made amends."

"Master…" Jetstorm tried but Drift cut him in.

"If we had really made amends, we wouldn't be here. You two also need to redeem yourselves. You swore an oath to serve me. So, I will be the one to decide"

He paused. His pupils looked down, a sad look on their faces. He didn't care if he was harsh. He was bluntly honest.

"…Even if you redeemed yourselves, you must continue to do so. You mustn't forget your accomplishments."

Yes. He didn't want them to think everything was accomplished. He told them to go on when he heard familiar steps behind him.

Then engine noises…

"What…?"

"GET DOWN, MASTER!"

Drift got down to dodge two torpedoes, flying right above their heads. They just missed him. Drift grabbed his sword, turning around.

Fracture was standing behind him, a smug smile on his face. Divebomb and Airazor transformed. Drift and his students were surrounded, the Decepticons slowly getting closer to them.

Drift glanced back at his students. They took a defensive stance, ready to fight.

"Mount Fuji, Drift?" Fracture asked him. "I didn't know you liked that place too. It doesn't surprise me though. You look like a samurai after all."

"How could you follow us?" Drift spat. "How could you know our position?"

He paused. He already guessed it.

"You used your drones."

"You really know me." Fracture answered, thrilled. "I waited until I could rush in the groundbridge to join you."

"What do—"

He clenched his fists. His voice was almost shaky by anger. He wouldn't give him such a pleasure.

"What did you do with my team?"

"Nothing, Drift. I only used my Taser a bit…For now, I'm not planning to kill them."

Nothing stopped him. Even after everything Drift did for him, saving him, he would still attack him as well as his loved ones. Divebomb and Airazor cackled.

"Enough talk, Drift. Let's cut to the point. We need to talk business." Fracture spoke up.

"I don't want to do anything with you."

"Oh yes, Drift. Now you are alone without your friends, I repeat my request."

Drift frowned, puzzled.

"Your request?"

"An alliance" Fracture declared, almost cheerful. "You say you aren't the robber and you definitely have a clue about the culprit, you'll lead me to them."

"Never"

Fracture rolled his optics, moving closer. In a rotary motion with his sword, Drift warned him not to make another step.

"What, Drift? We are in the same boat. We are working alone. We are on your own. That's well known. Enemy of my enemy is my friend. We would be more successful together. We would get our money back. Even more."

"You are not my friend. I don't need you. And I would never have an alliance with you." He firmly retorted.

Fracture looked jaded. He probably expected such an answer.

"I didn't want this, Drift. I hate to bring this. But I don't care about your point of view. Willingly or not, you'll lead me to them. Then…I'll get rid of you once and for all."

The Decepticon finished his sentence, his blade appearing. Drift wasn't impressed. Unexpectedly, a kind of self-confidence invaded his being. Fracture took a fighting stance.

The samurai let out a slight smirk.

"You can get rid of me now." His tone was calm and almost playful.

"No" Fracture replied, a smooth tone. "Where would be the fun? Then…I need you too much."

"Too bad. I don't reciprocate it."

Then the two rivals charged at each other, blade against blade. Nearby, their respective Minicons mimicked them, sparring, trying to dominate each other.

Drift blocked Fracture's blow before trying to kick him in his lower abdomen. Fracture dodged, searching for a weak spot to use one of his bombs. In his mind, Drift thought the Decepticon may be right.

Maybe it was time to get rid of him for once and for all. For good…mercilessly.

A shrill scream could be heard above them.

The two groups stopped fighting right away. They stared at the top of the hill, astounded. Drift never heard such a scream. At first, he thought it was a bear…or another beast living here.

But that's not a beast. He narrowed his optics and realized that it was a Cybertronian shape who screamed.

A bot…Autobot? Decepticon? A neutral party?

He didn't know. The bot was too far. He couldn't identify them.

Suddenly, Drift realized that the bot pulled something out of behind his back…A bazooka?

Then everything went so fast. Drift remembered that he had ordered his students to come back to him, bracing themselves for the impact.

But his pupils didn't have such a time to obey. The projectile was already released, targeting the ground where both groups were standing on.

Jetstorm…Slipstream…

Drift only had enough time to jump at the time when the ground gave out underneath them.