More than meets the eye (26/1/2008)
Author's notes………… this is it. This is it. THIS IS IT! THE EPILOGUE!!!!!
Sorry guys for the long wait. As you may see from the first part, I nearly turned this into another side-story or filler chapter. That's one of the reasons I got stuck for the past few weeks but today, I managed to forge ahead and finally give the happy ending I've promised from day one.
As always, reviews are extremely important to me, even at, or rather especially at, the end of the story. I still wonder why I have 99 people on the alert list, 70 as the favourite story but only 10 on average review every chapter.
So without further ado……….
Epilogue: Two Worlds, One FamilyRoughly one year later…………….
Dear Diary………. it's strange that I'm now writing my memoirs when I'm twenty-one years old but for the first time in my life, I found something so exciting and worthwhile in my life, I fear that I may forget the memory of it and that would be the greatest tragedy of it all. And now, at the start of a new beginning, I find everyday exciting and worth living for.
It relieves me that the smile on my face now matches the smile in my heart whereas before it had no real warmth. I smiled to give everyone around me hope that the chaos that constantly plagued my family and a certain pig-tailed martial artist would eventually go away to be replaced by better things to come. Only it never did until the chaos hit me. Now that was an eye opener to say the least, not least because of the relatively short time it took place.
Alright, enough introspection. Today was a great day as always. My routine remains large unchanged except that after six months, I decided to answer my calling: to be a mechanical engineer. I pretty much shocked everyone, Father especially, except maybe Ranma and Akane who were by then, already used to me actually driving a fleet of cars. Somehow, you can't help knowing about Autobots without learning about the principles of physics and engineering, especially motor engineering. Who would have thought that I, a woman who knew almost nothing beyond cooking, would become a motor head? The most amazing thing about the Autobots, is that once they have transformed, there is almost no way to tell that they are actually transforming robots.
I guess you would like to know what the Autobots do with their time now that they aren't always constantly hunting for Decepicons. Optimus Prime and Elita periodically go either to Tokyo to have meetings with the Prime Minister of Japan, or to the Chinese embassy to meet with the Chinese Ambassador. More often than not, I feel that they just want lots of quality time with each other after countless years of separation. It warms my heart to see that the burden of my best friend is now shared with his other half. Since Bumblebee and I confessed our love, I shudder to think what would happen if I were ever separated from Bumblebee, not knowing whether he was dead or alive for many years. I think I would have gone mad. But between the both of us, we don't really care.
Hound spends most of his time in China, specifically at the untamed forests of the Chinese Amazon country. He is doing what he does best: observing and documenting the wildlife of China's yet abundant flora and fauna. In addition, he is also an Autobot Ambassador to China, a role he shares with Kup who apparently, is as gifted in diplomacy as he is in the art of war. Kup spends much of his time in Beijing, most of the time accompanied by a guard of Amazons. Sometimes I worry if the PRC will ever turn on my Autobot friends but at the very least, the Amazons are firmly on our side. Plus Kup is a tough old bird, I'm sure between him and Hound they would survive and make it back to Japan at least… Oh dear, why am I thinking such morbid thoughts? The PRC owes their country to the Autobots, betrayal is the last thing I should expect of them. Still I pray every night that the Lord protects them.
Trailbreaker has sort of become the Tendo and Saotome family car. He and Nabiki have somehow become fast friends. Apparently before Trailbreaker became a warrior, a defence strategist, he was the equivalent of an accountant and a finance minister to the now defunct Cybertronian Empire. His cautious and defensive nature in battle also reflects his business strategies, the polar opposite of Nabiki who is extremely aggressive in her business dealings. While Nabiki still has no idea exactly how rich we are, I did finally disclose the college fund I set up for her, which meant that the considerable amount of cash she had made of her scheming activities, mostly to Ranma's detriment, was no longer needed to finance her higher education. As can be expected, she immediately turned to investment options. Thankfully Trailbreaker is extremely experienced in this matter and thus far, has managed to restrain Nabiki from making any unwise decisions regarding playing with shares.
Jazz and Arcee don't come around to Nerima too often: they volunteered to be the caretakers of our holiday mansion. Normally I would be worried of Jazz spending time alone with any female (myself included) but Arcee seems to have Akane's temperament only with the battle experience of Saotome Ranma, which means Jazz has to watch out for what he says. More often then not he does and I often find the silver paint job on his Nissan Fairlady body scorched as he limps back to the Tendo dojo.
On the other hand, Arcee doesn't spend much time with anyone else, even myself. For all she screams at Jazz's antiques, they seem to be fond of each other. I heard about what Jazz said to Brawl from Arcee, and I admit it shocked me that Jazz could be so profoundly philosophical. Oh my, what a dark horse Arcee has found! In any case, only time will tell if I can see the first new Cybertronian couple in my life time.
Prowl…… Prowl will be Prowl. Even now I can feel his eyes on me on the other side of town. Nothing makes him happier than work and Inari. CONSTANT VIGILANCE! He always yells this at me. To him, the battle was over but the war had not been won completely as there were possibly more Decepticons out there. Or worse, any one of the old enemies of the Cybertronian Empire Megatron mentioned. He isn't so much concerned with the prospect of another alien invasion of Earth, only to the extent where it may threaten my life. Which is why he never sleeps and constantly watches over the Tendo dojo and by extension, Nerima Ward. Not a single crime has happened since he came back, every criminal was caught before they committed the deed, single handedly apprehended by Prowl. Oh well, at least he always drops by for tea and Inari at 4pm. He still has a small obsession to Inari, almost to the point where he eats nothing else. It's a small price to pay for having a serene tea time with him.
What was I talking about previously…. Oh yes, the Autobot's complete and undetectable transformation. I always wondered what would happen if real mechanics, not amateurs like myself examined an Autobot. My question was answered a few months ago. Normally Trailbreaker drives Nabiki to Tokyo University rather than let her commute by train but today, the elder Autobot was asked by Auntie Nodoka to fetch her to Nagasaki to meet an old friend. Bumblebee had a rare day off from managing the Cat Café and we decided to fetch her to Tokyo. As always, Bumblebee transformed into a Camaro and I drove. After we dropped her off at Tokyo U, we decided to check out one of the universities I applied to for an engineering course.
It was located at a nice ward called Nekomi. Mostly the ward's community centred around the Nekomi Institute of Technology, a university of no small fame which housed thousands of students. It was one of the more convenient places for me to study though Bumblebee expressed some small concern about the area. Apparently, weird phenomenon such as rapidly changing weather, randomly appearing monsters, beautiful succubus lurking in the shadows to seduce hapless men, illegal racing were some of the weird happenings in that particular ward. Nothing really different from Nerima in my opinion. Anyway we decided to go into the campus and have a look.
The campus was large and beautiful, and it so happened that that particular week was orientation week for international students. There were lots of traffic going in and out, but Bumblebee and I planned to find a relatively quiet spot so that I can splash water on him and change him to Kotaro when no one was looking.
In retrospect, I think it wasn't a wise decision. Sometimes I forgot that cars are uncommon to the average Japanese person, especially a 2009 Concept Camaro driven by what I hope, looked like an ordinary Japanese woman. Many people stared open mouthed at the Camaro as it entered the campus. By the time we reached our parking spot, a veritable crowd had gathered around to stare and gawk at Bumblebee. Many jaws dropped when I opened the door and stepped out. They were probably expecting a rich man or classy woman, not an apron wearing (sometimes I wonder why I keep forgetting to take it off when leaving the house) woman in a most ordinary dress. I almost retreated into Bumblebee as I felt their stares intensified as several of them realized that I was, in Jazz's words, a 'hot hootchie mama'.
I looked back at Bumblebee's steering wheel, and heard a sigh. "Go ahead Kasumi. Enjoy yourself. I'll wait here for you. And don't worry, I know you are strong enough to handle any pervert." His trust in me was heartening and I felt confident again. Smiling pleasantly, to everyone, I closed Bumblebee's door and began to explore the campus.
Luckily no one actually approached me as I explored the campus. I went through some of their orientation programs, checked out their semester curriculums for mechanical engineering as well as nursing and medicine, which were other professions I was considering. After gathering as much information as I could, I decided to check out the various student organizations around the campus.
The first thing that caught my eye was a huge exhibition by what looked like a motor club. Except it appeared far too flashy and expensive to be one. There were five cars being showcased, a Ferrari, an Italian Corvette similar to Tracks, a yellow Lamborghini, a stylish Suzuki RGV500 and, to my disbelief, a MP4-22 McLaren Mercedes racing car, something that was practically impossible to obtain privately, being a Formula 1 race car. But even more baffling was at least two scantily clad bunny girls posing very suggestively at each vehicle, drawing a huge crowd. A voice over large Stereo speakers advertised that this was the booth of the Nekomi Four Wheel Club, a safehaven for motorheads and car enthusiast. Most of the advertisement revolved around giving all new members a chance to ride with the bunny girls in the cars rather than the services it could give to motor heads. It sickened me but at the very least, I wanted to know how the club managed to get such fantastic cars. Moreover, I wanted to find out if the club's participants even knew how to maintain them, for those cars were definitely not something even a rich Japanese could own.
Just then however, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. Away from the commotion, there was a girl on a moped with a man talking animatedly with her. He seemed to be trying to convince her to go out with him in addition to discarding the old moped.
"Come on Satoko-chan, why continue riding that old dump when you can ride with me? It's no problem I assure you, everything I have is yours. You only have to ask. I can even get you a new vehicle to replace that," the man boasted blatantly. The moped was making odd noises, which I guessed must be a loose fuel injector but it didn't look like it was going to fall apart anytime soon. I shook my head as that man was obviously trying to buy his way into a date.
In a small voice, she said, "But this is my first moped, I bought it with my own money so I can't just leave it like that."
"It's only a moped. You don't have to worry about money anymore when you are me. You want a moped? I can get you ten mopeds to ride every day!" he said loudly.
At this point I realized I wasn't the only one interested in that conversation. Two hulking guys, as big as Kotaro and looked like American Biker gangsters were walking towards the two. Followed by a shorter ordinary looking guy who looked quite out of place next to the other two.
He gestured at the fleet of cars at the display. "You see the great supercars of my Four Wheel Club? Just point and it's yours! Come on Satoko, let's take a look!" and with that, he actually grabbed her hand and tried to pull her away. I fumed at this as the poor girl looked quite flustered and looked like she wanted to be anywhere but near that obnoxious guy at the moment. My intervention was not needed as the two Bikers instantly rushed over to the girl. Or rather to her moped.
"Den-chan, what do we have here? A moped in trouble!" one biker who had short cropped black hair and a moustache, wearing only a singlet, cargo pants and boots shouted as he examined the bike.
"OH MY LORD! WHAT TRAGEDY! DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?! MORISATO! WHAT IS IT THAT YOU SEE!" the other biker who had long blonde hair wearing black leather livery and sparkplugs as earrings, practically screamed.
The shorter guy looked closer at the moped then his eyes widened. "Masaka…. A classic 1980s Vespa Scooter!"
"And he wants to destroy it?! BLASPHEMY! AOSHIMA, YOU CALL YOURSELF CHIEF OF THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE CLUB AND TRY TO GET RID OF THIS CLASSIC?!" the long blonde one directed his ire to the smartly suited man.
He did not look pleased at their interference but defiantly said, "Why not? It's an old junk that no longer works, why should we keep it around? Old is old, and should be out."
The shorter one, called Morisato, knelt and took a look at the bike. "What the…. The sparkplug is just old and broken. Hmmmmm, Senpai, can you see if you have the same type of plugs here?"
The long blonde bent down and looked at the moped. "You're right…. It is just a broken sparkplug. Looks awfully like…. Like the ones I wear!" he exclaimed. Quick as lightning and without a second thought, he took out one of his sparkplug earrings, took out some tools out of his jacket and replaced the sparkplug in 30 seconds. I marveled at the man's mechanical expertise. The other girl was no less impressed when he said, "OK now, hope on and let's see how it goes."
She mounted the bike again and ignited it. The moped started up beautifully and so did the smile on her face. The suited guy on the other hand, looked flabbergasted and angry at being showed up.
"Thank you kind sirs for fixing my bike. If I can repay you…."
The two huge men immediately straightened themselves up, "Absolutely not. It's the objective of the Nekomi Motor Club to help a wheel in need," one said proudly.
"Exactly! All wheels regardless of age deserves respect and care!" the other said.
The shorter guy just smiled. "Normally we would but this week is orientation week. Our services are free to anyone, anywhere." His smile faltered. "Not that we manage to get payment anyway, most of the time our customers run off. Speaking of which, would you like to join our motor club?"
Her smile faltered. "I would love to but I'm afraid I have no interest in cars other than my moped. But I would be happy to direct others to you this week. You all seem to really know your way around cars. May I know your names?" she asked.
"Don't mention it. I'm Morisato Keichi These two are our club directors, Otaki Aoyama and Toraichi Tamiya. I'm just a regular member."
"AND OUR PRIDE AND JOY, NEKOMI MOTOR CLUB'S MOST TALENTED RIDER!" they both cried and to the little guy's horror, both of them embraced him like he was their own son, nearly crushing him.
"OK, I will be sure to refer my friends to you," she said.
"Bye! Our booth is over there!" Morisato gasped pointing at a rather small and discreet stall in the shade. She smiled then drove off.
As she drove off, an argument formed between the rich kid and the other three. As I listened, it became apparent that the Four Wheel Club was only recently formed by the rich kid called Aoshima who was attempting to stamp out the Motor Club for some reason, hence the elaborate display to lure everyone away from the Motor Club which was apparently much smaller and less known.
This little episode intrigued me to no end. I decided to test if the Motor Club people were as good as I saw and also give them a helping hand. Not to mention snub that arrogant Aoshima.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Are you sure you're ok with this? I am asking a lot of you," I asked as I started Bumblebee's engine.
"Why not? If you're going to study here, at least let me have a gauge on the sort of students in here. Anyway, you wouldn't be Kasumi if you didn't stop to give a helping hand," Bumblebee replied.
I smiled. "I have a feeling you won't regret this. Are you ready?"
"Ready for duty, sir!" he replied as though I was a general. I giggled then started driving towards the exhibition.
Outward, Bumblebee looked the same. Inside however, his engine was messed up, sputtering and spouting white smoke. I drove carefully through the crowd who again, stood and gawked at Bumblebee. Eventually we drove right past the Four Wheel Drive exhibition, who looked no less shocked at the sight of the Camaro. The Aoshima fellow was talking with a bunch of girls but his eyes nearly fell out as he saw Bumblebee. What was more shocking however, was seeing it drive past his stand altogether and stop in front of the small stand with a large banner containing the simple kanji of Nekomi Motor Club.
In addition to the three guys I saw earlier, there were three girls, a small girl wearing glasses who looked like she was still in junior high school, a smart looking girl who looked somewhat like Morisato and to my surprise, an exceedingly beautiful Caucasian girl with long flowing brown-golden hair sitting next to Morisato. All of them were shocked to see the Camaro stop in front of them. Shock turned to concern as they realized the smoke that was coming out of it. They saw my silhouette in the car but as the glass was tinted, could not make my face out. Quickly they hurried over to my driver's side and opened the door.
"Quickly miss, best you get out, there seems to be something wrong with your car!" the beautiful girl said as she took my hand and pulled me firmly out. None of them seem to note that I was a girl, the rest of them, including the other two girls, were popping the hood and inspecting the engine.
"I never thought I would see an American muscle car in my life time. A GMC CAMARO! This is a dream come true!" Otaki, the long blonde haired one said.
"A dream that could explode if we don't get it to the garage ASAP! MORISATO!"
"HAI!"
"TO THE TOW MOBILE!" Morisato disappeared at Amaguriken speed and less than a minute later, returned with a battered looking tow truck. The two men hooked up the Camaro and then one went into the Camaro to drive it while the other sat in the truck, which then drove away.
"Come on, we better follow them. From the look of your car, I think it's going to be here for a while," the beautiful girl said.
"Uhmmm, are you sure they know what they are doing?" I asked.
"Don't worry, they're very good mechanics and they love what they do. Their love will heal your machine and restore it anew," she said serenely.
I blinked. Why did I have the feeling I was speaking to my mirror image?
The girl led me to another part of the campus. The Motor Club had a very small clubhouse but next to it was a large garage that was litered with auto-parts everywhere. As soon as they reached it, the short haired man shouted and a bunch of other members poured out of the clubhouse and proceeded to follow the instructions of Morisato, Otaki and Tamiya to repair and service Bumblebee.
I quickly went up to the Morisato. "Anou, my car uses American parts, are you sure you can repair it?"
"Nah, don't worry about it. We raid junkyards all the time for spare parts and it just so happens that we actually found a half destroyed 1968 Camaro a couple of weeks ago. We managed to salvage most of its parts and from what I see there, we can use most of them to repair your car. You might want to take it to your auto dealer for a proper servicing though," he said confidently.
"Oh my, I thought I forgot to do something this month," I lied, feigning astonishment.
"It happens. Don't worry about it. Just give us half an hour and it'll be as good as new."
"Kei-chan! Get the mesh hose from the box at the back of the store!" the other woman who I guess was a relative of Morisato shouted, her face dirty with grease.
"OK Megumi!" he said and went off.
It was then I realized that the large crowd from before had followed us, and were observing the Motor Club people service the Camaro with skill and professionalism. To my trained eye, they were doing everything perfectly. The parts which Bumblebee had purposely 'broken' to simulate a damaged engine were being fixed and replaced appropriately. Their speed and expertise belied their humble appearances. Even the young girl with glasses seem to be infused with enthusiasm as she eagerly put her share of work in maintaining the car. The best part was, I wasn't the only one who noticed their skill: the others in the crowd were also gawking at the Motor Club members work more than the Camaro.
"Can I offer you some refreshment while you wait?" the girl said to me. I shook myself and smiled back at her.
"Thanks. By the way, may I know your name?"
"My name is Belldandy. I am also a member of the club," she said as she extended her hand in friendship, which I took in a firm handshake.
"Tendo Kasumi, a pleasure to meet you. You have no idea how glad I am for your help. I was just about to leave campus when it just started smoking. Then I remembered seeing your stall and hoped you could help," I said. Too late I realized a hole in my story: why would I go to ask a low profile club for help instead of the flash Four Wheel Club?
"Well you came to the right place. Now would you like some tea?"
"It's OK, I think I'll just wait and watch them finish…"
"FINISH!" I looked in disbelief at Bumblebee. Not only had he stopped smoking, somehow in my brief conversation with Belldandy, they had washed Bumblebee and given him wax job. His yellow paint job was now just blinding every one else in the noon sun, making them once again gawk at the beautiful American car. My heart jumped at the sight of Bumblebee lovingly restored only to perfection. I squealed and went to Bumblebee, shocking everyone by popping the hood and inspecting the engine. As expected, everything Bumblebee had broken was now repaired.
I whispered, "Bumblebee, are you alright…."
A low moan answered. "Oh yeah, baby, that's how you treat a car… Oh Kasumi, I haven't had this much care since I first met you. Of course you're touch is ten times better than these guys…" he quickly added.
I giggled. "So do you approve of this campus?"
"Approve? I endorse it!"
I closed the hood then went to Morisato and took out my purse.
"It's OK miss, it's orientation week and we don't accept payments…." he started to say.
"Nonsense, you fixed my car, and a foreign car at that. Your club is getting paid Mr. Morisato. I insist. And if I get accepted into Nekomi Tech, yours is the first club I'm joining," I declared, taking out 20,000 yen. They're eyes nearly popped out as I forced the money into Keichi's hands. I gave him a special smile and said, "Put it to good use. I got a feeling you'll need it for your new members."
With that, I quickly went into the Camaro and slowly drove off. Before any of them could return the money to me, they suddenly found themselves overwhelmed by the entire crowd who suddenly realized that these were real mechanical otakus. I smiled as I drove off but then stopped as someone was blocking me.
Aoshima was looking at me angrily. "I don't know who you are lady, but nobody shows me up, even if it a beautiful girl like you. I won't forgive you unless you let me take you out to dinner. Otherwise I'll ensure you never get accepted into this university," he said.
I looked around, making sure that nobody was looking at us. As it happened, everyone was focusing his or her attention on the Motor Club.
"Kasumi, may I dispose of him?" Bumblebee growled in a voice that Aoshima could hear. The rich kid looked around in shock as to where it came from.
I sighed. "Quickly do it, before somebody sees you."
"What are you URRRRRK!"
From the Camaro's left hand side, Bumblebee's arm transformed, reached forward and grabbed Aoshima and squeezed hard so that he couldn't breath or shout. Then he pulled his hand back and threw Aoshima far away, where he landed into a fountain. Quickly I drove the Camaro out of the campus into the open road less anyone else looked at us.
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Kasumi put her pen downward as she laughed at the memory of Aoshima sputtering as his Armani business suit was drenched in the fountain waters. She then resumed writing.
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As I've mentioned, despite the thorough servicing and examination Bumblebee received, by experienced mechanical otakus no less, they still couldn't tell that Bumblebee was an Autobot. They are really marvelous. They truly are robots in disguise.
That was six months ago. Nekomi was one of many universities I applied to. I should be getting a reply from them soon. I hope I can get into it, not just because of its engineering courses but also I'm very certain that I can find good friends and people there thanks to the passion of their Motor Club. My only trepidation is the fact that Belldandy seems to resemble me a little too much. Oh well, guess it means I have good chance of befriending her.
Oh my, look at the time, I haven't even done my shopping for dinner yet. Wow, I think this is the most I've written in quite a while. I 'will proofread this later. Until the next time, the adventures of Kasumi and the Autobots will continue!
Kasumi slapped herself. 'That sounded too much like an American Saturday morning cartoon. Oh my, Jazz's influence must really be rubbing off on me,' she thought to herself. She then went down to see the visitor.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Earlier that dayRanma, Akane, Nabiki, Ryoga, Ukyo, Shampoo, Mousse and Cologne looked at Kotaro. The cursed Autobot sighed as he was examined by each of the main characters of the Nerima Wrecking Crew. He wished he could have done this by himself without asking for aid, but he wanted the gift to be perfect. Despite living on Earth for more than fifty years, only nine months had been spent as a human, and most of it was to learn how to act like one. So he needed help. Now he had the seven best martial artists in Nerima along with one ice-queen in front of him.
Cologne rapped the pavement with her staff. "You do know this is the point of no return do you?"
"I do."
Ukyo grasped her battle Spatula. "You do know that we all love her with all our hearts and will not let anything happen to her?"
"I do."
Ryoga cracked his knuckles. "You do know I've killed a Decepticon with my bare hands before?"
"I do."
"You do know that if you screw up, we'll hunt you to the ends of the Earth?" Mousse snarled as out of every stuff space he possessed, his hidden weapons sprouted, making him a virtual human pincushion filled with weapons.
"I do."
Ranma punched into his hand. "You do know that our chi attacks can penetrate your armour?"
"I do."
"You do know that all I need to do is send a picture of you to the Americans and they'll come down on you regardless of your treaty with China and Japan," Nabiki said, crossing her arms.
"I do."
"Robot-man know Shampoo will smash Robot man if Robot-man betray no?" despite Shampoo's broken Japanese, her threat still chilled Kotaro's blood.
"I do."
Surprisingly, Akane asked the most important question, "You do know how much she loves you right?"
"I do."
The Nerima Wrecking Crew then withdrew their hostile gazes and weapons. Cologne went to Kotaro's side and then splashed him with hot water, turning him back into an Autobot. It was a tight squeeze but they managed to fit into the Camaro somehow which then drove off.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Later that day, at 8pm……..The family had just finished eating dinner and were now doing some of their normal activities before going to sleep. Soun and Genma were glued to the TV while Nabiki, Ranma and Akane would spend time doing their homework. Kasumi would normally join them but tonight was a special night…. it was the anniversary of the day she met Bumblebee as an Autobot, as well as the day she had first met the Autobots. Despite the circumstances of that day, or rather night, she had come to realise that if there was any time in her adventures that truly marked a new chapter in her life, it was that night.
She sighed as she didn't know whether to be disappointed or not she would be alone with Bumblebee tonight. She had earlier invited all of the Autobots for a drive out but somehow, all had declined, even Prowl who normally wouldn't be more than a kilometre away from her, saying he was investigating some yakuza outfit in Tokyo. She had not seen Optimus for sometime and was beginning to miss her gigantic old friend.
As Kasumi went out of her room, Nabiki walked up the stairs with a Pocky in her mouth and a bunch of other snacks in hand as she prepared for a late night study. She took one look at her and grimaced. "You know Kasumi, you should be glad Bumblebee is an alien and probably doesn't know what's attractive for humans. Otherwise he might be bored with that old housewife outfit," she said, referring to the clothes I was wearing, which happened to be what I wore the very first day I discovered him at the junkyard: a blue blouse covered with a yellow sweater and my usual long flowing, flowery skirt.
"Nabiki, beauty is only skin deep. Besides, it isn't as though we are going to a French restaurant or something. We're just going out for a drive."
"With such a big salary from the Amazons plus whatever was given to you as a reward for saving the world, the best thing you could think off to do is drive?" Nabiki held up her hands as Kasumi's smile began to curve downwards. "I'm joking Kasumi. To each their own. I'm just saying that for a night like this, you both should do something more special than driving around Tokyo at night."
"Nothing has been set in stone Nabiki. Besides, he did say that there would be a surprise tonight," her eyes suddenly shone. "I just hope it is a surprise visit from Optimus Prime. I haven't seen him in days."
Nabiki's right eyebrow rose. "The way you talk about Optimus, one would think you were having a love affair with both of them," she said just as she was halfway into her room.
"Nabiki!" Kasumi cried indignantly but it was too late: the middle Tendo sister had retreated into her room, shutting the door quickly behind her. Kasumi could still hear her sniggering behind it. She stood slightly miffed for a moment then shook her head as she went out of the house.
Just as she stepped out of the Tendo gate, the familiar black striped yellow Camaro drove up in front of her. The door opened for her and she gracefully sat in the passenger seat. Kasumi felt her heart quicken at the sight of Kotaro at the wheel, although she knew that it was a hologram. Nevertheless, she put her hand on his at the steering wheel, only for it to go through the hand itself and touch the steering wheel instead. The look on Kotaro's face definitely conveyed his pleasure though.
"Hi Kasumi. How was your day? Anything new happened today?" he asked.
"Oh nothing much. I decided to start writing my memoirs though. We've been through so much together but after one year, I discovered to my horror that I'm actually forgetting some of the details. I am only human and sad to say, we all tend to forget so I'm going to eventually write down about our first meeting in future. I don't have any pictures from before so my writings will have to do," Kasumi said.
Bumblebee chuckled as the Camaro drove off. "Well, they say the words on paper sometimes speak louder than pictures. But Kasumi, just so you know, all of us Autobots can store everything we see and hear for thousands of years. All we need to do is access our memories and play it out a you would from a video recorder. Do not worry Kasumi, your adventures with us will never be forgotten while one of us still live."
"Wow, that's a relief. Still, I think it will help me practise my writing skills before I get to college. I really hope I get into Nekomi Tech though, I get this feeling that I'm destined for that place for some reason," Kasumi said.
"For your sake, I hope so too. Those Motor Club people really seem trustworthy and I think I owe them a debt for servicing me so thoroughly."
Kasumi smiled. "The way you speak of them, I wonder why you think my touch is better than theirs."
"Kasumi, take into account the context. The Motor Club people are obviously motor heads. Their competent and excellent mechanical skills are to be expected of them. But you only bought the "Idiot's Guide to Cars" for one week yet managed to give me a servicing that is nearly at their level. That makes your touch that much more special, especially when you are a beautiful alien woman, not a bunch of geeky motor heads," Bumblebee explained.
The brown haired girl sighed. "In case you didn't notice, there was another beautiful girl over there as well. I think she really outdoes me."
Bumblebee snorted. "Beautiful she may be, kind and compassionate even. Not to mention an even better motorhead than you. But she isn't you Kasumi. You are Kasumi. And it is Kasumi that I love and I want to share that love with you forever."
Kasumi blushed and she thought her heart would burst out of her chest when he said that. It was all she could do to prevent herself from kissing Bumblebee right now. In retrospect, sleeping on the same bed with Kotaro probably wasn't a good idea. Although nothing had happened that night other than falling asleep contently embracing each other, it seemed like in every other date that followed, it was all they could do to NOT do what they had been craving of each other ever since that day. Despite knowing that their love was true on every level, Kasumi still had reservations of actually doing it until they were actually married. Fortunately, it seemed as though Bumblebee was of the same mind as he was never disappointed when she pulled away from him before they could do anything further: in fact he always seem relieved that Kasumi normally regained her sanity before both fell prey to their ….. animal instincts.
"Bumblebee, when are you going to stop shocking me with romantic lines that will melt me without warning?" Kasumi said softly.
"Until the day I die Kasumi," he replied quietly.
Both of them fell into a comfortable silence and Kasumi took the opportunity to look at where they were going. They were heading out of Tokyo unto the open road. It was then she realised that she still didn't know where they were going. She turned to look at Bumblebee but the hologram of Kotaro said, "Now now, don't spoil the surprise. Trust me Kasumi."
And so she kept quiet. Eventually, the Camaro went off the road into the country side. The girl felt a sense of deja-vu as they went off the road. Eventually they came to a spot where there was nothing but green grass all around, with the Japanese mountain range on the far horizon and the city of Tokyo far away in the other and stopped. But what was most startling and delightful to Kasumi was that due to the distance from the city, away from the smog and pollution that plagued Tokyo, the stars could be seen in all of their glory, thousands and thousands of stars dotted the night.
She stepped out of the car when Bumblebee opened the door for her. She then watched as the sleek yellow Camaro transformed into a tall and towering fifteen foot Autobot. Despite the darkness, illumination was provided via his head lights, which was at his chest. Even after one year, it never tired her to see the Autobots transformed. She sighed as she saw Bumblebee stretched himself and say, "Aaaaaaahhhhh…. it's good to be an Autobot again. Not that being human is uncomfortable, but this was the form I was born in and it is also the form that I met you," he said.
She smiled. "You know I've always thought you were good looking as an Autobot."
"I know," he replied as he sat down next to her. He then gently lifted her up so that she sat on his shoulder. Then he looked up to the stars.
"Do you recognise this place?" he asked.
The nagging feeling that she should know where they are intensified but she was ashamed to say that she couldn't remember. "I'm sorry Bumblebee, I can't say that I do."
"It's OK. There are no landmarks anyway to tell this place apart from the coordinates I memorised. This was the spot where I took you for a ride when Tofu first proposed to you," he said.
Kasumi's eyes widened. "Oh my, is this the place? I can't believe I forgot about it! It was the first time you took me out for a ride! I'm sorry Bumblebee," she said apologetically. "I never forgot about the beautiful song you sang to me though. Something about I had the touch, the power to be whatever I choose."
Bumblebee leaned his head against her. "A great song from a relatively unknown artist called Stan Bush. It was called "The Touch". Don't worry yourself for not remembering Kasumi. Remember, you were not exactly in your right mind at the time. I know it's corny but I thought you might want to come out at this very place and look at the very stars you saw that night and see how far you've come."
Kasumi sighed. "Was it really only a year ago? It seemed like such a long time ago that I saw an unknown car occupying my spot at the junkyard. Who knew I would actually fall in love with it, and that it would fall in love with me?"
"Only your God Kasumi, only your God," Bumblebee replied. Then he turned to Kasumi. "Kasumi, there's something I want to talk with you about," he said in grave voice that made Kasumi concerned.
"What is it Bumblebee? Is there something wrong?"
"Kasumi, Ratchet has been doing some research on the Jusenkyo curse. Though the effects of the curse is chaotic to say the least, Ratchet has made some very credible conclusions."
Kasumi found herself dreading Bumblebee's reply. "Is the curse going to affect you in some way negatively?"
"It depends on how you look at it. From my point of view, it is extremely beneficial. Either way the choice has already been made and I will bear the consequences with absolutely no regrets."
Bumblebee took a deep breath. "You may have realised, Cybertronians are extremely long lived. Optimus Prime is approximately twenty thousand of Earth's solar years and in Earth terms, is probably only middle aged. Kup who is the oldest, is only a few centuries older than Optimus. I myself am six thousand years old, much older than Earth's oldest civilisation which I believe to be the Mesopotamians. As a Cybertronian, we live extremely long lives and for me, I'm still considered at the prime of my life."
Kasumi's heart was filled with dread as she digested Bumblebee's revelation of Cybertronian longevity then connected it with his human cursed form. "But that means….. that you will live for much much longer than I will ever live. Humans only live seventy years on average. I'm twenty-one and if I'm lucky I'll probably live another sixty years. So that makes your human form essentially immortal. Which means……" she looked in horror at Bumblebee. "That I will leave you much sooner…………. " she whispered even as tears gathered in her eyes.
The yellow Autobot was about to say something further but then Kasumi threw herself at his head. "Bumblebee, I know that you love me with all your heart and I do too. But please, don't say that you will never love again after I'm gone. You are blessed with a long life, and you will need to spend it with someone. I can only give you love for a short time. I would understand if you find someone that you can love and love you back after my death. I don't want you to spend the rest of your long life alone…. I just want you to be happy…..," she cried.
Bumblebee placed a hand on Kasumi's back and stroked her. To her shock, tears also began to flow from the Autobot's eyes. "My dear Kasumi….. thank God for you, you truly are the greatest treasure on this Earth…." he whispered, which only made Kasumi hug him tighter.
Then he said, "But you really shouldn't jump into conclusions before hearing the whole story."
She became puzzled and pulled herself back to looked at Bumblebee. "What do you mean?"
"As I was saying, it is true Cybertronian lifespan lasts tens of thousands of years. However, the curse of Jusenkyo seems to have an affect even on the normal form of the cursed individual. After months of testing the effects of my human form on the Cybertronian form, Ratchet was able to make a conclusion."
"My Cybertronian body is ageing at the same rate as my human form whenever I am a human."
Kasumi became shocked. "What do you mean? That… that you will grow older….. that you now have the lifespan of a human? That even in your Cybertronian form…. You will age and die like a human?" she whispered.
"As long as I stay in human form, my Cybertronian form will age at its rate. Similarly if I stay in Cybertronian form, my human body will never age as fast as a normal human. In other words………. I can live and die with you……" he said softly.
The Tendo girl was shell shocked to say the least. Not only had Bumblebee sacrificed his body for her, he had just given up his immortality as well. "Bumblebee, I'm so sorry… I should have know the consequences of loving you….. that you would pay more dearly for our love than I…… we must find Cologne for a cure to reverse the curse….."
Bumblebee placed a finger on Kasumi's lips. "Kasumi, earlier I told you the news could be viewed in different ways. And in my opinion, it is beneficial."
"Immortality is a curse Kasumi. I have been lonely for five thousand of years and the prospect of living the rest of eternity alone and hunting Decepticons, is depressing to say the least. Knowing that I will go on forever and ever, without Ariel by my side…... Humanity is truly blessed with the ability to age and die Kasumi. It inspires them to live out their short lives to the fullest because for your race, the time if finite. That is the strength of humanity, a strength that I now have the privilege of sharing."
"But Bumblebee… this isn't fair…. For you, I mean, there's so much more you can do and you choose to spend it with me?" she whispered.
The Autobot then became angry at Kasumi for the first time since their meeting and took her from his shoulder to the ground then stood up to tower over her. "God damn it Kasumi, why do you have to belittle yourself every single time?! Can't you give yourself even a little bit of credit for saving the world, humanity and Cybertronians? Is it so hard to take a little bit of pride in yourself?" he said angrily at Kasumi even as tears still leaked from his eyes.
It hurt Kasumi that Bumblebee was angry at her but she still said, "Please Bumblebee, I'm sorry. Don't be angry. I love you but I don't want you to throw away the rest of your life just because of me…."
"It's my life and if I choose to cut it down by a million yeas to live sixty years with you, that's fine by me! Kasumi, for the ten thousandth time, I love you! I want to grow old with you! I wish to spend the rest of my life with you! I want you to have my children! I want to be your husband! I want to marry you!"
Kasumi would never have thought that an Autobot could turn pale, but she could have sworn that against the bright headlights of Bumblebee's chest, the striking yellow Autobot's armour had turned several shades lighter even as a look of horror replaced his angry look. Then Kasumi found herself also drained of blood as the words that came out of Bumblebee's vocal processors finally registered in her human brain. Both of them suddenly found the ground very interesting to look at.
Kasumi was the first to recover. "You really mean it? You want to live the short life of a human… to be married to me?"
Bumblebee fidgeted with his feet. "Yes Kasumi, I want to. Damn, that came out pretty well. Oh well, may as well get this over with before you start doubting yourself again Kasumi." From his right hand, a compartment opened and he took two things from it. One was a special bottle of held both hot and cold water in separate sections. The other….. was a small velvet covered box.
She could not believe her eyes as Bumblebee splashed himself and in a golden glowing flash that lasted perhaps thirty seconds, became Minami Kotaro. Luckily there was a full moon and both of them could clearly see each other in the bright moonlight. The tall and handsome human form of her first love then went up to her and knelt on one knee.
"Kasumi, I'm tired of reiterating why I am doing this. You know as well as I do the circumstances that have brought us here. So I'll get straight to the point."
"Kasumi, will you marry me?" he said as he opened the velvet box to reveal a ring…. a diamond ring.
The right person finally asked the question that Kasumi had waited for all of her life. This was enough to threaten Kasumi to unconsciousness. The moonlight only made the kneeling figure all the more surreal and it was all Kasumi could do to convince herself that this was indeed, NOT a dream. Two conflicting thoughts warred with each other: one was her usual ultra-humble personality which would forever say that she was unworthy of anything other than life as a submissive housewife to her chaotic family, while the other was the confident and strong spirit that had enabled her to fight the Decepticons and face Megatron's wrath.
In the end, the strong spirit one. Tears of pure joy replaced the shameful ones and before Kotaro knew what was happening, the Tendo sister had thrown herself at him, crashing both of them to the ground with her on top. Before he could ask for her answer, he found Kasumi's lips on his and the Tendo sister promptly began to devour it. For a moment, both lost control as they kissed each other hungrily like the first night they had met as humans. Both were lost at that moment of passion and it was a wonder to some nearby spectators that the two didn't consummate their love right there and now.
Eventually both were tired out and broke the kiss. Kasumi stared dreamily at Kotaro and giggled as she saw that the cursed Autobot seemed literally starstruck as he stared straight ahead to the stars with a stupid smile on his face. Eventually, he recovered his senses and was about to say something when Kasumi put a finger on his lips.
"In case that action wasn't clear enough, the answer is yes. Yes. Yes. Yes Bumblebee. Yes yes yes yes…." she said continuously amidst the still flowing tears.
Kotaro managed to push both himself and Kasumi to a sitting position and embraced her. "Thank you Kasumi, for being my confidante, my friend, my love….. my wife." Wordlessly, he pulled away from her then took her left hand in his. Miraculously, through out their make-out session, he did not loose grip on the ring box and it hadn't come out of it either. Kasumi watched with unbridled joy as he slipped it into her ring finger. The simple yet elegant design seemed to shine brilliantly as she held her hand up against the moonlight.
"Oh Bumblebee, it's so beautiful…. It's perfect," Kasumi whispered. Then she placed held both of Kotaro's hands in hers. "Bumblebee, Minami Kotaro. I love you," and then she kissed him again. This time it was gentle, soft, loving.
"Wwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh! My baby Kasumi is getting married!" a very familiar cry was heard.
Both of them were startled as they heard the cry but as they looked around, nothing could be seen but the dark field. Then out of the darkness, the voice of Prowl said, "TENDO SOUN YOU IDIOT! WE BRING YOU OUT HERE TO SEE YOUR DAUGHTER'S GREATEST MOMENT AS A COURTESY AND NOW YOU DISRUPT IT!"
"Uh Prowl, I think they heard you too," the soft voice of Hound could be heard even as he tried to whisper.
A deep sigh from a voice Kasumi loved almost as much as Bumblebee's was heard. "They can hear you too Hound, so I think we better drop the facade or face Kasumi's wrath later. Hound, disengage illusion."
"Acknowledged Prime."
The scenery to the north of the couple seemed to shimmer and all of a sudden, where there was once empty grass and space, there were nine huge figures in addition to eleven human figures in the dark. Their eyes widened and then were blinded as light shone from the head lights of nine Autobots and illuminated the couple. They also saw Ranma, Akane, Nabiki, Ryoga, Ukyo, Cologne, Shampoo, Mousse, Soun, Genma and Nodoka.
Optimus Prime and Elita One were sitting cross-legged on the ground leaning against each other and sighing as though they were watching an Oscar winning drama. Hound was flat on his front with his head propped up with his elbows with a dreamy look on his face. Jazz was sitting cross legged on top of Hound's back and appeared to be munching purple glowing popcorn out of a huge bag with alien runes that said "Energon Goodies" if Kasumi could read Cybertronian. He looked like he was enjoying a great movie. Leaning against his shoulder was Arcee, who was silently crying tears even as she reached into Jazz's goodie bag. Prowl was the only one standing rigidly at stiff attention, as though he expected a Decepticon to disrupt the moment as well. The other three Autobot veterans looked as though they were doing their best not to do an imitation Niagara Falls but eventually joined Soun in it.
Nearly all of them had been reduced to tears at some point. Even Saotome Genma was crying as he comforted his friend. Apparently the mushiness of the situation was enough to reduce even the conniving Saotome to tears. Once again the Nerima Wrecking Crew became the Nerima Crying Crew as even the men shed tears even as they held on to each other, Ryoga, Ranma and Mousse in a rare moment of brotherhood.
Both of them looked at each other. Instead of being annoyed at the intrusion into their privacy, both of them laughed and rejoiced at the presence of their friends and family. Now everybody would be able to remember this happy moment in their lives. They both stood up and walked towards Optimus Prime and Tendo Soun, who was standing near the Autobot leader. In contrast to the living water fountain, the smile on Optimus' face was like a blazing sun that filled Kasumi's heart with warmth and happiness. He stood up then knelt on one knee to bring his face closer to the ground.
She went to the Autobot leader, her eyes shining as she stood next to Kotaro. "Optimus Prime, did you know about this? Do you consent to our union even knowing what would happen to Bumblebee?"
"Kasumi, I have wished you joy since the day we met. It gladdens my heart to see the final act of love between you two. As for the consequences, well, I released Bumblebee from his oath of service to the Autobots before he came back to Earth Kasumi. He is free to live his life without being honour bound to me and the Autobots. I am no longer his leader Kasumi, merely his mentor and I hope, his friend, now and forevermore," Optimus said.
Elita also added, "As do the rest of us, Kasumi," she said, gesturing to the rest of the Autobots.
Kotaro smiled and said, "Prime, Elita, you don't need to do anything like that. Even now Optimus, you are still my leader and I will follow you in times of need. With Kasumi's consent of course." Kasumi nodded at this.
"Then in the name of Kasumi's God, we bless your marriage," both of them said as Optimus placed a hand on Kasumi;s shoulder while Elita placed her hand on Bumblebee's.
Kasumi threw herself at Optimus' head and hugged it, kissing him at the same time. Optimus sighed contently and closed his eyes as he allowed Kasumi to do so. "Thank you Optimus. You are much my father as anyone else and I love you as much," she said as she released Prime's head. She then looked at Elita joyfully but words were not needed as the two women shared their joy.
"Waaaaghhhh! My daughter is disowning me!"
"Shut up you idiot," Jazz and Arcee shouted and was about to punch Soun into the LEO when Kasumi walked up to her father with Kotaro.
"Father, you will always be my father and I will always love you. Optimus may act like a father to me, maybe even a better one than you ever were. But nothing will replace you. Father, I have rarely asked anything of you but I ask it now…. I wish for your blessing and consent, to give me away in marriage to Bumblebee, also known as Minami Kotaro of the planet Cybertron."
All eyes were on the Tendo patriarch. Soun gulped as he felt their stares (and at least one death glare from Prowl) as he suddenly became the centre of attention. As always, his cowardly nature threatened to overcome him with fear and run away without making any major decision as he always did since his wife died. Fortunately, he had been through numerous…… 'counselling sessions' with the Autobots since the dinner. If nothing else, the consequences of running away frightened him more than making a proper decision.
On the other hand, a part of Soun rejoiced that someone had just proposed to Kasumi, but that someone, despite being an alien, had undisputedly proved his love to his daughter.
The tears stopped flowing and the Tendo patriarch drew himself to his full height. He then took his daughter's hand and to the wonder of all, took Kotaro's hand in the other and brought both of them together.
"My daughter, receive my consent, and my blessing," he said
The whole group suddenly exploded with cries of "YYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAA! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! AAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLRIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHTTTTTTTT HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLUUUUUUUYYYYYYAH!" Kasumi and Kotaro smiled as they saw their entire family burst into joy and celebration.
Then Elder Cologne said, "Needless to say, this calls for a celebration. Everyone, I suggest we go to the Amazon embassy for a party! Believe me, I've been stocking up a good amount of liquor for this joyous occasion."
"Did somebody say liquor? Praise the Lord! I hope you've got the best vintage Cologne," Kup rubbed his hands in glee.
"Nothing but the best, for our friends from the stars," Cologne said.
Optimus smiled and said, "Then it is settled. Autobots, transform, and roll for home!"
All of the Autobots transformed into their vehicle modes and the NWC boarded them as they did so. Kotaro was about to splash himself to turn back into an Autobot but Optimus Prime stopped him. "Bumblebee, tonight is your night. Let us be your ride for once."
Kasumi said, "Optimus, I love Bumblebee's form as much as I love Kotaro. If it pleases him, I would like to drive him home." She looked lovingly at Kotaro.
"Well, I probably won't be an Autobot for a long time. And it has been ages since we rolled out together, all of us as an Autobot convoy. You know what, I'm willing to bet that's why that kid in Nerima keeps calling you Convoy, because as our leader, you are always leading our convoy of vehicles," Kotaro said to Optimus, whose eyes widened in revelation. Then he smiled and said, "Hmmm, now that I know what it means, I actually like it. I really must find that kid and give him a nice toy one of these days, maybe one in my likeness."
"In the meantime, I would be honoured to roll out with you old friend."
"Acknowledged Prime," Kotaro said. He searched for the water container he had dropped earlier but Kasumi had already picked it up. She then moved away slightly and splashed him with hot water. As always, it marvelled her that the transformation of Bumblebee into either human or Autobot form was always followed with a slow transformation which Bumblebee would be engulfed in bright golden light then shrunk or grown into the appropriate size. This time it was a human expanding into a fifteen-feet tall robot. In her eyes, there was no difference between the two even as Bumblebee transformed into the Camaro along with Optimus Prime.
For the second time since his return, he opened up the driver's door and said, "Drive me, Kasumi." Kasumi silently sat in the driver's seat and for a moment, pressed her head against the steering wheel.
"I love you Bumblebee," she whispered.
"And I you," he whispered back. Then he started up his engine and Kasumi took control. With a burst of joy and happiness, she launched Bumblebee forward at a speed of sixty kilometres an hour and rising, followed by the rest of the Autobots.
As they raced and drifted through the highway, then through the streets of Tokyo, a great song played from Bumblebee's radio….
Put your faith in what you most believe in,
Two worlds, one family
Trust your heart
Let fate decide
To guide these lives…
Guides these lives we see!!!!
Put your faith in what you most believe in!
TWO WORLDS! ONE FAMILY!
The End
Author's notes
Well, if I never completed anything in life, at least this story is one thing I've completed. A story of armies of light, soldiers of darkness, of love, peace, and redemption. I can't believe it! I've completed my first fan fiction! Haleluyah! Praise the Lord!
Damn, now that I've finished this, I don't know what to say….. one of the reasons I didn't update for so long was because I guess I was afraid to end this, that it means the end of my reviews unless I continue Forging Our Own Destinies, which at the moment, I still have writer's block.
This is the last chapter to the "More than meets the eye" story, barring Barricade's omake. I did promise a Credits Page to show who inspired me in what. Believe me, a lot of things changed from the original idea thanks to all of your contributions. It might make you all happy to know that all of you played some small part in making this story great. And I promise to thank you all properly then. But for now, it's getting late especially since I took special pains of proofreading this a couple of times. So I can't make this chapter longer than it already is. Still I wish to thank you for all of your support, not least a certain sithlord and Isumo out there. Proper credits and gratitude to be written out later. As well as my future projects.
Thanks everyone. Goodnight and may the Lord bless you all and keep you all close to his heart.