A/N: I would like to thank Vanessa Masters for contributing another several scenes and ideas to this story and the incredibly punny title!

And I forgot to mention, there's this fanart Flower Card X Hot Shot by Amenoosa that was done as a commission!


Chapter 30: Seeking Sandctuary

(Alternative Title: A Puzzle With A Few More Pieces Added)


Perhaps a wise choice, Rachel decided to wait until the morning, when Rad's ankle had been looked at and cast, and Rachel's lungs were declared clear of water (plus having packed up and took everyone home) that Rachel stared down at a yellow plush toy, her gaze cloudy as she tried to process the fact this thing was talking and could move and was real. It was all real-

Rachel coughed, her eyes narrowing. "What are you?" she wanted to make sense, and to do that meant starting at the obvious.

Kero's brow twitched, but Rad narrowed his eyes at him, and the plush toy sighed heavily. "I'm the Beast of the Seal. I was in the Sakura Book, along with the cards."

Rachel flinched at the mention of it. "You mean…you know who I am?"

"Well, I was there." Kero said snippy, but Rad scowled at him outright. Beside him, High Wire crossed his arms just as disapprovingly. The guardian glared back at them, but crossed his arms too. "Yes, I knew who you were. I thought keeping it to myself about what happened would…wouldn't stress you out, Rad. I-I was wrong…about a lot, it seems." He looked down, eyes sorrowful, but then he looked at Rachel seriously. "Do you remember what you did?"

"Kero!" Rad snapped, but Rachel held up her hand.

"I…sort of." Rachel admitted. "I always tried to pretend that…that it didn't happen. That I just dreamed the whole thing, that it was just a nightmare." She took a deep breath. "I believed it so much I thought it could be true, but then High Wire showed up and…it just started to come back to me.

"And finding that book, seeing it again just made it feel more real-I'll admit it, I hated the thought of magic because I didn't want it to be real," Rachel's hands clenched, digging into her knees, "that what I saw couldn't be." She whispered.

Rad stared at her, brow furrowed. "What…are you talking about?"

Rachel breathed in deep again, and her eyes turned to High Wire. "We met him before; I don't how, or why, but when we were young, something with those cards happened, and…we just appeared before him."

High Wire looked down, beeping softly. "Yes, I thought you didn't remember me. Rad didn't seem to know who I was, so I assumed you blocked it out too."

Rad looked between them, his chest tightening. "You all know these things, and no one ever thought I might like to know?" he asked, panic rising in his face. "I've been nearly killed, and never knew why; I was drawn to High Wire, and never knew why. Why am I the last to know?" he buried his face in his hands. "This is payback, for keeping all these secrets."

"I made my choice, because I thought it was keeping you from doubting yourself." Kero said, but Rad shook his head.

"I guess now it doesn't matter." He pulled out the pink key, holding it to his chest. "I-I don't want to give this up though. It's dangerous, it's really dangerous, but this is my duty-"

"Rad-" Rachel tried, but her cousin shook his head.

"No, you…you had your chance, and you rejected them." He whispered, and Rachel flinched. "I'm…not mad at you, because you were scared and made a mistake, but I'm the one who has to deal with it. Just…I just need more time to think about it-I think you two have a lot to talk over."

"Rad-" Rachel said, but the boy hobbled to his room, High Wire following him. The blonde looked down at her lap, the apartment feeling closed in and suffocating. "I think I need some time to myself too. This…is a lot." She said, agreeing with that at least.

"Yeah, I…guess it is." Kero agreed. "I'm…going to eat something now." He said uncomfortably, and floated over to the fridge, struggling to take a piece of brownies from it.

Rachel narrowed her eyes, taking in the guardian. "Have-have you been the one eating all our food?"

Kero froze. "Um, just the sweet stuff."

Rachel shook her head. "I'm going out to clear my head." She said, and grabbed her phone as she made her way out of the apartment. Her chest felt tight, heavy as she trekked down the hall to the elevator, and sighed as she pushed the button to the ground floor, and felt the guilt gnaw at her.


"Things are much more dangerous than even I anticipated." Optimus said heavily, looking around at the other Autobots gathered in the command center, with Maya back in her regular form.

"I'll say, some card tried to kill Rachel and Alexis, and broke Rad's ankle." Hot Shot said.

"Fractured." Red Alert corrected him, but Hot Shot only scowled at him instead of snapping back.

"What are we supposed to do?" Smokescreen asked. "We can't exactly do much, can we?" he paused, scratching his head. "Or…Hot Shot, what did you do when you fought that dragon thing?"

Hot Shot vented, feeling Create pulse. "Not much, really." He admitted. "I only latched onto it, and it tried to fling me off until Rad had sealed it. I was more of a distraction than an actual threat to Create, and Sword did the work with Shield."

"So, we can deal with Decepticons, but we're useless against these cards." Sideways said neutrally. "And just barely dealing the 'Cons at that."

"Well, we did get the mini-con last time. Spiral, right?" Smokescreen asked.

Hot Shot nodded. He remembered because Oval had been ecstatic to see her, even if she was still miffed about being rough handled. "Though that was only because this really weird thing happened." He looked a little worried, and glanced at Sideways. "There was this mech there looking for you. He seemed really intent on finding out where you were; red, blue, gray, visor-ringing a bell?"

"Decal." Sideways said, though he sounded unsurprised. "I had thought I lost him, but apparently he managed to track me down."

"You sound really unconcerned about having a stalker who seems like he wants to kill you." Smokescreen said.

Sideways shrugged. "I've always managed to give him the slip before. I can do the same here."

"Still, this Decal knows you have joined up with us, so we'll be prepared in case he decides to try and attack during another mini-con retrieval." Optimus said.

Sideways glanced to the side for a moment, but nodded eventually. "Very well then."

As if on cue, the mini-con alarm blared overhead, and Maya brought up the feed from where the signal was located. She tilted her head at the image of a vast desert.

"That is a lot of sand." She murmured. She shook her head. "The mini-con will be in this location, good luck."


Rad stared at the ceiling, frowning as he felt uneasy and closed his eyes, holding the key around his neck. He couldn't believe this, his head reeling as he felt his ankle throb to remind him of his last outing to catch a card. How different would things be if it were Rachel? Rad curled slightly on his side, carefully avoiding jostling his ankle. He knew High Wire was there, but didn't look at him. High Wire had kept things from him, just like Kero, and…Rachel.

He didn't want to be mad, and he wasn't. Rad was upset, but it left him drained and filled with doubt once more. Now that the rush of adrenaline from dealing with Watery was done, everything had time to settle, and stew in his head. To know that just from some twist of fate that it was him doing this because Rachel had rejected the cards – he was the target to vent their anger at, even if they understood he wasn't the one who wronged them.

Rad curled tighter into himself. 'I don't want to be mad, I don't want to be mad.' He repeated to himself. His eyes slowly closed, and felt a strange detachment come over him. It was a weird feeling, as though something grainy was going through his mind.

When Rad opened his eyes, he shot up, and stared at the surrounding area, knowing he definitely wasn't in his room. He was by a school, and a soft whoosh-ing sound drew his attention. He struggled to his feet, and was amazed his ankle didn't hurt as he walked around the school wall. He stopped short, his heart racing as he stared at the giant sand pit in front of him. It was a raging whirlpool, covering the whole of a field.

A shadow passed overhead, and his gaze followed it up to the sky - his eyes widened again. A long staff with two giant wings flew overhead, but what caught his attention most was not the staff, but the two figures on it. He could not make out their features, because they were covered by a blurry effect almost, and he felt frustrated as he could see his predecessor. She was right there and he couldn't even look at her-

Rad gasped, sucking in a deep breath as he found himself lying on his bed once more. His ankle throbbed, as though just to remind him of it, and he rubbed a hand over his face. 'I can't believe it.' he thought, the dream dulling in his mind, but he still remembered that shadowed form flying on the staff. 'Why can't I just see her?'

His room felt suffocating, and Rad got off his bed, grabbing his crutches as he began hobbling to the door. "I need to go out, don't wait up, High Wire."

The mini-con beeped softly, and Rad stopped when the bot grabbed his shoulder. "I really am sorry, but I thought you just didn't want to say anything, and so…I didn't either. It's…not really an excuse for never bringing it up, and I truly apologize for never telling you."

Rad breathed in deeply, only nodding as he shrugged off the mini-con's hand. He felt the guilt and sadness, and his chest tightened. "Like I said, I just need to go out, to have time to think by myself."

"Don't hesitate to call." High Wire called after him.

"Sure." Rad muttered, and didn't glance at Kero, but paused when he found the door locked.

"Rachel went out too; she needed to think about this all." He said.

The blond let out a bitter chuckle. "I guess we both had the same idea."

Kero floated up to him, brow scrunch worriedly. "Are you sure you should be on your leg? What if-"

"I'll be fine." Rad said swiftly, but his voice never rose. Kero still flinched like it had, and Rad looked down. "I…I still have the number for the Autobots. They may be uneasy about me, but at least they would come and get me."

Despite the heaviness in the air, Kero couldn't help teasing him, nudging him in the shoulder. "You mean Sideways would."

Rad's cheek turned pink, though he wasn't quite sure why the tone made him flustered. It made his stomach twist in the same way when he looked at Marty. "I have to go, lock the door." He said, and made his way out of the apartment.


Walking through the park, Rachel ignored her phone as it vibrated, knowing it was incredibly rude, but didn't want to bother Stella with her problems – which weren't exactly anything she could just come out and say. Sighing, Rachel sat on the bench in the park with a perpetually downcast expression, but she was startled by a voice speaking out to her.

"Now, now; what's got such a pretty, young lady like yourself so glum on such a beautiful day?"

Rachel looked up sharply, and saw a woman dressed in a long, encompassing trench coat, with a wide brim hat on her head, and Rachel was alarmingly reminded of the blonde woman, Sierra, for some reason. But when the woman lifted the brim, and Rachel noticed she was completely different; her expression was warmer, and her lips were formed into a wide smile that reached her glimmering violet eyes. Rachel figured the was wearing contacts, but she felt comforted by the softness in them.

"Oh, sorry, did I startle you?" The woman laughed, and shook her head. "I apologize, I have that effect on people."

Rachel shook her head with a small smile. "No, it's fine I just...was focused on something else." She said, haltingly and nervous.

"I can see that, may I sit?" The woman gestured to the bench.

Rachel nodded, and the woman sat down, crossing her legs daintily as she pulled off her hat, revealing a waterfall of long, black hair that flowed down to her shoulders. Rachel was amazed by how glossy it looked.

"Mmm, a day like this, you see the sun shining, the blue sky, smell the fresh air and can't help feeling overjoyed." The woman turned with a thoughtful stare at Rachel. "But that doesn't seem to be the case with you, my dear." The woman frowned slightly, nodding at Rachel. "Why is that?"

Rachel sighed, and she wondered if it was a genuine inquiry. "It wouldn't do any good to tell you, wouldn't want to bother you with my troubles."

"Oh no, I believe just talking about a problem helps to clear the mind to figuring out how to solve it." The woman said. "And really, you don't have to give me details, and while I'm not a priest or a therapist; you can consider this completely confidential."

The playful smile, and chuckle from the woman had an odd effect on Rachel, and she couldn't figure out if taking up the offer was a good one...but she doubted she'd see this woman ever again. Sighing once more, Rachel decided to go for it.

"I just...I made a huge mistake, a while back. And now, I learn I have- had - this choice, this responsibility. And now, it's forced onto my cousin, and he has no choice but to finish it." Rachel said, her stomach twisting. She had no idea if there had even been a choice in the first place. "He shouldn't have to do that, I'm the older one, I'm supposed to be looking out for him while his parents are away, and now I see that I can't even do that right."

Rachel rubbed her face wearily. "And now he's been put into this position, and I don't know what to do. But I know he feels...important for it. I feel guilty he's doing this, that he's paying for my mistake, and I don't know what to do." She clenched her fists on her knees, looking down at the ground.

A hand landed on her shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly, and Rachel looked up at the woman in surprise. "I understand how you feel," the woman sighed with a sad smile, "I too felt like I failed in a responsibility with a cousin once. But you can't let it get you down, my dear." She tilted her head, looking thoughtful.

"It might just be a hapless suggestion, but what you could do to help is learn your skills - whatever they are - and be there for your cousin. Support him in this, and while I don't know what the issue is between you both, perhaps try and work through it. As long as he's aware you'll be there for him, I'm sure whatever hurdles he's facing will be that much easier to cross." The woman gestured outward to the expanse of the area. "Sometimes, life throws stuff at us, and whenever we get knocked out, it's how we change, adapt, and transform from the incident that determines our future."

The woman suddenly pulled Rachel into a tight, warm hug before standing up, shocking Rachel as she blinked at her. "You just focus on what you got, and how that can be put to good use for your family." The woman gave her a bright smile. "And I'm sure whatever you and Rad come across, you'll get through it together."

Rachel smiled, feeling the guilt gnawing at her heart, but when the woman walked away, a realization hit her. "Wait...how did she know his name was Rad!?" she asked, eyes widening and hurried to stand, looking around. "Uh, miss!" she yelled out and when she caught sight of the woman, Rachel chased after her, but the woman walked behind a large tree and out of sight.

The minute Rachel turned to go behind the tree, she was startled when a purple dragonfly flew at her face. The blonde waved her hands with a squawk of surprise as she tried to swat it, but saw the thing buzz away, and when she got her heart to stop beating rapidly, she turned and didn't see the woman at all. "Okay, this is...getting even weirder." She murmured, and rubbed her arm, feeling an odd tension in the air, but when her phone rang again, she decided to stop ignoring it.

The blonde pulled out her phone, and bit her lip. "Hey, Stella. Sorry I've been ignoring you, I…I've just been going through something. It's been a long two days for me."

"Want to talk about it?" Stella asked.

Rachel tilted her head, but smiled faintly. "If you don't mind."

"Of course not, I've got a fifteen-minute break, I'm all yours."

Rachel blushed. "You work on the weekend? Is it still Friday where you live?"

Stella snorted inelegantly. "You're only two hours ahead; I'm taking an extra shift to pay for more oil." She said.

Rachel rubbed the back of her neck, and nodded. "I see." She said, but rather than talk about her problems, she found her chest unwinding further just listening to the other woman's voice. 'I can't believe how fast I'm falling here.'


Rad made his way down the street, hobbling on his crutches as he was now acutely aware of how Rachel must have felt when she needed them. He hoped his parents wouldn't blame her for this, even if Carlos and Alexis' parents seemed split on whether Rachel counted as a 'responsible adult' anymore. She had brought them home at least instead of staying out the whole weekend, so that must have kept some of her points with them.

Rad continued on, avoiding looking at anyone the more he walked, and found going out had just made his head foggier, not cleared it with the stares he was getting. It wasn't a big town, and he knew by Monday everyone would know about this. 'Just great.' He thought sarcastically. He stopped by the bakery, but flinched when the door opened and almost hit him – again.

And just like last time, Kelly's expression scrunched in concern. "Why is it every time I see you that you're always hurt?"

Rad shrugged. "Just unlucky." He said, and saw she was still holding the door open. "You with your uncle again?"

"No, my mom wanted to get a dessert for our family dinner tonight." Kelly said.

Rad nodded, but stiffened when Kelly's mother came out holding a box. He had seen the woman from a distance, but up close he realized how similar she and Kelly looked, excepting that Kelly had brown eyes while the woman's were a vivid green, her face framed by bangs while the rest of her hair was set in a braid that hung over her shoulder.

The woman tilted her head, glancing from Rad to Kelly. "Who's this, dear? A friend from school?"

Kelly blushed lightly. "Yes," she said and rubbed her arm, "this is Alexis' friend Rad."

"Oh, yes, now I remember," Mrs. Li smiled, a teasing edge in her voice, "you're the one who took Kelly on a date."

Rad glanced down, and saw Kelly turning red. "It wasn't a date, Mrs. Li." He mumbled, while Kelly muttered an embarrassed Mom at the woman.

Though Kelly did look concerned, and bit her lip. "So I guess this means you can't go to my aunt's classes anymore?"

"I suppose not," Rad said, and glanced away, "though I don't think I'd have been very good at it anyway."

"That's not true." Kelly replied, and clasped her hands. "I could show you some stances, just to help you catch up!" she flushed, and rubbed her arm. "Uh, would that be okay with you, Mom, if Rad came over?"

The older woman raised a brow, looking gently amused. "I see no problem with this, but perhaps Rad should get permission first."

"It's fine." Rad said quietly. "I can just call for a ride back home."

"Well, alright then." The woman said, and Kelly beamed. "Rad, do you want help?"

The blond furrowed his brow, but shook his head. "No, I can manage." He said, and followed the two to a car just at the curb. He got into the backseat, while Kelly took the other side and the cake got the passenger seat. "You sure you don't want the front?" he asked curiously.

Kelly blinked and her cheeks flushed deeper. "I'm fine."

Rad shrugged, and held his crutches while keeping his foot aloft to avoid jostling it when they hit a bump or a pothole. His eyes were drawn to the house at the end of the town line, knowing that it was Kelly's house, but that it was only the second time he stopped by it.

The three of them got out of the car, and Rad hobbled up the patio, nervous as he realized something important. "Is...your dad home?"

Kelly blinked, and waved her mother on as the woman glanced back. "Are you still scared of him?"

"Well, Alexis said he wasn't scary but…" Rad trailed off, thinking of the last time he came here.

"Don't worry, Dad's not here right now. He went out to get dinner." Kelly said.

Rad nodded, though that was not comforting since it meant he'd be coming back. He only nodded though, and followed her inside the house. His small glance inside hadn't done justice during his glimpse before. It was decorated nicely, but what drew his gaze immediately was the mantle and the glass case on it. Inside were two teddy bears, side by side with black glass eyes, while one had a set of wings.

"You like them?" Kelly asked, and Rad glanced at her. She flushed, and pointed to the one with wings. "That's Sakura," she gestured then to the other one, "and that's Syaoran. My parents made them for each other."

"Oh, well that's nice." Rad said, and furrowed his brow when he saw something on the coffee table. His stomach dropped when he saw the title 'Sakurada: Clear Card Arc' and the cover image of the protagonist. "Is that yours?"

"Hmm? Sort of." Kelly rubbed the back of her neck, blushing. "It's only a webcomic right now, but Aunt Tomoyo is making this in print, and wanted Mom's opinion on it."

Rad furrowed his brow. "Her opinion?" he asked. "Why?"

Kelly shrugged. "Not really sure."

Rad tilted his head, but felt a jolt when he realized what Kelly just said. 'Tomoyo?' Then that meant… 'Sakurada…Sakurada….Sakura…' his eyes widened, and his pocket felt hot as his mind flashed to a pink book in his room. 'It can't be, all this time…could it?' Rad had no way of knowing if this could even be true, or if he was just making connections where there were none, but…he needed to know for sure. "Can I go get a drink of water?"

"Um, sure, you want me to get it for you?" Kelly asked.

Rad shook his head briskly. "No, I can get it." He said, and hobbled into the kitchen, where he saw Mrs. Li had unboxed the cake and knew how to tell if his suspicion were true. Rad came to the island, looking over the pink and white frosting. "It must be nice, not having Kero around to eat all your sweets."

"Yes, but I do miss him from time to-" Mrs. Li stopped, her lips pursing as she glanced at Rad. Her eyes held an uncertainty, and Rad pulled his key from around his neck, and her form tensed up.

The blond bit his lip. "Would you like me to prove it?"

"No, that's…unnecessary." Mrs. Li said quietly. She breathed in deeply, and only continued to get the cake ready, prepping to transfer it to the glass plate. "I'll be honest, I was a little concerned all these years, about why your cousin never gave any sign she had the cards. Then imagine my surprise when I feel their presence, and it's so angry and sad. Luckily, Kero-chan told me what happened."

"He told you, when?" Rad asked, surprised and unsure.

"At the fair, when I took Kelly to it." Mrs. Li replied.

Rad stared at the island counter, and couldn't believe it was true. 'You've been here all this time, and Kero never said anything.' He thought. "Why…why didn't you say anything?"

"I wasn't sure." Mrs. Li said, sighing softly. "I was so sure then though, that when your cousin opened the book, it would be her. I…I never thought to think it would have been you because you had been so young."

Rad had been unexpected then, and it made his stomach twist. "I see." He mumbled. "Then…can't you bring all the cards together? Make it all go away? Make it normal? I…if I'm not the right one, then maybe someone else deserves it more."

Mrs. Li stopped, and set the cake aside. When she looked at Rad, he was struck by the firmness of her gaze. "You do deserve this, deserve a chance." She said. "I…can't tell you much," she seemed genuinely remorseful about it too, her gaze downcast, "but the book wouldn't have opened for you, if you didn't have any magic to do it."

Rad bit his lip. He knew she was trying to help but…it didn't make him feel any better about being a second choice. 'Even less than that, Kero had no choice but to get me to do this.' He thought, and looked away. "And…did you ever doubt yourself?"

"Yes, very much so." Mrs. Li said. "It gets harrowing, and stressful," her voice then softened, "but when you have people who support you, it helps a lot."

Rad blinked, and looked down again. "I don't know even if I have that." He murmured. "I…I told my f-friends about my magic, but…they thought I was lying. I wanted to show them, but they didn't give me the chance, and then Time reset everything and I've been too scared to say anything."

"So now you're worried about being wrong again." Mrs. Li said gently, and Rad nodded hesitantly. "Understandable; Alexis has always been the more logical and rational one, and Feimei said she never told Alexis about magic because she showed no aptitude for it, so she wouldn't really believe just a say so."

Rad knew the explanation made sense, but it still left him uneasy. "So to prove my sincerity, I pretty much have to show them my magic up front."

"As long as you're certain, you might want to use a spirit that won't be mischievous and turn them away." Mrs. Li said, but paused, and looked down at his cast. "Which one caused that?"

Rad flinched, growing flustered. "Oh, it's that obvious?"

"Kero-chan said they were growing more aggressive, it is not an impossible thing to believe." Mrs. Li said, though she looked much like she did not want to think it. Rad wondered how strong her bond with the cards had been.

"Do you want to see them?" Rad asked, and Mrs. Li looked at him in surprise. He felt the pulse of the cards in his pocket, eager but shy.

Mrs. Li looked tempted, but she shook her head eventually. "I would love nothing more, but…I do not want to exasperate my mistake."

Rad frowned. "What mistake?"

Mrs. Li only shook her head again. "It's not something that can be explained with so little time." She smiled at him gently. "I'll tell you what I can if you want later, but not right now."

Rad looked at her, frowning to himself before he sighed. It was the nicest 'not now, kid' he had gotten so far. "Alright." He said quietly. "You promise?"

Mrs. Li nodded. "Yes."

Rad thought it over, and nodded back. "Okay then." He shifted on his crutches. "I better get going – it was nice to meet you, finally."

Mrs. Li smiled a bit wider, her green eyes sparkling. "And you to, Rad."


The screen didn't do the landscape justice; there was sand, yes, but it was fragging hot. He was sure he'd be sweating if he was organic, but Hot Shot's plates still felt awkwardly heated under the scorching sun. 'Lucky Red Alert got to stay behind.' He thought grumbling.

Only Optimus looked not to be bothered by the heat and sand, though Sideways put up a good front, only slouching every now and then. Smokescreen didn't bother to hide it, groaning as he shielded his optics from the sun that bared down on them.

"How can we find anything out here?" Smokescreen asked aloud. "We sure that mini-con didn't get sucked under the ground?"

"That's going to be a lot of digging then." Hot Shot replied.

Sideways paused, narrowing his optics at a glint in the distant, but vented deeply. "Incoming."

Hot Shot frowned. "What?" he looked back, but immediately ducked when he saw the purple shots being fired. "Scrap!" he yelled, and the other Autobots fell back to a sand dune, crouching behind the raised hill

Familiar cackling came from above, and Cyclonus came flying over them, firing on them. "Burn, Autobots, burn-hahahahaha!"

"Flying piece of scrap!" Smokescreen shouted, and aimed up at the blue 'copter, but was forced back down as another shot came for them at the ground level.

"Autobots, hold tight." Optimus called. "Hot Shot, Smokescreen, take aim for Demolishor. Sideways, aim for Cyclonus. All of you, keep your optics out for the mini-con."

"Right!" They called back.

The new formation worked for a time, but eventually Starscream came in, swooping alongside Cyclonus and giving more range to the aerial shots. There was a shrieking, and Hot Shot looked up in concern when he saw a mini-con struggling along the sand, while the large form of Megatron raced to catch him. Scavenger was nowhere in sight, but Hot Shot could care less right now.

The mini-con's pede caught the sand, tripping over a dune. The mini-con shrieked, cowering as Megatron smirked and reached for the small bot.

"Yes, now you're mine!" he laughed.

Suddenly though, the sand rose up in a wave over the mini-con, and formed into a jet stream before slamming into Megatron's chest, knocking him back. Everyone stalled, staring as the sand thrashed, circling the mini-con almost protectively, while another wave rose up further down the desert, and crashed over Demolisher, the bot shouting in alarm. His pistons worked overtime to crawl out of the pile of sand so loudly Hot Shot could hear him from his spot.

The attack was not over though, as a long pillar of sand shot up, and grabbed hold of Starscream's wing before sending him careening down into a dune when he made to blast them from above.

The attack was so bizarre and out of the blue the only obvious answer made Optimus comm. Maya and Red Alert. "Can Rad be brought here safely?"

"Against all this? If this thing is using sand, we're in a desert – it's all sand!" Smokescreen shouted, but flinched when Optimus glanced at him. "Sir."

"Then we should focus on being a cohesive force and keeping him protected to do this." Optimus replied firmly.

"I'll go get him." Sideways said, and when the red and blue mech nodded, the purple and yellow bot warped away.

The rest could only watch as the sand attacked the Decepticons, all but forgotten as the sand viciously kept them away from the mini-con, and what would happen if the Autobots were to try and intervene.


Rad frowned when he felt his phone vibrate. He shifted his crutch, and looked down at the text screen. He blinked when he saw the text. 'Card in desert, a lot of sand, Sideways' going to get you – where are you?'

Even in a text, Red Alert was always trying to be grammatical proper. 'At the edge of town.' Rad replied, and kept his eyes on the road that led out of town as he glanced at Kelly's house, before he hobbled to the tree line. Thankfully, it didn't take long before Sideways arrived.

"How are you feeling today?" The robot asked, as though there wasn't a crisis going on.

"Okay." Rad mumbled, and gently climbed onto the back of the bike, shifting his crutches so he could hold onto Mirror, and call Kero with his other hand. He squinted against the wind as it blew on him, but Sideways slowed just a little before Rad heard the phone being picked up. "Card is out in the desert; sand or telekinesis?"

"Sand." Kero said flatly. "She can be a bit...temperamental, so be careful."

"Got it." Rad said and hung up the phone. "If she's sand, I could use Watery, then maybe Windy to freeze her."

"There's a lot of sand there." Sideways pointed out. "It's not a lake with an end to it."

Rad sighed heavily, but conceded to it. He would need to think more on it, but hoped he could come up with a plan soon. When they got to the base, Rad was a little surprised to get his own orange suit and helmet, but still hobbled with Sideways to the warp gate, and took out his key. "Release!" he shouted, the key forming a staff, and climbed back on Sideways' seat, and breathed through the sick-to-your-stomach feel before they were in the desert, and his eyes widened as he saw the scene; Decepticons fighting freely moving sand, twisting and turning to fight off the 'Cons.

Sideways drove to the dune where the Autobots were, and Rad stiffened when the sand stilled for a moment, before sweeping a wave under the mini-con and sent the mini-con further out of reach of the 'Cons.

Rad got off the motorbike, and winced as it was difficult to keep his footing, and leaned against Hot Shot's leg as the robot shielded him from any stray shots, but the Decepticons were focused on the attacking sand.

Megatron roared as he fired uselessly at the sand as it slithered and broke like water. Then his red eyes looked over at the Autobots, and a snarl crossed his lips as he glared at Rad. "You! Interfering little pest!" Megatron turned to Rad, aiming his blaster at the boy. "This is your doing, isn't it!"

Rad backed up, but his crutches slipped on the sand and he let out a painful yelp as he stumbled, his ankle throbbing in pain and unable to stand up.

"Rad!" Hot Shot shouted, but grunted as his shoulder was struck by a stray shot.

"Once I kill you, maybe these energy beings can be put to better use." Megatron sneered, only for his expression to drop when his blaster sparked wildly. "What the pit!?" He shook his blaster, suddenly realizing sand had gotten into the circuitry. His eyes widened when suddenly, the sand shot out, forming into a morning star, and striking Megatron's faceplate, causing a flash of sparks from the contact. "Auugh!"

"My lord!" Demolisher shouted. He turned to assist his leader, only for the sand to explode underneath him, with him sinking into a large pit. He fell to the bottom, buried up to his neck.

"What the frag is this stuff!" Cyclonus shouted.

Rad though suddenly felt the sand rumble under him, and felt himself lifted up into the air by a giant hand made of sand and swept up through the wave of it, the mini-con sliding next to him, and both were moved away from the Autobots. Hot Shot tried to grab him, but the two were jerked away and a sand tendril dripped the yellow robot and sent him crashing to the ground.

Rad stared at the mini-con, who stared back. He was a little dazed and surprised by how gentle the card was being with him. Especially since Watery's encounter was fresh in mind.

"The mini-con!" Megatron shouted. He charged toward them, but another hand burst out of the dune, and pile drived into his right side that sent the Decepticon leader flying.

Digging himself from the sand, Starscream had come to his senses and dusted the grit from his wings, but saw the shadow over him. When he looked up, he found Megatron flying over the desert – right for him. Starscream let out a squawk as the larger robot crashed into him.

All the while a figure formed up behind Rad, catching the Autobot's attention and for both Rad and the mini-con looked at the form. The sand took the shape of a woman with elbow-length hair that was in braids, her ears covered by what appeared to be circular disks. Around her throat was a tight bangle of rings, with the rings serving as parts of the sleeves and cuffs to her wrists and ankles. She wore a crop top, with the puffy sleeves separate and pants with flat slippers. A large red gem was centered on her forehead, the one of the only drops of color to the sand that made up her form.

Her eyes were shut in a serene expression, but when Cyclonus chose that moment to fire a blast up at Rad, a wall of sand blocked the shot from hitting the blond. The sand lowered, revealing her striking deep, golden eyes. And a thunderous expression of rage on her face.

"No! You will not harm him!"

The bots and Rad all jumped at the sound pouring through their minds, it felt like sandpaper at the back of their brains, or processors in the bot's case. Rad's eyes widened as he was incredulous as to why Sand was protecting him.

"I don't care what you are!" Megatron yelled, struggling as he untangled from Starscream, but found himself caught in the grip of another sand hand, before shooting himself free. "That mini-con will be mine!"

The Sand narrowed her eyes at the Decepticon, and lifted up her hand, instantly sending various tendrils of sand at the bot. Striking Megatron from all angles, the sand battered him and with one swipe of her hand, Sand sent the Decepticon crashing into the dunes once more. "This one." Sand looked at the mini-con panel. "Will not fall into the hands such as yours or any who seek to use him against his will."

Rad stared at her with wide eyes, his chest tightening before he began talking. "The Autobots don't though!" he yelled, and Sand glanced down at him.

"They brought you here." She said without moving her lips, her tone disapproving and her frown enforced it.

Rad nodded. "To…" he hesitated, but carried on, "To seal you – they can't exactly do it themselves."

Sand hesitated this time, but that hesitation was enough for Megatron to attach Leader-1 and aim his waist cannon, and the shot fired caught the spirit dead in the side. Her expression was one of shock before her form collapsed. Rad screamed as the mini-con echoed it, the platform they were on giving out as they were dropped into the dune.

Rad's chest tightened as he caught sight of the beige and red Decepticon above him before being picked up along with the mini-con. "Let go, you giant rustbucket!" he shouted, cursing as he saw his wand lying in the sand.

Demolishor glowered at him, but it faltered when the sand began reforming into Sand's being, her eyes almost glowing in anger. "Uh, catch!" he shouted, and Rad screamed again when the Decepticon threw him to the side.

"Rad!" Hot Shot yelled, dashing forward even as Sand's head snapped over to the blond.

The Decepticons warped out, and Rad felt bitter even as he was gently caught in the sand that cushioned him before lying him on the ground. Rad looked up, a wave of sand cutting off the yellow Autobot running over, who stopped short, confused and uncertain as the sand began to convulse.

"They don't want to hurt me." Rad said, trying to keep calm because anger right now wouldn't help anything. "The ones who do just left." And his chest tightened again at the thought of the lost mini-con.

Sand looked from Rad, to the Autobots, her gold eyes narrowed. "You are certain?" she asked Rad, who nodded quickly. She glared at the ground, before the sand retreated and Hot Shot went past her to kneel beside Rad.

"Are you okay? How's your ankle? Rachel's going to kill us!" he shouted.

Rad noticed the way Sand stiffened at the mention of his cousin, so he hurried to answer. "It's stinging again, I think Red Alert needs to take a look at it." He said.

Optimus looked at where the Decepticons had been, and vented quietly. "It was my decision to bring you here. For that, I am sorry."

Rad grinned, sheepish and strained. "We both goofed up then." He said, and blinked when Sand brought over his staff, and Rad bit his lip.

Sand stared at him, nodding. "Do it," she said, almost resigned, "before I change my mind."

Rad didn't doubt her, and Hot Shot helped him hand as he gripped the robot's arm while holding the staff out. "Return to your power confine, Sakura Card!" The shell card formed at the tip of the staff; Sand's form slowly wavered, before she was sucked into the card, and so was the peripheral sand that had been a part of her. The card floated into his hand, and Rad pocketed her card before shrinking his staff.

"Let us head back to base." Optimus said heavily.

Rad looked down at his feet, but nodded, and climbed into Hot Shot's cabin, pulling his crutches with him as he felt the sick to his stomach feeling wasn't from illness but the tension in the air. 'Even with my power, I couldn't even be useful here.'


Rachel froze, halting mid-pace as the warp gate activated. High Wire beeps beside her, and rushed up along with her the moment Rad got out of Hot Shot's cabin in the orange jumpsuit. Even with how durable it was, the sight of it was not comforting. The blonde pulled her cousin into a tight hug, resisting the urge to shake him instead. "What were you thinking!"

Rad stiffened. "I-I went after a card. It happened so last minute I didn't have time to tell you."

"Is this what it's always going to be like?" Rachel asked, her hold tightening. "Having to watch you run off and not be able to do anything?"

Rad struggled, and the blonde finally let him go. His gaze locked on her through the clear visor of the helmet, serious but anxious. "I'm the only one who can seal the cards-I have to go wherever they show up."

Rachel's chest tightened, her earlier doubts coming back, before she shook her head and clenched her fists. "I'm not letting you do this alone then; this was supposed to be my job? Then it's time I start making up for the complete screw up I caused."

Rad glanced at the Autobots, and Rachel knew they had no idea what she meant. Right now wasn't the time to explain though. "How? Even if you have magic, the cards hate you." Rachel flinched.

"What's going on?" Smokescreen muttered, and Hot Shot shrugged, looking just as confused.

"We should leave." Optimus said, and the others agreed, following them out.

Rachel's shoulders slumped once they were alone, save for High Wire, and she closed her eyes. "I thought about it; you are the most important person in the world to me, and I won't let you do this alone." she said, her eyes opening in fierce determination. "Even if all I am is bait, I won't let you get hurt like this again."

Rad stared at her, and he leaned in to hug her, wrapping his arms around her. He didn't say anything, because she knew now what his answer would be. Even with all the uncertainty and danger that would no doubt be coming still, he was glad she was here for him. "Okay."