A/N
Invincible Titan wished to know if I could explain in this fic how Shinji and Rei aren't related; I believe below I have a satisfactory answer
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Rei was laying in bed when a single thought crossed her mind: what if Shinji found out what her origins were. Rei was sure that Shinji would leave her, never speak to her and maybe even let her die in battle if he found out about her. Dark Prime however was possessed of the ability to read minds much like Soundwave was and he heard that, so he decided to fix it
"Here goes nothing" he mumbled and gently touched Rei's head and entered her mind
Rei felt a slight tingly feeling on her forehead but ignored it. Then she felt as if there was someone else in here head and she tired to open her eyes. She did but she was in a large room made totally of metal with computers and devices she could never conceive to know about everywhere
"Welcome, Rei Ayanami, to Cybertron" Dark Prime said and bowed
"Where am I?" she demanded
"We are in your head: I put you in deep sleep so we could chat" Dark Prime replied and sat down on a chair
"Let me go, Angel" Rei said
"Hahaha, I am no Angel. I am very different, possibly older than them, but I don't know" he said and rose Rei up
"Who are you?" she asked
"That can wait for another time, right now, allaying your fears is my goal" Dark Prime said
"What fears?" Rei asked
"That you are related to Shinji, because I can assure you here and now that you are not" he said and put what looked like a cigarette in his mouth and lit it
"How do you know?" she asked
"You were told that you were made from the remains of Unit 1's original pilot, correct?" he asked, blowing a black smoke out in a thin stream
"Yes, that is Shinji's mother" Rei answered
"Well, you're half right. Unit 1's original pilot was Yui Ikari, but her remains are buried at her grave. Even Gendo doesn't know that" Dark Prime grinned
"Then, how am I here?" she asked
"I switched Yui Ikari's remains with a sample of a biosynthetic mass made from someone else's tissue and nanobots. I made sure of that myself" was her answer
"So I'm even less human that I thought I was" she said and lowered her head
"You cry, feel pain; feel love, laugh, smile and bleed. I think you're as human as they come" Dark Prime reassured her
"How do I know this isn't a lie?" Rei asked
"When you wake up after we are done here: there will be a short ten minute break where you remember this conversation; in that time, prick your finger and let a few drops of blood out and say 'cease false signal', and see what happens" Dark Prime explained
"I see" Rei answered
"Well, that about covers the purpose of our visit, goodbye Rei: do remember what I said"
"Will I remember my own proof against my fear?" she enquired
"You won't even think of it, all you will remember is that which you have known for a long time" he said, smiling
"That I love Shinji" Rei affirmed
"Bingo sweetheart" Dark Prime took another drag as he spoke
"Why are you doing this?" Rei asked the most pertinent question
"I am gifted with many powers: one of which is seeing possible futures; and the future where that boy ends up with you is his best hope for happiness" Dark Prime paused and looked at Rei
"And the same applies to you; the best future I foresaw for you was with him: it is in my best interest to see that you are happy. Ciao" Dark Prime clicked his fingers and Rei woke up
[The test] Rei carefully unclenched her hand from Shinji's and went into the bathroom and got a pin and pricked herself
Rei let the blood make a sizable pool on the counter and then put a band aid on her finger. She was filled with anticipation about what she was told by the mysterious figure in her head about how he had helped her and Shinji so they could be together. Breathing in, she uttered the words before her time ran out
"Cease false signal" she said
Before her very eyes; the once read blood turned a silver colour, shaping up much like mercury or molten silver. Rei stared at the substance as it swished and, beeped. Rei blinked, it beeped at her. Then it began to smoke and bubble. Whatever it was, it was burning up and leaving, real blood in its place.
"Amazing" she whispered
Rei spent the remaining three minutes contemplating what she had just seen: it was apparent that another power was at work on Earth in the business of taking care of it, question was: were they to be trusted and would they reveal themselves if they had to. She also wondered how Commander Ikari would take this news if he were to hear it.
[This situation is beyond…] her thoughts stopped as her brain seemed to reset itself
"What am I doing out of bed?" she asked herself
"Maybe I was sleepwalking. I better get back to bed" she surmised and walked back to her bedroom
Shinji was still asleep but he seemed less relaxed than last Rei remembered him being: she was sure it was because she was gone. With a tiny, tiny smile Rei lay back on the bed and embraced Shinji, this time she was pressed right up against him, although he did not notice. Dark Prime smiled and in his heart, he knew he had done the right thing all those years ago
"Watch them Ravage, I shall guard outside the door" he said and let the invisible robotic panther in to guard the couple.
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Hikari got up at 6 o'clock and wearily turned off her alarm clock. She trudged towards the bathroom for her shower: the one advantage of being up early was that she got to have a long shower. Her shower completed, Hikari got dressed and went to make breakfast for her sisters. Pretty soon, Kodama came down the stairs and said hello.
"Hi Hikari, what's for breakfast?" Kodama asked
"Toast with jam and orange juice with a small fruit salad" Hikari replied
"Sounds great" Kodama mumbled and dug in
"Hi Hikari" Nozumi beamed and practically inhaled her breakfast
"Kodama, can you give me a lift to school please?" Hikari asked
"Sure, no problem I don't start my lessons till eleven anyway" her sister said and drank her coffee
"Thanks" Hikari relaxed a little
"Bye" Nozumi raced out the door before anyone realised she was done
"How does she do that?" Hikari asked
"12 year olds have mystical powers, Hikari, and we loose them upon turning 13. After that though, we women gain stronger powers over men" Kodama said and read some of the paper
"Does that count as sisterly wisdom Kodama?" Hikari asked as she packed her bag
"No, just stating a simple fact" the older girl replied airily and looked at her watch
"Come on, if you want to be at school on time, we need to get going" she said and got her keys
"Okay, let me just get my bag" Hikari jogged up the stairs and got her school bag and books
She jumped into the car beside Kodama and belted herself up for the long ride to the school. The radio was playing Cat Stevens, and the song was a favourite one of Kodama's so she turned it up and started singing along with it. Hikari was being lulled back to sleep by the gentle strains of the music and Kodama's soft singing. Kodama got so deep into singing the song that she didn't see the drunk driver swerving around the corner until it was too late
*CRUNCH*, the two cars impacted with a sickening noise, Hikari and Kodama were thrown about and if not for their seatbelts they would have been thrown from the convertible. Now out of hibernation mode, Arcee was more worried about her passengers than her bodywork because Wheeljack would easily fix that, but humans were slightly more delicate than her so she focused her energies on keeping them safe.
[Damn drunks, they should all be killed] Arcee growled
She'd managed to right herself quickly and put on a dampening field inside herself to keep Hikari and Kodama from cracking their skulls open or breaking any other bones but it didn't stop Kodama from being knocked out and giving Hikari a concussion. As they settled, Arcee could sense that Hikari was falling asleep, which was dangerous for someone with concussion. Seeing no other option, Arcee chose this time to reveal herself to Hikari
"Hikari, don't you dare fall asleep, you have a concussion and falling asleep could put you in a coma" she said sternly, her voice was loud enough that it wouldn't draw anyone other than Hikari's attention.
"Wha, who said that?" Hikari asked
"My name is Arcee, Hikari, I was assigned to protect you and that includes stopping you from falling asleep now" Arcee raised her voice
"Where are you, I can't see you" Hikari said
"You're sitting in me; I'm a being known as a Transformer. I can turn into a robot from the car you're sitting in. Now get your mobile and call the ambulance" Arcee was nearly screaming now
"Okay" Hikari was getting more active now and grabbed her phone and rang for the ambulance
"Where do you need the paramedics?" the woman asked
"Matsu Street" Arcee whispered to Hikari
"Matsu Street please, my sister's out cold and I think I've got a concussion" Hikari said, remembering what Arcee had said to her
"Okay, you need to keep yourself awake until the paramedics get there; they should be about 3 minutes max since you're close to a hospital, so sing, move, anything to stay awake" the operator said
"Yeah, will do" Hikari said and hung up and shook her head to clear it from fuzziness
"Okay, you stay awake. I'll be damned if I'm going to let you die on my shift" Arcee growled and sent a massive vibration through the seat
"Hey!" Hikari said, indignant at the action
"Good; I can hear the sirens; the paramedics won't be long" Arcee said and continued to harass Hikari to stay conscious with jokes and prods
"Come on, what would Toji think of you giving up so easily: such a strong young woman" Arcee jibed
"Hey, leave him out of this" Hikari snapped
"Ah it seems I have hit nerve" Arcee said smugly
"Why you…" Hikari trailed off when she saw a medic approach her
"Hi, my name is Masako Yamamoto, what's yours?" the medic asked
"Hikari Horaki, my sister's name is Kodama" Hikari groaned and tried to move
"Okay, careful don't try to move" Masako said and started administrating treatment for the concussion
"What about my sister?" Hikari asked
"She'll be fine; Yoshi is a senior medic" Masako reassured her
"Thanks" Hikari said and tried as best she could to help Masako as she got out of the car
"Okay, the car seems okay but we'll get it towed for you anyway" Yoshi said the unconscious Kodama
The pair was loaded into an ambulance. Yoshi got in to drive while Masako jumped into the back to keep Hikari from going into shock. Hikari seemed to be highly agitated about something. Out of curiosity, Masako asked what it was
"Damn car" Hikari grumbled
"Huh?" Masako asked
"That damn car wouldn't mind her own business" Hikari rambled
Masako simply thought that Hikari had begun talking to the car she was in to stop from falling asleep and brushed it off as a rambling of someone with a dazed state of mind; she had just been involved in a car accident after all.
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News reached Nozumi at school pretty quickly about what happened to her sisters. In a state of panic, she called Hikari's high school on her mobile and asked to speak to Toji Suzaharra on a matter of extreme urgency. The school secretary recognised Nozumi's voice having met her a few times when Hikari had to bring her to the High School for sibling's days. Toji got to the phone and asked what was up
"Hikari's been in a car accident, and my father says the commander is riding him about some project and he can't come" Nozumi said
"Okay, Nozumi, I think I can fix this. Just hang on for a bit, I'll sort it out" Toji promised
"Okay, thank you Toji" Nozumi said and hung up
[Okay Hot Rod, now I need your help] Toji thought and dialled a number that linked him into Hot Rod's com system
"Toji, what's up man?" Hot Rod asked
"I need you to come and get me from school, I need a favour. Hikari's been in a car crash" Toji said
[Oh, I get it] Hot Rod realised he needed an impersonation of his father's voice for this
"Put the secretary on" Hot Rod said and pulled up a sample of Toji's father's voice
"Hello, Mr. Suzaharra?" the secretary asked
"Yes, listen a close friend of my son has just had a car accident; she's also a student there" he said
"Oh, of course no problem, but why does…" she stopped and added together Nozumi's phone call and this situation
"No problem, I'll sign him out myself and make sure he's waiting outside the main gate for you" she said and hung up
[Thanks Hot Rod, I owe you big time] Toji thought and went to tell Kensuke what was going down
"Can I come?" Kensuke asked
"Won't you get in trouble?" Toji asked
"My dad barely noticed me getting my prize; you think he'll notice me absconding from school for a few hours?" Kensuke asked
"True, come on" Toji said and they ran to the front gate, sure enough, there was Hot Rod, with a hologram of Toji's dad in the driver's seat and all
"Come one you two, Kensuke how are you doing?" 'Mr. Suzaharra' asked
"Fine thank you sir" Kensuke answered as he hopped into the back seat
"Where to, Toji?" Hot Rod asked
"The Primary School a few blocks from here, PS 101" he said
"Okay" Hot Rod went into gear, chewing tarmac and shredding rubber
"Wow man, what's this beast got under the bonnet Mr. S?" Kensuke asked
"A powerful motor, that is all you need to know" Hot Rod said and spun around the corner
The trip to the Primary School was quick and quiet. Nozumi was waiting outside for them and she jumped into the car's spare back seat when she saw Toji inside. Kensuke politely introduced himself to Nozumi while trying to comfort the distraught preteen. Seeing her distress, Hot Rod poured on the gas till he was just under the legal limit on the road. They arrived at the hospital in quick order and raced up to see Hikari and Kodama.
"I'll go and see Mari, I haven't been in a while" Hot Rod was going to use this opportunity to see how bad Mari's injuries were
"Okay, thanks" Toji cried out and ran over to his friend
[He has it bad] Hot Rod thought and went on the hunt for the smaller Suzaharra
Hikari was resting her tired body on a chair when her friends and younger sister burst upon her with questions and words of relief. Nozumi was practically bonded to Hikari's waist and was sobbing into it. A nurse had to come and get them to either go outside or calm down: there were sick people in there after all. Hikari went into rep mode and sat them all down
"Okay, I don't know what happened; other than a drunk driver came out of nowhere and smacked into us" Hikari said
"Where's Kodama?" Nozumi asked
They're monitoring her in that room over there, she's just out cold and got a bad knock on the head; she should wake up in a few hours" Hikari explained
"I'm going to see her" Nozumi said and ran off
"I'm gonna get a drink, you guys thirsty?" Kensuke asked
"Yeah, coke for me" Toji handed him some money
"I'll take one too" Hikari said, Toji slapped another note in Kensuke's hand
"On me today" he said and shooed Kensuke away
"Toji, there's something I want to tell you" Hikari said
"Okay" he pulled up a chair
"When I was waiting for the paramedics, I know this sounds crazy, but I could have sworn Kodama's car was talking to me" she said, shaking her head
[It probably was] Toji let a big smile cross his face and he took Hikari's hand
"I want you to meet someone, but first, where did they take the car you were in?" he asked
"Dunno, for all I know it's still on the road" Hikari answered
"Okay, come on, I want to find my dad, then I want you to meet someone" Toji said and pulled her with him
"Wait, who are we going to meet, cos Toji my sister has had a car accident so forgive me for not being social" Hikari said in a short voice
"He's someone who can help" Toji said
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Hot Rod found Mari's room and began a scan as best he could in that direction: he sent the scanning waves though the holo-emitter. Her spine was snapped in a few places and her legs were practically mangled beyond repair by any technology the earth had to offer, except Nerv but he doubted they would help. Fortunately, his people were way ahead of Nerv and were very willing to help.
"I'll get First Aid to go over the scans: then we can work out how to fix her up" he decided and walked out only to see Toji and Hikari come running towards him
"Hey dad, we need to introduce Hikari to our friend and then get her car back" Toji explained, giving Hot Rod a look
"Okay, no problem. Let's go" he said
Hot Rod led them back down to his real body and they went for a drive: first to Matsu Street to find out where Arcee was. Hot Rod already knew where she was but was just going through the formalities first so Hikari wasn't outright suspicious of what was going on. Once they were told, they went to the police mechanics depot.
"This is one tough car little miss, hardly a dent in it even after a smack like that, I'd swear this baby was made from Titanium" the mechanic said
[Try Cybertanium, close but no cigar pal] Arcee thought
"Arcee, use your emitters to make a hard light hologram of Mr. Horaki come to pick up the car" Hot Rod spoke to her in a Transformer only bandwidth
"Good idea" she replied and did just that
After all the formalities were over; they left and 'Mr. Horaki' expressed interesting meeting his friend of Toji's. He said he'd already been to see Kodama and was very interested if this friend could help her. With that in mind, Hikari saw no real problem in going for the meeting. They drove up to the hills where Toji met Hot Rod properly for the first time. Toji got out and scouted the area; it was clear.
"Okay Hikari, he'll be here in a minute, come sit with me" Toji said
"Yeah, why not" she said and got out of Arcee
"NOW" Toji cried
"HOT ROD, TRANSFORM"
"ARCEE, TRANSFORM"
Hikari spun around and saw that were there was once two cars now stood a pair of robots, one was obviously female from the slender limbs and what looked like a bust on her chest. Hikari let her mouth hang open for a few minutes and turned to Toji with an incredulous look; he smiled
"Yeah, that was my first reaction too" he said
"Hikari, I'm Hot Rod, Toji's guardian" Hot Rod said
"And I'm Arcee, I'm your guardian" she introduced herself
"Well so far you've done a bad job" Hikari snapped
"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry" Arcee started
"Sorry! You're sorry, well sorry doesn't pull my older sister out a possible coma does it!" Hikari screeched
"She's not in a coma, it would be impossible for her to be. Not with the dampening field I set up just after the collision" Arcee explained
"This is, who the, how, WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" Hikari screamed
"Well, take a seat and we'll explain it all, you aren't alone in this situation" Arcee said and sat down opposite Hikari
"Dark Prime; this is Hot Rod, two of the other three kids down here have made contact. Nearly there" he said down his radio
"Good, things here are looking up as well, if all goes to plan, we should be back by the end of the week and the others will have met their guardians by the end of the month" Dark Prime replied
"You sure the adults should know last?" Hot Rod asked
"Yes, children I find are much better equipped to handle us than adults, they can accept us easier with their imagination" he explained
"Fair enough, Hot Rod out" Hot Rod hung up and joined the others, this was going to be a long day, but he felt the tough days were still to come