More than meets the eye (3/12/2007)
Author's notesOK, let's see if I can make this the last chapter this time. Hooboy, looks like its going to be extra long. So make sure the reviews are as well. :P Sorry guys, I know I'm being pathetic but this is by far, the longest chapter I've ever composed.
This chapter is dedicated to my loving aunt, who spread so much joy to everyone around her and was a great testament to the Lord, if the large number of eulogies were any indication. Above all, she taught the simple joy of loving God, and I will cherish her legacy forever. On a happier note, I also dedicate this chapter to the joyful birth of Musichowler's child. May she, her husband and her child be blessed with good health and a bright future in the way of the Lord. Praise the Lord that even as I lose a loved one, another life is born to bring great joy to the world. His Love endureth forever.
Updated after finishing self reviewGood new guys, this ain't the last chapter. I decided to cut it not only because it was too long but I felt like the chapter would have been like rushing to tie up all the loose plots until it undermines the primary theme of this chapter.
Galen, many thanks for your proof reading but don't worry, there's much more in the next chapter you haven't read yet as of the weekend. By the way, I'm quite happy again, so no need to worry about me now.
Word of advice to all writers: try not to write a chapter beyond 10,000 words: I myself find it difficult to read stories that are too long in one go.
Anyway, without further ado……..
Chapter 33: JoyThe Furinkan High School Prom was a very posh affair indeed. Normally the event would be nothing more than a dance with an array of snacks and cheap performances performed by third-rate dancers or Japanese pop bands held at the large school gymnasium. However, since one of the graduates of the current year was Tatewaki Kuno, it meant that the school prom couldn't be cheap for the self-proclaimed aristocrat. That is why the prom committee had a huge budget donated by Tatewaki Kuno for that year, so huge that the prom would be held at the five-star class Hilton Hotel at the Shibuya Business District, not far from the nearly completed Chinese Amazon embassy.
One truly had to wonder the depths of Kuno's riches. As if wanting to leave a lasting impression behind other than as a crazed bokken wielding senior who once assaulted Akane practically every single morning prior to Ranma's arrival, he had even gone so far as to provide subsidies of twenty percent to all prom attendees. This certainly made Kuno one of the popular candidates for prom king, everyone was happy for the subsidies which meant even the standard of dressing would be higher than all other high school proms before. Kasumi's dress was the only one he didn't subsidize.
More than two hundred students would be attending the prom, roughly divided equally between the graduating seniors, the juniors and their respective dates. The program would be somewhere along the following lines:
6pm – 7pm: Reception for attendees
7pm – 7:30pm: Sitting of guests at the 20 dinner tables.
7:30pm – 8pm: Speech from principal and some graduating students. Dinner served by Chinese Amazons.
8pm – 10pm: Dinner and performances by High School committee as well as cultural displays from Chinese Amazons.
10pm – 11pm: Estimated time of meteor shower. Adjourn to pool grounds to watch the meteor shower. Dancing for attendees will commence.
At 6:30pm, most of the prom attendees had already arrived and gathered at the hotel reception. It was a joyous and happy gathering, as everyone was extremely excited to see each other in all their gloriously beautiful gowns. Many had spent the entire day in beauty parlors, grooming themselves royally before the prom to make them extra beautiful. Most already picked their dates while others decided to travel as a group due to not being attached. Not surprisingly, the former Hentai squad comprised the majority of this group. They were the only ones who were forlorn and sad as beautiful girls kept passing them by, clinging romantically to their dates. Those few girls who were alone responded to the Hentai squad's crude advances with a well placed stomp on their toes with their high heels. Several of them actually went home crying as one or two girls overdid it and literally broke their toes in the first half hour of the reception.
Many of them gazed longingly at the beautiful and tall Chinese Amazon warriors deployed over the hotel as guards. The Amazon Elder was the guest of honour and was expected to arrive at 7pm. Despite the joyful atmosphere, the Amazon guards showed no nonsense in their duties. The prom committee had already advised the students not to approach the Amazon guards on duty. One idiot thought the school was joking about the women being Chinese Amazons and then tried to grope the ample bosom of an Amazon guard whose armour left a lot of cleavage like Xena the Warrior Princess. He disappeared after that along with most of his friends for the rest of the prom and was not missed.
Mousse and Shampoo stood amidst the preparations, dutifully ushering the prom attendees into the lobby after they registered at the reception area. The Chinese girl was dressed in a sexy red cheongsam, which had a heart shaped hole in the middle of her chest exposing a great deal of cleavage. The cheongsam length was down to her feet but a long slit was made from her right foot to just one centimeter before her thigh, maintaining her mobility and battle readiness. Her hair was done in her normal hair style, except her face bore a lot of make-up which accentuated her exotic Chinese features. Among the Amazon warriors attending, she was by far the sexiest, if not the most beautiful. It was all Mousse could do to stop staring constantly at his crush and concentrate on his job. The male Amazon in contrast, was dressed in a simple black tuxedo. His hair was had been combed and brushed numerous times but allowed to be let loose as normal. Without his glasses, he looked less goofy and a lot more dignified. The fact that he wasn't stumbling around half blind also made him more presentable and gentlemanly compared to his previous bumbling self.
"Is everything in place Shampoo? Mousse?" a voice sounded behind Mousse and Shampoo. The two turned to look at the Japanese man standing behind them. Like Mousse, he was dressed in a simple but smart tuxedo except he had white gloves and gold cufflinks at his sleeves. He was tall for a Japanese and, Shampoo had to grudgingly acknowledge, strikingly handsome even compared to her beloved Saotome Ranma. He had a calm and commanding air of authority, yet tinged with humility as he understood his place in the Amazon hierarchy. This belied his youthful exterior, which looked barely older than Ranma.
"Mr. Minami, most of the guests have arrived. We should expect the Elder Cologne and the other honoured guests on time," Mousse replied respectfully.
The new manager of the Cat Café nodded. "Excellent. Proceed with the schedule. We wouldn't want to break our timetable," he said then bowed to the two Amazons before turning back to the school gymnasium to inspect it one final time.
"Where are they? I thought they would be here early!" Sayuri was panicking now as she looked at her watch and found out it was five minutes to seven pm.
"Maybe Ranma chickened out? You know, we never actually saw him ask Akane out after all," Daisuke, who was Sayuri's date said.
Yuka's eyes narrowed. "How bout I tell that Amazon guard here you just tried to grope me and see what she does to you?" Daisuke paled as she gestured to the very same Amazon guard who had …….. dealt with the other Hentai squad member ten minutes ago. "If you got nothing good to say, don't say it," she snarled, looking remarkably like a tiger, especially when she was wearing a similarly patterned gown which looked oddly like the fur skin clothing Kasumi wore during her captivity except that Yuka's gown was made of synthetic materials.
Hiroshi tried to calm his date down. "Now now Yuka, don't be unreasonable. And Daisuke does have a point though. They never told us whether they are coming or not."
Daisuke quickly added, "Yeah, I mean, ever since Akane lost her leg in the car accident, they just haven't been the same to each other. Anyway, there's still five more minutes, we can't really conclude they're not coming yet you know."
"Yeah but seriously, they're cutting it a bit too close…." Yuka started.
All of a sudden, there was a small commotion at the reception as almost everyone started to gather around that area. There was an opening ritual for everyone to participate in. The Elder Amazon was scheduled to arrive with her entourage at 7pm, and be the first to walk down the carpet to the dinner hall where she would be seated at the main table. Then all the couples would take a turn to walk hand in hand along the carpet, getting their pictures taken in the process, almost as though they were celebrities. The four friends sighed as they still failed to spot Ranma, Akane or even Nabiki. Kuno was also strangely missing. They then went to the designated spot where they would queue to walk down the carpet.
At the side of the red carpet, Amazon warriors were distributed evenly to usher in the guests, all fully armoured and armed although on the outside, one could only see their melee weapons. Then four Amazons blew horns, a slow and powerful horn call that heralded the arrival of the leader of the Amazons. All of the students watched as outside the hotel, a large entourage consisting of three limousines arrived, guarded by Japanese policemen on motorcycles. Little Amazon flags flew from the leading limousine. Mousse, who was standing outside, then went to open the door to the limousine and out of it, hopped out Elder Cologne. She was dressed as she always was, in the green dress with the peace sign emblazoned on the chest but this version seemed to have gold threading and made of shiny silk. In addition to her, two other Elder Amazons also came out of the limousine. These were not Pan Teen and Foam, who had decided for an early retirement from the Elder Amazon council, but the other two remaining Elders who were now the only surviving Elders of the Amazon tribe. The three of them smiled at the gathered youngsters who broke out in applause at their arrival, most of them already being familiar with the Chinese Amazon owners of the Cat Café. They pogoed their way a few feet through the gate but then stopped to wait for the rest of the inhabitants to come out of the other two limousine.
The first to come out of the second limousine was Tatewaki Kuno, looking resplendent in a white tuxedo to everyone's surprise rather than his traditional kendo garb. Then most of the guys gawked as Nabiki stepped out of the limousine. To say that she was underdressed would probably be an understatement. She was wearing a replica of the dress she had worn on Prince Toma's island, which practically meant two strips of cloth wounding around her neck, barely covering her breasts then meeting at her waist, which she wore a long tight fitting skirt. Even this had a long slit on her left leg like Shampoo's. More than one guy had a nosebleed there and then and were promptly smacked by their dates. Many were surprised that Kuno had appeared with Nabiki but the truth was, it was a matter of convenience for the both of them. Kuno needed a classy babe to take as a date and Nabiki, in addition to the substantial fee paid by Kuno, just wanted to go to the prom looking beautiful.
The next to alight from the limousine was Ryoga and Ukyo. The lost boy, instead of wearing a tuxedo, had opted to wear a black colour silk long sleeved shirt, which had tigers embroidered in gold thread on it. His hair was still held back by a bandanna but instead of his normal yellow spotted ones, the one he was wearing now was just plain gold coloured. Black trousers covered his lower body and Chinese male shoes. He reached his hand into the limousine and guided Ukyo out of it. The Okonomiyaki chef was beautifully dressed in the same dress from Prince Toma's island as well, only her brow was adorned with a green emerald and she wore a necklace of pearls as well. Both of them smiled at each other as they walked behind Kuno and Nabiki.
The second limousine drove away and the third way drove to the gate. Mousse opened the door and everyone gasped as Saotome Ranma stepped out. He was dressed in a smart Armani tuxedo and his hair, rather than being worn as a pigtail, was only tied as a loose ponytail for the night. As if Saotome Ranma being dressed immaculately wasn't a confusing enough sight enough, they saw him put a hand into the limousine and out of it another hand grasped it. The cursed youth the pulled out the person inside to reveal Akane, dressed in a beautiful Greek toga. Unlike the one she wore at Prince Toma's island, the skirt of the toga reached all the way to the ground, therefore concealing her prosthetic leg. A white rose was stuck behind her ear. She had grown quite proficient in walking around using the prosthetic but to an outsider, it still looked like she was limping. In order to avoid making Akane look like a klutz, Ranma was careful to position Akane on his right, so that Akane's could balance her left side to Ranma and look like she was walking normally by his side. In truth, it was the perfect excuse to lean against each other, a physical activity they enjoyed immensely. For the first time, in public, they gazed lovingly at each other instead of the usual animosity they had been faking in each other's presence for the past few months.
Many sighed as they watched the couple move towards the red carpet. Sayuri and Yuka were openly crying as though Akane and Ranma were getting married instead of just going on a prom date. Most of the Hentai squad were glaring daggers at Ranma but nobody care about their opinion. Even Kuno, who had not seen Akane until that moment, sighed and fought the urge to revert to his insane self. He may not have known what caused the change in them but strangely, of all the people of Nerima, he was one of the few who realized that their continued animosity to each other was a feint and something had been going on between the two of them for some time now. He sighed then continued to walk forward with Nabiki.
"O HO HO HO HO HO!" a chilling familiar laugh echoed throughout the school. Everyone except the newly arrived guests and Amazons panicked as they saw a girl dressed only in a gymnast leotard landed in front of the limousine, whose door was still opened, and right behind Ranma and Akane who were already walking towards the gate. The two showed no signs of panic and merely looked curiously at the scantily clad girl behind them.
"Foul witch, you shall not ensnare the heart of my beloved Lord Saotome Ranma," Kuno Kodachi said haughtily. "Come Lord Ranma, let us celebrate the cosmic display that will signify our eternal love tonight!" she said as she took out her ribbon, twirled it around her body then whipped it towards Ranma, intending to bound him and drag him away.
Yuka and Sayuri screamed but were astonished when the Amazon guards showed no sign of concern. Then they frowned as they saw Kodachi try to whip her ribbon forward but found that it was stuck to something behind it, probably the limousine. Then they saw Kodachi's triumphant grin suddenly became slack as her eyes rolled into her head and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Everyone was bewildered and followed the ribbon's trail. And found vision of heaven.
There was a girl, no, a woman standing behind Kodachi. Her right hand had been holding the ribbon back, preventing Kodachi from whipping the ribbon forward. Her left hand, currently had three fingers extended out of her delicate fist and was pointing to where Kodachi's shoulder had been. Both hands were covered with white opera gloves. All were amazed at the dazzling sapphire gown, which looked as though it had been sprinkled with either stardust or tiny specks of diamonds. Everyone was totally enchanted by the evening gown before their eyes went upwards to beheld the face of an angel. Unfortunately, judging by her expression, Tendo Kasumi looked more like an archangel as she glared disapprovingly at the unconscious form of Kuno Kodachi. Her hair was elegantly tied back in a bun and she wore only a hint of makeup to compliment her natural beauty. She wore diamond earrings, which formerly belonged to her mother and wrapped around her shoulders, was a silky white shawl.
"Oh my dear Kodachi, why couldn't you just leave well enough alone," Kasumi sighed.
A tall figure walked past the Amazons Elders, Tatewaki, Nabiki, Ryoga, Ukyo, Ranma and Akane and stopped in front of the unconscious girl. Kasumi looked at the young boy and saw her own expression mirrored on his. He then bowed to Kasumi.
"Forgive me Tendo Kasumi, for not taking into account this security breach. You have my thanks for preventing a major disturbance for this happy occasion. Please proceed with the prom, I will take this girl and dispose of her at the nearest police station," the man said.
She was rather taken aback at his politeness and not being surprised at Kasumi's martial arts prowess. "Uhm, thank you but I wouldn't want to keep you from the prom."
"It is my duty, as the organizer of this event, to deal with unforeseen circumstances. Go ahead Tendo Kasumi, enjoy your prom," he said as he picked up the crazed gymnast and stuffed her into the limousine before getting into it himself.
Kasumi gazed at the limousine and sighed. "Oh well, at least that ended pretty fast."
"Yeoh Kasumi, we better get this show on the road, we're here to party after all," Ranma said, for once unperturbed by the appearance of Kuno Kodachi. Then Mousse walked to Kasumi.
"Shall we, Tendo Kasumi?" Mousse said politely while offering her his arm. Again, most were astonished to see the most beautiful woman in Nerima smile and take the arm of what was once the most blind and obsessed martial artist in Nerima.
"Thank you Mousse-san. It is an honour to be your date for tonight," Kasumi said.
"The pleasure is all mine Kasumi but you are mistaken, I am merely your escort for the evening. Now come, the night is young and so are we," he smiled. Then he snapped his fingers. "LET THE CARPET WALK BEGAN!" Nearby speakers started to play gay and merry music as the procession of the Red Carpet Prom attendees started their walk to the school hall in pairs. It took a moment and some thinly veiled threats from Shampoo to get the lines moving and stop every boy from constantly gawking at Kasumi.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Miraculously, nothing else exciting happened after Kodachi's unannounced entrance. They had been seated at their respective tables, with most of the NWC being seated at an enormous table at the centre. Things went according to schedule after that. The principal who had replaced Principal Kuno had made a long and boring speech about how the graduating seniors were about to embark on the next phase into adulthood, welcoming the Amazons as well as the chaperons, most of which were seated on separate tables together to observe the rest of them except for Kasumi, who was at the central table. Elder Cologne also spoke a few words, mostly to advertise and assure everyone that the café was still open and manned by Mousse and Shampoo, supervised by the capable Minami Kotaro, who she later discovered was the very man who had taken care of Kodachi earlier. She had not seen him since then though.
Dinner was served in eight courses, all exotic Chinese Amazon dishes which delighted the crowd who had never tasted such culinary delights before. During dinner, a series of rousing performances was done by the Chinese Amazons as well as the school's own drama club. The drama club performed a rather impressive play based on Romeo and Juliet. The tragic tale of the two lovers did not quite sit well with her but she focused on the acting rather than the story and actually shed a few tears at the final act. She was one of the loudest to clap and cry her cheers to the directors and actors as they presented themselves to bow to the audience. Following the drama act, was a series of martial arts performances by not only the Chinese Amazons but from various dojos in Nerima to advertise their schools as well.
It was when the students finished their meals and began to move to the open ballroom space to dance that Kasumi began to feel the familiar tendrils of sadness creeping into her heart. A band was now playing a surprisingly romantic rock song and this prompted many to start dancing with their dates. Kasumi saw Ranma, Akane, Ryoga, Ukyo, even Tatewaki and Nabiki moving from the table, leaving her with the Amazons. However, her heart sang as she watched Ranma and Akane dance together, holding each other and gazing soulfully to each other. Among the couples, only they could even come close to being romantically drawn to each other.
I
wonder through fiction to look for the truth
Buried beneath all
the lies
And I stood at a distance
To feel who you are
Hiding myself in your eyes
And hold on before it's too
late
Until we leave this behind
Don't fall just be who you
are
It's all that we need in our lives
And the risk that
might break you
Is the one that would save
A life you dont
live is still lost
So stand on the edge with me
Hold back
your fear and see
Nothing is real til it's gone
Hold on
before its too late
Until we leave this behind
Don't fall
just be who you are
It's all that we need in our lives
So
live like you mean it
Love til you feel it
It's all that we
need in our lives
So stand on the edge with me
Hold back your
fear and see
Nothing is real til it's gone
Hold on before
its too late
Until we leave this behind
Don't fall just be
who you are
It's all that we need in our lives
Hold on
before its too late
Until we leave this behind
Don't fall
just be who you are
It's all that we need in our lives
It's
all that we need in our lives
It's all that I need in my life
At the end of the song, the two of them kissed tenderly. At that moment, part of the lyrics struck her heart, bringing out painful memories and opening up an old wound she had been desperately trying to heal. Cologne became alarmed as she saw Kasumi tear up. "My dear, are you alright? Please, if there's anything I can do…."
She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry Elder, for being silly and letting myself be overwhelmed with my petty emotions. Please, carry on Elder. Don't spoil your evening on my account," she quickly said. Then she gracefully stood from the table and briskly walked out of the ballroom. She tried to walk with dignity but quite a few people noticed the tear that had escaped from her eyes. She ignored them and walked out aimlessly, not caring where she was going as long as it wasn't the ballroom.
Eventually, she found herself at an outdoor area, where there were gardens and a swimming pool but were currently empty due to the late hour as well as the event that was being held at the hotel. She walked towards the swimming pool and stared at her own reflection in the pool.
'Oh Lord, I'm truly pathetic. I can't even move forward without crying about the past. How long must I endure this hole in my heart Lord? How long!' she mentally cried. The image of Bumblebee and the Autobots suddenly loomed in her mind and then, she couldn't take it anymore. She sank to the floor and cried. She cried torrents of tears, for the first time probably outdoing her father as she thought of the love that she would never see again.
"Oh God, what is wrong with me? Why can't I let go? Why can't I go on with my life? Will I be forever hounded by my love for Bumblebee? Jesus what more do you ask of me? You've already taken away my love, do you want to take away my happiness as well?" this time she cried to the heavens.
"I tried to follow your commands. I showed love to everyone, from Bumblebee to Megatron. And it still wasn't enough. Is nothing good enough for you Lord?!" for the first time, she became angry at her God and for a few minutes, cried out her anger towards Him. She complained and complained, shouting her injustice at it all.
In the end though, she felt empty and cold, old and lifeless despite being only twenty years old. Her voice was hoarse, and she shivered both in cold as well as the terrible feeling one feels when crying. She breathed in huge gulps of air as she tried to calm herself, succeeding only marginally.
The elder Tendo daughter looked to the heavens. "Perhaps Lord, its time for me to give up my life. If you are not satisfied with myself as I am, I may as well take the next step in serving you: serving in your church forever. Maybe I should take a vow of celibacy and forever rid myself of this burning desire for men's love. Is that what you want Lord? A total life of devotion to you?" she asked the heavens softly.
"A life dedicated to God doesn't mean becoming a nun or pastor Kasumi," a soft voice sounded from behind her. The girl nearly jumped out of her skin and out of reflex, put herself into a martial arts guard position.
"Who is there? Show yourself," Kasumi said angrily. "How dare you listen to my thoughts and cries?"
"If you wanted to cry and converse with God in private, you should have done it at another place other than the open pool," the voice moved and she saw a man step out from behind a pillar and faced her. Kasumi knew who the person was but for the life of her, couldn't recall the name. She tensed as he approached her but he stopped just at arm's length. From his pocket, he took out a packet of tissues and offered it to her.
Kasumi stared at the packet as though it was an alien object then suddenly felt ashamed of her actions. She straightened herself, took the packet and extracted some tissues to wipe her face.
"Forgive me for being rude sir. I'm more shocked at my own weakness than your appearance," she said, handing back the packet.
The young man in front of her replied, "Do not apologise Tendo Kasumi. Some wounds heal slower than others; nobody has a right to say how fast that wound should heal. And I sense that whatever happened before still haunts you and eats at your heart."
She looked away. "Sometimes, I wonder if some wounds will never heal at all." She then looked back at the young man. "I'm sorry sir, we met earlier at the reception but I didn't get your name."
"My name is Minami. Minami Kotaro," he answered with a formal bow. He then said, "Ms. Tendo, I know it is not my place to say this, but please do not be hard on yourself. Do not be conscious of the fact that you are not moving on with your life. Take it one step at a time. Time will heal all wounds. I know this personally as well," he said quietly then looked towards the stars thoughtfully as well.
Kasumi was touched by the young man's word. She realized that this was the very person that Cologne had spoken to her about. Which meant this man was the manager of the Cat Café as well as the school feast.
"Oh my, Mr. Minami, please do not let me keep you from your work. Listen, I don't feel like going back to the prom. Please take a message to the Elder and my family that I am not feeling well and have gone home."
Minami Kotaro looked scandalized. "My dear Ms. Tendo, Cologne would have my hide and my pension if I were to let you walk home alone tonight. AFTER she castrates me for letting a lady leave the prom tonight in sadness and woe. Kasumi, I refuse to let you go home alone. At the very least, please let me drive you home or I will suffer the eternal wrath of the Amazons. Otherwise, I would also suggest you go back and enjoy the party."
Kasumi looked back at the assembly area, where there were many couples still dancing. Most of the students had now gathered outside in anticipation of the meteor shower. Among them, was Ranma and Akane, who seemed to be looking for her.
She shook her head. "Please wait a while, I will tell Ranma and Akane that I'm going home first."
The Cat Café manager nodded. "I will get my car."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
When Kasumi came out after telling Ranma and Akane that she was going home, she was surprised to see a yellow car drive into the reception area. The sleek and shiny sports car was unlike any brand or design she had ever seen; the only indication of its brand was a cross like emblem on its front. And to top it all of, it even had black racing stripes like Bumblebee's. As the car stopped in front of her, she saw Minami Kotaro step out of the car and opened the door for her. She was stunned for a moment, wondering whether or not to go in now.
"Is something the matter Ms. Tendo?" Minami Kotaro asked.
She shook herself. "Oh its nothing, its just that I've never seen a car like this before. What make is this? I've never seen anything like this in Japan."
He smiled proudly. "You won't have. This is a customized car. Originally it's an American Chevrolet Camaro but I modified it to look like a 2009 concept car. The American car company GMC creates a lot of amazing concept cars but sadly, most of the designs never make it to the open road. That's why it's making so much loss despite being one of the largest car manufacturers in the world. Therefore you won't find a car to rival mine in looks and engine except perhaps for the later models of the Toyota Cellica or Nissan Fairlady."
She admired the car for awhile then sighed. "I'm sorry Mr. Minami. Please don't ask further but your car brings back a lot of memories for me."
He looked scandalized again. "I hope you're not talking about improper memories Ms. Tendo."
It took a moment for her to register what he was implying. "Mr. MINAMI!" she said indignantly as the young man broke his serious demeanour and actually laughed gaily. The laughter was infectious and eventually she joined in the laughter as well.
"Oh my, perhaps I should stay after all. I have to inform Cologne that you are a close pervert," she giggled.
He went from jovial to serious all of a sudden. "It is my duty as a gentleman to make women happy. Now my job is done. Do you still want to go home?" he asked.
Kasumi sighed then stepped into the car. "Yes Mr. Minami. Please take me home."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
As the yellow Camaro drove away, a battered looking police car followed it. The car looked like it had been hauled out of the junkyard but still bore a strange emblem at its door, as well as a sentence that said 'to punish and enslave'.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The ride home was quiet for the most part. Kasumi was lost in her thoughts and was wondering how the young man next to her could afford a car that happened to be customized to look like a futuristic model. A model that also happened to resemble Bumblebee. She looked closely at Minami Kotaro. He was concentrating on the road, not making any small talk as he drove down the roads, which Kasumi could identify as leading towards Nerima.
On a hunch she decided to try an experiment. She placed her hand tentatively on Kotaro's left hand, which was gripping the gear.
To her shock and amazement, the hand was real. She poked at it with a finger and found flesh and bone. She even put her fingers on his pulse and felt his blood pump in his veins.
"Ahem," a stern voice said. Kasumi's eyes went wide as she realized what she was doing: namely poking a stranger's hand in his car. Her eyes came up and found Minami's stern look that for the first time in ages, made her feel like an immature girl. Sheepishly she withdrew her hand from the manager's.
"Sorry, just wanted to check something," she said softly.
"Ms. Tendo, are you sure I should be bringing you home? I think it's better that I bring you to a psychiatrist. Whatever trauma you experienced in the past, clearly it has affected your head and judgement," the young man said.
She turned her eyes towards the passing buildings. "I'm sorry Mr. Minami. It's just that, you remind me of someone and I was just checking if, well, you are him," she gave a small laugh.
The young man looked at her sideways. "It's not my place to say anything, but you must have loved your companion very much for his departure to be so hard on you."
Unbidden images of a yellow Toyota Cellica transforming into a massive eighteen foot robot came into her mind. "Yes, I did. He was the first friend I had in a long time and we fell in love. At least I did. Then he had to go away. I know I need to move on with my life like my family is telling me too but….. well, my brain is smart but my heart is dumb. The nightmares and sleepless nights will continue far longer than just 3 months I expect. I don't think I'll be able to get over his memory anytime soon."
Minami Kotaro looked at her oddly. "You've been having nightmares for three months?"
Kasumi sighed. "Nearly every other day."
She then asked in a small voice, "Mr. Minami, do you think I'm pathetic and weak?"
The car slowed down by the side of the road. Kasumi looked around and was shocked when she realised that they were parked next to what used to be her sanctuary: the junkyard. Without saying anything, the young manager exited the car in a huff and walked to the junkyard gate, angrily pushing it open and he stomped into the junkyard.
Kasumi became confused at the man's behaviour and momentarily forgot the coincidence of their current stop. She quickly exited the car and followed him inside the junkyard. The man was standing in the middle of the yard, looking down on his feet, digging his left foot into the ground. As if to reflect his mood, lightning suddenly flashed through the sky, followed by the sound of thunder, indicating that it was going to rain. It pained Kasumi knowing that the unexpected rain would ruin everybody's chance of watching the meteor shower.
"Please Mr. Minami, I'm sorry to offend you with my self-pity. I won't trouble you anymore. This place is near enough to my home, you don't have to drive me further. After all, who wants a pitiful creature like me as company anyway?" Kasumi started crying softly then turned away to exit the junkyard.
Then the young man spoke, "Never, ever, say you are weak to me again Kasumi. You are the bravest, most honourable, beautiful and compassionate woman I've ever had the pleasure of befriending ……………………….. and loving."
Kasumi was startled by the man's declaration and was about to ask the Cat Café manager to clarify himself when a disruption in the heavens distracted her. She looked up to see a spectacle that she never thought she would see again and for the first time in three months, sparked hope for the future in her heart.
The meteor shower had begun as the media had predicted days ago. It was truly a spectacular sight as the two could see dozens of object burning brightly through the skies. According to the news reports, the trajectory of the objects would carry them to the Pacific Ocean so even if the meteors did not burn up upon atmospheric entry, they would land in the ocean and not cause anyone harm, not even a small tsunami. Many in the past had come to associate the stellar event with great signs and portents. It was said that if one were to witness a shooting star and make a wish, the gods would grant it. This was another reason why the Furinkan Prom had a huge turnout as many wanted to witness the meteor shower during the most precious moment in their high school lives, no doubt to ask for eternal happiness with their dates.
Kasumi on the other hand, had long disbelieved the myth. If asking from God didn't help, wishing from a bunch of burning rocks in the sky would certainly not work. Still a part of her could not help but hope for a wish to be granted.
Then it happened. From the horde of burning space rocks soaring through the sky, a small number of them broke off from the main group. Kasumi's eyes widened as she tried to remember where she had seen this phenomenon before. She saw one, two, three….. nine meteors separate themselves and then actually change direction. Whereas before the meteor shower was heading east towards the Pacific Ocean, the ten that had separated themselves actually flew in curve and moreover, were now dropping rapidly towards the ground.
To be more precise, towards Tokyo as she watched with alarm the growing size of the meteors. Eventually, the nine meteors soared a few hundred meters over her head until she could feel the heat of the atmospheric entry. They passed out of her view and then she felt a series of tremors and even heard loud thuds and small explosions as they impacted the ground.
She turned to the Cat Café manager he had disappeared. Kasumi looked frantically for him but found no trace he had been there, even the ground showed no footprints that he had ever been there. However, when she went back outside, the yellow Camaro was still there.
'That's impossible, I touched him! He is real!' Kasumi told herself. She then turned to the Camaro. A slow and suspicious thought began to form in her mind. 'Could it be………'
"Bumblebee?" she whispered as she walked towards the Camaro.
She screamed as something huge, black, white and heavy dropped from the sky and smashed the Camaro from above, making the car explode and engulfing the figure above it in hellish looking flames. She looked at the being in horror and saw that it was Barricade. The Decepticon looked extremely battered, his armour was dented in many places, a huge gash had been made at his chest and it looked like only a small piece of armour protected the inside of his chest. His face was twisted in a horrible grin and his right hand had turned into one of his tires, from which protruded vicious spikes around its circumference, that even now started to twirl. She instinctively reached for her lightsabre but found out to her chagrin, that she had left her handbag behind at the prom.
"You think you, a mere human can hope to defeat the Decepticons completely?! Well you are wrong. For Lord Megatron, I will destroy you!" he then stepped off the flaming wreck and lifted his twirling spikes. Kasumi tried to run away but she tripped over her dress and fell backwards to the ground, still facing Barricade.
Despite her situation, Kasumi steeled herself, refusing to show fear to the sadistic Decepticon. "So it was true what Megatron said: you aren't dead. I thought he was lying when we found your broken shell in Chengdu."
"A simple feint to trick everyone, even Lord Megatron, that I was dead. After all, I am his left hand that strikes from the shadows. Enough talk. Scream for me Kasumi! EXCITE ME WITH YOUR CRIES OF WOE!" Barricade cackled as he swung his spiked wheel towards Kasumi, who merely closed her eyes, knowing that she wouldn't be able to dodge it.
'Mother, I'm coming to you. Bumblebee, I'm so sorry….'
Then she heard a strange explosion as well as see a blinding flash despite her eyes being closed, followed by a howl of pain from Barricade. Her eyes snapped open as she realized what the explosion was. She saw Barricade lying on the ground, twitching violently as a gigantic hole appeared to have been blown through his chest.
Thud. Thud.
She froze as she saw the evidence before her eyes as well as the thundering footsteps behind her. But still she dared not hope. She didn't want her heart ripped out again. She didn't want the illusion of false hope. She didn't want to loose him again.
"Kasumi."
Slowly she turned around. She gasped as she saw the figure before her.
Walking towards her, tall and strong, with his right gun arm still smoking from shooting a massive blast of energy at Barricade, his yellow armour shining in the streetlight, was an eighteen-foot robot. Emblazoned clearly on its forehead, was the symbol of the Autobots.
"Bumblebee…. You're here… but I thought…. How….. where did…… then what was the Camaro…… where's Mr. Minami…..," dozens of questions raced through Kasumi's mind, so shocked she was that she could not form a coherent thought.
His right arm cannon transformed back into a hand again and the yellow Autobot stood a few metres away from Kasumi and knelt before her. "Please Kasumi, before you jump to any conclusions hear me out."
He then looked like he was taking a deep breath.
"Kasumi, I love you. I should never have left you that day, no matter the cost. I realized this when we were about to leave your Solar System. Initially I thought that my place was at Cybertron, that it was my responsibility and duty to return to my home planet and help restore it. But Optimus Prime finally acknowledged that my place was here, at your side."
Flashback (one week after Autobot departure)
Without using their faster than light ("FTL") technology, it took a week for the four rockets to finally exit the Solar System and into open space. From here they could plot a course through the vast emptiness of space and utilize their FTL engines to travel to Cybertron. All through the week, Bumblebee spoke to no one. He spent most of his time in the small training room furiously blasting simulated Decepticons. When he wasn't blasting them, he merely stood by a window, looking at the rapidly shrinking planet known as the planet Earth. Nobody bothered him at first, all knew too well the pain he was going through.
Optimus Prime spoke to Bumblebee as he gazed out the window. "Old friend, its about time. Prepare for hyperspace travel," he said quietly.
Bumblebee continued to look out the window and sighed before silently moving. As he passed by Optimus silently, the Autobot leader could not take it any longer. He then put a hand on the smaller Autobot's shoulder.
"Bumblebee, I can't help but feel that you alone, should stay at least."
"Optimus we've been through this. We can't. And besides, I have a duty to Cybertron, to you, to restore our mighty Empire, to make sure that Kasumi's sacrifices have not been in vain….." he choked on his last words and furiously wiped away the tears that leaked from his eyes.
The Autobot leader then forcibly turned the younger Autobot and made him face Optimus. "But you love her. And she loves you."
Just those words, those simple reasons, were enough to snap Bumblebee out of his indecision, his doubts, and his confusion. He looked at Optimus Prime, hardly believing what his leader had just advised him. The Autobot leader than led Bumblebee to the airlock of Omega Supreme's rocket form.
"As leader of the Autobots, I declare your duty fulfilled. You've earned your rest Bumblebee. I wish you the best of luck. Take my advice and seek out the Amazons once again. They will be able to help you."
Bumblebee looked at the airlock and then towards his leader. He then reached out his hand to Optimus. Prime smiled and then took Bumblebee's hand in a firm handshake. "Go on Bumblebee. You better make Kasumi happy or your coming back to Cybertron as a sardine can."
End flashback.
"Optimus reminded me that my heart now belonged to you and Earth. Kasumi you showed me that God and hope still existed in this universe the moment you cleaned my engine. You have sacrificed so much for me. So what if the bloody US government demands we leave your world? They are not even the rulers of planet Earth. Besides, I hid for fifty years under their collective noses. I can do it again. "
"But there was also the species factor. Kasumi, in the matters of love and marriage there is little difference between your thinking and mine. But as long as we are what we are, no matter how much we wish it, we cannot be together truly. I cannot hold you and kiss you in my arms, nor can you touch and feel my body pressed against yours properly. Most important of all, we cannot have children. It is a biological impossibility," at this last part, Bumblebee and Kasumi blushed.
Kasumi then said softly, "What are you saying Bumblebee? That we can't be together because of what we are? Didn't we already agree that none of our physical appearances matter? Why have you suddenly decided that differences matter?"
"Our differences have never mattered. But I want more than to have you Kasumi as a friend. I want to be your lover. I wish to marry you and have a family with you, as I once tried with Ariel. To do this, I decided to undergo a change. You've made enough sacrifices for me already. Now it's time I made the sacrifice. For our future and our love," Bumblebee whispered.
At that moment, it started to drizzle. Quickly, Bumblebee took Kasumi in his arm and placed inside the shelter of the hangar.
"Bumblebee, I don't understand. What are you doing…" Kasumi began.
The yellow Autobot gazed meaningfully at Kasumi. "You've changed so much for my sake. Now it's my turn," he whispered. The cold rain now poured earnestly on his yellow hull. Then he began to change.
Kasumi put her hands to her mouth and gasped as she saw Bumblebee's transformation. This time, it wasn't from his mechanical humanoid form into a car. She watched as Bumblebee began shrinking. His mechanical exterior became smoother, the mechanical joints disappearing to form a seamless skin. His blue glowing eyes began to grow whites and became replaced with fleshy orbs with black irises. His yellow armour merged with the rest of his skin to form skin and strong tawny muscles. Out of his yellow domed head, hair somehow appeared and covered it, meticulous combed for some reason. His chest, which used to be the hood and front of the car, eventually became breasts and his belly into tight six packs. He continued shrinking until he was about six feet tall. Just as his lower body was changing, a blue light suddenly enveloped him and blinded Kasumi, who had to cover her eyes.
When she opened her eyes, gone was the yellow Autobot that was Bumblebee. In its place, was the man whom she had seen earlier, still dressed in his tuxedo.
"Minami Kotaro? Bumblebee?" she whispered as the Cat Café manager, which was formerly a yellow Autobot, walked towards her. "You….. went to the Jusenkyo springs didn't you?" she finally realised.
The young man stood in front of Kasumi under the umbrella. He slowly lifted his hand to touch Kasumi's face. "Yes," he whispered. "Two weeks after we left Earth."
Flashback (two weeks after departure of Autobots)Cologne watched as a single star moved in the heavens. Only the star was moving too fast to be a star and gradually became more and more visible as it descended into Earth's atmosphere, revealing itself to be an meteor. The burning meteor grew larger and larger as it headed towards the Amazon valley. Cologne was watching from the wilderness outside the Amazon city, near a very special location.
As though it had detected Cologne, the asteroid actually changed its course when it was about 1 kilometre from the ground. Cologne did not move as the asteroid drew nearer and nearer both towards her and the ground. Eventually the asteroid was near enough for Cologne to determine its features. It was definitely no asteroid: the object was essential shaped liked an ice cream cone, with the 'ice-cream scoop' being the front of the asteroid whereas the 'cone' served as its rear and engines. In order to give an imitation of an asteroid, it appeared to have numerous pieces of rocks attached to its otherwise, smooth and sleek hull. It was these rocks that burned red hot now and gave the asteroid its comet-like appearance.
The object from the stars hit the ground about one hundred metres away from her. It skid along the ground until it was a mere five metres away from her. Still she did not budge.
"Welcome back, friend of the Amazons. I knew you would come and I've been waiting for you," Cologne smiled as she began to hear a series of mechanical noises within the object.
End flashback
Kasumi's eyes went wide. "You've been on Earth all this while? And you never came to see me? You let me be the most depressed woman in Nerima for the last three months?" she said angrily, her voice becoming progressively louder and sharper. She slapped away Bumblebee's hand away from her face and gave him a death glare.
Bumblebee/Kotaro winced at the slap as well as the angry Kasumi. She then turned her back on him.
"MOH! I don't know you! In the end, you're just a stupid, egoistic, macho, testosterone overloaded male! Stupid, arrogant, boneheaded, mush for brains, insensitive…………………" her voice faltered as Bumblebee hugged her from behind, his hands snaking across her belly and pulling her towards him. Her skin suddenly sprouted goose pimples as his head was pressed against the side of Kasumi's head and whispered softly into her ear.
"I'm sorry Kasumi. I promise from this day on, I will never leave your side," the breath of his whisper blew into her ear, making her melt in Bumblebee's arms. Once again, tears filled her eyes and began to flow freely. This time she did nothing to stop them. For the first time in three months, these were the tears of joy.
"Please don't Bumblebee. Please, promise me, that even if its by one day, you will outlive me. Because I don't think I can ever bear being alone again……." she whispered as she held Bumblebee's arms in hers.
"I promise Kasumi," he replied softly. Then slowly, he turned Kasumi so that the tear stained face of the eldest Tendo daughter was now facing him. He lifted her chin upwards. And then he kissed her.
Kasumi had only been kissed once in the mouth and it was definitely not something she wanted to remember. Fortunately, the kiss between her and Bumblebee was nothing short of passionate and loving. She put her arms around Bumblebee's neck and drew him deeper into the kiss. The wound in her heart was finally healed. The memory of Happosai's defilement was erased. Nothing else in the world mattered now, with the exception of Kasumi's God, which even now, she was praising and thanking for bringing her first love back. No longer would she fear living the rest of her life alone.
The same applied to the Autobot known as Bumblebee. Finally, their lives were complete. Nothing else mattered in the world. Their kiss became more hungry as they embraced each other, not wanting to let go.
When their lips finally parted, it was because both of them needed to breath. Kasumi's face was flushed and red, as was the human Bumblebee and both had a starry eyed look in their faces, completely oblivious to anything to each other.
She closed her eyes and laid her head against his chest. "Bumblebee….. was that a good kiss?"
"If kissing as an Autobot is any comparison, than I'll say it's the most inflaming and passionate kiss I've ever had the honour of experiencing," he whispered as he hugged her, burying his face in her sweet scented hair. His own tears wet her hair but she didn't mind: it was the most wonderful feeling her hair had ever felt.
"My beautiful princess Kasumi, Aishteru," he whispered.
"Aishteru, my handsome prince Minami Kotaro," she whispered back before being drawn back into yet another electrifying kiss.
To be continued……….
Author's notes
Sigh, I'm seriously not enjoying my single life right now.
Anyway I give credit to the lyrics of the song above as the only song from the 2007 Transformer song that I enjoyed.
'Before it's too late' by Goo Goo Dolls
Regarding the pairings I've made, bear in mind that they are just prom dates. I don't mean that Nabiki will fall in love with Kuno, or Ryoga with Ukyo or even Mousse and Shampoo. They paired up mostly for the sake of convenience since Konatsu and Akari doesn't come into my story and I don't want to elaborate about those two characters, which I barely even remember.
As for why Bumblebee waited so long before revealing himself at last, you'll find out in next chapter. Along with the result of the mysterious meteorological event. And lastly, the fate of Barricade…….. Bwahahahahahahahaha! I have the perfect fate set for that sadistic bugger.
Lastly, I thought I should let you know that Minami Kotaro is the character name of Kamen Rider Black, one of the older Masked Riders of that franchise. Which in turn, is the character avatar of my Jedi Lord Andy Wong Fey Hong. So I guess there's my self insert. :P You can't find his face on wikipedia but you can search for his picture and face on google. The actor's name is Tetsuo Kurata. Since young, I always wanted to be as handsome as that bloke. Imagine that guy's face with the body of Arnold Schwarzenegger and you have a perfect image of the Jedi Lord.
Thanks for all of your support. Take care and God bless all of you.