Authoress note: Hey, guys! I managed to make this chapter longer than the last one! Woot!

Thanks to:

electrogirl88 - Thank you so much for your praise. I'm glad that my story is one of your favorites. It makes me happy that someone would take time to actually tell that to me.

Nola1 - lol Thanks! I don't plan on stopping anytime soon.

Elita One - lol exactly. The twins are like some of my friends so it should get interesting.

Stesuna the Dragon - Yeah, but he gets better in this chapter.

Thanks for your reviews guys!

Chapter 13

The Loss of Asuma

Two weeks later had quickly arrived, much to everyone's surprise. The days had passed quickly but one particular day the Autobots could feel that something was amiss. Nobody could figure out what exactly had gone wrong but the winged girl was extremely distressed.

The winged girl was flying around the base, streaking past surprised Autobots. They stared after her with their optics wide and mouths open, wondering what she was in a rush for. Deep down in their sparks they knew something was troubling her but they needed to continue with their jobs…although Ratchet wanted to help his lover. He, however, was busy keeping Sideswipe and Sunstreaker out of trouble; yeah right. It was an impossible task but if the Autobot Medic wanted to keep his workload light he needed to do all he could.

As Nexia flew around the base little Kenai trailed behind her, darting in between the mechs' legs. The winged girl had checked every room, crevice, and hallway she could think of in order to find the source of her sour feeling. Her eyes were downcast as she hovered in the air, sweeping across the hall she was currently flying in.

She sharply flew around the corner and landed, scanning the new hallway for the source of her sadness. She was looking for Asuma, the black cat and Nexia's closest friend. He was always there for her, following her with Kenai. They would play together, entertaining the winged girl whenever she was bored. She could tell the little one anything and he could not spill her secrets since he was…well…a cat.

The winged girl finished scanning the new hallway and sighed, scooping up Kenai and headed toward the Communications Room. Maybe he was just hidden in a corner somewhere and she couldn't find him. Once at the Communications Room the door hissed open and she came barreling through, surprising the hell out of Hound. The green mech jumped as she landed on the computer's top, scanning this room as well. All the bright computers would have revealed the little black kitten if he were in here. Apparently he was not and Nexia sighed sadly for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

The green mech glanced at the winged girl with worry laced in his bright blue optics. Never had he seen the girl so saddened; he wondered what had happened to make her sad. He saw the little lady like a younger sister figure despite the fact that they were different species.

"Hey, darlin'. What can I do fer ya? Ya seem kina down." he asked in his deep southern accent. Some of the other mechs made fun of him for it but Nexia found it endearing. She looked up at the forest green mech with her lower lip trembling, causing his optics to narrow. Anyone who dared make the lil' lady cry would have hell to pay. It better not have been Ratchet…however it wasn't likely. Ratchet was too in love with the little winged girl to have hurt her. The green mech couldn't help but wonder what happened.

"Hound? Have you seen Asuma? I think he ran away because he wasn't at the house this morning and I can't find him here." she said, tears welling up in her eyes. The little beads of moisture dribbled down her cheeks as she rapidly blinked her eyes, trying to will the tears away.

Hound shook his head sadly and watched the girl bit back a small sob, burying her face into her hands. Her wings drooped sadly as Kenai let out a sad yip, rubbing his cheek against her leg in an attempt at comforting her. It didn't work, obviously, as she cried even harder, falling to her knees as her shoulders shook. The small fox kit looked up at Hound, a look of desperation in his eyes. He didn't like it when his foster mother was sad…but who did?

Bumblebee ambled in soon after and froze, shocked at the scene. He let out a questioning chirp but was quieted as the forest green mech waved an impatient hand in his direction. Hound quietly got up and whispered with the young mech as Nexia rose through the air and out the door. She could barely see where she was flying as the tears pooled into her eyes. Anywhere was better than the room where she was at the moment; she didn't want anyone else to see her sadness. The winged girl paused and picked up the fox kit – she needed some comfort after all.

Nexia was about to turn the corner when she realized she was in front of the Medical Bay. She paused, wondering if she should seek comfort in her lover, but soon thought better of it. The winged girl didn't want to be seen as a weak crybaby. The doors hissed open and quicker than the optic or the eye could see she flew down another hall, trying to find a room where she could cry in peace. If she had looked back she would have seen the Autobot Medical officer stepping into the hallway, looking around for her.

Ratchet made his way to the communications room via request of Bumblebee and Hound. The Autobot medic had work to do in his office and was grumbling under his breath. He knew that the two who called him were not injured but they had insisted that he come anyway. The medic sighed and decided that a small break from the Medical Bay couldn't hurt him. He wanted to share a small moment with his Nex if he could, also. He looked around, swearing that he saw a flicker of red wings out of the corner of his optics…but when he looked it was gone. Maybe he was working a little too hard.

Nexia sighed, slumping over onto her side. Her eyes were rimmed with red and extremely bloodshot from crying. She had long since cried all the tears she would dare to shed for her lost friend. Kenai nosed her arm, trying to push his head underneath her arm. He was worried about his foster mother.

She tried to smile at the little fox kit, but it seemed forced. She held her façade for a few moments before she finally decided to drop the act. Her face fell as she drifted further into her thoughts. Why had Asuma run away? Was he not happy with her? Was she that horrible hat he had to run away? She sank deeper into her despair, wrapping her arms around the red fox, and bringing her wings around herself from the world. She huddled in the corner of the empty room, enjoying the darkness of the shadows as thought about the black kitten.

Kenai shook his small furry head, saddened by his failure at attempting to cheer up the winged girl. He snuggled deeper into Nexia's embrace as her arms tightened around his frail form. She was careful not to crush him as he was the only thing she had left…besides the Autobots. He was the one she would have to entrust her secrets with.

A couple of tears slowly trailed down her face as her eyes fluttered closed. She smiled bitterly; amused that she hadn't used all of her tears. The winged girl finally drifted into a light sleep as the small fox guarded her sleeping form.

Ratchet arrived in the communications room shortly after he received the message request. The Autobot medical officer had looked for his winged lover on the way there but couldn't find her; he was somewhat worried but didn't think too much about it at the time.

The Autobot medic entered the room only to be greeted by two serious mechs. He was somewhat taken aback but he managed not to show his surprise on his facial plates. This was strange as Bumblebee was a young mech who loved to make others happy. He was a sweet youngling and the use of his serious face was uncharacteristic. Both of the young ones led Ratchet to one of the viewing monitors and once he was seated they began showing him one of the security videos of the past week.

The security video began with just the video around the entrance to the base; the door was closed and everything was still. Then, several minutes later, Sunstreaker arrived and opened the base door, exiting from the base. He must have been going on patrol because he transformed and sped off in the direction of the first checkpoint. There were several checkpoints along the entrance to the base and an alarm was sounded if one was missed.

Then, Ratchet noticed, that Sunstreaker had failed to close the base door. It was one of the most important rules at the Autobot base – keep the door closed. Nexia didn't know the code to the base as she usually had Ratchet with her…or had somebody let her out when she wanted to fly.

Ratchet's heart clenched painfully at the thought of his lover being in harms way. The Decepticons could have easily entered the base to kidnap their Phoenix or the shard to the Allspark. Ratchet felt his temper rise but continued watching the security video to see if anything else would happen. He couldn't let his temper get the better of him right now.

Bumblebee forwarded the video a couple of minutes but stopped when the black fuzz ball of a kitten appeared on the screen. The kitten was very intelligent as it understood what the humans and Autobots told it. He could complete menial tasks and could shake his head yes or no. Asuma's intelligence was due to the special pills Wheeljack made to go in his food. It stimulated his brain activities, thus making him smarter.

The little black kitten usually stayed away from the door but since someone left the door open Asuma became curious. Ratchet watched as the kitten made his way out the open door and away into the wild. Somehow the medic knew that they would never see the black kitten again. He was about to get up to find his lover but he was held fast by a hand on his arm. The Autobot medic realized that it wasn't over and settled back down, waiting for the video to continue.

It was Hound who fast forwarded the tape this time. Hours later, on the security tape, Sunstreaker arrived back at the base. The yellow warrior mech transformed back into his bipedal mode, golden paint shining in the light at he did. He glanced around to make sure nobody was around before he shut the base door. Sunstreaker must have realized that he left the base door open. He then walked away like nothing happened, most likely to his quarters that he shared with Sideswipe.

When the video ended Ratchet switched the monitor off, narrowing his optics in anger. It was bad enough that the golden warrior mech left the base door wide open…but he didn't even confess that he was the cause of the disappearance of Asuma. His little winged lover must be heartbroken.

"Sunstreaker is the cause for all of Nexia's misery. The slagger didn't confess to save his own hide." The Autobot medic hissed, watching Bee and Hound nod in agreement. In unison they stood, leaving Jazz to start his shift in the Communications Room. The silver colored saboteur smirked as they stalked out of the room, mentally picturing what Sunstreaker's beating would look like.

They stalked to the twins' room; Hound found himself knocking on the door – mainly because he was afraid that Ratchet would bust through the metal. The three angered mechs were soon greeted by a sleepy Sideswipe, who upon seeing their arrival quickly fetched his brother. The three mechs had no qualms with the red warrior mech; it was his brother that they were after.

Minutes later Sunstreaker appeared. Once he stepped out of the safety of his room he was grabbed by both Bumblebee and Hound. The scout and spy each had a hold of one arm as Ratchet shoved him against the wall of the hallway. The three angered mechs ignored the golden warrior's protests as his paint was scratched by the wall.

"You… you little fragger. You are the cause of Nexia's pain. I ought to beat the slag out of you. Then we'll see how much of a slagger you can really be." Ratchet all but hissed again. His eyebrow components narrowed, giving him a look of pure rage. The others were not as angry but Bee chirped in agreement while Hound nodded, glaring at the yellow warrior. Sunstreaker narrowed his optics while Sideswipe commed Optimus, worried about his twin. He didn't know what this was about…but a fight was about to break out.

"Nexia? Who? Oh you mean that little annoying pest who flies around mech's heads? She's just around for amusement, isn't she?" the golden warrior shot back, sneering at the medic. Sideswipe gaped at his brother, slightly stunned that he was being so mean about the whole situation. The red warrior glared at his brother – his dislike of the situation was flowing through their brotherly bond. Sunstreaker ignored their bond, choosing to continue sneering at the outraged mech in front of him.

Once the words had crossed his lips Hound and Bumblebee had tightened their grip on his arms, almost forcing him into a kneeling position on the floor. Their grip tightened almost painfully, causing Sunstreaker to grit his electronic teeth in pain. Sideswipe started to protest but with one look from his brother the red warrior fell silent.

"She is not a 'pest' as you say. Remember that she is the one who healed your brother when I didn't possess the proper tools." Ratchet growled, clenching his fist. He held it up, threatening to punch the golden warrior in the face.

"Yeah? So? It was your own fault that she had to heal Sides." Sunstreaker spat out, causing Ratchet's fist to tighten. Sideswipe then remembered when he was injured and when the little Phoenix healed his exposed side. He actually owed her his life. Sideswipe looked back to his brother, anxious to stop the fight and to make his aggressive twin to see reason. Sunstreaker smirked and Sideswipe knew that his next words would cause him to have his aft handed to him on a silver platter.

"Sunny…I think you should stop now… Ratchet has a point." Sideswipe said, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. His comment both surprised the three angered mechs and infuriated his brother. It fueled his rage that his own twin would side with the Hatchet.

"Shut it, Sides. It's not my fault that itty bitty Ratchet here had to have his little whore help him out-" Sunstreaker was cut off by a neon green fist being shoved into his face. Several things happened at once: Bumblebee and Hound released the yellow assassin while the red one jumped forward to help his twin. Ratchet fought to deal with the yellow warrior but a strong pair of black arms held the medic back.

"Let me go, Ironhide." Ratchet yelled, causing all of the mechs to flinch. It was common enough to hear the neon mech to yell but to see him completely loose his composure was a rare sight. He continued to struggle but the black mech had a good grip on him. Soon, Wheeljack, Jazz, and Optimus came hurtling down the hallway, not surprised to see Ratchet and the hot tempered assassin going at it.

"What is going on here?!" Optimus roared as he approached the struggling duo, pointedly glaring at Ratchet and Sunstreaker. He waited shortly and then the questioning began. The Autobot medic stopped struggling but was still glaring heatedly at the golden warrior.

Nexia had awakened from her nap, sitting up slowly as Kenai started to lick the dried tears from her face. Her eyes were bloodshot from the amount of tears she had shed…but she surprisingly felt somewhat better. Maybe it was a good thing that all of those tears were wasted.

Suddenly, the loud booming voice of Optimus tore throughout the base. The words 'What is going on here?' made her jump to her feet, worried about her friends. Somehow she knew someone had gotten into a fight with one of the new mechs. The winged girl grabbed Kenai and took to the air, quickly exiting the storage room and flying in the direction of the voices.

When she was about to round the corner she cautiously landed, setting Kenai upon the ground. She sternly whispered that he should stay there lest he be stepped on. The winged girl took to the air again - this time slower than before. She rounded the corner and gasped at the scene that was before her.

Ratchet was struggling against a hold from Ironhide and Wheeljack while Sunstreaker was being held back by Sideswipe and Jazz. Optimus was standing before the bunch, his back was facing Nexia, and had his arms crossed, glaring at the other bots. The winged girl froze, hovering in the air as she witnessed the scene. Nexia was sure that none of the mechs had realized that she was there.

"Now, I will only ask this one more time. What is going on here?" the great Autobot leader demanded. Optimus did not tolerate fighting between fellow Autobots. As everyone calmed, with the exception of Ratchet and Sunstreaker, Nexia took this opportunity to fly in front of the bots. When she made herself known the mechs froze, suddenly feeling ashamed.

Ratchet relaxed, not wanting to seem like a sparkling in front of his lover, so the bots released their grip on his arms. Nexia landed on his outstretched hand as he brought her small frame up to his shoulder. The winged girl settled herself on his shoulder, lightly gripping onto the Search and Rescue lights for balance.

Hound and Bumblebee stepped forward slightly in a protective manner, glaring at the yellow warrior. It was Ratchet who finally responded to Optimus' question. He glanced up at his winged lover before sighing.

"It all started when we saw Nexia this morning. She was saddened for some reason… and you know how we can't stand seeing her sad. In order to rectify the problem we, Hound, Bumblebee, and I, were trying to figure out what was wrong. It turns out that she could not find Asuma, her black kitten." he began. Optimus looked at Nexia for confirmation so she nodded her head. Optimus motioned for Ratchet to continue while Sunstreaker glared at the duo.

"Well…Hound and Bumblebee had found something on one of the security videos. It turns out that while on patrol Sunstreaker left the door to the base open and Asuma wandered outside. He was probably curious as to what the outside world looked like compared to the base. Later, when Sunstreaker returned, he shut the base door. Asuma never made it back inside the base." The Autobot medic said mournfully.

Ratchet turned his head to the side to get a better look at his lover…but the look on her face nearly broke his spark. He brought his hand up to her as she held on to a couple of his fingers, closing her eyes tightly. She had a look of despair upon her face, her wings drooping around her frame. Ratchet's other hand clenched in a fist; he was still furious with the golden warrior. The next time he was in for a check up…ohh he would get it.

"So what?! You act like she just lost her best friend! It was just a black rat." the yellow warrior retorted but was instantly silenced with a look from the great blue mech. Optimus was aware how much the little kitten had meant to the winged girl. The Autobot leader then nodded for Ratchet to continue with the story. Ratchet took the equivalent action of a deep breath before continuing.

"Bumblebee, Hound, and I came to confront the little slagger and… well things got out of hand. He insulted Nexia…" Ratchet trailed off. Optimus nodded his head in understanding and completed the medic's thought. Ratchet sneaked a look at the winged girl, mentally chuckling at the surprised look on her face. Yes, he would always fight for her honor.

"And when he insulted the little one you attacked him, correct?" Optimus asked, eyeing the dark yellow mech. Sunstreaker grimaced, as if he was expecting to be hit. He had calmed down from his little temper tantrum but Jazz and Sideswipe still held him back.

"If I may interject? What did Sunstreaker say that insulted our dear Phoenix?" Wheeljack asked. Ratchet clutched his fist in renewed anger, glaring at the golden warrior.

"He called Nexia a whore." the medic said as calmly as he could, wincing when he heard her gasp. She looked down, letting her wings droop even further around her body. She stayed in her depressing position when, suddenly, she jumped off Ratchet's shoulder. The winged girl flew forward, hovering in front of the yellow warrior.

"I don't know if you heard of the legends about Cybertronian Phoenixes. I am the last of my kind. And yes, Asuma was my best friend. He is gone and there is nothing I can do about it. He was to me as Sideswipe is to you." Nexia explained calmly, looking Sunstreaker in the optics. The warrior's optics widened and flickered ever so slightly toward his brother. They flickered back towards Nexia and softened slightly at her saddened face.

"Do you really think that way about me?" she asked before Optimus motioned for everyone to leave.

"No. I guess I was just jealous of all the attention you were getting. I had no idea that you were the last of your kind." Sunstreaker sighed, looking down and gathering his thoughts.

"Since this is your first offense you will not be punished, but Nexia is dear to us all. Even if you are an Autobot I cannot guarantee your safety if you insult her again." the towering blue mech said, turning to leave. Soon, only Ratchet, Nexia, and the twins were left standing in the hallway. The red warrior released his twin's arm as Sunstreaker turned towards the winged girl once again. Sunstreaker took a deep intake of air as Ratchet watched him warily, waiting to pounce at the slightest disturbance.

"Nexia…I-" he began. He paused, glancing back at his brother, who nodded at him with encouragement.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that the animal meant so much to you. I don't know how you handle it so well, either. If I had lost Sides I'd be devastated." he said, elbowing his brother in the side. Sideswipe laughed playfully as he swatted his twin's hand away. Nexia smiled and flew upwards until she was hovering in front of his face again. She leaned forward and hugged both the twins' faces, much to the displeasure to the medic behind her. Nexia finally let go and flew back so that she was once again settled on Ratchet's shoulder.

"Why don't we start over? Hi, my name is Nexia. What is your designation?" she asked, eyes sparkling merrily. Both Sunstreaker and Sideswipe grinned, each taking a hold of one of her hands.

"Hey, beautiful. Names Sunstreaker but you can call me Sunny." Sunstreaker said, seeming to wink at the winged girl. Sideswipe then pushed his brother out of the way.

"And my name is Sideswipe but if my lady wishes she can call me Sides." the red mech said, also winking at the winged girl. Ratchet glared at the mechs but held back as he saw that Nexia was smiling. It seems that even though she lost one valuable friend she seemed to have gained two more.