Azura awoke the next day feeling rather happy. What she had experienced in her dream that night was something she definitely was not going to forget. She learned a lot, and she hoped to practice that when Optimus takes her somewhere this weekend. She sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes with a yawn. She didn't know what time it was, but she didn't care. She knew she would get told if she was going to go to school today or not, so she was in no hurry to get up. She looked around and saw that Optimus was not in the room and that was fine. She looked around on her berth for a moment before she stretched out her limbs and stood up, walking over to the stairs to climb down from the berth.

She glanced towards the fish tanks and smiled. She wondered if she could convince Optimus to go to the aquarium today, even though the new tanks are not ready to take fish just yet. She simply wanted to check out the aquarium and maybe put some fish on hold or see what fish can be ordered if the aquarium did not have the species of fish she was after. She would ask him soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs to make her way to the bathroom first to use the toilet.

After that, she grabbed her brush to tidy up her hair and walked over to her closet and thought about wearing a dress today. She hummed softly before grabbing a pink sundress. She smiled at it and got changed into the dress. She stood in front of the mirror and danced as she looked at her reflection, watching the dress move as she danced. She was feeling pretty happy and she braided the sides of her hair and put flower pins into her hair. She felt pretty and she was happy about it. She was happy she did not need makeup on her face, and makeup probably wouldn't be ideal on her skin since it was metal, and not actual flesh...which she was still trying to wrap her head around of course.

She walked away from the mirror to feed the fish and check on the tank itself when Optimus walked into the room. His gaze quickly looked down at Azura and he smiled as he watched Azura feed the fish. "Good morning, Azura. I hope you slept easy."

"I did." She glanced up at him briefly as she gave the fish the food they needed. "I feel well rested." She looked back at the tank as the fish ate the food, and she spotted some algae growth on the glass. She grabbed an algae scrub sponge to clean the algae off the glass inside the tank. "Have you been given news about the school today? And how is Agent Fowler?"

"Bulkhead sent us a message that students can return to the school this morning," Optimus responded as he knelt down. He saw that Azura was wearing the pink dress and she had some lovely pins and brains in her hair. Azura smiled when told school was on today and he didn't want her to think she would miss out. "I will take you to school and pick up when it ends, Azura. But I want you to make sure you are keeping an eye out of any potential decepticon activity. We don't know if the decepticons will even come back during the day, but they were brazen enough to break into the school already. As for Special Agent Fowler, he is still unconscious, but he is recovering."

"I will be careful, Optimus. I will watch the others too." Azura didn't look at him as she responded. She was happy to hear that Fowler seemed to be recovering. "I do know that it is still a risk that Jack could be targeted even if he chose to leave." She still felt sad that Jack had chosen to leave. She understood that he was just afraid, and she didn't blame him. "I kind of wish I could walk away from the danger too."

"I wish for that for you too, Azura," Optimus said to her gently as he watched her finish cleaning the algae off the glass of her tank. "But this war is far from over. Ratchet is still studying the specs that Miko provided to us at this time. He's been at it all night."

Azura looked up at Optimus in surprise as she grabbed a syringe and filled it with a chemical to detoxify any ammonia the might have been released from the algae scrub. "I would have thought he would want to recharge after what you been through."

"He only had a short recharge. He was able to repair the damage to his arm and he's now working rather hard." She nodded a little and squeeze the syringe as the chemical is added to the water. He looked at the other two tanks and looked back at her. "When do you plan on adding new fish?"

"In a week or two." She placed the syringe down and walked away to wash her hands. "I don't suppose we could do the aquarium after school? I want to see if I can put fish on hold or order some fish for my other two tanks. And get some gravel and other decorations while I am there too."

"I think we can fit that in. But if Ratchet does discover what exactly Miko found, it might be something that requires my attention. I don't want you to feel like I am pushing you aside, but we do need to prevent Megatron from going forward with his plan. Especially since he has decided to put dark energon in his veins." Azura didn't react much to Optimus's response. She fully understood that he would need to do that, and she hoped that if Ratchet discovered what it was, that it could be dealt with. "It would be best if I take you to the lobby now and feed you, Azura. School starts in just over an hour and a half, and we should start heading into town."

Azura sighed and walked over to him. "I guess you're right." She looked up at him as he gently picked her up. "I am feeling a bit hungry anyway...might as well have a bit of breakfast."

Optimus smiled at her as he cradled her to his chassis and opened the panel. He stood up as she took hold of the fuel line and brought it closer to herself, waiting for the low-grade energon to reach the end to drink it. She wondered why he never let it run quickly, but she was okay with it since she didn't want to get a big mouthful of it. She was a little uncertain about drinking the low-grade in front of the other autobots though.

"Good morning," Arcee said just as Optimus stepped out of the room and Azura immediately tensed and became shy as she felt the line in her hand. The femme smiled kindly at the girl. "I see the shyness of feeding around others is still there." She looked up at Optimus who was amused by this. "How are you feeling today, Optimus? You did look like you had been weakened a bit yesterday."

"I have got my strength back, Arcee," Optimus responded in a reassuring tone. "Thank you for asking. The battle Ratchet and I endured yesterday was not something I had hoped to go through...but we had no choice."

"I know." Arcee walked alongside Optimus towards the lobby. She seemed less happy than she was before, and Azura guessed it was because she was sad Jack had left. "Do you have any other ideas of what Megatron is planning?"

"Until we know what Miko and the children found while they were on the warship yesterday, I do not wish to speculate at this time. I know Megatron intends on using dark energon again, but I am not sure where or when he will do it." Optimus knew there was no other resting place of dead Cybertronians on this planet that Megatron could use, which was good. "The other threats he made yesterday are things that have been repeating in my processor."

"I can only guess which ones you are referring to." Arcee glanced at Azura who began to drink the low-grade while keeping her body facing Optimus's chassis as she tried to keep her face hidden. "You know I will be beside you if anything does happen. We all will."

"I am fully aware, Arcee. But that still does not shake the worries I have." He glanced down at Azura, smiling at her shyness as she huddled into his chassis. He wished he had the chance to carry her properly, if it had not been for the war, he could have. "However, I want to believe that good will come around soon. And we will find a way to return to our home, and rebuild our broken world."

"I do not know if I share that sentiment right now, Optimus. But your hope is something that seems very hard to break. And I guess hope is one of the most powerful things in the universe." He nodded in agreement and Arcee smiled at him. "On the bright side, if we don't get to return to Cybertron, I have no doubt living here will still be fine. Azura can show us all the best things about this planet."

Azura just chuckled without commenting. She was still feeling shy about feeding from Optimus in front of others. She didn't know if she would ever outgrow the shyness as the other autobots have not made fun of her at all. In fact, they seemed to think it was adorable that she was behaving this way. She guessed it was just a sparkling trait, and she would outgrow it eventually. Especially when she can have high-grade energon for the first time.

As Optimus walked into the lobby, he gazed over at Ratchet. He had fully use of his arm again and he was still working on figuring out what Miko had found. He overheard Ratchet mutter something to himself before the medic shouted at him. "Optimus!" Azura turned her head slightly as Optimus and Arcee walked closer to Ratchet. She glanced over at the platform briefly to see the agent still in the gurney, hoping he would recover, before glancing back at Ratchet. The medic turned to face them. "These are engineering specs for a space-time vortex generator."

Azura did not know if that was good or not, but she was worried. "Megatron's building a space bridge. If he hasn't already."

"The sooner he leaves, the better," Arcee commented bluntly as she listened to the two speak.

Optimus turned to Arcee with a concerned expression. "Arcee, a space bridge runs in two directions. Megatron may not be using it to leave Earth, but to bring through his conquering army."

Azura shivered at the thought and she tensed, feeling Optimus's hand tighten slightly around her protectively. "The main event Megatron referred to...but the only place Megatron could possibly recruit that many fallen warriors." Ratchet's voice was filled with fear as soon as he realized what Optimus was saying.

She did not want to hear it, because it would be playing on her mind all day. Optimus just nodded affirmatively. "Precisely." He glanced down at Azura who was looking at him fearfully and he intakes heavily. "Cybertron."

"What a way to make the day heavy for the sparkling, Optimus," Arcee commented in an amused tone. Optimus glanced at the femme who was smirking slightly. "Surely this could have waited until you took Azura to school."

"I suppose it could...but you know this thing had to be told regardless," Ratchet responded gently and glanced at Azura who was still drinking the low-grade. "I forgot to say good morning to you, Azura. You seem to have recharged well. Are you feeling any discomfort?" She shakes her head before freezing and gesturing to the specs on the screen. "Aside from fearful discomfort, of course, but that is fantastic news. This means your body's recovered and you'll likely start noticing a growth spurt. I am not sure how quickly you'll grow, but expect to outgrow your clothes this year."

Azura didn't like that. While she was still small, about Miko's height, she didn't really want to outgrow her clothes so quickly. "Um...I hope I can remain small enough to keep wearing clothes until...my...skin fades or something..."

"I would say it will when you reach a certain height. And Optimus will get the honor of building your first, official plates that we can put on your body. That will be your new clothing." Azura still did not know how to feel about it and she looked away from Ratchet. "You will be fine, Azura. It is another thing you'll just have to get used to. I still need to do a proper scan over your body."

"What do you mean by that?" Optimus asked curiously.

"I mean no disrespect, Optimus, but Azura could lack systems that should have gotten from you. You know when a sparkling forms within a mech or femme, parts from their bodies get delivered to the sparkling through the amniotic lines, and these form the important systems our bodies need. And while Azura is alive, I would hope that not having these systems will not be detrimental in the future." Azura was surprised as she listened to how sparklings grow within a Cybertronian. It was very interesting, and not the same as how humans form. Ratchet smiled as Optimus seemed worried again. "I doubt it will be a huge concern, Optimus...unless it does become an emergency...mostly because the only way for her to receive her systems would require a delicate procedure. One I don't think she would accept right now."

"Like a transplant?" Arcee asked with a confused expression.

Ratchet shook his head. "No...it is a procedure that hasn't been done in centuries...but has saved countless sparklings in the past. But it only works when the sparkling is a certain age, and Azura is in the safe zone for the time being."

Azura grumbled and buried her face against Optimus's chassis. "Do you need to be saying this stuff before I go to school?" She asked with her voice slightly muffled, making Arcee snicker in amusement. "Couldn't you talk about if I am disabled when I am school?"

"Oh, no, you're not disabled by any means," Ratchet said quickly, worried he had upset her. "I am just...not sure what systems you have and don't have. You have important systems, obviously, that is all that matters. But if there are things that you should have and don't, it'll just be something to consider." She did not respond and Ratchet sighed. "You should take her to school before we worry her even more, Optimus."

Azura also felt full and didn't want anymore low-grade, and thankfully Optimus knew this as he stopped the flow of energon and pulled the line back inside the panel. "Is there anything that you should take from your room before we leave?"

Azura thought for a moment before looking up at him with a gasp. "Ah, yes! I have homework I need to hand in." He frowned a little at her. "Just go back to my room! I'll be more organized tomorrow, I was still half asleep when you picked me up and I didn't think to grab any of my school stuff. Ugh...it would be so embarrassing to leave it behind like this."

Optimus nodded and walked out of the lobby quickly back to her room. He lowered her to the ground and Azura jumped off, running over to her bag to gather her things and ran back to Optimus. She didn't like she was replaying what Ratchet and Optimus had said regarding what Megatron was going to do in her head. It was very distracting, and she did not know how she was going to go in school today, but she would do her best.

He returned to the lobby and transformed before the driveway, and drove out of the base onto the road. Azura took a deep breath as she stared out the window. "Is it even possible I am missing...um...parts to my...system?" She asked curiously and huffed in amusement. "Man, I still need to get used to that. I am still thinking that I have human organs inside of me...and now I have to get used to calling it a system...though I guess it isn't too different to human organs, in someway, since it is a different form of system."

"You would be correct, Azura," Optimus said gently. "Human organs may not be as complex as our system, but what they have is natural for them. And I understand you feel these frustrations, Azura. To be honest, I had not considered you might have missing system parts...I thought you had all of them. But I guess Ratchet could be right."

"And do you know what procedure he is talking about?"

"Azura, I might have wisdom of many years, I have assisted with medical needs for other autobots. Sadly, whatever Ratchet was talking about, I am afraid I am naïve to." She chuckled as Optimus's reply because it sounded funny to her. "If it is an old practice, or a necessary practice for sparklings if needed...I am afraid I do not know it. And I think Ratchet will not tell us unless necessary."

"Well...would my system be different since I can influence elements and the weather?" Azura asked curiously. "I don't really know if Cybertronians can have extraordinary abilities...does the Matrix give you special powers?"

Optimus was amused by the questions and he could tell she was trying to process what she has learned. "I do possess powers from the Matrix, however, I do not use those powers I have no need of them. Being a Prime does grant this, but I have to be responsible."

"Would that mean you could end the war with the powers you have?" Azura asked curiously.

"I am afraid not. Not like that." She was a little disappointed and not surprised at the same time. She had guessed that was the case, but she wanted to ask anyway. "The Matrix isn't a war ending tool in the way you would hope for, Azura. I understand your wish this war to be ended, I wish the same. But we can only keep fighting the war until we achieve victory."

"Or defeat."

Optimus was a little taken by surprise at the comment, even though he also knew that was a possibility. "Uh, yes...that is also possible. But I do not linger on that possibility, Azura. Doing so would allow for dark thoughts and ideals that could destabilize oneself. And I don't mean in harming others, but rather fall into a pit of despair where defeat will be inevitable."

"Right...I understand..." Azura looked out the window and she glanced at the sky. "Do you think that Megatron will succeed?"

"I do not think you need to be concerned about that right now, Azura." She side eyes the dash with a frown. "I know we discussed what Megatron could do, but we do not know if he will do that now. I will work with Ratchet and the others while you are at school."

"I guess this means no trip to the aquarium...which is fine." She smiled a little as she focused on the sky outside. "Maybe a little bit of rain wouldn't hurt."

"I am not sure if you should play with the weather all the time, Azura, but this place is pretty dry." Optimus was worried she would get too comfortable using her powers too much. He knew she might be able to use them without showing she was using her powers, but he was still concerned. "I can guess that the idea of rain is a way of telling me how you are feeling."

She nodded a little and relaxed in the chair. "Yeah...and you're right. I should be careful..."

"I know you probably want to practice, Azura, but doing it when there are humans nearby is forbidden." She looked at the dash in surprise at the sudden order from Optimus. "Unless absolutely necessary if your life is in danger. Any other time you will not use your powers." She didn't say anything and just looked out the window. "I want you to understand that we cannot involve any other humans, Azura. And while messing with the weather may seem harmless, you might find you'll like that power too much."

She listened to him quietly and processed what he was saying. What he said was true. Power can become rather addictive, and Alpha Trion told her the same thing last night while she went through the new training. "I promise I won't use my power unless necessary around humans. I don't want to hurt anyone."

"Good." Optimus did have concerns she would still use her powers around the human settlement when he wasn't around, and she could make it seem like a natural weather pattern, so he would need to make sure to keep an eye on human weather channels. "I don't want you to feel like I am restricting you, Azura. I just don't want any other human to end up in danger like the other three children, even if the whole planet is at stake."

"I know." She looked ahead as Optimus entered Jasper. She looked around and she wondered if Jack was at school right now. "I do hope that Jack and I will remain friends...I feel like I've let him down."

"You two seem like you were close from the last three years." She nodded and brought up her knees to hug them with a sad expression on her face. "I know it has been a struggle as Jack seems to be a very bright young human. He has noticed straight away there is something between you and I, and while I know he hasn't actually worked out the reason, I think he will understand if you were to tell him about your identity."

"But I can't because he's left. I kind of hope that I can convince him to come back. Even Arcee seems to be quite not herself." Azura clasped her fingers together as she stared out the window. "I know he may not be convinced to come back...but you never know." She shakes her head sadly and looked at the dash. "At least...I can come and talk to you. I know that now...it has taken a while for me to realize that I can trust you...at least with things that I tell you."

Optimus felt his spark warm happily to hear that Azura trusted him. Even if she said she trusted him with words, he believed she did trust him almost completely. With everything that has happened, he knew her eyes has been opened to an extent, and hoped to keep gaining her trust. "You can count on me, Azura. I know we had...well...a very rocky beginning. I hope that I keep doing things right by you. I ask that you will be honest if I make a mistake. I don't want to make them again with you."

She smiled at him. "We all make mistakes, Optimus. Even if you do, yes, I will tell you. But I think you will do things mostly right from now on. No one is ever perfect, and I am okay with that. I am learning how to be a Cybertronian, but I still fall back onto my human ways. You are lucky I never got into drinking."

"Drinking? Oh, you mean, drinking alcohol?" She nodded. "I would definitely agree to that. I have no idea how human alcohol would affect your system. I would hate to think that since we know a little bit about how if can affect human bodies negatively." Optimus turned a corner and Azura gazed at the school building and she gasped happily when she spotted Bee and Bulkhead. "Try not to let what you've learned this morning distract you, Azura. I know you'll do your best."

She smiled at him as she gathered her stuff. "I am the top of my class, so I guess I have the Cybertronian intelligence. I am looking forward to the science fair that is coming in a week. And that reminds me that I need to get started on my assignment for that, it'll be one of my last science assignments this year."

"Do you get to choose what you want to create?"

Azura nodded. "Yep. I have chosen to build a model of the Amazon rainforest to show the ecosystem that is there. You may not know this, but the Amazon is a massive ecosystem. I cannot wait to make it."

"I look forward to learning about it." He parked in the parking space and opened the passenger door. "I do not know much about the natural life of this world, and I suppose it has been ignorance to this planet since I have been so focused on the war. But you've sparked my interest in this planet." She giggled as she moved to climb out of the truck. "There is definitely undeniable beauty in this world."

"There sure is." She jumped to the ground and closed the door. "I'll see you after school." She turned her head and waved as Miko and Raf ran over to her. "Hey, you two! I hope you both got home okay last night."

"We got home just fine," Raf said politely. "I was able to get in some much needed study. My mama is very strict on my studies."

"She wants you to get a great job, that's why." Azura glanced over Miko's shoulder as she spotted Jack walking towards them and she walked around Miko. "Hey, Jack. How are you today? Feeling less shaken?"

Jack shrugged at her with a slight frown. "Yeah...I guess so..." He looked at the other two. "I see you all got here nice and early." He glanced at the peterbilt as Optimus had not driven off yet. Bee and Bulkhead already left to head back to the base. "Seems like you have a shadow."

"Yeah...but it's okay." Azura shrugged with a smile. "Do you want to go to the library? I'm going to start on getting a few notes for the science fair next week, and I was thinking we could go and study together somewhere quiet."

"Ew, that's so boring!" Miko said in an exasperated tone and rolled her eyes. "I don't know why we can't just do something else before school." She grabbed out her sketchbook. "Do any of you like to draw?"

"I didn't know you were into art," Azura commented as she looked at the book. Miko opened it and Azura smiled. "You're pretty good, Miko."

"Not the best...it is most just scribbles." She flipped through the pages and showed Azura a rather distinct bike. "I drew this a few days ago. You know, when our lives changed."

"Oh yeah, I see it." Azura felt weird agreeing to that, since her life changed three years ago. "Creativity is definitely your area. I can see why you enjoy music too."

"I wish everyone else could see that." Miko closed her book as she seemed to get sad for a moment. "My own parents would never understand." She shrugged and widened her smile again. "But they let me come here, and I am okay with that."

"I can't believe you're hanging out with the freaks." Azura jumped and turned to see Vince standing a few feet away from with them with his arms folded. He had a scowl on his face, and he seemed to not be understanding. "Why are you with them?"

Azura rolled her eyes at him and turned away. "Not that it is any of your business, Vince, but they're my friends. Now buzz off and find some other girl to toy with." She glanced over her shoulder to see Optimus was still here. His side mirror was rotating, likely getting a good look at Vince.

"Yeah...but the ones who play hard to get is much more fun," Vince responded in an arrogant tone, making Azura's skin crawl with disgust.

Miko gave him a disgusted expression before speaking to Azura. "Does this guy always say stuff like that to you?" Azura nodded in irritation. "What a loser...pfft, I wouldn't even take a look at him, even if he thought I was cute."

"That is because he has one of these..." Azura lifts her pinkie and wiggled it, making Miko giggle and Jack snorted in amusement. Raf, who was staying close to Jack, did not seem to understand. "And you know guys that have that, think they're so tough."

Miko couldn't stop giggling in amusement. "Wow...wow! Yes, I do know that. But you called it, girl. You called it." She leaned in to whisper to Azura as Vince was walking towards the school now with some of his friends. "If he ever tries to do something, you should totally call him out in public. He deserves it."

Azura nodded in agreement. "Shall we go to the library where it is quieter?"

"Sounds good to me," Rafael said quickly as he did not like Vince. Mostly because the boy was picked on by the older boy. "Just to get away from him."

The four of them enter the building to head to the library. At this time, Azura saw Optimus driving away, and she couldn't help but realize he was quite protective. She had expected him to just roll away like the other bots, but he didn't. She knew the reason why, but she certainly had not expected him to just wait until she got inside safely. For now, she had to deal with being irritated by Vince, and also think over what was said that morning by the autobots. Today seemed like it was going to turn into a long day.