"Did you honestly expect to be rid of me?"

Hina looked around for the source of the voice in the dark void she was trapped in. There was a bright spotlight that only illuminated the center of the space. It shined on her like the sun lighting up the galaxy. She turned around to see Lockdown step into the light, his body broken and frail.

"What are you doing here?" She hissed, taking a step back.

"You'll never be rid of me, Mitsuko," He stated. "Whether you like it or not, I was a critical part of your life. You know it in your spark that if it wasn't for me, you'd still be a miserable human being."

"No!" She shouted, her servo forming into a fist. "No, you're wrong!"

"I was the one that gave you a true purpose," He went on, circling the femme like a shark. "But all Drift wanted to do was keep you in the dark."

"How dare you say that about him!" Hina yelled, watching his every move. "He was the one who helped me find my purpose! You were the one who was trying to take me away from it!"

"If it wasn't for me, you would have spent the rest of your miserable life in that dungeon of a dojo," Lockdown talked back, his red optics glowing. "You were strong, gifted. You were better than anyone of your 'friends'. They knew it, and secretly hated you for it."

No... Kai, Louie, and Toma? They would never have such negative thoughts towards her. They were practically family, her siblings. They were her family. They are family.

"Don't you dare speak about them like that!" Hina shouted.

Without even realizing it, she pounced forward and tackled the crippled mech to the floor, holding a tight grip on his neck.

"If Cyclonus can end your despicable life, than so can I!" She screamed. 

She rose her fist and shoved it down towards his face, but Lockdown's body suddenly frizzled out of existence. It vanished like a patch of black smoke. What followed was a dark and menacing laugh that startled the femme as she fell to her side, struggling to regain her momentum as she searched for where the laughter was coming from. 

"Foolish femme," Lockdown taunted. "You can't kill what is already dead!"

Suddenly the spotlight began to shrink, as Lockdown's laughter grew louder with each passing second. Hina's fear boiled deeper and deeper inside of her as she was too scared to move. When the darkness finally consumed her, she forced her arms over her faceplate to shield it and screamed as loud as she could. 

"DRIFT!" 

*******

Hina's optics flashed open as she sat up in her berth, slowly trying to regain her composer. Frantically searching the area, she discovered that she was back in her room of the housing unit of Optimus Prime and Elita-1. 

The brown and gold femme sighed before forming her servo into a tight fist and slammed it on the surface of her berth. 

"That nightmare. . . not again. . ."

She knew she needed to try to calm herself down and blow off the steam if she wanted to go back into recharge anytime soon tonight. Hina pushed herself up to her pedes and quietly made her way out of her room, being mindful of not to wake up her hosts. 

Since she and the crew of the Lost Light returned to Cybertron almost 6 months ago, Hina wasn't able to afford to stay in the penthouse she and Drift lived in together. After what she went through in her final encounter with Lockdown, Ratchet advised that I'd be placed in the care of friends and recover. Which meant I couldn't go back out and explore the far reaches of space with the Lost Light again. 

Rodimus, Swerve, Skids, Ratchet, Tailgate, Chromedome, Rung, heck even Whirl. . . she missed her Lost Light buddies. 

But all those adventures wouldn't be the same without him. Without Drift. 

Hina found herself looking up at the stars, standing against the railing of the house patio. The Prime and his sparkmate had a wicked place. Not as cozy as the penthouse, as Hina was so used to living there, but it providing a soothing atmosphere. 

Hina missed her sparkmate. To think that Drift had actually sparkbonded her the night before he left. He said in Earth terms, it was like a marriage proposal. . . does that mean Hina was now Drift's fiance? 

The femme continued to gaze at the stars, praying to GOD or Primus that Drift was somewhere among them. 

The last she heard from him was in their shared dream the light before the Lost Light returned to Cybertron. There were rogue Decepticons on the loose and they were causing havoc to locals on their planets. Drift decided he wanted to step in and defend them. He wasn't sure when he'd be coming back to Cybertron, he wasn't sure how many lives he'd need to save. But Hina honored that choice. She knew that Drift would do everything he could to save innocent lives. 

He also said that if he didn't come back after a certain amount of time had passed, that gave Hina full permission to go out and find him herself and drag his aft back to Cybertron. 

But with Hina still recovering from her injuries, and that. . . stupid nightmare--!

"I won't let him. . . push me around like this," Hina mumbled to herself quietly, her dentas grinding in frustration. 

"Hina?" A baritone voice called. 

The femme flinched as her hold on the hand rails of the patio fence tightened as she turned her body around to see the robust form of the Autobot leader standing under the arch of the patio door. Optimus Prime. 

"What are you doing awake at this late hour?" He asked with a hint of concern. 

"Optimus. . . um. . ." Hina's cheeks flushed a light shade of blue out of embarrassment, cursing herself in her thoughts to allow Optimus Prime of all mechs to see her so vulnerable. 

The Prime studied the femme for a moments in silence before he hummed, coming to a realization. "The nightmare again?"

Hina's optics widened with a click in surprise. Though in his defense, was it really that obvious? 

Optimus took a step back, waving his hand as a signal for the femme to return inside. With not really having much of a choice, Hina obeyed his request and returned inside the housing unit and out of the beautiful, yet cold night air. Hina watched as the Prime flicked on a light switched that shined overhead of the kitchen counter. He opened the refrigerator unit, grabbing a case of energon as Hina slowly made her way to the opposite end of the counter, taking a seat at the stool across from the Autobot leader as he poured them both a glass. 

"It has been a while, hasn't it?" He speculated. 

Hina nodded as the Prime handed the femme her glass. "It's the first time he's-- it's come back in 2 months. I thought I was getting better. . ." 

"You are getting better, Hina," Optimus assured her with a warm smile. "It's not uncommon for reoccurring dreams to lay dormant for a long period of time before resurfacing again. Do you wish to talk about it?"

Hina took a sip of her drink with a shrug before answering. "If you think that it would still help,"

Optimus nodded, signalling her to begin as he took a gulp of his drink. 

"Well. . . I was trapped in some sort of void, with a single light shining down on me and he was just. . . there. His body was completely messed up as he circled me like some sort of predator, trying to fill lies into my processor--!" 

"What sort of lies?" The Prime asked. "Do you feel comfortable sharing them?"

". . . It's stuff he's mentioned before in a previous dream. Like how my human family secretly hates me behind my back, and how that he gave me true purpose and all that load of scrap," she vented before chugging down the rest of her drink. "I just suddenly snapped at him and. . ."

"And what? Did this one end differently than the others?" Optimus questioned. 

"I suddenly found the courage, or at least I thought it was anyway, to jump him and when I tried to hit him, he vanished in a patch of smoke and his laugh just started howling, and then the light started weakening and I was so scared I couldn't move and then I just froze and---and---and--and"

Hina hadn't realize how anxious and riled up she was getting from retelling her story, because in a flash, Optimus was by her side, comforting servos placed firmly on her shoulders. "Stay calm, Hina, I'm right here for you. Think about what you want to say," 

The femme met his gaze, looking into his calm optics. She took a moment to vent, sighing away before speaking, "I... I called out to him," 

"Him?" Optimus repeated, asking for a clarification. 

". . . Drift," Hina whispered with sorrow. 

It was then Optimus' hold on the femme relaxed, as his voice hummed once again in his throat. "You miss him, don't you?"

Hina slowly nodded her helm. "Of course, more than anything!" 

Optimus' smile returned as he removed his servos from her shoulders, standing up straight. "I know things may seem troubling right now. Drift is out fighting a new battle, and you are unaware of when he may return to your side again. You feel as if you are hopeless to do anything, but that is not true. Hina, for your sake and that of your bonded, you just stay strong and have faith, for one day I know the two of you will be reunited once more."

Hina listened to the Primes words, and it was then she finally realized why he was looked up to by so many of the Autobots during the war. He sure does have a way with words. Being moved by his motivation, the femme returned the smile as she sat up from her seat and bowed her head in respect. "Thank you, Optimus Prime. I swear to you, I will try!"

"An Earth custom?" The Prime questioned.

Hina rose her helm and giggled a little upon seeing the slightly confused look on the Prime's facelate. "It's a thing we do back home. It's something we do when we thank someone, and other stuff too," 

"I am glad that even after everything that you've been through, you've still kept some of your roots from Earth," Optimus replied. "That is what makes you truly special and unique," 

Hina's lips couldn't help but form a smile after hearing that. Unique didn't even begin to describe what she was compared to the rest of Cybertron, but hearing how Optimus put it wasn't all that bad. 

"Will you be alright on your own for the rest of the night?" Optimus asked. 

"I think so," Hina confirmed. "Thank you again for everything,"

"You are welcome, Hina," Optimus nodded. "Get some rest,"

The femme watched as the Prime took his leave, returning to his shared room with Elita as Hina quickly and quiet put away the drinks and energon, shutting off the kitchen lights before returning to her room across the hall. 

She laid down along her berth, turning her helm to look through the window and glance at the stars one last time as her optics slowly began to close. 

"One day, Drift. . . we'll be together again. . ." 

Right after she spoke and she eventually ventured back into slumber, a soothing, loving pulse swelled in her spark. Her body once chilled to the core due to her recent nightmare, was now filled with warmth and for the first time in a while, Hina felt safe. It was as if her sparkmate was once again back in her presence, his arms wrapped around her to protect her from the remaining threats of the night. 

"One day, Hina. . . I pray to Primus it's soon."