Disclaimer: I do not own TFATF and TFATF: Tokyo Drift. Any character you don't recognize, aka Hikai, is mine.

A/N: So this is my first TFATF fic and my second attempt overall. I love fast, hot cars, but I don't know beans about them, so if you spot any mistakes, please let me know. I appreciate constructive criticism, but flames will be returned 100-fold. Also, I am rather lazy and busy, so don't expect frequent updates. That's what happened with my first fic: I wrote the first chapter and had some good ideas, but I never got around to organizing and putting them down before I got caught up in the idea for this new story. I'll try to start updating "Edge of Time" sometime soon.

Also, I'm looking to make this a romance and suggestions would be very much appreciated for who I could pair Hikari with. Any guy from the movies is game, as long as it's not Johnny, DK (for obvious reasons), Han or Vince (because I just don't like him).

All right, onwards brave readers!

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"Flight 897 with non-stop service from Los Angeles to San Francisco International Airport is now boarding…"

The sound of the tinny female voice was almost drowned out by the dull roar of people flooding around her as she emerged from the causeway. Businessmen jabbering into their phones, families calling out to each other, babies squalling, that woman who sat behind her in seat 12A yelling at everyone, in the way that partially deaf people unconsciously did to make themselves heard, and underneath it all, the constant hum and roar of planes taking off and landing. Sighing, she hefted her black messenger bag over her shoulder and rose up on her toes, scanning the sea of faces around her to try and catch a glimpse of whoever was supposed to pick her up. Onii-chan had told her it was an old friend she'd recognize, but there wasn't a familiar face in sight, or maybe it was just because her dry contacts reduced all the faces in the crowd to indistinct blurs. She hefted her bag again with another sigh and stepped into the flow of people, squinting at the signs directing her to baggage claim and hoping to god that she hadn't missed her ride somehow.

"Hikari!"

At the sound of her name, she whipped her head around and glimpsed a tall, grinning figure in black t-shirt and jeans pushing his way through the crowd towards her.

"Johnny? Oh my god Johnny!"

With a shriek of laughter, Hikari flung herself into the open arms of her brother's oldest friend, oblivious to the peeved look that a portly, middle-aged businessman gave her as he scuttled out of the way of the one-woman stampede. She could care less. It had been close to, what, five years since she'd seen him last? It didn't matter. All she knew was that it was too long. Stepping back, Johnny looked her up and down with a smirk plastered to his face as she straightened her blue three-quarter length cap-sleeve shirt and hiked up her khaki cargo pants.

"Well, well, looks like somebody grew up on me. How you doing little girl? Ow! Geez, what was that for?" He frowned as he rubbed the spot on his arm that Hikari had punched.

With a smirk of her own, she replied, "First off, I'm not a 'little girl,'" ignoring the eyeroll Johnny tossed in her direction. "Second of all, where's Lance?" she asked, referring to Johnny's ever-present cousin, as she craned her neck around to see behind him.

Feigning indignation, he crossed his arm over his chest and glared. "Oh, so after five years, that's the kind of greeting I get? A beating and a 'where's Lance'? Huh, and I thought you missed me."

"Of course not Johnny dear. I'm only friends with you for your money and your cars," she responded, throwing an overly-sugary smile in his direction.

"Whatever, kid." he grinned, mussing her hair long black hair and pushing her blue Yankees baseball cap askew on her head as she tried to dodge under his hand in vain. Ignoring her glare, Johnny reached over to take her bag from her with one hand and used the other to usher her through the crowd, in the direction of baggage claim.

"Lance couldn't make it today. He had some errands to run for Dad." He shrugged apologetically.

"Oh. Oh well, no problem. I'll see him when we get to your place."

As they waited for Hikari's suitcases at the carousel, the two of them chatted and caught up with each other's doings over the past few years, as other travel-weary passengers jostled around for the best position in front of the conveyor belt. "So really, how's it been for you? I talk to your brother a lot, but I don't hear from you that much. I know Jas's been in contact with you, but she doesn't really tell me anything. But then again, I don't think I wanna know what two girls could talk for hours on end about anyways," he smirked.

Rubbing her eyes to clear her vision, Hikari chuckled and nodded. "Mm-hm, we have been talking a lot, but nothing much has happened since we went back to Tokyo. Business is going well for tou-san and Uncle Kamata. Kaa-san is driving me up the wall with all her worrying and fussing and Taki….well, I guess you already know all about him."

Looking down at her, Johnny raised an eyebrow. "Well that covers the rest of your family. What about you?"

"What about me?" she snorted "I'm here to go to school and not because of some other shit right? Must mean I haven't gotten into too much trouble." The last part of that statement was punctuated with an eyeroll and a small toss of her head. Come fall, Hikari would be enrolling at UCLA for her freshman year. She'd had her choice of several east coast schools, Stanford, UC Berkeley and UCLA, but at her parents' insistence, she'd decided on UCLA, mainly because it was closer to home and their old family friends, the Trans, would be nearby to look out for her. Normally, she would have balked at her parents' insistent nagging and constant butting into her life, but this time around, she hadn't minded, seeing as it gave her the opportunity to stay close to her best friend, Jasmine Tran, from her childhood in the US. Plus, she thought with a surge of excitement, it gave her the run of LA, which she knew had one of the best street racing scenes outside of her beloved Tokyo.

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?"

Johnny's voice brought her out of her musings and back to reality. Surprised, Hikari turned to him with her eyebrows raised. "Taki doesn't tell you?" At the shake of his head, she shrugged, moving over to let a frazzled mother with a screaming toddler and whining eight-year-old squeeze by. "Guess he figures it's my business who I wanna tell. It wasn't much. Just some little things at school and some reckless driving. You know, the stuff that makes Taki and Uncle Kamata laugh and makes my parents yell at me," she replied a little too nonchalantly as she toyed with one of her gold hoop earrings.

"Uh-huh," he replied with a sideways glance, sensing more to the story but unwilling to push the issue, knowing she'd talk when she wanted to, and only if she was good and ready.

"Oh wait, those are mine." Hikari pointed as she leaned forward to grab one of two enormous black suitcases off the carousel, nearly losing her balance and toppling into a completely oblivious young couple with their faces glued to one another in the process. Chuckling, Johnny grabbed her other suitcase and together, they hauled them onto a luggage cart and wheeled it towards the exit.

As she emerged from the air-conditioned terminal and felt the heat of a summer breeze blast against her face, Hikari couldn't help but pause to soak in the hot SoCal sun as she closed her eyes and reveled in the memories it brought back. Tokyo was her home and her life, but those years she spent in LA had been some of the best of her life and just the thought of them brought a wistful smile to her face now.

"What are you standing there for? Come on, the shuttle's here."

"So where's everyone else?" Hikari questioned as the shuttle started moving.

"Everyone else?"

"Yeah, I remember the last time we were in LA, you had that whole mafia get-up going on. You know, black cars with goons in black clothes in shades. I remember I was freaked out that you guys were here to kidnap us or something"

Johnny laughed out loud at that. "First of all, I don't think Lance would appreciate your calling him a goon. And second of all, I figured it'd be nicer if I picked you up myself without having Dad's guys to bother us. Thought it could give us a chance to just chill and catch up, you know. Jas would've come, but summer classes at UCLA start today, so she couldn't make it."

Gazing out the shuttle window, she waved him off. "Don't worry, she already told me. It's been five years, and I think I could wait a few more hours. Besides, when I do see her, we'll be spending so much time together you'll wish I'd never come." At that last statement she turned and grinned impishly at him.

Shaking his head, Johnny wondered exactly how much and what kind of trouble his baby sister and the girl he considered his adopted baby sister could get into here in LA.

"So which one's yours?" Hikari asked as they dragged her suitcases down the long lines of cars in the parking lot gleaming under the SoCal sun. Johnny smirked as he watched her eyebrows nearly climb into her hairline as she redirected her gaze in the direction he pointed.

"THAT'S your ride?" referring to the silver Lexus parked in front of her "That hulk? Johnny, I know for a fact from Taki that you can do better than that. Come on, where's your real car?"

"My real car? You didn't think I'd bring her out just for this little jaunt to the airport did you? Heh, I love my baby more than that. And besides, I knew with all the crap you'd be bringing with you that there'd be no way it'd all fit into the trunk of my car."

"Gee, it's nice to know I'm appreciated," she drawled sarcastically. "Fine, whatever. But I'm expecting a real welcome, with a real ride, in your real car as soon as we get to your place. Got it?"

"I dunno little girl. I don't think you could handle that gorgeous beast of mine, even if you weren't driving it" Johnny laughed at Hikari's expression of mock outrage as he loaded her bags into the trunk.

"Oh really? Well, I'm gonna make you eat those words Johnny Tran. You better watch yourself. As soon as my car gets here, I'm gonna smoke you, and then it'll be everyone else calling you the little girl." And with that, she slid into the passenger seat and slammed the door, not waiting for his response.

Shaking his head as he went around to the driver's seat, Johnny knew that as glad as he was that Hikari was back in their lives, these next few months and years would be one hell of a ride. Man, LA won't know what hit it, he thought with a grin as he started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

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Onii-chan: affectionate term for older brother

Tou-san: father

Kaa-san: mother

Please review! Thanks!