"Hotaru! We're here," Usagi exclaimed happily in her seat on the plane. Ami, Makoto, Minako, Rei, Chibi-Usa, Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, and Hotaru had all taken a plane from Tokyo, Japan on the invite of Usagi's boyfriend Mamoru to the United States. Hotaru blinked as she looked outside the window, at the view from her place in the air, at their destination. "Oh WOW! This place is HUGE!" Minako exclaimed.
Usagi bounced in her seat happily, finally getting to see Mamoru after a long period of time. After the fight with Galaxia and the Sailor Animates, Mamoru had returned to the states to continue his schooling at Harvard. Hotaru, once being in the small size of a child after having the spirit of Sailor Saturn within her re-awaken, was now her real age of 21.
Chibi-Usa was about the same age as well and she was just as tall as Usagi, if not taller. Her hair had become a slightly darker shade of pink, but her hair style had never changed from the pine cone shaped, odango hairstyle. "Hotaru, this is soooo exciting," Chibi-Usa bubbled happily. Hotaru nodded and smiled at Chibi-Usa. "All passengers arriving at New York City, New York please put your trays and chairs in the up-right position and please refasten your seatbelts until the plane lands and the seatbelt signs are no longer lighted" a plane attendant said over the speaker system on the plane.
"That's us!" Usagi sang out happily. "Oh finally. This plane food isn't quite as good as what I'm used to and I hope they have better food where we're staying than they do here on this plane" Makoto said. The ten girls stood up and took their stuff from the overhead compartments shortly after the plane landed. They crowded into the aisles as people left the craft and they walked down the hallway to the eating area where Usagi's boyfriend Mamoru was supposed to meet them.
Standing in the middle of the area after they got their luggage, Usagi was looking around, her head spinning as she looked. "Where's Mamo-chan?!" she exclaimed. "Usagi, perhaps you and Hotaru and Chibi-Usa should go look around and find some snacks," Makoto suggested. "OK!!!!" Usagi said and grabbed Hotaru and Chibi-Usa by the wrists and ran down in the direction of some shops. "Usagi, LET GO!" Chibi-Usa exclaimed.
Hotaru tugged on Usagi until she freed her wrist from her grasp and fell backwards, only to bump into someone. Stumbling, Hotaru fell down onto the ground. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I.. I wasn't paying attention," she said as she started to get up. "It's alright. Dun worry `bout it, mon petite," a deep accented voice said as someone took her hands and helped her up. "I'm really very sorry," she said as she looked up, then felt her heart pound.
Standing in front of her was a six-foot tall man with auburn colored hair and dark colored shades. He was wearing a pair of faded baggy blue jeans, a white under shirt with a white shirt over top of it, as well as a pair of black combat boots underneath the jeans. "Like I said… Dun worry `bout it, Petite. No harm was done," he said. "Hotaru! Come ON!" Usagi exclaimed. "I've got to go… my friends' are waiting for me" she said, looking at him.
"Alright… Per`aps I'll… see you around, non?" He said. She smiled and nodded, turned, and walked to where Usagi and Chibi-Usa were. Usagi had seen what had happened and, in her nosy fashion, prodded her as soon as they were out of the guy's hearing range. "Sooo, Hotaru," she started, "Who was that?" A deep blush crossed Hotaru's cheeks as she glanced over her shoulder to look back at the guy. However, he wasn't there. "I don't know," she replied. They got the snacks and Hotaru looked around for the guy again as they walked back to the others but, again, didn't see him.
As they got back to the other girls, Usagi was chewing on a doughnut when she suddenly let out a squeal of delight, "MAMO-CHAN!" With that, Usagi ran off towards Mamoru, doughnut in mouth. Chibi-Usa rolled her eyes, but Hotaru stopped next to Chibi-Usa, looking at Mamoru and Usagi enviously. She wished had someone that loved her like the way Mamoru loved Usagi. Mamoru hugged Usagi tightly and then took a step back. "Usagi, girls, I want you to meet a friend of mine when we get back to my place," he said
Usagi blinked as she looked at Mamoru, suddenly becoming suspicious, "Friend…? Is this 'Friend' a girl?" Mamoru shook his head, "No no! Usagi it's a male, I assure you!" "Waaahhhh!!! Mamoru's gone gay!" Usagi started to wail. Chibi-Usa covered her ears while Rei smacked Usagi in the back of the head. "Usagi-Chan," she scolded, "we're in public! And he didn't say he was gay!"
After calming Usagi down, which, not surprisingly, took another doughnut, the large group left the airport. On the way back to Mamoru's place, Hotaru thought silently about the guy she had seen at the airport. For some reason she couldn't get him out of her head and with each thought about him her heart pounded. She was so deep in thought, she didn't hear Chibi-Usa, nor saw the hand waving in front of her eyes.
"Hotaru? Are you alright? You're really quite right now," Chibi-Usa said, looking at her friend in concern. Hotaru looked to Chibi-Usa and smiled at her, "I'm alright, Chibi-Usa. I was just thinking." Her best friend nodded and Hotaru returned her gaze to the window. The guy's face flash before her dark purple colored eyes once more. About forty minutes later, Mamoru pulled up in front of a small house. They all got out of the car and, chattering amongst each other, took their suit cases out of the trunk.
Hotaru looked around where she stood and noticed a black and red Harley Davidson motorcycle in front of the house. Blinking, she looked toward Mamoru and pointed at it, "Is that yours?" Mamoru looked to the motorcycle and shook his head, "No, that's my friend's. Apparently he's already here and inside."