Episode #14 - Detour on Memory Lane
Classes had just let out and Robert was walking hand in hand with Hotaru. He was wearing a big, silly grin and was very, very happy. This gorgeous young woman had chosen him! He was turning back flips of joy in his mind. Hotaru looked at Robert, a big smile on his face. They walked in complete silence, content in their company. They soon arrived at Robert's apartment, Hotaru looked up at the building. "You live here?" "Yep. only place I could afford" he said with a joking smile. "I'm so sure." Hotaru said sarcastically. "Well, let's go on up" he said, putting his key in the lock and allowing Hotaru to enter the building first. They walked to the elevator and Robert pressed the button for his floor. He put his arm around Hotaru's shoulders and held her hand with the other. The elevator soon stopped on their floor and they got off and went to Robert's apartment. The place was sparsely decorated, only a few pictures here and there. His bed was in one corner, along with his T.v and dresser. The kitchen was off to one side, and the table was set for one. Hotaru walked around for a few minuets. "Nice place" "Well. it's not bad. not great though. just good" Hotaru smiled at his little joke. Hotaru sat down on his bed and Robert sat down on a small footstool. They were nervous, but not as bad as they had been before. "Uhm. you wanna watch some T.v?" "Sure." Robert fished the clicker out from beneath his bed and flipped on the T.v, then handed it to her. "You're the guest, you choose first." Hotaru looked at him, blinked a few times, then took the clicker, changing the channel. There wasn't anything on really, so she handed the clicker back to Robert. "Whole lotta nothin' on, eh?" Hotaru smiled, agreeing with Robert with a shake of her head. "Soo. what's new with you?" "Not much." "Any homework I could help you with?" "Not really. there's maybe ten or twenty minuets of English work to be done, but that's about it." "Cool. so, you like the place?" "Yeah, it's nice. cosy." "I guess, it's nice of you to say" said Robert as he took her hand. "Would you like something to eat" asked Robert. "Sure! Whadda you got?" Hotaru said, she was actually quite hungry now that she thought about it. Robert got up from his bed and went to the kitchen, grabbing a few small plates of food. He set a second place at the table and called Hotaru over. "I figured that since you were kind enough to accompany me to my humble abode, it was the least I could do to serve you a meal" he said with a smile. He rushed over to her and pulled her seat out, then pushed it back in for her as she sat down, then took a seat himself. Their meal consisted of pizza, coke and reheated take-out. "It may not be the most nutritious, but it's good" Said Robert, finishing his third slice of pizza. Hotaru nodded as she chewed on an eggroll. She took a sip of coke and swallowed her mouthful, then looked at Robert. "Robert?" "Yes?" "Just how can you afford to live in such a huge place? I'm not being rude or anything, I'm just curious" Robert gave her a crooked smile and looked at her. "Ah, the miracle that is my inheritance" "Really? I would've figured that. you being so young. that you wouldn't be able to touch it" "Well, just call it extenuating circumstances" "So. if you don't mind me asking-" "Two point five billion" "Two point five million?! Wow!!" "Hotaru, I said Billion, with a B" Hotaru's jaw nearly hit the table. "B-b-b-billion! Two and a Half Billion dollars! What kind of insurance did they have?!" "Well, I got five hundred thousand dollars from the insurance company, then another seven million from the trucking company I sued for mental anguish and medical bills, and well, I just invested it right and got lucky" Robert said, his lips curved in a mischievous smile. "Wow. you're. you're loaded! You'd never worry about money again!" "I don't, money is about the last thing on my list of worries." Hotaru looked at him with a sly grin. "And what would be first on that list, hm?" "You" Hotaru looked at him. "I'm not kidding here! I worry about you constantly! I don't wanna get up one morning and have Ms.Tsukino tell me that a car hit you or something! It scares me when I think about what could happen." "It's okay, you don't need to" Hotaru said with a smile. What she had suspected in the first place was now almost a certainty, he truly did care about her. She got up and sat down beside Robert, resting her head on his shoulder. "Hey, come 'ere a second, would'ja?" he said as he got up. He walked to a small room off to one side. It was a closet. Besides the normal things in there, Hotaru saw a small box, about the size of a jewellery box. Robert opened it and pulled out a lovely brooch, ornamented with gold and what seemed to be diamonds and lapis lazuli. "It's beautiful." Hotaru said softly. "It is a pale comparison to your beauty though," Robert said quietly. Hotaru blushed slightly as Robert turned around and pinned it on her uniform. "For me?" "For you, your the only one that I would allow to even see it, let alone wear it, I trust you, Hotaru" "What do you mean?" Robert looked at her strangely. "I mean, why would I be the only person that you would let see this?" "Well. you're the only person I told about my family." Hotaru understood. "It was my sisters." he said softly. "Robert. thankyou." Hotaru said with a smile. Robert hugged her tightly, holding her close. Hotaru hugged him back, smiling as she did. He ran a hand up her back, around her ear, and under her jaw. He lifted her head slightly, so he was looking directly into her eyes. "Hotaru" "Yes?" "I think I love you," He said, kissing her lightly. Hotaru was shocked, no one except her father had ever said that word to her before, and definitely not like that! She hugged Robert tightly, never wanting to let him go. Robert broke the kiss lightly, looking into her eyes. She peered deep into his eyes, seeing that he wasn't lieing at all, he truly did love her! "Oh, Robert!" she said, hugging him even tighter. "Hotaru. my lovely angel." Hotaru flinched in his arms. "Don't call me that." she said, a sour tone in her voice. "What?" "Don't call me an angel, I don't deserve the title." "To me, you do" "Yeah. but you don't know. what happened. before." "Hotaru?" "I have to go now!" she said, nearly yelling, tearing herself from his grasp and running out the door, getting in an elevator before he could even stammer a word in reply. "Ho.ta.ru?" Robert said, his voice just barely above a whisper. Had he done something wrong? All he had said was that he thought of her like an angel. It was then that Robert nearly took his own head off! "How could I be so stupid as to not remember that!!" He said aloud. The memory pushed its way into his mind, even though he would never want to even think about it again. Hotaru, his angel of light, was once the Silent Angel of Pharaoh Ninety, destroyer of galaxies. He remembered now, she had been possessed by an entity called Mistress Nine after Hotaru had been accidentally killed in an explosion at her father's lab. Robert shook with self-disgust, how could've he been so callus and uncaring! That one word! How he would rue the day he said that one word! "I've got to find her and apologise!! Now!!" Robert started for the door, then stopped and turned around. "There's an easier way that footin' it around this overcrowded city" he said as he walked back inside, shutting the door behind him. He reached inside the same closet and grabbed a small silver star. He gripped it tightly and it began to glow, covering him in a translucent silver liquid that solidified and then melted away, leaving him dressed in his Starslayer uniform. "I must find her and apologise!" he said as he leapt out the window. It was not too long before he found her, sitting in a park, underneath a massive old oak tree. She was sitting on a bench and she was still crying. Robert looked around, no one was anywhere in sight. He slipped down the tree and walked towards Hotaru slowly. He stepped on a small twig, snapping it, and Hotaru looked up, and saw Starslayer standing there. "Why are you here?" she asked. "I came to find you," he said. "Why?" "Well. come with me and I'll tell you" he said. Hotaru got up and walked towards him. "So, what exactly are you doing here" "As I said, looking for you" "So, you gonna tell me why?" "Uh... well. I guess you were gonna find out sooner or later," Starslayer looked around, a small alley was nearby. "Walk with me a second" he said as he walked towards the alley. Hotaru followed him, still to jumbled inside to think straight. Starslayer looked about, nobody was around. He turned around and looked at Hotaru. "Hotaru Tomoe. I wish to apologise for what I said to you earlier" "What, about how you wouldn't let us kill Geoff?" "No. I guess it's easier if I show you" he said, reaching up and removing his mask. His blond hair fell across his face, obscuring it. Hotaru tentatively reached up and brushed a few strands away. "Robert? What-the-hell?" she said looking at him in disbelief "Yeah. it's me Hotaru. I guess I should'a told you sooner." "But. but how?" "I was sent here to help you defeat Geoff, but we can't kill him. and I know that I am stuck here in the past." "Then why the hell are you even here? Why did you choose me!" "I didn't remember who you were until a few minuets ago" Robert said. "What do you mean?" "I mean that. well. I've sorta got. parts of my memory missing. because of the trip back. Neo Queen Serenity was killed just after she sent me back. it disrupted the spell. But believe me. I never once lied to you, not once. well, except for yesterday with the cane" Hotaru smiled slightly, but her eyes were cloudy, as if she were thinking about something else. "Hotaru?" "So, you. know who I am?" "Yes. and I remember who you. were too. I should've never said that, I'm. I'm so sorry" Hotaru looked at him, should she hate him for lieing to her, or should she love him for apologising to her? She was confused, too confused to even think straight. "Come on, I'll take you home" Hotaru looked at him, his eyes were nearly pleading with her, begging her to forgive him. "Thanks" she said softy. Robert grabbed her around the waist and then shifted her around so he had one arm under her shoulders and another under her knees. "Hang on, this could get bumpy!" he said, and she put her arms around his neck. Robert crouched down and leapt upwards, clearing the building and took off at an astounding speed. Hotaru looked around, he was running so fast that the scenery was blurring faster than when she went driving with Haruka! "So, this is how you got rid of those two morons" "Yep, they didn't even see me coming" he said with a smile. Robert bounded from rooftop to rooftop, then from tree to tree when they had run out of roofs. Robert stopped and jumped back down to the forest floor, setting Hotaru down lightly. She looked around, she was near her home, but nowhere near enough to make it back under curfew. "Why did you stop here?" "We're already late, might as well make it for a good reason." Hotaru looked at her watch, it was seven thirty! "How long were you carrying me?!" "Just under half an hour" Hotaru looked over her shoulder, the sun was setting in the distance. "I figured they wouldn't bitch at you quite as much if I told them we had stopped to watch the sun set" Hotaru looked at Robert, he really did love her. She took his hand and then rested her head on his shoulder and she could literally feel the tension drain out of him, every muscle in his body relaxed. He put his arm around her shoulders and held her close. "Hotaru. I really am sorry, about calling you. that. I guess I wasn't thinking" "No. that's okay. it's just. I've never really forgiven myself for what happened while I was possessed. it scared me when you called me that, that's all" "Then I'll never do it again," he said in a quiet voice, kissing the top of her head lightly. Hotaru turned her body towards him, embracing him tenderly, he took her into his arms and looked at her. "Never, ever scare me like that again," said Robert, holding her tightly. "You were scared?" "Yes, I was scared. I though I had lost you forever. I. I couldn't deal with that." he said, a small tear falling down his cheek. Hotaru looked up at him, he really did care for her. Robert looked at her, she was so beautiful. and yet so deadly. The Sailor Soldier of Destruction and Creation, Sailor Saturn! He knew. he knew that he would be happy, at least until her future husband came along. "I will stay with you until the end of eternity, if you so wish it" Robert said quietly. Hotaru placed a hand on his cheek, wiping away the tears, and looked into his eyes. He was telling the truth. She leaned upwards and kissed him passionately. Robert hugged her tightly, never wanting to let her go, but he knew that if he didn't have her home soon, he would be a dead man, Ms.Ten'ou would most likely see to that. Though he regretted to, he broke the kiss. "I'd better get you home" he said, a smile on his face. "Yeah, Haruka's gonna shred me limb from limb!" "I think I can take most of the flak, especially dressed like this," He said, knocking on the black armour that covered his body. He picked Hotaru up again and leapt into the air once, landing at the front door of her home. Robert rang the bell. He instantly heard three people get up and storm towards the door. "Better get back, this could get ugly" Robert said, lightly pushing Hotaru behind him a little. The door was flung open, Haruka standing there, her fists balled up tightly. "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU TWO SO GODDAMNED LATE!!!" Haruka yelled at Robert. "Whoa there girl!! Don't bite the head off before it gets a chance to explain!" Said Robert, holding up his hands in defence. "You've got three minuets," Haruka growled at him. "Uh, well, you see, uh, we had gone back to my apartment and had dinner together, then, uh, on the way back, we, uh, stopped to watch the sunset together. and we, uh, sorta lost track of the time." Robert said meekly. Haruka looked at Hotaru, she was cowering behind Robert, who was dressed in the weirdest get-up she ever had seen. "So your telling me you took Hotaru to your place, had dinner, then when you walked her back here, you stopped to watch the sunset and lost track of time? DO YOU THINK I'M A TOTAL IDIOT!!" "No, Ms.Ten'ou, I do not, but I do think you are jumping to conclusions!" Robert said, looking at Haruka now, his eyes now bright. "Hotaru, get inside, NOW!" Haruka growled. "Better do as papa bear says, I don't wanna see you get mauled" Robert said, looking at Hotaru. She nodded and scampered inside. "WHAT WAS THAT YOU BILIGERENT LITTLE-!!"
"You heard me, and I promise you, if there is even ONE bruise on Hotaru tomorrow, I'll come back here and pay it back a hundred fold, and that's no idle threat!!" Robert said, his fists were now balled up tightly. Robert remembered Sailor Uranus from the Crystal Millennium, he didn't like her much then either. "What's with the get-up kid, going to some sci-fi convention or something?" "Actually, it came with my job" he said with a crooked smile. He watched as the realization dawned across each of their faces. "What the hell? YOUR Starslayer?" said Setsuna. "Yeah, so?" "Then you know who we are?!" "Yeah, and I see that a few centuries doesn't make much difference in the attitudes in people" "Why you belligerent little-" "I only treat people the way they treat me," Robert said in a dead cold tone of voice. Michiru walked forward, looking at him. "I just hope you know what you've gotten yourself into," she said quietly, taking Haruka by the arm and leading her inside. Robert looked at Setsuna. "I'm really sorry about what happened. Hotaru and I. we sorta had a little fight" he said sheepishly, and then he stuffed his hands in his pockets and began to walk away. Setsuna looked at him. "I hope you can deal with Haruka, she already doesn't like you much" "The feeling's mutual" Robert said, walking away. Setsuna looked at this young man. That was why his energy felt so strange, it was because he was from the future. That certainly explained a lot, but it didn't explain why Setsuna felt un-easy around him.
"Probably just my maternal instincts kicking in" She said as she shook her head and walked inside.
Hotaru looked out her window, watching Robert leave. She wasn't shocked by the revelation of finding out that Robert was Starslayer, but it seemed to fit him. But what had he meant by "stuck here in the past"? Couldn't Neo Queen Serenity call him back after they had defeated Geoff? Hotaru sat down on her bed and began to reason it out. If they defeated Geoff, that would mean that Neo Queen Serenity would be saved, then she would be able to bring Starslayer back to the future. It was then the meaning of Robert's statement slammed into her brain. If they stopped Geoff now, then he wouldn't be attacking in the Future, and if he wasn't attacking in the future, then there was no need for Robert to be called back from the past, because he would've never been sent back, so, in effect, he was trapped in this time until he died! This saddened Hotaru, but she was also happy, in a way. Since Robert wouldn't be called back, they would never have to separate! This was a good thing in Hotaru's books. She walked to her desk and did her homework, then began to read. It was ten o'clock by the time she was finished, she was surprised that Haruka hadn't come up to her room and torn a strip off her a mile wide, but Hotaru figured that Haruka was just saving it for the morning or something. Hotaru put the book down changed into her bedclothes and slipped into bed. She felt something poke her in the arm when she rolled over, she grabbed it and flipped on the light to look at it. It was a small silver four-pointed star. It glowed slightly, and a small jewel in the centre glowed with bright light. It projected a holographic picture if Robert. "If you ever need me, Hotaru, just grip this star tightly and think about me, and I'll be there," said the hologram. "Don't worry, I will" Hotaru said quietly as she placed the star on her nightstand and rolled over, going to sleep.
Robert had been walking for hours; he was deep in thought as usual. "If I forgot about Hotaru being the Silent Angel, what else have I forgotten?" Robert strained his memory, but nothing else surfaced. He knew one thing, Kyron-sama would be very disappointed in him. He still remembered her as far back as he could. The one person who understood him better than anyone else, the one person he trusted before he met Hotaru, the person who had trained him in the way of the warrior. Sailor Kyron, the Solar Senshi of the Sol system. Robert was her protégé, but was used to being the royal bodyguard. He hadn't made much time for Kyron-sama before he had left, but he still remembered what she looked like. Tall, thin, deep green eyes, but it was her hair that he really remembered. She had it done up in five braided odango on each side of her head, two of each a different colour, the first two were a dark blond, the second purple-black, the third a deep blue, the fourth nearly white blond, and the last deep chestnut brown. Each was long enough to stretch to the ground, and always impeccably clean and kept in the utmost care, never a hair out of place, never a wrong coloured strand in the wrong braid. Robert had been trained ever since he had learned to walk, and was left in Sailor Kyron's care after his family had been killed. He hadn't lied about that either, he still couldn't figure out how it happened, one minuet he was driving down the street, the next he was in excruciating pain and his family was dead. Kyron-sama was the one that he pulled him out and had gotten him to a hospital before he went into shock. He had been declared a ward of the kingdom by Neo Queen Serenity, and had been adopted by Kyron-sama. Robert smiled, he knew that Sailor Kyron always knew that he was destined for this, but he didn't know how, probably just one of her many powers. That was the thing about being a Solar Senshi, she had amazing powers, control over time and space, even had limited telepathy and telekinetic powers. Robert knew that he would need to become stronger if he was to fill her place, or at least until she came along. Sailor Kyron hadn't been found until just after Geoff had started his very first series of attacks on Crystal Tokyo. Robert still had a few aces up his sleeve before he had to give up. He arrived at his apartment a few minuets later and went inside. He sat on his bed, his eyes far away, deep in thought. He didn't even care that he was stuck here in this place and time, he rather liked it. He wasn't away all the time, protecting the King and Queen on one of their many excursions. The so-called school that he went to was boring, but it filled his time at least. This time wasn't so bad, and since he was stuck here, he might as well get used to it. Robert pitched off his uniform, which shimmered away into nothingness, and then changed and went to bed.
Classes had just let out and Robert was walking hand in hand with Hotaru. He was wearing a big, silly grin and was very, very happy. This gorgeous young woman had chosen him! He was turning back flips of joy in his mind. Hotaru looked at Robert, a big smile on his face. They walked in complete silence, content in their company. They soon arrived at Robert's apartment, Hotaru looked up at the building. "You live here?" "Yep. only place I could afford" he said with a joking smile. "I'm so sure." Hotaru said sarcastically. "Well, let's go on up" he said, putting his key in the lock and allowing Hotaru to enter the building first. They walked to the elevator and Robert pressed the button for his floor. He put his arm around Hotaru's shoulders and held her hand with the other. The elevator soon stopped on their floor and they got off and went to Robert's apartment. The place was sparsely decorated, only a few pictures here and there. His bed was in one corner, along with his T.v and dresser. The kitchen was off to one side, and the table was set for one. Hotaru walked around for a few minuets. "Nice place" "Well. it's not bad. not great though. just good" Hotaru smiled at his little joke. Hotaru sat down on his bed and Robert sat down on a small footstool. They were nervous, but not as bad as they had been before. "Uhm. you wanna watch some T.v?" "Sure." Robert fished the clicker out from beneath his bed and flipped on the T.v, then handed it to her. "You're the guest, you choose first." Hotaru looked at him, blinked a few times, then took the clicker, changing the channel. There wasn't anything on really, so she handed the clicker back to Robert. "Whole lotta nothin' on, eh?" Hotaru smiled, agreeing with Robert with a shake of her head. "Soo. what's new with you?" "Not much." "Any homework I could help you with?" "Not really. there's maybe ten or twenty minuets of English work to be done, but that's about it." "Cool. so, you like the place?" "Yeah, it's nice. cosy." "I guess, it's nice of you to say" said Robert as he took her hand. "Would you like something to eat" asked Robert. "Sure! Whadda you got?" Hotaru said, she was actually quite hungry now that she thought about it. Robert got up from his bed and went to the kitchen, grabbing a few small plates of food. He set a second place at the table and called Hotaru over. "I figured that since you were kind enough to accompany me to my humble abode, it was the least I could do to serve you a meal" he said with a smile. He rushed over to her and pulled her seat out, then pushed it back in for her as she sat down, then took a seat himself. Their meal consisted of pizza, coke and reheated take-out. "It may not be the most nutritious, but it's good" Said Robert, finishing his third slice of pizza. Hotaru nodded as she chewed on an eggroll. She took a sip of coke and swallowed her mouthful, then looked at Robert. "Robert?" "Yes?" "Just how can you afford to live in such a huge place? I'm not being rude or anything, I'm just curious" Robert gave her a crooked smile and looked at her. "Ah, the miracle that is my inheritance" "Really? I would've figured that. you being so young. that you wouldn't be able to touch it" "Well, just call it extenuating circumstances" "So. if you don't mind me asking-" "Two point five billion" "Two point five million?! Wow!!" "Hotaru, I said Billion, with a B" Hotaru's jaw nearly hit the table. "B-b-b-billion! Two and a Half Billion dollars! What kind of insurance did they have?!" "Well, I got five hundred thousand dollars from the insurance company, then another seven million from the trucking company I sued for mental anguish and medical bills, and well, I just invested it right and got lucky" Robert said, his lips curved in a mischievous smile. "Wow. you're. you're loaded! You'd never worry about money again!" "I don't, money is about the last thing on my list of worries." Hotaru looked at him with a sly grin. "And what would be first on that list, hm?" "You" Hotaru looked at him. "I'm not kidding here! I worry about you constantly! I don't wanna get up one morning and have Ms.Tsukino tell me that a car hit you or something! It scares me when I think about what could happen." "It's okay, you don't need to" Hotaru said with a smile. What she had suspected in the first place was now almost a certainty, he truly did care about her. She got up and sat down beside Robert, resting her head on his shoulder. "Hey, come 'ere a second, would'ja?" he said as he got up. He walked to a small room off to one side. It was a closet. Besides the normal things in there, Hotaru saw a small box, about the size of a jewellery box. Robert opened it and pulled out a lovely brooch, ornamented with gold and what seemed to be diamonds and lapis lazuli. "It's beautiful." Hotaru said softly. "It is a pale comparison to your beauty though," Robert said quietly. Hotaru blushed slightly as Robert turned around and pinned it on her uniform. "For me?" "For you, your the only one that I would allow to even see it, let alone wear it, I trust you, Hotaru" "What do you mean?" Robert looked at her strangely. "I mean, why would I be the only person that you would let see this?" "Well. you're the only person I told about my family." Hotaru understood. "It was my sisters." he said softly. "Robert. thankyou." Hotaru said with a smile. Robert hugged her tightly, holding her close. Hotaru hugged him back, smiling as she did. He ran a hand up her back, around her ear, and under her jaw. He lifted her head slightly, so he was looking directly into her eyes. "Hotaru" "Yes?" "I think I love you," He said, kissing her lightly. Hotaru was shocked, no one except her father had ever said that word to her before, and definitely not like that! She hugged Robert tightly, never wanting to let him go. Robert broke the kiss lightly, looking into her eyes. She peered deep into his eyes, seeing that he wasn't lieing at all, he truly did love her! "Oh, Robert!" she said, hugging him even tighter. "Hotaru. my lovely angel." Hotaru flinched in his arms. "Don't call me that." she said, a sour tone in her voice. "What?" "Don't call me an angel, I don't deserve the title." "To me, you do" "Yeah. but you don't know. what happened. before." "Hotaru?" "I have to go now!" she said, nearly yelling, tearing herself from his grasp and running out the door, getting in an elevator before he could even stammer a word in reply. "Ho.ta.ru?" Robert said, his voice just barely above a whisper. Had he done something wrong? All he had said was that he thought of her like an angel. It was then that Robert nearly took his own head off! "How could I be so stupid as to not remember that!!" He said aloud. The memory pushed its way into his mind, even though he would never want to even think about it again. Hotaru, his angel of light, was once the Silent Angel of Pharaoh Ninety, destroyer of galaxies. He remembered now, she had been possessed by an entity called Mistress Nine after Hotaru had been accidentally killed in an explosion at her father's lab. Robert shook with self-disgust, how could've he been so callus and uncaring! That one word! How he would rue the day he said that one word! "I've got to find her and apologise!! Now!!" Robert started for the door, then stopped and turned around. "There's an easier way that footin' it around this overcrowded city" he said as he walked back inside, shutting the door behind him. He reached inside the same closet and grabbed a small silver star. He gripped it tightly and it began to glow, covering him in a translucent silver liquid that solidified and then melted away, leaving him dressed in his Starslayer uniform. "I must find her and apologise!" he said as he leapt out the window. It was not too long before he found her, sitting in a park, underneath a massive old oak tree. She was sitting on a bench and she was still crying. Robert looked around, no one was anywhere in sight. He slipped down the tree and walked towards Hotaru slowly. He stepped on a small twig, snapping it, and Hotaru looked up, and saw Starslayer standing there. "Why are you here?" she asked. "I came to find you," he said. "Why?" "Well. come with me and I'll tell you" he said. Hotaru got up and walked towards him. "So, what exactly are you doing here" "As I said, looking for you" "So, you gonna tell me why?" "Uh... well. I guess you were gonna find out sooner or later," Starslayer looked around, a small alley was nearby. "Walk with me a second" he said as he walked towards the alley. Hotaru followed him, still to jumbled inside to think straight. Starslayer looked about, nobody was around. He turned around and looked at Hotaru. "Hotaru Tomoe. I wish to apologise for what I said to you earlier" "What, about how you wouldn't let us kill Geoff?" "No. I guess it's easier if I show you" he said, reaching up and removing his mask. His blond hair fell across his face, obscuring it. Hotaru tentatively reached up and brushed a few strands away. "Robert? What-the-hell?" she said looking at him in disbelief "Yeah. it's me Hotaru. I guess I should'a told you sooner." "But. but how?" "I was sent here to help you defeat Geoff, but we can't kill him. and I know that I am stuck here in the past." "Then why the hell are you even here? Why did you choose me!" "I didn't remember who you were until a few minuets ago" Robert said. "What do you mean?" "I mean that. well. I've sorta got. parts of my memory missing. because of the trip back. Neo Queen Serenity was killed just after she sent me back. it disrupted the spell. But believe me. I never once lied to you, not once. well, except for yesterday with the cane" Hotaru smiled slightly, but her eyes were cloudy, as if she were thinking about something else. "Hotaru?" "So, you. know who I am?" "Yes. and I remember who you. were too. I should've never said that, I'm. I'm so sorry" Hotaru looked at him, should she hate him for lieing to her, or should she love him for apologising to her? She was confused, too confused to even think straight. "Come on, I'll take you home" Hotaru looked at him, his eyes were nearly pleading with her, begging her to forgive him. "Thanks" she said softy. Robert grabbed her around the waist and then shifted her around so he had one arm under her shoulders and another under her knees. "Hang on, this could get bumpy!" he said, and she put her arms around his neck. Robert crouched down and leapt upwards, clearing the building and took off at an astounding speed. Hotaru looked around, he was running so fast that the scenery was blurring faster than when she went driving with Haruka! "So, this is how you got rid of those two morons" "Yep, they didn't even see me coming" he said with a smile. Robert bounded from rooftop to rooftop, then from tree to tree when they had run out of roofs. Robert stopped and jumped back down to the forest floor, setting Hotaru down lightly. She looked around, she was near her home, but nowhere near enough to make it back under curfew. "Why did you stop here?" "We're already late, might as well make it for a good reason." Hotaru looked at her watch, it was seven thirty! "How long were you carrying me?!" "Just under half an hour" Hotaru looked over her shoulder, the sun was setting in the distance. "I figured they wouldn't bitch at you quite as much if I told them we had stopped to watch the sun set" Hotaru looked at Robert, he really did love her. She took his hand and then rested her head on his shoulder and she could literally feel the tension drain out of him, every muscle in his body relaxed. He put his arm around her shoulders and held her close. "Hotaru. I really am sorry, about calling you. that. I guess I wasn't thinking" "No. that's okay. it's just. I've never really forgiven myself for what happened while I was possessed. it scared me when you called me that, that's all" "Then I'll never do it again," he said in a quiet voice, kissing the top of her head lightly. Hotaru turned her body towards him, embracing him tenderly, he took her into his arms and looked at her. "Never, ever scare me like that again," said Robert, holding her tightly. "You were scared?" "Yes, I was scared. I though I had lost you forever. I. I couldn't deal with that." he said, a small tear falling down his cheek. Hotaru looked up at him, he really did care for her. Robert looked at her, she was so beautiful. and yet so deadly. The Sailor Soldier of Destruction and Creation, Sailor Saturn! He knew. he knew that he would be happy, at least until her future husband came along. "I will stay with you until the end of eternity, if you so wish it" Robert said quietly. Hotaru placed a hand on his cheek, wiping away the tears, and looked into his eyes. He was telling the truth. She leaned upwards and kissed him passionately. Robert hugged her tightly, never wanting to let her go, but he knew that if he didn't have her home soon, he would be a dead man, Ms.Ten'ou would most likely see to that. Though he regretted to, he broke the kiss. "I'd better get you home" he said, a smile on his face. "Yeah, Haruka's gonna shred me limb from limb!" "I think I can take most of the flak, especially dressed like this," He said, knocking on the black armour that covered his body. He picked Hotaru up again and leapt into the air once, landing at the front door of her home. Robert rang the bell. He instantly heard three people get up and storm towards the door. "Better get back, this could get ugly" Robert said, lightly pushing Hotaru behind him a little. The door was flung open, Haruka standing there, her fists balled up tightly. "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU TWO SO GODDAMNED LATE!!!" Haruka yelled at Robert. "Whoa there girl!! Don't bite the head off before it gets a chance to explain!" Said Robert, holding up his hands in defence. "You've got three minuets," Haruka growled at him. "Uh, well, you see, uh, we had gone back to my apartment and had dinner together, then, uh, on the way back, we, uh, stopped to watch the sunset together. and we, uh, sorta lost track of the time." Robert said meekly. Haruka looked at Hotaru, she was cowering behind Robert, who was dressed in the weirdest get-up she ever had seen. "So your telling me you took Hotaru to your place, had dinner, then when you walked her back here, you stopped to watch the sunset and lost track of time? DO YOU THINK I'M A TOTAL IDIOT!!" "No, Ms.Ten'ou, I do not, but I do think you are jumping to conclusions!" Robert said, looking at Haruka now, his eyes now bright. "Hotaru, get inside, NOW!" Haruka growled. "Better do as papa bear says, I don't wanna see you get mauled" Robert said, looking at Hotaru. She nodded and scampered inside. "WHAT WAS THAT YOU BILIGERENT LITTLE-!!"
"You heard me, and I promise you, if there is even ONE bruise on Hotaru tomorrow, I'll come back here and pay it back a hundred fold, and that's no idle threat!!" Robert said, his fists were now balled up tightly. Robert remembered Sailor Uranus from the Crystal Millennium, he didn't like her much then either. "What's with the get-up kid, going to some sci-fi convention or something?" "Actually, it came with my job" he said with a crooked smile. He watched as the realization dawned across each of their faces. "What the hell? YOUR Starslayer?" said Setsuna. "Yeah, so?" "Then you know who we are?!" "Yeah, and I see that a few centuries doesn't make much difference in the attitudes in people" "Why you belligerent little-" "I only treat people the way they treat me," Robert said in a dead cold tone of voice. Michiru walked forward, looking at him. "I just hope you know what you've gotten yourself into," she said quietly, taking Haruka by the arm and leading her inside. Robert looked at Setsuna. "I'm really sorry about what happened. Hotaru and I. we sorta had a little fight" he said sheepishly, and then he stuffed his hands in his pockets and began to walk away. Setsuna looked at him. "I hope you can deal with Haruka, she already doesn't like you much" "The feeling's mutual" Robert said, walking away. Setsuna looked at this young man. That was why his energy felt so strange, it was because he was from the future. That certainly explained a lot, but it didn't explain why Setsuna felt un-easy around him.
"Probably just my maternal instincts kicking in" She said as she shook her head and walked inside.
Hotaru looked out her window, watching Robert leave. She wasn't shocked by the revelation of finding out that Robert was Starslayer, but it seemed to fit him. But what had he meant by "stuck here in the past"? Couldn't Neo Queen Serenity call him back after they had defeated Geoff? Hotaru sat down on her bed and began to reason it out. If they defeated Geoff, that would mean that Neo Queen Serenity would be saved, then she would be able to bring Starslayer back to the future. It was then the meaning of Robert's statement slammed into her brain. If they stopped Geoff now, then he wouldn't be attacking in the Future, and if he wasn't attacking in the future, then there was no need for Robert to be called back from the past, because he would've never been sent back, so, in effect, he was trapped in this time until he died! This saddened Hotaru, but she was also happy, in a way. Since Robert wouldn't be called back, they would never have to separate! This was a good thing in Hotaru's books. She walked to her desk and did her homework, then began to read. It was ten o'clock by the time she was finished, she was surprised that Haruka hadn't come up to her room and torn a strip off her a mile wide, but Hotaru figured that Haruka was just saving it for the morning or something. Hotaru put the book down changed into her bedclothes and slipped into bed. She felt something poke her in the arm when she rolled over, she grabbed it and flipped on the light to look at it. It was a small silver four-pointed star. It glowed slightly, and a small jewel in the centre glowed with bright light. It projected a holographic picture if Robert. "If you ever need me, Hotaru, just grip this star tightly and think about me, and I'll be there," said the hologram. "Don't worry, I will" Hotaru said quietly as she placed the star on her nightstand and rolled over, going to sleep.
Robert had been walking for hours; he was deep in thought as usual. "If I forgot about Hotaru being the Silent Angel, what else have I forgotten?" Robert strained his memory, but nothing else surfaced. He knew one thing, Kyron-sama would be very disappointed in him. He still remembered her as far back as he could. The one person who understood him better than anyone else, the one person he trusted before he met Hotaru, the person who had trained him in the way of the warrior. Sailor Kyron, the Solar Senshi of the Sol system. Robert was her protégé, but was used to being the royal bodyguard. He hadn't made much time for Kyron-sama before he had left, but he still remembered what she looked like. Tall, thin, deep green eyes, but it was her hair that he really remembered. She had it done up in five braided odango on each side of her head, two of each a different colour, the first two were a dark blond, the second purple-black, the third a deep blue, the fourth nearly white blond, and the last deep chestnut brown. Each was long enough to stretch to the ground, and always impeccably clean and kept in the utmost care, never a hair out of place, never a wrong coloured strand in the wrong braid. Robert had been trained ever since he had learned to walk, and was left in Sailor Kyron's care after his family had been killed. He hadn't lied about that either, he still couldn't figure out how it happened, one minuet he was driving down the street, the next he was in excruciating pain and his family was dead. Kyron-sama was the one that he pulled him out and had gotten him to a hospital before he went into shock. He had been declared a ward of the kingdom by Neo Queen Serenity, and had been adopted by Kyron-sama. Robert smiled, he knew that Sailor Kyron always knew that he was destined for this, but he didn't know how, probably just one of her many powers. That was the thing about being a Solar Senshi, she had amazing powers, control over time and space, even had limited telepathy and telekinetic powers. Robert knew that he would need to become stronger if he was to fill her place, or at least until she came along. Sailor Kyron hadn't been found until just after Geoff had started his very first series of attacks on Crystal Tokyo. Robert still had a few aces up his sleeve before he had to give up. He arrived at his apartment a few minuets later and went inside. He sat on his bed, his eyes far away, deep in thought. He didn't even care that he was stuck here in this place and time, he rather liked it. He wasn't away all the time, protecting the King and Queen on one of their many excursions. The so-called school that he went to was boring, but it filled his time at least. This time wasn't so bad, and since he was stuck here, he might as well get used to it. Robert pitched off his uniform, which shimmered away into nothingness, and then changed and went to bed.