I'd just like to say that I have never so much as ridden a horse (apart from a pony on a funfair some 8 years ago) therefore all the knowledge I have of horse-riding comes from internet research. Please, don't judge me too harsh if you find there is something off in terms of factual knowledge ^^
Also, I have not yet decided to what extent, but there will be sexy scenes at some point in this story. Bad language will be commonly used.
That being said, I hope you enjoy the fruits of my imagination, reaped with the help of sleep-deprived nights.
"Dude this is going to be the best gap year imaginable! I can just feel it!" Kasamatsu had been babbling on like this for the entire bus ride and, as much as I appreciated his enthusiasm, I remained somewhat skeptical.
"Yeah, it was awesome of your relative to fix us up with spots in that riding school – I hear the place is booked for months in advance." I answered, trying to sound equally as excited.
"It's not months, it's years!" He exclaimed as his arms shot forward to shake my shoulders, an elated grin on his face. Noticing my slightly less elated expression, he sighed and brought his face even closer, as though trying to see through me, and spoke in a disappointed tone, "Kise, man you don't look like it was that awesome at all."
"Kasamatsu you are the one person who should understand. I am excited for you – getting to try your favorite sport in a high-class place like that – but me… I don't think I'll enjoy it as much." I said, staring impassively out the window as the countryside sped past, feeling a sad, inexplicable longing. For what? A challenge perhaps, a sport I could not master right away. Would this be it?
"This could be it you know," My best friend seemed to read my mind. Leaning back in his seat he appraised me with a mildly irritated look, "Look, I know I say this about every sport – but this one involves animals and you've never tried a sport involving animals before. Anyway this is damn important to me so can you not with the negativity?" I smiled meekly at his half-assed attempt to cheer me up.
"Ok I'll stop complaining, I don't want to ruin your mood," My voice trailed off as I continued to gaze out the window. The vast, unkempt fields and sparse housing gave off a strong, the-middle-of-nowhere vibe, "Umm… are you sure this is the right way? We've been on this bus for two hours now and it sure doesn't seem as though we're anywhere near the stables… or anywhere else for that matter."
"Are you questioning my knowledge of the location of the utter most supreme horseback riding school to ever grace the face of this unworthy planet?" He blurted out, stretching out his open-palmed hand in an overly dramatic way.
"I wouldn't dare," I chuckled at his fangirl-like devotion, "But why is it so far?" I whined, reclining in my seat.
"Trust me this is normal for riding schools. Besides, I'd go to the end of the Earth for this place. Not only is it the biggest riding school in Japan – it's Aomine Daiki's riding school!" His eyes positively glistened as he proceeded to chirp away about his idol. "He has already won the nationals three years in a row, he was also the youngest rider ever to qualify into the NHC championship, his best time is-" here he paused to feverishly flip through his backpack; in search of his trusty Aomine Fact File (which he'd carry everywhere, the obsessed idiot).
"Damn, he's hot." I interjected, swiftly snatching the small picture that came lose out of Kasamatsu's backpack, "No wonder you're so obsessed with him. I'd ride that." I chimed, only to be shut up by Kasamatsu's astounded expression.
"Kise you can be so blatantly gay sometimes." He chuckled at me, "And you say that every time you see his picture
"Because he looks like a perfectly sculpted, tan Greek god in every picture!" I exclaimed, admiring the dark-skinned boy's ridiculously perfect features, "and he looks to be around our age! God dammit, I'm getting excited too!"
"Excited?" He eyed me down with a kinky smirk, "Of course he's our age, I told you that countless times!"
"Not like that- I just… I'm more motivated to go through with this plan. Thanks for bringing me along." I beamed at him, just as the bus came, at long last, to a stop besides a shabby looking pole, so eroded with rust it was a miracle it still managed to stand.
"Not a problem, man." He replied, shaking his head in a gesture of resign, "Oh look, there's Midorima – I hope we'll get along. I heard he's a 'difficult' person" Kasamatsu was pointing to a tall guy, casually walking towards the rusted post.
"Is that seaweed on his head? No way that's natural." I remarked as we made our way towards Kasamatsu's relative. We must have already been in his hearing distance, because, just as the words left my mouth, his hand dashed to his hair, and he shot me the dirtiest of looks.
"That's not a hairdo – that's a hair don't," My best friend cackled in one of his glorious white-girl impressions, and I burst out laughing a little too loudly. He put a finger to his lips and murmured, half-heartedly trying to suppress another round of giggles, "Ssshhh dude, I don't want him to hate us right away."
'Great way to start of a new friendship, we haven't even greeted him and we've already managed to insult him at least three times.' I sighed internally, and put on my best apologetic smile as we neared the horrendously green-haired boy.
"Tactless. Are you perhaps a Sagittarius?" He spoke in a flat tone, eyeing down both Kasamatsu and me with a piercing stare that could make anyone feel uncomfortable.
"Errm… I'm a Gemini. At least I think so." I answered, slightly confused, as his eyes continued to scrutinize my every detail.
"Gemini, let's see," he pondered, never taking that slashing stare off of me. This guy wasn't just difficult, he was outright creepy, "Are you sure that you really want to learn horse-riding?" he questioned after a long pause, and I was thrown off by the accuracy of his question.
"Matter of fact, I'm not entirely sure." I mused, looking over at Kasamatsu who rolled his eyes at me.
"Well that's only to be expected. Gemini are not only indecisive, they also have a short attention span, therefore get bored easily which in turn leads to inconsistency – as a Gemini you are naturally prone to never finish what you've started." He delivered his speech in a business-like voice, as Kasamatsu and I stared at him flabbergasted.
"Don't you think it's a little rude as fuck to judge people based on their horoscope?" Kasamatsu blurted out, not bothering to hide his annoyance.
"Horoscopes do not lie." He retorted, turning his dead serious face towards by best friend, then right back at me. His green eyes were like daggers as they travelled along the length of my body for the thousandth time, "Your complexion is excellent and your hair undamaged despite the bleach. You are also dressed in well-fitted clothing which leads me to believe you work in a profession where you are often on public display – as expected of the superficial Gemini."
"Kindly shut the fuck up, what gives you the right to be so condescending?" Kasamatsu shot back at him, "Someone kicked your ball-sack earlier today? If not that can be fixed."
"Headstrong and arrogant: a typical Leo." Midorima did not seem at all shaken by his violent outburst – his voice was so calm it was infuriating.
Kasamatsu said nothing at first, which was never a good sign. Instead he let out a deep, irritated sigh and, placing his hand rather forcefully on Midorima's shoulder, spoke in a hushed voice full of venom, "Listen seaweed-head, this membership is damn important to me and so I… t-thank y-you… for arranging it." He hissed through gritted teeth, "You cannot imagine the immensity of the fuck that I do not give about what you think of me. However, Kise is my best friend so you will not insult him or I will choke you with your own goddamn reins."
"Possessive: yet another cliché trait. Also you wouldn't be able to reach that high." Midorima retorted swiftly in a dispassionate tone, and then turned to me, "We best get going, or you'll be late for your first riding lesson."
By this point I was way too creeped out to try to continue the argument, so I followed him silently. To my surprise Kasamatsu did the same, and so we made our way along the narrow dirt track. As we walked I took a good look at Midorima for the first time. He was tall, and wore a camel coloured jacket paired with tight, beige riding breeches and russet, knee-high boots. A golden-filmed white lily badge glistened on his chest, bearing the phrase 'Shiroyuri Stables'. Altogether, it was a pretty cool uniform.
"So tell me, what's it like working with, generally being in the presence of, Aomine-san?" The awe and sheer excitement was evident in Kasamatsu's voice, all anger forgotten in the face of his idol.
"It is nothing like you think it may be, the guy is a total prick. He's selfish and rude – not to mention is awful form, how does he even manage to stay on the horse with that slouch?" He replied, his face contorting into a degrading scowl, as though the simple thought of Aomine repulsed him.
"That's a pretty harsh thing to say, Midorima-kun." I retorted, stretching my arm out in front of my friend who was by now well beyond the bounds of fury, "Do you reckon his disagreeable character is due to his horoscope?" I was trying to be nice; if there was one thing modeling taught me, it was never to make enemies of those higher in the hierarchy than you.
"There's a difference between being bound by your horoscope, and simply having a shit personality." He snorted, pushing back his glasses.
"Brutal words coming from you, cousin." Kasamatsu barked back. Just then we turned a corner, and the dirt track gave way to a neatly paved road.
"Second cousin. Well, we're here; Shiroyuri Stables" Midorima said, pointing to an absolutely immense building that looked like a mansion more than anything else. It was cream-coloured, two stories high and had grand wooden stables on either side, "I must take my leave now, and I strongly suggest you give up on so much as talking to Aomine, let alone becoming friends."
And with that Midorima headed off towards the right-hand stables, leaving us hopelessly alone. We decided to head to the grand white staircase, which led to a pair of mahogany doors we assumed must be the stable's main entrance.
"What's up? What can I help you with?" A red-haired guy, standing with arms folded over his chest, called out to us just as we entered the lavish reception area. He wore his uniform in a much less formal manner than Midorima – the sleeves of jacket were rolled up to the elbows, his shirt crinkled and unbuttoned at the neck. I noticed one of his arms was bandaged.
"Hello, we'd like to check in as new members. Our names are Kise Ryouta, and Kasamatsu Yukio." I replied, excitement steadily building up inside of me.
"Hookay… gotcha!" He chimed, more to himself than to us, as he clicked away on the slick, white computer, "You've been checked in. If you gimme a moment, I'll go fetch your uniforms."
"Sure, thank you for the help." Kasamatsu beamed at him, his face alight with feverish enthusiasm.
"There you go guys." The red-haired boy spoke in a friendly tone as he handed us our neatly folded uniforms, "and don't forget the badges."
I reached my hand out to him and he placed two, glittering badges in it.
"Excuse me umm…" my voice trailed off as I didn't know his name.
"Kagami Taiga, nice to meet ya."
"KAGAMI TAIGA?! The Kagami Taiga – holder of the world record for the highest jump in last year's National Hunt?" Kasamatsu exclaimed, slapping his arms down on the wooden desk.
"Proud to say I am. Pretty awesome, huh?" Kagami grinned smugly, and then turned to me, "Yea, so what'd you wanna know?"
"Kagami-san, I don't mean to be rude but our badges have bronze rims and yours is silver. Do these rims signify anything?" I heard Yukio heave an exaggerated sigh beside me.
"Yeah, trainees like yourselves get the bronze ones, flat racers get silver, and jump racers get gold." Kagami answered, counting the colours, "There's also black – that's for the regular staff that doesn't participate in tournaments."
"Dude, I told you all this already." Kasamatsu groaned, "Do you ever pay attention?"
Kagami chuckled at his remark, "Good luck you two. You should get going now of else your first lesson will finish before you even get there – tracks are just behind the building."
"Secondly, there's the trot – this is a two-beat gait, with a suspension the horse switches from one diagonal to the other." Our instructor spoke in a calm voice, "Next is the canter, which is a three-beat, rocking-motion gait with a suspension after each stride. Lastly is the famous gallop – a four-beat gait that feels like a fast canter except you have to slightly raise out of our saddle, unlike the canter where your position remains stationary."
He stood beside the horse, which was light grey all over except the very ends of its legs that slowly faded into a light brown, and was he short enough to comfortably fit under its head. His hair and eyes were light blue, and a silver-rimmed badge glistened on his small chest.
"Kise dude, that is Kuroko Tetsuya." Kasamatsu's eyes widened in disbelief, "You gotta know him! He's the Phantom Rider!"
"Sorry no… But it sounds epic. Is everyone at this place famous? I mean the receptionist is a world record holder." I mused, closely observing as Kuroko agilely mounted the horse to demonstrate the gait. The way he worked the reins, gently but surely, and the way he and the horse seemed to move together, so perfectly synchronized, was without a doubt one of the most graceful things I have ever witnessed in my life. My diligent eyes recorded his every movement, soaking up each detail of his posture and rhythm.
"Wow you are so good at this." I blurted out, just as the instructor returned to our small group, loud enough for everyone to turn their head towards me.
"Thank you." He answered, getting of his horse in one swift motion, "Would you like to try?"
"Errmm... I don't think I-" I began to protest, but was cut short by a sharp jab between my ribs.
"Just go, give it a try." Kasamatsu muttered.
The truth was, I hesitated not because I was afraid of failure. Not because I thought I couldn't do it. On the contrary, it was because I already knew I could and, just as rapidly as it came, my excitement vanished.
'This time is no different from any other.' I thought to myself, slowly making my way towards the front of the group. But upon reaching the horse I realized that Kuroko was no longer there. I frantically look around me, but the guy simply vanished. I looked towards Kasamatsu, but he seemed equally confused.
"Make sure your helmet is properly secure before you begin." His composed voice reached me from right beside me and I instinctively jumped back out of surprise.
"How long where you here?!" I stammered out.
"The whole time," his voice showed no signs of either anger or confusion, "I suggest you only try the walk for now."
The handed me the reigns and took a step back. With cursed easiness I mounted the horse in one swift action. My body perfectly repeated Kuroko's movements, and the horse followed my lead without objection. It was deeply aggravating – how effortless it was for me to transfer from one gait to another. Before I knew it I was galloping across the tracks. The entire group gawked at me in sheer disbelief as I lightly sprung of the horse. Only Kasamatsu's face showed a different emotion – defeat mingled with disgruntlement was mirrored in our faces.
"This is a beginner's class." Kuroko once again appeared seemingly out of nowhere – the guy had so little presence it was unsettling. He appraised me closely, his eyes lingering on my badge, "Are you sure you are in the right group? We may be on the tracks, but this isn't the flat racing course."
"Yea, you must believe me this was my first time on a horse." I answered, visibly embarrassed.
I was very much aware that no one in the group believed me. From their looks I could tell I had been dismissed, like so many times before, as an attention-seeking showoff. Kuroko however, merely nodded and continued with the lesson.
"Sorry, you two!" I heard him call after Yukio and me, as we were about to leave with the rest on the group, "Could we talk, my name is Kuroko Tatsuya – I don't think you were there when I introduced myself."
"Of course Kuroko-san. I am Kasamatsu Yukio, and this is Kise Ryouta." He beamed at Kuroko.
"You don't need to add the suffix – we're the same age after all." Kuroko smiled for the first time since I saw him, "So, Kise-kun was this really your first time on a horse? I don't mean to doubt you, but beginners can't be that good."
"Yeah… this happens all the time." I breathed, and ended up him the whole story of how I easily master every sport I try.
By the end of it, the three of us had become friends – Kuroko was surprisingly easy to talk to. Though I appreciated his promise to help me find a challenge, I had the feeling this would be just as boring of a gap year as I anticipated.