A/N: Okay, here's chapter 2. Thanks to Black-as-Knight14 and blackrider11 for reviewing. This chapter kinda sets up the whole rest of the story, and as you'll see, I've changed alot around. Yes, I do love horses, so naturally, all of the Scouts have them. The barn is at the Cherry Hill Temple, Raye takes care of them, yadda yadda yadda. If you like it, tell me. If you hate it, tell me. I just want to know what everyone thinks!!
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Disclaimer: I don't own the Sailor Moon characters or places, but I do own LiRaye, Firebolt, and all the Scout horses.
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Since I had to be out by the evening, Tom wasted no time finding a new home for me. Less than two hours after Bernard had demanded me fired, the barn manager came to me and told me that another place had been found. I was already packed, so I spent my last few hours saying goodbye to the horses that I had grown to care for and love during the past months. "How can I just leave this and move on?" I asked Starlight, Tom's beautifully dappled mare. "How can I ever feel the same way toward other horses?"
At that moment, the crunch of gravel in the driveway alerted me to the coming of a car. I heard Tom come out of the house and approach the driver, making small talk and telling him what a valuable asset I had been to his barn. Trying to stall as long as possible, I pretended that I had left something in the loft, asking for a moment to retrieve it.
I gazed upon the loft which had been my home sadly, knowing that I would never see it again. My small twin bed had already been moved back into the house, but my dresser still remained. It had been there longer than I had, and would probably remain there long after I had gone. But it wasn't to a piece of furniture that I headed; I slowly made my way to the far corner of the area. There I lifted the loose floorboard and searched the small hiding place once more, making absolutely sure that I had left nothing behind.
I was about to replace the board when I noticed something glistening under the dust. Reaching into the corner, I pulled out a small charm in the shape of a bolt of lightning. I was sure it hadn't been there before. "How odd," I commented to myself as I unfastened the chain around my neck. I slipped the charm on it, replaced it around my neck, and made my way down the ladder one final time.
I gathered my few possessions and walked out of the barn toward the beat-up pick-up truck. Tom was happily chatting with its driver and looked up sadly when he heard me approach. "Well," he said. "I guess this is it. Goodbye, LiRaye. I'm really sorry it had to end like this. You're the best helper I could ever hope to find; I know you'll do well for Mr. Hino here." With a quick nod, he turned and walked briskly back to the house.
My eyes followed him up to the house, lingering on the door for a few seconds after he shut it. I could feel the tears welling up, but, not wanting to appear weak, I quickly wiped them away and turned to the driver. "Where should I put my stuff?"
"Oh," the old man pondered the question for a second. "I assume the most appropriate place for them would be the back of the truck, am I correct?"
I rolled my eyes at this. "Sure, whatever." I threw my bags into the hay covered bed and opened the filthy passenger door. The inside of the white truck was no cleaner. Dust coated the dashboard, junk littered the floor, and papers were strewn across the seats and the partition. I shoved the papers to the side and climbed in. The truck gave a cough, sputtered to life, and began rolling slowly toward my new home.
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After a long drive, we finally arrived. Initially, Mr. Hino had been talking about his barn and horses, but I wasn't completely paying attention, so he eventually went silent. We pulled into a paved parking area, but went onto the grass and drove around to the back of the large building. I was surprised to see that it was a temple, with a house attached to the back.(A/N: I don't really know how the temple was laid out, so this is what it's gonna be in this story. Ok?) He finally parked the truck underneath a large tree, and we both got out. I gathered my things and followed him into the house.
We entered the foyer area, which was decorated with Japanese symbols and artwork. I was taken aback by the beauty of the room, for I had never really been in a place like it. Mr. Hino motioned for me to wait here, so I put down my things and made myself comfortable. I could hear him yelling something far away, somewhere deep inside the complex.
After about five minutes, he returned with a girl. She looked about my age, with jet-black hair and eyes so dark they seemed almost purple. She stared at me intensely, scrutinizing me from head to toe. Her eyes seemed to be searching me, searching for something inside. I felt like a prisoner under her stare, felt that I couldn't move.
A few uncomfortable moments passed, which Mr. Hino thankfully broke. "Raye, this is LiRaye. She's going to be our new barn helper. Now you and Chad won't have to work so hard."
This pulled her out of her trance. "What? Chad and I get along just fine without any help!"
Mr. Hino looked troubled. "But Raye, I just thought..."
His granddaughter gave him a look of disbelief. "Nevermind, I have to go. Catch you later!" With that, she turned and disappeared down one of the many halls leading out of the foyer.
"Raye!" Mr. Hino called after her. He then turned to me. "I'm sorry about that, LiRaye. It might take a while for her to get used to the idea of someone else being there to help. She's gotten quite used to working very hard taking care of the barn. But don't let her attitude discourage you. She really is a very nice girl. She just has to get to know you, that's all."
Wanting to believe what I was being told, I nodded. This seemed to be the reaction that he was expecting. "Good. Now, let me show you to your room, and then the barn. This way." I picked up my things once more and followed him down yet another hall.
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"You must have made a mistake," I stuttered when I saw the room that was given to me. "This is too nice! Maybe it's Raye's..."
Mr. Hino chuckled. He didn't seem the least bit exhausted after the journey from the foyer. The temple complex resembled the Labyrinth, with long twisting corridors that seemed to lead to everywhere and nowhere. I had tried to remember the sequence of turns, but was soon so confused that I reluctantly gave up. "Oh no, you silly girl. Of course this is your room! I may be getting old, but my memory's as good as it was 40 years ago!"
I had to laugh at the old man's enthusiasm. "Well then, thank you very much," I said. "I feel right at home already."
Mr. Hino nodded. "Well, I'll leave you here to unpack. I trust you'll be alright finding the barn by yourself? I have a class soon, and really must get going. If you need any help, call for Raye." With that, he bustled off.
It didn't take me long to organize my things in the dark wooden dresser provided. I then sat on my bed and marveled at the room. It actually wasn't much to look at, but it was the first real room I had ever had. It was certainly a big improvement from the loft at Tom's barn.
I gazed out of the large window and was delighted to see that the barn was not far away. I reached for the window locks, preparing to open it, but stopped myself. What kind of first impression is it to be climbing out of windows? Sighing at the thought of having to find my way out of the complex, I grabbed a hat and set off.
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After fifteen minutes of aimless wandering, I managed to find the way out of the temple. I squinted in the bright afternoon sun, glad to have my hat to shield the sun from my eyes. Seeing the barn on a distant hill, I set off toward it.
I reached the barn feeling very optimistic about working there. On my way to the building, I had passed by a large ring, a dressage arena, a lake, and what looked like a cross-country course. I had also seen several huge pastures in which horses were peacefully grazing. The barn building itself lived up to the high standards set by the facilities. It had stalls for 40 horses, with three large tack rooms and 10 indoor wash racks. On one end was housed an indoor arena with a complete set of stadium jumps. The other end of the barn opened out to acres of woods, with ten grooming stalls set underneath a small grove of shade trees. All in all, it was the picture of perfection.
I gazed in awe at the perfectly swept aisles and the immaculate stalls. Even though I knew people who would give an arm to board their horse here, most of the stalls looked unused. In fact, only 13 stalls had nameplates on them signifying the presence of a horse. I read them aloud to myself as I walked by.
"Savior of the Moon owned by Serena Tsukino, Mercury's Rhapsody owned by Ami Mizuro, Believe in Mars owned by Raye Hino, Jupiter's Revenge owned by Lita Kino, Venus Beauty owned by Mina Aino, Uranus's Secret owned by Amara Ten'ou, Neptune Ocean owned by Michelle Kaiou, Saturn's Silence owned by Hotaru Tomoe, Pluto's Mystery owned by Setsuna Meiou, Princess of the Moon owned by Rini Tsukino, Rocket, Sugar, and Duncan," I read as I went down the aisles.
"Those are my friends's horses," a voice rang out from down the aisle. I turned around and saw Raye leaning on one of the stall doors. She had changed clothes and now donned a crisp white polo shirt, jodphurs, and tall boots. Her long black hair was tied back in a ponytail. I was surprised at how professional she looked.
"You have a horse there, too," I observed.
"Yeah," she replied in a bored tone. I could tell that she wasn't all that interested in talking to me.
"Is he anything special?" I asked, determined to redeem myself.
"She is, I guess," she responded with a hint of amusement in her voice. Her expression turned thoughtful. "Hey, I was thinking of going riding. Do you want to come? Then you can judge Mars for yourself."
"Sure!" I exclaimed, trying in vain to hide my excitement. I hadn't gone riding in what seemed like ages. "I'd love to!"
She seemed a little put off by my enthusiasm. "Okay. You can either ride one of the temple's lesson horses, or, if you're feeling daring, you can try this new horse that just showed up this morning. We don't know where he came from, and I've got to warn you, he's a little crazy. I tried to get on him this morning, and he bucked me off as soon as I touched the saddle. Here, let's go see him. Follow me." I followed, wondering why she was suggesting that I ride a horse like that.
She led me down one of the empty rows of stalls and to the stall at the far end. "Well, here he is," she announced to me. "He doesn't have a name yet."
I gave her a skeptical look and peered inside. When I saw the horse, I gasped and took an involuntary step back. Inside the stall was the horse that I had let free last night; the horse that had spoken to me. "What are you doing here?" I asked him, trying to sound calmer than I felt.
You told me to find a place where I would be treated right. You'll treat me right, I know it. I only did what you told me to do, he replied, his voice in my head sounding totally sincere.
"I didn't mean that and you know it! Why don't you just leave me alone?!" I yelled at him. But he didn't answer. Instead, he nodded toward Raye, who was staring at me with an odd look on her face.
"Are you talking to that horse?" she asked, shock in her voice, along with something else I couldn't catch.
"Who me?" I asked quickly, trying to regain my composure. "No, I was just, um, I think I'll ride him, okay?"
"Whatever," Raye responded and turned back toward the aisle where her horse was boarded. Although she acted totally weirded out, I couldn't help but think that she wasn't.
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Okay, sorry that that was really long. I know I haven't updated in forever, so I wanted to give you all a lot to read! Thanks again to the two of you who reviewed, and to all of you who didn't, feel free to do so now! See that little blue button down there? Very good!