Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King
CHAPTER THREE – On a Highway
Horokeu Usui stood on the side of the highway, thumb out, waving his other hand frantically. A duffel bag sat by his feet, his board was slung over his shoulder, and clutched tightly in his waving hand were a pair of drumsticks. As it was cold, he wore a hat, scarf, snowboarding jacket, and baggy, sagging pants, everything black with light blue lining.
Vehicles sped past him, anything and everything from a home on wheels to a bus to a car to a truck. As the day wore on and he still failed to hitch a ride, the amount of movement slowed. It was almost midnight and he was beginning to lose hope when a car sped through a large puddle and left him and his belongings soaking wet. Sighing in defeat, he sank to his knees on the roadside and fell into unconsciousness from the exhaustion.
The next morning, he woke to a hand poking him hard in the chest. "Hello? Are you alive? Get up, you moron! Why are you sleeping on the side of the road?" a familiar voice invaded his dreams.
His eyes remained closed and he turned onto his stomach to evade the attacks. "Go away, Ren, let me sleep. Just five more minutes." he mumbled groggily.
"How the hell did you know my name?" the voice asked suspiciously.
"...! REN!" it suddenly snapped in his mind and he jumped up, knocking his head hard against Ren's, because the younger had been leaning over him at that moment. They both fell backwards onto their butts and rubbed their heads furiously, the Chinese mumbling random curses in Mandarin. When he finally looked up, he found, to his surprise, the Ainu he knew long ago in his past.
"Usui!" he screeched.
"Wow, Ren, what are the odds that we'd meet up again after six years? It must be fate!" Horo Horo shouted.
"Do you want me to go deaf! I sure don't! Especially since my freaking job requires my ears! You idiotic bar of soap, what are you doing out here!" Ren yelled.
"Hitchhiking." Horo answered.
"You do know it's illegal here?" he rolled his eyes.
"No, I didn't. I'm headed to Beijing for an audition." he replied. This caught his attention.
"What kind of audition?" he asked.
"Drumming. That's what I do, drum. So I'm going to an audition at some place called, The Studio." he explained. He slapped his forehead and sighed.
"Hop into the limo. I'll give you a ride."
"But, I wouldn't want to inconvenience you." he said quickly.
"You won't be. My family owns The Studio. I just happen to be the lead singer of a group they're putting together. I'm headed that way, too." he told the Ainu.
"Cool. Geez, it's freezing out here." Horo remarked.
"Get in the limo and warm up. We're going to stop at a rest stop soon and get something to eat. I'll bring you something hot to drink while I'm at it." Ren smiled slightly.
"Ren... Thanks. You sure have changed..." Horo said, grinning back at him before they both made their way to the waiting vehicle.