By Mr. Rhyno
Disclaimer: I am a stuffed animal, and thus own nothing but my own stuffing! (Least of all HNG... got that?! I don't own Hikaru No Go!!)
Chapter OneHikaru stepped off the bus, looking in horror at the rural landscape. God! He hoped they had cable. And video games. Video games would be good.
He looked around. Besides being in the middle of nowhere, it also appeared as if he were in a ghost town.
The bus driver came around, and dropped his bag beside him. "Normally Sai-sensei is here to greet the newbee's...I wonder where he is...? eh." He gave Hikaru a pat on his shoulder. "Good luck kid."
"Wait...you're just gunna leave me here?!" There was NOTHING here!
"Someone'll show up sooner or later."
"But...!"
But it was too late. The doors had closed, and the bus was backing up, and Hikaru was alone. He sighed, picking up his bag and heading over to the big, worn-down house. The door was, unpredictably, unlocked, and Hikaru let himself in, dropping his bag in the entranceway.
He gave himself a quick tour, locating a bathroom, a kitchen, way too many staircases, books (lots and lots of books)...there was no TV. His breath came in slightly panicked puffs...there was no TV.
In a daze, he walked back outside.
Then in.
And looked around again. Maybe he had missed it? Hikaru began opening random cabinets. Maybe it was hiding somewhere?
Half and hour later, he was back outside. The place was still a ghost town...and it had no TV.
No.
T.
V.
Hikaru gripped his hair, pulling the yellowed bangs outward and letting out a strangled scream. This was a nightmare! Pouting, he stomped his way to the building next door. It looked like a barn. What the heck was in a barn, anyway?
Touya Akira had been left out of the camp's mass exodus to the Horse Show. It was not meant to be punishment – but that's what it felt like to him. The horses were out and about – today was their day off – so Akira had reduced himself to cleaning and polishing saddles.
A tedious job at any time, but today especially so, as it was dead quiet. Doubly especially so because he was waiting for someone. The stifling summer heat, along with the drone of flies and the comforting smell of cleaner (he liked clean things) soon had him dozing off, to his shame.
His last thought before he succumbed to the sandman's hand was 'at least no one's here to see me acting so...lazy...'
And his first thought upon regaining consciousness was 'why is someone poking me...?'
It smelled like horses (he had never smelt them before, but what else could a horse barn smell like...?)and dust. Hikaru walked through the opening in the side, and saw a big, circular open space, dirt on the ground. On the opposite side from where he stood there were some metal stands, (like a crowd was expecting to watch something) set in concrete, a low wall separating the stands from the field of dirt.
He walked in cautiously, noting a thick bar that ran along the walls, about waist high. He shuffled to the little wooden gate in the low wall. It creaked when he opened it, but he was pleasantly surprised to find that it was relatively dust-free in the concrete area. He continued taking shuffling steps, going through an opening to his right. He was surprised to find another, smaller, circle of dirt...and light!
To his left was a light! Surely that indicated some kind of life? Not hesitating quite as much, he stepped into a warm room full of saddles. They were set in rows, like at a shoe store or something, with a top layer and a bottom layer, with a bunch of stringy stuff hanging off of them, and blankets on top.
There must have been at least a hundred, and they were all some shade of brown, big and heavy looking.
Hikaru revolved a slow circle, noting a wall with pictures of horses and names on it and...hey! There was a kid right there!
A sleeping kid. He was sitting in a chair, draped over a saddle on top of a table, a rag hanging loosely from his hand. He had pretty looking black hair falling in front of his face, and it moved slightly every time he breathed.
Why the heck would a kid sleep on top of a saddle in here, of all places?
Well, he simply had to wake him up. But, for once in his life, Hikaru didn't feel like using rather loud sounds to do it. Everything was just so dead...it felt unnatural disturbing that silence. He approached the kid, intent on poking him awake. Maybe he knew where a television was...?
A/N: Bwahahah! Akira's reaction in the next chapter! And hopefully the next chapter will be much longer...OH! I have a question for the few people who are reading this story right now. Should I make Sai a ghost who helps Hikaru in his riding finesse, or should he be play a real life role? It's still early, so I could change it...I think I'm gunna make him living, but it'd be cool to see what you guys think
And a thousand thanks to those who reviewed!!