Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Going For Gold ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I don't own the G boys, I just borrow them from time to time and return them a whole lot happier. I do own the plot and any other characters, especially the equines, that you will find in this fic. Please do not take them without permission. Written for pleasure not profit.

 

Pairing: 2x1x2, 3x4, 13x6, H+C

 

Warnings: Yaoi, lemon, sap, angst, vet themes, AU

 

Rating: NC 17

 

Archive: www.gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com Anyone else please ask.

 

Betaed by Yami_tai *snugs*

 

Summary: Eighteen months have passed since Heero was advised he was short listed for the Olympic games team. With Zero going well and young Shinigami almost ready to make his showjumping debut, Heero looks set to reach his goal. Life though doesn't always play by the rules.

 

Dedication: To Leslie who gave me the original idea for Equinity.

 

Fic 3 in the Equine Intervention Arc.

 

I had half of this chapter done before my world was suddenly brought to a screeching halt. The loss of my faithful companion, Teddy Bear, hit me really hard and I'm still finding it painful to talk about him. Life goes on though and the muse is slowly coming back. I've finished this chapter but others will be slow to follow, mainly due to Bear's passing and how difficult it is to write Zero right now. I will continue with it, it is my way to honor Bear and he will continue to live on through Zero. Family Ties will also continue and probably be written more frequently as it's easier to write that than this fic for the moment.

 

Thank you to all of you out there for your patience and understanding. Also to the many of you that sent me such kind wishes and thoughts regarding Bear; I appreciated each and every one of them and I know he would have been chuffed to know he has such a following. Bear was a cheeky fellow, loved his carrots, would try to get out of his paddock at any opportunity and was a gentleman to handle on the ground. It is my privelige, honor and pleasure to share part of him and his quirks through Zero with you all.

 

For Bear....

 

"Going for Gold"

 

January. 2007 ShenLong

 

 

Chapter 3

 

"What's the course like?" Trowa asked as Treize, Heero and Duo returned to the collecting ring from walking the course for the Maiden AM3 class. Trowa had never attended a horse show before and didn't have a clue regarding jump types, course difficulty, line, track, approach, take off points and so on. They all looked like gaily colored poles scattered around haphazardly to him.

 

Quatre wasn't any better.

 

“It's quite good,” Heero replied. “There's lots of space between fences to settle your horse back down if he gets excited and none of the jumps are difficult.”

 

“The course designer has done a good job. It's nicely flowing without requiring a lot from an inexperienced horse. Designed to encourage rather than ask a lot of questions from the animal,” Treize added.

 

“Okay.” Trowa didn't look like he completely understood.

 

Duo smiled at the slightly confused expression on both his friends' faces. “In simple English they mean that the jumps are reasonably easy and have a lot of room between them.”

 

“Ah. Thank you, Duo,” Quatre said with a sheepish smile. “I'm afraid we're not all that clued up on all things equine.”

 

“Trust me, Quatre, when I say I've had my eyes well and truly opened since being with Heero. I swear this horse mob have a language all their own.”

 

“You'd think they would come with a translation dictionary, manual or something like that,” muttered Trowa

 

“You have no idea how many times I've wished for a similar thing, Trowa,” Duo chuckled.

 

The conversation ceased for a while as Heero and Treize mounted up and began to warm up their respective horses again.

 

* * *

 

"Steady, Shini," Heero soothed the horse as Shini tried to buck. The youngster was feeling excited, all the new sights and sounds around him, different smells teasing his nostrils making him want to explore the new area. Seeing so many different horses too was having a distracting effect and Heero had his work cut out for him just trying to keep the youngster's attention focused on him

 

Treize was having similar problems with Romefeller, the big bay apt to let his concentration wander all over the place. Treize didn't expect too much from the young stallion, he'd be happy just as long as the bay settled and did what Treize asked.

 

Heero wasn't silly in his expectations either. He knew it took several shows before a horse would start to settle properly and not pay much heed to everything going on around them. It was simple common sense. Heero drove his legs harder against Shini's sides as the gray tried to shy away from a suspicious looking tree.

 

Standing to one side of the warm up area, Duo, Trowa and Quatre watched as the two youngsters were put through their paces. Whilst none of them were as knowledgeable on the horse scene as the two riders, even their inexperienced eyes could see the bay and gray were not as smooth in their working as a lot of the other horses warming up.

 

“They look like a pair of jack-in-the-boxes.”

 

“Shit! Hilde!” Duo yelled in fright as he jumped a mile.

 

“Sorry. I thought you'd hear me walking up behind you,” Hilde replied with a grin.

 

“Not when you're on grass and wearing sneakers, woman!”

 

“Oops?”

 

“Good to see you both could make it,” Trowa said in an attempt to break up what was looking like developing into a full on slanging session between the two vets.

 

“For a while there I didn't think we were going to,” Hilde replied as she turned her attention from her boss to the taller man.

 

“Problems?” Quatre asked on Duo's behalf as the vet was still trying to get his heart rate and breathing under control.

 

“Not really. That cat was a bigger stitching job than I first thought.”

 

“Oh?” Duo asked, his curiosity overriding his near cardiac arrest.

 

“Looked like she'd just nicked the outer skin when they got her out of the tree, that's what the owner told me. Damn cat was a Persian and with all that hair it was hard to see the real cuts.”

 

Duo couldn't help it, he snickered. Hilde gave him a glare and then continued.

 

“Once we had the cat in the surgery and I could examine her properly we found another wound a little further back and this one was quite deep, through muscle layers and almost to the bone. Took longer than originally anticipated to stitch as we had to remove a lot of the hair first.”

 

“Oh my,” Quatre commented.

 

Catherine chuckled. “It was quite amusing. Hilde managed to stitch everything up okay, but I don't think the owner was all that impressed when she got her cat back.”

 

“Oh?” Quatre raised an eyebrow.

 

“I had to remove a lot of hair, not only to stitch, but to keep the wounds clear, clean and prevent infection.” Hilde shifted her gaze, finding the ground very interesting.

 

“Uh oh. Don't tell me...” Duo's face was crinkling into a grin.

 

Hilde looked up sharply, her face telling all.

 

“You didn't?”

 

Hilde nodded.

 

“Oh, man.” Duo went into fits of laughter.

 

“Ummm. Could somebody please translate?” Trowa asked, obviously confused at the 'conversation' passing between the two vets.

 

“Hilde shaved half of the cat,” Catherine said, a smile on her lips.

 

“I know that much. Hilde did say she's had to shave for the wounds to be stitched,” Trowa replied with a huff.

 

“Think about it, brother. A Persian cat, long haired, all fluffy. Half of it bald?”

 

“Ah, crap.”

 

* * *

 

“Eight faults,” the commentator announced as the first rider left the ring.

 

“Pardon me for being so ignorant,” Quatre began, “but what exactly is a 'fault' and how does one accumulate them?”

 

The maiden jumping class had just started, Heero and Treize were walking Romeo and Shini around, keeping their mounts' muscles warm whilst watching the other competitors and trying to glean how the course was riding. Duo stood with Joe to the side of the collecting ring against the rope barrier that separated it from the spectator area. On the other side of the ropes, Hilde, Catherine, Trowa and Quatre all stood, watching the event with various reactions.

 

Duo turned to the blonde inspector and smiled. “You're not being ignorant and it's really quite simple to understand and follow once you know the basics,” Duo began. “The object of the competition is to clear all the fences. All clear rounds go into a jump off. The course is shortened, meaning only a few of the jumps are used and you're against the clock. The winner is the one who has the least penalties with the fastest time. Penalties, or faults as they're usually called, are points scored against you for making a mistake. If you knock a fence down then you get four faults. A refusal is four faults, second refusal means elimination. The faults are added up to give a final penalty score for that combination.” Duo felt quite smug with himself for answering Quatre's question and reveled in his superiority for all of five seconds when Joe unintentionally burst his bubble.

 

“You can also be eliminated if either the horse or rider has a fall, a fall of horse meaning either the shoulder, rump or both touch the ground. If you cross your tracks, you're eliminated, jumping a jump the wrong way or out of order will also see you exiting the ring. Likewise if you fail to pass through the start or finish flags, begin before the bell or leave the ring before completing the course, you're eliminated.” Joe paused for a moment and regarded the five faces looking at him. “What?”

 

“You're a regular walking encyclopedia, you know that? You sure know how to steal a guy's thunder,” Duo muttered, but there was no malice in his words, more a thread of resignation.

 

“Sorry, Duo,” Joe apologized.

 

“Nah, it's okay. I was just trying to keep it simple for them.”

 

“Well, thank you both for that, um, enlightening bit of information,” Quatre chipped in. “It certainly does make it easier to follow.” Quatre neglected to add that he didn't have a clue regarding half of what Joe had just said and made a mental note to keep his questions to himself in future; either that or wait until he had the chance to speak with Heero whom he was sure would be able to explain things in 'normal' terms.

 

“What's that horse doing?” Trowa asked, diverting everyone's attention back to the ring.

 

“I'd say it's trying to avoid jumping,” Hilde snickered.

 

The horse in question was certainly not concentrating on the jumps at all. As it approached a jump so its ears would go back and tail start to swish. The speed slackened and it was only the rider's overuse of her legs that kept the animal going at all.

 

“I think she's going to come undone at the next fence if she doesn't get any impulsion going,” Joe remarked.

 

“Impulsion?” Trowa asked and received a dig in his ribs from Quatre's elbow. “Ow,” he muttered. “What was that for?”

 

Quatre leaned over and whispered. “Be careful what you ask, you're likely to get a very long winded answer full of complicated terms and be even more confused and forget what it was you asked.”

 

“I think I'm confused right now,” Trowa replied rubbing his ribs.

 

“Impulsion is energy, the forward movement of the horse,” replied Duo as his eyes remained watching the horse in the ring.

 

“Thank you, Duo,” Trowa returned. “What was complicated about that?” he hissed to his partner.

 

“I give up,” mumbled Quatre.

 

“There, told you she would end up with a refusal,” Joe said as he watched the rider turn the horse and bring it in for a second try; with the same result. The bell rang and the rider turned the horse for the exit.

 

“I take it she's eliminated for having two refusals?” Quatre asked, trusting he remembered what Duo had said about the penalty system.

 

“Got it in one, Q-man,” Duo replied. “Okay, silence in the stalls, Treize is next.”

 

“Rider number four; Treize Kushrenada riding Romefeller,” the commentator announced.

 

Treize and his blood bay made a striking combination as they entered the ring. Romeo was bouncing along, his attention wandering as his eyes roamed over the jumps, ring and people surrounding the arena.

 

“He looks like he's being a handful,” Catherine said as she watched the bay shy at a pot plant adorning one of the jumps.

 

“He'll settle,” Joe replied.

 

Treize approached the judge, sitting down in his saddle and bringing the bay to a halt to salute. Collecting his reins again, Treize nudged the stallion into a trot and then canter, circling around as he waited for the bell to ring. It did and Treize turned for the start.

 

Passing through the flags, Romeo's ears went forward as he spotted the jump ahead and he gave a snort. His rider sat still and steady, hands light on the reins keeping a steady pressure on the bit in his mouth. The jump drew nearer, Romeo felt the subtle weight shift and lengthened his stride as legs pushed against his ribs. Seconds later they were landing over the first fence.

 

“Good boy,” Treize praised as he rode the horse on to the second fence.

 

Heero brought Shini to a halt and watched as his boss and rival commenced his course. He could see that Romefeller was a little unsettled, but Treize's skills were keeping the horse together and reassuring him at the same time. Heero smiled softly to himself.

 

“Easy, fellow,” Treize soothed as they landed over the hedge and headed for the first real test in the course, the double. Whilst it wasn't high, there was ample opportunity for a horse to duck out to the side. Keeping a slightly stronger contact with Romeo's mouth, Treize sat down hard and rode his horse forward.

 

Romeo didn't like the look of the greenery that adorned the wings of the jump, those potted plants could be hiding predators! His eyes widened and he snorted, starting to shorten his stride and bounce uncomfortably. Instantly he felt his rider's legs against his sides, urging him forward while a soft voice soothed his fears.

 

“They're only pot plants, you silly animal. They won't hurt you.” Treize drove his legs harder against the horse. Romeo snorted again and then leapt forward. He put in a huge leap over part A, landed a little unsettled and found himself with another jump a stride away.

 

Treize was nearly jumped off with the size of the leap Romeo put in. He was quick to gather his wits, coming down a little harder in his saddle than he would have liked but unable to do anything about it. He applied his legs and did his best to re-balance Romeo enough to tackle the second element.

 

The big bay managed somehow to get his legs all coordinated and launched into the air over part B. It wasn't the most stylish of jumps, but somehow they scrambled over, leaving all rails in their cups.

 

“Geeze, Treize,” Duo muttered.

 

“It is exciting, isn't it?” Quatre commented, his eyes shining.

 

Treize managed to get Romefeller settled and striding out again before they came to the next fence, the bay stallion realizing he needed to concentrate on the obstacles ahead and listen to his rider instead of gazing around him at all the other things going on. The last four fences were cleared easily once Romeo began to take note of Treize and soon they were passing through the finish flags accompanied by a smattering of applause from the crowd.

 

“Well done, Treize,” Heero congratulated as his boss exited the arena.

 

“Clear round to Treize Kushrenada and Romefeller,” the commentator announced.

 

Joe and Duo left the other four to greet Treize and offer their congratulations. Joe took the big bay and began to lead him around whilst Treize discussed the course with Heero, pointing out different areas that may cause trouble. Duo kept moving between his friends in the spectator area and Heero in the collecting ring.

 

By the time it was Heero's turn to jump there were two clear rounds, one of them Treize's and another by an unknown.

 

Heero prepared to enter the ring as the current competitor approached the third last jump. Duo stood beside him, a soft smile playing on his lips as he turned his amethyst eyes to his partner.

 

“Be careful, Heero. Don't take any risks, no one expects miracles from either of you.”

 

“I know, Duo. Don't worry, Shini and I are simply going to go out there and treat it as a training run. I don't care about winning, all I want is for him to settle and listen to me. As long as I finish the course I'll be happy,” Heero replied.

 

Duo gave his lover a squeeze to the knee and then patted Shini's neck, speaking to the horse. “You be a good boy out there, Shini. Don't do anything stupid and look after yourself and Heero for me. Make your dad proud of you, boy.” Duo gave the gray a carrot and one last pat to the neck. “Good luck, Heero.”

 

“Thanks.” Heero collected his reins and nudged Shini forward as the steward beckoned him over. “This is it, Shini. This is where you get your chance to see if you will make it as a show jumper.”

 

Shinigami cocked back an ear, half listening to his master whilst the other half of his attention was on the jumps in the ring. He walked calmly past the jumps, gazing around at the brightly colored poles and potted plants with curiosity. He sensed they didn't pose a threat and his master felt calm so Shini didn't worry.

 

Heero drew rein and halted by the judge's box, saluting and then urging Shini into a trot. The bell rang and Heero collected his horse, turning towards the flags and on track for the first fence.

 

Duo was shifting nervously from one foot to the other and trying to resist the urge to bite his fingernails. Trowa, Catherine, Hilde and Quatre all seemed calm enough and oblivious to Duo's nervousness. Treize could see how jumpy Duo was and moved to stand beside the vet.

 

“Shinigami will be fine, Duo. He's a sensible horse.”

 

Duo's eyes shifted momentarily from his partner in the ring to the tall rider beside him. He gave a small smile. “I know Shini will behave, I just can't help the butterflies though.”

 

“That's quite normal. Would it help any if I told you that I still have attacks of the nerves before jumping?”

 

“You do?”

 

“Yes. Heero does too, although he'd probably never let on. It's all part of the competition and adrenaline rush. In fact, I'd be seriously worried if we didn't get nervous before a round. It's the nerves that keep you on edge, sharpen your instincts and can mean the difference between winning and losing.”

 

“Thanks.” Duo turned his attention back to the ring. He felt a little better now knowing he wasn't the only one who seemed to have a butterfly farm permanently lodged in his stomach.

 

“Good, boy,” Heero praised as Shini cleared the first fence, landing out cleanly on the other side. “Just settle down and we will be fine.” Heero was pleased so far with the way Shini was traveling. The gray was light to the touch, listening to Heero's aids and still eager to go forward.

 

“Atta boy, Shini!” Quatre stated as he watched his horsey 'nephew' clear the third fence. “He's going great.”

 

Trowa glanced at his partner from the corner of his eye and shook his head slightly.

 

Shinigami was enjoying himself. The jumps weren't difficult nor were they particularly high either. He liked the feeling of the turf under his hooves, the challenge of the poles and the words of praise from his master. He felt his master's weight shift slightly and shortened his stride accordingly. Ahead appeared a funny looking jump, it was solid enough, a couple of poles and underneath those poles what appeared to be hay. Shini faltered for a moment, eyes fixated on the hay bales. Surely hay wasn't meant for jumping? It was meant for eating!

 

Feeling the hesitation in the young stallion's stride, Heero pushed on harder with his legs. Ahead lay the hay bale jump and it wasn't anything to be worried about. Shini slowed a little more and gave a snort. Heero sat down harder and applied more leg.

 

Shini tossed his head, canter still slowing. He wanted to eat that stuff and was determined to stop and grab a mouthful.

 

It suddenly clicked in Heero's mind what the horse was up to. “You little shit,” Heero growled. “Don't even think about it. It's a jump and you're damn well going to jump it.” Heero placed his reins in one hand and sitting easily in his saddle brought his other hand back towards his thigh. Digging his knees into the saddle, Heero gave a sharp kick with his heels.

 

Shini jumped a little with the sudden kick and lurched forward for a moment then he regained his balance and snorted again. His mind was a little confused. Hay had always been there for him to eat, not to be ignored and jumped over, yet his master was insisting he go forward and do just that; jump it. Maybe his master had got it wrong. Shini slowed a touch more.

 

“What's he doing?” Quatre asked as he bounced on his feet. It was obvious the gray was slowing in his stride, but Quatre couldn't see any reason for that.

 

Neither could Trowa. “It looks like he's trying to stop.”

 

“I can see that! What I want to know is why?”

 

Beside them Treize chuckled. Duo frowned and stared at the man for a moment, he was equally confused as to why Shini should suddenly be digging the heels in.

 

“Take a look at the jump, people. It has hay bales underneath it,” Treize said in an amused tone.

 

“So?” Quatre replied.

 

Suddenly Duo burst out laughing. “I get it now. Shini wants to stop for a snack.”

 

“I'd say you're right, Duo.” Treize continued to watch, his mouth curved in a smile. “Something tells me Heero hasn't jumped him over hay before.”

 

“Come to think of it, I don't think he has,” Duo said. “This could be interesting.” Duo was quietly willing the youngster to keep going, listen to Heero and jump the damn obstacle. He desperately wanted Shini to go clear.

 

Heero gripped hard with his knees and raised his right hand a little. “Sorry, boy, but if you're not going to listen to my legs then you leave me with no other choice.” Words said, Heero brought the whip down smartly against Shini's side, giving the young stallion a sharp smack where he would normally apply the leg aid.

 

Shinigami shot forward, the sting of the whip drawing his mind away from eating the hay. Quickly he decided it would be far better to just jump the jump than suffer another smack like that. It hurt! He lengthened his stride, picked his take off point and soared into the air.

 

“Thank you,” Heero muttered as they landed and he gave the gray neck a quick pat.

 

“Score one for Heero,” Hilde snickered.

 

“He hit him. I don't believe he hit him,” Quatre said, his face slightly shocked.

 

“You have to show them who's boss,” Trowa stated smugly.

 

Quatre gave his partner a side long glare.

 

“Now for the double,” Duo said as his eyes continued to track Heero and Shinigami, everyone else turning their attention back to the ring.

 

“Steady,” Heero soothed. “You need to listen to me for this one, Shini.”

 

The stallion cocked back an ear, his master's weight, hands, voice and leg guiding him. Shinigami listened and did as his master asked; he didn't want another smack, thank you very much! He sized up the poles and brought his hind legs underneath himself, pushing off the ground and flying over the first element. Hooves bit into the grass, taking Shini's weight as his hind end caught up and then drove him forward again. One stride and he was again launching into the air, tucking his legs neatly underneath as he sailed over part B. They landed safely and Heero immediately sat down to collect his horse again.

 

The pair cleared the remaining fences, turning for the parallel bars that made the last jump. As Shini cleared that too, Duo let out a long breath, his shoulders sagging with relief. Trowa was clapping along with Hilde, Catherine and other spectators. Quatre was literally bouncing on the spot.

 

“He did it! He went clear!” Quatre shouted. “That's great. Oh, I'll have to make sure I've got some carrots for him. He was such a good boy.”

 

“Is he normally this excitable?” Treize asked with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Would you believe me if I said no? Usually he's very calm and collected,” Trowa replied.

 

Treize looked skeptical. “I guess I'll have to take your word for that.”

 

Catherine snorted. “Right now he doesn't look anything like the stern, all business Inspector I know.”

 

All eyes turned to where Quatre, who had slipped under the ropes into the collecting ring, was now standing next to Shinigami and stuffing him full of carrots whilst heaping praise and pats onto his 'nephew'.

 

“I think I should go rescue Heero,” Duo snickered.

 

“I think you should. If that animal consumes many more of those carrots he's not going to be able to compete in the jump off,” Treize said dryly. “Then again, that might be to my advantage,” he added with a twinkle in his eye.

 

“Oh shit! The jump off. You're right, Treize, I'd better stop Quatre now before Shini goes into carrot overload.” The young vet took off across the collecting ring to rescue his partner, leaving a snickering group behind him.

 

~ * ~

 

tbc...