Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Going For Gold ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

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.

 

"Going for Gold"

 

January. 2007 ShenLong

 

 

Chapter 5

 

The crowd cheered as Heero entered the ring and rode towards the judge. Ever since Heero had been selected to represent his country in the Nations cup, he'd become something of a local celebrity. Even though he was jumping outside of his usual 'territory' and technically not a native of this county, it didn't matter to the legion of adoring fans he seemed to have gathered.

 

Duo had raised an eyebrow when the first few letters had begun to arrive, when the fan mail began to take on 'avalanche' status, Duo had promptly snickered and told his lover to 'deal'. Heero had grumbled about the number of letters he was getting and the fact that he couldn't answer them all. Not being one to snub his followers, Heero had tried to respond to them all personally; after all, if they had taken the time to write to him, the least he could do was return the courtesy.

 

He really needed to get a secretary.

 

Catherine had solved the problem for him in such a simple way that Heero was mentally slapping himself for not having thought about it sooner. Catherine had typed up a 'generic' reply on Nrobbuts and saved it to the hard disc, printing off however many copies Heero needed. All Heero had to do was fill in the person's name at the top and sign the bottom. Once that was done, Catherine took over, addressing the envelopes and posting the letters when she did the mail run for the practice.

 

Zero felt calm and relaxed beneath him, the sun glittered off the poles and jump wings and Heero felt his entire body thrum with the feeling of being alive. Locating the judge, Heero brought his horse to a halt and saluted, then gathered his reins and nudged Zero into a collected canter and towards the start flags.

 

Watching from the collecting ring, Duo released his braid before he could do any serious damage to it and resisted the urge to chew his fingernails instead. His eyes tracked Heero's every movement, watched as Zero slipped easily into a canter and headed for the start. /Breathe, Duo, breathe,/ he kept reminding himself.

 

Zero passed between the start flags and was on his way. The first fence loomed before them, a simple upright which Zero cleared easily. The next four fences were cleared in similar fashion, but Heero hadn't anticipated any problems from the first five jumps, all were straight forward enough; it was when you got to jump six that things could start to go wrong. The simplicity of the first few jumps was designed to try and catch out riders, lulling them into a false sense of security and then unleashing the first of the two difficult parts of the course.

 

The wall rose ahead of them and Heero collected Zero together, encouraging the horse to re-balance and bring his hocks underneath him. Three strides away and Heero gave the gray his head, following the movement with his body. Zero pushed off the ground and sailed over the wall, clearing it with inches to spare. As soon as his hooves were back on firm ground, his master was checking him back, asking Zero to shorten his stride and prepare for a slightly more difficult jump. Zero did as asked and spotted the gate up ahead, he only had four strides in which to gather himself together before he was airborne again.

 

"Please clear it. Please clear it," Duo muttered under his breath and shoved his hands into his pockets to stop them from straying to his mouth. He didn't have all that much in the way of fingernails left as it was. To Duo's right the rest of their group stood, all with their eyes fixed on the ring and the pair currently jumping.

 

Watching Heero gather his horse together, Treize noted the angle his pupil brought the gray into the fence at and memorized it for when his own turn to jump came.

 

Zero landed cleanly over the gate and was eagerly looking for the next jump, with pricked ears he allowed his master to guide him around the course.

 

From the gate Heero turned left and lined up the Swedish oxer. Zero cleared that one easily too, landing safely and starting to pull a little. "Steady, Zero, the real test is about to happen," Heero soothed.

 

Cocking an ear back, Zero listened to his master's voice, noting the tone which told him that something big was coming up.

 

From the Swedish oxer Heero made a slight right hand turn, sitting down deep into his saddle and bringing Zero back together underneath him. The rustic hedge appeared up ahead, Zero eyeing it up and picking his takeoff point.

 

Back in the collecting ring, Duo was almost hyperventilating, much to Trowa's concern. "Duo, you need to slow down and breathe normally," Trowa chastised gently. "You won't be any good to Heero or the horse if you're out cold."

 

Duo just looked at the man, clearly unable to slow his breathing.

 

"Shit," muttered Trowa and turned to the rest of the group. "Anyone got a paper bag?" he asked.

 

"Here." Hilde passed one over. "I had some sweets in it earlier."

 

"Thanks." Trowa took the bag and handed it to Duo who gratefully took it and began to breathe into it.

 

"Could you ask him to wheeze a little quieter? We're trying to watch Heero here," Hilde said as she turned her attention back to the ring.

 

Trowa's jaw nearly hit the ground. "I don't believe I heard that."

 

It was just the shock Duo needed to get him breathing properly again.

 

"That's it, Zero. Nice and easy," Heero cajoled as he sat quietly, body ready to follow the movement of his horse. As Zero drew himself together and leapt into the air, Heero's body followed, hands sliding up the neck to allow Zero to stretch without any hindrance. Retuning to earth, Heero was immediately in his saddle, legs and seat pushing the gray together whilst his hands held the forward motion in check, building the power and containing it.

 

The stallion shortened his stride and concentrated on what his master was asking him to do. Zero could see the triple ahead and began to fight for his head, his master's hands and seat preventing him from charging forward.

 

“Easy... That's it, Zero. Nice and easy. Steady, boy...” Heero spoke softly to the horse, holding the energy at bay until the last moment. “Now, Zero!”

 

The gray shot forward, muscles bunched and flexed beneath his satiny skin as his body was pushed into the air. Rails passed beneath his belly and as soon as his forelegs touched the ground his master was riding him forward again. Two strides and Zero was leaping into the air once more, his forelegs tucked neatly underneath him as he cleared the second element of the triple. Grunting softly as he landed, Zero gathered himself together, hind quarters straining as they propelled his body up and over the last part of the triple.

 

“Yes!” Duo hissed as he watched his lover and horse clear the triple. Now that the hard part of the course was out the way, Duo felt he could relax a little. Two more jumps and Zero would be finished.

 

Heero chanced a pat on the gray neck, the muscles quivering in reply. “Two more to go, Zero. Two more and then we're home.”

 

Zero snorted as he approached the second last fence. It was the hay bale jump from Shini's class, only it was a lot bigger now. Zero's stride never faltered, he lined up the jump and flew over it, landing well out on the other side.

 

“Good boy,” Heero praised as he turned his horse for the final jump. Zero cleared that as well and left the arena to the sounds of applause and cheering.

 

“It is exciting, isn't it?” Quatre said as he beamed at Duo. “Now I know why you enjoy going with Heero to the shows so much.”

 

Duo didn't bother to reply, he was too busy calming his heart rate down and settling his breathing into a more regular pattern.

 

"Well done, Heero," Treize congratulated as Heero rode out of the ring still patting his horse.

 

"Thanks, Treize."

 

"How did it ride?"

 

"As we thought, a bit tight from the hedge to the triple, but if you have Goose balanced you shouldn't have any trouble with it.""Thanks." Treize took himself and his horse off to the side as Duo approached.

 

Seeing his partner coming towards them, Heero dismounted and led Zero over to the vet, meeting him halfway.

 

“Great round, Heero. I'll bet the selectors are impressed with that.” Duo pulled a couple of carrots from his pocket and fed them to the gray who eagerly accepted them.

 

“It's not over yet, Duo. There's still another eleven competitors to go including Treize, anything can happen,” Heero replied and offered a smile to soften his words.

 

“I guess you're right,” Duo sighed as he patted Zero's neck. “But I'd say you're still in with a good chance.”

 

“Let's see what happens,” Heero replied. “We should go across and talk to the others,” he added as he spotted a rather impatient Quatre waving.

 

“Guess we should, the cheer squad is getting restless,” Duo snickered.

 

The pair walked across the collecting ring to where the remainder of their group were waiting.

 

* * *

 

“There you go, boy,” Duo said as he gave the gray another pat. “You relax there for a bit, you'll be needed soon enough for the jump off.” With there still being quite a few riders to go before the class was finished, Duo had offered to take Zero back to the float to rest. He knew Heero would want to watch the remaining riders and had led the stallion away. Once he'd gotten back to the float, Duo had removed Zero's bridle and replaced it with the gray's halter. The saddle remained on Zero's back but the stirrups were run up and the girth loosened. Duo had put Zero's light, cotton rug on over the saddle to keep the horse from catching a chill. The water bucket had been emptied out until only a small amount of water remained and Duo had removed the haynet. Heero didn't need his horse coming down with colic!

 

With Zero comfortable, Duo decided to make his way back to the ring and see how things were looking. As he walked around the front of the float intending to put Zero's bridle on the hook there, he found his arm grabbed and before he knew what was happening he was dragged through the float door and inside. “What the…?” Duo began to say, only to be cut off as a hand clamped itself over his mouth.

 

“Hush, Duo.”

 

“Heero?” Duo blinked and turned around to see his captor.

 

“Hai, it's me,” Heero replied as he wound his arms around Duo's waist and pulled the vet close. Eyes met briefly before Heero swooped in and took Duo's lips in a passionate kiss.

 

“Why all the stealth?” Duo asked as they broke for air, his own arms having enveloped Heero's shoulders. “Not that I'm complaining or anything. God, it's so hard keeping my hands off you,” Duo moaned softly as he moved a hand up and began to run his fingers lightly over the soft hair and skin at the nape of Heero's neck.

 

"I got fed up of waiting. I wanted to hold you, kiss you and this was the only way I could think of to get what I wanted."

 

"Guess it would start to look a little suspicious if we both keep disappearing into the gents," Duo snickered.

 

"Hai, it would." Heero began to feather kisses along Duo's cheek and jaw. "I love you so much," he breathed.

 

"I love you too, Heero," Duo moaned in return.

 

They kissed for a few more minutes before Duo reluctantly broke away. "As much as I would love to continue this, I think we'd better stop now before we get too carried away and can't stop," he panted.

 

"I guess we should," Heero replied and pressed on last kiss to Duo's lips. "We should head back before the others come looking for us."

 

"Yeah," Duo replied as he brushed down his clothing. "Treize should be jumping soon and we need to find out how many of you are through to the jump off."

 

"Good point. You go first, I'll be out in a minute."

 

Duo paused for a second as Heero's words registered, then he took a quick peek at Heero's crotch where the bulge in those tight jodhpurs was more than evident. "Ah. Right. I'll wait for you by the car." He let his hand sneak forth and give a soft caress to the bulge before stepping out and leaving his lover groaning in frustration.

 

* * *

 

Treize was entering the ring as they made it back. Locating their friends they joined the others to watch and cheer Treize on. Heero's eyes scanned over the crowd looking for the selectors. He gathered they would be somewhere by the judge, the judge's position giving him a completely unhindered view of the entire course so it made sense for the selectors to be located somewhere within that area. His eyes found a couple of likely people, both were well dressed, had notebooks in their hands and were watching Treize intently. Heero smiled to himself.

 

“Easy, Goose,” Treize muttered to his horse as they approached the rustic hedge. Recalling what Heero had told him earlier of the fence and the following one, he would need to have Goose completely under control.

 

Goose snorted and pulled harder. Like Zero, Goose loved to jump - and he was good at it. The powerful hindquarters drove the bay body up and off the ground, soaring into the air and clearing the jump with ease. Landing, Goose immediately checked and rebalanced; the subtle shifting of his rider's weight, the light touch to the rein and the guiding leg against his side all communicated to the horse what was expected of him and Goose obeyed.

 

“Steady... This is a nasty one, Goose. We have to get it right first time, no second chances.” Treize focused on the triple, concentrating fully on giving his horse the best possible chance to clear the three separate elements that made up the jump.

 

Cocking his ears forward and back, Goose lined up the first element, picked his take off point and lengthened his stride out. They sailed into the air and over the first element. As Goose landed his master's seat and leg was there, pushing him together. The second element rose before them and Goose grunted as he shoved off the ground again. They landed safely, Treize doing his best to re-balance Goose and gather the impulsion again. Goose was tiring, the effort of jumping three fences in a row with only a stride or two in between them was starting to tell.

 

Muscles strained, hind legs left the ground as the bay arched over the third element. Forelegs reached out, fetlocks absorbing the shock of impact as Goose raised his head and neck, bringing his hindquarters underneath his body and propelling himself away from the jump.

 

Duo gave a whistle of appreciation. “Nicely done,” he said.

 

“Hai. Treize is a damn fine rider,” Heero acknowledged.

 

Treize and Goose cleared the remaining jumps and exited the ring to the sound of applause and the commentator's voice announcing another clear round. With one competitor left to go it wouldn't be long before the jump off took place.

 

* * *

 

Five competitors had made it through to the jump off, Heero and Treize amongst them. Heero would be the first to jump off, Treize last. Duo didn't seem all that happy with the order for the jump off and Quatre wondered why. He debated asking, not wanting to get another long winded explanation. In the end his curiosity got the better of him and he asked. Duo's reply was quite short and to the point.

 

"The first rider to go in a jump off sets the standard for the remaining competitors. They reveal where the hard parts are, where seconds can be shaved, as well as the parts that can be your downfall. The rider that goes last technically has the advantage. They have seen the others go through, they know where the traps are, how much to push and where to take short cuts. They also know what the time is to beat," Duo explained and then quickly darted a glance at Joe to see if the other groom was going to add anything. Joe was completely occupied with Goose and Duck to notice anything Duo had said. Duo sighed in relief.

 

"Thank you, Duo. That explains it very well," Quatre replied. At least now he had a bit more understanding of the sport. Show jumping could be complicated when you first watched it, but in fact, it was really quite simple to follow. The rules weren't all that hard to understand and like so many other sports, win or lose boiled down to tactical response. Although with show jumping you did have the added extra of the horse, which was a living, breathing creature to figure into the equation and that could seriously influence the outcome of an event. Quatre decided that line of thought was starting to get seriously deep and stopped pursuing it whilst he still had some sanity.

 

The course was raised and the commentator called for the five riders in the jump off to come in and walk the altered course. Heero and Treize headed into the arena with the other three riders and began to plan out their respective strategies. Heero knew that by going first he would be letting the others know where the difficult parts of the course were, and giving them something to chase. His idea was to try and get a fast time with no penalties and have the other riders make mistakes in their attempts to match him. Treize would be the one to beat and with him riding last, it would be a very exciting competition.

 

Treize wasn't silly either. He knew that with Heero going first the younger rider would be giving the jump off his all and throwing down the gauntlet to the rest of them. Heero's skills had improved significantly since he'd been riding under Treize's tutelage and the former silver medalist had no doubts that Heero was fast approaching his peak. With the right horse under him, Heero would be one of the country's top riders.

 

The jump off course consisted of fences one, four, six, nine, ten A, ten B, ten C and eleven. Heero noted that there wasn't much time to be saved between the first three fences, but once over six you could cut on the inside of the fancy planks and save a couple of strides coming into the rustic hedge - jump nine. Once over nine there was the triple and then jump eleven: the wall and final fence. It would be difficult to cut through and still retain enough impulsion to clear both the hedge and triple, but it could be done. Once landing over the triple, Heero planned to have Zero turn as quickly as possible, cut through the inside of fence two and take the wall at an angle. If he was successful, the angle would put him within a couple of strides of the finish flags and save further time.

 

Heero studied his planned course again, making careful note of exactly how many strides Zero would need between the various fences to complete the course clear and with a good time. Satisfied with what he had planned, Heero began to leave the arena, Treize beside him and both locked deep in their own thoughts. Treize knew Heero had something up his sleeve, and whilst he wasn't completely sure what it was, he could have a pretty good guess. Either way, Heero would be giving them something to chase, of that Treize had no doubt.

 

Whilst Heero and Treize were walking the course, Duo had gone back to the float to get Zero ready and bring the horse back to the ring for Heero to warm up before the jump off. He rubbed the gray affectionately between the eyes as he murmured softly to the stallion. “You have to do your best, Zero. The selectors are here and both you and Heero deserve to make it to the Olympic team.”

 

Zero wuffled and began to search Duo's pockets for carrots.

 

“Here you go, greedy,” Duo sighed and produced the expected carrot. Zero ate it happily and asked for more. “No, you don't, boy. No more carrots until after your jump off. You don't need the added weight in your stomach.”

 

Liquid brown eyes gazed soulfully at him.

 

“Aw, shit. Why do you do that? You know I can't resist you when you look at me like that,” Duo complained but produced another carrot. “That's it though. No more until after your round. Don't try the eyes again either, it's not gonna work, nope, not looking.” Duo deliberately turned his gaze away from the horse and to the ring where Heero and Treize were finishing their walking of the course and returning to the collecting ring.

 

Heero returned to the collecting ring and spotting his lover and horse, made his way over to them. “Thanks, Duo,” he said as he walked up to the pair.

 

“What's the jump off course like?” Duo asked, holding Zero whilst Heero tightened the girth.

 

“It's going to be tight. There's not much to be saved time wise over the first three fences, the test will come after those. There's the possibility of saving a couple of seconds between six and nine, but then you run the risk of coming into nine with not enough impulsion to clear both it and the triple straight after it.”

 

“Ah. Sounds like a tricky one then.”

 

“Tricky doesn't even begin to sum it up,” Heero sighed but his eyes sparked with the challenge.

 

Seeing the glint in Heero's deep blue eyes, Duo knew his lover had something up his sleeve. He moved a little closer to Heero and lowered his voice to a whisper. “What are you planning on doing, Heero?”

 

Heero gave his partner an innocent look. “Whatever gave you the idea I'm planning something?”

 

“Oh, just the look in your eyes.”

 

Shaking his head, Heero turned his full attention to his boyfriend. “I'm planning on giving the rest of the riders something to really chase.” With that, Heero slipped his left foot into the stirrup and mounted Zero, sitting gently into the saddle and sliding his right foot home into the other stirrup.

 

“Just be careful, Heero.”

 

“I will. I plan on celebrating tonight,” he added in a husky tone.

 

Duo felt the shiver of anticipation travel the length of his spine and he mentally moaned.

 

* * *

 

Heero loosened Zero up again, pleased with the stallion's response. The gray was calm, relaxed and ready to obey the lightest touch from his master. The steward began to call for the riders in the jump off to come forward and be ready to compete; Heero turned the stallion towards the entry to the ring and let the steward know he was there.

 

"The first competitor in the jump off; Heero Yuy and Zero," the commentator announced as Heero rode into the ring.

 

The applause and cheers followed him as he pushed Zero into a slow canter and approached the judge, mind shutting out everything around him and focusing completely on the task ahead. Zero refused to stand still, dancing on the spot as Heero saluted the judge. Turning the gray, Heero pushed the stallion once more into a slow canter and headed for the start flags. The bell rang, Heero shortened his reins and rode through the start.

 

Zero's ears went forward as he turned and passed between the starting flags, eyes fixed on the first jump. He gathered himself together and cleared the jump easily, landing perfectly on the other side and looking eagerly for the next jump. He felt his master's weight settle a little deeper, a slight shift to the side and a light pressure of leg against his ribs and Zero was turning just enough to line up the next fence in the jump off, jump four.

 

Taking up a firmer contact with Zero's mouth through the reins, Hero guided the stallion towards the next jump. After this one he would need to have Zero completely between hand and leg, balanced, full of impulsion and responding to his slightest touch if he was to have any chance of winning this event.

 

Zero shortened his stride, listening to his master as he prepared to jump fence four. Hind legs drove his body upwards and over the jump, clearing it with inches to spare and coming to land on the far side. Feeling his master's hand and weight again restricting his forward movement, Zero rebalanced and gathered all his energy within himself.

 

Fence six loomed ahead, Heero sizing it up and looking ahead to where Zero would land and planning his next move. Muscles pushed and strained as they propelled the stallion into the air and over the jump. As soon as Zero landed, Heero was dropping his weight and asking the gray to turn. It took Zero a couple of strides to get his balance enough to do what his master was asking and then he sank back on his haunches and practically spun on the spot, turning and then striding out again, rump muscles rippling beneath gray skin and hide as the big animal made the turn and cut inside the fancy planks to bring him in line for the rustic hedge.

 

"Aw crap, aw crap, aw crap," Duo muttered as he ducked behind his bangs. He wanted to watch and yet he didn't, the excitement was getting a little too much for him and his hand, or more specifically, his fingers, strayed towards his mouth once more where his teeth began to nibble on already short fingernails.

 

"This is the make or break part, Zero," Heero muttered as he collected the stallion together. He ran a hand briefly over the satiny shoulder, silently letting his horse know this one was a tough one.

 

The rustic hedge rose before them and Zero grunted as he took off over the obstacle, tucking his legs neatly under his body as he sailed over the jump. As soon as they landed he was gathering himself together again, shortening his stride and containing his energy inside.

 

Heero was completely fixed on the triple ahead. He had to get this right if he was to have any chance of winning. His body automatically rode the stallion together, Heero's mind working out exactly where they would need to take off, land and take off again over each of the three obstacles if he was to jump this successfully.

 

Trowa looked from the blonde Inspector to the vet and back again. His lips tugged up into an amused smile. Both men had their fingers in their mouths chewing on their fingernails. He could see their eyes completely fixed on the pair in the ring and he hoped they were both breathing! He poked both men in the ribs just to be sure.

 

"Ow! What was that for?" Quatre asked as he turned his attention from Heero for a second to glare at his lover.

 

"Stop biting your fingernails," Trowa said quietly and turned to face Duo who was also glaring at him. "You too." With slightly sheepish grins, both men dropped their fingers from their mouths and turned their attention back to the ring where Heero was about to jump the triple.

 

Duo picked up his braid and began to fiddle with the tufted end. Trowa sighed and gave up.

 

The first part of the triple rose before Zero, the gray lining up the poles and selecting his take off point. Hind legs came underneath as the front legs pushed off the ground, back arching and cutting through the air. The hind limbs left the ground and followed the arc of the forelegs, clearing part A and coming back to earth where Zero was quick to gather himself together again, re-balancing and drawing his hind end under him again as he leapt into the air and over the second element.

 

Heero followed the movement of his horse, body lifting and going forward, hands sliding up the neck so as not to interfere with Zero's mouth. As the gray landed so Heero's weight came back into the saddle, his legs applied to Zero's sides as his hands on the reins steadied the horse. Soaring into the air again, Heero automatically followed the flow of the gray's body, attempting to keep the horse's impulsion going and give him the best possible chance to clear the jump.

 

Forelegs reached out and bore the weight as Zero landed. Hind legs touched down as front ones reached forth to pull away from the jump. The third element stood before Zero and the stallion gave a loud grunt as he managed to get his back legs under himself and push off into the air again. Landing cleanly over part C, Zero immediately gathered himself together, feeling his rider's weight shifting as pressure was applied to his sides and a light touch guided him on the reins.

 

Before Zero even touched down, Heero was shifting, getting ready to turn his horse and take the wall at an angle that would see him dead in line for the finish flags and save precious seconds. The angle he intended to take the wall at was sharp and he hoped Zero listened to him and didn't try to take matters into his own hands; or hoofs in this case.

 

"Oh fuck!" Duo exclaimed as he watched his lover land, turn and then line up for the last jump. He could clearly figure out what Heero planned to do and felt his heart leap into his throat. Subconsciously his fingers crossed and his mouth began to move in a silent litany. "Please let him clear it, please let him clear it..."

 

"You crafty bugger!" Treize stated as he realized Heero's intent.

 

Everything seemed to go into slow motion, the stallion approached the wall on an angle of forty-five degrees giving him the perfect opportunity to simply duck to the side and canter right past the jump if he wished. Heero knew this and kept his seat, legs and hands continuously applied, not giving Zero the chance to do anything other than listen to his rider. Zero saw the wall, noted the different approach but quickly sized up the situation. He'd jumped fences on angles before, but not quite as sharp as this one. He hesitated for a second and felt his master's heels against his sides driving him forward. Trusting his master, Zero launched into the air, strong muscles pushing his body up and over, front legs reaching for the ground as his hind legs scraped over the top of the wall.

 

Heero jarred a little on landing but was quick to ride his horse forward, the finish flags were within a couple of strides given the angle he'd taken the wall at and he rode hard towards them. Zero lengthened out, flashing between the flags and stopping the clock.

 

"Clear round for Heero Yuy and Zero in a time of 36:29 seconds. I'd say the remaining riders are going to have a job ahead of them to catch Heero." The announcer could hardly be heard over the cheers and applause from the spectators.

 

Riding into the collecting ring, Heero looked immediately for Duo and spotted the vet to the side where he'd left him. The smile on Duo's face was huge and the vet was almost bouncing on the spot. Heero let the gray walk over to the vet and their friends.

 

"Zero! You were great, boy!" Duo praised and fetched several carrots from his pocket and began to feed them to the horse.

 

"Very nicely done, Heero," Treize said as he rode across to offer his congratulations. "You've certainly thrown down the gauntlet."

 

Heero shrugged his shoulders and dismounted. "It can be beaten," he stated simply and looked at his boss.

 

Treize's mouth curled into a wide smile. "You've come a long way, Heero. I'm proud of you."

 

Heero blushed.

 

"And I think I'm going to take you up on that challenge." With a nod of his head, Treize rode away towards the entrance to the arena.

 

Heero acknowledged the nod with one of his own and then returned to loosening Zero's girth and calming his over excited lover down.

 

Duo was over the moon. He didn't care if Heero's time was beaten, he was just so happy that Heero had managed to pull off such a great round. Zero was petted, praised and fed a good many carrots, not that the stallion was objecting. Trowa, Quatre, Hilde and Catherine had all given their congratulations and were now watching the remaining competitors as they tried to beat Heero's time.

 

"Ouch! That's gotta hurt," winced Quatre as the current horse in the arena sent the poles flying from part C of the triple.

 

The third rider to go in the jump off managed quite well, clearing everything and keeping a good time. When they landed over the triple and the rider asked for the turn, the horse couldn't quite make it as sharp as Zero had and came into the wall at a much wider angle and thus having to turn and take a couple of extra strides when landing to get through the finish flags.

 

"Clear round in a time of 40:05. Heero Yuy is still our leader. Can our next rider beat that time? Or will it be up to Treize Kushrenada to try?" The announcer was sounding quite gleeful and Duo could well imagine him sitting behind his microphone and cheering the riders on.

 

The fourth rider was in the ring and doing okay so far. They were playing it safe though and not attempting to push their horse beyond its limits. Rather than make a mistake, the rider was sensible and took the longer route around the jump off course and succeeded in coming out with another clear round but with a slow time.

 

Then it was Treize's turn.

 

~ * ~

 

tbc...