Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Going For Gold ❯ Chapter 26 ( Chapter 26 )

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 26

 

“Way to go, boss!” Joe enthused as Treize rode back out into the warm up area. Duck immediately began wuffling and nuzzling at his friend, Goose returning the sentiment with soft sounds of his own.

 

“Thanks Joe,” Treize replied. “Let's move out of the way a bit and settle Goose.” Treize rode off to the side and dismounted, running his stirrups up and loosening the girth.

 

Joe produced Goose's light rug and placed it on the stallion to keep the chill out. Just as they were finished, Noin and the rest of the team came out to congratulate Treize.

 

“I'll take Goose and walk him around a bit,” Joe said as he took the reins from Treize. With Goose's reins in one hand and Duck's lead rope in the other, Joe began to walk the stallion around to cool him off, leaving his boss to talk with the rest of the team.

 

“Well done, Treize!” Noin congratulated. “That was a great round.”

 

The rest of the team echoed her sentiments. Treize looked a little uncomfortable with all the praise, but accepted it graciously.

 

“Goose was as good as gold, he did everything I asked,” Treize replied, praising his horse.

 

“You've certainly set the rest of us a tough act to follow,” Zoe teased.

 

“How hard did you find it?” Phillip asked, keen to get some more information on the course and hopefully improve his own chances at gaining a clear round.

 

“As Michael said, the turn from eight to nine is the real killer. It's really hard to get your horse back to a steady gait after that water jump and there aren't many strides between eight and nine to re-balance. Also, from nine to ten it's tough going to try and build up the impulsion. The triple is hard, mainly because the horse has spent a lot of energy over eight and nine and with it being set high as well as wide on the last two elements, the horse is really beginning to tire.”

 

“It's not easy,” Noin began. “The trick is to get as much impulsion back as you can after jump eight. And that's easier said than done as there aren't a lot of strides between the jumps for you to build that impulsion back up.”

 

Zoe and Phillip both absorbed the information, each applying it to their own mental strategy of how they were planning on tackling the course.

 

“I suggest you go back and settle Goose, Treize. There's a little while before Zoe will be jumping and I want to get back inside and see how the other teams are faring. Join us once you're ready,” said Noin as she motioned to the rest of the team to give Treize some space.

 

Treize found Joe and the pair went back to the stables to settle the horses. The rest of the team went back into the stadium to watch the remaining second riders complete their rounds.

 

* * *

 

“Four faults for Treize Kushrenada on Tall Geese, representing Australia,” the commentators announced.

 

Heero cheered, Duo gave a whoop of joy while Zechs simply collapsed into the couch.

 

“That's a good score over that course,” Heero said, his face lit up with a huge smile.

 

“Well I don't know all that much, but I'd say the Aussies are still in with a fighting chance. Go Treize!” Duo grinned.

 

Zechs tried desperately to steady his breathing and slow his heart rate. His palms were sweaty but the small knot of fear in his gut had finally unraveled leaving him completely drained. “I don't know if I can stand to watch the second round of competition,” he stated weakly.

 

Duo took a look at the other vet and noted the pale complexion and look of relief on that handsome face. He could well sympathize with Zechs, having been in a similar position several times when watching Heero compete. “Don't worry, Zechs. I'll make sure to have the oxygen and crash cart on stand-by for the next round.”

 

“Thanks, I think,” Zechs muttered.

 

Heero missed the exchange as he was busy adding Treize's score to his list and picking up on the other scores that were currently being shown on the screen. The telecast wasn't showing a lot of the rounds, just the Australian team and a few of the other, more favored teams, but they were giving the scores and Heero planned on noting them all down so they could keep track on how all the teams were faring.

 

The telecast went to a commercial break and the three men took advantage of the break to discuss Treize's round and the position the Australian team was currently sitting in.

 

* * *

 

Having settled Goose and Duck, Treize and Joe returned to the main arena, showing their passes and finding their seating with the rest of the team. During their absence the remaining second team riders had all finished their rounds and Treize was eager to see how the other countries had fared and what their current standing in the scores was.

 

Noin greeted them both and informed Treize that the British rider had also scored four penalties, the French eight and the Chinese eight. "At this stage, the German team are still leading with no penalties, but remember, their second rider was eliminated so the scores of their last two riders will need to be good for them to remain in first place."

 

Treize nodded at that. The pressure on the remaining German riders would be intense - and he didn't envy them that at all.

 

"Right now, we, the Japanese and New Zealanders are all sitting on twelve penalties. The American and British teams are on sixteen penalties, then the French with twenty. It's still early in the game yet though and a lot depends on how the remaining riders fare in each team as well as which scores the team managers opt to discard."

 

That made a lot of sense to Treize. The competition was still anyone's, and they all had the chance to win the gold. Given the current scores and how each of the teams were going, it would be a hard fought competition and Treize could clearly see it going down to the last rounds. But first they had to survive the first round, and with Zoe and Phillip still to jump, anything could happen.

 

* * *

 

"It's going to be a close one," Heero commented when he looked over the current scores. "There's still the third and fourth riders for each team to go and if the standard of competition from those riders is as good as the first and second riders, then it will be anyone's guess as to who the leaders will be."

 

Zechs and Duo took a look at the current scores, Duo gave a low whistle, Zechs grunted.

 

"All I can say is good luck to them all," Zechs began. "Whoever wins this will certainly deserve it."

 

"Hai, that they will." Hero gazed off into space for a moment, Duo picking up on his boyfriend's lack of attention and having a pretty good idea of where Heero's mind was wandering.

 

Duo moved over to sit beside Heero. Zechs was occupied with the television again and wasn't paying them any attention. Duo dropped his voice to a low murmur. "How do you think Zero would have gone?" he asked softly.

 

Heero cocked his head to the side and thought about the question for a moment. "I honestly don't know, Duo. I'd like to think he would go clear, but without being able to actually walk the course itself, it's really difficult to say. The clincher is definitely between fences eight, nine and ten, I'd need to walk that to know what sort of striding I'd have between fences to re-balance Zero to know for certain. Based on Goose's performance though, I think it's a safe bet to say that Zero would have most likely scored four faults as well."

 

"I'm sorry you're not there, Heero." Duo rested his head on Heero's shoulder.

 

"It's okay, Duo. As much as I would have loved to have been there too, it didn't happen and I've accepted that. I'm not going to let it deter me from trying again though."

 

"Good, 'cause I really think that Shinigami has what it takes and he'll make you and Zero proud by qualifying for the next Olympics."

 

Heero looked into his partner's violet eyes and saw the fierce determination there, the faith in both his and Shini's ability and he felt humbled. If Duo believed in them both so much then who was he to disregard that faith? "Thank you, Duo. That means a lot to me." Heero made himself and his partner a silent promise, a promise that he would do everything within his and Shini's power to show Duo that his belief and faith were warranted, that they could qualify and they would make it into the 2012 Olympics in London.

 

The moment faded as the commentator announced that the third rounds were underway and began to give out the scores thus far.

 

* * *

 

With the arena having been raked over again, it was time for the third riders in each team to have their shot at the course. Zoe left the group to go and get Periwinkle warmed up, the well wishes of her team mates in her ears. Noin left the group briefly to check on Zoe and offer last minute advice and encouragement. The remaining team members and their grooms watched the third riders of the first few countries tackle the course. There wasn't anything spectacular, most riders coming to grief between jumps eight and ten. When the German team's third rider came in you could have heard a pin drop. The tension in the air was thick and Treize couldn't help but feel sympathy for the man.

 

It was obvious to Treize that the German team manager must have had something to say to his remaining riders as the current competitor was being extremely careful. Given the circumstances, Treize could understand the reasons behind such a move and expected as much. If either one of the remaining riders was to be eliminated then that would be the end for the German team. Far better to play safe and score faults or time penalties and still be in the game than take unnecessary risks and lose the lot.

 

The careful riding paid off though and the German rider left the arena with eight faults and two time penalties. Germany was still in the running.

 

Several more countries third riders went through, including the Italian who had four faults plus one time penalty. The American rider went well, scoring four faults, while the Japanese rider finished with eight. The third rider from South Africa gave the crowd some entertainment value with his horse's unusual jumping style. Whilst the South African team was way out of the placings having a total of thirty-two penalties from their first two riders combined, one couldn't help but admire the courage they showed. The rider approached each jump with his horse moving forward, then, as they were almost at the take off point, the horse seemed to prop, stop dead and then launch into the air. How he managed to clear the fences was beyond comprehension, but he did manage to get over most of them and left the arena with a score of twelve faults and the cheers of the crowd.

 

The New Zealand rider gave a good show, clearing most obstacles but coming to grief over the triple as so many had before him. Again it came back to lack of impulsion. The course designer had been very smart when setting this course. Eight faults later, the Kiwi was leaving the arena.

 

In the warm up area, Zoe was doing her best to keep the nerves at bay. It was a hard course and she knew she had to try and keep her faults to eight maximum. Periwinkle felt calm beneath her, but Zoe could feel the energy bundled up in those hard muscles, she could only hope to keep that energy for when they would most need it. All too soon the steward was calling for her to enter the arena. Shortening her reins, Zoe turned the mare towards the entrance of the arena and waiting course. She ran a hand down the mare's neck and murmured softly. "This is a big one, girl. Let's not over do it too early, save some energy for the tough ones."

 

Periwinkle tossed her head and gave a few dancing steps. She was fit, eager and determined to do what she loved doing - jumping!

 

"The third rider representing Australia; Zoe Harrison and Periwinkle," the commentator announced.

 

* * *

 

The telecast switched back to the jumping with the last half of the New Zealand rider's course. A tally of faults was shown and Heero quickly noted them down.

 

"How are the scores looking so far, Heero?" Zechs asked.

 

"It's still anyone's game. They're all pretty close and depending on which scores the team managers drop will affect the overall tally for the first round. The German rider did okay considering the pressure he was under, he only got eight faults and two time penalties," Heero replied.

 

"What's a time penalty?" Duo asked. He was sure Heero had explained about time penalties before but he couldn't remember how they were scored.

 

"Every course has a time limit, that's the maximum amount of time allowed for you to complete the course in. For every second over the time limit, you score a quarter of a penalty. For the German rider to have two time penalties he's gone over the time limit by eight seconds."

 

"Ah, thanks."

 

"Do riders often score time penalties then?" Zechs questioned.

 

"Not usually. Most times are pretty generous."

 

"Shhh," Duo said, interrupting them. "Zoe's up next."

 

All eyes swiveled back to the television screen.

 

* * *

 

Zoe entered the arena and rode towards the judge's box to salute. Collecting her reins, she urged Periwinkle into a canter and headed for the start. The bell went and Zoe began her course. Remembering what her fellow team mates had said about the course and relying on her own memories of watching the previous competitors, she started slowly, keeping the mare balanced and forward going beneath her.

 

Periwinkle was enjoying herself, she, like the other horses on the team, loved to jump, and despite her smaller stature, she had one heck of a spring in those hind quarters. She flew over jumps one and two, cut on the inside and saved time coming into jump three. That was also cleared and with pricked ears, the game little mare lined up jump four.

 

"She's doing well so far," Michael muttered.

 

"She's a smart woman," Treize stated. "She knows her mare's abilities and she's starting off slow, building and retaining the impulsion as she goes."

 

"I hope her strategy works, they're going to need all that impulsion when they get to jumps eight, nine and ten," commented Michael.

 

"Zoe knows what she's doing," Noin said quietly.

 

Periwinkle sailed over four and five then headed for six, the double. With a whisk of her tail, the mare flew over part A, landed and was again airborne over part B. From there they bore down on jump seven. With seven cleared, Zoe turned and then began to push the mare on. Periwinkle could see the water jump ahead and began to increase speed, her little ears pricked as she judged the take off point and distance she needed to jump to clear the obstacle. Reaching that point, Periwinkle shoved off with her hind legs and flattened out, reaching for the opposite end and just making it.

 

Zoe gave a quick sigh of relief and then sat down hard in her saddle, bringing the mare to an almost complete stop to turn on the inside of twelve, then pushing her forward again but holding a firm contact with the mare's mouth. Periwinkle was almost cantering on the spot as Zoe built the impulsion, allowing the mare to slowly stride forward, eyes locked on jump nine. Four strides out, Zoe came forward and gave a little with the reins. Periwinkle surged forward, three strides away and the mare was like a coiled spring. Zoe let her go and Periwinkle bounded forward for two strides then launched into the air to clear jump nine.

 

Immediately they landed, Zoe was there again, seat and legs driving the mare back together whilst her hands held the forward motion in check. Everyone in the arena was silent, all eyes glued to the courageous little mare and her rider. Zoe's face was furrowed in concentration, body tense and working by instinct as she steadied her horse and regained the energy they would need. Her eyes never left the triple, focusing completely on the poles ahead and what she would need to do to clear them all. Bringing the mare around, she gave them both the best opportunity she could to leave all three elements standing. The pair straightened up and six strides later, Periwinkle was leaping into the air over part A. They cleared it and landed, the horse pushing her hind quarters well underneath, taking two strides and then launching into the air again. Part B was a little wider and higher but the mare managed to clear it. They landed again, instantly Zoe was riding forward, pushing Periwinkle together and asking for all the mare had to give. For her part, Periwinkle gamely leapt into the air, hind quarters straining with the effort of not only making the height of the jump, but also the width. With a twist of her hind legs, Periwinkle cleared the last element and came back to earth.

 

Zoe listened intently for the sound of falling poles, but heard nothing. Not willing to risk it, she didn't look back but concentrated on riding forward to jump eleven and regaining the impulsion they had lost over the triple. She did however find enough time to give the mare a quick pat and reassuring word.

 

The rest of the team held their breath as Zoe and her horse tackled the triple, each one seeming to will the pair on. Their eyes were riveted, held captive by the show of courage from the little mare and her equally determined rider. When they cleared all three elements, it was all they could do not to break into loud cheering. They refrained though as to do so would only upset Periwinkle's and her rider's concentration and that was the last thing they wanted to do.

 

The triple had taken a lot out of the mare, Zoe could feel it and did her best to give the mare every opportunity to catch her breath before the next jump. Gamely, the little horse approached the hedge and leapt into the air. Her hind legs grazed through the top row of brush but didn't dislodge anything so that counted as clear.

 

Noin could see the mare tiring and could only watch and pray that she had enough heart and stamina to jump the last two remaining obstacles and finish the course. Subtly, she crossed her fingers.

 

Treize was also shifting nervously in his seat as he remained fixated on the pair doing their best to clear the last two jumps. He knew himself just how taxing the course could be. Goose had been all but exhausted when he'd approached the last jump and stallions generally had more stamina than mares so he really felt for Zoe and her horse right now.

 

Periwinkle wasn't finished yet though. She could sense that the end of the course was near. The triple, jump twelve, was coming up fast and the mare put in a Herculean effort, pushing hard off the ground and reaching with everything she had to clear the wide jump. To Zoe, if felt as if Periwinkle was launching into orbit. The mare managed to clear the huge triple, landing safely and cantering away from the jump.

 

“Good, girl,” Zoe praised and patted the sweating neck. “One more, sugar, and we're home.”

 

Periwinkle cocked back a tired ear and continued on towards the last jump; the wall.

 

Red bricks loomed in front of them, a seemingly endless, upward barrier. Periwinkle picked her take off point and began to gather herself together for the jump. Zoe sat quietly in her saddle, holding the mare gently whilst urging her together and trying to find some last bit of impulsion. The mare lifted up with her forelegs, hind hooves digging into the arena surface as muscles bunched and strained, propelling the body and rider up and forward. Zoe leaned forward in her saddle, taking her weight through her knees to the stirrups and giving her horse as much assistance as she could whilst trying to keep as much weight off the mare's back as possible.

 

They soared upwards, Periwinkle reaching desperately for the height of the wall. Unfortunately, the big course had taken its toll and the little mare was completely out of energy. Her forelegs and belly scraped the top row of bricks, scattering a few to the ground. They landed okay and Zoe immediately had the mare heading for the finish flags. She knew they had gotten four faults, but despite that, Zoe was over the moon with her little mare's performance. They passed through the flags, still within the time allowed and the arena erupted into shouts, cheering and applause. It seemed that everyone in the arena had taken the plucky little mare into their hearts. Zoe scanned around for the exit through blurred eyes and found it. Riding towards it, she let the reins go lax and patted Periwinkle's neck and shoulders, murmuring praise and thanks to the horse as tears slid down her cheeks.

 

The rest of the Australian team were on their feet and aiming for the exit to congratulate their team member. Michael was the first out the door.

 

* * *

 

Back in Duo's lounge room, the air could have been cut with a knife. No one moved, not a word was uttered as each man sat in awe of the little mare and her rider. All that could be heard was the occasional indrawn breath or gasp. The end of Duo's braid was nothing more than a soggy, chewed mess. Heero really had to stop biting his fingernails or he was going to make them bleed and Zechs was seriously contemplating checking in for a cardiogram; he was sure his heart had suffered some permanent damage from all the adrenaline that had been coursing through his system.

 

When Zoe cleared eight, nine and the triple, Heero all but began to hyperventilate. Knowing just how difficult that series of jumps were given the track record of the previous competitors, it was nothing short of miraculous that Zoe and her horse had achieved what only one other rider had done thus far - cleared them all. Idly, Heero's mind wondered what a foal from the cross of Zero and Periwinkle would be like and made a mental note to contact Zoe once she was back in Australia and hopefully discuss a proposition along those lines.

 

"Shit!"

 

The exclamation from Duo's mouth jolted Heero back from his mental musing and he quickly focused back on the television screen to see the reason for Duo's outburst. Zoe and Periwinkle had just scored four faults at the wall.

 

"Well, that sucks. They were doing so well too," Duo groaned.

 

Despite the four faults, Heero still felt an enormous pride swell inside. He was quite fond of Zoe, having spent a lot of time in her company when on the training camp and competing in the Nations cup, he'd gotten to know the woman quite well and admired both her and her horse's courage and commitment to the sport.

 

The commentator confirmed that Zoe had scored four penalties and then went on to talk about the course in general. All three men tuned the droning voice out and had their own discussion instead.

 

"That's still a damn fine effort," Heero said as he added Zoe's score to the list he was keeping.

 

"She took that triple like it wasn't there," exclaimed Duo. "After watching all those other riders make a mess of it, they just flew over it."

 

"She looks like she's an exceptional horse," said Zechs.

 

"Periwinkle's a very smart horse, good jumper and as clever as a cat on her feet. Zoe often jumps her in speed events. You should see her in action around those. That mare can spin on a dime," Heero said.

 

"Well, all I can say is good for them. It's a shame they had to hit the last jump but I'm guessing it's because Periwinkle was getting tired," said Duo as he looked to Heero for confirmation.

 

"That's what it looked like and I don't blame them either. That looks to be a really hard course and even the fittest of horses would have to be getting very tired by the time they get to the last jump. Going by what I've seen so far, I'd say Zero would have had his work cut out for him to make a clear round over that."

 

"But why make it so difficult?" asked Zechs.

 

"It's the Olympics, Zechs. Those horses and riders out there competing are the best in their field, the top athletes of their sport. The course has to be a hard one to really test those skills. If you win gold at the Olympics then you know you've earned it, that you're the best in the world and no one can take that honor away from you."

 

"They're giving out more scores, Heero," Duo interrupted and Heero was quick to grab his pencil and note them down.

 

* * *

 

Carol was waiting for Zoe when the rider and horse exited the arena, the tears of joy were running just as freely down Carol's face as they were down Zoe's. Periwinkle found herself covered in pats and praise, Carol also finding several sugar cubes to stuff the mare with as well. Not that Periwinkle minded in the least. She was quite enjoying the attention. Zoe dismounted and Carol loosened the girth and ran up the stirrups before throwing the mare's light rug over her to keep any chill away whilst the mare cooled off.

 

The rest of the Aussie team were soon surrounding them. Michael was first to arrive, almost knocking Zoe off her feet as he grabbed her around the waist and then swung her around. Once he put the stunned woman back down, he proceeded to shock her further by giving her a sound kiss. Zoe blushed as she realized the rest of the team had just arrived and had no doubt seen the kiss. No one commented on it though, they were all too busy congratulating Zoe and patting Periwinkle.

 

Noin was keen to hear how Zoe found the triple and what she'd done to ensure she went clear over that series of jumps. Phillip was also eager to know as he would be jumping next. Zoe explained how she'd taken a slightly longer track from nine to the triple to give her horse the extra couple of strides to build up more impulsion. She also reaffirmed what Treize had said about it being vital to get your horse back in hand as soon as you could after the water jump.

 

Carol took Periwinkle away to walk her around while the rest of the team and Noin discussed strategy for Phillip; Michael, Treize and Zoe all putting in their piece on how they'd found the course and offering advice to Phillip.

 

After a short while, Treize, Noin and Phillip went back into the arena to watch the last of the third riders compete, leaving Zoe and Carol to take Periwinkle back to the stables and settle the mare. Michael also opted to go with them and give them a hand.

 

Back inside the stadium, they discovered that the British rider had scored eight faults and the French rider had almost finished his round with four faults thus far. The remaining third riders went through with nothing spectacular happening, all collected faults, including the Chinese team who also came out with four penalties. Once the last rider had gone through, the arena was raked again and the jumps checked in readiness for the fourth and final riders from each team.

 

Phillip decided it was time to fetch Geronimo and warm his horse up. Excusing himself, he left the arena, Treize and Noin wishing him all the best.

 

* * *

 

The fourth round of competition was underway, Heero was chewing the end of his pencil, his fingernails having protested the abuse he'd inflicted on them. Zechs was perched on the edge of his seat, eyes fixed on the screen as the telecast showed the fourth rider from the American team currently on course. Heero looked up as the commentator gave out the scores for the various countries thus far. Heero noting them down with what was left of his pencil and doing a quick add up. Cheers were heard and Duo groaned.

 

"Clear round for the American," Duo stated. Whilst he didn't want to appear unsportsmanlike, he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed when another country managed to go clear; not that there were many clear rounds given the toughness of the course.

 

"How are the scores looking, Heero?" Zechs asked as the telecast went to a commercial break.

 

"At this stage the German rider has four faults, the Italian, eight and the American clear." Heero did a quick calculation. "Depending on which score the team managers decide to drop I think it's a safe bet to say the German team are on fourteen faults, the Italian's twenty one and the American's, eight."

 

Duo whistled. "Gonna be a tight one."

 

"Sure will," Heero replied absently.

 

"It's back on," Zechs informed them, "and it looks like they're showing the last of the Aussies next."

 

"The fourth rider for the Australian team, Phillip Martins riding Geronimo," the commentator announced.

 

The screen changed to show the jumping arena again and then focused on the skewbald horse entering the ring.

 

"I guess there's no point in asking if you know anything about this rider and horse?" said Zechs.

 

"Not much," Heero began. "He's another that's currently based in Europe, although I have heard a bit more about him than Michael. His horse is supposed to be very good and they've had a lot of success in Table A competition across Europe."

 

"He's very eye catching," murmured Duo as he watched the brown and white patched horse greet the judge.

 

"That he is," replied Heero.

 

"Eye catching or not, let's hope they can do as well as the rest of the team," muttered Zechs.

 

"And they're off," Duo chuckled as Phillip and his horse rode through the start flags.

 

~ * ~

 

tbc...