Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Going For Gold ❯ Chapter 27 ( Chapter 27 )

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 27

 

Phillip knew he had a tough job ahead of him and whilst his nerves were very much present, he still help a certain amount of confidence. Geronimo was a good horse, athletic and with a good jump on him. He also had a lot of stamina. Having jumped courses in the past built and designed by Falk, Phillip had some idea of what to expect. That combined with the advice from his coach and fellow team members, as well as having watched a lot of the other riders complete the course, Phillip had a pretty good advantage.

 

The bell rang and Phillip started his course. Geronimo was eager and fresh beneath him, the lightest touch guiding the horse. The first two fences passed underneath the skewbald belly easily enough and they made a good turn to jump three. Geronimo came back to hand easily enough and they changed rein to advance on jump four. With that also cleared it wasn't long before they reached fence five and the following double.

 

"He's going well so far," Treize commented to Noin who sat beside him.

 

"He's a well seasoned rider and knows most of the tricks," Noin replied.

 

Treize could easily see now why the selectors had picked him. The partnership between horse and rider was uncanny - and it reminded Treize of another partnership; Heero and Zero.

 

Michael and Zoe had returned and joined them in the seating area, both looking happy and holding hands. Treize made a mental note to quiz Zoe later about her obvious budding romance.

 

Geronimo sized up the double and flew over the first element easily, landed and was quickly sailing over the second element.

 

"All clear so far," Noin muttered and crossed her fingers just to be safe.

 

"How do you think he will go over the water and following jumps?" Zoe asked Michael.

 

"If I know Phillip, he'll have that horse sitting on its haunches within a couple of strides of landing over the water and then build the impulsion back up enough to clear nine and ten. Geronimo's got a tremendous amount of power in those hind legs and Phillip knows just how much he can push," Michael replied with a grin.

 

"I hope you're right," Zoe murmured. "We sure could do with a clear round right now if we're to stay in the game."

 

"Don't you worry about Phillip, he's a damn good rider and that horse of his can find an extra leg when needed."

 

Treize and Noin listened to the exchange and both hoped that what Michael said was true.

 

"Now for the true test," Noin muttered.

 

Clearing jump seven, Phillip turned his horse for the water. He gave the horse a couple of extra strides in which to re-gain his balance before pushing on hard. Geronimo flattened out as he eyed off the water jump. They sped towards it, Phillip low in his saddle but keeping contact with Geronimo's mouth through the reins. The skewbald skimmed over the water, reached for the opposite end and landed safely. Immediately Phillip was sitting down hard, dropping his weight into the saddle and taking a firm contact with the reins.

 

Feeling the new signals from his rider, Geronimo listened, stopping his headlong rush and practically sitting down on the spot as he ground to an almost halt. Before he could stop completely, Phillip eased a little on the reins and pushed with his seat and leg, urging the horse forward.

 

Up in the stadium, Michael snickered. “I told you he'd have Geronimo practically sitting down.”

 

Treize looked impressed with the way Phillip was handling his horse, he was even more impressed with the way Geronimo responded.

 

“Let's just hope he knows what he's doing,” Noin said as her eyes never left the pair in the arena. Actually, Noin was feeling more confident with each jump the pair cleared. She knew from the lessons she'd had with the team that Phillip and Geronimo were an exceptional pair. All the team members were, and each had their own particular strength and weakness. Combined together, they made a pretty formidable team.

 

Phillip had timed his approach to jump nine perfectly, the turn he made on the inside of the other jumps didn't affect Geronimo in the slightest and the skewbald was soon lengthening his stride to take jump nine.

 

* * *

 

“Well, shit!” Duo exclaimed as he watched the pair on the screen practically stop dead after the water jump. Even Heero's eyebrows shot up into his hairline as he watched the communication between horse and rider.

 

“He's good,” Zechs commented. Even to his inexperienced eye he could see the partnership between man and beast.

 

“Damn good,” Heero muttered. “I'll be keen to see what he does over nine and then the triple.”

 

“Hopefully clear it,” Duo snickered and earned himself a 'look' from his lover. “Well, you gotta admit, it would be handy,” Duo teased.

 

“That it would,” Zechs murmured, completely oblivious to Duo's teasing and sarcasm.

 

They needn't have worried. Geronimo lengthened out his stride and launched into the air. Heero's trained eye picked up on the skill Phillip was displaying in his handling of his horse; Duo and Zechs simply watched, all the technical stuff going right over their heads.

 

* * *

 

Landing cleanly over jump nine, Phillip used his seat and leg to drive Geronimo back together. He took a slightly longer track like Zoe had done to give his horse the chance to build up more impulsion, at the same time he was holding Geronimo in check, cantering slowly forwards as the energy continued to build in those powerful hind legs.

 

“Steady, take it easy,” Noin muttered as she watched the pair slowly approaching the triple.

 

Zoe and Treize looked at each other and exchanged a smile. They both knew what Phillip was up to and it appeared that Geronimo did too.

 

The skewbald was almost cantering on the spot, his muscles rippling beneath his satiny coat as he gathered his energy together. He could see the line of poles ahead and lined them up, waiting for the signal from his master.

 

Phillip's face was a mask of concentration as he edged closer to the triple. He picked the take off point and gradually came forward and out of his saddle, taking his weight on his knees and then through to his stirrups. Closing the gap to his selected point, Phillip let his hands slide slightly up the brown and white neck, Geronimo speeding up slightly. Three strides away and Phillip was further forward, legs pushing gently. Two strides and his hands went further up the neck. One stride and Phillip urged his horse forward.

 

Geronimo exploded into action.

 

Hind legs pushed the big body up and forward, the forelegs tucked neatly underneath as Geronimo arched clear over the first element. Those forelegs came out and took the shock of impact as the horse and rider returned to earth.

 

Sitting into his saddle, Phillip used his seat and leg to drive Geronimo together and within two strides they were airborne again. Poles flashed beneath Geronimo's belly before the pull of gravity once again drew them back to earth. Phillip knew the third element was the most difficult and as soon as his horse had all four feet on the ground he was driving the animal forward, keeping the impulsion with his seat and leg.

 

The third element was upon them and Geronimo gave a grunt as he launched into the air again. Muscles strained beneath the hide, forcing gravity to surrender her grip for a moment. Geronimo flew into the air, his rider crouched low but forward in the saddle, trying to keep as much weight as possible off the horse's back and give him every chance to clear the jump.

 

Treize and Zoe both held their breath, Michael shut his eyes while Noin bit her lip, willing the pair on. The silence in the crowd was deafening, you could feel the tension in the air as all eyes remained riveted on the horse and rider in the ring. The soft thud of hooves signaled Geronimo's return to earth. It wasn't easy for the rest of the team in the stands to hold their cheers, but they did. To break the silence now would be to break Phillip's concentration and no one wanted to do that.

 

Sitting back down into his saddle as they landed, Phillip was quick to praise his horse. He ran a hand down the satiny neck and gave the gelding a light pat. “Good boy, that's gotta show 'em. Now, three more to go and we're home, boy.”

 

Geronimo cocked back an ear and snorted softly. Feeling his rider's weight shift a little and the contact with his mouth tighten a fraction, Geronimo listened to the signals from his master and shortened his stride to change direction.

 

Jump eleven was soon upon them and Geronimo cleared it easily. Phillip settled his horse again and lined him up for the triple. He could feel Geronimo starting to slow a bit and knew his horse was getting tired. Regardless of how fit a horse is, the length, height and difficulty of this course would test even the most seasoned and experienced show jumpers.

 

“I hope he's got enough in reserve,” Zoe muttered.

 

“Geronimo's a fit horse, his stamina is unbelievable,” Michael replied and squeezed Zoe's hand.

 

“Well, he's going to need all that stamina to make it clear over those last two fences,” Treize said softly.

 

“I agree.” Noin said. “That triple can really take it out of an animal.”

 

Down in the ring, Phillip gave the gelding all the assistance he could, taking a direct line towards fence twelve and urging his horse on. “Almost home, boy.”

 

The sea of poles were before them and Geronimo gathered himself together again, hind legs propelling him into the air and over the jump. They landed safely and Geronimo cantered on.

 

“Just the wall now and then we're home,” Phillip muttered.

 

Sensing the end of the course coming up, Geronimo drew on the last reserves of his energy, lining up the wall and picking his take off point.

 

* * *

 

“Wow!” Duo exclaimed as he watched the skewbald horse clear all three elements of the triple. “That's some good riding.”

 

“He's done well,” Zechs remarked as he watched the pair canter away from the last element of the triple.

 

“Now that's what you call a good rider and tactician,” Heero said.

 

“How so?” asked Duo.

 

“He's studied the course, watched his rivals and fellow team mates as they've jumped and I'd say it's a safe bet that he's also asked a lot of questions and listened to the advice of his team mates and coach. Taking all that information in, he's studied it and applied the best strategy to suit himself and his horse's capabilities.”

 

“Kinda reminds me of someone else,” Duo replied softly and gave his lover a warm smile.

 

Heero suitably blushed and returned his attention back to the screen. He was warmed inside though at his partner's kind words.

 

* * *

 

Reaching the point of no return, Geronimo brought his hind quarters underneath his body, lifted his forelegs off the ground and pushed with everything he had. Blood thundered through his veins, muscles strained hard as the horse soared into the air, reaching for the full height of the wall. Phillip sat quietly in his saddle, encouraging his mount and trying not to interfere in any way.

 

The entire audience seemed to hold their breath, Zoe felt sick, Michael wasn't much better and Noin felt as if she was sitting on a pile of hot bricks. Treize remained calm on the surface, yet inside he was churning with a mix of hope and nervous tension, his body was taut, limbs rigid as his mind willed the pair in the arena on and over the wall. Sweat ran down his back and he felt as if he'd ridden the course again - minus Tall Geese.

 

The gelding's forelegs stretched out to greet the advancing dirt, hooves biting deep into the arena surface as they took the impact of landing. Hind legs soon followed and Geronimo was pushing away from the wall. All the bricks seemed to remain in place but Phillip didn't dare turn to look and confirm the fact. His eyes were glued on the finish flags ahead and getting his tired horse through them. The red and white flags flashed on either side of them, the timer beam broke and the clock stopped. Phillip took the chance to glance at the clock and found he was within the time allowed, only then did he let the reality sink in.

 

The arena erupted into shouts, cheers and clapping as the commentator announce a clear round. Hearing the voice confirm what he'd thought, Phillip threw his arms around Geronimo's neck and hugged the animal despite the fact that they were still in the arena and still cantering around. Reality soon caught up with him though and he pushed himself back into his saddle, collected his reins and looked for the exit. He continued to rain pats down on the skewbald neck and shoulders, voice muttering how pleased he was with the gelding.

 

* * *

 

“Clear round for Phillip Martins and Geronimo representing Australia," the commentator announced.

 

“Yes! He did it!” Duo shouted as his fist punched the air.

 

“Way to go!” Zechs joined in.

 

“That was one hell of a round,” Heero cheered and then leaned across to kiss his lover.

 

The rest of Duo's excited yells were suddenly cut off as his lover kissed him soundly. Zechs glanced across to see why Duo had suddenly gone silent and blushed as he spotted the pair kissing. He quickly averted his eyes, a dull ache in his chest as he was reminded that his own lover wasn't there for Zechs to share the excitement of the moment with. Angry at himself for feeling jealous of Heero and Duo, Zechs shoved the thoughts aside, locking them deep in his subconscious never to see the light of day again. He would have his time with his lover when Treize returned, he reminded himself - and boy, what a time they would have if Zechs had any say in the matter!

 

Breaking the kiss, Heero smirked and then focused back on the television. Duo did his best to compose himself. The kiss had been welcome, no doubt about that, but Duo felt a touch uncomfortable about showing such displays in front of Zechs, especially when Zechs' partner wasn't there in the flesh. Duo could feel for Zechs, it wasn't easy to be apart from the one you loved and to see Heero and himself displaying such affection in front of him must be hard for Zechs to cope with. Duo made a mental note to talk to Heero later about it and what they could do to ease the ache of separation a little for the blonde vet.

 

* * *

 

Noin sat dazed in her seat, the reality hitting home that Phillip had gone clear. Michael had grabbed Zoe and kissed her before cheering for their team mate. Treize watched his friends with amusement as he applauded Phillip. Once the rider had exited the arena, the group were on their feet and racing to get outside to congratulate Phillip properly.

 

Out in the warm up area, Phillip was still sitting on Geronimo, slightly dazed by his success and still coming to terms with it when he was assailed by his coach and team mates.

 

"Well done, Phillip," Noin praised. "That was an excellent round."

 

"Congratulations," Treize said as he extended his hand and shook Phillips. "This has really put us in a good position."

 

Phillip's groom managed to worm his way through the crowd gathered around his charge and take the reins, urging Phillip to dismount so he could congratulate his boss and the horse before tending to the animal's needs.

 

Phillip slid from the saddle, still in shock at actually completing a clear round and found himself being soundly hugged by Zoe.

 

"That was awesome, Phillip. A really great round," Zoe enthused and then kissed Phillip's cheek.

 

Blushing madly, Phillip returned the hug and then found himself being slapped across the back by an equally excited Michael.

 

"Good one, mate!" Michael stated. "Knew you could do it."

 

"Thanks," Phillip managed to get out as he looked at his team mates, eyes shining with pride. "I'm glad we were able to go clear, it's one hell of a course!"

 

"You can say that again," Treize chuckled.

 

John, Phillip's groom had taken charge of Geronimo, praising the gelding as he loosened the girth and ran the stirrups up. He tossed the gelding's rug over him and began to walk him around, still patting the horse and making a fuss of him.

 

The media soon found the team and they found themselves in the midst of an impromptu interview. Noin really didn't have the time for it as she wanted to get back into the arena and watch the rest of the competitors before attending the team managers meeting to inform the board of which score the team would be dropping. With a quick word to the journalists, Noin promised them all a full interview with the team later that evening once the final first round scores were announced.

 

The journalists could see the logic in that and left the team alone, once they had arranged a meeting time and place with Noin.

 

Phillip and John went back to the stables to settle Geronimo, the rest of the team went back to their seats in the stadium to watch the remaining riders complete their courses.

 

* * *

 

Back in Duo's lounge room the excitement had begun to die down a little. Heero was furiously scribbling down scores and trying to work out what the placings after the first round would be. He was pretty confident that the Australian team had made it through to the final twelve and therefore be able to compete in the second round. He couldn't be certain though until the official results were announced.

 

Duo had made them all hot chocolate and returned in time to watch the last half of the British rider's round. "How's he doing?" Duo asked and then wished he hadn't as one dark look and one glare were turned in his direction. "Oookaaay. Maybe that was the wrong question to ask."

 

"He's clear so far," Heero muttered as he took the offered chocolate.

 

Duo frowned and handed Zechs his chocolate. He raised an eyebrow as he distinctly heard mumbling coming from Zechs.

 

"Knock a rail, knock a rail, knock a rail," Zechs repeated to himself. He couldn't help it. He knew it was bad sportsmanship to wish bad luck on a competitor, but right now he didn't care for sportsmanship.

 

Duo snickered to himself as he took his own chocolate and curled up on the couch next to Heero.

 

The British rider was currently on course for the last jump; the wall. The three men all watched with baited breath as the British rider sailed over the wall and continued on through the finish flags with a clear round.

 

"Damn!" Zechs snapped.

 

"Bugger," muttered Heero.

 

"Well, that puts an interesting spin on things," Duo mused.

 

Heero sighed. "I hope they give out the final scores soon, I don't think my nerves can take much more of this."

 

"The suspense getting too much for you?" Duo teased. "The old ticker gonna clap out on you?"

 

"You have to admit, it is rather nail biting," Zechs said.

 

"Or hair chewing as the case may be," Heero replied, pointedly looking at Duo's braid, especially the soggy, tufted end and ignoring the jibe. "You'll go bald."

 

"Or suffer with hair balls," Zechs added.

 

"Ohhh, low blow there," Duo huffed.

 

"You asked for it," Zechs quipped.

 

"Quiet, both of you. They're giving out the final scores," Heero stated and grabbed his pencil.

 

* * *

 

Noin sat nervously fidgeting in her seat as the British rider went clear. A lot was riding on how the remaining competitors went and which scores the other team managers dropped. Doing a few, quick, rough calculations in her head, Noin figured the team should be somewhere in the top six, but that was just speculation right now. Nothing was concrete until the board had finalized the scores once the omitted ones were confirmed.

 

The French rider completed his round with a score of four penalties. Several other riders went through without any further clear rounds, the Chinese rider being one of the last to go and scoring twelve faults.

 

The Spanish rider was the last competitor to complete the course and once he had, the commentator announced that all team managers were to report to the committee room for a meeting to finalize the scores.

 

Noin left the arena, letting her team know to wait around for the final announcement. She would return as soon as the meeting was over. Once Noin had departed, the rest of the team discussed their chances, guessing at which team would be where in the placings. Treize felt they would be through to the second round, somewhere in the top four. Zoe also thought they had made it through, although she didn't want to speculate on exactly where they would be in the twelve. Both Phillip and Michael were also confident they had made it through to the second round, feeling they would finish somewhere in the top six.

 

Having discussed those possibilities, the conversation switched to their respective rounds, how they had found the course, how their horses had reacted and what they could do to improve on their scores in the second round.

 

The meeting took roughly an hour and by the time Noin returned, the four team members had pretty much thrashed out their strategy for the second round. They all looked up with expectant faces as Noin returned.

 

"Sorry, guys. We have to wait for the official announcement. I'm still none the wiser as to our final placement, although I'm sure we are in the second round."

 

The group gave a collective sigh and sat back to await the announcement.

 

They didn't have to wait long.

 

The commentator's voice came over the speakers asking for everyone's attention. Silence quickly filled the arena.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, the results of the first round of competition are in. The twelve, lowest scoring countries will proceed through to the second round of competition to be held tomorrow. The results of the first round of the Table A showjumping competition, starting with the twelve countries to go through to the second round are as follows: With a combined total of eight faults, the United States of America.”

 

The commentator was interrupted by cheering and clapping. As the noise died down a little, he continued.

 

“Also with a combined first round total of eight faults, Australia.”

 

Once again the cheering and applause broke out. In the stands Noin felt light headed, Treize gave a big sigh of relief, Zoe positively beamed, Michael was grinning from ear to ear whilst Phillip was doing his best to stop from jumping out of his seat and dancing around.

 

“We're through!” Zoe yelled above the noise.

 

“Yes!” Phillip shouted.

 

“Go, Aussie!” Michael cheered.

 

“This is just great!” Treize laughed.

 

“I don't believe it,” Noin cried. “We're through to the second round and tied for the gold medal no less. Well done, all of you!” Noin proceeded to give each team member a hug as the tears of joy ran down her cheeks.

 

* * *

 

Heero had his pencil perched over the paper ready to note down the final scores. Everyone was silent, listening intently to the announcement.

 

“With a combined total of eight faults, the United States of America.”

 

Heero quickly scribbled down the score.

 

“Also with a combined first round total of eight faults, Australia.”

 

“Woo hooo!” Duo shouted and grabbed Heero in a bear hug. “That's great.”

 

Heero returned the hug, his happiness for the team overflowing to the point where words failed him and he had a hard job in keeping the tears of joy in check.

 

Zechs collapsed back into his chair, a relieved sigh escaping him. Suddenly he shot bolt upright and paled. Duo noticed immediately and with concern in his eyes he released Heero and turned to see what was wrong.

 

“Zechs? You okay?”

 

“I think so.”

 

“What do you mean, you think so?”

 

“I've just realized, now that they're through to the second round, I've got to go through all this again. I don't know if I can take it.” Zechs' blue eyes looked soulfully at both Heero and Duo.

 

Duo couldn't help it; he burst out into laughter. “Don't worry, Zechs. Heero and I will be here to help you through it and once it's all over we will find you a nice, quiet nursing home to recover in.”

 

Zechs blinked, Heero snickered.

 

“Ohhh, look. I do believe there's a gray hair or two appearing amongst those blonde locks,” Duo teased as he made a show of looking for gray hairs in Zechs' mane.

 

“What?!” Zechs grabbed a fistful of his hair, frantically looking for the aforementioned gray strands. Duo went into gales of laughter, even Heero was sniggering quietly. “Why I ought to...” Zechs began when he realized that Duo was just teasing him.

 

“That's enough, Duo,” Heero intervened. “We can discuss gray hairs, nursing homes and cardiac resuscitation later, they're giving out the rest of the results and I want to note them all down.”

 

Duo promptly shut up, Zechs shook his head. The commentator continued to read out the results.

 

“Following on with a combined total of twelve penalties, Great Britain. With fourteen faults; Germany. On sixteen faults; France. Twenty faults for Japan and New Zealand. On twenty-one penalties; Italy. The last four countries to go through are; China with twenty-four faults, Spain with twenty-eight, India on thirty and Korea on thirty-two...”

 

The commentator continued on with the remaining countries scores but Heero wasn't listening. He'd gotten the scores he was interested in and Australia was into the second round with a good score. He couldn't help the pride that swelled inside. Not only were they through to the second round, but they were currently tied for the gold medal with America!

 

There was still a long way to go and anything could happen, but that didn't dampen the spirits of the three men. They were more than happy to celebrate the current victory.

 

“I hope they can keep it up in the second round,” Duo said.

 

'So do I,' Heero thought to himself.

 

~ * ~

 

tbc...