Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Going For Gold ❯ Chapter 66 ( Chapter 66 )

"Going for Gold"

 

January. 2007 ShenLong

 

 

Chapter 66

 

When Heero and Duo returned to the ring the stewards were busy raising the course for the jump off. There were five of them through to the final round, Zoe, Treize, Heero, rider nine and rider eighteen. Rider nine would jump first, then Zoe followed by Treize and rider eighteen. Heero would be last. That left Heero feeling rather smug as he had a slight advantage over the others. By jumping last he knew what he had to beat. If none of the others had gone clear than all he had to do was take his time and make sure he got a clear round to win. If another rider had gone clear then he knew what the time was he had to beat and could lay his plans accordingly.

 

The stewards finished raising jumps and the judge checked them over, giving his approval and clearing the arena. Once the arena was vacant, the public address system crackled into life.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, the jump off course is now open for walking. The course is as follows. Jumps one, two, seven A, B and C, jump five and twelve. Would the following riders please enter the arena and walk the course...” The rest of the commentator's words faded into the background as the group of friends all took in the jump off course.

 

“Excuse me if I'm a bit thick here,” Zechs began, “but aren't those jumps out of order?”

 

“Yes, they are,” Treize replied.

 

“Care to explain?” Zechs looked rather confused.

 

Duo switched his attention to listening to Treize's explanation. He'd thought it strange too, especially when Heero had always said the course was jumped in numerical order. If that was the case, why had the commentator said seven and then five?

 

“In a jump off, the judge can select the jumps to be jumped in any order. Generally they are in a numerical sequence, however, there are some times when the judge will slot in an out of order jump, as it will enable the jump off course to either flow better or test the horse and rider's skills even further; as in this case. To try to put in any of the other jumps from three to six before seven is going to take a lot of time or make it really difficult, if not impossible for the competitors to achieve, and could even result in a nasty accident. Thus the judge has used their brain and taken advantage of that ruling to make the jump off a better flowing, safer and still a testing jump off.”

 

“Makes sense,” Zechs agreed.

 

Duo also agreed and his respect for judges and course designers went up a notch; there were obviously a lot more rules and regulations to building and judging a show jumping course than he'd ever thought.

 

“Come on, guys, get the lead out, we're needed to walk the course,” Zoe announced and nodded in the direction of the arena where the other two competitors were already studying the new course and making their plans.

 

Treize, Zoe, Heero and Michael all headed quickly into the arena. Remaining in the collecting ring, Duo Joe and Zechs all watched as the four walked the shortened course and discussed tactics amongst themselves. A few minutes later they returned and the group all split off in their various directions to fetch their mounts. They had fifteen minutes in which to saddle up and loosen their horses again before the jump off would commence.

 

Shini was resting a hind leg, ears pricked as he took in the show around him. With his saddle still on his back, Shini knew he was going to be jumping again and was eager to return to the ring. He gave a low wuffle when he spotted his master and the other nice human coming towards him. His master meant they would be jumping again - the other human meant if Shini played his cards right he would be getting a lot of those orange treats he loved so much.

 

Fetching the bridle, Duo gave voice to the thoughts in his head. “What is the jump off course like?” he asked. Usually Heero was quick to share his thoughts with Duo once he'd walked the jump off course, or, if Duo had walked it with him, explained what he planned to do. Heero hadn't said much at all this time and Duo was a little concerned.

 

“It's very tight,” Heero replied as he did up the girth. “It will be a close competition and whoever wins will deserve it.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Yeah, the course designer has outdone themselves on this one. It will be a big ask of both horse and rider and will test the skill, education and fitness of both. The selectors are really taking no chances with their picks for the Olympic team.”

 

“How do you think Shini will handle it?” Given Heero's concerns, Duo couldn't help but feel the knot of worry and fear settling in his gut.

 

“Shini should do well providing he listens to me. The course is fine in itself, it's just that everyone is going to have to make a couple of very sharp turns if they want to win. It's okay from jumps one to two, after that it gets really tricky.”

 

“How so?” Duo held the gray whilst Heero mounted.

 

“Jump two is practically right alongside jump seven so I'm going to have to go forward for a few strides, turn right and hope to God I've got enough impulsion there to make it over all three elements. From there it's a sweeping right turn to jump five which means the horse has time in which to lose even more impulsion and flatten if the rider isn't careful. Once you're over five, it's a very sharp right to twelve, they're almost at ninety degree angles to each other.” Heero settled himself into his saddle and took up a light contact with Shini's mouth.

 

Duo released the reins. “I see. Just promise me you will be careful?”

 

“Of course.” Seeing the worry etched into Duo's face, Heero leaned down over the gray shoulder and whispered softly. “Don't worry, Shini will look after me and I have my strategy all worked out. If I feel things aren't right then I'll take a slightly longer route than originally planned.”

 

“Sorry if I sound over anxious. I know you're capable of doing this, that Shini is too, but, well...”

 

“Duo?” Violet eyes looked up at him. “I appreciate that you're concerned and believe me when I say that makes me feel all warm. It's a nice feeling to know there's someone who cares for me. I love you, Duo, with all my heart and soul.”

 

“Love you too, Heero,” Duo returned with a smile. “Now, we'd better get back or they will start without you.”

 

* * *

 

When the pair returned to the collecting ring, both Treize and Zoe were working their horses around, keeping them moving so that muscles stayed warm and relaxed. All three riders agreed that the jump off course was a very tricky one and would require skill to complete successfully.

 

Given how slow rider nine had been in their first round, all were eager to see how they went in the jump off.

 

The marshal called for the five riders to be ready and checked they were all there. The judge was ready to start and the first rider in the jump off entered the ring.

 

Zoe, Treize and Heero all brought their mounts to halt by the side of the collecting ring so they could watch, Duo, Michael, Zechs and Joe all standing with them, eager not to miss out on any of the action.

 

It was obvious from the start that the rider in the ring had no intention of pushing their horse too much. Whilst they did move a little faster than their first round, the rider took the turns wide to give his horse plenty of room.

 

“He's not out to win,” muttered Joe.

 

“No, he's not,” Treize replied. “I'd say his horse hasn't been upgraded for too long and rather than risk damaging the horse's confidence, he's taking it slow and playing safe.”

 

“Wise move,” Michael stated. “No point in rushing things whilst the horse is still adjusting to the higher courses.”

 

All riders present could relate to that, having done similar things with their own mounts as they were working through the grades.

 

The current rider was doing a good job until he came to the turn from five to twelve. He didn't allow quite enough room to turn and his horse was slightly unbalanced as they came into twelve. The horse put in a good effort but unfortunately, his hind legs caught the top pole and sent it crashing to the ground.

 

“Four faults and a time of 66:47 seconds,” the commentator announced.

 

As the rider left the ring patting his horse, Zoe prepared to enter.

 

“Good luck,” everyone chorused.

 

Zoe grinned. “I'm going to set you all a time to beat,” she announced as she turned to ride off.

 

“Just don't go getting any faults,” Michael reminded her and then gave her a good luck kiss.

 

With her mouth set in a determined line, Zoe entered the ring.

 

Lionheart's ears were pricked as he cantered between the jumps to greet the judge. He was keen and eager to be jumping and could sense this one was important. His mistress sat lightly on his back, her aids gentle against his flanks, back and mouth and he was finely tuned to her every movement.

 

Zoe saluted the judge, gathered her horse together and rode for the start flags. The bell rang and she turned the bay horse for the start, passing between the flags and triggering the electronic timer.

 

Fences one and two were easily cleared, the bay picking up speed as he progressed but maintaining his impulsion and balance. Landing over jump two, Zoe rode her horse ahead whilst keeping an eye on jump seven. When she felt she'd traveled far enough, she applied the aids and spun Lion to the right, the stallion dropping his shoulder and digging his hind hooves deep into the turf to make the sharp turn and still keep his momentum.

 

“Nice,” Treize whistled through his teeth.

 

“She wasn't joking when she said she was going to set us a time to beat,” Heero commented with a wry smile.

 

Michael remained silent, his attention completely fixed on his wife and her horse.

 

Duo glanced at the other man from the corner of his eye and gave a soft snicker. He nudged Zechs softly in the ribs and nodded in Michael's direction when Zechs scowled and turned to see why Duo had elbowed him. His eyes alighted on the man and he joined Duo in the snickering.

 

Michael was so intent on watching Zoe he didn't realize that his hand had crept towards his mouth and he was gently nibbling on a fingernail.

 

“Seems to be catching,” Duo stated with a snigger.

 

“I'd have to agree,” Zechs returned, his mouth widening into a grin. “It would appear it's a forgone conclusion that all support crew must chew their fingernails.”

 

Hearing the soft whispering and snickers, Michael turned to see what was going on and caught the stares of both Zechs and Duo. He frowned at them in confusion. Duo waggled his fingers at him, Zechs put one of his own in his mouth and mimicked chewing his nail. With a jolt, Michael realized what he was doing and blushed, hastily removing the offending nail from his lips.

 

“Welcome to the club,” Duo teased.

 

Michael shook his head, gave a soft laugh and turned back to the ring where Zoe was approaching the triple.

 

“Steady,” Zoe said softly as she checked her horse, Lion listening and shortening his stride a touch. They met part A perfectly, Lion clearing it easily and landing safely. Within a stride they were airborne again and sailing over the brightly colored poles. Touching down, Lion drove his hindquarters underneath and took two strides before launching into the air and over the final element.

 

“Two to go,” Michael muttered and folded his arms.

 

Duo's eyes flicked from the woman to the clock and back again.

 

Zoe cut on the inside of jumps eight and one, turning a little sharply to bring Lion into jump five. The bay responded gallantly, turning swiftly, sizing up the jump and then picking his take off point. Five was cleared and all six watching from the collecting ring held their breath to see how fine Zoe would cut the corner from five to twelve. Too short and your horse was likely to send everything flying; too long and you would lose valuable time.

 

Zoe was sensible and gave her horse enough room to turn and have five strides to get him rebalanced and back together before jump twelve.

 

“Nice turn,” Heero commented, his eyes tracking the pair.

 

“It's going to be a good time,” Treize remarked as he watched the clock counting down the seconds.

 

Lionheart cleared the final fence and once he was safely on the ground, he leapt forth into a gallop and shot between the finish flags. The electronic clock stopped and the crowd cheered.

 

“Clear round in a time of 38:22 seconds,” the commentator announced excitedly.

 

“Well done!” Heero congratulated as Zoe came out of the ring grinning from ear to ear and patting the bay neck.

 

“That is certainly going to be hard to beat,” Treize said as he passed Zoe on his way to entering the arena for his round.

 

“Thanks and good luck to you, Treize,” Zoe returned with a smile.

 

“It's going to be a real nail biter.” Duo shook his head. “Great round,” he stated as Zoe pulled up amongst them and dismounted.

 

“That was fantastic! I'm so proud of you,” Michael enthused as he swept his wife into his arms and kissed her soundly.

 

Blushing slightly, Zoe returned the kiss and then turned to their group of friends. “I said I was going to set a time for you all to try and beat,” she told them with a smirk.

 

“That you did, and you can bet we will be doing our best to better it. Treize is about to start,” said Heero with a smile.

 

All eyes turned back to the arena where Treize had saluted the judge and was about to break through the start flags and begin his round.

 

Taking a quick peek at Zechs, Duo noted the paleness of the other vet's skin, the nervous twitching of the fingers and biting of the lip. Heero glanced at his lover and noticed the long haired vet's distraction. He followed Duo's line of sight and spotted Zechs. He gave a small chuckle to himself. It really was adorable how all their partners reacted when they were in the ring. Returning his attention to Treize, Heero watched carefully as his boss cleared the first jump.

 

“This is an important one, boy,” Treize muttered to his horse.

 

Romeo cocked back an ear, sensing the determination in his rider by the way he sat in the saddle and also in the tone of his voice. The first fence was in front of them and Romeo cleared it with a whisk of his tail.

 

Steadying the pace slightly, Treize rode his horse together, keeping his hand light and his weight even in the saddle. They met jump two dead center, Romeo sailing over it easily and looking pleased with himself.

 

Treize gathered his contact and rode the bay stallion forward whilst keeping one eye on jump seven which was on his right. Gauging his strides, Treize deemed them far enough away from part A to make the turn and give Romeo enough of an approach to clear the triple. Dropping his weight down, he took a firm hold on the reins, shortening his right rein more and applying his left leg as his weight shifted to the right.

 

The stallion listened, propping slightly and turning sharply to the right. Once the turn was complete, Treize used his seat and legs to drive the bay on, maintaining a light contact as they covered the five strides to part A with amazing speed.

 

“Please be safe, please be safe, please be safe,” Zechs whispered to himself as his eyes never left the man in the ring.

 

Duo saw the silent movement of the lips and felt the compassion rise inside for his fellow vet. It wasn't easy to wait and watch on the sidelines whilst your partner was out there risking it all for a competition. A smile creased his lips as he watched Zechs absently raise his hand and begin to chew on a fingernail. He snickered and nudged Michael, the other man turning to see why Duo had elbowed him and spotting the blonde vet's antics. Michael snorted and grinned.

 

“What?” Zoe asked, clearly befuddled at the private joke between her husband and friend and wanting in on it.

 

“I'll tell you after,” Michael whispered and went back to watching Treize and the clock.

 

Completely unaware of the amusement of his friends at his expense, Zechs continued to give himself a subconscious manicure while praying his lover would stay healthy and whole.

 

Giving a grunt, Romeo sailed into the air and cleared part A, landing, he stretched out and took one stride before gathering himself together again and pushing his body into the air and over part B. Treize stayed beautifully with his horse, body following the movement, seat and legs there when the animal landed and riding the big framed horse back together. Two long strides and the bay was leaping into the air again, standing well back from the element and soaring over it.

 

“Very nicely done,” Zoe commented and looked at the clock. It would be close.

 

Riding forward, Treize urged his horse along the same path Zoe had taken and passed on the inside of jumps eight and one, saving a little time. It was a tight turn and Treize rode with every ounce of skill he possessed to bring Romeo central into jump five.

 

The big bay gave a huge leap over the jump, landing well clear on the other side and Treize had his work cut out for him to try and get the large horse to turn sharply in order to make jump twelve.

 

“Ah, crap, I can't watch,” Zechs moaned.

 

“He's doing fine, Zechs,” Duo soothed and patted the taller man's shoulder in reassurance.

 

Heero held his breath as he watched Treize drop his weight and increase the firm contact on Romeo's mouth. He didn't think the bay was going to make the turn and recover enough to clear the following jump.

 

Romeo though, wasn't about to be put out that easily. Scrambling his long legs together, he managed to put in a short stride and then shove himself off the ground and into the air. Muscles strained with the effort, veins stood out in sharp relief as the bay body somehow scraped over the top of the jump. The stallion jarred a bit as he landed but was quick to recover, powerful muscles pushing the large body forth and through the finish flags.

 

“Good boy!” Treize praised and patted his horse. “Good boy.”

 

All eyes in the collecting ring turned to the clock and the numbers displayed. Heero blinked and looked again, Duo rubbed his eyes. Zechs looked shocked whilst Michael's jaw hung open.

 

Zoe snickered.

 

“Clear round in a time of 38:22 seconds,” the commentator announced. “Ladies and gentlemen, I've never seen this happen before but we currently have a tie for first place. With zero penalties and times of 38:22 seconds we have a first place tie between Zoe Rundell and Treize Kushrenada!”

 

“Well, screw me six ways to Sunday,” Duo muttered.

 

“I don't believe it,” Heero said, still in not trusting his eyes - or ears.

 

“That's one for the record,” Michael said in disbelief.

 

Zechs didn't say anything, he was still in shock.

 

Zoe gave them all a smug smile. “Miracles can happen,” she snickered.

 

Treize exited the arena at that point and all attention was switched to congratulating the man and making a fuss of Romeo. Once the excitement had died down a little, Heero was quick to ask what had happened between the last two jumps, any extra information he could get would help him in his own endeavors.

 

Treize explained that Romeo had landed a little further out than he'd anticipated which gave him less room to turn the bay. With Romeo being such a large horse he couldn't turn as quickly as the others and that had been the problem in a nutshell. Heero made a mental note to alter his own strategy a little over those last two jumps.

 

“This is going to be a close finish too.” Michael's words had everyone looking back at the arena again where the other competitor was approaching the final two fences in the jump off, all clear thus far and in a good time.

 

Zoe, Treize and Heero all seemed to hold their breath as the current rider turned and cleared jump twelve, urging his horse on and through the finish flags. The beam broke and the clock stopped.

 

“Clear round in a time of 39:18. We still have a tie for first place,” the commentator announced, clearly excited. “We have one rider remaining in the jump off. Can Heero Yuy on Shinigami beat the time of 38:22?”

 

“No, he's going to equal it!” Zoe stated with a laugh. “Think you can do it, Heero?”

 

Heero gave the woman a grin. “Nope.”

 

“Aw, why not?” Zoe teased.

 

“Because I'm going to do what the commentator said; beat it.” Heero gave her a grin and then turned to Duo who was checking Shini's girth as they waited for the other rider to exit the ring. “Thanks.” Leaning over Shini's shoulder on the pretense of checking his stirrup, Heero managed to lean close to Duo, gave the vet's arm a squeeze and whispered softly, “Love you.”

 

Duo smiled and met Heero's eyes. “Love you too. Please be careful.”

 

“I will.”

 

“Good luck.”

 

“Thanks.” Heero collected his reins and began to turn his horse for the entry. Cries of 'good luck' from his friends echoed in his ears as he rode into the arena and headed for the judge. He saluted, turned and pushed Shini into a trot.

 

“This one is important, Shini,” Heero said softly. “We need to give it all we have if we want to make the team.”

 

Shini snorted and tossed in a couple of dancing steps. He wanted to be jumping! Feeling his master's weight shift, Shini obediently broke into a canter. The start flags appeared and they were off.

 

The first fence was easy enough, the gray sailing over it with confidence and increasing his pace a touch as his master asked. Jump two was also cleared and Heero watched ahead and to the side where his next jump lay waiting. He could see the cut up turf on the ground where the other horses had made their turns and decided to make his a little sooner and avoid the churned ground. Shini would have less chance of losing his footing that way, even if it did mean he would be cutting it close as far as allowing Shini room to straighten up, re-balance and regain his impulsion.

 

Dropping his weight, Heero shortened the reins and applied the leg, the stallion listening and following the request. His hind legs came right underneath, allowing the gray to turn and then push the body forward. Continuing to keep a steady feel on the stallion's mouth, Heero rode the horse together, driving the impulsion back into those muscles and hoping he wasn't asking too much of his horse.

 

Spotting the first element of the triple ahead, Shinigami gathered himself together and along with obeying his master's aids, shortened his stride and then leapt into the air.

 

“Good turn,” Michael commented as he watched Shinigami cut slightly inside of where everyone else had turned.

 

“He's pulling out all the stops,” Treize stated in an amused tone.

 

“Be careful, Heero,” Duo whispered under his breath and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets to avoid chewing his fingernails.

 

The stallion landed, took the necessary strides and was again airborne. Heero followed the movement of the horse, his own body coming forward, weight out of the saddle and hands following the movement of the head and neck, giving with the reins but keeping a light touch in readiness for landing.

 

Fore feet touched down and Heero was again applying his seat and leg, driving the momentum and re-balancing the gray. Shini grunted as he pushed himself into the air over the last element, front hooves tucked up close to his chest as he arched over the poles.

 

“He's clear,” Zechs said from his place at Duo's elbow. Zechs figured Duo could use a little support now and he was happy to return the favor from earlier when his own lover had been jumping.

 

“So far, so good,” Zoe cheered softly.

 

“I don't think I can take much more of this,” Duo muttered and grabbed his braid.

 

Michael snickered softly as he watched the vet's fingers begin to mangle the tuft at the end of the long rope of hair.

 

Shinigami landed safely and cantered away from the triple, his ears were still pricked and he was full of energy, something Heero was grateful for as the tough two were yet to come.

 

Continuing to ride the gray forward, Heero did the same as his fellow competitors and cut on the inside of jumps eight and one. His mind briefly thought about the clock but then he dismissed it and concentrated solely on getting Shini exactly where he wanted him in order to clear the final two jumps.

 

Turning the stallion, Heero kept his eyes on jump five and rode his horse forward. Once they were within the three strides to take off, Heero's concentration shifted to jump twelve.

 

Shinigami lengthened out and then drove his hindquarters underneath and lifted his forelegs off the ground. Shifting forward in his saddle to follow his horse, Heero also moved his weight slightly to the right, ensuring that when Shini landed he would pick up the right canter lead and be balanced enough for the sharp turn Heero was planning.

 

Coming back to earth, Shini landed and struck off with the correct lead, but just as he was about to power away from the jump, he found his pace stopped by a firm feel on the bit in his mouth.

 

As soon as the stallion had all four feet on the ground, Heero sat down hard and took a firm feel of the gray's mouth. He kept an eye on jump twelve as he asked the stallion to practically stop and then spin on his hind legs.

 

“Shit!” Treize gasped as he watched his pupil.

 

“Ah, crap. I hope he pulls that off,” Zoe exclaimed.

 

“Oh Christ, that's a risk and a half,” Michael stated as his jaw almost hit the ground.

 

“I can't watch,” moaned Duo and hid his face in Zechs' shoulder.

 

“There, there,” mumbled Zechs and patted the other vet's back a little awkwardly as he found himself with a shoulder full of Duo and not sure what to do.

 

The gray pulled up quickly, hind hooves digging into the turf to stop the forward movement whilst his fore feet tore chunks of grass and dirt as they pulled the large frame around and to the right. Without skipping a beat, the gray then pushed his body forward, muscles straining as they did all they could to keep the horse moving.

 

Hands steady on the reins, legs driving the animal forward, Heero had eyes only for the jump ahead. He steadied the stallion, concentrating hard and waiting until the last minute before unleashing the power that was his horse over the final jump.

 

Muscles, tendons and ligaments all worked together to lift the horse and its rider from the ground and propel them into the air. Shini literally flew into the air and over the jump, the poles passing a good few inches beneath him. Fore legs came out and took the brunt of the landing, hind hooves touching down a split second later and pushing the horse away from the jump.

 

Giving the gray his head, Heero urged Shinigami forward and through the flags. The gray whizzed through the flags, stopping the clock and eager to continue to gallop. Heero didn't get a chance to look at the clock though, he had his hands full in bringing the stallion back to a canter and locating the exit.

 

Hearing the soft thudding of hooves, Duo knew Heero had cleared the final jump and quickly tore himself away from Zechs. His eyes darted to the arena and watched as his lover galloped through the finish before switching to locate the clock and resulting time.

 

When his did, his eyes lit up and a wide grin found his mouth.

 

“Yes!” he shouted and punched the air.

 

The commentator came over the public address system then and drowned out everyone else.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, a clear round for Heero Yuy in a time of 38:20 seconds!”

 

~ * ~

 

tbc...