Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Going For Gold ❯ Chapter 82 ( Chapter 82 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

The games have officially begun. Heero and Duo take a little time to watch some of the other equestrian competitions taking place before the showjumping starts.

Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Comedy / Drama / Hentai / Romance / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 09.07.2009 | Pages: 9 | Words: 10.2K | Visits: 261 | Status: Work In Progress

“Going for Gold”

January 2007 ShenLong

Chapter 82

With the games now officially open, competition had begun in earnest. Whilst Duo and Heero didn't get to spend much time watching any of the other sports, they did manage to catch a fair bit of the equestrian competition.

The stables were a constant buzz of excitement. People and horses were moving around at all hours of the day and evening. If they weren't practicing, they were competing. If not competing, horses were being groomed, plaited, washed, gear cleaned and stables mucked out. Everywhere you looked something was taking place.

With the showjumping competition not on until the second week, Heero and Duo were able to spend what little free time they had watching the event team in their competition. The three day event was the first of the equestrian competitions to take place. They would be followed by the team and individual dressage, the showjumping following that.

Duo hadn't seen much in way of eventing so was keen to watch and learn more of the taxing sport. Treize and Zechs often joined them, Zechs also eager to learn more of what the sport entailed.

They sat through all four of the Australians' dressage tests and whilst Heero and Treize knew a fair bit about what was happening, the two vets were completely in the dark.

Heero patiently explained that a dressage test was a test of the horse's education and obedience. Everyone rode the same test which entailed performing certain movements at certain marker points in an arena that measured sixty meters long by twenty meters wide. Around the side were a series of letters, A being the middle and entry point to the arena. X was the dead center and C where the judges' boxes sat at the opposite end to A. The letters themselves ran to the left of A and around the outside of the arena, going in the order of A, K, E, H, C, M, B, F.

“Why the hell don't they have them in alphabetical order?” muttered Duo as he tried to follow Heero's explanation.

“I have no idea,” replied Heero.

“Surely it would make more sense and be easier to learn where the letters are if they went alphabetically?”

“I agree. Now you know why I compete in showjumping and not dressage.”

“Good point,” Duo said and then snickered. “I could just imagine you trying to do an extended trot from K to H and looking where the hell the letters were.”

Zechs was just as lost as Duo. “Thank god you don't do this. I have enough trouble trying to remember the rules for jumping.”

“Trust me when I say I'm glad I don't either, I have my work cut out for me in trying to remember the jumping course, let alone trying to remember half the movements and the markers for dressage,” replied Treize.

“You have to admire these guys though,” Heero chipped in. “They do all three disciplines, dressage, cross country and showjumping.”

“Yeah, that they do. Must take a special type of horse and dedication from the rider to be successful,” Duo sighed.

“That it does. You wait until tomorrow when they start the cross country, then you'll see some jumps,” Heero stated.

“I can't wait.”

* * *

The Australian eventing team was sitting in second place after the dressage phase of the competition was completed. The British team was ahead of them by eight penalties, the New Zealand team only four penalties behind the Aussies and they were closely followed by the American, Italian, Irish and German teams. From there it was a slightly longer gap in penalties to the rest of the competing countries.

Heero worked Shini early on the morning of the cross country phase. He'd promised Duo they would head out to the course and find a good vantage spot to watch as many riders as they could go around before they would need to return to the stables. Although Heero was free for the remainder of the day, Duo wasn't as he had his vet duties to take care of and that meant checking Marksman and Lionheart after their lesson with Noin in the afternoon.

After letting Noin know where they would be and assuring the coach that Duo had both his pager and cell phone on him if she should need him for any reason, Duo and Heero headed out onto the cross country course to watch. Several competitors had already been around the course as the event had started at eight that morning, so Heero and Duo were careful to stay within the boundaries allocated for the spectators.

Heero had done a little recon on the course, mainly speaking with grooms and other riders as to where the best spot would be on course to watch most of the action. He now led Duo through some trees and to the side of a hill. From here they could see several jumps, the main one being the water complex just to the side of them. They could watch the riders as they approached, jumped the log pile and then proceed towards the water. From the water there was a series of 'steps' and then a turn that would take them through the trees and over a hedge before emerging again to where the 'car' jump as Duo dubbed it, waited. After that there was a jump up an embankment, over a fence on the top before jumping down again and then the riders would be lost to Heero and Duo's view.

The water complex consisted of a jump over a single fence and then a drop into the water. The riders then went through the water, jumped over a row boat in the middle of the lake, continued on to jump up an embankment and out of the water, two strides and over another fence before heading off up the 'steps'. Complicated and would require a lot of skill, so Heero informed his lover.

Duo was quite in awe of the 'car' jump. It consisted of two flat tray utilities, or pick ups as some people called them, backed together so the tray part formed the actual jump. Hay bales had been added to the tray of each utility, giving the jump a little more height and also providing a softer area should a horse be unlucky enough to connect with the jump.

The pair sat on the grass and watched as several riders came through, some clearing the jumps and others having a refusal. The water jump did prove to be most entertaining as each horse and rider had their own way of tackling it. Some went through in perfect harmony with their horse; others seemed to get through by the skin of their teeth. A few only made it through by sheer good luck as there was no contact on the reins at all, riders being flung all over the place in their saddles. One or two were unlucky and took an impromptu bath.

Duo thoroughly enjoyed himself watching the many horses and riders pit their wits against the course, but one thing he noticed had him a little confused. After studying several horses as they passed by, he couldn't contain his curiosity any longer.

“Heero?”

“Hai?” Heero looked at his lover.

“I've noticed that several horses seem to have white stuff on their legs. It almost goes all the way up to their bodies. What is it?” Many horses had gone through, all with this white stuff on their legs and Duo couldn't see what the cause was or the reason for it being there, not to mention what exactly it was.

“It's grease, Duo. They put it on the horse's legs so if the horse should connect with a jump he's more likely to slide against it rather than hit too hard, therefore avoiding an accident. Those jumps are all solid and fixed too. The rails don't fall down if you hit them like they do in showjumping.”

“Ah.” Now that made a lot of sense. Duo could see how if a horse did hit its legs against a jump, they would be more likely to slide over and not injure the horse. “That's quite smart thinking.”

“It saves a lot of trouble and prevents unnecessary injuries too.”

Duo had to agree with that.

* * *

That evening there was a lot of excitement in the stables. The cross country phase had certainly sorted the teams out. The Australians were now sitting in the gold medal place, the British team was breathing down their necks though, only ten penalties behind. The Irish had moved up to third whilst the American, German and Italian teams were all still there and in hot contention. It was still anyone's gold medal.

“All horses are fine,” Duo reported to Noin as he finished checking Marksman.

“Good, that's exactly what I wanted to hear,” Noin replied. She scanned her eyes around the area, looking for all the team members. “Everyone, can you all come here for a moment, please?”

The riders and grooms all stopped what they were doing and joined Noin outside Marksman's stable.

“As you all know, the showjumping phase of the eventing competition takes place tomorrow.”

Everyone nodded.

“I would like for you all to attend and watch; it will give us the perfect opportunity to see how the arena rides for a jumping course. We will also be cheering our fellow team members on.”

All the riders knew how invaluable watching others jump a course in the arena would be and all agreed immediately.

“Okay, I will meet you all here in the stables at nine sharp tomorrow morning. After the competition is over, I'll be speaking with the eventing team coach to get some feedback from the riders on the course and how the arena rides. Any questions?”

No one had any so Noin left them all to finish up with their horses.

* * *

The following morning dawned and the riders all met in the stables as requested. Noin joined them and they proceeded to the jumping arena to watch the event. Several other riders were also present from different countries, obviously with the same idea as the Australians.

The course wasn't a long one, only twelve jumps in total and it wasn't as high as what Heero and the others were used to jumping. After watching several riders go through, Duo was asking his questions again.

“Heero? Why aren't the jumps as big as those you all jump?”

Zechs was sitting on Duo's other side and turned his head towards the pair, curious to know the answer himself. For that matter, he had a question of his own and before Heero could reply, he asked it. “I'd like to know why they don't have a jump off too, like you guys generally do.”

“The course doesn't seem to be as twisty as the ones you lot ride either,” Duo added.

Heero gave them both a patient look and waited until he was sure that nothing more was forthcoming. “Can I answer now?” he asked when it seemed there wasn't going to be anything further in the question department for the moment.

“Please do,” Duo chuckled, fully aware that they really hadn't given his lover much of a chance to answer anything.

“First up, the jumps aren't as high as this is a different type of competition; the showjumping phase of the event is more of a test of stamina than actual jumping ability. After completing the dressage and cross country phases, it's a test to see if the horse and rider still have enough stamina to continue on and clear a course of show jumps. That's also the reason why the course isn't as difficult in the design as the ones we jump. In answer to Zechs, there isn't a jump off because the penalty scoring system is different to that of showjumping and it's extremely rare for a team or individual to finish on the same number of penalties.”

“A different scoring system?” Zechs queried.

“Yes, totally different. I can explain it to you if you wish, but it is rather complicated and can be a little hard to follow,” replied Heero.

“Ah, I think I'll pass thanks all the same. I seem to have enough of a problem understanding the rules for straight forward showjumping, let alone trying to make head or tail of eventing,' Zechs said looking a little lost.

“No worries. I can quite understand, it took me a while to follow it,” Heero chuckled.

Silence returned and the guys once again turned their attention to the competitors in the ring. Heero and Treize were watching closely, trying to see how the horses and riders handled the course, how the ground affected turns, take offs and such. From what they observed, the arena surface rode very well, not too boggy or slippery either. That gave both men a bit more confidence.

When the final ten riders came to riding their rounds, the excitement was thick in the air. There were only twelve penalties between the Australian's and the British for the gold medal which meant the Australian's could only afford to have two rails down in this, the final round of competition. Two of the British riders had gone clear; the third had a rail down and the fourth, two rails down. So far, the Aussies had two clears and one rail down. The Irish were assured of the bronze medal, all their riders having completed the course and their scores now finalized.

The last of the Australian team rode in, a determined look on his face as he saluted the judge and gathered his horse together. Eagerly, the showjumping riders leaned forward in their seats and urged their fellow Australian on to victory.

The pair was a well matched combination, harmony between horse and rider was evident even to the most inexperienced of people. They started their round slowly, building their speed as they progressed.

Duo and Zechs found it exciting enough, but not quite as thrilling or nerve wracking as watching their respective boyfriends out there riding.

The rider on course gave it everything he had and his horse responded gamely. There was one tense moment when they hit the last element in the triple, the rail rocking in its cups and then deciding to fall. With that rail down, the rider appeared to ride with even more determination; he couldn't really afford to have any further faults.

You could have heard a pin drop as the horse and rider approached the final jump. There was a grunt from the horse as it left the ground and soared over the fence. Once the forelegs hit the dirt again, the rider sent the animal into a gallop for the finish. A look at the clock confirmed they were within the time allowed and then the arena erupted into wild cheering and applause.

The eventing team had secured the gold medal.

Noin and her team all cheered loudly, pride in their fellow Australians clearly evident. It was a great way to start their equestrian campaign.

* * *

There were celebrations that night in the Australian camp, all the equestrian competitors, grooms, coaches and associates joined together to celebrate the win.

As Noin had promised her team earlier, the eventing coach and team members shared their thoughts and experiences in regards to the showjumping arena with the jumping team. The arena surface was good to ride on, giving the horses a firm footing. The jumps themselves were reasonably solid and a horse had to give them a good 'whack' to dislodge a rail. Heero was pleased with the information he managed to gather, it would make his own rounds of competition a little easier knowing how the arena surface was handled by the horses.

The partying went on into the evening, Heero and Duo leaving at around nine to return to the Village and get some sleep.

* * *

The dressage competitions were the next feature, team and individual competition taking place from dawn until dusk in the main arena. None of the jumping team was all that interested but they did make an effort to watch and support their own team.

Whilst dressage was an art form in itself and took years of dedication and training, neither Duo or Zechs could see what the allure was. To be honest, both found it a little boring after the excitement of the eventing competition.

The Australian dressage team didn't cover themselves in glory, but they didn't disgrace themselves either, finishing half way down the field of competition. It was a tough sport to compete in, especially with the European riders. The Germans in particular excelled at the discipline, a fact that proved true when they took out the gold medal for the team event.

The individual competition took place after the teams and again the Australians finished mid field. They were far from disappointed though, it was tough trying to attain the same standards as the Europeans when there was a serious lack of qualified coaches and events to be found in Australia.

The final dressage competition was held, this one being what was known as the 'Kur'. Treize was the one to supply the information on this, Heero not having witnessed the event before.

It was in fact, rather simple.

“The competitors are given a list of the compulsory movements and a time. They have to make up their own dressage test incorporating all the movements within the time frame specified,” Treize explained.

“That doesn't sound too hard,” stated Zechs.

“That part is the easy bit.”

“You mean there's more?” Duo asked with a raise of the eyebrow.

“Oh yes. Besides choreographing their test, the riders also have to put the entire thing to music. That's when it gets tricky. They have to match the beats per minute of the walk, trot and canter to the exact same beat in a piece of music.”

“Whoa! Now that's getting technical,” Duo exclaimed.

“Actually, it's not quite as hard to do as it sounds, but it is very time consuming; plus you can't practice the test too many times otherwise the horse will begin to anticipate the movements,” Treize explained. “Out of all the different dressage tests I do have to admit that this type of competition is quite interesting to watch. Not knowing what movement is going to come up, or in what order those movements will be, plus the added bonus of music and it's like watching a horse and rider dance together.”

“I see. Sounds quite interesting,” Zechs said a little doubt in his voice as to horses dancing.

“Why don't we go watch a couple, then you can see for yourself?”

“Okay,” Zechs replied, still not sure he was going to `get it'.

“Duo?” Treize asked.

“I think I'll pass. I've got a bit here to do with checking the horses when Noin's finished with her lesson,” said Duo.

“Okay. We will catch up with you later then.”

“Have fun, Zechs, Treize.”

The two, tall men departed, Duo huffing out a sigh of relief. Whilst he knew there were many different aspects to equine competition and each required a different set of skills, skills he admired, he just wasn't into the whole `dressage thing'. He much preferred the jumping, at least in that there was some tangible excitement. Turning to go back to the stables he caught Heero's face out the corner of his eye, the rider was smirking. He raised an eyebrow in question.

“The dressage not exciting enough for you?” Heero questioned, the teasing tone clear in his voice.

Duo decided that two could play at that game. “No, it's not that at all,” he replied in a mysterious tone.

“Oh?” Heero looked curious.

Duo fixed his lover with a serious look. “The majority of the riders in the dressage are females, Heero. In the jumping they're mostly male. I much prefer the eye candy in the jumping.”

Heero did a rather good impression of a stranded fish before his brain kicked in. “You mean you sit there and ogle the riders?” he whispered, clearly stunned.

“Yeah, well. You have to admit, in those tight jodhpurs they are worth ogling,” he replied with a grin. Teasing Heero was so much fun.

Heero wasn't sure just how to reply to that one.

Duo sidled up to his partner and ghosted a hand over Heero's ass. “Jealous?” he whispered into Heero's ear.

“You bet!” Heero snapped and turned to Duo. “You're mine!”

“Ah, but I only look, never touch,” Duo snickered.

Realizing his boyfriend was just baiting him; Heero shook his head and sighed. “I don't know why I put up with you,” he said in defeat.

“Because I'm adorable, witty, charming and have a great body?” Duo quipped.

Knowing he wasn't going to win this one, Heero rolled his eyes.

* * *

The rest of the week sped by and before the guys knew it, it was Sunday evening and the games were at the half way mark. Competition had been fierce, not just in the equestrian, but the swimming, gymnastics, boxing, diving and the many other sports the Olympics hosted.

With the conclusion of the eventing competition, many of the riders and horses had left, the stables becoming a touch quieter. Now that the dressage was also concluded most of those riders and horses had also left and the stabling area was rather quiet. Only the showjumping teams remained, along with a few others that weren't leaving just yet or were based in London.

Heero had to admit it was nice to have room to move again, especially in the practice areas. Having to share with everyone else could get a little tricky at times, and it didn't matter what time of the day Heero rode there was always other horses and riders in the area being worked too.

Noin had been true to her word and coached the team every day. Both horses and riders had benefited from the constant supervision, combined with the other physical training they had done and Heero was feeling much fitter than he had in a long time.

Having finished dinner Duo, Heero, Treize, Kyle, Andrew, Zoe and Michael were all making their way to one of the small conference rooms in the Village for a meeting with Noin. Entering the allocated room, they smiled at their coach and took seats around the table.

“Thank you all for coming,” Noin began. “Tomorrow will see the first round of the showjumping competition.” She paused for a moment to take stock of her team. “We need to finish in the top ten to go through to the second round; not that I doubt any of your abilities in that regard. After the second round, should there be a tie on faults, then there will be a third round of competition, but the course will consist of six jumps only. If there still remains a tie then the time for each rider will be taken into account to determine the placings.”

All the team nodded to confirm they understood.

“All of you are also competing for the individual medals too. Your scores from your first two rounds of team competition will count as your individual score. After the two rounds of team competition, the top twenty-five riders will go through to the third round. After the third round there will be a jump off against the clock should one be necessary. [1] Does everyone understand?”

“Yes, Noin,” the group chorused.

“Good. Now, tomorrow morning I will report to the steward`s office for the draw of competing countries for the starting order. I will also be giving them the team order.”

Four expectant faces looked back at her.

“I guess I can let you know what the team order will be,” Noin smiled.

“That might help,” Treize muttered to Heero who simply snickered.

“The order in which you will jump is in no way any reflection on your performance, especially when you consider that the order will be reversed for the second round,” Noin looked at the team to make sure her point had gotten across.

It had.

“The order is as follows: Rider one will be Zoe and Lionheart. Rider two, Kyle and Marksman. Rider three, Treize and Romefeller and rider four is Heero and Shinigami. Anyone have any questions?”

No one did all still busy digesting where they were riding in the order.

“Okay, if there aren't any questions and everyone is clear on what they are doing, I'll meet with you all in the stables at seven in the morning. The starting order draw is at seven-thirty and I should be back with you all by eight. Course will be open for walking at eight-thirty and competition starts at nine-thirty sharp. I suggest you all go back to your rooms and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow you ride for your country.” With a smile at them all, Noin began to shuffle her paperwork together ready to leave.

All the rest of the team got up and departed, talking excitedly amongst themselves at the jumping order. Zoe was bemoaning the fact that she had to go first, Heero was feeling quite pleased he was jumping as the fourth rider. By the time it was his turn to jump he would have a lot of feedback from his fellow team members and also have had the chance to watch others jump the course.

And that in itself was a big advantage.

* * *

“What time is it?” Duo asked with a groan, blinking his eyes against the light and then ducking his head under the covers to block it out completely.

“Just after six,” replied Heero as he rummaged around in the drawer for a clean pair of briefs.

“Too early,” came the slightly muffled groan from the vet.

“I have to get to the stables and feed Shini. He needs time to digest before I warm him up for the competition.”

The covers were suddenly thrown back and a tousled head of hair appeared. “Oh shit. It's today the competition starts,” Duo said, wide awake now.

“That's right,” Heero replied with a grin and then snuck over to steal a kiss. “I'm gonna go shower and head for the stables.”

“What about breakfast?”

“Not enough time,” Heero tossed back as he disappeared into the bathroom.

“There's always time for breakfast,” muttered Duo. His stomach growled in agreement.

Heero didn't hear him though, the water was running and he was already under the spray.

When Heero emerged, Duo had made the bed and was waiting with his own clothes ready to take his shower. “You go on ahead, I'll shower and grab a bite before joining you at the stables,” he said as he walked into the vacant bathroom.

“Okay. How long will you be?”

“About half an hour behind you,” came the shout over the water.

“Alright, I'll see you there.” Heero donned an old shirt and jodhpurs, grabbed his saddle blanket and the bag which held his formal riding attire and headed out the door.

* * *

Heero had just finished cleaning out Shini's stable when Duo appeared. A wrapped package was shoved into his hand along with a styrofoam cup.

“Coffee and breakfast,” muttered Duo.

“Thanks,” Heero replied with a smile and tore open the package. “Mmm, a bacon and egg sandwich,” he moaned as he bit into the food.

Duo just smirked.

“Morning, Duo,” Treize called as he emerged from Romeo's stable.

“Morning, Treize. Zechs here yet?”

“Not yet. He should be along shortly though.”

“Any sign of Noin yet?” asked Duo as he glanced at his watch.

“She should be back from the meeting in about five minutes,” Zoe said as she joined the group.

“I hope we got a good draw,” stated Kyle as he and Andrew walked over to wait with the others.

“As long as we're not first I'll be happy,” muttered Zoe.

“You will be just fine,” Michael said and wrapped an arm around his wife's waist.

They chatted amongst themselves whilst they waited for Noin to arrive, keeping the conversation light. Heero finished off his breakfast and washed his hands under the closest tap. Duo sipped on the coffee he'd brought for himself and ran a mental check list for all Shini's gear plus the current state of health of all the horses.

The tension was thick in the air throughout the stables; all of the teams were waiting for their respective coaches to return with the draw order. Zechs arrived, much to Treize's relief and the pair chatted quietly.

“Noin's here,” Kyle announced softly.

All the team members looked in the direction Kyle was looking and saw their coach approaching. They did their best to try and read the woman's face to get an idea of where they would be jumping, but her face was neutral, giving nothing away.

Inside, Noin was quite pleased and did her best to keep her features neutral. She could see the anxious looks her team was giving her and she decided it was best to put them all out of their misery.

“Good morning, everyone,” Noin greeted.

“Morning,” came the chorused reply as the team all gathered around the coach.

“I take it you all want to know the draw?”

“It might help,” replied Treize with a touch of sarcasm.

“Okay. You will all be pleased to know that out of the fourteen countries competing, we will be jumping in tenth place.” Noin looked at her team, giving them a moment to digest the news.

Zoe heaved a sigh of relief. “That's much better than going first,” she said.

“What is the order, Miss Noin?” Kyle asked, the others just as eager to know.

Noin fished a piece of paper out of her pocket and scanned down it. In a calm voice she called out the order the countries would be jumping in. “This is the draw,” she said. “Germany, Japan, South Africa, India, United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy, Ireland, United States of America, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, France and Belgium.”

“It would seem that most of our rivals are ahead of us,” mused Treize.

“That it does, Treize. But, we can't afford to be relaxed in anything and never underestimate the opposition,” Noin said. She glanced over the group, taking in their rather assorted standard of dress. “I suggest you all go and get changed into your proper attire and that includes your helmets, whips and spurs. We have a course to walk, people.”

~ * ~

tbc...

[1] In actual individual medal competition in the Olympic Jumping there are five rounds of jumping. The scores from the first two team rounds are added together for an individual score and the top 25 go through to the third round. After the third round the order is reversed and the riders jump a new course of between 10 and 12 jumps which can include a water jump. The final round is again a new course consisting of 8 to 10 jumps and there is no water. The winner is the horse and rider with the least faults over the five rounds. I've only used three in this fic as opposed to the five as I don't want to drag it out and the readers lose interest. ^_^

All information regarding the rules, jump heights, spread widths, allowed obstacles etc for an Olympic Games are taken from the FEI (Federation Equestrian Internationale) Showjumping Rule book.