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Equus	By : Deb Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2855 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, it belongs to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. I do own the equines though, please do not take them without permission. Written for pleasure not profit.

Chapter List
- 81
- 82
- 83
“Equus”

Chapter 82

Noticing a sudden change in his horse, Wufei frowned. He glanced at Heero, only to note the rider's attention was completely diverted to something else. His eyes shifted to Duo who was also distracted , his face darkening as his eyes watched something in the crowd. Confused as to what could possibly be causing such a reaction in his two friends and horse, Wufei followed their line of sight to see a tall man shoving his way through the crowd towards them. He heard Duo mutter a name, but it made no sense to him.

Meiran was also confused and glanced from the three to her husband who gave her a shrug of his shoulders. He didn't have a clue what was going on either. Wanting an answer, Meiran turned to June. “What's going on?” she whispered.

June and Carl had also picked up on the sudden change and once they spotted where every-ones attention had gone, they recognized the figure walking towards them. With Meiran's question, June tore her eyes away from the figure in the crowd to face her friend. “Leroy Saunders,” she hissed.

“Who?”

“Leroy Saunders. He's the guy that used to own Nataku, he's the one that was abusing her at the show and Heero rescued her from him.” June scowled. “I wonder what he wants?”

Understanding exactly what the problem now was, Meiran's own face darkened as she set her eyes upon the man responsible for their horse's abuse.

Having shouldered his way through the crowd, Leroy came to a stop to the side of the main group and horse with Duo directly in front of him blocking his way. His rage simmered beneath the surface and clearly showed in his eyes, but he kept himself under control as he gave the horse, rider and vet a cruel sneer.

“What do you want?” Duo snarled.

Leroy smirked. “I just thought I'd come over and pass on my congratulations,” he stated, turning his attention to Nataku and Heero. Stepping closer to the mare, Leroy's scowl deepened. “What I'd like to know, is what sort of drugs you pumped into her and how much.”

“How dare you!” Duo growled. “That mare doesn't need drugs to be able to compete, she's more than capable of jumping well through kindness and compassion, not force and brutality.”

“Yeah, right,” Leroy sneered. “She's obviously on drugs of some sort, she'd have to be to be this calm.” Leroy stepped forward towards Nataku again, the mare visibly shaking and trying to back away.

Heero had been in the process of dismounting to assist his partner, but when Leroy made towards them he quickly changed his mind and shoved his feet back into the stirrups. He would be better able to control Nataku by being on her back than on his feet on the ground, and he couldn't pass her off onto Wufei as the Chinese man wasn't experienced enough to handle her if she chose to really panic. And panic seemed to be the thing uppermost in the mare's mind, not that Heero could blame her. Heero couldn't desert her, not now, even if it was to defend her. Nataku needed him more on her back as a calming influence than facing off with Saunders. He ran a soothing hand down the mare's neck and tried to calm her with low tones.

“That mare is not on any form of drugs. The reason she's so calm and cooperative is due to hard work, training, compassion and understanding, something you wouldn't know anything about. It's taken Heero months to get her where she is now, months of solid work to try and undo all the crap you put her through with your cruelty,” Duo spat.

Meiran's eyes widened at the venom in Duo's tone. Alongside her June also blinked in surprise. Like Meiran, she'd never seen Duo so fired up and angry in all the time she'd known him. It was quite the shock to both women to see the normally calm and gentle vet so full of hatred. But then after knowing what that guy had done to Nataku, they could quite understand Duo's ferocity.

With Duo's words, Leroy paused in his advancement on Nataku and turned his attention back to the vet. His eyes narrowed, his body shook with suppressed anger. “You bastard,” he hissed. “Because of you I lost my other two horses and my cat and dog. Don't try to deny it, I know it was you who set the R.S.P.C.A onto me.” Leroy began to advance on Duo, fists curled at his side.

“You deserved to have your animals taken from you. People like you shouldn't be allowed to keep a pet rock, let alone something that's a living, breathing creature. You're nothing but scum,” Duo fired. “Taking out your temper on creatures that can't defend themselves, you're nothing but a coward, a low down bully; you should have been horsewhipped.

Those were the words that saw Leroy snap. He lunged forward, making a grab for Duo with the intent of shoving his fist down Duo's throat.

Still on Nataku's back and trying to calm the distressed mare, Heero watched in mute shock as Saunders went for his partner and there was nothing he could do about it.

As Leroy lunged and made a grab for him, Duo's mind temporarily shut down, it switched to supply him with images of a similar attack just a short while ago. Another man grabbing at him, tearing at his clothes, trying to beat him into submission. The fear tore through him, the scream of terror lodged in his throat – then a calm voice broke through the fog. 'You're no longer a victim, you have the power to fight back...'

Doctor Jay's words echoed in his head, calming his turbulent mind instantly. The lessons in self defense he'd shared with Heero all flooded back and his subconscious took over.

Grabbing for the vet, Leroy managed to land one punch to Duo's jaw before he suddenly found his arm grabbed and twisted behind his back, the momentum of his lunge being used against him.

Duo's head snapped to the side as the punch landed, his mind jolting back to the here and now and his instincts kicked in. Remembering what Heero had taught him, Duo grabbed Leroy's arm and twisted it behind the man's back, at the same time he used his feet to take out Leroy's legs from under him, the forward momentum of the other man's original swing at him aiding in Duo's attempt to bring him down. Leroy landed heavily on his knees, the vet releasing his arm when he landed awkwardly. In a flash, Leroy was flipping himself over, attempted to kick out with his feet and shove himself upright again. Duo had dodged his poorly aimed kicks and stood ready. Leroy came at him like a freight train, arms swinging, punches aiming for Duo's head and torso. Duo ducked, blocked a fist aimed for his gut and brought his own fist up to connect with Leroy's solar plexus and knocking the wind out of him. Duo's other fist came through and landed a punch squarely to Leroy's jaw, snapping the man's head around and causing him to fall to his knees. The world was still spinning on its axis as a hand grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hauled him to his feet. Leroy found himself staring into a pair of onyx eyes that sparked with fury.

Wufei had watched the scene unfold before him, clearly confused by what was going on. Nataku was his main concern, the fear in the mare growing greater with each second this man was in their presence. He did his best to try and calm his horse from the ground whilst Heero struggled to do the same while remaining on her back. Meiran sidled up to him a moment later as Duo and the man were exchanging heated words and quickly filled him in on what June had said.

Understanding dawned on the Chinese man, his own anger growing by the minute when he realized that this was the man who was responsible for Nataku's abuse. Mind made up, Wufei turned from his horse and strode over to where the two men were now exchanging blows. Duo sent the man to his knees but before Leroy had a chance to do anything in retaliation, Wufei let his anger loose and grabbed the man by the scruff of the neck, hauling him to his feet.

“If you know what is good for you, you will leave now and never darken any of us with your pathetic excuse for a presence ever again,” Wufei snarled.

Managing to draw in a painful breath, Leroy glowered at the Chinese guy. “Yeah? And just who the fuck do you think you are, chink?”

Barely managing to hold onto his temper, Wufei shoved his face forward until he was nose to nose with Saunders. “The name is Chang Wufei, I am the owner of Nataku and I don't particularly care for your language in front of ladies. I also have no tolerance for weak minded bullies who have to pick on those who cannot defend themselves. You have already caused enough damage to my horse with your unnecessary cruelty and I suggest you leave us before I forget I am a gentleman.” Wufei's tone was low and clearly held a threat in it; unfortunately, Saunders was too blinded by his own rage to heed the advice.

“And just who is going to make me?” he taunted.

“I will,” Wufei replied with an evil smirk.

“Yeah? You and what army?” Saunders gave a disgusted look up and down Wufei's slender form.

“I will ignore that remark as you are obviously an idiot. Now get moving.” Wufei gave Leroy a shove, the man staggering for a moment before regaining his footing.

Anger flared again in Saunders and he spun around, fist curled and aiming directly for Wufei's nose. With lightning fast reflexes, Wufei's hand grabbed the fist in mid swing and he tightened his grip, squeezing and grinding the bones of Leroy's hand together. The man gave a howl of pain. “Unlike you, I do not enjoy inflicting pain on those who are weaker than me and unless you want to see me really angry, you will go.” Wufei released Leroy, the man staggering away and clutching his hand to his chest.

Backing from the group, he glowered at the lot who had formed up together. “Watch your backs,” he snapped, “this isn't over.” Spinning on his heels, Leroy shoved past them. Nataku was still standing and shaking as Saunders started to leave. Spotting the mare from the corner of his eye, Leroy smirked to himself and before anyone could stop him, he darted towards the bay, swinging his fist at her head and connecting with the mare's lower jaw between her muzzle and cheek bone.

Nataku staggered sideways, the terror along with the pain of the hit knocking her for six. The mare blinked as her master suddenly grabbed the horrible man who had tortured her and proceeded to knock him out cold. Regaining her senses she became aware of the nice human who rode her getting off her back and coming to her head. He spoke in low, soothing tones and gently stroked her face, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay. She pushed her trembling muzzle against Heero's chest.

Wufei didn't hesitate, the moment Saunders swung at his horse, Wufei was in motion. No sooner had the blow hit the mare and before he had a chance to withdraw his hand, the Chinese man was upon Saunders. With a couple of martial arts moves, Wufei had Leroy out cold at his feet. Staring down at the unconscious man, Wufei became aware of the silence surrounding him and looked at his friends who were staring at him with open mouths and slack jaws. “He hit my horse,” Wufei offered in explanation to those surrounding him. “No one hits my horse.”

The show had continued to carry on around them whilst the altercation had taken place, although several people in the collecting ring had witnessed what had occurred. The entire confrontation had taken all of around five minutes and only now that Saunders was unconscious did everyone become aware of exactly where they were and what had just taken place. The steward had also seen what had transpired and managed to get someone to watch the ring entrance for him so he could intervene.

Quite the crowd had begun to gather around the group and no one knew what to do about it. The steward broke through and aimed for Wufei as he was the one standing over the unconscious Saunders “Alright everyone, please move back and give me some room so I can sort this all out.” The crowd did move back a little, but not much; it was human nature to stay around and see what happened. Besides, several competitors and grooms in the collecting ring had been witnesses to the assault – verbal and physical – and not one of them was blaming Duo or Wufei for what had transpired.

The steward spoke with another of his fellow stewards who was asked to notify the judge of the altercation and hold the class once the last rider had completed their course. The jump off would still take place, but after the altercation had been dealt with. With the show side of things taken care of for the moment, the steward began to ask his questions. It soon became clear to him that this was more than a simple scuffle amongst the competitors and given the nature of the situation, it would be a police matter. With a notepad in hand, the steward took down the name and contact details of everyone who was involved in the scuffle. He also spoke to several witnesses and took down their details to hand over to the police when they arrived to investigate.

Having summoned a medic, Saunders was checked over, placed on a stretcher and taken to the first aid post to be treated and held until the police made their appearance. Unable to do anything else for the moment, the steward informed the judge of what had transpired and it was decided to hold the jump off in fifteen minutes. The police had been called and it would be another thirty minutes before they arrived so the show committee thought it best to hold the jump off and that would leave most people free to speak with the police whilst the show could continue on with the A grade event.

Once the steward had finished speaking with him, Duo made a bee line for Nataku, he needed to check on the mare and make certain she'd suffered no damage from Leroy's punch in her jaw. What her mental state would be was anyone's guess. “Easy girl,” Duo soothed as his gentle fingers explored the area, Wufei holding his horse for Duo to check as Heero was speaking with the steward.

“How is she?” Wufei asked, his tone worried.

“A lot better off than Saunders,” Duo replied. Wufei snorted and gave the vet a look of disbelief. “Sorry, shouldn't joke about that, should I? Anyway, from what I can tell she's fine. There will possibly be a little bruising later and it will be tender for a couple of days, but there's nothing broken. She's a very lucky girl.” Duo gently patted the mare, slightly surprised that she tolerated him 'manhandling' her after the hit to the jaw she'd taken.

“Do you think she will be able to compete in the jump off, or should we retire her from the competition?” Wufei asked, his concern for his horse the foremost thing in his mind.

“From a veterinary point, she's perfectly well enough to continue. I think it would be best to ask Heero what he thinks though as he's the one on her back.”

“Thank you.”

Heero stepped over to them having finished with the steward. “Are you okay?” Heero asked, taking Duo gently by the arm and turning him around so his eyes could rake over the body of the vet and find any injuries.

“I'm okay, just a little sore in the jaw where Saunders' fist connected,” Duo replied honestly.

“I can take you to see the medic,” Heero offered as he inspected Duo's jaw.

“Nah, it's okay; nothing that an ice pack and a little panadol won't fix and I'll be sure to attend to that once we get home,” he added when he spotted Heero's eyes glinting.

“I'll be sure to hold you to that.” Heero paused for a moment and glanced around. Everyone near them appeared to be busy with other things, no one was giving them a second glance. He leaned in close to Duo and lowered his voice. “Are you sure you're okay? Not physically, but, well, you know, emotionally?” Heero had witnessed the attack on Duo, the moment when his lover had frozen and had a pretty good idea of what must have been going through his head. “I can arrange an appointment with Jay if you need it?”

“Heero, I appreciate your concern and I'll talk to you more about this later, but seriously, I'm fine. I know I froze for a moment, it was as if I was about to relive Stefan's attack all over again; but then Jay's words came back to me, that I don't need to be a victim anymore, I'm stronger than that. Then all those sessions I've had with you in self defense kicked in and it was like second nature to block him and take him down. By the way, thanks for those, they really paid off.” Duo gave Heero a warm, genuine smile.

Returning the smile, Heero fully understood then that Duo had completely conquered his demons. Oh, Heero knew his partner had come a long way since his rape, but whilst the attack from Saunders was completely unnecessary, it had also done a world of good too.

It had given Duo back his confidence in himself along with his sense of self worth.

“God I love you so much,” Heero whispered.

“And I, you,” Duo replied, the warmth in his eyes telling Heero all he needed to know.

“Ahem,” June coughed from the side, causing both men to turn and look guiltily at her. “Sorry to interrupt, but the steward wants to know if Nataku will be competing in the jump off or not.”

Heero turned to look at Duo, the question in his eyes. Duo shrugged. “It's your call, buddy. As I told Wufei, from the veterinary side of things she's perfectly fine to continue to compete. It's you who has to ride her. I have no idea if that punch from Saunders has done any damage to her mind or set her back in her training.”

“Wufei?” Heero asked, turning to the Chinese man.

“I am quite happy for her to continue if you think she is able to. I know Doctor Maxwell has cleared her medically.”

“Okay, let me get back on her and ride her around for a minute or two, then I'll have my answer.” Heero took the reins from Wufei and mounted up while June spoke to the steward to let him know what was going on.

Nataku felt a little hesitant at first, but quickly realized it was the nice human on her back once more and she relaxed. Her jaw was a little sore, but the bit and bridle didn't put any extra pressure on the sore spot and her rider seemed equally as gentle, aware of her bruising so she settled and did what he asked without any fuss.

“I think you're ready for this, girl,” Heero said to the mare as he brought her back to a walk and patted her neck. Spotting June waiting to the side he gave her a nod. “We will be in the jump off,” he said. June's eyes lit up and she scampered off to let the steward know. Heero rode the bay back to their group and let them know of his decision.

*

There had been a total of four clear rounds, Nataku's being the third one and thus she was third to go in the jump off. Heero had assured everyone he was quite comfortable with the mare's response to him and his aids and didn't think she would be too flighty in the jump off. He was still a little concerned about the bridle putting pressure on her jaw, but Duo patiently checked her yet again and confirmed that the leather wasn't pressing on any of the area she'd been hit in. Heero did say that if he felt Nataku was in any way upset by her encounter or felt like she was in any distress, he would retire her immediately from the competition.

Everyone agreed with him and wished them both the best of luck. The jump off course was opened for walking and leaving Nataku with Wufei and Meiran, Duo accompanied Heero into the ring to walk it. The course was the same as it had been for the other classes Heero had ridden in and he didn't foresee any difficulties with Nataku – as long as she was willing to listen to him and jump. After the altercation with Saunders, who knew what would happen despite the mare still showing him she was willing to work for him. Having satisfied himself with his plan of attack, Heero left the ring to warm Nataku back up.

The collecting ring was still buzzing with talk of the attack on Duo and Nataku, although people kept their chatter quiet and didn't approach Heero or his friends as they knew he would need his concentration for the jump off ahead. There would be time for that after the B grade event had finished.

The steward called for the first rider in the jump off to enter the ring and a determined looking young man rode in on a flashy looking chestnut. They saluted the judge and made their way to the start. The bell rang and they were off. Heero and his friends all watched in anticipation from the collecting ring as the pair made their way around the course. Although the jump off course was still the same as it had been for Orion and Lunar's classes, given the extra height of the jumps the jump off would be slightly more difficult. Heero had allowed for this when he'd walked the course and decided he'd take Nataku around the outside of jump two as opposed to passing on the inside as he'd done with Orion. The mare was still getting her confidence back and the last thing Heero wanted to do was destroy that trust – especially after Saunders' appearance.

The chestnut was moving pretty quickly around the course, but the rider had forgotten about the extra height of the jumps and not taken it into consideration when asking for the speed. By the time the pair reached the double, the chestnut was running out of steam and brought rails down on both elements. They did finish without any further faults and exited the ring with a total of eight penalties and a time of 34:06 seconds.

The next rider to go was a young woman on a gray, Heero recognized her from several other shows, although he'd only ever exchanged greetings and good luck wishes. “This should be a good round,” he informed Duo.

The vet watched the pair carefully as they set about their course and could see what Heero meant. The woman was a good rider with a lot of experience – and it showed. The two worked in complete harmony, the gray gathering speed as they continued around the course, clearing jump after jump. The final fence was also jumped cleanly and the gray exited the arena with the first clear round of the jump off in a time of 30:10 seconds.

Then it was Heero's turn.

Nataku trotted into the arena with her ears pricked and a touch of nervousness in her gait. “Easy, girl,” Heero said and ran his hand along her neck. “We can do this... You can do this,” he encouraged. Arriving at the judge, Heero saluted and turned to ride for the start.

Passing between the jumps, Nataku snorted and shied at one of the potted plants, she was on edge, her nerves still highly strung after the incident earlier and she wasn't sure what was going to happen. She'd watched as the kind human and her former master exchanged angry noises, trembled in fear when the two had started to hit each other and recoiled in pain when she'd received a blow to her jaw. What had shocked her most though was when her new, kind master had grabbed the evil one as soon as she'd been hit and proceeded to hurt him in return.

No one had ever done that for her before.

She had sensed the anger radiating off her usually calm and gentle master, but she knew it wasn't directed at her; the kind pats, soft words and soothing touches had assured her of that. For the first time in her life, Nataku understood that these kind humans had been protecting her from the nasty, evil man who had once owned her – and for that she was eternally grateful. Now she fully understood just how much these nice humans cared about her and she was determined to show them in return how much she appreciated their kindness and trusted them too.

Listening carefully to her rider, Nataku waited for the signals to tell her what he wanted.

The bell rang, Heero shortened the reins, pushed Nataku into a canter and passed between the start flags. The first fence lay ahead and the mare approached it with caution but no hesitation. They sailed over it easily, Heero collecting his horse and driving her hocks underneath her.

They crossed the arena at a fast canter, Nataku steadying and gathering herself together to make a left turn and line up jump four. She popped neatly over it, listened to Heero's instructions and made a perfect turn to come into the double on the correct stride and full of impulsion.

“You sure you didn't swap horses somewhere along the line?” Duo asked Wufei as they watched in stunned shock as the mare appeared to be enjoying herself.

“I swear I didn't do a thing to her,” Wufei replied. “I have no idea what has caused such a drastic change in her. I know she seemed different when she competed in her first round, but this...” Wufei shook his head.

June, Carl and Meiran were all at a loss for words too.

Nataku was enjoying herself. It had been a long time since she'd simply jumped for the sheer joy of it, her love of jumping having been soured completely when Leroy had owned her. But now, now she had a rider that was not only sympathetic to her, but trusted her too.

Heero decided on a change of plan as they cleared the double. With Nataku so responsive to him and seemingly happy in her jumping, he decided to try the turn on the inside of jump two. He sat deep, shortened the reins and asked for the speed to slow and the mare to make a tight turn.

The bay responded immediately and did her best to make a good turn. It wasn't as neat as what Shini could do, but it was good enough. “Good girl,” Heero praised, concentration still on the remaining two jumps ahead.

The triple was approaching fast, standing at four foot three with a spread of the same, it wasn't a jump to be trifled with. The mare saw it and gathered herself together. She gauged the height and width, picked her take off point and soared into the air. Her legs folded up neatly against her body as she flew over the rails, front legs coming out seconds later to absorb the impact of landing.

“Easy, this next one's a nasty one,” Heero said softly. He dropped his weight and collected Nataku up, building the impulsion in those hind quarters as the mare would need it all to clear the wall which now stood at four foot six.

“I don't think I can watch,” Duo moaned, his fingernails having been chewed almost to the quick.

“I don't think I can either,” Wufei said from beside the vet.

Meiran gave a soft snort, causing both men to turn and look at her. “You men,” she chastised, “you're supposed to be all tough and macho, but look at you, neither one of you can watch a horse doing a few jumps.” She didn't add that she was just as nervous though.

“Hey! I'm still watching,” Carl piped up.

“You weren't when it was Lunar out there,” June offered helpfully. Carl threw her a glare, June just shrugged and snickered.

“I would thank you to keep your opinions to yourself, woman,” Wufei replied haughtily and forced himself to continue watching his horse.

Duo opted to remain silent, he really didn't fancy being caught up in a domestic between his good friends. Besides, he could watch Heero while hiding beneath his bangs and no one would be the wiser.

Nataku reached her take off point and dug her hind hooves into the turf, pushing her front legs off the ground and into the air. Muscles strained under the bay hide as they fought gravity, the body of the horse flying into the air and over the wall. Heero stayed with her, going forward and following the movement of the animal beneath him. As they descended towards the earth again, he began to sit back down into his saddle, the reins light in his hands.

Once all four feet were on the ground, Heero urged Nataku for the finish flags, the mare happy to stretch her legs. They galloped through the finish stopping the electronic timer. Heero sat down and gently applied pressure to the bit, the bay responding and coming back to a steady canter. A beaming smile lit up Heero's face as he rode towards the exit, patting and praising the mare for her efforts. He had no idea what his time was, and frankly he didn't care either. They had gone clear in the jump off, Nataku had done everything he'd asked and given her all for him without so much as a side step. Heero couldn't have been happier.

Back in the collecting ring the rest of the group were beside themselves with joy. Duo was almost bouncing on the spot, June and Carl were both wearing face splitting grins and Meiran was dabbing at her eyes. Wufei? The Chinese man was so proud of his horse he thought he would burst. His face lit up into a rare smile, his eyes bright and suspiciously damp. All he wanted to do was make a fuss of his horse and stuff her full of apples and carrots.

“Clear round for Heero Yuy riding Mr. Wufei Chang's Nataku in a time of 30:12 seconds.”

Well shit, Heero thought. Not a bad time at all, although it put's us into second place by two hundredths of a second. It didn't matter to him though, he was just pleased and relieved that Nataku had come through for him and proven that his faith in her and what he'd seen she could be were not unfounded.

As Heero rode out, the final competitor rode in, but Heero didn't take any notice other than to wish the person good luck, all his attention was focused on the group waiting for him. Once Nataku came to a halt, everyone pounced at once. Horse and rider found themselves surrounded by their friends, all offering congratulations, pats and praise.

The final rider had a few difficulties with the raised course and came out with four faults and a time of 32:28 seconds. The steward was calling the placegetters to form up to enter the arena for their rosettes. Heero turned the bay around and rode back to the entrance of the arena to wait for the official results.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the results of the Table A - B grade event. In first place with a clear round and time of 30:10 is Miss Diane Fredricks riding Harmony. In second place with a clear round and time of 30:12 is Heero Yuy riding Mr. Wufei Chang's Nataku. In third place with four faults and a time of 32:28 is Kevin Marsden riding Apocalypse. In fourth place with eight faults and a time of 34:06 is David Garden riding Mrs. Kay Spencer's Foxwood Heyday.”

The four horses and riders made their way back into the arena and the judge. Once the rosettes were presented, Heero followed behind the gray in their lap of honor before retreating to the safety of the collecting ring and his friends and partner once more.

~ * ~

tbc...
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Equus