Chapter 4
History
Tifa was followed closely by Aerith to the tack room so she could begin the most boring horse task ever thankfully the Tack room did have a TV and DVD player and a stereo. Aerith skipped over to the stereo and put turned it on, not happy with the first song that softly played, Aerith messed with the tuner until she found a song she liked. Tifa just shook her head Aerith always was like that when it came to music.
"So Aerith are you actually going to help me clean tack or have you something else to do?" Tifa giggled
"Well actually I do need to clean Casper's tack after all my new brow band I bought will look to clean if I don't clean the other tack" Aerith sighed. The two of the got all the supplies together and Tifa set out the tack as Aerith went to get two buckets of warm water.
"So Cloud knows then?" Aerith asked taking apart the bridle.
"Well he knows that Rufus has tried it on with me but he doesn't know about the attempted" she stopped the words couldn't form on her lips the mental and physical scars still burned to deep for her to speak the words out loud that Rufus had attempted to rape her but had failed, he had abused her that night but after a court hearing he had been cleared and Tifa was stuck working at the stables if it hadn't been for Aerith he could very well of gone through with the abuse. Tears had once again welled in Tifa's eyes and Aerith let into her arms. Aerith was really her guardian angel, since Angeal, Zack and Aerith had arrived at the stables they had been looking out for the star from day one.
It all happened a few years ago just before Tifa became a star, Angeal was at the stables for a job interview and since they were already planning on moving to the area Zack his son and his girlfriend Aerith had come the stables to well have a look around at their horses potential new home. Angeal and Zack had been looking around the stables facilities as Aerith had sneaked off and after climbing a set of stairs she heard the sound of a young women crying and another sound that she couldn't quite place coming from just behind a large door at the end of the small corridor. She didn't know why Aerith did but she kept moving toward the door and within seconds she had barged in on a pair. The women scrambled behind the newcomer hoping she would be an escape. The women was dressed in a pair of navy jods and a t-shirt that was more like a rag then a shirt anymore, the blonde haired man stood with his arms crossed and just dressed in a shirt with his trousers tossed messily on the floor. Aerith's eyes asked a thousand questions and Rufus turned on the charm.
"Wanna join in?" he asked
"You're disgusting!" Aerith cried and picked up the closet object to her and throw it at the man
"Feisty one you are" the blonde growled rubbing his cheek where the ash tray had hit him. He purposely started walking towards the girls ready to grab them and when he got close enough Aerith kicked him in the nuts.
"Come on lets go" Aerith said to the distressed women and they practically ran out the room slamming the door behind them.
"Hey now Teef it's alright Cloud won't find out I promise I won't say a word it's in the past and we've moved on, I know what he did to you was really unforgiveable but after that court hearing clearing him there is nothing much else we can do but protect you each and every day from that slim ball" Aerith whispered.
"Actually Aer there is something we can do kick Rufus out" Tifa said her voice becoming more forceful
"How?" Aerith asked raising an eyebrow
"Well I'm not sure yet but I will think of something" Tifa sighed shaking her head slightly as she removed the stirrup leathers from the first of a small heap so saddles to get through. They worked in silence cleaning the tack with the radio filling the air. Tacking clean was a task Tifa hated more than mucking out a turned up stable so after an hour they both decided to leave the tack room.
"Actually if you want I'll take that lesson at 4pm so you can get home earlier and rest that ankle" Aerith said as they walked towards the stables that Cloud had to skip out.
"That would be great Aer I mean it's that Priscilla so watch her she likes to do her own thing and she will tell you she can canter but she actually isn't ready" Tifa explained. She often taught Priscilla and she was a girl that liked to think she was better than she actually was.
"How many stables have you got left?" Tifa asked as she approached a tied up Indi outside his box.
"Indi's is the last" Cloud replied throwing soiled bedding into the wheelbarrow
"So I guess Pepsi isn't yet tacked up then" Tifa inquired
"Not yet"
"Well I'll go to tack her up I can at least manage that" Tifa sighed starting to walk away but couldn't resist stopping by Indi and wrapping her arms around him before pulling herself away and heading off to get Pepsi ready.
"It's alright boy she'll be back to see you soon" Cloud said as he lead into back into his now clean stable, Indi nudged him with his head and Cloud reached into his pocket to find a packet of polos, Indi almost snatched the packet out of Cloud's hands before Cloud had even unwrapped on for him. Offering out his hand Indi took the polo as Cloud left.
He found Tifa in the tie up, with Pepsi all tacked up. When she saw Cloud approach she immediately removed her head collar and walked over to great Cloud. They started heading to the outdoor school in silence when suddenly Tifa blurted
"Do you want to come to mine for dinner?" she immediately turned beet red and averted her gaze to the floor.
"Um sure yeah I-I would love to" Cloud blushed keeping his eyes trained ahead of him. Pepsi snorted almost like she was laughing at the pair. Cloud and Tifa couldn't help it they laugh at the pony and then the Pepsi made things worse by stopping and stomping her foot, she wasn't known as the moody bitch of the yard for nothing and the pair laughed harder getting a odd look from some of the liveries as they walked by as they continued to the school.
Cloud quickly sorted out the stirrups and girth and mounted the little black pony.
"Oh my god she has like no neck" Cloud said feeling that the little pony's face was right in front of him. Tifa giggled it was just what she had said the first time she had sat on the pony.
"What's so funny" Cloud asked the girl that was almost in tears with laughing
"It's just I said the same thing when I first rode her" she giggled. Cloud set off and Pepsi was already throwing her head about and Cloud's hands gripped tighter on the reins.
"Relax your hands and just ignore her she does that she will test you a little" Tifa called noticing his hands.
"Okay so leg on relax hands then?" Cloud confirmed, Tifa nodded and Cloud pushed Pepsi on trying his very best to ignore her head shaking behaviour and tired to ride her forward but it was tricky not to concentrate on her head especially when Cloud was struggling to sit up right with Pepsi's head practically right in front of his face.
"Let the rein out more, allow with the hands but better up body position" Tifa stated watching Cloud ride for the third time that day and she felt a pang of jealously she wanted to ride thankfully it wouldn't be long though until she would be back in the saddle.
"Circles! Ride smaller circles! SIT UP!" Tifa called seeing Cloud struggling to get Pepsi back to trot she had took off into canter almost immediately when Cloud had asked Pepsi into trot, he had tipped forward sending Pepsi into canter her believing that he was wanting to go fast, her really testing him to see what he was made of and Cloud really gave it his all he was not going to let the pony take the piss with him and after a small battle with her Cloud successfully won and had her trotting round with not too much head shaking. Pepsi however got wise to this an suddenly came to a halt Cloud looked at her as did Tifa and they both knew it wasn't that the mare needed to pee she was simply taking the piss again. Cloud squeezed her on but she didn't move she just threw her head in the air and pawed the ground so Cloud gave her a rather large kick and she took off into canter carrying her head high as Cloud fought to control her speed.
"Sit up! Lots of half halts!" Tifa called seeing the struggling Cloud fighting for control eventually Pepsi did return to Cloud, she had tested him and he won, Cloud walked Pepsi around on a long rein letting her cool off, her fur was soaked with sweat when Cloud halted and had dismounted he as well as Tifa could see the heat rising off of Pepsi.
Walking back to the tie up Pepsi was nudging her head into Cloud's side making him at times stumble.
"So I'll meet you by Fenrir in what five minutes?" Cloud asked reading himself with taking Pepsi's tack back to the tack room.
"Yeah 5 minutes is fine but.." she didn't get to finish her sentence as Cloud had nodded and left towards the tack room. Tifa shaking her head a little headed to her locker where she kept her stuff during the day and once she had thrown on her jacket and placed her ridding hat on its peg in her locker she locked it and made her way to the entrance of the stables where she would meet Cloud.
Cloud was already outside leaning against Fenrir and had somehow managed to change and was wearing dark jeans and a black shirt that showed his off his well developed chest. Tifa was already struggling to fight a blush as she made her way over to him.
"Ready?" Cloud asked, Tifa nodded and Cloud began to mount Fenrir, Tifa let out a nervous giggle as she headed over to Cloud.
"Um we don't really need to take the bike" she blushed realising what it could imply
"Still scared or you just want me to spend the night" Cloud teased
"Well it's just that I do live in walking distance" Tifa blushed again
"Well it will mean I will have to walk back for my bike so just get on" Cloud said shaking his head while trying to fight a smile. Gingerly Tifa made her way to the bike and mounted and as soon Tifa was on Cloud revved the engine making Tifa grasp Cloud for dear life then they sped away from Shinra Stables leaving a trail of dust in their wake.
Author's note – I'm first off not sure about the title of this chapter so please review if you have any ideas on a better name. Second I have found my very own Ivy during in my weekly riding lesson, I was riding a horse named Pye and he is very much like I picture Ivy's movements when Cloud is riding her unbalanced and not fully coordinated as I really could feel his back end swing out and his trot at first was always difficult to establish a rhythm to, Pye also spooked during the lesson and that action he did made me think of when Tifa rides Ivy. The only differences really between Ivy and Pye besides the Mare Gelding thing is Pye is a lot calmer and cares for all his rides when Ivy at the minute at least only cares for Cloud and the other difference is Ivy is black and Pye is Bay.
