Love On Horseback:
Part Four
For some reason, Sakura woke up bright and early. Suzy was still asleep, and when Sakura went down stairs, no one seemed to be there either. Sakura decided to go outside and have a look around. She had worn brown pants, with a white t-shirt outside, and was a bit cold. Being winter, the weather was chilly. Sakura shivered and wrapped her arms around her. "Should've worn a sweater." She said.
She found herself at the stables. She saw horses of all kinds. Arabians, Thoroughbreds, and smaller ponies too. She petted the ponies, who neighed at her touch. Sakura's gaze fell upon a horse at the end of the stable. It reared back and moved restlessly in its stall. Sakura walked over to it and looked at it carefully. It was a black Arabian. It's eyes…a familiar dark amber. "You're Lightning aren't you?" She said by instinct.
Lightning reared back again, but Sakura didn't flinch. She bravely stepped up and when the horse came down, it gazed at her. Green eyes met Amber and Sakura brought up her hand and Lightning sniffed it. Slowly, Lightning lowered his head and Sakura petted its head.
"Good boy." She whispered.
"He likes you." A voice said.
Sakura pulled back her hand and turned to see Li coming down towards her.
"You're up early." She said with a smile. Remembering it was morning she shivered in the cold.
"I could say the same to you." He replied. He came up and took off his jacket. He wrapped it around Sakura and pulled her close, keeping her warm.
"Arigato Li." She said sweetly.
Li smiled and looked to Lightning. "Long time no see." Lightning used his head and nuzzled Li. Sakura giggled as Lightning's hot breath blew through Li's hair, making it a mess.
"How did you tame him? He doesn't seem all that wild to me." Sakura commented.
Li glanced up at his counterpart. "He can be if he wants to. I guess we just met an understanding…
An eight-year old Li stood in the front of a large black Arabian. The Arabian was roped to the wall and was thrashing wildly. The horse's hooves came down hard, after rearing back, inches from Li's face. Li didn't flinch or react in any way. He gazed at the horse and put on a worried expression.
"You have sad eyes." He said.
The horse stopped in his tracks and gazed at the small boy in front of him.
"What's your name?" Li asked.
The horse neighed and shook its head. Li came up and petted its nose. "I'll call you Lightning."
"From then on," Li continued. "He would only let me ride him."
Sakura smiled. "Wow." She said as she turned to Lightning again and patted his head.
"Now after that trip down memory lane, I'm hungry. Shall we go inside where it's warm and have some breakfast?" Li suggested.
"Sure!" Sakura said and she and Li walked back to the house.
Fumi passed a bowl of food across to Suzy, who took it and served herself. "So Li." She said. "Where are you going on your picnic?"
Fumi held back a laugh, while Li blushed. "It's a surprise."
"Oh." She looked at her cousin and smiled. "You taking Lightning?"
Li's head shot up. "I was thinking about it."
"What about your guitar?" Fumi said.
Li glared at him, but Sakura's eyes went wide at the news. "Li can play the guitar too?"
" 'Too?' What does that mean?" Suzy asked.
"Well, I know he can play the recorder well, but the guitar is something totally different." Sakura replied.
"He's always known how to play it." Fumi said.
"He's just shy." Suzy said.
"Will you be bringing it Li?" Sakura asked.
Li shrugged his shoulder. "I might."
Aunt Rena brought in some more refreshments and poured everyone something to drink. "So Sakura." She said. "What do you think of my nephew Li?"
"Yes do tell." Fumi and Suzy said at the same time.
Sakura blushed and glanced over at Li who had his head in his hands. "Um…well…" What do I say? "He's very smart, protective, brave…um…kind, cute and very sincere. He always speaks what's in his heart and mind."
By the time Sakura had ended, Li was bright red. Everyone else had their mouths hanging on the floor.
"Are you sure we're talking about our Li?" Fumi joked.
"If you are, he's changed more than we thought." Suzy commented.
"I always knew my Li was a sweet little boy!" Aunt Rena squealed. Everyone sweat dropped.
Sakura cleared her throat. "If everyone's done, and it's all right with you, I'll do the dishes."
"No, you're the guest. It's okay. I'll do it." Suzy said.
"It's no problem. It's the least I can do." Sakura picked up her plate and started collecting the dishes.
Fumi reached under the table and pinched Li's arm. "Ouch!" Li exclaimed. Fumi glared at him and Li caught the hint. "I'll help!" (See Li isn't as air headed as the anime makes him appear to be!)
Sakura nodded and with Li's help, they took all the dishes to the kitchen. "So Li. When do you plan to leave for the picnic?" Sakura asked.
Li rinsed a dish and placed it in the dish rack. "About noon. It's the prettiest then."
Sakura frowned. "What is?"
Li smiled sideways at her. "You'll see."
Li took Lightning out of his stall and took him over to the grooming area. He tied him up and started brushing him down. Sakura watched with interest. Li looked at her. "Want to help?"
Sakura smiled. "Yeah!"
Li handed her a brush and placed a hand over hers. "Now, when you groom a horse, you have to go with the flow of the hair, not against it. Like this." Li stroked Lightning's back with the brush, going the same way as the hair naturally grew.
"Okay." Sakura proceeded to help Li groom Lightning. Then they saddled him up, brought their gear, and made ready to leave. Li hooked on the picnic basket and guitar, ^_^, onto the side of Lightning's saddle.
He put one foot into the straddle and pulled himself up. Holding the reins in one hand, he reached down to Sakura. She took his hand, and sat sidesaddle (both legs on one side) behind him on Lightning. She wrapped his arms around Li's waist, bringing a blush to her face. Li squeezed with his thighs and Lightning started to walk towards the picnic spot.
Brian watched from the stables, as the couple started away. So they're going to have a little picnic. I'll just have to make sure to have a little surprise waiting that they will never forget. Then Brian disappeared.
A/N: Sorry! Nothing happened, but I have to go to work now! I promise to have the next part written and posted tonight! Stay toned!