Charmed and Dangerous: Joyful Reunion
The next morning, Sapphire woke at about four in the morning. She got dressed, drank some tea, and went to see her horses.
She was very happy, happier then she had been in a long time. She walked to Pegasus's stall and stopped. She stroked his nose and remembered the day they had found him.
~Flashback~
"Mommy! Look at the stream!" Sapphire exclaimed.
"Yes, it's beautiful." Ruby answered her four-year-old daughter. It was October 31st, and her oldest daughter had wanted to come to the stream. Crystal was at home with the flu, being taken care of by their white lighter, Chris. Sapphire loved the water.
"Sapph! Look!" Ruby said, pointing to a curled and shivering figure on the ground. She walked over and realized it was a foal.
The foal tried to run, but couldn't. Sapphire walked over to the frightened horse and stroked its nose.
'She has the gift.' Thought Ruby. 'She is wonderful with animals. Like a horse whisperer.'
They took the colt to back to the stable, which was loaned to them by Equistrian High. They nursed it back to health, and when it was old enough, broke him.
~End Flashback~
Ruby never lived to see Pegasus become a champion jumper, or any of her daughter's other horses become jumping and cross country champs. Sapphire tacked up the horse that would be exercised that morning. Today, that horse was Mercury. Within minutes, she was done tacking him up. She led him to the ring, and warmed him up with some transitions. She then used her telekinesis to raise the bars to three feet. She made another warm up circle, then headed for the first jump, unaware that a pair of crimson eyes were watching her every move. Sapphire made a figure eight with the four outside jumps, and then she did two diagonals. She made a finishing circle and completely dropped the reins. She patted Mercury's happily.
Suddenly, Hiei jumped down from nowhere. He landed beside Sapphire and asked, "Why are you hitting the animal's neck after he did a good course?" He was a little confused.
"I'm not hitting him, I'm patting him." Sapphire giggled. "That tells him that he did a good job. Mercury is one of the horses I rescued, remember?"
Hiei nodded.
"Well, his previous owner wanted him as a jumper pony. He believed you had to rope a horse's legs with a bamboo stick. That method caused him to be terrified of jumping. The owner would hit Mercury so often and so hard, that it broke Mercury's jumping spirit." Sapphire explained as she put Mercury away. She walked with Hiei out of the gate.
"You truly are amazing, Sapph." He said.
Sapphire stopped and looked at Hiei, a little confused. Then she smiled. "Let's go summon mom." She said.
~~
Everyone sat in the attic of the penthouse. Sapphire and Crystal made a circle of candles.
"Everything ready with you, Crys?"
"Yup! Go ahead and start."
"Here my plea,
I call to thee,
Spirit on the other side,
Come to me,
I summon thee,
Cross now
The Great Divide." Sapphire chanted. Wind blew through the attic. The candles in the circles flickered, and a swirl of blue lights formed in the center. The lights started to take form.
"Mommy!" Crystal yelled, jumping up and down with excitement.
"Mom!" Sapphire yelled too, unable to control herself.
"Hello, Sapph, Crys. How are you two?" Ruby said, stepping through the circle and becoming solid. She hugged her daughters.
"Mommy! Sapph defeated the sea hag!" Crystal exclaimed. Ruby pulled back from her daughters. She looked at her oldest.
"It's true, mom! She's dead . . ." Sapphire smiled.
"Wonderful!" Ruby exclaimed. She looked at the boys. "Who are they?"
"That's Kurama and Yusuke." Crystal said, pointing.
"And Hiei and Kuwabara."
"Nice to meet you." Ruby said politely. "My name is Ruby."
Everyone smiled, except for Hiei who nodded. Ruby turned to Sapphire and asked, "How are Pegasus and the others?"
"Pegasus is great! I trained him, and he's now a champion jumper!" Sapphire giggled.
"Good! And how was the fair?"
"Great! I took Cyclone for jumping, Star for dressage, and Daughter of the Wind for cross country, and Fair Knightess for horsemanship."
"How did they do?"
"Well, it started with dressage. Star placed as champ. Then came cross- country. We finished in record time, and got champ in that too. Next was stadium jumping. It went well until . . . we went over the last jump. It was on oxer. We jumped fine but there was a spear shape stuck in the ground, point up. Cyclone landed square on it. The stone went through his hoof, through the frog, hoof wall and everything. He cantered the two strides it took to finish, then collapsed." She paused to think. "The on- site vet came over and said that if they didn't operate immediately, he would be too lame and would have to be euthanized. I had no choice but to freeze him so he wouldn't feel any pain. The vet pulled it out and wrapped it. She finished right when my power wore off. He's been on rehab for a month. The owner of the fair paid for the operation. I told him not to, but he did it behind my back. I never got to do the horsemanship class."
"That's good. And Mercury? You rescued him last year. How is he now?"
"Well, before we summoned you, I did a three foot handy hunter course." Sapphire answered, proud of her accomplishments.
"That's wonderful honey! I knew you could turn him around!"
"What about my nightmares, mom? Will they end now?" Sapphire asked, changing the subject.
"Yes, they should end very soon. Within the week."
"We'll miss you mom!" Crystal said hugging her mother.
"We'll summon you next year." Sapphire said, hugging Ruby as well.
Ruby stepped back into the circle of candles and went back to the spirit world. She would watch over her daughters from there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Notes: Woohoo! LuckySpirit is engrossed with Hiei, and she's drooling . . .
LS: *drool* Hiiiieeeeiiiii . . .
DC: I've got *looks around* SWEET SNOW!
LS: Sweet snow? WHERE?!?!?!
The next morning, Sapphire woke at about four in the morning. She got dressed, drank some tea, and went to see her horses.
She was very happy, happier then she had been in a long time. She walked to Pegasus's stall and stopped. She stroked his nose and remembered the day they had found him.
~Flashback~
"Mommy! Look at the stream!" Sapphire exclaimed.
"Yes, it's beautiful." Ruby answered her four-year-old daughter. It was October 31st, and her oldest daughter had wanted to come to the stream. Crystal was at home with the flu, being taken care of by their white lighter, Chris. Sapphire loved the water.
"Sapph! Look!" Ruby said, pointing to a curled and shivering figure on the ground. She walked over and realized it was a foal.
The foal tried to run, but couldn't. Sapphire walked over to the frightened horse and stroked its nose.
'She has the gift.' Thought Ruby. 'She is wonderful with animals. Like a horse whisperer.'
They took the colt to back to the stable, which was loaned to them by Equistrian High. They nursed it back to health, and when it was old enough, broke him.
~End Flashback~
Ruby never lived to see Pegasus become a champion jumper, or any of her daughter's other horses become jumping and cross country champs. Sapphire tacked up the horse that would be exercised that morning. Today, that horse was Mercury. Within minutes, she was done tacking him up. She led him to the ring, and warmed him up with some transitions. She then used her telekinesis to raise the bars to three feet. She made another warm up circle, then headed for the first jump, unaware that a pair of crimson eyes were watching her every move. Sapphire made a figure eight with the four outside jumps, and then she did two diagonals. She made a finishing circle and completely dropped the reins. She patted Mercury's happily.
Suddenly, Hiei jumped down from nowhere. He landed beside Sapphire and asked, "Why are you hitting the animal's neck after he did a good course?" He was a little confused.
"I'm not hitting him, I'm patting him." Sapphire giggled. "That tells him that he did a good job. Mercury is one of the horses I rescued, remember?"
Hiei nodded.
"Well, his previous owner wanted him as a jumper pony. He believed you had to rope a horse's legs with a bamboo stick. That method caused him to be terrified of jumping. The owner would hit Mercury so often and so hard, that it broke Mercury's jumping spirit." Sapphire explained as she put Mercury away. She walked with Hiei out of the gate.
"You truly are amazing, Sapph." He said.
Sapphire stopped and looked at Hiei, a little confused. Then she smiled. "Let's go summon mom." She said.
~~
Everyone sat in the attic of the penthouse. Sapphire and Crystal made a circle of candles.
"Everything ready with you, Crys?"
"Yup! Go ahead and start."
"Here my plea,
I call to thee,
Spirit on the other side,
Come to me,
I summon thee,
Cross now
The Great Divide." Sapphire chanted. Wind blew through the attic. The candles in the circles flickered, and a swirl of blue lights formed in the center. The lights started to take form.
"Mommy!" Crystal yelled, jumping up and down with excitement.
"Mom!" Sapphire yelled too, unable to control herself.
"Hello, Sapph, Crys. How are you two?" Ruby said, stepping through the circle and becoming solid. She hugged her daughters.
"Mommy! Sapph defeated the sea hag!" Crystal exclaimed. Ruby pulled back from her daughters. She looked at her oldest.
"It's true, mom! She's dead . . ." Sapphire smiled.
"Wonderful!" Ruby exclaimed. She looked at the boys. "Who are they?"
"That's Kurama and Yusuke." Crystal said, pointing.
"And Hiei and Kuwabara."
"Nice to meet you." Ruby said politely. "My name is Ruby."
Everyone smiled, except for Hiei who nodded. Ruby turned to Sapphire and asked, "How are Pegasus and the others?"
"Pegasus is great! I trained him, and he's now a champion jumper!" Sapphire giggled.
"Good! And how was the fair?"
"Great! I took Cyclone for jumping, Star for dressage, and Daughter of the Wind for cross country, and Fair Knightess for horsemanship."
"How did they do?"
"Well, it started with dressage. Star placed as champ. Then came cross- country. We finished in record time, and got champ in that too. Next was stadium jumping. It went well until . . . we went over the last jump. It was on oxer. We jumped fine but there was a spear shape stuck in the ground, point up. Cyclone landed square on it. The stone went through his hoof, through the frog, hoof wall and everything. He cantered the two strides it took to finish, then collapsed." She paused to think. "The on- site vet came over and said that if they didn't operate immediately, he would be too lame and would have to be euthanized. I had no choice but to freeze him so he wouldn't feel any pain. The vet pulled it out and wrapped it. She finished right when my power wore off. He's been on rehab for a month. The owner of the fair paid for the operation. I told him not to, but he did it behind my back. I never got to do the horsemanship class."
"That's good. And Mercury? You rescued him last year. How is he now?"
"Well, before we summoned you, I did a three foot handy hunter course." Sapphire answered, proud of her accomplishments.
"That's wonderful honey! I knew you could turn him around!"
"What about my nightmares, mom? Will they end now?" Sapphire asked, changing the subject.
"Yes, they should end very soon. Within the week."
"We'll miss you mom!" Crystal said hugging her mother.
"We'll summon you next year." Sapphire said, hugging Ruby as well.
Ruby stepped back into the circle of candles and went back to the spirit world. She would watch over her daughters from there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Notes: Woohoo! LuckySpirit is engrossed with Hiei, and she's drooling . . .
LS: *drool* Hiiiieeeeiiiii . . .
DC: I've got *looks around* SWEET SNOW!
LS: Sweet snow? WHERE?!?!?!