1Disclaimer: I own nothing except the sad excuse of a plot...
Pairings: YxU, JxA
Author's Note: Well...here's a continuation of Aelita's first day. Yay!
The stable was exactly where Yumi had said it would be. About two blocks from the school. A winding drive led up to the front of the brick barn. Emerald pastures stretched out on all sides and huge oak and elm trees provided shade. They walked into the stable and were instantly emerged in a dim coolness, the smell of hay, horse, saddle soap, and fly spray surrounding them. There was a soft whrrrr as fans revolved slowly in the stalls and down the aisles.
"Hello, can I help you?"
They looked up in surprise to see a teenage girl coming down the stairs. She gave them a friendly smile, brushing dark red hair out of her face. She was dressed in muddied boots, dark green jeans that had a purple floral print on them, and a tie-died tee.
"We're looking for horses to ride. Maybe on a trail?" she suggested.
The girl's smile widened. "That's great, I'll just need you to fill out some paperwork and you can be on your way." She walked into a little room that served as an office and motioned for them to join. Ulrich grabbed Odd by the back of the shirt, dragging him away from the vending machine and into the office. "By the way, my name is Sydney Bellmont," she added.
"I'm Yumi, this is Jeremie, Aelita, Ulrich, and...Odd."
"Odd? Is that your real name?" Sydney asked in surprise.
"Yep," Odd answered proudly, grabbing a pencil out of a jar and beginning to fill out the paperwork quickly. "This is great, I haven't read a horse since...well, since the pony rides at my party when I was about seven," he admitted. The others laughed and Yumi shook her head. "What about you Ulrich, ever been riding? I doubt Jeremie has, and I know Aelita hasn't. Not sure about Yumi since she knew where this place was," Odd rambled.
Yumi bit her lip to keep from laughing, glancing at Ulrich and he glared at her. "Never." He turned to his own paperwork as Yumi let out a giggle. He shot her a look before continuing on. About ten minutes later they finished with the paperwork and Sydney collected it, quickly scanning it.
"Alright. Want me to introduce you to the trail horses?" she asked. They nodded and she led them to a second barn of red brick and inside were rows of stalls with heads sticking out. The horses snorted, whinnied, and neighed at the sight of the humans. "This side is beginner's, this is intermediate to experienced. I'd suggest you go with the beginner's. Each stall has the name of the horse on the door," she explained.
Odd walked around, glancing at one horse after another before finally looking at a name plate and burst out in a fit of unstoppable giggles. "I want this one!" he called.
"What's its name?" Jeremie asked.
"Oddball!" Odd exclaimed. The others started laughing and then quickly picked their horses. Aelita got a pretty mare named Lily, Jeremie got a gelding named Stripe, Yumi picked a brown mare named Jazz, and Ulrich picked a gelding named Tiger. Sydney and another groom quickly tacked the horses up and helped the five mount.
"Go straight out the back, there's a trail that cuts between two pastures and leads into the surrounding woods. It's a trail for beginner's. Easy. You only paid for an hour, so if your not back by then, I'll ride out and find you," she explained. They agreed, and then turned their horses around and headed in the direction she had pointed out to them.
"She seems nice," Odd commented absentmindedly. "I wonder if she lives here..." he added.
"Has Cupid hit you with his arrow?" Ulrich teased. Odd stuck his tongue out at him before urging Oddball into a faster walk.
"Yee-haw! Giddy-up little horsie!" he called.
"Odd you're a nutcase," Jeremie called. He glanced at Aelita. "Having fun?"
"Oh yes. This is really fun. You do this all the time on Earth?" she asked, smiling.
"No. Well, some people do. I don't. But it's a recreational activity that is optional," he explained.
Yumi glanced at Ulrich. "See, it's not to bad, is it?"
"Whatever," he replied off handedly. He shrugged, glancing around.
"Your clenching. Relax. Your horse can feel it." She smiled reassuringly at him. "Your doing a great job, honest," she added quietly. He nodded, willing himself to relax. He didn't necessarily hate horses. He just didn't like idea of not being in complete control. And the idea of having so little to hang onto while being higher off the ground then usual, didn't exactly soothe the butterflies dancing in his stomach, or his nerves.
They were in the woods now. Sunlight leaked through the leaves, dappling the trail ahead of them. Odd rode on ahead, calmly reaching up and picking leaves off low hanging branches. Then came Jeremie and Aelita right behind him. "Everything is so beautiful here," she whispered. Yumi was after Aelita, and then himself. He shifted uncertainly in the saddle as they emerged in a small clearing. They could see where the trail picked up again and Odd urged his horse into a trot. The others followed suit, Yumi glancing worriedly behind her.
Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to involve Ulrich in this after all, she thought. But Aelita's having a blast...I knew she would. Just then her thoughts were interrupted by a startled whinny. She spun around in her saddle, just in time to see Tiger rear and charge off in a gallop, a rabbit bounded off to the wood. "Let go! Fall!" Yumi yelled.
Odd, Jeremie, and Aelita sat there, the horses snorting and shifting restlessly. Yumi kicked her horse into a gallop, and followed after Ulrich who was clinging desperately to the saddle and mane, trying without success to stop the horse. There was a snap as the horse broke into the woods and then thrashing and neighing. Yumi followed and was five yards into the woods before pulling up short. "Ulrich!" she screamed. She heard the other three horses coming up behind her as she climbed off the horse.
Ulrich lay in a bloody heap, tangled into the brush. Blood seemed to be coming from everywhere, covering everything. She dropped down next to him. "Ulrich..." she whispered.
"Yumi...I..." his voice trailed off and his chest stopped mid breath. Yumi curled up around him, crying hysterically.
Author's Note: Remember, review. Oh and, Sydney's mine! No touchy!