All the Pretty Little Horses

There's a ranch called Golden Hope, filled with beautiful horses and lush forests…and they say…that if you ever get lost or wander off the path…a golden angel will guide you back…

Chapter 5:

He woke up, there was something cuddling his arm. The first thing he saw was gold, a lot of golden strands, not to mention the warm breath on his arm. Almost, he almost sat up but then he remembered where he was. He must've fallen asleep, looking at his arm he saw the blonde semi-curled up against him, nuzzling his arm.

The day was still bright, it must've been around noon. Dark smirked and pecked the blonde on the cheek, Krad stirred and mumbled to himself, then he sat up and looked around.

"Good morning sleeping beauty."

"Ohayou…" He replied childishly while rubbing his eyes, he looked around, "Dark? What are you doing here?"

Dark smirked watching the blonde yawn, "You don't remember?"

"Remember what?" Krad blinked and looked around, "Oh, never mind."

"We should be heading back, I'm pretty sure my break's over, and it'll be lunch soon."

"Aa…"

The two of them headed back to their horses, Dark frowned watching the blonde stumble a bit. "You okay?"

"Yea…"

He felt his forehead, "No you're not, you have a fever."

Krad shook his head, "Must be the temperature, I'm fine, really."

Hesitantly Dark nodded and got onto his horse. Every couple minutes Dark would look back at the blonde who looked too pale and dazed for his own good. He would've sped up but he was afraid that Krad would fall off his horse. When they got back the first greeting was, "Dark-san! You're back!"

Dark nodded and lead the white horse to the stables, "Krad?" The blonde had slumped over on his horse,unresponding, "Krad!"

He got the horse into the stall and slid the blonde off. Krad dropped limply into his arms, fever burning high, "Shit…Krad, come on, wake up!"

The blonde merely groaned and shuffled a bit. Dark frowned again, he picked up the blonde and headed outside where Risa was waiting for him, she looked at the unconscious boy in his arms, "What happened to him?"

"He's running a fever, taking him back to his room."

Dark headed towards Krad's cabin, it wasn't hard, carrying the blonde that is. Krad was too light for his size, the cowboy figured it was from the lack of appetite. He kicked open the door and stepped inside and was amazed, the room was neat and tidy, not a single thing looked out of place. The cowboy shook his head and focused on his task at hand. He set the unconscious blonde down onto the bed and laid the blanket over him, "Now how'd you manage to run a fever at a time like this?"

He sighed and grabbed a bowl and filled it with water. He scurried around the cabin until he found a piece of cloth, he soaked it in the water and laid it on the blonde's forehead. Dark sighed and pushed long golden bangs out of Krad's face, "Reckless…"

Dark looked around, there was an empty canvas in the corner, a canvas? Is he a painter? There was a groan, the cowboy turned back to the blonde, he re-soaked the cloth and put it back on his head, "You're really burning up, maybe I should call the doctor…"

Just then the phone rang, the cowboy jumped and went over to pick it up, "Hello?"

"Master Krad?"

Dark blinked, "No…he's kind of sick right now…"

"What? What happened?"

The cowboy wondered who was on the other side, "He has a fever."

"Shall I call his doctor?"

Maybe it was his father, no...it couldn't be... "Sure."

"Alright, thank you."

"Bye."

Click. Dark stared at the phone, it sounded like his guardian, he walked back to the bed and changed the cloth again, the fever was still high, "Who was that?" He frowned wondering if it was someone who was close to the blonde, he was starting to get jealous, then he shook his head again, I'm not jealous! I'm not!

He stayed in and waited until the doctor came in. He watched the doctor treat the blonde, he bit his lip, "Is he…going to be okay?"

The doctor glanced at him, with hesitation? "Yes, he'll be fine just a little worn out, that's all."

"What's wrong with him?"

Again, the doctor paused, "He's just been out in the sun for too long."

The doctor was lying, Dark concluded, but he wasn't going to press it. He left the cabin and into the dining room for dinner, Emiko watched him, "How's Krad?"

"The doctor's helping him."

Risa took a bite of her food, "I guess he can't join us for the trail tomorrow…"

Dark stared at his food, his appetite was long gone, she sounds real upset about it. "I don't think I can go to the trail tomorrow."

The girl pouted, "Aww why?"

"Have to take care of and tame the lord of the wild horses." He winced remembering that's what Krad had called the stallion.

"But-"

He pushed his plate away and stood up, "Excuse me."

"Dark-san…"

The rancher left the room and headed back to the blonde's cabin, the doctor was gone and Krad was sleeping. He pulled up a chair and waited, finally, the blonde stirred, "It's about time you woke up."

"Nnn? What happened?" He asked, speech a little slurred.

"You caught a fever and fainted."

"Why are you here?"

"We have to take care of our guests, the doctor will be back tomorrow."

"Sorry to be a burden…"

Dark rolled his eyes, "You're in no position to be saying that." Krad chuckled, the cowboy watched him cough, "Whoa, don't strain yourself."

The blonde sighed, Dark wanted to lighten the mood that had just fallen, "I should've known a city-boy like you would've gotten sick if he stayed outside for more than an hour."

The blonde smiled, "And I should've guessed that a country-boy like you would survive it."

"That's right! Completely immune to this."

"Whatever you say Mr. Cowboy."

For once, Dark noticed something, "You don't tan, you know that? You fall asleep in the sun and you don't tan one bit."

"Must be a gift."

"Not if someone were to mistaken you for a ghost."

Krad laughed, "What a pleasant thought, I suppose you thought of me as a ghost too?"

More like an angel… "Sure did, scared my socks off."

"The great cowboy Dark Mousy frightened by little ol' me?"

Dark grinned, "You only wish."

"I suppose."

"Well, I have work to do, goodnight, I expect you to stay put in your bed, got it?"

"Yes sir, but of course sir."

"If I see you out, I'll have you sleep in the stables with the horses."

"Oh no sir, of course sir, I understand sir, goodnight sir."

Dark smirked and headed out the door, "Goodnight."

Krad laid in his bed and sighed, he pressed a hand against his forehead, still burning. The blonde frowned and shut his eyes, it didn't take him very long to fall asleep. Thank you…

The next morning the twins and the younger pair of boys set on their trail ride. Dark smiled and saw them off then turned his attention to the black horse in front of him, "Are you going to put up another fight?"

The horse nickered and started nipping on his shirt in annoyance, "Hey! Why are you taking it out on me? I'm not the one who got him sick!" The stallion just whinnied and turned his back to the cowboy, "Oi, I'm talking to you!" Then a car pulled in, it was the doctor. Dark blinked and hopped off the fence he had begun to climb and watched the man get out of the car. His horse too, turned around and watched, "Oh now you turn around."

The doctor knocked on the cabin door and in a bit the blonde opened it, he took his hat off and bowed, Krad offered him to go inside and he accepted. Then the door closed. Dark just blinked, the horse gave him a questioning neigh, "Oh shush you."

"So how are you feeling today?"

"Better I suppose."

"That's good to hear." Krad nodded, the doctor handed him pilled, "These should get rid of that fever you have."

"Thank you…" His voice was still hoarse and his throat felt terrible.

"Now as for your progress…"

"I'm not getting better."

"Yes that much is clear, but it seems to be stabilized for the time being."

"Funny, I don't feel it worsen or heal."

The doctor shook his head and sighed, "You won't be able to feel the effects until it does more damage."

"Hm?"

"Well," He packed up his things, "Call and set up another appointment soon."

"Hai."

"You better call that butler of yours, he seems mighty worried."

"Will do, thank you."

After the doctor left, Krad picked up the phone and called home, "Hello, Hikari residence."

"Hey Riff."

"Master Krad! How are you?"

"Well, the fever's gotten better…"

"That's relieving."

Krad chuckled, "I'm surprised you haven't packed up and hit the road."

"Of course not! I'm staying with here until this is all over."

The blonde blinked, until I die… "Thank you Riff…" He saw Dark approaching his cabin, "Well I have to go, bye."

"Take care, Master Krad."

"Aa…" Krad put down the phone and headed out the door to greet Dark, "What are you doing here? I thought you went on the trail ride with the other four."

"And put up with the twins?"

The blonde smirked, "Oh no, god forbids it."

"Precisely."

The two smiled and the day went on peacefully. A couple days later, things went back to as they were, Krad headed to the stables to see to his horse. Passing by the black stallion he smiled and stroked its muzzle, "Well I haven't seen you in awhile. Dark hasn't named you yet now has he?" The horse neighed, "Shame on him, I'll have to ask him about it won't I?"

He smiled and headed into the stables to tend to his own horse. Inside he saw Dark by his horse, "What are you doing here?"

Dark blinked and looked up, "Well you weren't exactly in shape to take care of your horse so I took over the job," then he added hastily, "temporarily."

"Ah well, thank you. Did you name that black horse yet?"

"Next to lord of the wild horses, no. Wait…Emiko called him king of the jugheads."

Krad raised a brow, amused, "Jugheads?"

"Horses with no sense, very irrational, they haven't been broken in yet."

"Breaking a horse in sounds so barbaric…"

"How about domesticate?"

"Better…I never knew you knew such a big word."

Dark stuck his tongue out, "Just because I don't read all that much doesn't mean I'm uneducated or something! Wait…you're not calling me stupid are you?"

Golden eyes looked away while he grinned, "No, of course not…"

"I'm not stupid!"

"I didn't say you were."

"You were implying it."

"Now why would I do that?"

The cowboy huffed and turned around, Krad yawned and stretched then winced, when he brought his hand back down there was blood coming out of his palm. The blonde was mortified, he stood there staring at his hand. Dark frowned and looked, "Let me see that, it looks pretty deep." Krad continued staring at his hand, blood, his blood, his contaminated blood… "Krad? Let me see it."

The blonde, dumbfounded, shook his head, he couldn't find the words to explain to Dark, the rancher gave him a firm look, "Come on, it couldn't be that bad…"

Again, Krad shook his head stubbornly, "Don't touch it!"

Dark looked up in shock, "Why? It's not like I don't know first aid!"

Krad held his arm at his side not caring that the blood smeared onto his clothes…as long as it didn't touch Dark, "Sorry, just don't touch it."

"But-"

"I'll get a doctor to look at it or something."

"What? Do you not trust me?"

"That's not it! Just…just don't!" With that said he ran back to his cabin.

Nya

Here's the next chapter:O Oh no, Krad got hurt again and we all know that if someone else comes in contact with the blood of a person with HIV positive (or something like that) they get the disease (or something). Hmmm...what shall I name the big stallion of black? Gak, out of time again, bye! Ummm...comments next chapter! I promise! So review! XD