I'm back again! ^^ Told you I'd update soon! Giving you two chapters tonight! Then one more afterward. ^^
Kai – About bloody time you stick to short fics.
(pouts) I could make this drag on for a few more chapters. I'm sure the readers wouldn't mind.
Kai – (eyes wide) I'll be good.
(smirks) Oh, come on. I'm sure that I could throw in some chapters with you and Hiro and those little black -
Kai – Disclaimer: She doesn't own Beyblade!
^^ Enjoy!
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A Ride Through the Storm
Chapter Three – Of Blushes and Thunderstorms
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Hiro was amazed, that was to be certain.
He kept staring at the back of Kai's relaxed form as he guided the Arabian-Walker stallion through the paddock gate. He never knew that the phoenix could ride. Then again, there wasn't a whole lot he did know about the teen.
He smiled as he rode up next to the black stallion.
Night Owl gave a surprised snort as the gelding strode up beside him. Tossing his head slightly, he snorted again, chomping the bit of the bridle a bit. The younger horse wuffled what sounded like an apology and sidestepped away enough of a space to give the older more room.
Hiro rose an eyebrow at the behavior while Kai emitted a chuckle, tightening his hold on the reins so the stallion would calm down and behave himself again.
The phoenix noted the confused look on the older male's face and gave a small smile, one that barely ghosted the corners of his lips. "You did a wrong thing," he stated, causing Hiro's eyebrow to raise even further. "Night Owl is the herd stallion according to the way he's acting. If a younger male horse comes up to him, he's going to react on instincts to show who's boss. Even though both breeds of his origin have easy-going temperaments, he's also male and instincts like to kick in."
"How is it you know so much about horses?" the blue haired male asked, letting his gaze move from the proud Arabian-Walker to his own sheepish Missouri Fox Trotter. The painted gelding was a little wary of the pure black stallion and kept his distance more than a foot away and slightly behind the older's movements.
"I used to own a Lipizzaner a while back. I was supposed to have a Friesian, but Voltaire found out that most shows they compete in are dressage, and he didn't want anything to downsize the Hiwatari name. A Lipizzaner was bred for its military looks, courage, and smooth gait. Even though it is also a common horse for dressage, it's also entered in many other competitions."
"Really? Well, you have a way with them." Hiro chuckled. "Never pictured you for a [horse whisperer]."
Kai blushed a little. "I'm not a horse whisperer," he argued. "I just remember that they have feelings and minds, too, and need to be treated as much."
Hiro smiled. "Sure, and that blush across your face helps your argument." That got a deeper shade of red adorning the phoenix's cheeks. "You shouldn't look so cute when arguing. It's not fair to the other side. They won't be able to think of anything other than how adorable you look."
Kai blinked, a small squeak of embarrassment escaping his throat. He turned to glare at his riding companion. "I am not cute, nor adorable!" he growled.
Hiro just chuckled. "That's what they all say. You know, the first step of overcoming anything is to stop denying things that you know are true."
The phoenix spluttered a bit, not knowing how to respond to that comment, not to mention retaliate.
The older male looked up at the dark clouds. "Looks like it's gonna rain. We better get back soon otherwise when the cool rain hits your hot body, there'll be steam so thick we won't be able to see a foot in front of our faces."
He glanced over at the deeply blushing teen whose mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.
'He is so cute when he can't come up with a comeback,' Hiro noted, smirking inwardly. Yeah, he had realized that he had a major crush on the dual haired teen. Now, all he needed to do was act upon those feelings. If Kai didn't return them, who cared at that point? He was going to have fun while he could, and if that meant Kai would end up passing out because of all the blood rushing to his head because of blushing so hard, so be it.
Kai bit his lip, feeling slightly uncomfortable. He didn't mind getting a compliment or two, even though he still blushed a little, but what Hiro was doing was a little over the top, teasing him like that. He didn't know why the handsome former coach was acting like that or why it affected him so much.
'Of course, that could be because I've had a crush on him since Bega, but that's besides the point,' Kai muttered in his mind, absently trying to keep Night Owl in a straight line. The stallion could smell the storm coming and was beginning to act antsy.
"We do need to get back," the younger teen said, finally getting his blush under control. "By the way the horses are acting, I'd say the storm is gonna be a strong one."
Hiro nodded and pulled left on the reins to where the painted gelding turned and was heading back. Kai did the same with Night Owl.
They had just walked a few paces when the wind picked up, whiping hair and main everywhere.
Hiro looked up, the sky a dark mass, lightning sparking dangerously close to the ground. "Kai!" he shouted above the wind. "Let's get back!"
Kai nodded and kicked the black stallion into a full-blown gallop, the trotter beside him, keeping strides. The phoenix tried to concentrate on the path that they had taken, hoping to get to the gate soon, but all thoughts ended with a blast of thunder and a white light striking the ground just a few feet in front of him. He felt the hairs on his arms stand up as the electric current passed through the air.
Both horses whinnied, frightened by the sudden burst of a lightning bolt hitting the ground.
It took all of the teen's strength to stay seated and hang on as Night Owl reared back on his hind legs and then make a dash across the paddock, opposite the fence and gate. Kai tried to get the horse under control, but the speed and determination of the strong, frightened animal was too much. He couldn't get Night Owl to stop. The ground was getting wetter by the minute, the dirt and grassy now turning into a muddy pasture.
Night Owl knew he had to get to shelter. His instincts never lied. Finding shelter for him and his rider was another factor to add into the equation. He left the gelding, knowing that as a male, he had the instincts to protect himself from the storm, and he would protect his rider just as Night was doing.
The ground started getting wet, more soggy than it had been earlier. His silver hooves started to slip a little at the speed he was going. He felt his rider, the nice young human, tug on the reins in a desperate attempt to stop him, but his instincts overrode the teachings the humans had given him. He continued to slip and slide as he galloped faster in an attempt to escape another bolt of white light that had struck the ground.
His dark eyes spotted a black mass in the limited light. It stretched out before him, cutting off any means of weaving around it. His frantic mind screamed for him to jump.
And he did.
Kai registered the fact that they were jumping, the dark figure of the paddock gate looming below them. He tried to throw his weight, keeping it with the horse, but it was too late. The gate was too high. Night Owl's back leg caught the top of the gate, throwing him off balance in midair.
Kai knew what was happening. He kicked his feet of the stirrups as Night began to roll, his muzzle and font legs hitting the ground at odd angles. Kai was thrown a few feet, landing hard on his right knee and side. His head scraped against the rocks, mud, and grass as he rolled and then came to a stop. His fogging brain barely hear and deciphered the frantic call of another human. A face came quickly into view, deep red – almost brown – eyes gazing worriedly at him before darkness finally won the battle.
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[horse whisperer] – I thought this was funny when I got so many reviews comparing Kai to the horse whisperer! ^^ I decided to put it in here! For those of you who have no idea what a horse whisperer is: check out the movie/book "The Horse Whisperer". Sad, but good book/movie. Basically, its a person who is able to understand/communicate with horses.
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No worries! Chapter four is up as well! ^^ See? I'm being nice!