InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Wild ❯ The Race ( Chapter 4 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

A/N: Heh, I think this is the hardest one to write so far. Too many things happening at once. So, here we go! OH! Wait, more charas I forgot to claim as mine!

Monty- A good-hearted man that cannot keep his eyes off of women. He is a good trainer and knows horses. He used methods that are considered gentle in that time. He is portly, with gray hair and sharp black eyes.

Jay- A mean guy who sucks up to Inuyasha to keep his job. He does not believe in their methods, but likes the money. He is a jockey and has many wins under his belt. He is about 5ft tall and 90 pounds with red hair and green weasel eyes.

Kagome- I didn't make her up, but you ought to know a little about her. She is a poor girl who used to work for Inuyasha. They were caught in an affair and she was forced to quit. She moved in with her friend Sango. Kagome you all know has ebony hair and dark eyes. I decided to make them dark blue.

Miroku- Again, not mine, but you ought to know a little about him. He is a good friend of both Inuyasha and Kagome, and takes her to the Madenia race. He likes Sango but she gets really mad when he touches her and he doesn't understand why. Hee, Hee

Stan- A seemingly nice guy with broad shoulders, medium brown hair and green eyes. He is very attracted to Rin. He rides under Sesshoumaru. His methods of horse training mirror Rin's, but there's more to this gentle man than first thought.

Chapter 4: The Race

Disclaimer: The usual. I only own ones I created, but none from the story Inuyasha are mine. sniffle I wish…

“Who are you betting on, Miroku?” The pretty young girl sitting beside the man she had questioned was watching the horses raptly through binoculars. She had a passion for the sweet, intelligent animals.

“I think I will bet on the underdog, this time Lady Kagome. I have a little extra money and besides, I seem to have good luck with them.” He smiled mischievously, his warm hand patting her upper thigh slyly. She absently smacked his wandering hand and continued her fascinated watch of the proud animals parading below.

“What one is that?” She asked, concentrating on the horses to recognize which one his answer would be.

“Number three. The horses name is Keno, and his rider is called…” He stopped and peered closer at the race program in his shaking hand. “My god.” Were the only words to come out of his baffled mouth.

“What?” Kagome asked him in concern, finally putting down the prized binoculars. He sat back and wordlessly handed her the paper. She quickly and quietly scanned through it until she found the maiden stake race Miroku had bet on. She started to read.

“Number 1, Taranina, rider Stan Lexo… Number 2… Niathra, rider John Parry. Ah, here we go! Number 3… Keno, rider is… Lady Rin? As in, the girl who lost her parents a few years ago? Whose colors is she riding under?” She asked quickly, eyes blazing.

“She is riding under Inuyasha's colors, blue and gold.” He informed her, every word biting into her mind, bringing up painful memories. Long lost memories of yesterday that one would wish to never remember. She dazedly fumbled for the binoculars and shakingly brought them to her sapphire orbs, staring again into the field of swarming four legged beasts. The number three horse paraded out of the waiting area and all other thoughts were forgotten, temporarily shut out by shock. Her breath caught in her throat.

“Oh my god. Miroku, you won't believe this.” Her fortuneteller eyes studied his deep brown ones while he took the binoculars and peered into them. He scanned the field and spotted what had astonished Kagome so.

“Your number three horse is racing saddle-less and bridle-less!” She exclaimed at the exact moment it registered in his mind. The world tilted at an odd angle suddenly.

Rin laid a gentle hand lightly on Keno's neck to calm the tense animal as they paraded toward the alluring starting gate. This was her dream, what she had hoped for all of her life. And here she was, headed toward the start of what she hoped would be only the beginning of a long career; her dream. The raucous yet delightful noise of astonishment and wonder and horror could be heard this very moment. The people were horrified that a woman would be racing, never mind the fact she did it without any tack on her nervous mount. She wanted to laugh outright at the stunned and almost scared looks. No one had ever heard of riding without some amount of physical control of a horse. She was absolutely certain there were people in the crowd who were accusing her right this short moment of witchcraft; saying there was no way anyone could have control of any creature like that. She shook her head, remembering how it almost hadn't happened. When she had gone to be weighed without any tack or whip, the officials had almost gone into hysterics. God, they had given her such a hard time when she told them that she would be going without any of the usual things. She had argued steamily for at least five minutes before Inuyasha had strode in casually to smooth things over. He had told her to just weigh up and get going, issuing orders like a king. The funny thing was the way they followed them. One person had come down from the judges' stand and said she could not ride, that it was inconceivable. He had countered with a simple question, delivered smooth and nice: Was there any rule that said a woman could not race? Or one that required the proper use of tack? The judge had returned to his post, completely baffled for there was no such rule. That being, they had to allow her to race until it was changed.

So now, here she was, doing the impossible, racing her untrainable horse. She drank the moment up, memorizing the song of the crowd, the smell of sweaty horses and dirt, but most of all, the feel of the horse beneath her and the excitement both of them knew for a coming event. Keno could sense her tenseness and was excited, he knew what that meant, and it meant he would get to run. Happiness tickled her brain and made her dizzy, she only hoped it did not affect her ride. As the starting gate neared she tried to talk to her horse, petting his neck. She found herself too choked up though and thanked the gods he did not balk nor spook at the gate. He came to the opening and stopped to sniff it hesitantly. The helper came up behind to help but she waved them away.

“He'll go in, he just wants to see it first.” She said, hoping it was true. The helpers gave her annoyed look, angry that she was going to keep them waiting with her obviously stupid nag. They refused to believe that any strong spirited, high-strung horse would be controlled with a simple touch. Keno walked into the claustrophobic space after a brief examination and Rin knew that they would never have any problem with the starting gate again. The jockey on her left, John Parry, lifted his chin nonchalantly at Keno, completely ignoring his uniqueness. John was one of Inuyasha's many riders and had known she would be in this race.

“His first time in the gate?” He asked, no emotion in his rumbling baritone. She nodded and bit her lip.

“Yeah, but this is a good position for us, it should be an easy start.” He nodded and leaned toward her for a moment.

“Watch out for the rider on number 7, he rides dirty.” He sat up and forward after whispering that quick helpful information. “Get ready.” The number 10 horse was shut in and she leaned forward, getting into her customary position. She clutched his mane in both hands and felt his muscles bunch and tense, ready for the spring, knowing what came next. A few eternally long seconds passed and then the welcome sound of clanking metal was heard in the dead silence. Ten powerful loads of muscle and adrenaline came surging out of the gate as if fired from gun. Keno was a sprinter but so were many of the other horses in this field. They came out and were at a good speed quickly, holding back much of their energy for later on in the race. Rin found herself gratefully even with the second horse and the fourth horse, Decca, had fallen behind them. Running easily beside Deca was number six, Ataria, looking bored with the whole thing. Number one and five were dueling for an early lead that would tire their horses quickly in this unusually long race. They pulled far ahead but Rin had no worries, even now with the speed they were going she knew she could catch them, and would anyway as soon as their horses tired from the hard run.

The first turn came up and Keno switched leads, trying to surge off, but she held him steady, not ready to go yet. Around the first turn they came and the order was still the same, but the two ahead were tiring and starting to lose their lead. An unfamiliar horse slid up on her right out of nowhere and she recognized it as number seven. She watched him carefully, knowing that for a prank, it was early and she could get out of it easily if he waited just a moment longer…

And then she knew it, the timing was perfect. Ataria's jockey had seen what the man on number seven was going to do and had decided now was the time to make his move. Rin had seen this and anticipated it, planning it all quickly. A moment after Ataria started to move forward, she did also, asking Keno for more speed, which he quickly and almost joyously complied with. The jockey on number seven had been just about to bump her and throw her balance, but found she was moving away too quickly. Once she was a length and a half away from seven, she stopped asking for speed and held the anxious Keno there, waiting for Ataria. It wasn't long before he pulled up next to her and slowed for hardly a second. He looked over at her and she saw a flash of thankfulness and a hint of a smile. She flashed a quick smile before directing her attention back where it belonged, to the race. They were two-thirds through the race and all of the late movers were slipping up closer, trying to take the lead. Deca was slipping in along the rail next to John Parry, trying to take his third place spot. John would have none of it and made his move at the same moment, slowly drawing away from Deca and Jay. Then Ataria and Deca were on either side of her, vying for the lead. John looked across at her and she at him, winking. He barely caught it and gave up hope of first place, having seen Keno's speed once before. Rin leaned close to her baby's neck and gave him what he wanted, freedom. He took off with a suddenness that had the crowd on its feet, they had never seen such speed before! They slipped from between Ataria and Niathra, drawing away faster than anyone would have thought possible. Even Rin was surprised, holding Keno back so long had agitated him, and now he was giving his best. They were a length away, then two, the three. The sounds of the outside world did not register in her mind, only the glorious feeling of abandon and freedom. Flying was the only word that could describe it. It took her a full count of three to realize they had passed the finish line. Reluctantly, she sat back and pulled her straining horse to a halt, much to his annoyance. But he did not object, only slowing a little more gradually than normal until she said his name lowly in his ear. Sensitive ears flicked back and he stopped quickly, ashamed to have displeased her, if only for a second. She reached down and petted his neck, understanding but not wanting to let him get away with anything. The others from the race flew past her, having a much harder time pulling their horses up from the immense speed. Many had perplexed or stunned looks for her as they passed, but she saw none of them. John had a smile but was shaking his head ruefully.

Then it hit her; they had won. They had really won! She had beaten the others, as easily as she would have the old stable nag! Her face glowed and her eyes flashed; this was her moment of triumph. Inuyasha was running up to her with a large grin on his face, and she headed to the center green to meet him there. She found herself consumed by such happiness she could not deny the need to share it and jumped off mid stride to hug him. He hugged her back fiercely, whispering in her ear.

“You've done it! You've really done it!” They pulled away from each other and she grinned.

“I told you I would beat them! Do you remember?” he did, well enough. That moment when he realized just how beautiful she was.

“Yeah, I remember.” Then he motioned for her to remount for the picture with the wreath of flowers. A man tried to get close enough to put it on, but was scared away by Keno's laid-back ears and bared teeth. She laughed, not having the heart to reprimand him for that, and looked to Inuyasha. He immediately understood her silent question and took the wreath from the terrified man, letting Keno sniff his hand to recognize him. Keno relaxed and allowed his head to be pulled down to put the wreath over his head and around his neck. He wore it proudly, as if he knew it was his prize for running so fast. They posed for the picture, Inuyasha standing next to her and Keno, Monty on the other side of him helping him hold the trophy they had won. All three of them were grinning, and Keno perked his ears and arched his neck at just the right moment, right before the camera flashed. Once again Rin marveled at the intelligence of her Baby, pondering how he understood and knew such things. He always tried to anticipate her feeling and wants, making her laugh and sometimes growl in annoyance when he got ahead of her and did a maneuver without her asking.

“Rin, I'll cool him out if you want so you can change.” Inuyasha looked up at her, having sent the trophy to be locked up until they brought it home. She was once again riveted by his appearance for a moment, and had to shake off the feeling before answering.

“No, you know that I can't do that. I'll take care of him, then go and take care of myself. You have horses in other races to take care of, plus John I think ended up with third in this race.”

He was so caught up in her win that he did not notice it. He looked over and saw she was right, Ataria had taken second and Niathra had come into a close third. He grinned at this new revelation. First and third in the maiden race, not bad! It certainly wouldn't do too much harm for business! “I have to go and take that picture, so I'll see you later, Rin.” He smothered a chuckle and headed that way, an extra jauntiness in his step.

Rin reached down and felt Keno's sweaty neck for heat, finding it amazingly not very hot. He would still need to be walked for a few minutes. Her still slightly dazed eyes found a familiar person and she began in that direction without even thinking, too full of her own happiness to be mean or gloating.

“Good ride Jay. You ran a good fourth. Niathra had trouble staying ahead of you.” His dark eyed held confusion and distrust, was she being sarcastic? He looked closer at her expression but knew her well enough to know that was not her thing. She was being serious. He felt something within him open and tried to quell it but failed. She smiled at him and saw something close to softness in his dark eyes.

“You… had, good run too. Nice job.” He managed to get out harshly. She looked slightly surprised for a moment and he almost took it back, but then she smiled. That moment he realized just how much better he liked it when she smiled at him then when she was angry. And suddenly it made more sense to see her face looking at him that way then in annoyance. He lost himself momentarily in her chocolate eyes, only snapping out of it when she began to ride away from him and towards the person who had come in second. He felt as if he should feel angry with himself for being nice to her, but surprised himself by not regretting it one bit. Instead he watched her go, a slight smile lifting the corners of his lips.

Stan saw the girl coming as soon as she turned toward him. He had been watching her carefully, trying to decide how to approach her. When he had seen what that jockey riding number seven had been trying to do, he had done his best to , ho, hoping to force her into making an early start, trying to stop something disastrous from happening. He had hoped that he would be stopping her from being trampled under thundering hooves, and had been surprised when she had pulled up just enough to let him beside her. When he had pulled up beside her he had expected to see anger or determination to win. What he had not expected was the thankfulness that flashed across her eyes and the quick apology her eyes had bestowed before she had turned her attention to the other side. He had not understood it then, but certainly did now. The way she had taken off, he knew what she was apologizing for, she was saying sorry because she knew she was going to win! He had not had time to be stunned at the time, because Niathra was trying to pull ahead of him and grab the second place trophy. He had had to battle for that one and had ended up with it only by a half of a length. He smiled at her as she approached, using his charm to keep her unbalanced. It worked and she was flustered enough to allow him to start the conversation.

“I see someone else likes to cool their own horse out and make sure they are taken care of correctly.” His smile made her feel self-conscious and she blushed.

“Yeah, that and the only one who can touch Keno besides me is Inuyasha, but he has other things to do. Just the same, I like to do it myself.” He was watching her with piercing eyes that seemed to see right through her as she rode along side him. She flushed and floundered, finally remembering why she had come over to talk to him in the first place.

“I want to thank you for doing what you did, even if in your mind you thought it would also increase your chances of winning.” She grinned at him and he marveled at her intuitiveness once again. He had been thinking that it would put him into a position to win.

“I really have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.” His smile told otherwise and she smiled softly back at him. “I only wonder what a beauty like you is doing on a horse when you could be living a royal life of ease?” He watched as she blushed prettily at his calling her a beauty, he did not expect an answer and was pleasantly surprised by one.

“I love horses and have always dreamed of racing them. I happened to notice that you do not carry a whip…” He chuckled, giving her an innocent smile and held out a hand, shrugging.

“Ah, what can I do? It hurts me deep within to hit one of these splendid animals, and I see no need for it. If the horse will not run without one, then it doesn't belong on the track.” His simple logic drove all her theories of gentleness and willingness out and she ruefully shook her head. But he was right, what was the point of racing a horse that did not want to run?

He watched her and decided she was perfect. She was spirited and wild and beautiful, he did not know if there was a more perfect creature on this earth. He knew she must be gentle, the way she handled her horse foretold that. But she was also strong and smart. He had had a taste of that just now. She would have to be strong-willed to have gotten out on the track being female and riding without tack. It was obvious she was everything he had ever wanted. And it showed in his emerald green, seductive eyes that he was plainly attracted to her. He found it immensely amusing and attractive the way she seemed to flustered and unsure by his intense gaze. He rode closer until their legs touched and spoke in low, seductive tones as their legs brushed, sending lightening up sensitive nerve endings.

“I would really like to talk to you later on, maybe over dinner?” She brought her gaze to his, looking shocked. He hid his amused reaction and waited on her answer.

She pondered this thoughtfully. `I don't see any reason not to go, really. I'll make sure and not go anywhere where we would be isolated, stay in public.

`But what about Inuyasha?' A voice cut in and nagged at her.

`What about him? There is nothing between us.' She snipped back at it.

`Yeah, okay, if you say so.' It replied.

`I'm going.' She decided. It would be fun, and this handsome man had saved her a bit of trouble today. Who knew, maybe it would turn into something pleasant. Hopefully at least a comfortable friendship. Something pricked at the back of her mind, a bad feeling, but she ignored it.

“Okay, what time and where?” She replied, hoping she wasn't making a mistake…

AN: yeah! Now, that's all folks! At least until next time I write. Please review and tell me what you think of my story so far. I know, it seems almost aimless so far, but don't worry, by the time its done there will be so many twists and turns that are all interrelated…

Like in the next chapter, actually, but I can't tell you what. All I will say is that there will be many different character points of view going on here. AND the great Sesshoumaru makes a long awaited appearance! YAY! Plus Sango, the devilishly handsome Koura, and maybe others. Can't wait to write it all!!! Just not tonight since it's going on 12:30 and I have three other fanfics to work on too.

RyuuAngel