Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Vacation Time ❯ Chapter Twenty-Five ( Chapter 25 )

Chapter Twenty-Five: Horseback Riding

 

Cassie's POV

 

"I think I'll take her," I told the groom, pointing at a paint horse. The creature looked mild-tempered and well-trained, just the kind of horse I liked for riding.

 

All of us were in a rather large stable, picking out which mount we wanted to take on the trail. The other girls, especially Botan and Keiko, had wanted to go horseback riding, and the boys had given into the girls' request much faster than I had imagined. Thus, we were all going for a nice little ride during the afternoon.

 

"She's a good horse... very dependable," the groom replied.

 

"Is this one a good one too?" Kaline asked, gesturing towards a large bay. "She's really pretty." Kurama went and stood right beside her, his arm snaking around her waist.

 

On the way to the stables, the two lovebirds had decided to ride together. The same went for Hiei and myself because the poor fire demon had no idea how to ride.

 

"She's a bit more temperamental, but if you're firm with her, she'll do what you want."

 

Kaline nodded in response, reaching a hand out to pet the lovely brown and black horse. The animal allowed my friend to pet her, which was a very good sign.

 

With her choice made, she let the groom move on to help the others. Soon, everyone had a mount. Both Yukina and Keiko were on Arabians: gray for Yukina and black for Keiko. Jin had a liver-chestnut gelding, Touya had a palomino mare, and Botan and Koenma were on matching chestnuts. Unfortunately for Kuwabara and Yusuke, none of the horses would go anywhere near them. The two human males were stuck on incredibly fat ponies. Kuwabara had a gray one, and Yusuke was on a white one with black spots.

 

His pride slightly wounded, Yusuke led the way along the trail, which went through the forest. He was having problems staying on the creature, and his feet almost dragged along the ground.

 

"This is pathetic," Kuwabara grumbled. "What was with all of those horses?!" He was near the front of the line with Yusuke. The others were in the middle, while Hiei and myself were at the end.

 

"I don't know, but I have a feeling that the stable manager is going to find this story rather interesting," Yusuke responded, sounding very grouchy as I heard Kaline laugh softly.

 

Keiko moved her horse so that she was closer to the raven-haired spirit detective. "C'mon, Yusuke. It's not all that bad. After all, Oreo is kinda cute." She giggled as her eyes dropped down to look at the black and white pony that greatly resembled a sausage roll.

 

Yusuke leaned his head back to gaze at the sky for a moment, as if he was pleading for someone to save him. I guessed that he was rolling his eyes at the same time.

 

Turning my attention away from the people in the lead, I focused on Hiei. "How ya doing back there?" I asked him as I guided the paint horse along the path. "Enjoying yourself."

 

"This isn't bad," he replied as his grip on my waist tightened for a moment.

 

I smirked, wriggling a little bit so I was leaning back into Hiei some more. A groan from him was my reward for that action. "Better?" I inquired flirtatiously, fighting back the urge to giggle.

 

The fire demon didn't respond, but one of his hands wandered down to my upper thigh while the other went to my neck and moved my hair away from the area. A moment later, I felt lips press a hot kiss to the sensitive skin there as a hand moved to massage my inner thighs.

 

Gasping very softly, my hold on the reins tightened significantly. Heat flooded through my entire body as I instinctively squirmed, feeling my back rub against his chest. 'I'll say this much about Hiei,' I thought as teeth gently bit down on my ear. 'It certainly doesn't take much to get him to do this... although I can't really complain. This feels pretty darn good.'

 

Hiei put one of his arms back around my waist, trapping me against him. Not that I could have really escaped from him anyway.

 

"Hiei, are you enjoying yourself now?" I asked, trying my best to pay attention to where the horse was going and to what he was doing.

 

My riding partner chuckled for a very brief moment as he nuzzled my neck and very slowly dragged a hand from my thigh up to my chest. His warm hand just rested there for a while before he trailed it back down to rest in my lap. Obviously, he was enjoying himself, and he was doing an excellent job of making sure that I was too.

 

I tried my best to pay attention to what I was supposed to be doing, really I did, but it was so hard to concentrate with all that Hiei was doing. The instant my concentration fully slipped, the horse wandered a little of the trail. A moment later, I was woken up by a tree branch smacking me hard in the face.

 

"OWWWWW!" I yelped, my face smarting as I quickly guided the horse back to the center of the path. That had HURT! 'Did Hiei get hit as well?' I mentally wondered, turning around just long enough to see a nice red mark on the fire demon's face.

 

He didn't look happy, but his red eyes were still abnormally bright. Even after getting hit, Hiei still couldn't get his mind to think of something different.

 

"Ummm... Hiei, I think that you should stop. I can't concentrate, and I don't feel like getting hit with another tree branch," I told him, my tone apologetic. Grumbling followed that request, but his hands moved to my waist and thankfully stayed there.

 

Hiei didn't move his hands from my waist for the rest of the ride. Every so often, I did hear him growl softly. He probably wasn't happy at the moment, and I could easily understand why. I wouldn't let him do what he wanted to do.

 

'Poor fire demon,' I thought sympathetically as we arrived at the stable grounds. Hiei dismounted reluctantly, his hands lingering on me for as long as possible. As soon as he was back down on the ground, I dismounted as well. Then, we went inside and put up the horse, leaving her for the grooms to unsaddle.

 

"Cassie!" Kaline called out, running up to me. "What happened while you were riding? I heard you shout, but you were too far back for me to see what had happened."

 

I took a deep breath. "I just got hit with a tree branch because I wasn't paying enough attention," I explained, purposely leaving out a few details. What had happened on the ride was just between Hiei and me, no one else.

 

"Oh..." Kaline studied me for a moment, then she shrugged. "Okay." She smiled. "Are you ready to go to the luau tonight?"

 

"That's tonight?" I inquired, surprised. I could have sworn that the luau was later on in the week.

 

"Yep!" she answered, giggling. "I can't wait."

 

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that because you want to give Kurama his little private dance?" I teased mercilessly.

 

Kaline blushed and nodded her head. "Yeah. Pretty much," she admitted, her face staying a pretty red.

 

Chuckling, I shook my head, comically sad. "That's your only reason? How pathetic."

 

"Hey!" she protested, hands on her hips. She had gone from embarrassed to annoyed in a split second. "I claim insult!"

 

"You can claim anything you want. It's still the truth," I retorted jokingly, smirking at her.

 

Kaline growled softly, sounding very much like an unhappy cat. A moment later though, she was back to smiling. She had obviously been playing along with me. That, or she was just plain moody at the moment.

 

"Well, the taxis should be here soon to take us back to the house," she commented, drastically changing the subject once again. "So, I'm gonna go stand outside the stable."

 

I watched her walk away, laughter in my eyes. "She never has been good at staying on topic."

 

"She seems to be getting worse," Hiei said, finally speaking up. For some reason, he had stayed perfectly silent during my conversation with Kaline.

 

"Actually, she's better now than she usually is. You should have seen her while she was at school," I told him. "I swear, the only class she ever paid attention in or stayed on topic in was art class."

 

"Hn. Makes sense," he commented, leaning up against a door of an empty horse stall.

 

"CASSIE! HIEI! THE TAXIS ARE HERE!!" Kaline's incredibly loud yell vibrated the air and nearly made me jump. Jeez, that girl seriously had some large lungs.

 

"C'mon, Hiei. We'd better get out there now before Kaline shouts again. I don't think that my ears will be able to take it if she does." I grabbed his hand and proceeded to drag him outside. He let me do it, not complaining for even a moment.

 

Soon, we were all in the taxis and on our way home.