"Equus"

Written By: ShenLong

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, it belongs to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. I just borrow the guys from time to time and return them a whole lot happier. Written for pleasure not profit.

Pairing: 2x1x2, 3x4, 13x6, H+C

Warnings: Yaoi, lemon, sap, angst, vet themes, AU

Rating: NC 17

Archive: www.gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com Anyone else please ask.

Betaed by Sakura *snugs*

Summary: Having achieved his goal of riding at the Olympics, success has opened many new doors for Heero. Having left Treize's employ, Heero is now his own boss and with Duo's support Heero sets out to make his own mark in the equine business world.

Dedication: to all my lovely readers who have asked for a continuation of this 'Universe'.

Fic 4 in the Equine Intervention Arc.

"Equus"

Commenced December. 2011 ShenLong

Chapter 27

Once Duo had finished his call he brought Heero up to speed with what had transpired, including Treize being called in to help with the loading of the horses. Zechs hadn't gone into too much detail over the phone, having only just finished treating the horses. It was getting late and Zechs was tired and hungry, Duo understanding completely. The blonde vet did promise to give Duo all the exact details the following day as he would need to bring Lucky into the surgery for x-rays.

The pair arranged a time between them for Lucky to come in as Zechs wanted Duo to be present and offer his input into the dog's condition.

"I'm glad Treize could help out," Heero said as he continued to eat his meal.

"Me too," Duo replied.

"Did he say much about what charges would be laid?"

"Not a lot. There will be the cruelty charges against the guy for the horses - Nataku included - and depending on what we find with the dog there could be further charges in that area. He's also being charged with assault; he took a swing at Quatre and connected."

Heero winced. "Ouch. Much damage?"

"I don't think so, Zechs didn't elaborate much other than to say that Quatre can take care of himself and not to tangle with him if you value your skin."

Heero gave a chuckle at that. "Somehow violence and Quatre just don't seem to go together."

"Nah, they don't," Duo grinned. "But blondie is more than just an innocent face. He does know some pretty good moves in the self defense line, although he prefers a peaceful approach wherever possible." Duo fell silent for a moment, thoughts passing through his mind before the side of his mouth began to curl up in a smile which soon became a soft chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Heero asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"Nothing much, just that when Trowa finds out he'll be having fifty fits. He's very protective of Quatre."

Now that brought a smile to Heero's face too. Heero could just picture Trowa fussing over the blonde. "They say paybacks a bitch."

"Yeah, they do and I'm sure Trowa will be fussing over Quatre ten times worse than what Quatre does when looking after Trowa."

Knowing just how much of a mother hen streak the Inspector had in him when it came to looking after his sick friends and lover, it seemed only fair that the tables be turned.

"I'll give Trowa a call in the morning and see if I can pop over and take a look at those other horses," Heero said as he finished his dinner.

"Don't forget you have Wufei coming at one to see Nataku."

"I won't."

* * *

Trowa had two stables all bedded down and waiting for the horses when they arrived. Full water buckets sat in the corner of the stables and sweet smelling feed filled the feed bins. Trowa had kept the feed simple, just chaff, bran and lucern for now. He'd get a better idea of what to feed them once he knew what their injuries were and consulted with Heero in that area.

The horse float rumbled into the yard, Trowa noting Treize's car pulling in behind. He was curious as to why the rider would be there too but knew he'd have his answers soon enough. The most important thing for now was to see to the animals.

When the two assistants from the society got out, Trowa frowned. He'd been expecting Quatre and Zechs.

"Ah, Trowa," Treize said as he approached the animal shelter owner. "Quatre will be here shortly..." Treize went ahead and let Trowa know that Quatre and Zechs needed to stop off at the police station to give statements and wouldn't be too far away.

Trowa paled when he heard his lover had been attacked and despite Treize's reassurances that Quatre was fine, he knew he would worry until he'd seen the damage for himself. With there being nothing he could do in regards to his partner, Trowa turned his attention back to the horses and the dog Otto was holding on a leash.

The two horses were unloaded and taken to their new stables. Both had traveled well in the float but were looking scared and flinched when anyone tried to pat them. It broke Trowa's heart to see them react in this way and he vowed to work hard with both of them to restore their trust.

With soothing words the two were soon settled in their stables and left to eat in peace. Lucky was taken through to the kennels and placed in one along with a bowl of water and a dish of meat. The dog seemed happy enough and was quickly eating away.

Once the horses had been off loaded the assistants had taken their leave, driving back to Headquarters to drop off the float. Treize and Otto remained. Trowa offered the pair a coffee whilst they waited for Zechs and Quatre to show up. There wasn't anything more Trowa could do for the animals until the other men joined them. Treize and Otto accepted the offer and took the time to let Trowa know all the details of the case that Treize was aware of, his earlier explanation only having been brief.

By the time Treize had finished and Trowa had asked a few questions the distinct sound of Quatre's land-cruiser could be heard pulling in. The three men went outside into the dusk to greet the pair.

Trowa made a beeline for his lover, intent on checking out the damage and learning what the police were going to do about it. Treize also headed for his lover and more information.

"It's fine, Trowa, just a bit of bruising which will settle down in a couple of days," Quatre protested when his lover pounced on him and demanded to know exactly what had happened and insisted on inspecting the damage himself.

"It doesn't look fine," Trowa growled. "It needs an ice pack on it." The skin on Quatre's cheek was starting to turn a mottled blue color as the bruising made itself known. It was a little red around the edges and Trowa thought he could see a split to the blonde's lip too. "I'd love to get my hands on that bastard."

"Don't worry, I already took care of him. He's been charged with assault by the police along with the cruelty charges from the Society. I'm afraid the ice pack will have to wait a while though, I do need for Zechs to take a further look and treat those two horses tonight. The dog can wait until tomorrow."

Trowa conceded to his partner once he'd gotten the promise that Quatre would allow himself to be treated once the horses had been taken care of.

With Treize and Otto both there to help out, Zechs was able to treat the horses fairly easily. He went over their injuries again, checking that no skin was broken on any of the wound sites. The wounds were all in various stages of healing, indicating that the abuse had been going on for some time. Quatre took more pictures as Zechs continued in his examinations and treatment. Each horse was given a course of antibiotics, Zechs giving the first injection and leaving enough of the penicillin, needles and syringes for Trowa to be able to continue the course. The chestnut's mouth was slightly worse than the bay's, Zechs cleaning out the still open wounds to the gelding's lips and applying a little antibiotic cream. He advised putting both animals onto soft diets for a couple of days to assist in the healing of their mouths. Treize recommended bran mashes and filled Trowa in on how to make them up.

With there being nothing more that could be done for the horses that night, Zechs accepted the offer of a lift home from Treize and bade Quatre and Trowa good evening. A time was arranged for Zechs to call around to check the horses the following day and also collect the dog to take to the surgery for further investigation into her injuries.

Once the car had departed, Quatre gave a long, drawn out sigh. "What a day," he muttered and raked his fingers through his blonde hair.

"It certainly does sound like you've had a rough one," Trowa replied and pressed a soft kiss to Quatre's lips. "Come on inside and I'll take care of that bruise for you."

"Oh, just the bruise?" Quatre asked with a pout.

"Once I've treated the bruise I'll check the rest of you over in minute detail to make sure there aren't any further injuries," he said in a husky tone, one that went right to Quatre's groin.

"Mmm, I think I could do with a full physical," Quatre murmured.

"Then come into my parlor..."

* * *

Once the morning consults were finished, Duo hightailed it down to the stables where Heero was just finishing up with Wing. They had planned to pop over to Trowa's and take a look at the two rescued horses. Wufei would be calling around one to look at Nataku and Duo wanted to be present when that happened which didn't leave a whole lot of time between the end of consults and Wufei's expected arrival.

Also Zechs would be bringing the dog in later that afternoon to do his x-rays and wanted Duo's opinion in that regard. All in all it was looking to be quite the busy day for the vet. Normally Duo would be doing surgery and Hilde on the evening call outs, but with everything that was going on, Duo had asked her to swap and she'd been more than happy to.

"Okay, okay, Duo, I'm coming," Heero chuckled, turning Wing back out into his paddock and checking the gate was securely closed.

"Sorry, I don't mean to rush you," Duo apologized.

"I know you don't, but time is limited. Come on, let's get going." Heero slid into the driver's seat and soon had them on their way.

Fifteen minutes later they were pulling into Quatre and Trowa's place, driving around the back to where the kennels and barn stood. Duo spotted Trowa over in one of the runs and waved as he got out of the car. Trowa returned the wave and left the kennels to greet his guests. Hearing the car pull up, Quatre came out of the house just as Heero and Duo were being greeted by Trowa. Spotting the blonde, Duo gave a smile.

"Hey, Quatre, I didn't expect you to be home." Duo gave a low whistle through his teeth as Quatre approached and he was able to see the damage done by Saunders for the first time. "Shit! He really did clock you one."

"It looks worse than it is," Quatre replied and tried to smile, although a grimace made it's way to his features as the muscles let him know they were far too bruised for smiling.

"It looks pretty spectacular. I hope you gave back as good as you got," Heero stated, taking in the livid black, red and blue mottling over Quatre's normally pale cheek. "Lucky you didn't end up with a black eye too."

"Yeah, I guess I am. I did manage to get a couple of my own hits in though, and rest assured, he's a lot worse off than I am. Any bruising is going to be the least of his worries for a while." Quatre's face darkened a touch with his words. "I've not exactly got the day off, I'm writing up my reports for the Society so they can prosecute this guy."

"Ah, I see. Well, I really hope they throw the book at him," Duo said with a smile.

"I'm sure we will get a conviction, especially with your video evidence to back everything up. I take it you wish to see the other two horses?"

"If it's no trouble."

"None at all. Actually I'd be interested to hear Heero's opinion of their condition in relation to Nataku's. I'm pretty sure the injuries and such are very similar and that will make it even easier to present our case and get a prosecution," Quatre stated and began to lead the way to the stables.

Trowa, Heero and Duo all fell into step with the blonde.

With the horses being confined to stables, they were much easier to catch, although they still managed to evade Trowa for a couple of minutes. Both Heero and Duo took a good, long look at each equine, noting the injuries, welts and healing wounds and comparing them to Nataku's. It wasn't surprising that most were very similar.

Trowa filled Duo in on the treatment Zechs had prescribed for the horses as Duo still hadn't had a chance to talk to the other vet face to face. It had been getting very late by the time Zechs had finished the previous evening and Duo wasn't about to insist the other man call around to the practice and give him all the details something Zechs had been grateful for. Had it been Oakford, Zechs had no doubts he would have been expected to report in and fill out a complete report on all his findings before they would even consider allowing him to go home.

Duo agreed with the treatment, it was just the same as he was prescribing for Nataku and the bay mare was doing well on it. Heero agreed with Treize's advice to keep the horses on a bran mash for a couple of days to give their mouths the chance to heal up. Having seen and done all they could for the moment, The pair made their excuses to leave, Duo promising to let Quatre know later on what he thought about the dog's condition when Zechs brought her in to be looked at.

Trowa felt a lot more confident in handling the horses now Heero had taken a look at them. Knowing that what he was doing was the same as what Heero was implementing with Nataku and the mare's response to the treatment only served to make him more determined to give these horses the second chance they deserved.

Waving the pair off, Trowa returned to his kennels and the many jobs that awaited him there whilst Quatre went back into the house to continue writing up his report and preparing the case for the courts.

* * *

Arriving back at the practice, Duo was pleased to note they had about half an hour before Wufei was due to arrive which meant they could grab a quick bite to eat. He hastily grabbed a loaf of bread whilst Heero rummaged around in the 'fridge for something to fill the sandwiches with.

"What do you think about those other two horses, Heero?" Duo asked as he buttered the slices.

"If Trowa and Quatre continue with the treatment prescribed, then I think they will both make a full recovery. A lot will depend on their mental state though. I don't know how long they have suffered that abuse for and it could have an impact on their healing in that way."

"I agree. Getting them to trust again is going to be the really hard part, but I have faith that Trowa and Quatre will be able to get through to them."

"If anyone can it will be Trowa," Heero replied. "He has a way about him with abused animals."

"It's his soft manner. The animals don't feel threatened by him and he keeps himself calm and relaxed at all times around them."

"Hai, I'd noticed that, especially with Shinigami," Heero chuckled.

Duo snorted. "Yeah, well, we all know about the feud between those two."

"All Trowa needs to do is be firmer with him and he wouldn't try to bite him," Heero replied in defense of his horse.

"Somehow I don't think that's gonna happen. Here, eat." Duo passed a plate of sandwiches over to Heero and grabbed his own, joining his lover at the table.

Silence followed as both men ate their lunch, each locked in their own thoughts regarding the abused horses. Finally Heero broke the silence. "I really hope Wufei likes Nataku."

"I'm sure he will. Once he gets a look at those liquid brown eyes he'll be smitten," Duo snickered.

Heero rolled his eyes. "There's more to her than just her eyes you know."

"I know, but Wufei doesn't. He always gets suckered in by the eyes. How else do you think he ended up with Xander?" Duo returned referring to Wufei's beloved dog.

"That's not a dog, that's an oversized rat," Heero snorted.

"Don't let Wufei hear you say that. Xander is a pure bred chihuahua; he does have papers for him too."

Heero stood up and took his empty plate to the sink. "I think I should go and start to catch her."

"I think you should wait until Wufei's here. He really needs to see her for what she is at the moment, that way he can make an informed decision." Seeing Heero's mouth about to open, Duo continued on. "I don't mean anything nasty by that, I just mean if Wufei can see her as she is, it will make it easier for him to accept why she's so distrustful and what we plan to do to rectify that. We can also let him know of the small improvements she's made since arriving here."

Heero thought on those words for a moment. Duo really did make sense with his suggestion. "Okay." He glanced out the window. "I think we're going to be catching her very shortly anyway, Wufei has just pulled in."

"Shit!" Duo jumped up from the table and shoved the last of his sandwich into his mouth, moving across the kitchen at the same time to drop his plate in the sink. Giving his hands a quick wash, he smoothed his shirt and prepared to meet the Chinese man.

Heero smirked at his lover's antics but kept quiet.

Wufei held the door open for Meiran to get out and then locked his car. Turning he spotted Heero and Duo stepping out of the cottage and walking across to them. "Mr. Yuy, Doctor Maxwell," Wufei greeted with a small bow.

"Mr. Chang, Mrs. Chang," Heero replied with a bow himself. "Please, call me Heero."

"Then you must call me Wufei and my wife, Meiran," the Chinese man replied.

"It's good to see you both again, Wufei, Meiran," Duo greeted with a small bow of respect.

"And you too, Duo," Meiran replied with a smile.

"How is Xander?" Duo asked politely.

"He is well, thank you for asking," Wufei said.

Heero decided to get the meeting back to what they were all here for. "I appreciate you taking the time to come out and see Nataku," he began.

"Nataku?" Wufei questioned with an interested gleam in his eye.

"Yes, that is the mare's name," Heero replied.

"You wouldn't by chance happen to know what it means, would you?" Duo said, asking the question both he and Heero were keen to know the answer to.

"Actually, I do," Wufei replied. "It's from Japanese mythology and means God without Soul."

"Ah." Duo turned to look at Heero and narrowed his eyes. "I would have thought you'd have known that, Heero seeing how you're part Japanese."

"I might be part Japanese," Heero defended, "but I was born and raised here in Australia. I haven't studied anything in regards to my Japanese heritage or the like."

"I'll forgive you this time then," Duo teased.

Heero rolled his eyes. Focusing back on the amused gazes of their guests, Heero cleared his throat. "Well, I know the guy that had her was mistreating her so he certainly didn't have a soul, but Nataku is quite sweet."

"What exactly happened to her, Heero?" Meiran asked.

"How about you both come inside the cottage and I'll make us some tea. Heero can tell you the entire story whilst we enjoy a little refreshment," Duo offered.

"Thank you, that would be most pleasant," Wufei replied.

Duo led the way back to the cottage.

~ Half and hour later ~

"There was no way I could sit back and let her suffer like that anymore so I bought her and brought her home. Since being here, her wounds have started to heal very well and she is starting to show a little trust," Heero finished up and took a long drink of his tea to whet his parched throat.

"If that's how she was being treated than I'm glad that you did what you did, Heero. It must have taken some courage to stand up to a man as cruel as that," Meiran said softly.

"I wouldn't be able to call myself a horseman if I hadn't done anything," Heero said quietly and blushed with the woman's words.

"You say she is starting to trust again? How long do you think it will be before she is able to trust fully? And for that matter, how do you know she will be any good in the competitions?" Wufei asked. "I'm not trying to be difficult, but I need to know if I am going to be investing money into such an animal."

"I would expect nothing less," Heero replied. "I can't say for sure how long it will take for her to be comfortable around people. It all depends on how much psychological damage has been done. All we can do at this stage is treat her with kindness and love and hope she responds to that. As for competing - I saw her in the ring at the show and whilst it was evident her rider wasn't a good one and really didn't know how to handle her, she did show she has a lot of potential and ability. I'm willing to bet my career that with the right handling, training and rider on her back, she will be a good quality A grade horse."

"You seem very sure," Wufei stated.

"I am," Heero replied.

"Why don't we go and take a look at her before we make any decisions at all," Meiran suggested.

"That is why we're here," Wufei answered.

"I thought you'd forgotten that for a moment there," his wife teased and gave Duo a wink.

Duo had to stifle the chuckle.

"As I said on the phone, if you do decide to take her and for whatever reason she doesn't live up to your expectations than I'm more than happy to buy her back off you," Heero said.

"That's a fair deal," Wufei mused.

"Then let's go see this horse," Meiran said again and to end the conversation she stood up.

Heero led the way out of the cottage and towards the practice stables. "She's out in the paddock at the moment so I'll just get some feed and her lead rope to catch her." Heero disappeared inside the stables and returned within a couple of minutes, items in his hands. Once more the four set off, this time towards the paddocks.

Nataku could hear the humans approaching and immediately went on alert. There were a couple of scents she hadn't smelt before and that made her cautious. She raised her head from her grazing and stared off towards the paddock gate where the humans were gathering. She recognized the nice human that fed her and the other one who was gentle in his touching of her injuries, but she wasn't too sure about the other two.

Seeing the tense lines to the mare's body, Heero advised the others to remain on the outside of the paddock whilst he went to fetch the bay. The three agreed and leaving Duo to look after their guests, Heero set off across the paddock, praying that Nataku wouldn't be too difficult to catch.

Both Wufei and Meiran watched the mare and her reactions to Heero, noting how tense she was and wary. Knowing what she had been through, neither one could really blame her. She shied away from Heero the first time, the second time she allowed him to get closer and feed her some of the oats before she moved away a touch. When Heero tried for the third time, she allowed him to clip the lead rope to her halter. She relaxed further when Heero had nothing but more food, gentle pets and soft, soothing words for her.

Gradually she was starting to trust this human. So far he'd not raised his voice or made any attempt to hurt her, even when she'd given him cause to. She was still very wary around humans she didn't know, which was to be expected, but slowly she was regaining some of her confidence.

Heero quietly led her back across the paddock to where Duo waited with Wufei and Meiran. The Chinese couple didn't move or say anything until Heero and Nataku were standing a few feet away from them. Once Heero brought the mare to a halt, he asked if they would care to step inside the paddock to meet the mare.

Moving quietly so as not to startle Nataku, Duo opened the gate and let Meiran and Wufei enter. Once inside the paddock the pair took their first proper look at the bay. Duo explained the bay's injuries and how he was currently treating her, the injuries having already started to heal up very well.

"How soon before you can ride her, Heero?" Meiran asked as she slowly extended her hand out with a slice of carrot on it that Duo had given her.

"I'm hoping I will be able to put a saddle on her next weekend. Her mouth should have healed up by then so a bit won't cause her any discomfort. The areas on her flanks are almost healed now and I won't be using spurs on her so there isn't any reason why I shouldn't be able to try her out."

Nataku couldn't sense anything other than compassion coming from the woman in front of her; that and the scent of one of those yummy orange treats. Cautiously, Nataku stretched her neck out so her muzzle just brushed across Meiran's palm and lipped up the carrot.

"Is that nice, girl?" Meiran said, her voice soft. Meiran fed the bay a few more carrots, Nataku becoming more and more confident with each treat.

Heero suddenly realized that Wufei had yet to say anything in regards to the mare and he turned to look at the other man, pausing to nudge Duo. The vet turned to stare at Wufei too and couldn't help the quiet snicker.

"I told you the eyes would sucker him in," Duo whispered.

Heero wasn't sure if it was Nataku's eyes or something else, but Wufei had a completely lost look on his face.

With the silence growing, Meiran turned to see what was going on and froze.

Wufei was staring at the mare, taking in all the details about her. Nataku was likewise staring at Wufei. The pair looked for all the world like they were sizing each other up. Completely ignoring everyone and everything around them, the world narrowed to just Wufei and the abused mare.

Wufei stepped forward. Nataku blinked but stood her ground. Wufei moved closer and began to extend his hand. Nataku stretched out her head and neck, sniffing the offered hand.

Heero, Duo and Meiran held their silence, all simply watching and wondering exactly what was going on. None wanted to break the spell that seemed to be consuming the Chinese man and the equine before him.

Wufei moved closer still until he was right in front of Nataku, their eyes locking. It seemed that something passed between the pair, although what that was, no one could have said.

Wufei slowly raised his hand and placed it on Nataku's cheek. He ran it down along the cheekbone to the mare's muzzle then up her nose and rubbed gently between her eyes. Nataku never flinched or made any move to pull away. In fact, she seemed to move closer to the touch, lowering her head and rubbing it against Wufei's chest.

The other three stood in shocked silence at what was happening.

Wufei continued his caressing of the mare, moving his hand over her face and gently pulling on her ears. Nataku returned the affection, resting her chin on Wufei's shoulder and letting him do whatever he wanted.

Finally, Wufei spoke. "Thank you, Heero. I think she will be perfect."

~ * ~

tbc...

Chapter 28

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