Carry Me (Ushijima x Reader AU)

Chapter 09

The next evening after classes, you went to the stables with a very different mission in mind. You had to pick one of the horses to be your competition horse.

Throughout your first and second year you had ridden all of them a few times at least, but it was still something you wanted to think hard about. There were some horses who you had a great connection with, but who weren't as athletic as others.

You would have to give up the time you spent with them to focus on a horse that you were less invested in, emotionally.

On the other hand, it would be a chance to connect with a different horse.

But what if the connection never came? You'd be stuck with each other until the end of the year.

Because it was such a difficult decision, you had decided to take the horses you had handled the least out on a hack around the school grounds each day of the week until you had to make your choice on Friday.

Today the honors went to Kojuichi, or Koju for short. He was an excellently trained horse, in both dressage and jumping, but he was very distant. Koju rarely showed any interest in being with humans and didn't show it if he liked to be petted.

He was a very popular horse with the students, but you got the feeling that he didn't care about anything or anyone, except for his buddy Shoji.

Even now as you went into his stall to put the halter on, he didn't do anything wrong. He just seemed to go through the motions. There was no excitement when you presented him with a cookie for his good behavior, but he didn't refuse it either.

Grooming and saddling him was peaceful and quiet, especially if you compared his composed behavior to Kou's erratic restlessness.

After giving him another pat you took the reins and walked him to the outside arena to mount.

Some of the other members were already warming up for their lesson.

"Are you joining the lesson after all?" Emiko asked as she came to a halt beside you and gave her horse a little break. You had told everyone that you would be riding out this week to choose a horse.

"No, I'm still going out." You responded as you checked the tightness of the cinch and the length of the stirrup.

"On Koju? What a shame, he does so great in the lessons." She said before spurring her horse on and walking off.

You rubbed Koju's nose as you walked to his other side to adjust the other stirrup as well. "Don't mind her, going on a little hike can be just as fun as a lesson, if not more so."

When you were satisfied that everything was in order, you put one foot in the stirrup and pulled yourself up into the saddle.

Koju waited patiently for you to nudge your heels into his side before walking off. He started walking with his head on the vertical almost automatically when you picked up the reins.

After walking a few laps, you went out of the gate and onto the dirt path. When you had left the arena well behind you, you gave Kujo a longer rein. It took walking all the way to the baseball court before he stretched his neck and took advantage of the room you were giving him.

He snorted a few times and then resumed walking quietly. When you felt he had had enough of a warm-up you shortened the reins again and asked him to go up into a trot, which he did without question.

The wind blew through your hair as you trotted along the trail with him, you had decided to post the trot, which also made your hair bop up and down. He had a big gait which made it more relaxing for you to go up and down with his movement rather than trying to sit it out.