Pure Horsepower

Oto had set everything exactly as Hayami had instructed. Each of the three entrances had been locked and barricaded except for the large exterior barn doors facing the field. The horses, much to Oto’s dismay, had been released from their stalls and now filled the aisle. All but one of the horses were unbridled, acting as nothing more than decoys for the single saddled mare placed near the back of the herd.

“This is really uncomfortable.” Hayami protested as she shifted, straddling Oto atop the seat meant for one rider.

“It’s this or raw dogging it,” He shot back, adjusting his hips to give her more room between his waist and the horn. “Your choice!”

“I swear—that can’t be the correct term for riding without a saddle.”

“I don’t know what to tell you. It is.”

“And you’re absolutely sure it’s not bareback?”

“That’s a movie, Hayami. About cowboys and mountains.”

The horse let out a sharp huff at this, weaving from side to side and nudging the nearby mares. Oto could tell that the beast was becoming agitated, anxious to get moving and free itself of the extra weight it carried. But it wasn’t time yet, so the boy gripped the reins to control the animal.

“Whoa. Whoaaa.” Oto grunted. “Behave, Alhambra.”

With a shift of its head, the horse’s reddish-brown coat caught the light. Dark brown eyes glanced back, looking around at an angle.

“Don’t look back at me like that.” Oto continued, unimpressed. “I know I’m in your blind spot, so don’t even try. Eye’s forward, devil mare.”

Hayami laughed, adjusting herself to look at the rider. She wasn’t scowling but smiling as she inspected his unusually serious face. Reaching up, she brushed a stray strand of black hair behind his ear and chuckled.

“Don’t get too serious with the animal, Oto.” She said, shaking her head. “Best case scenario, it kicks us both off. Worst case, you get early wrinkles.”

The horse promptly whinnied, adding to her statement.

“Quiet, both of you.” He hissed in reply as over Hayami’s shoulder, the exterior doors slid open slightly, and a figure peeked into the room. “It’s time.”

At the front of the stables, the first horses in line became increasingly agitated by the visitor’s presence. Even from the back of the band, Oto could hear their anxious neighs and squeals as the door slid open far enough for a man to enter.

Quickly lowering themselves, Hayami bent back, and the boy leaned over her. They held their breath as Oto watched the entrance, counting as three men entered the aisle before slowly making their way deeper into the building. Then, one of the horses broke free of the band and pushed its way out through the opening in the door. It was followed by another and then another, forcing the exit wide enough for the plan to commence.

“Hayami—now,” Oto whispered, gripping the reins firmly and tensing his body in preparation.

A hand slid down his back, reaching behind the belt of his trousers and gripping the cold steel that pressed against his skin. As she did this, her other hand wrapped around his shoulders as her lips touched the edge of his ear.

“Good luck, pretty boy,” Hayami whispered, giving the side of his head a soft kiss that caused his body to tremble with delight.

Then, with little more warning, she raised the pistol into the air above them and fired a single shot. At that, they sat up quickly listening as the aisle erupted in forceful exhales as the startled herd tensed and panicked. There was a sudden trio of screams as the beasts began to stampede.

Rushing towards the only exit available to them, they pushed the doors wide open before charging out onto the field.

“Hee-yaaah!” Oto cried out, kicking the stirrup back into the horse, pushing it forward with the herd.

“GYAH!” Hayami gasped with discomfort as she tried to wrap her arms and legs around Oto’s body for additional support. “Ow. Ow. Ow.”

Unfortunately for her, the way she was sitting was not how saddles were meant to be used. So, as the horn drove into her back and her improperly situated hips bounced in Oto’s lap, the experience was less than comfortable. But she wouldn’t have much time to think about it as the dim glow of the stables gave way to early-afternoon light, revealing a dozen figures standing beyond the doors with guns ready.

It was her turn to do something.

Levelling the pistol, she attempted to steady herself against the gallop of the horse. Aiming, she fired a single round, disappointedly watching it strike against the exterior of the building. The goons, now understanding what was happening, ducked down and trained their rifles on the herd.

As they began to fire, Hayami released another shot, this time clipping the shoulder of one of the gunmen and knocking him back against the stables. She squeezed the trigger once more, successfully connecting a shot to the head of a different shooter, dropping him to the ground.

“Oooh,” She cooed, looking at the pistol with a smirk. “I like the challenge of this.”

Hayami continued firing the gun, each shot causing the goons to scatter from their exposed positions or end up as target practice. It wasn’t long before the pistol was out of ammunition, which meant that without additional magazines, she no longer had a way to defend them. But by that point, Oto’s masterful handling of the horse had moved them well beyond the range of the rifles and placed several other mares between them.

“You’re really good at this.” Hayami complemented him.

“What?!” He bellowed in reply. “What did you say? The gunfire—I’m having trouble hearing you.”

“I said—” She began to speak louder, abruptly stopping with a shallow breath.

Something had happened, and even with all her experience, she didn’t know how to respond. Between her legs, as she bounced up and down with the gallop of the animal, she could feel a swelling in Oto’s trousers. Immediately, Hayami began to feel herself warm, her hands becoming clammy as she did her best to fight the horse's gait. But, no matter what she did, it only made it worse.

Pushing herself back, she glared at Oto’s determined face. It was apparent to her at a glance that he had also noticed what was happening and, by the colour of his flushed cheeks, was also doing his best to fix the situation.

Together, neither of them were doing well to stop the very natural response to the situation. So, Hayami decided to take a different, more familiar approach to handling things.

“Stop that!” She barked at him. “Stop it right now.”

“I can’t stop the horse!” He yelled back. “If we stop now, the gunmen will shoot at us.”

“Not that,” Hayami growled with her eyes shifting down before flicking back to his. “That!”

“What?”

After a particularly forceful downward thrust, she felt the swollen trousers rubbing against her undergarments.

“THAT!” She yelled at him. “Stop that, pervert!”

“That?! I can’t stop that!”

“Try!”

“It’s the bouncing, I can’t help it!” He protested, trying not to look at Hayami as they discussed the awkward situation that neither had foreseen when planning their escape.

“It’s not like it’s…pleasurable.” Oto coughed up as he pulled on the reins to drive the horse off the back of the field and onto the street. “It actually kind of hurts.”

“Good…” Hayami mumbled, blushing as she looked away from the boy. “It should.”

With a small, hidden smirk, she casually gripped him tighter as he continued to ride. She listened to the clattering of hooves against asphalt, watching as the street passed by in a blur. Curious bystanders gawked as they raced along, some even pulling out their phones for pictures as the horse began to slow.

At that, Hayami loosened her hold and peeked over her shoulder at her surroundings. They had already neared the edge of Capitana, reaching the one stoplight marking the town's entrance.

“What are you doing?” She asked. “Why are we stopped?”

“It’s a red light,” Oto replied matter-of-factly. “We need to stop, right?”

“I—I guess? Do horses and cars have the same rules?”

“You tell me, horse-girl who can’t ride a horse.”

“I’m not a—”

“Oh my God!” A feminine voice cried out from beside them, drawing both Hayami and Oto’s attention. “Is that Oto Hildebrand? On a horse?”

The two glanced over at a pair of girls in a cherry-red sports car, emblazoned with a yellow-and-black mustang for a hood ornament. As they stared, frozen in their bewildered state after the afternoon they had experienced, a long enough moment passed for the fans to withdraw their phones.

“It totally is!” The second exclaimed, snapping photos of the pair. “And he’s with the mystery hottie too! They’re so a thing.”

“Oh my God! This is totally going to go viral. Hashtag Hottie Hilde on a Horse!”

Hayami turned her face away from the pair of idiots to look back at Oto. With a sigh, she stared at her own idiot, who had put on his signature smile and, at some point, managed to fix his wild hair to look fashionably dishevelled. Raising a hand, she rubbed from her forehead down to her mouth before finally releasing a disgruntled growl.

Hoisting the empty pistol up and over, she aimed it at the fans.

“No pictures!” Hayami screamed at them.

“AHHH!” The two shrieked as tires squealed and the vehicle raced away from the intersection.

“Aww, Hayami—” Oto groaned disappointedly. “That was an amazing opportunity for some publicity. Next time, just strike a pose.”

“Let’s go back to the villa.” She ignored him.

“What about Giles?”

“We’re not fitting three people on the horse. He’ll find his own way back.”

“Fineee.” He replied with a defeated sigh and, as the light changed, started the gallop back home.