Safe Now

Part II

By: Karei Syn

For: Lycan-Fang

Beezle carried Unico through the lush greenery toward his father's castle. Of course, since there was only 'one' Devil of Solitude, he guessed that made it his castle now. It was a wreck and old and smelled of dust but now with a hint of Honeysuckle and lavender. Beezle twitched his nose at the new scents. He guessed he didn't mind all the life and scents around him. If it ever came to a choice of going back to how things were and having the little fur ball in his life, it wasn't even a question as to who would win.

Unico began to stir quietly in the blue devils larger arms, cuddling close against him. He smiled in a way no one had ever seen him smile, or ever would if he had his way. Devils don't go for all that smiley, go lucky happy stuff. At least that's what he told himself. "Well, maybe a little wouldn't hurt" he thought.

He finally set Unico down in a large room that Beezle use to stay in alone all the time. For most of the thousand years Unico was gone, he had maintained a bed for him, just in case he ever came back. The bed was usually made of fresh, soft grass and the most delicate petals he could find on the island. Since he had been gone fighting the Fallen Lords and Couin for who knows how long, the bed was mostly just crush petals and straw. He would fix that later. As for himself, Beezle was totally content sleeping on rocks. He knew Unico wouldn't complain if that was all there was but he also knew he would enjoy this much more. He shook his head and said to himself with a devilish grin "Suffering Satan, I bet I'm the only devil anywhere who would give a second thought to another's comfort for selfless reasons." He reached down and gently ran his fingers through the pink mane of his only friend. "What have you done to me?"

Hours passed and by this time Beezle had cleaned up the place, made a fire and moved Unico to fresh bedding. It had been a lot of work, but he found it easier in his new, older body. A few times he caught himself looking in the reflection off marble pillars he blew the dust of. He loved having his own horn, but he loved even more that his own horn had grown together with the Horn Unico gave him; spiraling together like Yen and Yang until they came together in a perfect point.

When everything looked ready and after several more hours of procrastinating, it was time to wake the little guy up. Beezle slowly walked over to him and knelt beside him careful. He touched his own horn to Unico's and both horns lite up brightly for a brief moment. Beezle then moved and jumped up so he was using his tail as a chair and waited….

After several long minutes Unico began to stir. He softly moaned and rolled over back and forth as if he was having a bad dream. Beezle was certain that he was.

"Unico" Beezle spoke softly. "Unico. Hey, you're safe now. Your home, just like you asked".

Unico didn't open his eyes but he tried to stand, struggling like it had been forever since he used his own legs. Beezle reached out a hand to help support him, but when he touched his shoulder, Unico's eyes snapped open, he jumped back and extended his long, cracked and chipped horn like a sword. He seemed to be ignoring any pain he was in a moment ago. He'd gone into survival mode.

"Don't touch me! Get back! Who are you? What is this place? I don't like it here, it's too dark!" Unico shouted. He was looking around the room, without really 'seeing' the room itself. He slashed his horn -which was still clearly deadly even though on the mend- outward toward the one who violated his space.

"Leapin' Lucifer Unico, it's me!" Beezle said as he fell over from his perch and scurried back. "It's Beezle. We're on the Island of Solitude like you asked. You wanted to come here, you called it home."

Unico looked around more and more and after a few short moments really started to actually 'look'. Yes it was shadowy, but the sun was still out. A freshly smashed hole in the roof poured in sunlight close to where he originally jumped back from. He knew this place…..he knew the blue devil in front of him. He looked older but it didn't matter. It was Beezle. It was. Beezle. It. Was. Beezle!

"Beeeeeezle!" Unico came rushing at him with tears instantly flowing from his green eyes. His horn was still long and sword like and Beezle did the only thing that seemed natural at the time. Run from the long, pointy object dashing at him.

"Whoa! Unico! Put that thing away!" He said as he ran quickly around the room, but Unico was just trying to catch up and didn't hear his pleas. He ran out of the room and through the castle as the little fur ball with the 4 foot long horn continued in pursuit.

"Hey Hey! Come on, stop it stop it! Fiery Brimstone you're going to kill me with that thing!" Unico, through all his crying and desperation to be close to his Best Friend, to someone who was so much more, still shut everything out except charging faster at Beezle. He wanted to feel his warmth and safe embrace. "Beeeezzzle!", "Why are you running from meeeeeeee?" Unico wailed.

It suddenly occurred to Beezle that all this chasing around seemed very familiar. Finally it dawned on him that this was how their friendship began, only HE was the one giving chase and Unico was the one running. He began to laugh. He couldn't help it. It was too ironic. He laughed so hard he felt himself slowing down, which was a problem but he just didn't care. It was like old times. He had a far enough lead that he was able to come to a screeching halt. Dust, dirt and grass flew everywhere as he turned around, lowering his own horn of spiraled ivory and black bone. Unico tried to slow down by back peddling but he was going too fast. Their horns met in a brilliant clash of shimmering white sparks as the friction caused the little Unicorn to come to a complete stop.

"Looks like the end of the line for you" He playful mused with that same smirk he wore all those long years ago. Unico's tears continued to flow as his horn finally shrunk back down. He threw himself into his friend…his best friend…his partner. Yes, because in that moment Unico knew he was where he belonged. It wasn't the Island, it wasn't the end of the pursuit of the gods, and though he was happy to have his friends, they were far away in the back of his mind. It was Beezle. It was always Beezle, even if he was too young to know it when they first met.

Beezle focused his magick for a moment and shrunk back down to his smaller size from when he was a child. The two said nothing for the longest time and finally Beezle began to feel a little awkward. "Hey Hey, enough already, I got it. You missed me. I missed you too squirt."

"No" Unico struggled to say choking on his own tears, "No…You can't know. Being away from you was like missing a part of me. I didn't realize that until the very end, but it's true. I love you Beezle. I know you don't like to hear it and you don't have to say it if you don't want to but I love you with all my heart and I don't want to ever be anywhere else without you". Unico looked intently through that dark brown hair that covered his eyes. He could see, though he would never mention it to Beezle, tears in the devils eyes.

"By all the devils in hell! You know how much I hate that word! I Like you and I…kinda missed you too, but love? Stop it! Devils can't love! It's against our very nature! If you're going to stay here you can't say thi…." Beezle was suddenly interrupted by something he never thought he'd ever have in his life; something he never thought he'd want, something that shattered any remain shield he kept around his heart. A Kiss.

Unico pressed his muzzle to Beezle's lips for what seemed to the little devil as ages. He felt something warm in his heart…in his soul. "Devils have souls?" he thought briefly before being pulled back into this moment of unexpected joy. Unico slowly sat back down in front of Beezle expecting to get slapped around or knocked in the head. Instead Beezle was blushing and could only muster up the words: "It's getting dark out. We should head inside".

Beezle walked on ahead and Unico followed close behind, smiling. To some, they may have taken his silence and lack of interest as insulting, but for Beezle, his silence assured Unico he was right about how Beezle felt. It was hard for a Devil to admit feelings like this and Unico understand, maybe even more then Beezle did all things considered. Unico sped up and walked beside him quietly as they drew closer to the castle.

Something happened then that even Unico didn't expect. Beezle moved his tail and entwined it with Unico's, holding on to it tightly. He still didn't speak or even looked over at Unico, but Unico stared in shock and delight.

"You know" Beezle said at last "You keep looking at me like that and I will bonk you on the head, twerp". Unico laughed and looked back forward again as they entered the Castle.

The fire light glowed brightly, chasing away most of the shadows. It made Unico feel more at ease and that's all that mattered. Beezle held Unico in his arms as they laid against one of the rock walls. "Beezle?" Unico asked quietly.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"When I wake up" He paused for a long moment, "Will….Will you still be here?"

Beezle laughed to himself, "Of course I will, Runt. I followed you to the ends of the earth, across time lines and multiple dimensions. I told you, you can't get rid of me….". Unico nuzzled against him closely and closed his eyes. "I never want to" he whispered before drifting off to sleep.

Beezle ran his fingers through Unico's beautiful pink mane. As he did, he made up his mind, his heart agreed and his soul concurred. "…after all," Beezle whispered, "..I am yours."

He began to drift off himself as he continued to protectively hold his new partner in life. "Who says the Devil of Solitude couldn't have just ONE person around, right?" he thought. Before he finally entered the world of dreams – that same place where he use to play with and see Unico when he wasn't really around – he softly whispered into Unico's ear, not knowing if he actually heard him or not "By the fires of Hell Unico, I love you too…"

He hoped on some level Unico heard that, even if only in his subconscious. He didn't know how often he could bring himself to say it. He was a devil after all and devils just don't go for that kind of thing, ya know? They have their reputation to uphold. We're together. That's all that mattered. Unico would understand his inability to be all mushy. That's what's so great about him. He loves me for who I am. He smiled to himself at these thoughts then leaned his head on Unico's before finally drifting off to sleep.

A Devil and a Unicorn, who'da' thought?