Gravitation Fan Fiction ❯ A Little Night Magic ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Summary: *Big breath* I am so nervouse about this it's not funny, which is why I'm writing it as an AU. It kinda seems to make it easier. Anyway. My very first Gravitation fic.

In all my years as a trainer of mythical beasts, I never did see one quiet like the unicorn came in two years ago. Smart as a whip and compleletly untamed, he was. A killer. Everyone knew to stay out of his stall. Hell, you cleaned it with an extension. No one was stupid enough to get behind him. Weren't no one could get on that thing's back, and the only ones could handle it were our two youngest trainers; Shuichi and Hiroshi, best friends since before they started here and an incredible touch with any animals, both of them.

But as much as that stallion impressed me, what happened with him gave this old man even more of a start. You'll never belive me. You have to belive me. What happened those years ago concerns good friends, some unconvential romance, alot of innocent bystanders, someone struggling not to drown, a young man with a heart of gold, and, as with all good stories, a little bit of magic.


Unicorn screams sounded human, at times. It would send chills down Shuichi's back to hear an enraged unicorn, or one in pain.

He covered his ears firmly and gritted his teeth as the bellow of a freshly capture stallion again rang out. Hiro nudged his back with a toe.

"Stop it."

"I don't like hearing them!" Shuichi turned distressed eyes on his friend, whimpering as the horse let a scream loose into the still early morning air.

"Be glad they're not being capture by hunters. They'd cut the horns off and leave them to die."

"Wah! Hiro!"

"Well, it's true, isn't it? At least here they're just being ridden." Hiro stepped out a cigarette, leaning aginst the barn wall.

"It's still....taking their freedom." Shuichi rose, standing by his comanion to look out in the direction of the new animal. "They're not horses, they're-"

"Just animals." Hiro looped an arm over him. Ah, Shuichi- we need more people like you in the world.

"Come on. Let's go have a look at our newest arrival."

"I don't want to." Shuichi dug his heels in, scowling.

"Come on, Shuichi, they're gonna want us to handle him, anyway."

"But I don't want too!"

"Then I guess you'd rather be on the streets." Hiro's voice went cool. "Again."

Shuichi's face went flat. "No."

"Then come on, idiot!" He snatched Shuichi's hand and pulled the relunctant man out of the stable.

The two raced over the hill to the pastures, where they knew the unicorn would be brought before they tried to break it.

The ground was dotted with people struggling to control the unicorn, the animal rearing and kicking and plundging and thrusting it's horn at anyone stupid enough to
get close. It was lassoed, and two men were trying to get it's back legs tied together.

The animal itself was bigger then any unicorn either man could remember. It was powerfully put together, with a sharp, dangerouse horn, and black as an adder, it's eyes gleaming green-amber.

It stopped, eyes locking on Shuichi. It's ears pricked, almost as if in confusion at this new addition. Shuichi smiled kindly at the angry animal, and the ears lay flat again. The beautiful eyes rolled back, showing the whites, and he loosed another scream as a second rope joined the first around his neck. The men tried to jerk his head down.

"Stop it!" Shuichi heard himself yelp. "That's not the way to get anything done!" He moved forward, but Hiro grabbed his shoulders.

"No, Shuichi! He's dangerouse." The red head pulled the smaller boy back.

"But they're hurting him." Shuichi looked up at Hiro. "He's angry and scared, that's all."

"Angry, yes. Scared, maybe not so much." Hiro grimaced as the unicorn flipped a man through the air with a well-placed kick. Shuichi winced at the thud.

Suddanly, another man joined the team pulling on the ropes around the unicorn's neck. They dragged the beast's head down so that it's horn nearly speared the earth, and the stallion staggered, off balance. He bellowed his rage again and kicked, and this time his right leg was caught in a rope.

He went down hard.

Shuichi hid his face in Hiro's shirt as the unicorn struggled to get back up, his leg held away from his body. His front legs were caught in a rope, too. A bold man approched the downed animal and sat on his neck, a hand pinning that dangerouse spike from the beast's forhead to the earth.

"They've got him, it's over." Hiro said almost mildly, and Shuichi peaked. The animal was trapped, heaving in panting breaths, nostrils flared as he snorted, occassionally thrashing.

"Get him in a stall." Someone ordered. The speaker glared at Hiro and Shuichi. "Don't you two have someplace to be?"

"Ah- yes, sir." Shuichi ducked his head repspectfully.

Hiro frowned, then chuckled, slightly. His little companion would be paying this unicorn a visit later, if he knew Shuichi at all.

He just hoped Shuichi knew enough to stay out of striking distance.

And Hiro knew Shuichi very well. Becuse that evening, the little stable hand slipped out of the dinning hall and made his way to the stable.

He heard the unicorn long before he saw him. The stables were racked with the noise the animal made.

"Easy, easy boy, it's only Shuichi." He whispered hopefully, remembering how the unicorn had paused on seeing him before. "I brought you something."

The racket increased, then stopped but for the unicorn's harsh snorting. Shuichi dared open the top of the stall.

A lean head snaked out of the door, and flat but deadly teeth snaped shut inches from Shuichi. He smothered his cry and jumped back. The unicorn's horn had been 'corked', or tipped with a small, flat peice of rubber to keep the point harmless. It looked idiotic, and the unicorn seemed highly purturbed by it. Still, it kept Shuichi from getting skwered. "I brought you sugar." He whispered. "You seem like you need it." He grinned cheekily when the teeth snaped at his wrist again. "Hey, knock it off, you idiot, I didn't bring you here."

But you're keeping me here, the unicorn's expression said.

"Sorry I can't let you out." He murmured, offering the sugar meekly. A soft muzzled wuffed at it, pulled away, came back, and pulled away again. Then a pink tounge accepted it with almost embaressed speed. Shuchi produced an apple next. "They don't feed you boys enough, do they?" He asked, as the apple was hungrily devoured. He dared a touch to the forhead and gasped.

The coat was velvet.

He realised, belatedly, that the unicorn was searching him with his eyes.

"Want more?" He asked, unnearved by the un-animalistic gaze. "I didn't bring anything else, I'm sorry." The unicorn snorted again softly, and turned away, pacing the small stall.

"Looks like you tried to break out." Shuichi chuckled. "It's pointless- you're as stuck here as I am."

Lively violet eyes went unusually still, and the unicorn turned a curiouse eye on the boy.

"Hu? Oh, you probably don't understand I word I'm saying, do you?" The boy laughed heartily, and it sounded a bit manic.

"Shuichi!" Came the call, and the boy in question jumped at Hiro's voice.

"Oop- I've got to help clean out the normal horse's stalls and turn them out." He said, sounding appologetic. "Good night, Unicorn, I'll see if I can bring you anything
for breakfast tomarrow!"

With that, the viberant haired little whirlwind took off for the door. He skidded to a stop at the entrance.

"Shit! K would kill me if he knew I'd been in here." He gently shut and re-latched the top gate, and speed off again.

He did not hear the quiet, muffled sounds of pain from the stall, nor did he hear the top stall rattle in frustration. He didn't see it lurch as a palm slapped into the wood, nor did he hear the very male voice loose a colorful curse from the inside of the stall.