#magibb

[magibigbang-blog]

Hello, writers, artists, and folks hoping for fic. I come to you today with sad but probably not unexpected news. As many of you may have already guessed, we are not going to be able to finish running the Magi Big Bang, owing to a combination of no-shows, dropping interest in the fandom, and IRL issues affecting the mods that won’t be detailed here. I would like to thank everyone for their excitement and support, and apologize from the bottom of my heart. 

For those who have written things, we’ve organized an AO3 collection HERE where everyone can post their works. I invite everyone who participated, whether you were done when we initially set the deadline or not, to share your fics here, and encourage artists to share their works and draw inspiration from everyone’s hard work. You are all excellent folks, and I’m sorry that our communication and follow through broke down over the course of the event. 

[lycheeluv]

Posting this from a France no man's land ew. For @magibb ! Paired with the great @adventtraitor who did an amazing job on their one shot Temperance ! http://archiveofourown.org/works/11701236 I'm bad with deadline but I had great fun contributing !!

[mari-m-rose]

He couldn’t think about it too long since Jafar pushed him back with it and he fell into the pool. He swam back up gasping for air. Jafar jumped into the pool himself cornering Sinbad. “Jafar look I’m really sorry!” Sinbad was actually scared of the other. Jafar has never been this mad at him before. Jafar grabbed Sinbad by his shirt collar. “I didn’t mean-!”

Jafar decided to finally shut Sinbad up once and for all. Though in a way no one expected. He kissed him.

This is my piece for @magibb (thank you very much for organizing this ♥♥)!  I was paired up with @one-true-fangirl ♥ And this is one of my fave parts of her fic Uncle Sin (you can read it here). Tbh I wanted to draw more parts with Aladdin in it but I don’t have the time, maybe later tho cause I love this AU. Thanks again for writing this Vane, I love it so much ♥

[one-true-fangirl]

Uncle Sin

A little late on posting even though I was done. Sorry about that. This is for @magibb Enjoy!

Rated: T Pairing: Sinja [SinbadXJafar] Summary:  All this time Jafar believed Sinbad was just an egotistical playboy. Until he brought a surprise to the office. WC: 6187

Sinbad was many things. A flirt, womanizer, manipulator, alcoholic. Well this was all Jafar listed himself since he knew the man. But he was a damn good worker in the office and is probably the only reason this company was still running. Not that he’d admit it out loud. Egotistical was another word he forgot to add to the list. The biggest annoyance he had against Sinbad was for some damn reason, he wouldn’t leave him alone.

“Hey Jafar!”

Jafar groaned walking faster. It was time to go home and he was actually getting out on time for once. Now that he thought about it, that was weird. He usually had to stay behind after hours to finish up work Sinbad would do last minute.

“Hey, I was calling you!” Sinbad caught up placing a hand on Jafar’s shoulder. He never respected personal space! “You doing anything-?”

“No.” Jafar shrugged off the other’s hand. If it was only that easy to make Sinbad go away.

“So…You’re free then?” Sinbad continued being persistent smiling at Jafar.

“Yes, but I’m not doing anything with you.” He clarified. Maybe he should try to file for sexual harassment. If only his pride would let him.

“Oh come on. You should at least give me chance. I know of a nice little restaurant we can go to.” Sinbad’s phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket. He quickly took it out reading what Jafar’s assumed was a text message. “Guess I’ll have to reschedule our date.”

“I never agreed.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow Jafar.” He winked before sprinting out of the building.

Jafar couldn’t help but be curious. What would make Sinbad actually run out like that?

“He’s been acting weird for awhile now hasn’t he?” Hinahoho commented coming out of his office locking it.

“Has he?”

“I would think you’d notice the most. You’re always around him.”

“More like he won’t leave me alone.” Jafar huffed as Hinahoho laughed.

“Well let’s see. He’s been doing all his work on time,” he began counting with his fingers. “he no longer stays late unless we really need him, hardly goes out on business trips anymore, and he barely goes out for a drink now. And when he does he doesn’t stay as late nor does he invite anyone home.”

Now that really was weird. Now that he thought about it Sinbad was more…assertive lately. “Maybe he’s finally maturing.”

“Weird time to start.” Jafar couldn’t help but think the other was just upset because Sinbad was his drinking buddy. “This started about five months ago when he was suddenly gone for a week.”

“I wonder if something major happened during that time then.” It was a sudden leave. That week was…very quiet.

“You do care.”

“Not even close.” Jafar couldn’t help but turn light red as they finally made it to the door. “Waiting for Rurumu?”

“Of course. She’s my ride.” Hinahoho laughed.

“She’s your wife.” Jafar corrected. “Tell her I said good night.”

“Will do.”

♦♦♦

           Sinbad really was many things. But sometimes he just liked to surprise everyone. Like this morning. He was late. Happens to all of them really but that wasn’t the surprising part. It was when he ran in late that everyone was surprised.

           “…Sinbad…who’s that?” Drakon finally spoke up pointing at the sleepy child Sinbad was holding.

           Sinbad tried to straighten himself out but he ran the whole way while carrying the child. “This…this is Aladdin. His babysitter cancelled on me.” He cleared his throat. “I know this isn’t work appropriate, but I couldn’t find a place for him to stay.” Big blue eyes stared at everyone before the boy hid his face against Sinbad’s chest.

           “Is he…?”

           “It’s a long story. I promise I’ll get all my work done and he’ll behave. It’ll be just for today.” He was practically begging. Something Sinbad never did.

           “I suppose that’s fine.” Drakon agreed. What else could he really say? He also worked under Sinbad why was he asking permission?

           “Thank you.” Sinbad sighed relieved before lifting Aladdin a bit in his arms. “Come on buddy. You can color while I work.

           Aladdin looked up at Sinbad and nodded as he walked to his office.

           "Sinbad is…a father?“ Pisti asked once he was gone.

"I don’t know.” Sharrkan wasn’t sure what just happened.

“I didn’t even know.” Hinahoho felt offended. Weren’t they best friends?!

Rurumu watched the group bicker as she remained quiet. She knew. She was the only one who knew. That’s how Sinbad was able to get that week off suddenly a couple months back. Sinbad begged her not to tell. Not because he was ashamed, he loved Aladdin. He just didn’t want pity on the boy. She looked over noticing Jafar was quiet staring at the door Sinbad once stood. Seems he was curious about the whole thing too.

♦♦♦

“Sorry I forgot your coloring book.” Sinbad apologized giving Aladdin some blank papers to use his crayons on.

“It okay!” Aladdin grabbed the blue crayon. “I can draw! I’ll draw you!” He was about to use the blue crayon but stopped himself with a look of hard concentration. He put it down grabbing the purple one instead and began drawing.

“Looks like someone is going to grow up an artist.” Sinbad smiled patting his head before heading for his desk. Okay no messing around today. Actually, since he adopted Aladdin, he hasn’t been messing around much. He’s been getting his work done early to go home to Aladdin. Sinbad picked up some papers before frowning. “Shoot…I forgot the documents are still with Drakon.” He stood up. “Aladdin stay here okay? I have to go get some stuff real quick.”

“Okay.” Aladdin agreed still drawing.

Sinbad smiled knowing Aladdin would listen before leaving to pick up his work…hopefully they didn’t ask questions. He really wasn’t ready to talk about this right now.

Aladdin just kept coloring sticking his tongue out in concentration. This was going to be his best picture yet!

“Sinbad I need you to-” Jafar stopped when he realized the other was missing. He looked over seeing Aladdin stare back. Aladdin quickly panicked dropping his crayon and running behind the couch in Sinbad’s office. “Oh I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.” Jafar kneeled down not wanting Aladdin to feel threaten by him. Despite what others believed, Jafar was a softy. Especially to children. “What’s your name?”

Aladdin fidget a bit looking down. “…Aladdin.”

“Hi Aladdin. I’m Jafar.”

“…hi.” Aladdin still didn’t look up.

Jafar frowned noticing he wasn’t getting anywhere with him. He looked over at the table noticing the drawing. “Is that Sinbad?”

Aladdin finally looked up when Jafar mentioned his drawing and nodded.

“You’re really good. Though you forgot that little hair he has that sticks up all the time.” Jafar made a motion with his finger on his head.

Aladdin gasped running back to the table to look at his drawing. “I did!” He quickly fixed the problem before continuing to draw.

“Does Sinbad take care of you?” Jafar couldn’t help but ask. He was curious like everyone else.

“Uh-huh. He promised mommy. Uncle Sinbad is really nice. Mommy said he’ll take good care of me.”

“Your mommy?”

“Yeah! Uncle Sinbad was always helping out mommy! She was sick a lot and Sinbad was our…nay…neig-…” Aladdin scrunched his eyebrows trying to remember the word.

“Neighbor?” Jafar helped him out.

Aladdin smiled. “Yeah! He lived in front of our room! And even when uncle Sinbad moved away. He visited all the time to play and help mommy!" 

Jafar wanted to ask. He wanted to know what happened to his mother. Before he could ask though he was interrupted.

"Jafar?” Sinbad was surprise to see the other here. Especially kneeled down near Aladdin who was still drawing. He was very shy boy. How did he warm up to Jafar already? Not to mention Jafar was strictly business all the time. Was he here because of Aladdin?

“Oh Sinbad.” Jafar stood up dusting himself off. “I needed these documents signed but you weren’t here.

"Sorry I had to get something from Drakon. I’ll get those signed right away.” He walked around to his desk.

Jafar nodded looking one last time at Aladdin before walking over to get everything signed. “….never saw you as a father figure.”

“Neither did I.” Sinbad chuckled as he signed. “Maybe you should get to know me better.” He winked at the other.

“I don’t think so.” Well Sinbad was definitely still the same. No way he was actually a good father-

Aladdin suddenly sneezed alerting Sinbad. He stood up grabbing a tissue. “Bless you Aladdin. You got some sniffles?”

Aladdin sniffed a bit nodding.

“Alright blow.” Sinbad held the tissue in front of Aladdin’s nose as the boy did what he was told. He cleaned him up before tossing the used tissue. “Want some grapes?”

“Yes please.”

“Look at that. Using the word please like a pro.” Aladdin giggled as that as Sinbad reached for the box of grapes. “Don’t eat too many okay.”

Aladdin instantly grabbed a handful putting them in his mouth. “Okay. Thank you.”

“No talking with your mouth full.” He smiled when he received a nod from Aladdin before going back to his desk. “Sorry about that. I’ll finish signing now.”

“That’s…alright.” Jafar was still stunned at what he just saw. Sinbad was a wonderful caretaker. He didn’t even know this side of Sinbad existed.

♦♦♦

Jafar couldn’t help but think about what he just saw the whole time he was working. Sinbad was a kind man. Despite all that stupid flirting he did. All this time he thought Sinbad was just an idiot.

He didn’t see the other again until lunch when he went into the break room. He noticed Sinbad helping Aladdin with his food by cutting it for him.

“Don’t eat too fast.”

“Okay!”

“You’re not drooling already are you.”

“No!” Aladdin grabbed a napkin wiping his mouth just in case.

“I was just kidding.” Sinbad laughed putting down the knife.

“You meanie.” Aladdin pouted.

“Am I? Am I a big ol’ meanie?” Sinbad tickled the other making Aladdin giggle again.

Everyone in the break room just stared since this side of Sinbad was new to everybody. They still wanted to know why Aladdin was in his custody.

Once Aladdin stopped laughing he looked over seeing Jafar. He jumped off his chair grabbing a piece of paper from the table before running towards him. “Look! Look!” He got on his top toes showing Jafar the picture. “I finished!”

Jafar didn’t think Aladdin wanted to show him the picture. Though he still kneeled down for him to get a better look. His knees were probably going to be sore by the end of the day. “You did?”

“Yeah.” Aladdin began to point at the picture. “I drew Sinbad here. Then me. And I drew you too because you helped me with my drawing. I made you green.” Sure enough there was three figures. Purple for Sinbad, green for Jafar, and blue for Aladdin.

“That’s very lovely Aladdin.” Jafar smiled at the picture. He noticed another figure in the corner. “Who’s this pink one here?”

“That’s mommy. She’s watching over us.” Aladdin looked back at his picture. “She’s an angel because she’s in heaven.”

Jafar’s eyes widen looking at Sinbad who just stared at his food. What exactly was happening? His mother past away?

Aladdin grabbed Jafar’s hand leading him towards Sinbad. “Eat with us! Uncle Sinbad makes really good food!”

Jafar let himself be lead sitting next to Sinbad with Aladdin popping up in between them.

Aladdin happily started eating but Jafar just stared at Sinbad concerned.

“…come by the office afterwards.” Was all Sinbad said before he began eating too.

Jafar nodded knowing he’ll answer his questions then.

♦♦♦

“It’s not what you think.” Sinbad began as he tucked Aladdin in on the couch. It was always his nap time after lunch.

“Then what is it? How long have you even had him? Did anyone even know?” Jafar was trying to stay calm to not wake Aladdin from his nap. But he had so many questions.

“It’s been about five months. Rurumu was the only one who knew and…Sheba, his mother, used to be my neighbor at that old shitty apartment I used to live in.”

Jafar sat down in front of the desk deciding this might be a long story.

“She was very sick. But very kind. I met Aladdin when he was only a few months.”

“The father?”

“Isn’t me.” Sinbad answered right away. “His father was killed when she was only a few months pregnant.”

“Oh my god. Why?”

“…his name was Solomon.”

“Solomon? Like David Abraham’s son Solomon. The twisted manipulator?”

“David was, not Solomon. Solomon was killed by some people David crossed. Sheba said he was a good man. Always loving and caring for her despite what others said.”

“You would think David would take care of his only grandson.” Jafar hated that man. He only met him once before and instantly loathed him.

“He doesn’t know about Aladdin. He didn’t even know about Sheba being pregnant. He was against Solomon’s relationship with her.”

“…this is a really deep subject Sin…maybe I shouldn’t know.” Just talking about this seemed to bother Sinbad.

Sinbad sighed leaning back. “It’s fine…I don’t really see why you shouldn’t know. But maybe I did go too deep? Maybe I just finally want to get this off my chest.” Rurumu herself only knew a few details.

"So what’s your relationship in all this?”

“Like I said I met Sheba when I first moved into that apartment. She was kind and helpful. Even fed me when I had nothing to eat.”

“She sounds wonderful.”

“Sheba was like a big sister to me…but she was very ill. Just kept growing sicker throughout the years. Nothing made her better.”

Jafar stayed quiet noticing tears forming in Sinbad’s eyes though he keep blinking them away.

“I would help her out the best I could. Cleaning, shopping, cooking, taking care of Aladdin. Even when I moved away I would still visit to make sure she was okay.”

“…what happened Sin?”

Sinbad clutched his fist at the bitter memory. “One day, my visit wasn’t as cheery as it usually is.”

♦♦♦

“Sheba?” Sinbad knocked again when he got no answer. “Sheba, I brought some take out today! Chinese from your favorite restaurant!” He frowned when there was still no answer. Maybe she was out at a doctor’s appointment. Though usually she would tell him when those were so he could take her. He was about to walk away when he heard noise coming from inside.

“S-sinbab…?” He heard Aladdin crying from the other side of the door.

“Aladdin? Aladdin what’s wrong?” Sinbad glued himself to the door instantly worried.

“M-mommy..she won…she won’t wake up…”

Sinbad panicked fishing the extra key he was given to open the door. He finally opened it seeing Aladdin crying. “Where’s Sheba?”

Aladdin pointed to the living room before Sinbad picked him up heading towards the living room. His heart dropped seeing Sheba on the floor. “Oh my god Sheba!” He put Aladdin down grabbing his phone to dial an ambulance. “Please be breathing. Please be breathing.” He kneeled in front of her feeling her pulse. It was faint but still there. “Yes hello? I need an ambulance right away! I don’t know how long she’s going to last!”

♦♦♦

Sinbad was holding Aladdin outside the emergency room. Aladdin had already fallen asleep from all his crying. Sinbad on the other hand had bags under his eyes refusing to get rest until he had some news on Sheba.

The doctor finally came out after what seemed like days going up to Sinbad. “She’s awake.”

“Is she..?” Sinbad frowned when he saw the doctor shook his head.

“I’m sorry. She probably won’t make it past tonight. Her illness has spread entirely throughout her body.”

Tears poured down Sinbad’s eyes at the news. “…she has a child.”

“I’m so sorry.” The doctor apologized again before leaving.

Sinbad shakenly got up going into the room. Sure enough, Sheba laid there awake doing her best to breath. “Sheba….”

“I already know….” Her voice was almost a whisper. “I was hoping I had more time…”

“There has to be something.”

“You and I both know…that isn’t true…I’ve been sick for a long time…”

Sinbad just cursed still crying. This wasn’t fair! She didn’t deserve this!

“Sinbad…I have a favor….to ask of you.”

“Anything.”

“Can you care…for Aladdin…I know that…it’s a lot of…responsibility…but I don’t trust him…with anyone else.”

Sinbad couldn’t find words. He looked down at Aladdin before nodding. He’ll care for him. He’ll make sure Aladdin has a wonderful life.

“Thank you…can you wake him…I want to say goodbye.”

Sinbad nodded again still not trusting his words. He shook him lightly in his arms before Aladdin began to stir opening his eyes. He looked over at Sheba noticing she was awake.

“Mommy?”

Sheba smiled trying to lift her arms to hold him. “Hi sweetie.” Sinbad put Aladdin on the bed letting the other crawl to her so they could hug.

“…I don’t like it here….I wanna go home.”

“Oh honey…I’m sorry…Mommy can’t go home.”

“Why not?”

“Because mommy has to go.” Sheba started to explain as she cried. “But…Sinbad will take good care of you. So you be good with him okay?”

“…can I visit you?”

Sheba shook her head still crying. “Mommy will be too far away. But I love you so very much Aladdin. So much.”

Aladdin stayed quiet. “…is mommy going with daddy…?”

Sheba nodded.

“Mommy Is gonna be an angel?”

“Yes…I’ll be watching over you.”

“Okay…I’ll be good with Sinbad. So mommy can be a happy angel.” Aladdin smiled though he was crying now.

Sheba held Aladdin as tight as she could.

“I love you mommy.”

“Me too. So much.”

Sinbad just watched quietly before the monitors beeping began to slow down until there was no more. He’ll make sure to keep his promise for Sheba. He’ll give Aladdin a wonderful life.

♦♦♦

“I’m sure you can catch up with the rest of the story.” Sinbad finished looking at Aladdin who was still sleeping. Tears were already pouring down his eyes from the memory. He really missed Sheba. He looked back at Jafar and was caught off guard.

Jafar was sitting there crying himself. He didn’t know this. Sinbad was just supposed to be some pervert. Yet now he realized Sinbad was…more than that.

“Oh my god I didn’t mean to make you cry.” Sinbad grabbed some tissues to give to Jafar.

“What do you expect?” Jafar took in a shaky breath drying his tears. “I didn’t know you were…nice.”

“I’m not really sure what to say to that.”

“I thought you were just a pervert.”

“You really know how to make people feel better don’t you?”

“Well you still are.”

“Anything else you want to insult about me?”

“Plenty but I’ll save them for later.”

“Thanks.”

Jafar smiled as they both laughed softly. He looked back at Aladdin. “…if you need any help. I’ll be happy to assist. I’m sure it isn’t easy for a single parent…uhh uncle.”

“I…really appreciate that.”

“It’s no problem…I wouldn’t want Aladdin becoming some pervert because of you.”

“And there are the insults.”

♦♦♦

Aladdin seemed to grow rather fond of Jafar. He was always happy to have the other over. And when he would go to the office he would stop by his office too. Jafar didn’t mind it at all…though there was one thing he did mind.

“Aunty Jafar!” Aladdin ran in hugging the other. So much for Aladdin’s office visit being a one time thing. Though no one seemed to mind. He was adorable.

“Hi Aladdin. But I thought I told you to just call me Jafar.”

“But uncle Sinbad said it was fine.”

“Of course he did.” Jafar will make sure to get him back later. Maybe doubling his work load.

“Should…should I not?” Aladdin gave him the puppy eyes. He loved calling Jafar auntie.

Jafar twitched before sighing. He wasn’t going to win this battle. “I suppose it’s alright.”

Aladdin smiled again snuggling against him.

“Come on Aladdin.” Sinbad came by the door grinning. “Auntie has some work to do.”

“Okay!” Aladdin let go off Jafar running towards Sinbad’s office.

“Auntie?” Jafar glared at him.

“What he likes it.” Sinbad smirked walking over to him. “And I mean you could be the official aunt if-”

“I’m still not going on a date with you.”

“Oh come on! You said I was nice.”

“Still a pervert.”

“What have I done lately that’s been perverted?”

“Touched my ass when I bent down for fallen paper work.”

“Oh yeah I forgot about that.”

“You cat whistle every time I walk by your office.”

“It’s a compliment.”

“You have the stupidest pick up lines.”

“Hey, I like you a latte while you were holding a latte was a good one…and that isn’t perverted.”

“So annoying.”

“You’re mean.”

“And yet you still chase me.” Jafar rolled his eyes before walking away.

Sinbad stopped for a moment before smirking. “I think you like being chased.”

“Excuse me?” Jafar stopped looking back at Sinbad.

“Admit it you love the attention.”

Jafar blushed. “You’re insane.”

“I can prove it.”

“Oh my god you’re insane.”

“I’ll prove to you that you like me chasing after you.”

“This outta be good.”

“Yes it will.” Sinbad winked before leaving. “Get ready to admit it.”

“Never.”

♦♦♦

Jafar was making some copies in the morning when he felt something-rather someone hug his legs. “Good morning Aladdin.”

“Morning auntie.” Aladdin giggled as Jafar lifted him.

“You sleep well?”

“Uh huh.” Aladdin kissed his cheek. “Uncle Sinbad read me a bed time story. There was a frog in it and a princess.”

“Now that’s really sweet of him.”

“Come on Aladdin.” Sinbad called out from down the hall.

Jafar put Aladdin down so he could run towards Sinbad. “What no awful pick up line?” Jafar smirked at him. He was dying to see how Sinbad was going to make him admit it.

Sinbad just smirked back winking at him before going towards his office.

Jafar just rolled his eyes before continuing his copies. Though, that was weird that Sinbad didn’t even try.

The rest of the day went by…slowly. No visits from Sinbad. No whistles. No touches. No stupid pick up lines. What the hell was happening?

Was Sinbad ignoring him?! How dare he?! He noticed Sinbad leaving with Aladdin in his arms and decided to demand an explanation. “Hey!”

Sinbad stopped looking back at Jafar who march over to him.

“Why are you ignoring me!?”

“I’m not ignoring you.”

“I don’t und-…What?” Jafar anger was immediately replaced by confusion.

“I’m not ignoring you. Did you call for me earlier or something?”

“I…no…I didn’t.”

“Then I guess I’m not ignoring you.” He shrugged.

“You just…always came by my office and today…”

“Well I am working.” Sinbad chuckled moving Aladdin to one arm. “And you asked me to stop my nonsense did you not?”

“I…did.”

“Then I guess everything is fine.” Sinbad laughed waving goodbye as he walked away again.

“Night.”

“Night auntie!” Aladdin waved too.

“…Good night.” Jafar waved back feeling…rather lonely?

♦♦♦

It’s been about a week since Sinbad has started his little plan. And it seemed to be working. Now it was Jafar looking for him. He would start small talk and Sinbad made sure to keep it small. He really missed messing with the other though. But if he kept it up Jafar was sure to be his.

“Sin! Sin!” Aladdin ran up to him as he made them dinner.

“Woah where’s the fire. Why are you all worked up?”

“I made Jafar’s in…invi…invitation!” he said proudly. Jafar helped him to pronounce bigger words.

Sinbad blinked turning down the burner and kneeling down. “Invitation for what?”

“Your birthday!” Aladdin pointed at the picture. “It’s a pool party! You’re here in the pool. I’m swimming with Jafar here. Ruru is cooking with Hoho.” Aladdin kept pointing at everyone and everything in the picture.

Sinbad forgot his birthday was coming up. He has been pretty busy. A get together did sound nice. And they did have a pool. “You want to have a pool party for me?”

“Uh huh!” Aladdin bounced in place excited. “We can have hotdogs and hamburgers!”

“Alright. I’ll see if everyone can make it.”

“I want to give this to auntie Jafar!” Aladdin tugged on his sleeve.

“You want to personally invite him?”

Aladdin nodded looking back at his picture. “Yeah…he hasn’t come by to play in awhile…”

That…broke Sinbad’s heart. Aladdin missed Jafar…but this was perfect! Aladdin’s cuteness was irresistible! He could use this! “You’ll get to invite him tomorrow.” He messed with Aladdin’s hair making him giggle. “Tell him how much you’ve missed him too.”

♦♦♦

“You miss him.” Rurumu pointed out as they both drank coffee in her office.

“I do not!” Jafar huffed with bags under his eyes. To think he was losing sleep over this.

“You’re losing sleep over this.”

“Stop…stop reading my thoughts.” She always knew what he was thinking. It was kind of scary. He sipped his coffee.

“Honey, don’t you think the only reason you’ve put up with Sinbad as long as you have is maybe because you like him?”

“No!” he slammed his fist on the table almost knocking over the coffee. “S-sorry.”

“It’s alright. This table has taken quite a beating before.” She looked up noticing Jafar’s horrid expression. She blushed realizing what the other was thinking. “Jafar!”

“I’m sorry! My mind immediately went to a bad place!”

“You really have been hanging out with Sinbad too much.” She shook her head.

A knock was heard before the door was opened by Aladdin. “Auntie!” he ran over to Jafar. He was looking all over for him! “Oh! Good morning Ruru.” He smiled at her.

“Morning Aladdin.” She smiled at his politeness. Such a cute child.

“What are you doing over here Aladdin?” Jafar asked letting Aladdin climb on his lap.

“To invite you!” he showed Jafar his drawing. “It’s Uncle Sinbad birthday next week! We’re having a pool party!”

“A pool party?” Jafar didn’t do well outdoors. He gets burnt rather easily. But with Aladdin now explaining his picture… “It sounds fun.”

“So you’ll come?” Aladdin asked hopeful.

“I’m sure I can make it.”

Aladdin hugged Jafar. “I glad….I really missed you. You haven’t come to play…”

Jafar was suddenly washed over with guilt. He made Aladdin sad because of his stubbornness! “Oh I’m sorry Aladdin. I’ll make sure to make more time to come see you.”

“Promise?”

“Of course.”

♦♦♦

“You know. You didn’t have to help us set up the party.” Sinbad pointed out as he was cleaning the barbeque.

“Aladdin wanted me to spend time with him so I came early.” Jafar set up the tables. He just didn’t think Aladdin was going to be napping before the party.

“Alright.” Sinbad appreciated the help. And seeing Jafar in shorts and a white t-shirt was nice. He only saw the other in suits all the time. Not that he minded.

They fell into another silence as they continued setting things up. Jafar still didn’t like this. Sinbad was still not doing anything. But he refused to give in. He’ll just have to get used to this. The quiet…just like before Sinbad.

“Jafar?” The other jumped when Sinbad was suddenly behind him. “Sorry didn’t mean to scare you. You’ve just been staring at that towel for awhile.

Jafar looked at the towel in his hand before folding it and placing it with the others. “I just zoned out I guess.”

“You need something to drink? Rurumu told me you were sensitive with the sun.” Maybe the other was dehydrated. “Sit here I’ll grab you some lemonade.” He laid Jafar down on one of the pool chairs before going inside.

Jafar watched the other go inside before frowning. Maybe Sinbad just didn’t like him anymore. Who would after all the rejection right? Well this is what he wanted. To be left alone by Sinbad right? Doesn’t feel as good as he thought it would. He turned to his side to try to get more comfortable when he noticed big blue eyes staring. He sat up seeing Aladdin looking at him concerned.

“Are you not feeling well auntie?” Aladdin climbed up to sit next to him.

“Oh I’m fine just a little tired.” Jafar smiled not wanting to worry Aladdin.

Aladdin still didn’t look convinced. He wasn’t looking up at Jafar as he fidgeted with his thumbs. “…are you and Sin mad at each other?”

“Why would you think that?” Did Sinbad say something? Maybe he was just tired of him.

“You hardly come anymore…and uncle Sinbad doesn’t visit you like he used to.” He looked up at Jafar.

“We just been very busy at work lately Aladdin. We’re not mad.”

“So you and Sinbad still like each other?”

“Well I do see Sin as a friend I suppose.”

“No.” Aladdin frowned. “Like! Like how mommy liked daddy!”

Jafar was surprised Aladdin was asking this. “I don’t think so no.”

“But uncle Sin likes you.”

“I doubt he likes me like that.” It was just silly flirting Sinbad got tired of.

“…don’t you like Sinbad?”

Jafar stayed quiet not sure how to answer that. It was just a kid asking. He should be able to say no and drop it.

“One tall glass of lemonade coming right up!” Sinbad came outside noticing Aladdin. “You done with your nap?”

“Uh-huh.” Aladdin didn’t seem happy that Jafar stayed quiet.

“Still kind of sleepy aren’t you?” He handed Jafar the lemonade before picking Aladdin up. “I’ll be back Jafar. Gonna find Aladdin some swim trunks.”

Jafar smiled softly watching Sinbad go back inside. His smiled quickly faded looking back at the drink in his hand. What was he doing here?

♦♦♦

“Always nice to relax in a pool.” Hinahoho sighed in bless as he floated.

“Cannon ball!” The other was suddenly splashed followed by laughter of four teens.

“Kikirku stop trying to kill your father.” Rurumu shook her head at them as she sliced some watermelon.

Sinbad laughed along with everyone else. He was glad to see everyone so relaxed instead of stressed all the time with work.

“A pool party was a good idea.” Pisti cheered with Yamraiha as they both relaxed on floaties.

“It really was.” Mystras agreed happily watching Pipirka in her bikini playing with Aladdin.

“Get in there already.” Drakon pushed him in as he walked by to give Sahel her drink. Honestly those two were finally dating but Mystras was still as shy as ever. The other swam up coughing as Pipirka made sure he was okay.

Sharrkan bursted out laughing before he himself was pushed in by Masrur. There was no reason why he did it. He just felt like it.

“I should stay away from the sides of the pool.” Spartos made a note to himself. He didn’t want to pushed in.

Sinbad grabbed another beer from the ice chest looking around. Where did Jafar go? He was out here earlier.

Jafar sighed setting his gift on the table inside. Sinbad’s favorite wine. He was supposed to give it to him personally, but right now didn’t seem like a good time. At least with everyone distracted outside he could leave unnoticed. He turned around jumping at the sight of Sinbad. This was the second time the other snuck up on him today!

“Leaving so soon?” Sinbad frowned.

“I…I wasn’t feeling very well.” It wasn’t exactly a lie.

“Weren’t even going to say bye?” Did Jafar really feel that bad? He was usually overly polite at parties. Unless he drank. Then it really was a party.

“I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“It’s a party Jafar. You really wouldn’t be interrupting anything.” He looked over at the table. Jafar got him a gift?

“Right. Well I think I should be going. Happy Birthday Sin.” He smiled walking past the other.

“Are you really feeling that bad?” Sinbad decided to at least walk Jafar out the door.

“Yeah…” Jafar paused at the door. “…you were right you know.”

Now Sinbad was confused. What was he right about?

“I guess maybe I did like the attention you gave me. I never thought anyone could even like me in such a way.” He gulped feeling himself shake. “But I guess you can only take so much rejection before you decide it’s not worth it anymore.”

Sinbad’s eyes widen. This wasn’t the confession he wanted! Did he really make Jafar feel unwanted. “Jafar it’s not like that-“

“I really did like the time we spent together. But I guess I was just too scared of it at the same time. Getting my hopes up.” Jafar turned around and Sinbad’s heart sunk. He was crying. “I’m really sorry for wasting your time. I hope you like your gift.” He turned back around opening the door.

It was immediately pushed closed again by Sinbad’s hand. “Jafar…this isn’t the confession I wanted.”

Jafar looked back at the other confused. What did he mean by confession he wanted?

“I didn’t mean to make you feel unwanted. Jafar for god’s sake I really do like you.” He ran his fingers through his hair frustrated. “I mean it’s pretty obvious with everything I do.”

“But lately-“

“I know, I know. I wasn’t really doing any of that lately but it was to prove my point!”

“Your….point?”

“You know…for you to admit you liked me chasing you.” Sinbad reminded. “I really didn’t mean for you to feel bad.”

“So you weren’t…tired of me?”

“God no! Jafar I could never be tired of you!”

“So this was just your plan?”

“Not exactly I didn’t think I’d make you cry.”

“So you did this on purpose?” Jafar glared at Sinbad.

“You’re uhh…you’re sounding a little angry there Jafar.” Sinbad backed away a bit.

“You ignored me to get me to confess?!” Every step back Sinbad took Jafar matched with a stepped forward. They made it all the way outside and now everyone’s eyes were on them. What was going on?

“When you put it that way it sounds bad.” Sinbad gulped. “I’m really really sorry I put you through this.”

“You will be sorry!” Jafar pulled his hand back.

Sinbad shut his eyes waiting for a punch. When it didn’t come he finally peeked open his eye. He was confused when he saw Jafar’s finger against his forehead. He couldn’t think about it too long since Jafar pushed him back with it and he fell into the pool. He swam back up gasping for air. Jafar jumped into the pool himself cornering Sinbad. “Jafar look I’m really sorry!” Sinbad was actually scared of the other. Jafar has never been this mad at him before. Jafar grabbed Sinbad by his shirt collar. “I didn’t mean-!”

Jafar decided to finally shut Sinbad up once and for all. Though in a way no one expected. He kissed him. He pulled away still glaring at Sinbad. Though it didn’t have the same effect since he was now blushing. “Don’t ever mess with my emotions again.”

Sinbad just nodded before he was pulled into another kiss. He was not complaining.

“So does this mean you do like him!?” They were both interrupted by Aladdin standing next to them on the side of the pool. He was excited to see them together! It was always more fun with them together.

“I always thought Sinbad would be the one to kiss Jafar first not the other way around.” Yamraiha commented staring with everyone else. They don’t know what exactly happened but they were happy the two were finally together.

Jafar went completely red forgetting about everyone else. He began to swim away from Sinbad.

“Where are you going?” Sinbad grabbed Jafar arm.

“To drown myself.” He mumbled. To think he did this in front of everyone. He was so angry! All he saw was red and Sinbad!

“Nope!” Sinbad laughed hugging him. “You owe me a date now!”

Aladdin watched them as everyone laughed. He began kicking the water with his feet before looking up at the blue sky. He blinked seeing two figures on a cloud smiling at him. He grinned waving at them as they disappeared. His mommy really did turn into a beautiful angel. And now she was together with daddy. He knows they’ll watch over him with his new family.

Sinbad picked up Aladdin bringing him in the pool. “Want some watermelon?”

“Yeah!” he smiled.

“Not too much though. I don’t your appetite ruined for lunch.” Jafar smiled getting out the pool.

“Okay!” Aladdin laughed as Sinbad got out of the pool with him. Once he put Aladdin down, the boy ran up to grab Jafar’s hand and Sinbad’s so they can walk together. This was his new family now. And he loved them just like he did his mommy.

[beamiedraws]

I was paired with @ohtakudesu for @magibb ! The story was Rurumu no Bouken, which was the event of the Imuchakk arc of SnB retold with Rurumu as the main char!

I really loved the little scenes added in of Ruru’s childhood and such, so here was my fave scene of a baby Ru and Hina being able to just be kids together!  ❤

Thank you to the BB people for organzing this event! I am looking forward to seeing everyone’s work!

~~bonus: daytime colors: ~~

[alibwabwa]

“Roses are very lovely, of course, but I think their thorns are what make them so beautiful. After all,” he went on with a growing smile, “it’s impossible to love the petals without first loving the thorns.”

My @magibb entry for @judaru, I had alot of fun with the expressions on this one, I especially loved the way you described Sinbads smile ! 

[setsuntamew]

fanfic: A Bit of Blackened Fate- Chapter 13

Title: A Bit of Blackened Fate Series: Magi Ships: Judal/Hakuryuu, implied Sinbad/Jafar, past Sinbad/Judal Warnings: strange magic bullshit, slow burn, violence Summary: [M] When Hakuryuu stumbles upon an odd antiques shop, he ends up with far more than he bargained for: a curse, another side of the world he’d never known, and an eccentric shopkeeper who has taken quite a shine to him. [read on AO3] [fanfiction.net] 

please enjoy a chapter of Judal being touchy and weird, and somehow resisting cursing a difficult customer :D

[suitcasesoffeathers]

An Alakou (Aladdin x Kougyoku from Magi) piece from @carrotcouple‘s beautiful fanfiction, Where Home Is! This was for the Magi Big Bang event! Thank you @magibb for organizing everything and being so kind!! It was so much fun to participate!! I’m so sorry for being late in posting my art!!! I got caught up in some personal business ^^;

This is the scene where Aladdin and Kougyoku reunite!! It was so touching, so I just had to draw it! I apologize for the weird lighting, but I really hope you like it!!

[thau-draws]

Hooray! So glad I made it on time (cough); I was fretting that I couldn’t do such an AWESOME fic justice! For anyone who’s interested in this Spartos/Sinbad fic, it can be found here. (...Sinbad looks like a colorful blob... RIP. And I’m sure, good ol’ Darius never intended his quote to be used in this manner, but I think it speaks to the theme of this fic well.)

Thank you @magibb​​ for organizing such an even and for letting me join (despite being late af) and for @orsa-verba​​ for this magnificent fic. Seriously, your command of the written language had me swooning! I can’t wait for the rest of the fic!

[carrotcouple]

Where Home is (AO3|ff.net|Wattpad)

Ren Kougyoku is the Eighth Imperial Princess and the second female Djiin user in Kou. She is engaged to Aladdin, one of the most important members of the Peace Alliance. She understands her duties and understands his. She won’t complain, she’ll just wait for those days he can come back to her. 

Things were relatively peaceful.

So much had happened in so little time. It seemed like Alibaba had just come back from the dead, but she was wrong. It had been almost three years. And yet, things were relatively peaceful. Peace treaties had been passed around all over the world and the man standing in the middle, who was responsible for all of the peace, was Alibaba; and standing next to him, his wife Morgiana. And standing in Alibaba’s shadow as a constant source of strength to everyone was Kougyoku’s fiancé, Aladdin. The world revolved around Aladdin and Alibaba; therefore, they were almost never in one place.

Kougyoku’s place was in Kou, amongst the people she had once led.  Kouen held the emperor’s seat once again. Kougyoku and her siblings who held djinns served under him as appointed kings and queens over different areas of the world. Koumei, however, frequently left his post to come experiment, which was what he felt he truly excelled at. Kougyoku had her own post but often travelled as ambassador and took care of foreign paperwork, mostly because she was engaged to Aladdin. Even though they were engaged, they almost never had an opportunity to see each other.

But Kougyoku understood. She had things she needed to do and he had things he needed to do. They had talked at length about it the evening he’d asked her to marry him. So they’d decided to carry on with their lives and wait for the time when they could be together again, short though that time might be. It was all they were going to get and they cherished it more than anything else. Kougyoku forced herself to be satisfied with it. She was older than Aladdin and it would be unbecoming of her if she acted like a spoiled brat around him.

Even so, it had been almost a year since she had last seen him face-to-face. They were engaged and yet they were so busy that they’d had no time to even get married. It was strange how Kougyoku seemed so composed on the outside but inside she was screaming like a little girl. She knew what sorts of things the servants were gossiping about. They wondered if Kougyoku truly was in love with Aladdin or if she had  pretended to be just to rise up in rank. Kougyoku had no doubt the person who started the rumour was one of her many half-sisters without a djinn. They did not try to hide their contempt for her. They were furious over how she could become one of the leading generals and head ambassador when her mother had been some nobody. But Kougyoku ignored them, the same way Hakuei and Kouha did.  

“Lady Kougyoku.” A servant bowed to her. Kougyoku turned and her attendants and Ka Koubun moved out of the way.

“Yes?” Kougyoku asked, her skirts swirling around her. The servant looked like a messenger.

“The lords of the east were wondering when Lord Aladdin will be back. Do you know if Lord Aladdin will be back for the Fort Festival?” the servant asked. Kougyoku allowed herself to smile politely as she often did these days. She was determined that at least Aladdin wouldn’t be badmouthed for choosing her as a wife.

“No, I’m afraid he has quite a few more places to be. But I will let him know of the lords’ thoughts.” Kougyoku nodded at the messenger, turned, and went on her way. “Ka Koubun, what are the next few meetings I have on my schedule?” she asked.

“A meeting with the Emperor about the transportation circle laws, and I believe we cleared out the rest of your schedule so you could go have dinner with the Qishan overlord.”

“Ah, yes, I forgot, that place has special meaning to Aladdin and Alibaba-chan. I have to be as amicable as possible. Will I be travelling by carpet or transportation circle?” Kougyoku played with a lock of her hair.

“Carpet, I believe. His Highness, the Emperor, says that if you travel by carpet, you will receive a proper welcome party; moreover, you will be seen as a proper princess, previous Empress and ambassador if you have a large group with you.”

Kougyoku frowned. If they brought her childish self from seven years ago, she would have done just that.

“I’ll take the transportation circle, thank you, and I think I’ll go with just Vinea.”

“My lady, that is-” her attendants started to protest.

“Is there a problem?” Kougyoku asked with a glare. “The whole point of this dinner is to show that we, Kou, are no longer the puffed-up idiots we used to be. I must show that I am a different person and that I am strong enough to go there by myself. I will not let them look down on me.Additionally, I will appear less pompous if I don’t have an  entourage behind me. Also, it’s one of Aladdin’s favourite places. As his fiancée, I need to carry myself in the right way. , Qishan is under Kouha is the ambassador to Qishan. They wouldn’t dare to lay a hand on me, not that they ever would. Anyway, Kouha is already there. He’s all that I will need; I will be just fine.”

“Yes, my lady.” Ka Koubun bowed to her although he didn’t seem happy with her decision. Kougyoku smiled at her oldest friend and companion.

“I will be sure to take care of myself, Ka Koubun. While I’m gone, how about you attend to His Highness, the Emperor?” Kougyoku asked with a knowing glance. Instantly, all the gloom was gone from his face. “Now then, I believe I have a meeting to do with transportation circle laws?” Kougyoku started walking to Kouen’s study to speak to him about the subject.

Kougyoku was dressed well when she arrived in Qishan via the transportation circles but she had covered her head to avoid attracting attention from the travel check. She took off the veil once she entered the market area of the city. She walked through, enjoying the different smells of fresh produce, cooking food, and raw meat and fish. Shopkeepers called out to her, attempting to entice her into buying something. She spotted caravans and smiled. Aladdin had told her the same story Alibaba had told her countless times. The story of how he and Alibaba had met. Kougyoku had heard the story from Alibaba, but Aladdin had narrated it to her with such excitement she hadn’t had the heart to tell him  she already knew every detail, aside from the fact that it was now from her beloved’s point of view.

Kougyoku’s heart clenched as she recalled Aladdin holding her hand, dragging her down the Kou market streets, and talking to her animatedly. She missed hearing the way his voice would resonate in her ears, the way his laughter made her heart rate pick up, the way his eyes would crinkle when she told him something funny, the way he would look into her eyes seriously when he would say things he would only say to her, the way he would blush when Kougyoku would say something to embarrass him and the way he would hold her as they talked long into the night about the most mundane things.

Kougyoku shut her eyes, and wished to see his face when she opened them.

“Kougyoku!”

Kougyoku’s eyes snapped open, her heart leaping in her throat. Her brain caught up to her the next second. It was impossible, Aladdin was halfway across the world and that hadn’t been his voice. It had been the voice of her brother, Kouha. With the skill she had honed for months, Kougyoku brushed away all feelings of loneliness and only thought about how she had her own duty. She had agreed to this. She smiled at her brother, who grinned widely at her with his sword slung across his slim shoulders.

“Kouha, your hair grew out more. It looks very nice!” Kougyoku admired her brother’s intricately braided hair. It was definitely much longer than it looked.

“Thank you! It’s braided with a mix of Reim style and traditional Qishan style. What brings you here, sister?” Kouha asked, shrugging a large mass of his hair off his shoulder.

“Did you forget? I told you earlier this week that I had a dinner with the Qishan overlord.” Kougyoku cocked her head to the side, her long ponytail brushing the ground.

“Oh, that’s right. I forgot about that. Didn’t that guy come with you? What was his name? Ka Koukum?” Kouha placed himself next to her and they continued to walk through the market.

“Ka Koubun,” Kougyoku corrected him, pausing to look at a bunch of flowers that a little girl had shoved into her face. “I told him I wanted to come alone. I thought having a train of people behind me wouldn’t be the greatest idea for this place.”

“Ah,” Kouha nodded in understanding. “This is where Aladdin and Alibaba met, if I remember correctly? Aladdin left no details out of his first adventure with Alibaba and Morgiana.”

“You got that right. So how are things? Anything new?” Kougyoku bought two apples and passed one to Kouha.

“Nah, same old here. How about you?” Kouha bit into his apple.

“Nothing new, aside from the fact that I had a very frustrating argument with Kouen Nii-sama about the number of people at the transportation circle checks.” Kougyoku frowned. “He just won’t put the number of men at the checks down.”

“Well, knowing Kouen Nii, he must have something in mind, but don’t give up just like that. If you believe something should happen, fight for it. We’re no longer the little kids who will hide behind our big brother’s robes. We’re a part of the designated kings and queens. We’re his equals.” Kouha turned to her. “By the way, where are Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgiana? I haven’t talked to them in a month.”

“They’re in Heliohapt. They’ll head to the Fanalis peace meeting next,” Kougyoku said, feeling a sense of pride in her.

“Busy, aren’t they?”

“They enjoy it far too much. They call it their adventures.” Kougyoku laughed. “Aladdin likes travelling and meeting people so much you would think he would rather do that than learn new magic.”

“Are you jealous?” Kouha’s voice was quiet and serious. It gave Kougyoku a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she ignored the internal warning bells.

“Jealous of who?” she asked.

“Morgiana, of course.” Kouha said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Why would I be jealous of dear Morgiana of all people?” Kougyoku was confused.

“Because she’s always with Alibaba.”

“My dear brother, of course she’s always with Alibaba-chan! They’re married!” Kougyoku said, in surprised and amused outrage.

“And what about you and Aladdin? The two of you are engaged.”

Kougyoku stopped walking and looked down at the hem of her robes, clenching the fabric in her fists. She slowly loosened them and looked up, a smile on her face, a smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes. Kouha came to a halt and turned to look back at her.

“I’m fine, Kouha. I’m really fine. When I agreed to marry Aladdin we both knew what it would be like. It can’t be helped, you know. He’s one of the most important figures in the Alliance and I’m one of the designated queens. We’ll take what we can get because that is all we’re going to get.” Kougyoku shrugged in a lighthearted way. Kouha let out a long-suffering sigh.

“If you say so. Let’s just find a good gift to get for the Qishan overlord.” Kouha walked over to her, took her hand, and tugged her along with him.

-o-

Kougyoku put down her glass of wine as Kouha discreetly dumped his olives onto her plate. She rolled her eyes at him. The Qishan overlord was a rather heavy man with a wonderful personality. It was his son that annoyed Kougyoku. The boy kept glancing suspiciously at her and Kouha with half-lidded eyes from the moment she had greeted him.

“It really seems like it was only yesterday that Lord Alibaba, Lord Aladdin, and Lady Morgiana caused a huge commotion in the market square!” The large and boisterous man boomed with laughter. “All of us used to laugh at Lord Alibaba’s ambitions, but who would have known he would become such an amazing person!” The man’s son glanced at her and Kouha again and Kougyoku not-so-subtly glared back. “It shows you can’t judge a person by their appearance!”

The man took a long gulp of wine. “Ah yes, Princess Kougyoku, I hear you’re engaged to Lord Aladdin?”

Kougyoku nodded. “Yes, I am. We’ll be sure to invite you and your family to the marriage.”

She spread a fake smile across her face, thinking she could do without the man’s son coming.

“Is it true  Lord Aladdin is the most powerful person in the world? I heard his enemies can’t even touch him.” The man’s son spoke up; Kougyoku refrained from shooting him a dirty look.

“Hind, that’s very rude!” the Qishan overlord hissed. He turned to give her a rather apologetic look. “I must admit, though, I am very curious as well. Perhaps Prince Kouha would know well of Lord Aladdin’s prowess?” Kouha let out a very inappropriate and sharp peal of laughter.

“Trust me, my sister Kougyoku has seen him fight with her own two eyes on countless occasions. I have only seen him from afar.” Kouha then rather rudely turned back to his food.

“It is true, Aladdin is the most formidable magic user of all time. I believe he surpasses even Ugo, the person who created this world; and his father, Solomon, who defeated the former god of the last world.” She couldn't keep herself from singing Aladdin's praises. “He’s also a very strong person even without his magic. All in all, he’s not someone to be taken lightly. But physically, no one can truly surpass Alibaba-chan and the Fanalis Morgiana.”

The Qishan overlord nodded thoughtfully. “You would never think he was the little boy stealing watermelons from the caravans.”

“Well he didn’t really understand the concept back then,” Kouha said, dumping more olives in a very obvious manner onto Kougyoku’s plate. She ignored him. Her brother wasn’t exactly known for being courteous.

The discussion on Alibaba and Aladdin turned to light conversation on trading and tourism. Kouha walked Kougyoku to her room after dinner.

“Do you usually communicate with them at the end of the day?” Kouha asked her.

“Um, well, I mostly just talk to Aladdin, sometimes I talk to Alibaba-chan and Morgiana-chan.”

“If you happen to talk to Alibaba and Morgiana, just tap on the wall so I can come over and talk too.” Kougyoku nodded and shut the door. She felt exhausted. She hadn’t done anything strenuous that day, but just talking to people had tired her out. It was becoming a common feeling for her now at the end of the day.

Kougyoku changed into the robes she slept in and  sat on the bed, combing her fingers through her  hair. It wasn’t even ten minutes later she felt the nudge in her mind. It was Aladdin’s direct communication spell.

“Kougyoku!” Kougyoku closed her eyes, immersing herself in the feeling of hearing Aladdin’s voice again. She smiled.

“Aladdin! How was your day? Did you wrap up the armament treaty?” she asked, sounding as happy as possible.

“I did! We had a little bit of difficulty with the fact that some people from other countries were against them having snakes in general but it’s a thing, if you know what I mean.” Aladdin had always been close friends with Sphintus, so he knew how important it was for the people of Heliohapt to have snakes with them.

“I do. Did you have fun with Sharrkan Ojii-san?” Kougyoku asked.

“Yup! But he tried to take us all drinking at a ladies’ house. Mor-san was completely against the idea and she put her foot down. And I mean, she actually put her foot down and scared Alibaba so he went to his room with her. Then I was the target but I escaped by saying I had to talk to you. I think I saw Yam-san whacking him on the head when I walked out.” Aladdin chuckled.

“Oh? You of all people rejected the offer?” Kougyoku asked with a smile. It made her heart warm  when he talked about rejecting other women when he used to do that all the time before he told her he liked her.

“Ah, but the only lady I want to spend my evenings with and do naughty things with is in Qishan.” Aladdin sighed dramatically. Kougyoku’s ears flushed. “Should I just keep her next to me all the time?” It took some time for Kougyoku to find her voice.

“Maybe that lady wouldn’t mind staying by your side all the time. But she’s an expensive lady.” Kougyoku said. She missed flirting with Aladdin face-to-face and disgusting all of her siblings.

“So if I take good care of all of her expenses, would she let me do naughty things with her?” Aladdin’s voice was still teasing but it had lowered in pitch. Kougyoku grinned, her heart swelling with love. She fell back onto the bed.

“It all depends on if you can woo her, my dear Aladdin.” Kougyoku said softly.

There was a stifling silence.

“My queen, my empress Kougyoku I love you and miss you so, so, so much,” Aladdin whispered. Kougyoku’s heart throbbed and she lifted her hand up to her mouth to stifle a sob. She missed him. She missed him so much. It had really been almost a year since she had last seen him.

“I miss you too, Aladdin. More than you know. When are you coming back to Kou?” Kougyoku asked, trying to not let tears and her anxiety spill out.

More silence.

“I don’t know….” Aladdin sounded truly regretful. Kougyoku died a little inside.

“It can’t be helped. You have things you must do and I have things I must do.” Kougyoku erased the longing in her voice. The moment they were having vanished and they were now walking on eggshells around each other.

“You’re right. Is there anything you would like from Heliohapt?” Aladdin asked. Kougyoku tugged on her hair.

“Maybe you can get me a snake.” She chuckled, hoping to lighten the atmosphere. “I think I’d just want something to eat, but that wouldn’t last very long. I’m tired after glaring at Hind, the Overlord’s son. Let’s talk tomorrow, okay?”

“Sure. Good night, Kougyoku.” Aladdin’s voice was warm. Kougyoku smiled.

“Good night, Aladdin…,” Kougyoku whispered. The spell was severed and Kougyoku lay there in silence, refusing to let the tears spill from her eyes until she fell asleep.

-o-

A hand was gently stroking her hair. Kougyoku cracked open one eye, wondering if Hakuei had come back from wherever she had been. She was greeted with blue hair that glowed in the moonlight coming from the window. Aladdin smiled down at her.

“…Aladdin?” Kougyoku pulled herself up, rubbing at her eyes.

“Hey, Kougyoku.” He brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. She touched his hand.

Click. She heard a noise but ignored it.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. Although she was half asleep, she felt a thrill creeping into her blood. Aladdin was with her.

“I…I just really wanted to see you…so I teleported here as fast as possible.” Aladdin took her hand and squeezed it tightly. Kougyoku was hit with a sickening sense of loneliness.

Click.

“Aladdin, please don’t leave me ever again. Please,” she whispered, with tears in her eyes. Aladdin gazed at her.

“I won’t. I’m right here, aren’t I?” He leaned forward and pressed a kissed to her forehead. “I’m not going anywhere.” She let herself be engulfed in his arms.

Click.

Kougyoku started awake, a strangled gasp leaving her mouth. Her robes and hair were drenched in sweat. She desperately wanted a bath so that she might drown herself in it. She couldn’t believe she was now begging Aladdin not to leave her even in her dreams.

Click.

Kougyoku’s eyes narrowed and she sat up, reaching for her hairpin, clutching Vinea to her chest. That was the sound of the lock being picked. She quickly snuck behind the door, extending the hairpin into Vinea’s sword.

Click.

The door slowly creaked open and a figure walked in. Kougyoku wasted no time in moving forward and putting the sword against the man’s neck. He tensed and froze. She walked in front of the intruder and looked at his face, frowning.

“Would you care to tell me why you broke into my room, Hind?” Kougyoku hissed, no longer trying to be polite.

“Hmph, even though I know better than to trust the common talk it turns out  I underestimated you and  you are smarter than you look,” Hind said snidely.

“I asked you a question!” Kougyoku snapped, pressing the sword harder against his neck.

“I thought you were dumb and weak enough for me to be able to take advantage of you, obviously.” Hind rolled his eyes.

“Oh? That has to be the stupidest thing I have heard from your mouth, you uncouth brat,” Kouha’s ice-cold voice said as he stepped out of the shadows of the door, his sword across his shoulders. “What do you expect from the former empress of Kou? She participated in the attack at Magnostadt and in the Kou Civil War. She raised the shadow of Kou to its former glory three years ago. Don’t underestimate her.” Kouha’s sword was an inch away from Hind’s neck the next moment. “You’re lucky her fiancé isn’t here; you wouldn’t even remember your own name if he had his way with you. We’ll let you go with just this threat for now. Know that Kou is not beneath forcing you into exile for attempted assault.” Kougyoku and Kouha sheathed in unison. Hind looked like he was going to explode as he marched away.

“Thank you, Kouha.” Kougyoku smiled, pushing her sweat-covered hair away from her face with one hand as  Vinea’s sword shrank into her hairpin again.

“It’s nothing, he tried to break into your room. Aladdin would be very upset if I just let it go like that. I had to teach him a lesson.” Kouha patted her shoulder. “Get some more rest before I see you off to the transportation circles.”

-o-

Once Kougyoku was back in Kou she started up the argument she was having with Kouen all over again. She stood her ground in front of her much larger and definitely smarter brother. Whenever he stumped her with a logical argument, she'd go to the library, study, and return to debate with him some more.

“Kougyoku.” Kouen interrupted one of her rants one day.

Kougyoku frowned at him. Was he going to start off with his own argument without letting her finish her own?

“I need someone in Reim for a week. We’re starting up a new trading agreement there and I want someone well versed in trading and good at stating valid arguments there. In other words, I want you to go.” Kougyoku didn’t know whether to blush from the indirect compliment or get angry at him for effectively cutting off her rant of the day.

“When would I be leaving, Nii-sama?” Kougyoku asked, lifting her arms and tucking her hands into her sleeves.

“Tomorrow. Have the servants pack for you. I guess you’ll be going just by yourself again?” Kouen asked her. If she didn’t know him better she’d say he looked amused.

“That’s right. I’m a grown woman now. I don’t need to hide behind your robes anymore – I’m quoting Kouha by the way. I am also a djinn user. I think I can take care of myself and…” Kougyoku paused and decided to voice what she had been thinking about for a while since her conversation with Aladdin at Qishan. “I would like to start working independently. I would like to still act as an ambassador for Kou, but I think I  want to work more as a travelling mouthpiece instead of a desk worker.” Kougyoku stood up tall. “With your leave of course, Kouen Nii-sama.”

This time Kouen smirked.

“I still have much more work for you, Princess Kougyoku. You’re the highest-ranked person who is an expert at trading. But starting next year, I will give you your first travelling assignment and perhaps align it with Aladdin’s travels.” Kouen was definitely amused.

Kougyoku flushed, bowing and leaving.

“Thank you, Kouen Nii-sama. I will return to my quarters and prepare for my trip to Reim. May I know what the trading discussions will be about?” she asked.

“I’ll have a servant take the related documents to your quarters.”

She nodded and left. Her attendants and Ka Koubun followed her as soon as she exited the study.

“How were things today, my lady?” Ka Koubun asked her.

“I got nowhere as always. I wish I could say something to tip the scales. Although, I think he is starting to truly acknowledge me.” Kougyoku sighed and tapped a finger against her hair pin. “I will be going to Reim tomorrow and I’ll be staying there for a week. Please tell the female attendants to prepare my things.”

“Wait, will you be going alone again, my lady?” Ka Koubun cried out.

“I will. I know what I’m doing and Nii-sama approves.” Kougyoku refrained from telling him about her plans for the next year since Ka Koubun would probably throw a fit and scream all the way to the Sacred Palace and back. “Plus, Muu-san will be there. I haven’t seen him for a while and we had so much fun planning the Reim-Kou-Kina Alliance.” Kougyoku beamed. “Maybe I can get his opinion on my argument with Nii-sama. Maybe Titus-kun can help too.”

Ka Koubun didn’t protest on her going anymore, but he frowned the entire way to the transportation circles the next morning. Hakuryuu and Koumei were there to see her off as well. She was reading through the documents she had been given and she hadn’t slept the entire night. Her conversation with Aladdin had been brief since she’d had to read through the unnecessarily huge stack of documents that had been brought to her. Koumei looked more exhausted than her, but Hakuryuu looked extremely fresh. In fact, he looked so fresh it almost got on her nerves.

To her delight, the person waiting for her when she arrived at the Reim checkpoint was Muu.

“Muu-san!” She grinned widely, not hesitating to skip over to his side in a very unladylike manner. She loved Reim. She knew the people far too well after staying in the capital city for several months, before Aladdin had asked her to marry him. It had been staying in Reim and so far away from Aladdin that made her realize not only was she in love with him, but she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. So when he had asked her to marry him, it had been an easy answer. She had said yes right away.

“Lady Kougyoku.” Muu smiled in that polite but happy way of his and  bowed.

“Maa~ I always tell you to just call me Kougyoku.” Kougyoku said with a little laugh. In Reim she could be herself, just like she could be herself around Aladdin. She could let her guard down. And maybe that was why, her first night there, Kougyoku woke up gasping and crying into her pillow even though nothing bad had happened in Reim. She had had a nightmare. Of that she was sure, but of what, she couldn’t recall.

“The major issue is that Kou can’t simply release information on the undeveloped talismans. We can inform you of what we are working on, but the progress will be kept secret. That is how business works, after all. You don’t see renowned restaurants just giving out their secret recipes, do you?” Kougyoku asked, rearranging her notes in her hands.

“Lady Kougyoku, is there something wrong? You seem very tired,” Titus said. “If you would like, we can postpone this meeting for a bit.” He looked genuinely concerned for her wellbeing. Kougyoku’s eyebrows twitched. As much as this place was like a second home to her, she was being a professional ambassador at the moment. Slip-ups weren’t allowed.

“I’m fine, Lord Titus. I can make it through this meeting,” she said with a firm nod.

“All right.” Titus motioned for her to continue.

Kougyoku finished giving her statement. The others agreed to give their statements the next day. Titus and Marga took her on a walk through the orange gardens.

“Where is Sphintus?” Kougyoku asked.

“Ah, he’s currently in Magnostadt. He was invited to teach a three-day class on medical spells,” Titus explained. Marga hauled up her basket of oranges and called for them to hurry over.

“She grows up so fast. Just a couple of years ago, she was a child who could only dream of doing the things she does now. These days, she’s starting to surpass me in politics.” Titus chuckled. “But I guess that’s what it means to grow up. You start surpassing people you look up to and you learn the ways of the world.”

“How is her health?” Kougyoku wondered as they walked up to Marga.

“Ever since Aladdin reconstructed her body to destroy the disease, she’s been doing fine. Sphintus regularly runs checkups on her but she’s perfectly well. You have no idea how much that means to me. Sphintus and I have been living with Marga for a long time now and we owe Aladdin so much for saving her. She’s my little girl.” Titus rubbed the top of Marga’s head when they reached her.

“Were you talking about me still being a little girl again, Titus Oniichan? You know I’m older now!” Marga pouted. Kougyoku chuckled.

“So you are. Would you like to go shopping with me? We’ll buy older girl stuff.” Kougyoku held out her hand.

-o-

That night Kougyoku’s nightmare was vivid and clear in her mind. She woke up with a muted scream in her pillow, shooting up with the speed of an arrow and clutching her hands. She told herself it had just been a dream. She looked down at her shaking hands and couldn’t see Aladdin’s blood all over them. It was all right. Aladdin was still alive. But even then she found herself dashing out into the moonlit hallways and making her way into the orange gardens, running barefoot in the moist soil. She closed her eyes, mind reeling. How far were the Fanalis lands? How long would it take for her to get there if she djinn equipped?

“Lady Kougyoku?” Sphintus’ surprised voice asked. Kougyoku spun around, heart hammering in her chest. He was standing there, staff in hand and snake around his neck.

“Titus, over here!” Sphintus called out. Kougyoku flinched. Titus rushed over, eyes wide.

“Kougyoku!” Titus said. He walked up to her and cupped her face with his warm hands. “What is it? What happened?” His thumbs rubbed over her cheeks and then Kougyoku realized she was crying.

“I...I…,” Kougyoku started trying to explain, but she only trailed off, sank to the floor, and cried into Titus’ arms.

“Would you like me to take you to Aladdin? I should be able to locate him,” Titus offered the next day, after they finished their trading meeting. Kougyoku had calmed down since the night before and now she felt rather silly.

“No, I’m fine. I’ll manage somehow. Aladdin is busy and so am I,” she said firmly. Titus didn’t push it any further, but Sphintus mixed some sleeping medicine for her, and Marga slept with her that night. As the week went by, Kougyoku found herself sleeping peacefully. But she felt another part of her die inside.

-o-

“Well done, Kougyoku! I heard you got a favourable trading deal for both Kou and Reim!” Hakuei was in the palace when she got back to Kou. Sphintus had given her a large amount of sleeping medicine in case she had trouble sleeping again.

Kougyoku smiled and suddenly Hakuei frowned. “Kougyoku, are you alright?”

Kougyoku blinked in confusion. “You seem...less...well, here. Are things going well with Aladdin-kun?” Hakuei asked.

Kougyoku clenched her fists. To be honest, she had been avoiding her daily talks with Aladdin. She would give him excuse after excuse. She just didn’t know how to talk to him without crying her eyes out. She couldn’t bear to let Aladdin see how much she was falling apart without him. She wanted him to continue doing what he enjoyed. Kougyoku swallowed hard.

“Hakuei Oneesama...what do I do? I think I’m ruining things with Aladdin…,” Kougyoku whispered, her voice wobbling.

“Kougyoku, what? No. Come here, darling.” Hakuei pulled her into a hug and waited for Kougyoku’s shoulders to stop shaking. Kougyoku told Hakuei everything.

“Kougyoku, now you listen here. There’s only one thing you can do to pull all of this together. You need to cry to him. Aladdin-kun loves you for you, dear. You need to tell him even the tiniest things you think about. You can tell him you want him to have fun, finish what he needs to do, but you also need to tell him that you want him home as fast as possible, you hear me?” Hakuei asked in that motherly way of hers. Kougyoku gazed at her cousin’s serious eyes. Her lip quivered and she nodded.

“Good girl, you can still fix this. Aladdin-kun loves you far too much to just let you run away because of insecurity.”

“He does, doesn’t he?” Kougyoku said in a hushed voice.

“Of course he does. Don’t you remember how hard he fought for you?” Hakuei smiled at her. Kougyoku nodded. “Now, let’s go have dinner.”

-o-

“Aladdin?” Kougyoku asked once she felt the nudge in her mind. Her voice wobbled. She heard Aladdin draw in a sharp breath.

“How are you feeling today, Kougyoku? Do you feel better?” Aladdin’s voice was breathless and strained and Kougyoku felt herself falling apart, because if she was correct, that was the sound of Aladdin scared.

“Aladdin...Aladdin...I know you are busy and you have your duty and I have mine...I really do know. More than you could ever imagine, I know. But...but I just miss you so much!” Kougyoku felt the floodgates break. It hurt. It hurt so bad to let everything come out and yet, she felt so relieved to just empty out her heart at Aladdin’s feet. She cried for a while and Aladdin stayed silent. Once she was done she waited for Aladdin to speak, sniffling softly.

“I miss you too, Kougyoku. These past few months have been so agonizing. I’m just barely making it every day. I’m supposed to stay longer in some of these places but I’m going to rush back to Kou as soon as possible. Just you wait!” Aladdin said firmly.

“Hm...I’ll wait for you!” Kougyoku smiled through her tears.

Yamraiha visited from Magnostadt to do some sort of spell discussion with Koumei. She spent most of her time in the laboratory, but sometimes came to talk to Kougyoku, who was always sitting in the library studying up to become a proper travelling mouthpiece for Kou. She was still having debates with Kouen on daily basis.

“So when is the wedding?” Yamraiha asked Kougyoku as the two of them searched for scrolls.

“I’m honestly not sure. I guess I’ll just have to wait.” Kougyoku shrugged and sighed.

“Ano ne~” Yamraiha sounded annoyed. “I noticed this when Aladdin was in Heliohapt, but you two seem to be souring your relationship by being extra conscious about what might upset the other. That is not how these things should work. You are going to get married, Kougyoku. If you can’t speak to one another freely about how you feel, then it’s not going to work.” Yamraiha frowned at her.

“Kougyoku, we’re in peaceful times. You don’t have to work so hard. Listen to me. You have to be selfish, Kougyoku. If everyone else is allowed to, then so are you.”

And that was that.

Kougyoku’s stress levels decreased rapidly. She talked to Aladdin for much longer than she was used to. She was able to enjoy her work more and look forward to the future she envisioned. Two days before the official Peace Alliance Meeting in Kou, Kougyoku argued with her brother over the teleportation circles for the last time.

“And that concludes my argument, Nii-sama.” Kougyoku stood tall, her feet swamped by scrolls and paper. She was pretty sure she had an ink mark on her face, but she was more focused on the task at hand. Kouen had an interesting grin on his face, one she had never seen before.

“Make preparations to change the teleportation circle laws,” he called. “You win, Kougyoku.”

“Yes!” Kougyoku pumped her fist in the air and jumped, almost tripping over the multitude of parchment at her feet.

“Oh, also Kougyoku, do me a favour. I need you to compile and present all the Kou trading for the Peace Alliance Meeting,” Kouen told her, looking up from his papers. Kougyoku’s excitement and triumph vanished.

“But...Kouen Nii-sama, that’s just two days away….” Kougyoku’s voice was dry with horror.

“I know.” Kouen’s voice sounded amused. “I can count on you to do it, right Kougyoku?” He gave her a look. Kougyoku almost collapsed. Her brother was giving her that challenging look. She knew the task was near impossible, but she felt fired up. There was no way she was going to lose anytime soon.

“I’ll have it done, Your Highness.” She smiled icily. “Well then, I will be on my way.”

She lifted her skirts and picked her way out of the scrolls and paper on the floor as her two attendants picked them up and Ka Koubun escorted her to the library.

-o-

“Good God! I need to get this done in two whole days?” Kougyoku cried out in realization and horror, clutching her head and messing up her perfectly done hair. “Ka Koubun and you two, get me all the trading records we have, now!” Kougyoku took her seat and pulled out a stack of paper she always kept under the desk she used in the library.

“We won’t be sleeping for the next two nights!” she bellowed.

-o-

I’m coming home!

Kougyoku sat up so fast her head spun. Ka Koubun and her two attendants were nodding off over the material she was taking notes on. Kougyoku had spent the lasts two days and nights in the library. She had had another dream, a pleasant one this time. She must have forgotten to take the medicine Sphintus had given her. She couldn’t remember anything from her half asleep state the night before. The sky was turning grey; she hissed in surprise.

“Ka Koubun! Wake up! Pass me the next one! It’s the second last one, isn’t it?” she snapped. Ka Koubun shot up, half-shouting something before he realized where he was. He bowed his head sheepishly in her direction and the handed her the next scroll. Koumei had dropped by the library to give her some tea he had personally brewed and to comment on her very unruly appearance. He even had the gall to compare her hair to his!

She scribbled information onto the ink-smudged stack of papers that were her notes. She let her attendants go. They were tired and she was working on the second-to-last document. She finished the notes for that scroll and held out her hand for the last one.

“Ah, I think this isn’t that important. It’s just about the trading route Kou used when the empire first established-” Ka Koubun said with a voice that betrayed just how exhausted he was.

“It doesn’t matter! Just hand it over! Everything is important when it comes to trading! I should have been born a trader’s daughter, hones-”

“My lady!” A servant ran in, shrieking at a glass-breaking pitch. Kougyoku, Ka Koubun and her startled attendants turned to the servant. “My lady! I thought you should know! Lord Alibaba, Lady Morgiana, and Lord Aladdin were just spotted across the plains!”

Kougyoku suddenly felt like a dried twig set on fire. The pen and scrolls fell to the ground, slipping out of her fingers. She was on her feet before she could even process that her body was trying to move. The inkwell fell on her dress, dyeing the vibrant pink and yellow fabric black. She knew her hair was an utter mess and she hadn’t even tied it up. She had no makeup on and she was sure she had ink and creases from her sleeves and hair on her face. Her ink-stained hands were shaking.

So, so, many arguments came to mind. Aladdin was probably tired. She shouldn’t rush out to him. He had been travelling around for a whole year! She was hardly presentable. What would others say if Aladdin’s fiancée turned out to be some poorly dressed, crazy woman? She had her own work to do. The Peace Alliance meeting was today and she had yet to complete and organize her notes and presentation. But her hesitance lasted only briefly.

“Kougyoku, we’re in peaceful times. You don’t have to work so hard. Listen to me. You have to be selfish, Kougyoku. If everyone else is allowed to, then so are you.”

So she decided to throw all caution to the winds, bunching up her skirts, lifting them up in an extremely unladylike manner and running out the door faster than Judal could ever hope to run.

Who cared what other people thought? Aladdin had seen her at her worst. He wasn’t some sort of prize she had to fight to keep. He was already hers and it was as simple as that.

Kougyoku had never been a proper lady. She had never been calm and composed. She had always been ‘a little crazy’,  ‘a little childish’. She had always been someone who followed her heart and not her brain. She had tried to change herself over the years, but it was who she was. Why on earth had she even tried to change herself to be worthy of Aladdin, when he had fallen in love with her for who she was?

“Woah! Kougyoku!” Koumei cried out as she dashed past him, surprise evident on his face.

Servants stopped to stare. One of Kougyoku’s half sisters looked horrified and disgusted. Kouen had just arrived at the courtyard which was being used as the landing area, a welcome party behind him. Guards were starting to take their places in the courtyard. Kougyoku ignored all of hubbub and ran out into the courtyard, ignoring the startled clamouring behind her.

She instantly spotted Aladdin flying as he approached the palace. He spotted her as well, and grinned brightly at her. Kougyoku beamed and stretched out her arms, ready to embrace him. He came rushing towards her.

“Kougyoku!”

“Aladdin!”

And then she was falling backwards, her beloved in her arms. He threw his arms around her, shielding her from hitting her head against the ground. Both of them giggled like happy children. Kougyoku felt warm and safe and just herself in his arms. The anxiety, the loneliness and hurt she had felt during the past year all melted away and she pressed her face against one of his arms.

“This has got to be the best welcome I have ever gotten! How did you know I’d want to see you looking just like this? What a lovely mess you are!” Aladdin grinned cheekily.

“Shut up, you! I’ve been up for two nights straight preparing for my presentation!” Kougyoku huffed fondly. “Idiot!”

She wanted to scold him but couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

“I missed you. Welcome home,” she whispered. A wistful and loving look crossed over his face. Aladdin closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers.

“I’m home, Kougyoku. I’m home.”

Kougyoku closed her eyes as well. She felt so at peace.

“Ah, I knew this was why Aladdin was rushing, but still! Aladdin is a lucky man!” Alibaba chuckled from behind.

Kougyoku’s eyes snapped open as she was suddenly pulled to her feet and the travelling shawl Aladdin wore was draped over her head.

“No one else is allowed to see Kougyoku like this! Not even you, Alibaba!” Aladdin said loudly. Kougyoku peeked out from under the shawl. Alibaba looked taller, more confident. He was dressed outlandishly and he was sporting some stubble. Morgiana’s hair was longer and her legs were decorated with strange and intricate gold thread braces. Kougyoku turned to take a good look at Aladdin as well. He was even taller than she remembered. He was wider too, more mature. She smiled to herself and took his hand. Many women, like the palace maids and most of her half sisters, swooned over Aladdin, but he was all hers

“Welcome back! It’s been a long time! How are the three of you? Hakuryuu, Hakuei, Kouha, and Judal are still on their way here.” Kouen walked over to them, followed by Koumei, who looked like he hadn’t slept in years.

“Ah, that’s all right. We can wait for them. The three of us are good, but Aladdin could do better if he was somewhere alone with Kougyoku. We’ll rest for a while and Aladdin and Kougyoku can have some alone time.” Alibaba grinned.

“Where are we going?” Aladdin asked her as she tugged him along with her.

“To my room. My private study in the library is too much of a mess,” she explained.

“Eh? Kougyoku Oneesan’s room? Is this an invitation to do naughty things?” Aladdin cried out. Kougyoku resisted the urge to laugh and rolled her eyes.

“Keep dreaming, young one.” Kougyoku opened the door and no sooner had she closed it than Aladdin wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close, and kissed her. Kougyoku closed her eyes and kissed him back. She’d missed everything about Aladdin and now he was right in front of her.

“I missed you,” Aladdin whispered when he pulled away.

“I missed you too,” Kougyoku breathed. “I don’t think we can do something like this again. Aladdin, we need to talk.”

“I know we do.” Aladdin pulled her over to her bed that faced the window overlooking a garden beneath. They sat down side by side, still clutching hands tightly.

They started off with all the lighter stuff. They talked about how their year went and didn’t keep anything from each other. Kougyoku even told him about the nasty Hind and Kouha’s words to him. (Aladdin got angry and almost teleported to Qishan right then to deal with Hind himself.) They then talked about how lonely they got, their nightmares, their lowest points. They talked for a long time. When they had finally finished, the sun had made its way well into the sky and breakfast had already gone by.

“You know what, Kougyoku? Let’s just leave.” Aladdin turned to look at her, sounding one hundred percent serious.

“Huh?”

“Yam-san was right! These are times of peace and the real one in charge here is Alibaba, so why do I get a harder time than him? Let’s just leave and go on a trip around the world. You and me. Alibaba can take care of himself.” Aladdin nodded in a self-satisfied manner.

For a moment Kougyoku was stunned, but then she grinned.“Yes! Let’s go! And on our travels, if we find the perfect wedding spot, everyone will just have to come there for the wedding! When we finally feel at peace, we can come back and do some work, not too much of course! Kouen Nii-sama already said he was going to align my travels with yours!”

Kougyoku was excited by the whirlwind of her thoughts. “We could visit uncharted area, ancient cultures, eat exotic food, wear fabulous clothes! Let’s do it, Aladdin!” She had gotten to her feet and was waving her arms around. Aladdin got to his feet, grinning just like her.

“I knew I chose the most perfect person to get married to.” Aladdin bent down and pecked her on her lips. “Now go ahead, gather all of the things you want to take with you. Not too much, of course. Then we’ll go tell Alibaba we’re leaving.”

Right now? But I have my presentation...is this wise? Kougyoku wondered, but she looked into Aladdin’s eyes again and made her decision. She darted to her closet and stuffed some clothes into a bag, before dragging Aladdin with her to the library where Ka Koubun was struggling to finish her notes.

“Lord Aladdin!” Ka Koubun got to his feet in a hurry.

“Yo!” Aladdin beamed.

“Ka Koubun, pass me those books. Yes, thank you! Oh also, I’m going to be going on a trip, can you do this presentation for me instead?” Kougyoku asked.

“Me?” Ka Koubun squeaked, pointing at himself. Kougyoku and Aladdin nodded. Ka Koubun’s eyes rolled up and he fell backward.

“Whoops! Oh well, he’ll be fine. He just fainted from the shock. Now let’s go find Alibaba!” Aladdin pulled her after him this time.

Alibaba was in Kouen’s study. “Alibaba!”

“Kouen Nii-sama!” Kougyoku said. Both turned to them with puzzled looks on their faces.

“We’re going on a trip and we’re not really asking for your permission, we’re just letting you guys know,” Aladdin said breezily.

“Huh? Aladdin? Kougyoku! But you guys are important members of the meeti-” Alibaba started in that good old panicky way of his. Meanwhile, Kouen stared at Kougyoku hard and Kougyoku stared right back.

“Very well then, we can handle the meeting ourselves. You two enjoy. It’s a vacation well earned.” Kouen waved them off.

Aladdin didn’t wait for anything else. He turned and ran, still holding Kougyoku’s hand. Kougyoku laughed. She looked disastrous, but she had never felt more free and beautiful. They neared the courtyard.

“Wait, wait! Aladdin! You know I don’t run as fast as you! Slow down!” Kougyoku laughed.

“Oh! Aladdin! I’ve got something to-” Kouha said as they ran past him.

“Hi Kouha! Bye Kouha!” Aladdin waved. He jumped into the air, magic carpet spreading beneath his feet as he swept her off her feet, holding her in his arms. “We have a long adventure ahead of us, my queen Kougyoku!”

Kougyoku let out a very unladylike but very her scream into the air.

“Let’s go!”

The endless sky spread out before them.

Kougyoku was fine. Home was where Aladdin was.

A/N - This is the first time I’ve ever participated in a Big Bang and so I was really really awkward about this, but it was really fun working on this fanfic! I’m really happy that I got to work with my daughter @suitcasesoffeathers for this! I can’t wait to see her art. I’d like to thank @magibb for having arranged this event and @kurisuumakise for being my beta! And of course I thank my lovely wife @rest-in-bees for reading through this is it’s unrefined form and telling me that it was great!

[pendaymonium]

Hey hey hey, here’s my piece for the @magibb! I am so happy to have participated in this event, and I got to draw for @floofyfluff‘s wonderful fic! I hope you like the piece.

[magibigbang-blog]

ARTIST ONLY SIGN UPS ARE STILL OPEN FOR MAGI BIG BANG 2019!

We still have a few open slots for artists interested in participating in this year’s Magi Big Bang! We hope you’ll give us your consideration, and join us for a wonderful journey of creativity!

Rules | Schedule | FAQ

[spararts]

“Let me tell you a story“

My piece for the Magi BigBang made after @dragonofeternal’s fic. 

To be honest I wanted to draw for every fic, but this one gave me a good amount of ideas to work out. The fic was amazing so you should all read it here. 

[holdfloofyfluff]

Exsanguination and Fiends

Fandom: Magi Pairing: Sinbad/Ja’far Word Count: 19907 Chapters: 7 Warnings: minor gore, blood, nothing too serious Summary: Fic for @magibb!!  Finding a starving vampire isn't part of the plan. Taking one in definitely isn’t.  Not that there was a plan. But if Ja'far had one, it wouldn't be any of this.

Read on Ao3

[kaen-ace-of-diamonds]

Orestes

Word Count: 25,000+ (5 chapters)

Rating: M

Genre: Angst/Family/Tragedy

Pairing: Ren Gyokuen/Ren Hakutoku

Characters: Ren Hakuyuu, Ren Gyokuen (Arba), Ren Hakuren, Ren Hakutoku, Ithnan, Falan, Ren Hakuryuu, Ren Hakuei, Ren Kouen, Agares.

Summary: From striving to be the perfect heir to the throne, to fighting for his life on the battlefield, to slowly uncovering his mother's deceptions, to trying ultimately in vain to protect his family, Ren Hakuyuu has always struggled through life. (For @magibb!)

Warnings for blood, murder, violence, brief gore, and language.

Read on [AO3] or [FF.Net]

[silly-nonny-fics-are-for-fandoms]

Memories, Chapter 1: For the one who wants nothing.

So, this is my fic for the MagiBB! Or, at least, chapter one. There’s three chapters of it and they will be posted as close to one another as I can get them.  Without further adieu, enjoy!

“Hey, Vittel?” Sinbad asked, sitting down at the table where the ex-assassin sat. The teenager had been curious about something for a while, and when he was curious, he got answers at any cost. Though, this one should be easy.

“Yeah, Sinbad?” Responded Vittel, putting down the pen he was using to write on the accounting bills.

“How old is Ja’far? I mean, I know he’s still a kid, kind of, I mean who can still be a kid after all the shit he’s been through, but what’s his age?”

“You’ve known him for nearly three years, and you never asked?”

“No, I haven’t. I didn’t want him getting upset with me thinking he’s cute especially because of his age.”

“Well, as of the day after tomorrow, he’ll be thirteen.”

Sinbad shot up from where he sat, the chair clattering to the ground, and his mouth fell open.

“He’ll be thirteen?! That means he was, like, ten when I met him!”

“Mhm. Ja’far was the youngest chief Sham Lash ever had, and one of the best.”

Sinbad paused, thinking to himself for a little bit. If Ja’far’s birthday was in two days, then they needed to celebrate. However, his thoughts were interrupted by the accountant.

“Don’t do it.”

“Do what?”

“Throw a party or something. It’ll just irritate him.”

“No way; He’s becoming a teenager! That’s the first step towards adulthood!”

“It’s not exactly a happy occasion Sinbad. Remember what Sham Lash has kids do at five? Yeah, that happened on his birthday. Don’t push it.”

“Then I’ll just have to make happier memories to help him forget about that. He’s been pretty miserable lately, and more irritable. So, Vittel, what does Ja’far like?”

There was a pause, a sigh, and Vittel began to talk.

“He likes you.”

“I know that, but I mean gifts.”

“Well… He has a bit of a sweet tooth if that’s what you’re asking.”

“But I wanna get him something more than sweets… Plus, Rurumu will kill me if I give him too much.”

“You know him better than I do here, man.”

“C’mon, help me out here.” Sinbad pleaded, looking down on his luck.

“Sorry, but I don’t think he wants anything. Just give him a good day to remember.” Vittel shrugged as he spoke, turning back to the papers, and returning to work, “Why don’t you ask Mahad? Or Rurumu? I know she’s got something for him already, and Mahad is in charge of our gift to him.”

“What about Mystras? And why are you guys giving him stuff if it’s not a happy occasion?”

“One, I don’t think he even knows Ja’far has a birthday. Two, he doesn’t take care of himself, much less get the stuff he needs to keep from getting extremely sunburnt, so we usually do that for him.”

“Fair enough…. Wait. That means the rest of them had known before I did!” Sinbad stood, the childish pout on his face evident.

“Yes, because Mahad and I watched Ja’far grow up, and Rurumu asked.”

“Fine. I’ll just have to find something for him myself!”

The younger Parthevian rushed out of the room to try and think of something for Ja’far. After all, he did so much for the company, the least he deserves is an excellent birthday present.

And, inevitably, he ran into Mystras in his rush.

“Woah, Sinbad, what’s the hurry? Someone die?” Asked the knight, staring curiously at his master.

“It’s almost Ja’far’s birthday! Mystras, we gotta do something huge for him!” Sinbad panted out, grinning like a child. This, in and of itself, was a brand-new adventure for him. The adventure of figuring out how to make Ja’far happy on his birthday without pissing him off.

“Ja’far has a birthday?”

“Yes, Ja’far has a birthday.”

And as such, the panic and rushing to think of something began.

Ja’far knew something was off as soon as Sinbad stopped pestering him about taking a vacation to Balbadd to see King Rashid. Or, when he stopped bothering him about letting him go out drinking. Or bringing Masrur to the red-light district. And when he stopped going to the red-light district.

Then again, maybe Sinbad was finally maturing.

Nope. Impossible.

But things had been weird since yesterday; Everyone, no matter who he asked, was always busy. Busier than normal.

“We haven’t had an increase in business… So why is everyone so busy?” He asked himself, looking downward and huffing to himself. He hated being out of the loop.

His shoes clicked on the stone floor, a soft rhythm of his footsteps of which he soon lost himself. He couldn’t quite think right; his mind was too confused because of Sinbad not doing what he had always done; Whatever he wanted.

While lost in thought, he bumped into the very person for whom he was searching.

“Sin! There you—“

“Oh, hey Ja’far. I don’t have time to talk right now, sorry. Why don’t you go play with Kikiriku?”

Ja’far didn’t even get a chance to respond before Sinbad ran off with a wave and a “Bye! Talk to you at dinner, okay? Love ya, Ja’far! Gotta go!”

Well. That was strange. The last time Ja’far had seen Sinbad too busy to talk was right after the Maader incident when they had to fix everything and get Sinbad back into the swing of things around there. But even then, the dungeon capturer rarely turned down an opportunity to slack off.

So, he decided to follow his master to find out what was going on.

Except, before he could, Rurumu appeared behind him.

“Ja’far?” She spoke, voice gentle as ever.

“Yes?” Ja’far responded, turning to face the giant woman. She looked troubled, her umber eyes half closed.

“I need you to watch your siblings today. I’m sorry, I know you’re busy, but Hinahoho and I are both unable to look after them for the rest of the day because we need to check the quality of the incoming goods from Imuchak.”

“Can Pipirika do it?” Asked the child, putting his weight on his right and placed a hand on his hip.

“No, she’s covering for Mystras and Vittel.”

“Why aren’t they doing their jobs?” He started tapping his foot, irritated. Mystras was almost as bad as Sinbad when it came to slacking off, and Vittel had a perpetually annoying ability to mess things up.

“Lord Sinbad has requested their presence throughout the day.”

A deep-seated anger rose from within Ja’far, an annoyance he felt all too often though was prone to more during the heat.

His left eye twitched as he spoke his next words through gritted teeth.

“What?”

“I don’t understand it myself, but I must go, Hinahoho is waiting for me. The children are currently down for a nap, and when they wake up, they’ll likely be hungry. I love you Ja’far, thank you for watching them.” Said the mother, kneeling down and kissed her son on the forehead before walking off gracefully.

The child huffed, face tinted pink as the anger ebbed away.

Something was up, and he needed to find out what, but that could wait until after the children had been taken care of.

Sinbad, Vittel, Mahad, and Mystras didn’t attend dinner that night.

So it was only the Imuchakk family, the children they rescued from Maader, and Parsine. And that made it awkward without the icebreaker that is their master. Which, in turn, angered Ja’far significantly.

He stomped out of the living quarters, determined to find Sinbad if it killed him.

Though, he didn’t have to go far. Because in the middle of the shop—Which had closed about an hour ago, and otherwise abandoned until morning—stood Sinbad and the others which were absent from dinner.

“Is everything ready for tomorrow?” Sinbad asked, and Ja’far noticed that the man’s hair was messed up more so than usual, as is he’d been working extra hard today.

“Yeah Sinbad, everything’s ready. Now all that’s left is getting—“ Mystras was cut off by Vittel covering the knight’s mouth, and pointing towards where the little pre-teen stood.

They all turned towards him with different expressions. Mystras looked almost as if he were caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Vittel seemed worried, Mahad was the same as ever, but Sinbad… Sinbad looked almost squeamish, but with that underlying confidence, he always had.

“Oh, hey Ja’far. What’re you doing here? I told you I’d meet you at dinner.” Said the teenager, walking over to his friend.

“Dinner just ended, dumbass.” Huffed Ja’far, deadpan.

“It did? Man, I’m sorry. I’ll talk with you when you go to bed, okay?” Sinbad smiled, a bit awkwardly, chuckling.

Ja’far was silent.

“Are you that mad at me?”

No response.

“C’mon, Ja’far. I didn’t mean to miss dinner.”

The boy turned around and still gave no response while he exited, but before he left, he stopped.

“Sin, I’m not upset that you missed dinner; I'm angry that you won’t tell me why… I thought you trusted me…” And with that, he ran off to his room.

The silence left behind was louder than any amount of yelling.

A hand was placed on the dungeon capturer’s shoulder, and Mystras’s voice filled the empty room.

“He’ll come around, he always does. He’ll be upset, but you’ll be forgiven by morning.”

“I hope so, Mystras. It’d suck if he were too mad to enjoy his birthday tomorrow.”

Sin did end up coming by Ja’far’s room that night, but by then, the boy had long since fallen asleep.

So the elder of the two walked over to the bed, listening to Ja’far’s soft breathing, and kneeled down next to his bed.

“I’m sorry, Ja’far… I hope you’ll forgive me; I’m doing this for you, after all.” He leaned over and kissed the boy’s forehead, a small smile on his face. “Now, sleep well, and sweet dreams.” He whispered, pulling back. Taking a note out of his pocket, he left it on the nightstand, then left the room as silently as he could.

And, of course, Ja’far had been awake since he heard Sin walking towards the door to enter.

Sitting up, he began mumbling to himself.

“For me? What could he poss—“ He cut himself off, covering his mouth. No. No way. It couldn’t be… But, then again, Vittel and Rurumu had been ‘celebrating’ it for the last two years….

That doesn’t mean Sinbad should know about his birthday, though. After all, it wasn’t a day he was proud of. Sham lash twisted it, turned it into the mark of his first kill, and certainly not one he wanted to remember.

‘I’m different now… I’m not the same…’ He thought, the mental image of his parents lying dead on the ground flashing in his mind. The image twisted into Rurumu, her children, Vittel and Mahad, and everyone he had grown to care for in their place.

And then his mind changed them all into him. Into Sinbad. The man who rescued him, the one who would become king, the one who cared for him and wasted his time with a brat like him lying there bloodied and gasping for air, and those gold eyes once full of warmth fading into dull, emotionless death.

Tears welled in Ja’far’s eyes, which turned into crying, and then into uncontrollable, quiet sobbing.

When the white-haired ex-assassin awoke, he noticed the note on his nightstand.

“Hey, Ja’far! Happy birthday!

For your birthday, I’m sending you on a little trip. Figure out the clues left for you, go to that location, and collect the next clue as well as your gift. Oh, and before you leave, there should be food on that box at the foot of your bed.

Alright then! First location.

When we left Imuchakk, where did we go?”

Where did they go? They went to Reim. But, they were already in Reim, so it wouldn’t make sense for that to be the answer. Ja’far pondered for a minute, getting the food which indeed was at the foot of his bed, and attempted to come up with an answer.

‘We collected our things and left, and the next place we went was Reim, so what does he mean? We stopped once on the way to resupply the boat…’ He thought, munching on the cinnamon sugared treat he’d been left when it hit him.

The boat.

They didn’t just teleport to Reim, they went onto the ship and sailed there.  

So Ja’far got up, got dressed, and headed out to the docks, looking for the Imuchakk boat they traveled on. Oddly enough, it seemed as if the living quarters were deserted; Not even the sound of his baby sisters was giggling ringing through the halls.

“Don’t worry about it, Ja’far. Just find Sinbad, and explain to him that today is not a good day, especially after the shi—Stunt he pulled yesterday.” He mumbled to himself, automatically stopping himself from swearing and flinching as if he were expecting a Rurumu chop. Which, of course, he was, but the now thirteen-year-old wouldn’t tell anyone that.

The heat of Reim was excruciating today. For the hottest season just ending, you’d expect it to be warm, but not so warm and intense that your skin would burn just by standing outside for a few minutes. However, such was the case when you have rotten luck.

And by the time he arrived at the boat, he could feel his skin crawling and turning red from the heat.

The ship was large, dark mahogany, with big sails patterned with the Imuchakk tribe symbols, but it was evident the boat hadn’t been used for some time. Barnacles and sea sludge coated the bottom, the sails frayed and ropes worn through, and Ja’far felt a bit remiss at the sight of it. True, they had a fleet of merchant ships, but this was where their journey truly began and what carried them to new countries.

The ex-assassin spotted something odd once he’d boarded, the wood creaking under his feet. Up by the crow’s nest, embedded into the mast, was a bag with a scroll attached.

‘I’ll assume for now that’s for me… How’d he even get it up there? Scratch that, I don’t want to know.’

So, he released his darts, threw them up there and watched as they wrapped around the mast, and jumped, the boat swaying under the force of it. The wind felt nice against his skin, and the relief from the heat was welcome if only for a moment before he landed safely in the crow’s nest, grabbing the bag and the scroll.

However, he stopped when it was in his hands. Right in front of him was the ocean, large and bluer than he remembered it to be. He hadn’t noticed it before, but with the soft rocking of the boat and the scent of the sea, he had begun to miss their traveling. Chasing after Sinbad, Rurumu’s lessons, turning a foul-mouthed brat into a respectable teenager, the birth of his little brother, Sinbad’s laughter and smile both of which had been vanishing more and more as of late, big dinners, storming seas…. He missed it all.

Now, everyone was so busy, they barely spent time together outside of travels, and Ja’far hadn’t even noticed it.

His chest felt tight as he opened the bag, seeing little stones inside and a small piece of paper.

“Hey, Ja’far, happy birthday!

Okay, so I didn’t know today was your birthday, so your gift was rushed, but hey, isn’t it the thought that counts? Do they say that here? Well, even if they don’t, I think you get what I mean.

So, there are some sharpening and polishing stones in here for you, for your weapons specifically, they won’t do anything if you try to use them on yourself.

Anyway, have a great birthday! See you later!

-Mystras.”

That red-haired idiot. Ja’far chuckled a bit, opening the scroll left outside of the bag.

“You figured it out! Good job Ja’far!

Okay, clue two: While you guys were away getting supplies, I was busy getting the funds to found Sindria Trading company. However, even after getting the funds and founding it, I still did those plays. Where did I perform?

P.S. Keep the bag, you’ll need it.”

Ja’far stood corrected, Sinbad was more of an idiot than Mystras.

Sin did plays at the Colosseum. Everyone knew that.

And with that thought, Ja’far climbed down from the crow’s nest and started to leave. But, before he got very far, he rushed back, touched the bow and whispered two words.

“Thank you…”

Then, on hurried feet, he ran off towards the Colosseum, only to be faced with a small problem.

The sun had risen about an hour ago, and now the markets were in full swing, with people bustling about. Why was this a problem? Simple, the freckled teen stood out like a sore thumb, and people knew who he was now because of Sinbad.

To the roofs it is, he decided and continued on his way.

Except, he missed one vital thing; A shock of violet hair near the jewelers.

Now, Ja’far was used to exerting himself, but he hadn’t expected to be short of breath after a run like that. Then again, he was used to running in the cool shadows, not the heat. He wasn’t used to sweat soaked clothes, and even if he lacked a scent at all times, it didn’t mean he was comfortable.

But seeing the Colosseum from the rooftops sure was a sight. Ja’far remembered when Sinbad fought Masrur in a similar arena to this one on Maader’s island, and how he’d been helpless to do anything. And as he walked into the arena, empty and lifeless, he could almost picture the play Sin had put on.

One man, one stage, two metal vessels, and one incredible journey to tell the world.

And where Sin would stand, on that stage, was placed another bag, and another scroll.

His feet clacked against the marble, and he opened the bag on the ground, choosing to stand as he did.

Inside, were two identical leather sheathes attached to a band which could clip and unclip around his arm.

“Happy birthday Ja’far! Mahad and I were having a hard time thinking about what to do for your birthday, and Masrur was talking about how he’s afraid to hug you because your knives might cut him, so we all pitched in and got some sheaths for them!

Vittel, Mahad, and MASUN”

Ja’far chuckled at the signing, as Masrur was still learning to write his name, and smiled as he attached the sheathes to his arms and slid his knives into them. It fit perfectly. The weight, while unfamiliar where it was, felt… comforting. Like a warmth spread from them and encompassed his entire body.

Though, that didn’t exactly help with the Reim sun.

“It’s late, so formalities are over from here on out. Where did you guys first meet King Rashid?”

Well, now Sinbad was merely getting lazy. They met him at the Trading company building, even if they never truly met him there, and didn’t know he was the king… And if that weren't the answer, the only other option would be in Balbadd.

So, packing things up, he left the Colosseum and set off for the company building.

At least, that was the plan. Until he saw a dark violet ponytail swish behind a building, and his household vessel glowed with proximity to its master.

Sinbad.

“Ah—Sin!!” Ja’far yelled and ran up to try and see where his master was going. However, when he arrived, Sinbad had turned another corner. And so, he followed. At the end of the turn, the dungeon capturer glanced back at his companion, grinned, and ran.

“Huh?” Ja’far mumbled to himself, giving chase to the older teen. Sinbad was fast but not as fast as Ja’far. The only reason he couldn’t catch him, he told himself, was because Sinbad knew the streets better and was good at being shifty.

“Shit... At this rate, he might actually catch me.” Mumbled Sinbad, trying to get away from the small boy. He ran through the market, jumping over carts that Ja’far slid under, and calling for people to move out of the way for their safety. However, instead of taking this as a threat, the people of Reim seemed to believe this was a form of entertainment.

Making a sharp turn towards his company, Sinbad cursed as the people began to cheer; some for Ja’far to catch him, others for Sinbad to get away.

‘Alright, time to take a page from Ja’far’s book…’ He thought to himself and jumped onto the ledge of the building before Ja’far could see him, lost his grip on Baal’s sword, and tumbled into the establishment. There were screams somewhere, but the only thing he could focus on was the angry glares of women clad in dancer's garb.

With an audible swallow and a small prayer to whatever god was listening, he realized where he had lead Ja’far.

The red light district.

Through the streets, the architecture, and the markets Ja’far chased Sin, only stopping when he lost sight of the man, and Ja’far couldn’t remember how he’d never seen this area of town before. It seemed to be on the higher end, yes, but even in broad daylight, he saw how beautiful it was. Reim, as a country, was known for elegance, and he had taken that for granted and forgot to take it in. However, he glanced around, saw a brothel, and walked away.

Of course, Sinbad would lead him there. Once a pervert, always a pervert.

He turned around and walked back to the trading company building, face bright red with something other than the heat.

The breeze had stirred up while he walked, and it cooled him slightly. Today was exciting, so far. An excellent turn of events in comparison to his previous birthdays.

At least the building had magical tools that cooled it down, Ja’far thought to himself when he entered. They were supposed to be closed for the day, so he was surprised to find that the main door was unlocked. And, if the teen was honest, the feeling of moving from the sun into the shade was one of the best feelings he’d experienced.  

When the door closed with a slam, it took a minute for his eyes to adjust, but when they did, he could walk around in the darkness without problems. And, right there in the middle of the room, on top of a table, was the bag which he had been searching for. His steps echoed in the large room, having no other noises to block it out.

‘When I first met Sin, I’d have barely made any noise here…’ He thought to himself, picking up the bag and opening it. Inside, there was two more notes and some creams for his skin. The pale boy took the creams out of the smaller bag and out down the larger bag he had been carrying, and opened the smaller of the two notes.

“Greetings Ja’far, I hope this message finds you in good health. I have noticed the Reim sun has been causing damage to your skin, and so I asked my queen for something so that your pretty skin might stay as pretty and undamaged as it is now. When Lord Sinbad introduced me to the idea that your birthday had been coming, I decided I would give you these creams as a birthday gift, and wish you all the best on this special day. May Artemyra continue to trade with this company, and may you reach your goal of becoming Lord Sinbad’s right-hand man.

Parsine Pratemyra.”

The formal tone of the Artemyran woman was reminiscent of how Ja’far himself wrote, and it was a comfort in some odd way. He applied some the cream to the skin which had been exposed to the sun, it’s cool and smooth texture calming irritated skin, even if it stung a bit.

‘This actually works well…’ Ja’far thought, emerald eyes shutting as he sighed, the darkness around him comforting and cooling. He had been born into shadows, and it was only natural that he was more comfortable in the cold blackness than the warm sun. But, he loved being outside as well.

Because Sinbad shone as brightly as that sun, with eyes as deep as the sea when it glittered gold in the sunrise, and as long as that man was out in the sunlight, Ja’far would be there right beside him.

He sat there and thought to himself a while longer before venturing back into the sunlight. Ja’far looked at the other slip of paper he had, reading it over as he walked to the door.

“Memories are funny, aren’t they? Even if they hurt us, or make us want to forget them, they’re still there. Sometimes, even if they remind us of our negligence towards our siblings.”

Ja’far didn’t finish reading it, crumpling it in his hand angrily. He exited the building, making a note to remind Sinbad to lock it later, and going to the forest with a huff. Sinbad knew that he regretted it, even if he did activate his household vessel, and he would for the rest of his life.

With any luck, this day would end soon, and he would be able to ask Sinbad never to do this again and forget about it so they can both move on with his life. He didn’t want to remember it, he didn’t need these presents, even if the ointment was extremely appreciated, and he didn’t want to give Sinbad another reason to skip work.

But… The sentiment had been nice, he thought to himself as the stone roads turned to dirt, and maybe it wasn’t so bad…

He glanced up from the ground he had been staring at and saw Vittel and Mahad waiting for him at the entryway to the forest.

“What are you guys doing here?” Ja’far asked, looking up at the two large men.

“We’re here to give you your next location, and your gift! Happy birthday, Ja’far!” Said Vittel with a smile, handing Ja’far a very light bag.

“I already got the gift from you guys, though…”

“Oh, this is from your family. Don’t open it now, wait until you see them to open it, okay?”

Ja’far complied and put the smaller bag inside of the larger, and looked up at the two ex-assassins expectantly.

“Ahem, here’s your clue. All roads lead to home.” Said Vittel, putting his arms behind his back and speaking dramatically.

“All roads lead to home? But… My home is with Sin.”

“Exactly,” Vittel ruffled his hair affectionately, “So, where is Sinbad likely to be right now? Remember, it’s just past midday.”

“He’s probably in the living building since it’s around lunch time…”

“Then why are you still here? We’ll catch up with you, okay? Go on, go home.”

Ja’far nodded and waved goodbye to the older two, running back towards where he had started his day.

“Hey, Mahad?” Asked Vittel, once Ja’far was out of earshot.

“Hmm?”

“Do you think Ja’far has realized it yet? He still seems confused about why Sinbad did this.”

“Dunno…”

“Ah, whatever, it doesn’t matter. C’mon, we gotta go. Can’t be late for the party, now can we?”

Vittel laughed, and Mahad made an odd sort of noise as they followed Ja’far.

‘Almost there, almost there…’ Ja’far thought to himself, rounding a corner and coming face to face with the living quarters building. If you didn’t know the difference, it almost looked like a hotel without a sign. Just as magnificent, yet somewhat dull to difference it from the buildings around.

The ex-assassin walked up to the door, took a deep breath, hoped he wouldn’t regret what he was about to see.

And he opened the large double doors, to darkness. Stepping in carefully, he closed the door behind him as he glanced around. Listening, there was heavy breathing from at least five—No, seven, three adults, two children, two teenagers.

Suddenly, there was a blue glow amongst the darkness, and from that blue light, small bolts of blue lightning shot out and lit the torches, illuminating the room. There were tables with food covering them, little notes and cakes. And in the middle of it, there stood Sinbad in all his magnificence, Baal’s sword held high above his head with sparks encasing it. Next to him was Rurumu and Hinahoho, little Kikiriku standing next to Masrur, then Parsine and Mystras.

“Happy birthday Ja’far!” They cheered.

Ja’far’s face flushed, bright red hiding his freckles.

“Thank you…” He murmured, looking down at the floor. How much trouble did they go through for him?

“Did you enjoy your trip down memory lane, Ja’far?” Asked Sinbad, waving the smaller boy over to take the seat next to his. Ja’far walked over, sat down and placed the bag down next to him as the others took their seats.

“It would have been better if I didn’t have to chase you through the streets only to end up in the red-light district, Sin.” Ja’far huffed, to which there were chuckles from around him.

“Sorry about that; I was picking up your gift, and I couldn’t let you catch me,” Sinbad said with a mirthful grin.

“That reminds me… Rurumu, Hinahoho, why did you want me to open your gift to me here?”

“We wanted to see your face, Ja’far.” Responded Rurumu, looking gently down at the boy.

Ja’far pulled the small bag out of his bag and set it on the table. Gently undoing the ties, he pulled out a box. Little, Maplewood likely, and it was extremely light. Everyone stared at him as he opened the box, and tears began to brim his eyes and made choked noises.

An Imuchakk headband. A mark of family, of unity, and love.

“I-I can’t accept this… Rurumu, Hinahoho, I—“

“Ja’far, you are as much our family as Kikiriku, Pipikuni, and Totoyura are.” Said Hinahoho, smiling widely.

“But—I scarred you…”

“So? I’m sure I’ll get more, traveling with Sinbad.”

“Hey!” Sinbad interjected but was ignored.

“Are you sure you want me to have this…?”

Hinahoho and Rurumu both nodded, and Ja’far was having a harder time keeping himself from crying.

“Thank you…”

“Alright, time for my gift, Ja’far!” Said Sinbad, smiling, “Close your eyes, okay?”

Ja’far sniffled a bit, wiped the tears that were threatening to fall, and closed his eyes.

A cold weight was put on his head, and it started slipping down over his face. There were chuckles from all around him, and a hand moved it back on top of his head, only for it to slide down.

“Sinbad, it’s too big!” Laughed Mystras, and Sin cursed.

“Ahh, you’re right! Sorry, I had to guess the size, and I do want it to fit you when you’re a little bigger…”

“Sin, can I open my eyes now?” Asked Ja’far, curious to see what exactly they were talking about.

“Sure, but it's not really what I wanted it to be.”

Ja’far opened his eyes and glanced down at his neck, barely able to see something red hanging there. Gingerly he lifted it up, and saw a teardrop shaped ruby pendant, strung onto a golden thread-like chain that glistened softly.

“Do you like it?” Asked Sinbad, looking at his friend with slight worry in his eyes.

“Yes, but what is it?”

“It’s supposed to be a headdress, but it seems a bit bigger than I had intended. Well, at least we match now!”

“Huh??”

“Look at it, and tell me if it reminds you of anything.”

Ja’far stared intently at the item and blocked out the small talk from around him so he could focus. It looked oddly like a simpler version of…

“Valefor?”

“Mhm! That’s where you became my first follower, and it’s where I saved you. You may be a member of Baal’s household, but Valefor is closer to us. And, it’s a headdress because they symbolize knowledge, and you’ve learned so much and come so far since I met you… But I guess that’ll have to wait until you’re a little bigger.”

Even if Ja’far wiped his tears or tried to keep them from falling, it would have been futile. Those tears wouldn’t stop falling, small hands clutching the pendant around his neck.

“And you’re probably curious about why I sent you on that particular route. Well, you went all over Narpolia, didn’t you? Took courses you wouldn’t have otherwise and saw new streets. I want to show you more new streets, from all different countries,” Sinbad got up and kneeled down, looking up at Ja’far, “So, for another three years, or for forever, let me show you the world and make sweeter memories together?”

Ja’far nodded, on the verge of happy sobbing. Sinbad smiled and embraced the younger boy, soothing hands rubbing the smaller back.

This birthday, Ja’far decided, he didn’t hate.