A/N: Oops. Fell into another fandom headlong a few weeks ago and now look at me. Help.

Set some unknown time after Hakuryuu leaves the group, following the Aum Madaura arc. Spoilers if you haven't caught up on the anime.

"Hakuryuu," he said, and his voice was his sorrow, his guilt, his regret.

"Hakuryuu, I'm sorry."

Hakuryuu backed away. No, stop, he thought. Alibaba-dono… please don't look at me that way… it would be better for you to be angry with me… easier… you shouldn't be-

Alibaba continued towards him, regret etching hsi features, making them raw and vulnerable. "If only I'd listened," he said, clenching his hands at his sides until his knuckles whitened. "If only I'd listened to what your heart was saying… But I made the mistakes I made with Cassim all over again… I thought if I just tried hard enough to persuade you to think a different way… to think my way… everything would be okay." He gazed into Hakuryuu's eyes, anguished.

Hakuryuu felt his stomach twist at that gaze. No… don't look at me with those eyes… "I don't need your pity," he spat, taking another step back. Hate me… please, Alibaba-dono… hate me, damn it…!

Alibaba shook his head. "I'm not pitying you," he said sorrowfully. "I'm regretting the things I've done, the things I haven't done. If only I'd just talked with you and let you tell me the things I knew you were trying to say…"

"I never tried to tell you anything!" Hakuryuu cried.

"You did!" Alibaba said, holding out his hands, palms up. "It was the things you couldn't say, buried underneath the things you did say… It was in your eyes. You were screaming inside, and I covered my ears."

Hakuryuu flinched. No, he'd just wanted allies - he'd just wanted -

- someone to understand -

No, that was wrong. He needed power. It didn't matter where it came from. Everything was a means to an end. Even people.

Even Alibaba.

"Hakuryuu," Alibaba said again, and abruptly Kou's fourth prince realized that there was nowhere to run - his back had hit the crumbling stone wall behind him, and Alibaba was now a mere foot away.

"S… stay back!" he snarled, raising his guandao, its blade now pointed at the boy across from him. "Don't get in my way!"

"There's a spell," Alibaba began, as if not hearing. "I… Yamraiha-san showed it to me when… when I…" he shook his head, the words faltering. "Hakuryuu, let me share your burden.

Hakuryuu's mind went blank. Share… his burden? What sort of nonsense was this?

Alibaba suddenly gripped his shoulders, and he startled, slapping the prince of Balbadd's hand away. "Don't touch me!," he said blackly.

"The spell… it will let me see - it will show me what you went through," Alibaba struggled onward, undeterred. "Please, let me into your memories," he said, his eyes searching Hakuryuu's. "Show me your pain. I don't want you to carry it alone anymore."

Hakuryuu went rigid. Every muscle in his body felt as though it rebelled in that instant. "I will not," he growled through gritted teeth. "Those memories are mine to bear. Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong."

Alibaba shook his head, his grip only tightening. "I won't let you go off alone again! Please… show me."

"I said NO…!" Hakuryuu cried, panicked, back-handing Alibaba like a trapped animal lashing out in its fear. He jerked his hand back - no, he hadn't meant to-

But Alibaba's gaze didn't falter, though a trickle of blood dripped from the side of his mouth. "Please," he said again, desperate.

Hakuryuu trembled. He could easily use force and escape his former friend - why did he feel frozen in place? Though… if he did as his former friend asked, perhaps he might finally win him over. If he could just see the horrors of the Al Thamen's witch… then he might become an ally at long last. There was no debating that Alibaba's power was formidable, particularly with Aladdin backing him every step of the way, and to have him as friend rather than foe would prove invaluable. Aladdin would never stand in opposition to Alibaba. Nor would Morgiana.

Hakuryuu opened his mouth to respond, only to close it immediately, voice caught in his throat.

Showing his memories meant being vulnerable. Meant being laid raw before another. Meant Alibaba seeing him as a young weakling. Meant bearing witness to the darkness that filled his heart, his entire being.

It meant, if Alibaba did not join him, a rejection that went far deeper than any he'd received since realizing his mother was a monster and didn't love anyone - let alone him.

An unbearable rejection.

Alibaba, who had watched him silently, now shook his head again, searching for the words he wanted to say. "Hakuryuu - I promise you that no matter what I see - no matter what I decide - I will always be your friend. Even if one day we have to fight each other for the sake of our ideals - I will always, always be your friend. No matter what."

Hakuryuu hung his head. Indeed, there was no guarantee that Alibaba would become his ally after this. But was it really better to not try at all…? To always wonder…?

He took a shuddering breath. Didn't look up. "How… how do we do this… this spell?"

Alibaba's warm brown eyes lit with hope. He quickly fished a small glass sphere out of the pouch at his waist, holding it out in his palm as it glowed softly. "Yamraiha-san gave me this," he said. "She said you just need to drip some of your blood onto it while I hold it - that memories run in our blood, and that this is a looking glass... "

Hakuryuu gazed at the marble-like object, its light pulsing gently. If he did this, there would be no turning back.

He squared his shoulders, jaw set, and pulled a small dagger from his waist. In the blink of an eye, he'd sliced a small cut into his fingertip. Then, staring determinedly into Alibaba's eyes, he reached out and allowed his blood to fall onto the looking glass.

Instantly, Alibaba found his surroundings melting away, replaced with an oriental-style setting he'd only seen in drawings. His perspective was strange; he was much lower to the ground, he realized. Then it hit him - he was seeing through Hakuryuu's eyes now - Hakuryuu was only a small child here. Only six years old.

The stench suddenly stung his nose, his eyes watering - the smell of burning, of smoke and ash, of singed flesh. Screaming everywhere. His vision was filled with red as the flames surrounded him. Where was Mother…? Father…? His brothers and sister? Chaos reigned - the sounds of battle, howls of pain, more screaming - his face, his face, it hurt, it burned, Mother, it hurts, somebody-

His father and brothers, dying in front of his eyes.

Murdered.

His father's dying wish. "Fight on to the end. Promise me."

His family's murderer - Mother.

But it wouldn't be true, couldn't be true, his father was surely delirious in his anguished dying moments-

"Mother… it's not true, right? Father was just seeing things… he… he must have…"

Mother's smile. A bone-chilling smile he'd never seen before. Her eyes were as empty and cold as a black hole. Her red lips, always so perfectly lined, suddenly seemed as if painted with blood.

"And what if it was true…? What would you do about it?"

Her voice, sweet as poison.

The setting melted away again, caves of stone suddenly surrounding him. He was looking at himself, at Morgiana, at Aladdin.

The children of Aum Madaura, all brainwashed to protect and adore another wolf in sheep's clothing. Their "mother." The overwhelming power of her magic fan, reaching in to his memories and taking them as her own, forcing him to relive every stark, traumatic moment, to remember all that he'd-

And now the witch ruled their nation, having stolen the life of yet another emperor, her followers all around her, the rest ignorant or turning a blind eye in order to use her power to their benefit, and all she wanted was to bring the world to ruin - how dare they let this murderer run free, how dare they-

Alibaba fell to his knees, sobbing as the stone faded and blurred back into the place where he stood with his friend. "Hakuryuu," he said. That was all he could say. "Hakuryuu…"

Though her life had been all too short, his own mother's love had been true and selfless. Even now, her warmth lived on in his heart.

Hakuryuu had not only had his father and beloved brothers ripped away from him - he'd lost his mother, too, and in a way that even the pain of death could not match. The mother he'd known all his young life was a lie - a facade while she played games with the lives of others. The monster that took pleasure in the pain and the suffering and the deaths wrought by her path of destruction, whose most beloved desire was to end the entire world.

Alibaba looked up at his friend sorrowfully, clutching his chest in anguish.

"How could she…?" he said hoarsely. "To her own son… how could she do that to you? It's not fair!" he cried, slamming his fist against the dust and gravel. "You should have never had to feel like that…"

Hakuryuu gazed at him, speechless. Alibaba was crying… for him...? Angry… for him…?

The strangest part of all was the odd feeling that a weight had been lifted from his heart. Had Alibaba somehow really taken his burden?

Alibaba rose slowly to his feet, roughly wiping away his tears, leaving behind streaks of dirt from his earth-crusted hand. He reached out, then - pulled Hakuryuu to him - embraced him tightly. The blond boy's shoulders shook with barely-contained emotion.

Again, Hakuryuu's mind reeled with confusion. Of all the things he'd expected - all the reactions he could have imagined - Alibaba's tears, and this fierce embrace, were not amongst them. His arms hung limply at his sides, frozen there with uncertainty. How was he to respond…?

Abruptly, he realized that one of Alibaba's hands remained fisted, still clutching the bloody marble, and he straightened. No - he knew his answer.

He put his hands on Alibaba's shoulders and pushed him away firmly, gazing at him. "Let me see the looking glass," he said quietly. Alibaba looked confused, but nodded, releasing the marble into Hakuryuu's open palm.

Kou's forth prince looked at it for a moment, then quickly pressed it against one of his sleeves, polishing it with the fabric until there was no remaining trace of blood. Satisfied, he looked again to Alibaba.

"Hakuryuu…? What are you-" he began to ask, only to be startled as the raven-haired boy leaned forward, touching the clean gem to the side of Alibaba's mouth. His mouth - the corner where the blood had-

Alibaba jerked back too late, eyes going wide. "No... " he said frantically, trying to snatch the marble back. Hakuryuu dodged his clumsy grasp easily. "No, you don't have to…!" Alibaba cried. "You've been through enough - please don't look! Hakuryuu!"

But Hakuryuu was determined. If Alibaba was willing to take on the darkest parts of him, his most hated memories, head on - then so, too, would Hakuryuu face Alibaba's. No matter how this day ended, they would know each other's hearts.

The memories came so quickly, then, that it was all he could do to hold on to his composure.

A smiling, angelic face. Alibaba's mother. Warmth. A hard life, but a happy one. Cassim and Mariam, an adopted family full of love.

A deep anguish as their beloved mother passed on, leaving Cassim to look out for the three of them.

Cassim, whose eyes grew darker with every passing day. Who distanced himself from Alibaba, colder and colder, pushing him further away-

The coach that had come from out of the blue to take him to the father he'd never known. Cassim telling him to just go, like they were nothing to each other.

The palace - so luxurious - so cold. He knew his father loved him - his words were always sincere. But as king, he could not show affection so freely - and one brother was too cowardly to associate with Alibaba, the other rejecting him outright as trash.

The reunion of Cassim - a hopeful rekindling of old times-

It was all a lie.

The palace, raided, burning, the strain too much on his father's heart, betrayed by Cassim-

Banishment from everything he'd ever loved, a foreign land his new home. He'd do anything to save the slums he'd grown up in - win a dungeon, despite the thousands that had died before him - anything…!

Aladdin, a promise to meet again, to travel together - a promise broken for Cassim, who had betrayed him. Mariam dead. He'd do anything to help Cassim, his beloved adopted brother, even break promises-

A lie. Again. Cassim's thirst that would be quenched by nothing but a bloody victory - his transformation into a monster, slaughtering civilians and soldiers alike - nearly taking Alibaba's life-

Alibaba's journey into Cassim's heart, the words they'd never said, their final understanding-

Cassim dying in Alibaba's arms as he finally found his way back to the light.

The light of Cassim's heart faded and melted into the torchlight that flickered nearby, lighting the dark path as the sun hid beneath the horizon. Hakuryuu now stood before Alibaba with tears streaming down his own face. All of that and Alibaba refused to let hate rule his heart. Refused to stop believing in people, stop trusting. To stop loving.

Was willing to take on Hakuryuu's suffering as his own.

"Alibaba-dono…" he said weakly. It felt as though his heart was rent in two. He could never shine so brightly… he could never hope to escape the overpowering hatred he felt for the woman he no longer thought of as "Mother." He couldn't be satisfied until she was dead. Once again, he felt deeply how inferior he was to Alibaba.

Alibaba, who was like the sun.

Alibaba, who looked at him with fresh tears blinding his eyes, his hands gripping Hakuryuu's upper arms. "You didn't… have to do that…" His voice was strangled with sorrow. "I would never have… I didn't want you to see more than you already have…"

Hakuryuu gazed back at him, trying and failing to swallow the lump in his throat. "You said you would share my burden," he said, raising his hands now to grip Alibaba's arms the way his own were being held. "Sharing has to go both ways, Alibaba-dono. If you are to share mine, then I will share yours."

The blond prince fell quiet, then, fingers curling into the sleeves of Hakuryuu's shirt. He nodded at long last, unable to look up as the tears fell anew. "Mm…!"

After a time, the two found themselves sitting on the ground with their backs against the stone wall, their sides touching slightly.

"Thank you for showing me, Hakuryuu," Alibaba spoke softly, leaning his head back to look at the starry sky above them. "Everything that you've said to us… to me… makes sense now." He clenched his right hand around his left, brow furrowed. "I understand now… why you'd want to kill her. I… won't stand in your way, if that's the path you choose."

Hakuryuu startled. He had hardly dared to hope. "...You… won't?"

Alibaba shook his head, then looked over at his friend with a pained smile. "I won't. But…" he paused, then turned to face the Kou prince, taking Hakuryuu's hand into his own. "But if you start to lose yourself, that's when I will stop you. Promise me that you won't lose sight of yourself, Hakuryuu. You have to promise me. Don't let yourself be engulfed by hatred. That kind of thing…" his face contorted, and Hakuryuu knew instantly that he was thinking of Cassim. "That kind of thing… I can't stand by and watch it again…"

Hakuryuu looked away. "I don't think I… am capable of promising such a thing," he said, shame flooding his body. "I don't think I can win against that darkness, Alibaba-dono."

Alibaba shook his head, placing his other hand over top of their clasped hands. "That's because you're thinking you have to do it alone," he said. "But you're wrong. When you're weak, that's when your friends are there to be strong for you. Aladdin… Morgiana… me… we will be your strength. We will never let you face that darkness alone, Hakuryuu. Believe in us. So please, promise me…"

Hakuryuu felt as though he were going to cry all over again, and he tilted his head back to the sky, willing his eyes to remain dry. Not alone… could such a thing really be true? "Then… I will try," he said at last, looking back to Alibaba, his features troubled. "To rely on you…"

Alibaba smiled then, seeming satisfied, and leaned over to bump his forehead against Hakuryuu's. "We won't let you down," he said, his warm brown eyes gleaming with the hope that he seemed to spread everywhere he went. "Not ever."

Hakuryuu felt his face redden faintly, suddenly shy. Even before he had willingly abandoned his friendship with Alibaba and the others, he had never felt so… intimately close to any of them… as he did right now. He wasn't even sure his heart knew how to handle it. His precious moments with Morgiana on the beach at the funeral, his one stolen kiss with her, even they felt much different than this.

But he had done enough soul-searching for one night, the weary Hakuryuu concluded. Finding a name for this strange feeling would have to wait for another day.

A/N: This may or may not be a one-shot. The problem is, if I say it isn't, I'll inevitably never write more, and if I say it is, I'll inevitably write ten chapters. Human contrariness at its finest. Let me know what you think, dear readers! Thanks for reading!