Chapter 1: We Are Lost and We're Falling

*Disclaimer: I do not own any of the character in this story, neither do I own the music lyrics which is used for the title of this story and it's chapters.

Warning: Out of character, manga spoilers and smut.

Please excuse any of the mistakes I may have missed whilst editing this.*

"Big brother Kouen!"

"No! Give him back!"

"Quiet, boy. Such disobedience will not be tolerated,"

Red, tear filled eyes widened in fear, small body tense from where it had carelessly been tossed over the shoulder of a tall, broad man from Al-Thamen. Still, one small hand was stretched out to another man. Kouen had a frantic look on his face, body frozen for a mere moment.

"You have to save him, brother!" Koumei encouraged, and it was all the eldest needed.

Kouen lurched forward, right hand reached out, ready to grab the pale, much smaller hand of his little brother.

Five other members of Al-Thamen stepped in his way, preventing him from reaching the tiny boy, grab him and hug him to his chest, hide him in his big, strong arms, much like he had been doing for the past few weeks.

"No! Judar!" Kouen yelled, struggling against the five men.

"Judar!" Koumei ran forward, passed the five men who were able to hold his big brother down. Judar reached out to Koumei, their fingertips brushing before Koumei was lurched back, by another, sixth member of Al-Thamen grabbing him, holding him back as the last, seventh member carried Judar away.

Kouen and Koumei continued to struggle, yelling for their little brother, screaming at the men to just give him back!

"Enough! Don't make his punishment worse than it already will be. Should you carry on like this, he will be punished by death, no matter that he is a Magi," one of the men holding Kouen down warned.

The words caused the two brothers to freeze, eyes widened as they slowly relented. The men stepped back, and in an orderly fashion, nearly as one, they turned to walk off after the other carrying Judar.

Judar stilled at the sight of his two brothers giving up, body growing limp at the all too familiar scene. The memory of a city around him, different people surrounding him, but one in particular harboured all his attention.

Judar had also been thrown over the shoulder of a member from Al-Thamen, back then. He had had tears in his eyes, looking expectantly at the man in front of him, waiting.

'He'll save me. I know he will,'

Tears fell down his cheeks as he watched the man turn his back on him, long, purple hair whipping around at the movement and wind. Judar watched, heartbroken as the man started to walk away from him, leaving him at the mercy of Al-Thamen.

'Sinbad,'

The man carrying him put him down on his feet, intending to grab his wrist and drag him away. Judar wrenched his arm away, small hands clamping over his ears as the memory left him. Tears streaming down his cheeks, Judar started to scream at the top of his lungs, the Rukh around him started to flutter wildly, chirping frantically as they tried to calm the Magi.

Kouen and Koumei watched with widened eyes as the Rukh started to become visible to them. They were such a beautiful, white, golden colour, until suddenly, some of them started to grow grey, the colour steadily spreading until all of the Rukh were grey, slowly turning darker and darker, until it was all black.

Kouen grit his teeth, Koumei biting his lower lip to try and prevent himself from bursting into tears. The men from Al-Thamen watched, thoroughly pleased that they had been able to throw the young boy into depravity.

Once Judar stopped screaming, eyes slowly opening, his hands fell limply at his sides. His lips were parted, eyes wide as tears continued to fall freely. The black Rukh fluttered around him, still chirping comforting words to him.

Kouen watched in slight horror as Judar's lips pressed into a firm line, expression turning blank as the light left his red eyes. Kouen made a sound of disdain, silently cursing Al-Thamen as they surrounded the Magi, gently leading the boy away.

It was warm, the sun beating down on his pale skin. Lidded, red eyes stared up at the white, fluffy clouds floating in the sky, carefree. Judar envied them, longing to be as free as those clouds.

He was stretched out on a thick branch of a tree in the Kou empire's gardens. A deep sigh passed his lips as he started to frown. As of late, he had been plagued by memories from his childhood. Ever since that baby Magi, Aladdin, had used that strange power on him.

He sometimes dreamt of those forgotten moments, but it hit him in the day, too. Any little thing could set off a memory, and he was left standing there, staring into the distance like a moron.

It was strange, remembering all of these long forgotten things that stirred emotions in him that he would rather not deal with. Voices caught his attention, the Ren siblings walking into the garden, talking amongst themselves.

Hakuei and Hakuryuu were there, too. They mumbled to themselves, until suddenly, Hakuei spoke up.

"Can't Judar do anything?" She asked, sounding almost urgent.

Interest slightly peaked, Judar listened more intently.

"Doesn't he have better things to do?" Kouha asked, sounding disinterested.

"Judar is far too lazy to have better things to do, Kouha," Koumei said, almost sounding as though he were scolding the younger.

Kouha sighed, rolling his eyes as he waved one hand, brushing his brother's words off.

"Does Judar-chan even know how to use healing magic?" Kougyoku asked curiously.

Judar sighed once more, rolling off of the tree, floating until his feet touched the ground.

"I'm no good at healing magic," he stated as he walked towards them.

Both Kougyoku and Kouha whipped around to face him, both gaining cheerful expressions at his arrival.

"Judar!" They yelled simultaneously.

Kouen frowned at the Magi, who seemed a little dishevelled. Hakuryuu frowned, too, not at all happy to see the Magi, who would no doubt start pestering him about concurring a dungeon. Hakuei smiled, Koumei only watching with his usual blank expression.

Judar watched with lidded eyes as both Kougyoku and Kouha rushed to him, the younger male wrapping both of his arms around Judar's left arm, hugging it to his chest as he grinned up at the Magi.

Kougyoku showed more restraint, though she still smiled happily up at him.

"Why were you asking about that?" He asked, barely sparing a glance at the younger two before his attention was on Kouen.

"Sadly, our father has grown terribly ill, and we were wondering if you could heal him?" Kougyoku asked, looking up at him with hopeful eyes.

Hope he was about to crush, that is.

"Heh, sorry, but as I said before, I'm no good," Judar stated.

Kougyoku's shoulders slumped, eyes glistening with held back tears. Almost instantly, Judar felt guilty. Sighing softly, he placed a hand on her head, parting his lips to offer himself for her today, wanting to suggest they go to the markets, like they used to when she was much younger.

"Enough about that. Hey, Judar, can I braid your hair?" Kouha asked.

"What?" Judar asked, turning his head to give the teen a strange look.

Kouha beamed up at him. "Yeah! You know, like when we were younger! Oh! I can decorate it again with flowers like the last time!"

Judar opened his mouth to refuse, noticing Kougyoku's interested look, eyes shining, and suddenly, he was hit with a barrage of different memories. The family watched as a distant look entered their Magi's eyes, mouth hanging open, only to slowly click shut.

"Judar-chan?" Kougyoku asked curiously.

"Hey! Judar!" Kouha called in annoyance, tugging at the pale man's arm. "What's wrong with him?" Kouha asked with a huff.

Koumei raised a brow in interest, Kouen frowning.

Hakuryuu sighed. "Looks like our dear Magi has finally lost his mind completely," he mumbled, ignoring the disapproving look he received from his sister.

"Big brother Judar? Will you let me braid your hair?" A fourteen year old Kouha asked, staring with eager eyes at the Magi from across the room.

"No," Judar answered grumpily, he was in a rather foul mood that day.

Kouha pouted. "But I always let you braid mine whenever you want! And your hair is so pretty! I promise I won't hurt you! I know! You can teach me how to make that crown of flowers you put in my hair last time! I'll decorate your hair nicely, I promise! Please!" He pleaded.

Judar ignored him, gritting his teeth as the younger proceeded to repeat the word 'please'.

"Okay, fine!" Judar snapped, standing and walking moodily out of the room and down to the garden, teeth gritted as Kouha cheered behind him.

Judar slumped to the ground, crossing his arms. "Get some flowers," he ordered.

Kouha skipped around the garden, laughing and humming to himself as he gathered flowers.

Once done, he dumped an arm full of different coloured flowers in front of Judar, plopping down on the ground, seeming eager. Judar sighed, pained. Slowly, he gathered flowers as he needed them, braiding them in a particular way, doing so slowly so that Kouha could clearly see what he was doing.

Once he was done, he smiled a soft smile, reaching forward and gently settling it onto the youngers head.

"Now you try," he encouraged.

Kouha did so eagerly, brows furrowed in concentration as he clumsily made his first flower crown, with Judar occasionally helping him along the way.

Kouha cheered once he was done, laughing as he held it in both his hands, falling onto his back while kicking his legs. Judar smiled at the sight, Kouha rarely acted his age.

Still smiling, Judar took a hold of his braid, gently undoing it. Kouha looked up, scrambling to his feet.

"I'll help, big brother," he said.

Judar allowed the younger to pull his hair back over his shoulder as he settled behind him, fingers gently working through the long hair.

"You have really pretty hair, Judar. It's so thick and soft!" He praised, watching as Judar's hair fell around his shoulders, back and pooled onto the ground.

Kouha ran his fingers through the long strands a few times, before taking a good handful and burying his face into it, taking deep breaths. Judar turned and gave him a strange look.

"You're really weird, Kouha," he stated.

Kouha laughed, launching forward, wrapping his arms around Judar's neck, propping his chin up on the elder's shoulder, hugging him from behind. Judar sighed, allowing the embrace, enjoying it for a while.

Eventually, Kouha pulled away and started to braid Judar's hair, fingers gentle. Once he was done with that, he started decorating Judar's hair with flowers, lastly placing the flower crown on top of his head.

"You look so pretty, Judar!" He complimented.

A light shade of red dusted his pale cheeks at the compliment.

Kouha laughed, playing with the end of Judar's braid for a while as they sat in silence.

A while later, a gasp was heard as well as a feminine voice calling Judar's name.

"Judar!" Kougyoku's voice reached them.

The magi watched as a very young Kougyoku came running at them, ignoring Ka Koubun's calls for her to calm down.

Kougyoku giggled as she came to a stop in front of the two, smiling happily at them, until a curious look crossed her features.

"Why do you have so many flowers in your hair? You look so pretty, like a girl!" She stated.

Judar blushed as Kouha started laughing hysterically. A mischievous look entered her eyes next.

"Can I ask a favour of you, Judar-chan?" She asked.

The new nickname served only to make Kouha laugh even harder and caused Judar's eye to twitch.

"What is it?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"Will you please go to the market with me? Ka Koubun doesn't want me to go, and big brother's Kouen and Koumei are too busy to take me," she said, sounding sad.

Judar hated it when she was sad. With a defeated sigh, Judar rolled his eyes.

"Fine, just let me-" he was cut off as she grabbed his hand, using all her might to pull him forward and somehow onto his feet, dragging him out of the gardens and the palace.

"Wait! I can't go out like this!" He yelled, but by the time the words left his lips, they were already outside the palace.

Judar sighed, allowing the girl to drag him everywhere, ignoring the stares he got from the commoners.

Kougyoku dragged him to all kinds of different stalls, trying different foods, eyes twinkling at the different jewelry. By the time the sun had set, Judar was beyond exhausted.

He had little doubt that they would still be running around the streets had Judar not floated them up onto a rooftop to watch the sunset. Sitting still had proved to be the right thing, as the young girl fell asleep on his lap not too long after.

Judar sighed once more, picking the girl up, gently floating to the ground as she snuggled her face into his neck, arms moving to loosely hang around his neck. Judar carried her back to the palace, gaze mostly on the stars.

Kouen was pacing by the palace doors, head snapping up at hearing footsteps approaching. A sigh of relief left his lips, unseen by anyone but Judar, someone who knew Kouen for a long time.

"There you two are," Kouen said, walking to meet Judar halfway. "We were starting to get worried," he stated, looking down at Kougyoku.

A rare, soft smile danced across his lips as he raised his hand to gently run it through the girls hair.

Slowly, Kougyoku's eyes fluttered open, smiling sleepily at the sight of her eldest brother. Stretching, she raised her arms in order to be taken by Kouen. With one hand supporting the young child's entire weight as she seemed to sit on his arm, Kougyoku wrapped her arms around Kouen's neck, cheek pressing into his shoulder.

Raising her head again, she turned to look at the Magi.

"Thank you for everything, Judar-chan," she said before closing her eyes and promptly falling asleep.

Kouen stilled, raising a brow as he turned to look Judar over.

Smiling another soft smile, Kouen spread his free arm open. "Come inside, you must be tired after today, Judar-chan," he teased.

Instantly, a scowl settled onto the Magi's face, causing Kouen to throw his head back, eyes closed as he laughed in amusement.

Judar had honestly forgotten that his hair was still decorated with flowers, and now it seemed that this new nickname was going to stick.

"Come, Judar-chan, I'll help you get those flowers out of your hair and re-braid it," Kouen teased once more, though there was a certain warmth to him.

Judar smiled almost shyly as he walked forward and into his brother's awaiting arm. Kouen wrapped his arm around his shoulders, gently leading him inside. After Kouen put Kougyoku to bed, he kept his promise and helped Judar rid his hair of the many flowers Kouha had used.

He then spent a while gently brushing through it, running his fingers through the soft strands before he braided it. Once done, he bid the Magi a good night, with a gentle kiss to the forehead that caught the younger completely off guard.

Kouen smiled at him once more before he left the room, gently closing the door behind him. Judar fell asleep that night, with a bright smile on his lips and a certain happiness in his heart, knowing that Kouen only showed this sort of softness to his family, and he was one of them.

"-ar? Judar? Judar!" Someone shouted, roughly shaking his shoulder.

Judar blinked, feeling confused as to why everyone was looking at him as if he were crazy, and why was Kouen's hand on his forehead?

"Are you feeling unwell?" Kouen asked, a small twinge of worry in his voice.

Judar was instantly annoyed at the way his heart fluttered at the sound.

"...Yeah," he finally answered, not really listening to what the question was.

Kouen frowned deeply, slowly leaning forward and pressing his forehead to Judar's. Kouen's frown deepened as he pulled away.

Judar blinked a few times in confusion.

"You don't feel like you have a fever, is something in particular bothering you?" Kouen asked.

"What?" Judar asked dumbly.

"Ugh, stop babying him, Kouen! Anyway, can I Judar?" Kouha asked again.

"He said he was feeling ill, our Magi can't be allowed to be ill," Kouen retorted.

"Was something bothering you, Judar-chan?" Kougyoku asked with concern.

"Oh, no, I was just remembering a really...fond memory," Judar said softly, a fond smile on his lips.

It was quiet for a moment.

"Judar," Kouha whined, tugging on his arm.

Judar looked down at him. "What?"

Kouha made a sound of frustration. "Can I braid your hair?" He asked in annoyance. "Please?" He added, sounding a bit more sincere.

"Oh, sure," Judar answered.

Kouha made a sound of surprise before he cheered.

Kougyoku pouted, crossing her arms as Kouen's eyebrows rose in surprise. Hakuei merely smiled as her little brother frowned. Koumei had a surprised look, too.

"That's no fair, I want to play with Judar-chan's hair, too!" Kougyoku said.

Kouha laughed. "No way, I asked first!"

Kougyoku made a sound of frustration, looking as though she wanted to stomp her foot.

A small smile tugged at Judar's lips. "I have enough hair for the both of you. Let's go find some shade," he said, turning around and walking away.

The two younger siblings followed after the Magi, arguing about what they were going to do with all that hair. Judar plopped down on the grass underneath a tree, undoing his braid as he watched the other two gather flowers.

In the end, the two tried multiple different styles before settling for one. It ranged from two separate braids that hung over his shoulders and onto his chest, but that one wasn't to their taste, as it made Judar seem far too girly.

It went from one, giant bun on top of his head, to two, to different types of ponytails until they decided a braid fit Judar best. They tried different types of braids as well, until they finally settled on one they both like.

By that time, Judar was positively battling not to fall asleep. After they decorated his hair with flowers, the two leaned their heads on his shoulders, just enjoying the peace and quiet.

"I'm going to Sindria," Kougyoku stated abruptly.

"Why?" Judar asked, sounding rather rude.

"Hakuryuu is going there to study, and I asked if I could go with him, something like a chaperone" she said, sounding far too happy.

"That's great for you," Judar said, sounding almost too sarcastic.

Kougyoku turned her head on his shoulder to look up at him.

"Is there any particular reason why you don't like Sinbad and his country?" She asked curiously.

Kouha looked up at his face in interest. Judar took a long time to answer, a series of images popping up in his mind, as well as a short memory.

"Is there any particular reason why you don't like people touching your hair?" A sixteen year old Sinbad asked curiously.

Judar looked at him, before his eyes were cast downward, hands holding his hair down the left side of his chest, out of Sinbad's reach.

"You're going to think it's stupid." He pouted.

Sinbad chuckled, moving to touch the child's hair again, stopping when Judar moved his body away, still pouting.

Sinbad smiled gently. "I promise I won't think it's stupid and I won't laugh," he assured.

Judar peeked at him, still pouting.

"It's-" he cut himself off for a moment, hesitating and wondering if he should continue. "It's the only thing I like about myself," he said quietly.

Sinbad's eyes widened, eyes turning sad.

He smiled warmly as Judar turned to look at him expectantly.

"Then I promise I'll be gentle," he stated, reaching forward again.

Judar hesitated before letting his hair go, allowing it to flow down his back and over his right shoulder, right into Sinbad's awaiting hand.

"I promise I'll take care of it," he said, running his fingers though the long strands.

Judar released a shaky sigh, biting his lower lip before he answered.

"Sinbad and I have a long history, something I don't want to talk about, really," he stated.

Luckily, the two let it go.

They spent most of the day like that, eventually falling asleep. It was nice, having company, even if they didn't necessarily speak, it was nice to have someone's presence there.

Judar had to force himself to calm down, to control not only his emotions, but the tears that were freely running down his cheeks now. This was all meant to be fake, a ruse to get Sinbad to feel sorry for him, but it all quickly backfired when the emotions grew too strong and the tears became real.

He had crouched on the ground, pressing his face into his hands as he continued to cry, not wanting any of them to see his face when he cried real tears, and not fake ones. Once he had gotten a grip on his emotions, he looked up at Sinbad, wiping them all away as he taunted him.

He was calm, until the older man mentioned what happened in Parthevia, what he did to them. Suddenly, it was almost impossible for him to control his emotions. He didn't do anything to them in Parthevia, it was them! It was Sinbad!

He had abandoned Judar! It was that bitch, Serendine. All of what had happened was her fault!

Suddenly, all he wanted to do was scream, shout, yell that what happened there wasn't his fault, but he didn't do any of that. Instead, he acted arrogantly, and declared war.

After that, he left, flying back home with so many mixed emotions, he could barely breathe. At least Kouen didn't seem angry at all at what he had done. The moment he walked into his room, he could feel the dull ache in his head grow in intensity, until they came in short, painful bursts.

Judar cried out, clutching at his head as he collapsed to the ground, curling in on himself as images popped up in his mind. His body shook ferociously. A tall woman with blue hair and kind eyes, a gentle smile in place, appeared in his mind.

Many other familiar faces appeared in his mind, but he could not place a name with the face, and as soon as it was remembered, he forgot again, except for that one woman. She had been something like a mother to everyone back then.

Why couldn't he remember her name? Why couldn't he remember any other memories of her except for her face. But the biggest question of all, was why the memory of her caused him to burst into tears, heart aching so much he could barely breathe.

Judar cried himself to sleep, curled up a small ways away from his bedroom door, curled in on himself, arms hugging his middle in an effort to comfort. It was in this position that Kouen found him.

The elder blinked in surprise at the familiar, yet unfamiliar scene. It had been years, years, since he first caught Judar in a similar position, when he was much, much younger.

Kouen frowned, sighing as he walked into the room, bending down to gently scoop the younger up into his arms, gaze saddening at the dried tears on his Magi's cheeks.

Gently, he placed the Magi on the bed, carefully pulling the covers from the bed and tucking the younger in. Kouen stood up straight, gazing down at the sleeping youth, before reaching forward and running his fingers through Judar's short hair.

Why had the other been crying? Did it have something to do with the Magi's most recent visit to Sindria? What had Sinbad done? Knowing Judar, and also knowing all of the reasons why the Magi had cried in the past, it most likely had something to do with the King of Sindria.

Kouen sighed again, it was no use pondering about something Judar would never talk to him about. Not as he is now. Ever since Judar was taken away from Sinbad when he was younger, he hadn't been the same.

He was a lot more emotional, tended to cry far easier than he used to. He had spent a lot of time in Kouen's arms, never wanting to leave the elder's side for longer than absolutely necessary. Until Al-Tharmen came and ripped him from Kouen's arms.

Since that moment, when his Magi's Rukh had turned black, Judar had started to become ruthless, cold, and what disturbed Kouen the most, was how forgetful the Magi was. He tended to forget the simplest things, sometimes he forgets what he had done the previous day. It seemed that everyday, it just grew worse, and worse.

Kouen shook his head, turned, and left the room, closing the door softly behind him. Nothing like that mattered, for now. Kouen had little doubt that Al-Thamen was the reason behind his Magi's forgetfulness, but until he had all the answers he needed, he couldn't do anything.

They just had to endure, Judar just had to endure a little bit longer. He would never forgive himself if he lost the Magi, forever. Whether it be by death, or by the fact that Judar was forgetting things at such a rate, it wouldn't be long before he was turned into a mindless puppet. He refused to let the other go.

"Big brother Kouen?" A six year old Judar asked sleepily, rubbing at his eyes as he was picked up out of bed.

"Shh, be quiet, Judar," Kouen instructed, voice nothing but a quiet whisper.

Judar frowned, blinking multiple times to look at his big brother's dark figure, searching through his clothes.

"Why don't you just light a candle?" Judar asked curiously, standing on the cold floor, a shiver crawled up his spine.

Kouen glanced at Judar, noticing him shiver. Quickly, he picked out some warm clothes, before he moved to kneel in front of the smaller, gently helping him get dressed.

"I'm sending you away," he informed.

Judar's head snapped up, panic, fear and heartache clear in his red eyes as tears started to gather. "Why? Did I do something wrong? Please, don't send me away, whatever I did, I'm sorry, I won't-"

"Judar," Kouen cut off the child's frantic talking.

He finished by wrapping the child in a warm jacket that belonged to Kouen. It was ridiculously large on the boy, but he knew it would serve as comfort for him. "I don't want to do this, but I have to. Al-Thamen's influence on you is growing stronger by the day,"

"They'll force you into depravity, and turn you into a dark Magi, but I don't want that for you," he explained as he gently wiped the Magi's tears away. "I want you to be happy, and to have a relatively normal life. And, I don't want them hurting you anymore,"

Judar's lower lip started to tremble as he rubbed at his eyes.

"You'll be strong for your big brother, won't you?" Kouen asked, watching the small child.

The magi nodded, as he rubbed away more tears, sniffling and hiccupping.

"I'm putting you on a boat that will sail all the way to Reim. There's a man there that recently started a company, Sindria Trading Company, perhaps you've heard of it?" Kouen asked, watching as Judar nodded. "I've heard that he's a kind man, I'm sure he will take you in and protect you,"

"I don't want to go!" Judar cried, still rubbing at his eyes in vain to stop the tears from falling.

Kouen smiled sadly, pulling the tiny boy into his arms for a hug. "I know, and I don't really want to send you away, but I have little other options, and keeping you here is not good."

He pulled back, hands placed firmly on the sobbing boy's shoulders, choosing to ignore how his small body shook. "Sending you to Reim is the best, and I think only, option we have." He smiled warmly at Judar.

He gave the small boy a few more minutes to gather himself before he picked him up as well as the bag of things he had packed for him. He somehow managed to sneak out of the palace and Empire undetected.

As he walked to the port where he would give Judar to a kind lady who had agreed to keep an eye on the Magi while they travelled, he gave the boy a description of what Sinbad looked like as well as some other things. Telling him that he should send them letters, but under a false name that they already decided.

Judar clung to him, tears streaming down his cheeks when it was time for him to board the ship, refusing to let go. He cried loudly, screamed and kicked his feet as the woman pulled him off, somehow managing to get herself, the struggling boy and their luggage on the ship.

Judar sobbed and screamed as the ship started to move, wanting to go back to the comforting arms of his big brother. Kouen stood there, smiling warmly as he waved, trying to seem brave for his little brother, and only when he was sure the ship was too far away for any of it's passengers to see anything, did he let his own tears fall.

Judar managed to eventually calm down slightly, his fierce grip now on the woman that first took him. He continued to sob into her chest, and he was well aware of how unlike it was of him to cry so much, but he couldn't help it. He was only just a child, and he was scared, no matter that he's Magi.

The woman started to hum a song as she gently combed her fingers through his hair, calming him. Eventually, Judar fell into a deep sleep, cheeks stained red from the overly large sleeves of Kouen's jacket constantly being rubbed against his fair skin.

His eyes were bloodshot and burned whenever he opened them, though he mostly kept them shut. The woman commented that he was paler than what seemed natural, and feared he might be getting sick, though he soon fell asleep, much to her relief.

The woman smiled down at the boy that was sat in her lap, arms wrapped around her neck as he slept. Lord Kouen had asked her to please help the child to find Sinbad, the head of The Sindria Trading Company, and even offered to pay her to take him there, but she had declined. She was an employee at the company, after all.

She had never seen someone look so relieved as that man did when he heard the news. She had only come to Kou to visit family, but was now returning, and along with her, she brought a new edition to the Sindria Company family.

Judar slept through the rest of the trip, only waking when he heard unfamiliar voices close to him.

"Who's the kid?" A young male voice asked.

"This is little Judar. His big brother sent him here in order to protect him," the woman stated.

"Here, let me take your bags. Or would you rather I take him?" Another male asked, though he sounded much closer.

"I'm not sure if he'd want to come to you, he put up a real fuss when I had to take him from his brother," the woman said, though she sounded sad.

"You had to take him?" The male asked.

Judar felt curious to know what this person looked like, and as the woman carrying him started to explain why she had taken him, Judar slowly, shyly turned his head to look at the man.

The man was rather tall, and stood right in front of them, listening intently to the woman. He had long, purple hair, and kind, golden eyes. Just like the description his brother gave him. The man suddenly looked down at him, a kind smile stretching over his lips once he noticed the younger looking at him.

"Oh, hello there, little guy, you're awake," he greeted.

Judar seemed to shrink back into the woman a little.

The man seemed surprised at the action, though he continued to smile kindly. "Your name is Judar, right? Do you want to come here to me?" He asked, gently opening his arms in order to receive the child.

Judar hesitated.

"Judar," the woman holding him spoke up. "This is Sinbad, the man your brother sent you to," she introduced.

Judar looked back to the man, Sinbad, who smiled a little wider at receiving the boy's attention once more.

Hesitating, Judar held his arms out to the man. Sinbad grinned widely as he stepped closer and took Judar into his arms, smiling softly at the boy as he wrapped his small arms around the taller male's neck.

"Look at you, aren't you just a cutie?" Sinbad spoke as he started to walk.

Judar blushed a little, sniffling softly as he raised one of the jacket sleeves to rub at his still red eyes. Sinbad observed the movement, frowning briefly at the sight of the child's red eyes and cheeks, unnaturally pale skin, before a smile tugged back onto his lips.

"Just look at you in this oversized jacket, you're adorable," Sinbad stated, chuckling as the child blushed a deeper shade of red.

He was mostly trying to make the boy feel more comfortable, but the more he looked at the tiny raven, the truer his words got.

"It was my big brother's," Judar spoke for the first time.

"It must be comfortable then, right?" Sinbad asked as he started to climb up the stairs to his company.

Judar nodded as he yawned, tightening his grip on Sinbad as he moved to lie his head on the man's shoulder.

"Tired? Ethel tells me you slept through most of your trip here," Sinbad spoke.

Judar yawned again, assuming Sinbad was speaking of the woman who brought him here. " 'M still tired," he mumbled as he rubbed at one of his eyes with a small fist.

Sinbad just wanted to coo at the sight. "Alright, but how about we get you something to eat first? You must be hungry, and I'm guessing that's probably the reason why you're so pale," he suggested.

"Okay," Judar agreed, though he snuggled his face into Sinbad's neck.

The child ignored the ruckus around them as people spoke loudly, and cheerfully. He trusted that Sinbad wouldn't let him get hurt or let anyone hurt him.

"Hey Sinbad! Who's the kid?" A booming voice called.

"Hinahoho!" Sinbad greeted. "This is Judar, Ethel brought him with her back from Kou, said his brother practically begged her to bring him here," Sinbad stated.

"Oh, poor little guy. Jeez, isn't he a little small? I mean, he's tiny," the man stated.

"Normally I'd say you probably think that because you're so big, but you're right, he is really small," Sinbad said, turning his head to try and look at Judar's face. "You want to say hello to Hinahoho for me?" He asked softly.

Reluctantly, Judar raised his head to look at the newcomer, eyes widening at the sight of the massive man in front of him.

Hinahoho smiled widely at him. "Hey there, kiddo," he greeted.

Judar wasn't sure if he should scream and hide, or smile and climb all over the ridiculously huge man in front of him. He settled for smiling, giggling a little as he reached out to the man. Hinahoho seemed surprised, but still held out his arms for him.

Sinbad reluctantly let go of Judar, but smiled when he saw the child laughing as Hinahoho moved him to sit on his neck. Announcing that he would go get Judar food, he disappeared.

Judar laughed joyously as Hinahoho started to walk, the man chuckled as Judar seemed to enjoy himself. It was so high up, and it gave him comfort being up so high. He did, however, keep glancing around for Sinbad.

Eventually, Hinahoho sat him down at a table as Sinbad brought him a plate of food. Judar thanked Sinbad for the food, remembering his manners as Kouen had reminded him, and slowly ate. Sinbad moved to go and talk to another kid that was there.

Judar tried forcing as much of the food down as he could, though it was all too much for him, even if he only ate about half of the food.

"You can do better than that, can't you?" A soft, female voice asked.

Judar turned his head to look at the woman, lips parting as he caught sight of her. She had long blue hair, a kind look on her face and in her eyes as she smiled warmly at him. What shocked him, though, was that she was even taller than Hinahoho.

"But I'm full," Judar said mournfully.

"I think you can get in a few more bites, you're far too small," she stated.

Judar nodded as he started to eat again, forcing himself to eat more, to the point where he nearly wanted to vomit, but the woman seemed extremely happy at his achievement.

"Wonderful. My name is Rurumu, and I'm the wife of Hinahoho. I'm sort of like a mother to everyone here," she said softly, smiling at the sight of Judar trying not to fall asleep.

"Really?" He asked, turning to look up at her.

"Are you tired, Judar?" She asked.

Judar nodded as he yawned, tiny fist rubbing at one of his eyes. Across the room, Sinbad cooed, moving to hold the child once more.

"Let's find a place for you to sleep," Rurumu said, about to get up when Sinbad appeared.

"C'mere, you," Sinbad said, reaching forward to take Judar.

The child stood up on the chair he was sat in and allowed Sinbad to pick him up, wrapping his arms around his neck, burying his face into Sinbad's neck. He fell asleep almost instantly.

"Isn't he just the cutest?" Sinbad asked Rurumu.

The woman smiled at Sinbad, nodding.

"He's barely been here five minutes and already you're attached," Ja'far spoke up.

Sinbad turned to him, smiling. "But just look at him! He's the picture of cuteness and innocence!" Sinbad exclaimed.

Ja'far merely sighed as Hinahoho laughed. Sinbad smiled and walked away to his office, where he sat down in his chair and merely watched the child sleep.

Talking to Alibaba was nice, Kougyoku decided. He was truly a friendly person, and, dare she say it, her only friend. As she sat on the grass, braiding flowers together to create a flower crown that he taught her to make, she listened intently as he told her his story.

No matter what, she thought determinedly, she would try her best to make not only Kouen, but Judar, too, see and realize what a beautiful country Sindria is, and that it really wasn't worth it to get into war with this country.

She admitted to Alibaba that Sinbad was her first love, and that she knew he would never take her seriously, and yet, she couldn't help her affections towards him. Tears started to fall as she admitted to being a fool.

Alibaba seemed to panic, flailing around a little as he dug out a handkerchief. She took it gratefully, wiping her tears away. She started to tell Alibaba her own story, about her mother being rumoured to have been a prostitute, that she was a princess of low birth.

She admitted that she never felt like she belonged in the palace, but the ones who helped her realize her place as a warrior, were Judar-chan and her elder brother, Kouen.

After a small while, she declared that Alibaba must be her best friend, smiling as the man seemed to freak out a little. They sat in silence for a while longer, enjoying the peace, until Alibaba broke the silence.

"So, you and Judar are really...close, huh?" He asked, sounding a little awkward.

Kougyoku took a moment to finish her flower crown before she rested it in her lap, a fond smile on her lips, both of them unaware of the Sindrian King pausing and hiding behind a pillar, fully prepared to eavesdrop.

"I suppose, in a way, Judar was my first friend, but," she trailed off.

"But?" Alibaba pressed, curiosity peeked.

"He's more like my brother, really. He was always kind and patient with me, fully prepared to keep up with me when I was younger. I always dragged him off to the marketplace to try different food and ogle the goods they sold," she said, chuckling a little

"I see," Alibaba said softly, looking down at the grass beneath him.

"It's because I know him so well that I could see right through his farce earlier," she stated.

"What do you mean?" He asked, looking up at her.

"Surely you've heard what happened while you and your friends were in Zagan's dungeon? How Judar arrived here?" She asked, glancing at him, turning to look at the grass once he nodded. "That's how I know that his tears had been real,"

A look of pure shock and surprise crossed his features, jaw dropping.

"What?" He breathed, shocked.

Kougyoku nodded. "Big brother Kouen says that he used to find Judar-chan passed out on his bedroom floor with tears on his cheeks when he was younger, when Al-Thamen brought him back from Parthevia,"

"Wait, but why was Judar in Parthevia?" Alibaba asked, confused.

Sinbad frowned, glancing from behind the pillar to look at the two.

"Sin, what are you doing?" Ja'far asked suddenly to his side.

Sinbad jumped, moving to slap a hand over Ja'far's mouth, free hand moving to place his index finger on his own lips.

"Shh!" He ordered, turning to look back at the two on the grass.

Ja'far frowned, sighing as he pushed Sinbad's hand from his mouth, choosing instead to listen as well.

"Apparently, a few years ago when Judar was about six years old, Kouen sent him to Reim to live with Sinbad in order for him to be protected. I'm not entirely sure how they ended up in Parthevia or what exactly happened, but Kouen says Al-Thamen took Judar from Sinbad,"

"He said that ever since Judar got back from Parthevia, he used to cry a lot, and just wasn't the same. Kouen once said that Sinbad is half to blame for Judar's Rukh turning black," Kougyoku explained, staring sadly at the flower crown in her lap.

"That's...terrible," Alibaba said, looking awkwardly at his hands clasped in his lap.

Kougyoku laughed lightly, looking up sharply, eyes twinkling. "You might not think it, but Judar is really a nice person, and at times, he can get pretty shy,"

Alibaba laughed, sounding a little disbelieving. "I have a hard time believing that,"

"At first glance he doesn't seem the type, but he's really cute when he's flustered," Kougyoku stated.

Sinbad frowned, gaze turning to stare at the ground sadly.

"Perhaps, whenever you see him next, you should try to read him, he's really easy to read, like I said. You just need to know where to look," she pointed out, smiling hopefully at her new friend.

"Yeah, I'll definitely try it,"

Judar felt useless. Everyone in the company had something to do, except for him. He was too young to do anything. Sinbad told him that him smiling and staying cute for now was enough until he got older.

So it was only natural that when he heard a small group would be travelling to two small countries in order to do trade, he insisted they allow him to come along.

"No, Judar. We need you to stay here, it's not safe for you," Sinbad insisted.

Judar pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Sin is right, it's best if you stay here with everyone else, brighten them up with your smile," Hinahoho stated, smiling.

"It's not fair, you guys don't let me do anything," Judar said, sounding as though he were whining.

Ja'far sighed in annoyance. "You're not coming, end of discussion. We'll be late if we don't go now,"

Sinbad smiled sympathetically as he waved, turning and jogging to keep up with Ja'far. Hinahoho said goodbye one last time to his wife and child until he followed, as well, easily catching up with the other two.

Judar's hair fell into his eyes, casting a dark shadow as the Rukh around him fluttered wildly. Just a few were grey at this point, though majority of it was still pure white. The Rukh whispered to him, insisting he go along and that he needed to prove he wasn't going to be some useless tag along.

Reaching into his shirt, Judar pulled his wand out, gently ordering his Rukh to gather. Sinbad's laugh was cut off as a strange sound reached their ears. It almost sounded like lightening hitting the ground directly behind them.

Turning, the three were surprised to see the youngest holding a wand in his hands, a golden glow reflecting off of it. Sinbad jumped back as Judar shot off more Magoi, the attack barley missing hitting Sinbad's feet.

"I'm going with you," he insisted.

Sinbad took a moment to stare at him before he grinned and shrugged. "Alright then," he said, gesturing the child over to them.

Ja'far seemed less than happy, but kept his mouth shut as the small child ran up to them, taking the hand Sinbad was offering, and walking alongside the man.

Sailing sucked, really, especially when Ja'far saw it fit to try and force useless knowledge into his brain. And for once, he was glad to have a moment alone. He was below deck in one of the rooms, first playing with the ends of his braid, before he started to free his hair.

Once free, he picked up a brush and gently started to brush through the long strands, enjoying the relative silence he had down there.

"Wow, your hair is even longer when it's free," Sinbad's voice flowed into the room.

Judar jumped a little at the sudden sound of his voice, turning sharply to face the man who was leaning against the wall by the door. Sinbad smiled at him, watching as Judar turned his head to look at the ground as he slowly continued to brush his hair.

He gathered all the strands to fall over his left shoulder where he was able to brush through everything easier. Sinbad crossed the room, taking a seat next to Judar, reaching over take the boys hair. "Here, I'll help you,"

Judar pulled away from him almost violently, shrinking in on himself. Sinbad's hand slowly started to lower, a surprised look on his face.

"I don't like anyone touching my hair," Judar mumbled.

"Is there any particular reason why you don't like people touching your hair?" Sinbad asked curiously.

Judar glanced at him, before his eyes were cast downward again, hands holding his hair down the left side of his chest, out of Sinbad's reach.

"You're going to think it's stupid." Judar pouted.

Sinbad chuckled, moving to touch the child's hair again, stopping when Judar moved his body further away, still pouting.

Sinbad smiled gently. "I promise I won't think it's stupid and I won't laugh either," he promised, briefly raising his hands to show he meant no harm.

Judar peeked at him, still pouting.

"It's-" he cut himself off for a moment, hesitating and wondering if he should continue. "It's the only thing I like about myself," he said quietly.

Sinbad's eyes widened, eyes turning sad.

He smiled warmly as Judar turned to look at him expectantly.

"Then I promise I'll be gentle," he stated, reaching forward again.

Judar hesitated before letting his hair go, allowing it to flow down his back and over his right shoulder, right into Sinbad's awaiting hand.

"I promise I'll take care of it," he said, running his fingers though the long strands.

Judar turned so that his back was facing Sinbad, slowly relaxing as Sinbad combed his fingers through his hair, secretly enjoying the feel of Judar's long, thick and soft hair falling through his fingers a little too much.

He spent the better part of an hour playing with the longs strands when he eventually started to braid it, tying it off at the end. Sinbad flicked the braid to fall over Judar's shoulder, watching as the small boy turned to look up at him.

"See? I promised I'd be gentle, didn't I?" Sinbad asked with a teasing smile.

A dark blush dusted over Judar's pale cheeks as he pouted, mumbling to himself.

Sinbad grinned. "What was that? I couldn't quite catch what you were saying?" He leaned in, trying to hear what the child was saying.

"I said thank you!" Judar shouted, turning to glare at Sinbad.

The elder started to laugh, pulling the pouting child into his arms and onto his lap, hugging him tightly. It had been a few months by now when Judar had been carried to them, and Sinbad could hardly be any happier.

Judar giggled as Sinbad fell to the side, dragging the child with him as they flopped on the bed. The young Magi cuddled into the man's chest, sighing softly as Sinbad wrapped his arms around him, nearly engulfing him entirely in his hold.

Judar relaxed into the warmth and smell that was Sinbad. The future king started to play with the end of the younger's braid, smiling as he felt the other's breathing even out, falling into a light sleep. Sinbad himself felt his eyes droop, and soon joined Judar in his dreams.

Slowly, red eyes slid open, blinking a few times to focus his sight, Judar sat up slowly, wondering how he had gotten on the bed, once again. He had cried himself to sleep again on the floor, which he seemed to be doing a lot now since his last visit to Sindria about a week ago. Sighing, he ran his fingers through his short hair, fingers gliding down until he reached the base of his braid.

Judar slid the braid over his shoulder, looking at how many strands had escaped from it, making it look really messy. Judar stood briefly to retrieve his brush, sitting back down, he undid the braid and started to brush through his hair.

It took him a while, but once it was brushed through, he cast a spell to quickly braid it as he stood, leaving the room. He made for the gardens, where he knew he would find a peach tree.

Once there, he plucked a peach and started to eat it, unaware of Hakuryuu practically sneaking up on him. He jumped once the other started talking to him, telling him he would accept the Magi's offer.

Judar didn't think Hakuryuu would want to talk to him after what had happened the last time they were together and Hakuryuu lost to his mother. Judar gave Hakuryuu his usual smirk as he threw his peach away.

"Look, we're almost there, Sinbad," Hinahoho called as he cupped a hand over his eyes, staring into the horizon.

Sinbad smiled as he looked as well. "I see,"

Ja'far sighed in relief, standing from the table he was sitting at, looking over the work Judar had been doing.

Said Magi was fast asleep, head resting on top of his folded arms as he breathed deeply, clad in his big brother En's jacket. Sinbad turned to glance at the boy to make sure he was alright, that he hadn't somehow gotten hurt, or was choking in his sleep, something. Anything could happen, right?!

Ja'far sighed, noticing the older glance over for the umpteenth time in just five minutes. He was ridiculously paranoid something might happen to Judar if he turned his back for just one minute. Honestly, he was treating the younger as if he were a delicate flower.

Sure Judar was young and seemed fragile, but-wait. How old was the child, anyway?

"Sin, you might as well come sit here if you're going to continue to stress about him," Ja'far stated.

Sinbad was there in barely a second, Ja'far blinking in surprise before he scowled in annoyance. Hinahoho chuckled as he watched Sinbad reach forward, gently pulling the younger away from the table and into his lap, fingers running through the Magi's shorter hair as the boy moved to settle better, wrapping his arms around Sinbad's neck.

"He's quite attached to you, don't you think?" Hinahoho asked as he walked over, taking a seat as well.

"Too attached if you ask me," Ja'far mumbled to himself.

Sinbad smiled as he started to play with the end of Judar's braid. "It's not just him, I admit, I'm a little too attached to him, too,"

Ja'far frowned a little, though that soon disappeared as he watched the, admittedly cute, boy wake up, raising his hand to rub at his eye. The sleeve of his jacket rubbed against his pale skin, leaving it quite a bit reddened when he pulled his hand away.

Sinbad made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a squeal as he grabbed the boy close and squeezed. Judar made a strange noise as well as the air was forced from his lungs, though he still returned the fierce hug.

Judar. eventually clambered out of his captors arms, taking his jacket off and putting it in his bag. As they climbed off the boat, he was scooped into Hinahoho's arms and placed on the taller male's neck, squealing as he went. Judar giggled a little, until he started to look around.

Judar looked at the map Hinahoho was holding, pointing at it as he spoke with Ja'far. "This must be the Sasan Kingdom here," he said, pointing at the map. "So, we'll have to get there on foot,"

"What business can the company do with them?" Judar asked curiously, tilting his head to the side.

Ja'far looked up at him, eyes sparkling with knowledge. "Sasan is known for their minerals, they produce some of the world's finest metal. But, they barred their doors and refused to trade with other companies,"

Judar just started to tune him out after that as Ja'far continued to talk with Hinahoho, gaze moving around them, taking in everything there was to see. He never really did travel much, after all.

He was eventually put back on the ground as they started to climb, Hinahoho insisting that the exercise would be good for him. Sinbad looked at him sadly, deeply wishing he could just carry the younger all the way, but Hinahoho had made a good point.

Judar smiled reassuringly up at the older, instead holding out his hand for the other to take, so that he wasn't too sad. Sinbad smiled, taking the other's hand and started to climb.

Judar gaped at the sight of the kingdom, excitement bubbling up in his chest. It was a truly beautiful place, he admits. He let go of Sinbad's hand briefly, quickly wiping the sweaty palms on his pants before he took the elder's hand again.

They slowly climbed down, taking a break in between to drink some water and eat something. They eventually made it into the kingdom, Judar having run a little ahead, openly gawking at everything.

They sort of huddled together, talking amongst themselves as they looked around. Judar watched as the native people whispered to themselves, glancing at them and then rushing away.

"Outsiders are not allowed to speak with our citizens, unless they have permission, come this way," a man spoke from behind them.

They followed after him, still glancing around in curiosity. The man lead them to a building, where they met with a short man. The other three spoke with him, though they were still shot down. Sinbad later found out how they could establish a friendship with this country, and was told to visit the Sasan Knights.

They walked outside, watching a crowd gathered, moving towards it in curiosity. They watched as a group of knights ride on their horses, staring straight forward, lead by a stern looking man. Sinbad let go of Judar's hand as he ran forward, shouting greetings at the man.

Judar watched as Ja'far tried to quiet the man down, but he ignored him and continued to shout his greetings at the knight. Judar sweat dropped. Another knight stopped Sinbad, chasing them away. They went to the building where the knights lived, where Sinbad once again shouted, until they were threatened with imprisonment.

Sinbad yelled at them to run, which they did. They ended up at a restaurant that served foreigners, and ordered food. Judar ate slowly as Ja'far briefly scolded Sinbad, who seemed to ignore him entirely. Hinahoho seemed to be getting a little drunk, Ja'far seemed disheartened, whereas Sinbad seemed to be vibrating with excitement.

Judar merely sat and observed everyone, pushing the food around on his plate. He was a little disappointed in this country. Because they were foreigners, they couldn't explore as they wanted, and that was extremely disappointing.

Ja'far seemed a little too negative, until Sinbad told him not to be, and then pointed out that the women were beautiful, checking one out as she walked passed. Judar frowned at Sinbad as he said this, cheeks puffing up as he pouted.

He was seemingly ignored as someone tapped on the table next to Sinbad, asking if he could sit next to him. Sinbad pointed out that there were plenty of seats and that he didn't need to sit next to him.

The person continued to whisper loudly, Hinahoho and Ja'far had their backs to him and Sinbad's attention was fully focused on the newcomer. It was a known fact that Judar was an attention seeker, and he wasn't receiving any attention at the moment, hasn't since that morning, in fact, and that angered him.

His cheeks puffed up again, eyebrows furrowed as his cheeks started to redden, yet no one noticed him at all. A waitress came and shouted at the newcomer, shaking him around.

Sinbad pulled the newcomer to a seat once they found out that he was the son of the current knight king. Judar felt even more angered, as no one seemed to notice that he was missing from the fray. Sinbad flirted with the waitress in order to let the newcomer, Mistoras, stay.

Judar sat, shaking with anger as the other three carried food and drink after him. He watched in slight disgust as Mistoras ate plates, and plates full of food. Mistoras shared his story with them, how the knights were forbidden from leaving, because of their strict religious teachings.

Sinbad gave him a copy of the book he wrote about his adventures, as the other had begged again to hear about it. He stared at Sinbad in awe as he told him his stories, showing off his powers in the process. Once his curiosity had been sated, Mistoras eventually left.

"What a good kid." Sinbad chuckled, watching as he left.

"Yeah, kind of reminds me of someone," Hinahoho stated, standing next to Sinbad, smiling as he watched the young man leave with the happiest smile any of them had ever seen on his face.

Ja'far smiled, too, until he turned to look at their fourth party and ask him why he had been so quiet, only to see that the child's spot was empty. Panicking a little, Ja'far turned to look at the backs of his other companions.

"Where's Judar?" He asked, gaining their attention.

Sinbad whipped around so fast, he nearly fell over. "What?!" He practically roared, head looking around frantically, trying to spot the tiny boy.

"Judar?!" Sinbad yelled, looking around the restaurant.

Sinbad turned around at the sound of footsteps, only to receive a painful slap to his head.

"How dare you leave this tiny boy to wander off on his own?!" A different waitress screamed, pointing to the waitress from earlier, who had Judar in her arms.

"Wha?" Sinbad asked dumbly.

"He came to us, crying, because he wanted his big brother, and that no one was paying attention to him! How could you! Such a small child requires constant watch and attention!" The waitress screamed.

Hinahoho rubbed the back of his head as they were being scolded, watching as Judar continued to shake in the other waitress' arms. Sinbad watched as the raven turned his head to look at him, cheeks and eyes as red as the day he had first met him.

Sinbad felt his heart fluttered in pain at the sight, moving forward and taking the child in his arms.

"How could you leave a six year old on his own?" The woman stressed.

The three turned their heads to look at Judar. "You're only six?" Sinbad asked softly.

Judar nodded, rubbing a tiny fist in his eyes as he laid his head on Sinbad's shoulder. Sinbad glanced at his companions before turning to look at the woman, apologizing and promising that it would not happen again.

They went to bed after that, Sinbad holding the small child close. He couldn't sleep too well that night, holding the tiny child as he tried to imagine why his older brother would have to send him away. Especially one so young.

The next morning, Mistoras came to them, begging them to take him along with them on their travels. Spartos, his younger brother appeared, begging him not to leave.

Judar personally didn't like the way Mistoras treated his little brother, slightly blinded by the way his big brothers treated him, though he didn't have much of a say. That night, Mistoras left, determination strong within him.

The next morning, they left the inn, fully prepared for the new day. The other three spoke, though Judar was mostly focused on the Rukh that was moving to gather behind him. He turned, just as the mysterious person greeted Sinbad.

"Hey," he said, gaining the other's attention.

Sinbad turned, recognition on his face as he pointed at the man. "It's you? What are you doing here, Yunan?"

Yunan chuckled. "You've really aged,"

Sinbad seemed flabbergasted. "That's not true! I grew up and got a little taller, that's all! I'm still handsome!"

Yunan smiled in amusement. "Oh? Are you sure?" He asked.

"Who is that, Sin?" Ja'far asked curiously as he pointed at the man.

"He's the traveller that lead me to Baal's dungeon two years ago and helped me get home again, but I don't actually know who he is," Sinbad explained.

"You don't?" Ja'far asked in exasperation.

Yunan started to explain why he was there, about the sightings of dungeons all around the world as well as the kingdoms with dungeon capturers.

Judar was shocked to hear that there were dungeon capturers in the Kou Empire. Someone must have finally conquered the dungeons he was already forced to raise. He missed most of the rest of their conversation, until Yunan looked at him.

"I see, you have another one," Yunan mumbled, though they could still hear him.

Judar looked up at the man, watching as pure white Rukh fluttered around him.

"Interesting," Yunan mumbled once more, though they could still hear him as he seemed to be looking at something else other than Judar. "Aren't you a cutie?" Yunan asked, moving forward to run his fingers through Judar's hair.

Sinbad moved to stop him, well aware that the snaller didn't like just anyone touching his hair, but was surprised to see Judar let him. Yunan smiled as he touched the black strands, marvelling in the softness, until he pulled back, bid his farewells, and disappeared.

Sinbad contemplated the moment a while longer, until he shrugged it off, figuring that he would think about it more later. They left in order to watch Mistoras leave the Knights. The fight was pretty one-sided, until Mistoras was defeated when his father brought out his Djinn.

Sinbad soon stepped in, stating he'd fight in Mistoras' place. If Sinbad were to win, he would take Mistoras with him and the knight king would allow them to do trade. Should he lose the battle, the king can punish him as he sees fit.

Judar watched the fight with interest, though it was mostly in Sinbad's favour, especially once he turned into his Full Body Djinn Equip. They disappeared after Sinbad's attack. After nearly an hour of them gone, the knights surrounded them, ready to kill them, when they appeared again.

They left Sasan with another addition to the Sindria Trading Company family, someone who was as obsessed with women as much as Sinbad, as well as a new ally and Kingdom to do trade with.

Sinbad was a great man. Judar had once believed, that Sinbad could do anything he set his mind to. He could accomplish anything he set his mind to! In his eyes Sinbad could do nothing wrong.

Apparently, Sinbad could even betray him. Judar hovered next to Hakuryuu, watching the battle unfold from afar, though he was mostly lost in his thoughts.

He grit his teeth as memories of his childhood flittered through his mind, never once relenting to give him even a moment of peace. He felt agitated, he could barely even remember the last time he had a peaceful nights sleep.

His memories plagued him, haunted him more frequently every hour of the day and night. He never had a moment of peace. And here he was, struck with the memory of how they had found Mistoras, and how he became a member of the Sindria family, as they later had started to call it.

He hated Mistoras at first, but as time went on, he became used to him, and got along well enough with him. Until they lost him, that is. A brief image of a woman with light pink hair entered his mind, filling him with utmost rage, until it was all gone, just as suddenly as it had appeared.

Judar smirked as he reached out, and grabbed the power that he needed. Sinbad was a great man, capable of accomplishing anything be set his mind to, even if it meant giving power to his current enemy.

Judar wanted to leave, but a familiar presence made him pause, and turn to look at a small, faraway island.

"Stay here, Hakuryuu, I'll be right back," he ordered as he started to fly away, towards the island and familiar presence.

He floated above the island, watching as Sinbad and Kouen stared at each other. What kept his attention most, however, was the blond woman stood by Sinbad's side.

'Queen Artemina,' he thought.

A furious scowl tainted his features as he watched his brother take Aladdin, stating that he would claim him. Rage filled him, his Rukh going slightly crazy, until he was hit with another memory.

He flinched, Rukh fluttering about him in worry as he pressed the palm of his right hand over his right eye. He was unaware of the rest of the conversation below him, instead stuck in his memories.

This new place, it was very humid. Hinahoho and Sinbad seemed to suffer the most from the heat, Sinbad throwing something of a mini fit on the ground. Judar just watched nonchalantly as Ja'far electrocuted him.

Once they did reach the Kingdom, it was even more marvellous than Sasan. They eventually found a river to bathe in before they went to see the princess, who actually tricked them upon entering.

They were captured, after Sinbad tried to shamelessly flirt with the queen.

"No one has ever survived this fall," the queen stated as Ja'far, Sinbad and Mistoras stood naked at the edge of a very high cliff.

"Let go of me! Sinbad!" Judar struggled against the woman holding him, trying to free himself and save his friends.

Sinbad looked back at him, panic clear in his eyes. "Judar!" He struggled as well, but it was all futile.

"Oh, look at this, what a cutie," the queen said as she grabbed Judar by the back of his shirt, simply pulling him off his feet and towards her face, glancing him over. "You could almost pass as a girl. I think I'll keep you," the queen stated as she then hugged the child to her chest.

Judar struggled against her grip, but she was too strong. Tears fell down his cheeks as three of his friends were kicked off the cliff.

"No! SINBAD!" He screamed, futily reaching out.

He cried, kicked, screamed and even scratched the queen, who carried him to a room and placed him on the bed, where he later cried himself to sleep. He didn't know where Hinahoho was, didn't know if Sinbad and the other's were alive, and he especially didn't know what to do.

For weeks, he spent like this, fighting the queen every step of the way, until it just sunk in that Sinbad wasn't coming back. He had pulled on Kouen's jacket then, hoping it would give him strength as he cried, and cried.

"I promise I'll try to be strong for you, big brother En," he whispered.

"Such heart-breaking sounds," the queen's voice flittered into the room. "Won't you stop crying, child?" She asked.

Judar tried to stay quiet, though his breathing kept hitching, body shaking violently, until the queen picked him up, hugged him, hummed him a song and played with his hair until he was calm. In her warm embrace, he wondered, was this what it felt like to have a mother?

Judar breathed deeply as the memory left him, sweat sticking his bangs to his face as he pulled his trembling hand away, gaze focusing in on the people below him. He watched Kouha and that fool, what his name again? Flabbybaba? Something-baba? Alibaba? Whatever his name was, he was fighting Kouha for Aladdin.

He frowned as Alibaba grabbed Aladdin out of Kouha's arms. Without much thought, Judar started to lower himself to the ground, his black Rukh fluttering wildly as he felt his anger grow. Yunan looked up at him a mere few seconds before he spoke, alarmed at the appearance of the dark Magi.

"Well, well, well, look at this touching sight," he said as he landed on the ground, Rukh chirping at him, telling him to leave before he got hurt. He didn't listen.

Everyone looked at him in surprise.

"J-Judar?" Aladdin asked, though he seemed a little afraid.

Kouen had looked surprised, but now he was frowning, arms crossed over his chest.

Kouha instantly beamed happily at him. "Judar!" He cheered.

He ignored everyone, ignored the fact that Sinbad tensed considerably at his appearance. "When are you going to stop stealing my things from me, baby Magi? Not cool," he stated, smirking rather evilly at Aladdin, who tensed fearfully.

"Judar!" Kouen said warningly, glaring at him.

Judar's smirk only widened as he spared a brief glance at his brother, before he started stalking up to Aladdin and Flabbybaba.

"First Sinbad, and now my brothers, too? What's next, Aladdin?" He asked calmly, staring down at the child. "What's next?! What else are you going to steal from me, huh?!" He yelled suddenly, eyes flashing in anger. "Tell me!" He roared, moving to grab Aladdin by the front of his shirt.

"Oh, I remember you," the queen of Artemyra suddenly spoke up, causing Judar to freeze as everyone turned to look at her expectantly.

She laughed quietly, almost sounding as if she were in disbelief. "And I thought you could be passed off as a girl back then, but now. My, my, you sure have grown, haven't you?"

Judar's eyes widened briefly, straightening himself up, he never did turn to meet the woman's eyes.

"You've certainly grown out of your cry-baby stage, that's for sure," she stated in amusement. "What was it you used to tell yourself back then, when you were separated from your companions? 'I promise I'll try to be strong for you, big brother En,' was it?"

The woman laughed as Judar tensed a little more, Kouen and Koumei glaring at her as Kouha and Kougyoku stared on in surprise, as well as Sinbad and the other members of the Seven Seas Alliance.

The woman's laugh was cut off as Judar briefly hummed a song most of them didn't recognize. "It wasn't so long ago that you held me and sang me to sleep," he stated, a soft smile tugging at his lips, though most of his face was hidden behind his hair.

The queen smiled kindly as she started to walk forward, ignoring Sinbad as he tried to grab her in order to keep her away. Judar turned his head in surprise as he felt warm hands grab his upper arms, and pull his body towards another.

Judar's eyes widened as his head was forced down a little to press into the woman's chest, one arm hugging him, her free hand gently stroking his hair. The familiar warm feeling washed over him, and left him trembling with tears in his eyes, that only Kougyoku, Aladdin and Alibaba could see.

The queen sighed deeply, her hand wiping away a stray tear as Judar clenched his eyes shut.

"I almost miss your younger you. You were so tiny, and cute, not much of an appetite on you. I remember, every night was such a struggle to get you to eat all of your food. Although, looking at you now, I can tell not much has changed, you're far too skinny," the queen stated, still petting his hair.

She suddenly released him, turning to look at Sinbad. "This couldn't possibly be the dark Magi that's been giving you so much trouble. You were far too obsessed with this boy to have abandoned him. Something must have happened. I remember very clearly how worried you were about him, he was the first thing you asked about after getting your metal vessels back, and continued to ask about him during our fight,"

Sinbad stared at the two of them, a stern look on his face, and in his usual kind eyes, there burned hatred. He bowed his head forward slightly, hair falling into his face.

"I don't align myself with traitors who get their family killed," he stated coldly.

Surprise flittered across the queen's face, Alibaba, Aladdin, Morgiana, Kougyoku and Kouha widened their eyes, lips parting, jaws dropping. Kouen frowned at Sinbad as Koumei scowled. Judar's entire body tensed as he stared with wide, tear filled eyes at the ground.

The queen looked back at him, frowning as she moved away from him to gain distance between them. Judar raised his head, angry red eyes met gold filled with hate.

"How many times do I have to tell you until you listen?! It wasn't me!" Judar shouted, voice pleading.

Sinbad grit his teeth and looked away.

"If you could just let go of your hatred for one second and listen, you'd realize that I had nothing to do with it! I was loyal to you! I would never have hurt you, or anyone from the Sindria family, you have to realize that!" Judar pleaded, gaze desperate as he explained himself for the hundredth time.

"If you would just open your eyes, you would realize it was all that bitch Serendine," he spat that name with venom.

"That's enough!" Sinbad rose his voice, fists clenched at his sides. "I've had enough of your lies, Judar!"

"I'm not lying!" Judar protested.

"Then it's all far too convenient, don't you agree?! The only other person who could possibly know the truth is dead!" Sinbad stated, angered.

Something in Judar lurched, his Rukh fluttering, he wanted to deny it, she wasn't dead! But, if she wasn't, then where was she?

Judar scowled at the pure anger and hatred in Sinbad's eyes, until a sudden feeling washed over him, and he snapped. Suddenly, he was calm. Too calm.

"You're right," he said softly, ignoring everyone's surprise as he raised his right hand again to press it to his right eye. "Who would ever listen to me? No one ever listened to me, I'm just a dark Magi, no one would want to listen to pure evil like me,"

"Why should they?!" He suddenly yelled, eyes wild as they connected with Sinbad's eyes. "No one listens to me, no one wants to hear me out! Why? Why can't anyone listen to me?! You're willing to listen to Aladdin, but not me?!"

"Why am I never anyone's first choice?! Sinbad had Yunan first, he was stuck with me for a while, but now he wants Aladdin! Not even Kouen wants me! My own brother would rather abandon me for someone else! Hell, I wasn't even Hakuryuuu's first choice! I'm just a last resort!" He rambled, looking everywhere as he tugged at his hair, feeling rather pathetic.

Kouen stepped forward, gripping Judar's ahoulder with his hand, concern evident on his face. "Calm down, Judar, you're making a scene,"

A rather sudden, intense pain had Judar grabbing his head, crying out as his head pounded in agony. "I'm not-gah!" He cried out again, eyes clenching shut as he gripped his head tightly, tugging at his hair.

"Why won't it leave me alone? I don't want this, I don't want to remember anymore," he spoke as he cried out in pain again, his Rukh was going insane, fluttering wildly, occasionally landing on his skin in an effort to comfort him, whispering things to him, but it was to no avail. He was just so tired.

"Judar-" Kouen tried again, though he was cut off by the Magi crying out again.

"I don't want this, please just stop, stop! Stop!" He spoke loudly to himself, he could hear Kouen say his name again, and he snapped. "I'M NOT MAKING A SCENE!" He screamed, voice echoing around them, and suddenly, he was calm.

Briefly, someone else's white Rukh fluttered passed his head. He could feel it landing on his head, his pain ceasing as he allowed the calm feeling to wash over him. The image of that smiling woman with the blue hair was stuck in his mind, though it helped him feel calm.

Yunan's Rukh had helped him compose himself as he took a few deep breaths, already able to spot everyone's bewildered expressions.

"L-let's go home, brother. If you let me, I can help you re-braid your hair! I can decorate it again like Kouha and I did the last time!"

"Alibaba even taught me how to make a flower crown! I can make you one, if you would let me," Kougyoku spoke up suddenly, sounding timid and unsure, scared of what might be happening to her brother. He didn't blame her, he was scared, too.

"What do you say, Judar-chan? Kouha can help, too, right?" She glanced at her other brother, who seemed to nod frantically, too scared to even speak.

Judar grunted as Kougyoku opened her mouth to continue her ramblings, holding up a hand to silence her.

Judar stood straight, gently brushing the hair out of his face as a sudden blank look crossed his features. He slapped Kouen's hand away as he turned, walking a few inches before he started to fly, ignoring everyone's calls as he flew away. Hakuryuu had the right mind not to even mention what had happened, just followed after his Magi silently.

The air reeked of smoke, and burning flesh. The sounds of crackling fire, people screaming and buildings falling filled his ears, making him want to cover them. So many people were dead, how many did they lose from the Sindria Trading Company alone?

Mistoras, Vittel, Rurumu and the others. As well as Serendine, the one who was at fault for all of this, but Judar was the only one that knew. She had made a deal with Al-Thamen, a stupid mistake, really.

They were to help her regain her country, and in return, she would provide them with information. Information about Sinbad, and him, the Magi. She somehow knew, when no one else did, she found out

He wanted to tell Sinbad, but then the whole mess with Maadr and the slaves happened, then Masrur joined the family and they relocated to Balbadd, where Sinbad then decided to leave for the dark continent.

He wanted to go, but Sinbad absolutely refused, and he was eventually left behind. He felt it a few days after, someone had conquered one of his dungeons, and when they returned, he knew it was Serendine.

From there, Sinbad was just too busy, having bought an island to built his country on, building and all the paperwork that had to be done. He just didn't get a chance until things seemed to settle, and then, the Parthevian army attacked.

They slaughtered many, and in the end, they were left with nothing more than ruins. So many of their family were lost. He could clearly see the anger, the hatred in Sinbad's eyes, and he just couldn't find it in himself to tell him what really happened.

Until they came. They were in Parthevia at the time, trying to help with the chaos, when members of Al-Tharmen came. They were outside, when they called his name, and when he looked back, he had never been gripped with such terrible fear before.

"You're coming back with us," one said grabbing him and started to drag him away.

He struggled, screaming in their grip, gaining Sinbad's attention, who rushed after them immediately. They were already a few metres apart.

The man moved to sling him over his shoulder, walking a little faster, until Sinbad grabbed his free shoulder, causing him to still and look at Sinbad over his shoulder.

"Give him back. Just what do you think you're doing?!" Sinbad demanded.

"Taking back what is ours," the man stated simply.

"Yours?" Sinbad asked in slight surprise as he let go of the man's shoulder

"Yes, you see, Judar is something of a spy for Al-Thamen," the man explained.

Sinbad's arm fell to his side limply, eyes wide.

"I suppose you could say, he's at fault for what happened to your country," the man stated.

Sinbad continued to stare at the man, anger and betrayel flashing in his eyes as he looked at Judar.

The Magi struggled, tears in his eyes as he tried to free himself. "It's not true, he's lying to you Sinbad, it's what they do! Please, I promise I'll-"

"How do you know it's what they do? Are you a part of Al-Thamen?!" Sinbad asked, cutting him off.

"Well, I mean, I suppose but not willing-" his explanation was cut off.

"How could you, Judar?! I trusted you, we trusted you! We're family and yet you betrayed us?!" Sinbad yelled accusingly, anger in his voice.

"No! It's not true, just let me explain! It was Serendine, please you have to listen-" a sudden, sharp stinging in his cheek cut him off as his head jerked to the side from the force of the slap he received from Sinbad.

He turned to look at the man with wide, tear filled eyes. Sinbad stared back at him with anger, sadness, but mostly hatred in his eyes.

"I should never have taken you in," he whispered.

Judar's eyes widened further as the tears started to fall freely.

"Sinbad!" He yelled, reaching out for the man as he was carried away.

Sinbad clenched his teeth and turned his head away.

His hand dropped limply on the back of the man carrying him, watching as Sinbad turned his back on him, hair swinging at the movement, and walked away from him.

He was numb, watching as the man grew smaller, his friends grew smaller, his life, grew smaller, and what was left was an intense feeling of pain, betrayal, and what was once happy, beautiful memories, turned painful and sour.

He was sat in a tree, trying to relax after the vicious battle they had just had. Fighting Gyokuen was not easy. Though he knew he didn't have long until he had to leave again, he still tried to relax in the minimum time he had, though he was constantly plagued by his memories and a headache that just didn't want to leave him be.

He sighed harshly as he stood, using a magic circle to transport himself to where everyone had seemingly gathered, perching himself up high and unseen as he focused on Aladdin's story of what happened in Alma Torran, if only to keep his mind busy.

Sighing, he finally decided to make an actual appearance. Judar rolled his shoulders, readying himself for this experience, mentally. He took a deep breath, and started to lower himself in through the hole in the roof Sinbad had made.

As he spoke, he felt and watched the Rukh around him fluttering wildly at being in the same room with both Sinbad and Kouen, two of the most important people in his life. As he continued to descend, he took time to look over the other people around the room.

He spotted Ja'far and Hinahoho not too far away from Sinbad, tensing at the sight of him, which, admittedly, hurt quite a bit.

"Ju-Judar!" Someone said in shock.

He turned his head, watching the look of shock on both Alibaba and Aladdin's faces as they said his name in shock as well.

Judar pulled a face. Why did they always say his name like that when they saw him? Was it really always such a surprise for him to appear at the places where people he knew were? He sighed again.

Sinbad frowned as he watched the Magi finally land, though something was different about him. Judar was visibly tired, with dark circles under his eyes, unnaturally pale skin, his hair and clothes seemed a bit dishevelled, too. Despite this, the Magi still kept up his farce.

Sinbad felt the great need to scold the younger for not taking care of himself and envelop him in a long hug. Sinbad knew for a fact that when Judar got that pale, it was because he wasn't eating nearly enough, and by looking at the ribs poking out of his skin, hip bones a lot more prominent than what was normal, he knew he was right.

Judar did as Hakuryuu had told him to do. He commented on Aladdin's strength, tried to get in a fight with Yunan, which he wasn't really too interested in, which was shown clearly by how quickly he dropped the subject, and completely ignored Sinbad, which was hard to do.

It was painful really, to just walk passed the man as if he meant nothing to him, when in reality, Sinbad meant the world to him.

He spewed words of how boring a ceasefire treaty was, and that they shouldn't be talking about something so boring. He also revealed that Gyokuen was Arba, from Alma Torran, and that she didn't exist anymore.

Just then, some of the men from the troops appeared, announcing that Gyokuen had been murdered by Hakuryuu. After that, he made a big show of his current power, before leaving back through a magic circle.

He knew that it wouldn't be much longer until someone went to Kou. Judar sighed as he landed on the ground, just in time for a painful ache in his head to knock the breath from his lungs, legs trembling before giving out as he collapsed to the ground.

He gripped his head in his hands tightly, crying out. With each stab of pain, a new memory came, until he was thrown into a world of only memory, and he stumbled upon one that seemed very important.

His body was trembling, aching with burning pain. This was his punishment for defying Al-Thamen. Though they knew it wasn't necessarily his idea to leave the Kou Empire, he was still receiving harsh punishment for not fighting Kouen on leaving, and instead choosing to stay.

He didn't cry. He chose to stay positive about the entire thing, certain that Sinbad would soon come to his senses and come to his rescue. But, as the weeks dragged on, he realized that Sinbad had truly forgotten him.

At the time, he was unaware as some of his Rukh turned black at the realization. His punishment consisted of being physically hurt, healed, and then being beaten again. His very last punishment, as they had said it would be, had been an extremely harsh whipping.

They didn't heal him, which left him lying in a heap of pain and blood. He had moved his braid to fall over his shoulder so as not to stick to his back as the blood slowly dried.

He jerked as his cell door opened, footsteps echoing as they walked towards him. He was lifted onto his feet and dragged out of the cold cell and down a series of corridors.

They slowed at another cell door, which was slowly unlocked and opened. Judar's eyes widened in fear and disbelief. There, inside the cell, eyes equally as wide, sat everyone from the Sindria Trading Company family they thought they had lost.

Mistoras, Rurumu, Vittel, Mahad, Serendine, Tamira, one of Serendine's followers, and Parsine from Artemyra.

Rurumu was quite obviously pregnant with her and Hinahoho's fourth baby, and he worried. Was she going to lose the baby if she stayed in there?

"Judar!" Mistoras yelled, scrambling up on his feet, running towards him.

Mistoras grunted as he was hit, body slamming into the ground with a loud thud.

"There is a simple reason why we brought you here, Magi," one member of Al-Thamen stated, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"We give you our word that we will keep them alive, feed them well and provide whatever they need to live a relative comfortable life here, in exchange, you swear your loyalty to Al-Thamen and do as you are told," the man stated.

Judar's eyes widened as tears started to gather in them.

"Should you not agree to this deal, we will kill them. Should you not follow Al-Thamen's orders, we kill them. Now, do you agree, Magi?" The man asked, hand tightening a little on his shoulder.

"Don't do it, Judar! They're only going to keep using us to control you! We'll be fine, just don't agree to this!" Mistoras yelled, struggling under another member of Al-Thamen, who was holding him down.

"You don't want to disappoint Sinbad anymore than you already have, do you?" The man next to him said.

Judar's eyes widened further.

"He already hates you, just think how he would feel if he found out that all of his friends were alive, and yet killed simply because you didn't want to do as told?" The man whispered in his ear.

Serendine grit her teeth in disgust, watching as tears started to fall freely down the small child's cheeks.

"That's disgusting! Leave him be, he has nothing to do with all of this! Take me instead, please! I already did as you asked once, I'll do it again!" She pleaded.

"You are not a Magi. Besides, you have already been used to your fullest potential, and we greatly appreciate your assistance in helping us destroy Sindria," the man next to Judar stated, causing Serendine to grit her teeth further, tears gathering in her eyes.

"I didn't mean for this to happen, I just wanted to save my country and little brother." She cried, hiding her face in her hands.

"Do you agree, Magi? If you don't, we'll kill them right here, right now, starting with the pregnant woman," he stated.

The man holding Mistoras down pulled out a sword, pointing it in Rurumu's direction.

"I-I agree," Judar whispered urgently.

The man next to him relaxed his grip on him, pulling away as he signalled the other to come out of the cell.

Mistoras sat up, tears in his eyes as he watched the cell door close, slowly obscuring his sight on the crying child. Once the cell door was closed, Judar started to sob, jerked away from the men, and ran away.

He didn't know where he was going, just that he needed to get away. He was greatly weakened, and yet he still ran, ears picking up a familiar voice, and he ran to it.

Kouen had his back to Judar, talking with Koumei, obscuring the younger's vision of the crying Magi running toward them with his large frame.

"Big brother!" He cried as he started to run to the other man, who turned around in surprise at the sound of the small child's voice.

Kouen dropped to his knees, opening his arms at the sight of the small, crying child running towards him. He enveloped his arms around the boy as soon as he was within reach, hugging him tightly, though he pulled one hand back at the feeling of something warm and sticky on his skin.

His eyes widened at the sight of blood on his hand, though he made no sound as he slowly picked the boy up. Judar never did explain why he had been crying so hysterically, and for a long time, didn't want to even leave Kouen's arms.

Judar stumbled as he walked, nearly falling over on multiple occasions, but he had to continue. His right hand was pressed over his right eye again, cringing and crying out in pain as he followed his memory down to the cells, where he knew his friends and family were being kept, if they were still alive.

He stilled, leaning against a wall as a particularly painful ache had him crouching on the ground, both hands clutching his head as he groaned in pain. Taking deep breaths, Judar was upright and walking again.

After a while longer, the memory left him standing in front of a cell door. He could just about feel the Rukh of multiple people in there, and the sound of quiet conversation and laughter. Judar took a deep breath, and held out his staff in front of him, freezing the lock to the cell.

Mistoras laughed quietly as Vittel groaned in frustration, falling backwards, cards flying everywhere. They had been playing some card games, but Vittel proved to be terrible at it, and kept throwing tiny fits of frustration as he kept on losing.

Rurumu was sat on the bed nearby, smiling at the pure frustration in the other. Serendine was sat next to her, currently brushing through her much longer hair. They may have been prisoners, but they were well taken care of, as promised.

Parsine and Tamira were sat on another bed, quietly talking and giggling, while Mahad sat silently by the side of Vittel, holding his cards in his hands, stoic as ever, not revealing anything. Mistoras had a hand clamped over his mouth as muffled laughter left him.

Pulling his hand away, Mistoras let out a breath, which left in a white cloud. Surprise flittered across his features at this, taking a deep breath, and released it through his mouth. Again, it left in a white cloud.

"Why is it so cold all of a sudden?" Serendine spoke up, a visible shiver wracking through her body.

Vittel sat up, glancing around as he started rubbing at his arms.

Parsine's teeth started to chatter as she rubbed her arms as well, used to warm weather instead of this sudden coldness that seemed to seep into their bones.

They slowly started to stand up, glancing around, until the loud sound of something hitting the door had them all jumping. They tensed, ready for a fight. The sound of the lock breaking hit their ears, and someone seemed to struggle to open the door.

They squinted a little at the figure, not quite as used to the light. Rurumu made a sound of shock as she recognized the boy standing in the doorway.

"I finally came to free you guys," he stated, a small smile tugging at his lips, one hand pressed against the wall, supporting him in the doorway.

"Judar?" Mistoras whispered in surprise.

Judar smirked tiredly at the group as a breath passed his lips.

He looked quite different to what they remembered, but in some way, he hadn't changed.

He seemed tired, dark circles under his eyes, sweat sticking his hair to his forehead, he was quite obviously underweight, but other than that, he still seemed the same. Only, he was about fifteen years older.

Judar stood straight, ran a hand through his hair and smiled. "Well then? Aren't you guys coming out?" He asked.

Mistoras snapped out of his shock, grinned, and practically sprinted to the door, where he enveloped the younger in his arms.

As they hugged, Mistoras walked forward, forcing Judar backwards so that they could get out of the doorway in order for the other's to leave the room. Parsine was crying as she left the room, practically forcing Mistoras off of the younger raven so that she could hug him, whispering thank you's in his ear as she did.

Judar returned the hugs, enjoying the warmth they all held as they embraced him. Rurumu was last, kneeling in front of him in order to be at eye level as she smiled warmly at him, and hugged him.

Judar enjoyed the contact until he pulled away. "Let's get you guys out of this place," he stated.

He could sense their excitement as he started to lead them outside, though they were mostly silent.

He watched, feeling almost sad as they walked outside.

"It's been fifteen years since I last saw the outside, and breathed fresh air," Vittel stated as he took a deep breath, which the other's did as well.

Mistoras laughed joyously as he ran forward, and collapsed into the grass as he touched it. Parsine and Tamira laughed and joined him, falling around as they felt the grass.

Vittel, Mahad and Rurumu stood and watched, smiling as the others continued to laugh. Judal stood there as well, arms crossed on his chest as he smiled softly at the sight.

"Judar," Serendine's voice reached his ears as he felt a hesitant hand rest on his upper arm.

Judar turned his head to look at her, smile slipping.

Serendine had tears in her eyes, a guilty expression on her face.

He rose a questioning brow at her.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered softly.

He frowned, arms dropping to his sides as his hands balled into fists.

"I-I shouldn't have done that, it was foolish of me, and I'm truly sorry, please, I beg of you, forgive me!" She pleaded, tears dripping down her cheeks.

Mistoras, Parsine and Tamira had stopped laughing and rolling around in the grass, instead, they were sat upright, watching the exchange with interest. Rurumu was smiling softly, clearly remembering how she had consoled the crying woman for quite a few nights after Judar first made that deal.

This would mean a lot to Serendine, if she could get Judar's forgiveness. The other's flinched as a dark scowl painted itself across Judar's features, looking down on Serendine with pure murder, hatred, heartache and betrayel in his eyes.

"I should kill you for what you did," Judar stated, grip tightening on his staff. "You ruined my life." He chuckled, humourless.

Serendine fell to her knees, tilting her head downwards. "Do it,"

Mistoras scrambled to his feet. "No, don't!" He yelled, rushing forward.

"Do it!" Serendine encouraged. "I certainly deserve it!" She cried, clenching her eyes shut, preparing herself for what was to come.

Judar raised his staff, holding on tightly to that burning hatred, fully prepared to finally exact his revenge and be free of this pain. But, he didn't miss the disapproving look Rurumu gave him, he didn't miss Mistoras and Vittel pleading with him not to do it, and he didn't miss how Parsine and Tamira were clutching each other in fear.

But, just like he didn't miss any of their reactions, they didn't miss the sight of his hand trembling, lower lip quivering, and the tears that fell down his own cheeks and onto the grass as he swung his staff to the side.

A strange, magic circle appeared in front of them all. "This magic transfer circle will take you directly to Sinbad," Judar explained as he took a step away from Serendine, voice thick with unshed tears.

Serendine looked up at him in surprise, tears staining her cheeks as her lips parted. "Why?" She whispered.

Judar smiled down at her, which seemed incredibly false because of his own tears.

"It's not my right to judge you for your mistakes, I'll let Sinbad do that. Just, please." He gave a pleading look. "Tell him the truth," he requested in a whisper.

She stared up at him still, feeling astonished, but nodded with determination. "I will,"

"We can talk to him together," Judar stated, closing his eyes with a smile as he reached out a hand to help her to her feet.

She took it with little hesitance, smiling as she wiped her tears away.

"Good, now, Judar, I'd like to talk to you about how you obviously haven't been looking after yourself," Rurumu said with a sweet smile, though there was a dangerous edge to her tone.

Judar merely gave her blank look, before gesturing to the magic transfer circle.

"We'll talk about it later, aren't you curious to see how your husband and other children have been doing?" He asked, clearly changing the subject to distract her.

Vittel shouted in surprise, turning to look at him with expecting eyes. "That's right! How have our boss been doing? And the Sindria Trading Company?! We may have been well taken care of, but we never got any news!" Vittel said with urgency.

Judar smiled a small smile as he gestured to his magic. "Step through and see for yourself," he encouraged.

They all seemed to take deep breaths, readying themselves.

Mistoras hesitated in front of the circle, turning to look at him from over his shoulder. "You're coming too, right?" He asked.

Judar smiled innocently and reassuringly. "Right behind you," he stated as he started to walk forward.

This seemed to ease Mistoras as he grinned and turned back, stepping through the magic along with eveyone else. Judar had stopped walking just as they turned their backs to him, closing the magic circle behind them, being sure to send them right to Sinbad's side, as promised.

Once that was done, he smiled sadly at the spot they had been in not too long ago, dropping his staff as he fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around himself in a hug of sorts as he started to sob.