Etch-a-sketch in reverse
You come into focus when I'm shaken up worse
My unknown creation
I couldn't find you, so you came to me first
_

Mirage snarled with rage as the green portal closed. He turned her head to the heavens and shouted out. "What have you done! You fools!"

In the abyss of her world there was an answer. We are not answerable to the likes of you Evil Incarnate. We assist because of a higher purpose. Do not presume too much.

"You said you would protect him! You said you would keep him safe!"

*a curious silence* We are surprised. You did not show such concern when you gave your son to him as a child. Why now? Why such maternal affection?

Mirage balked a little, as though she had let the cat out of the bag. "Don't jump to conclusions. The boy has far too much magical potential for his life to be wasted. Destaine was under my thrall when I made him train the boy. His trials were needed to fuel his hatred and darkness." She coiled her hands, the green flow of her power igniting. "But it is pointless now if his life is ended. Destaine belongs to no one now. If Mozenrath ends up in his clutches once more there will be nothing I can do to stay his hands…or anything else."

You ensured Aladdin would enter into this tale. You have given your son some protection at least.

"Fat lot of good it did me! Aladdin let him get captured again."

And the boy rescued him in turn. Perhaps Mozenrath's suffering has once again proven useful.

Mirage snapped around viciously. "How dare you try to use my son for your own machinations! He is mine! I will not let his potential go to waste!"

There was a flash of blinding light and a heat that surpassed even that of Mirage's firecats.

DO NOT PRESUME TO SHOW YOUR CLAWS TO US MIRAGE!

The booming force of the voice sent her to her knees.

EVEN YOU SHOULD BE WISE ENOUGH TO KNOW YOUR BETTERS!

Mirage shielded her eyes but kept her mouth shut. She could not afford their ire.

But We are generous. We know the meaning of fate far better than you. We shall make an effort once more to extend Mozenrath's life.

And just like that they were gone, leaving Mirage once more alone in Morbia.

A young boy ran down the street, laughing a little as the guards lost sight of him. He had always been quick on his feet. An ability that had gotten him praised once by his mother and again with his new found friends.

There were seven of them. All street rats, all orphans. They banded together to help get by in a world that seemed to have forgotten them. There was never much, but when they worked together it was enough to go around.

Aladdin double checked to make sure he'd lost the guards entirely and then moved the old wooden debris to the side. It had been tied together to look like a pile of rubble, but in fact behind it was the hole they snuck through to keep their little hovel safe. The guards would raid it if they knew there were squatters. The thieves guild members would chase them out if they knew that there were a bunch of street rats moving in on their territory. And the usual good people of Agrabah didn't want to see them sleeping in the streets at any rate.

He took his prize inside, satisfied with himself for what he'd gotten ahold of today. Some bread, pomegranates and even a small meat pie. Combined with whatever the rest of the group was bringing in they might actually go to sleep with full bellies tonight.

Most of the others had already gotten back. Tarhid had managed to get his hands on some apples and kabobs. Korenth was carting in some wine he'd snagged from the merchants guild. Sure they were all only about eleven to fourteen years old, but that hadn't stopped them before. Everyone was piling up the loot on the makeshift table and Aladdin looked around.

"Hey where's Finri?"

"He said he was going to go pay off those thugs from the thieves guild again so they'd leave us alone for a few more months." Nonri said, grabbing the plates.

"Again? I thought we agreed we weren't going to do that any more? We barely have enough between us." Aladdin eyed the savings jug. They usually kept a few coppers around to pay off the guards in case one of them got caught. Bribes weren't cheap, but the guards cared less about a couple unruly children and more about catching real cutthroats. He opened the lid and arched an eyebrow. "Hey…he didn't take any money." Aladdin looked around.

"He said he had something else to offer Hamar." Korenth said cryptically, talking about the big leader of the thieves guild.

"Well…I'm gonna go check and make sure he's okay.' Aladdin headed for the hole.

"Be careful."

He hurried through the streets. It was close to dusk and being out on the streets this late was always a risk in this part of town. But he knew the way well enough and managed to keep out of sight of any of the dangers. He approached the thieves guild doors, looking up at the burly guard that marked the Skull and Dagger.

"Thieves only street rat." The guard spat without looking up from his blade.

"I'm looking for my friend."

The guard looked him up and down. "Brat about your age? Brown hair?"

Aladdin nodded.

He jerked his thumb around the corner. "He's talking to Hamar and Porcin."

Aladdin walked forward. He'd gotten lucky. Most of the guards there aimed a kick as your head as soon as talk to you. He turned the corner around the guild and saw three people in the shadows. "Finri?" he asked softly.

The two large men turned. "Friend of yours kid?" Hamar said in his strong accent. "Or is he part of the bargain?" They looked at the interloper with an ugly smile on their faces.

Finri stood up from where he'd been kneeling, pulling his shirt back on and quickly tying his belt. He was a few years older than the young street rat who'd come seeking him, perhaps fourteen or fifteen. "Aladdin? What are you doing here?" he shook his head. "You need to go back to the house."

"I…I just came to see if you were okay…we're waiting for you." Aladdin looked at the two men, their clothes wrinkled as if they'd been in a struggle.

"I'll be home soon. I promise. Hamar and me are just having a talk." He swore and gave a lopsided grin.

"Oh yes. A nice long talk." Hamar put a hand possessively on Finri.

"You want to join the conversation boy?" The other man asked in a tone that did not bode well.

"No!" Finri said, standing in front of the men. "Not him. He's just a kid."

"Didn't ask you boy." Hamar insisted and took a step forward.

"Look I can come back." Finri said. "I can come back tomorrow…and the next day." He caught their attention. "Just…he's a kid. He's not ready for this."

Hamar and his partner looked at Finri and nodded. "Alright. Scram brat!" they threw a shoe at Aladdin and the boy dodged it, looking to the leader of their little group.

"It's okay Aladdin. Just tell Korenth I'll be back later. He'll know what that means." He promised and smiled convincingly.

Aladdin nodded and went running. He made it back to the hovel and told Korenth what he'd seen. The older boy frowned a little but said nothing. "Don't worry about it Al. And don't go back there again. You're the youngest here, but that might not save you next time." He warned. He was almost like surrogate mother to the group, the only one of them who seemed to know all those little things like cooking and sewing. Just like Finri was their leader by default of being the oldest.

Anyone could tell the two of them were close. But there was something very cautious about the way he treated Finri when he got back an hour later. Something strange and sad in the smile he saved just for his friend. But whatever it was, it never stopped the two of them from being together.

The group didn't last. Ones like theirs never did. Nori got caught by the guards and they didn't see her again. Tarhid just left one night. Marhus, one of the thirteen year olds joined a brothel. Aladdin saw her years later, covered in satin and hiding a broken toothed grin behind veils and make-up. Sameul they found dead in an alley, his throat slit and his body robbed.

But Finri and Korenth stayed with each other. They left too, headed out on a caravan. Finri was apprenticed to a merchant and Korenth learning how to do blacksmithing. Of course by then Aladdin had figured out why there had been a sorrow in their smiles and a silence when they talked. He'd also figured out exactly how close his two male friend were to one another. But it didn't seem to matter. Not anymore. Finri had held his friend with a closeness and devotion as they rode out. And he had never seen two people look more contented.

Aladdin sat up and looked around the circle. He hadn't been sleeping, just passing the time while the others found some rest. He looked into the firepit and sat with his knees up to his chin. Everyone else was asleep and he could have some time with his thoughts.

It had been years since he'd thought about his old group. Years longer since he really had considered what he'd learned from them. It was not a perfect family. But they'd had one another. Even when times got really bad they'd never abandoned their friends. Maybe he'd been naive as a child, especially for one bred in the streets and raised as a thief. But when he'd learned the truth he'd never blamed Finri for what had happened. How could he. The young man had protected them. Sheltered them. Taken them on like a group of unruly siblings and kept them safe until they were old enough to take care of themselves. And Korenth had always made sure that they were fed as well as they could be and kept their cloths from being too ripped and torn.

They had been good friends in a place where decent human beings were few and far between. And he looked back on them fondly, a small part of him wondering where they might be now. If they were still together, and happy. He hoped they were.

He looked across the fire at Mozenrath. The man was like an entirely different person when he slept. His face was at peace, the hard, angry lines softened. His thick black curls wafted softly in the night breeze against his face. He seemed so untroubled. Maybe in sleep he found some measure of serenity.

The sorcerer tossed and his face scrunched in displeasure.

Maybe not. Aladdin frowned. He'd been avoiding saying or doing anything since he'd rescued Mozenrath from Destaine's outpost. It was just too…awkward. Every time he'd approached it was like having a tiger snarl at you. Not that this wasn't par the course for Mozenrath. But there was something deeper about it now. Something far more insidious to their natural antagonism towards one another.

It was clear Mozenrath didn't want to talk about it…at least not with Aladdin. But that didn't stop the hero from swirling it around in his mind. And Mozenrath wasn't like Finri. He didn't have someone to turn to in this. Even Xerxes was…dead…gone…what was the proper term? He knew the eel held a sentimental value for Mozenrath. But without the familiar the necromancer seemed entirely unwilling to converse with anyone else.

And what would you do if he did? Aladdin asked himself realistically. What was he expecting anyhow? For Mozenrath to suddenly pour his heart out and come to realize the error of his ways? For some friendship to be formed between them? He couldn't help but laugh at himself at the ludicrous nature of the idea.

"Are you determined not to let me get any sleep Aladdin?"

He lifted his head. Mozenrath was now sitting up from his sleeping bag, watching Aladdin through annoyed eyes. "You're keeping me awake with your damn fidgeting."

"I'm sorry." Aladdin said softly and Mozenrath looked at him with exhausted eyes.

"Just keep it down damn it."

Aladdin gave him a look of mixed derision and sympathy. "Not for that. I-I'm sorry for…" he paused. Would he give away just how much he knew if he said it? Everyone else was sleeping peacefully. If he was going to say anything, now was the only time. "For whatever happened to make you this way."

Mozenrath looked at him under a dark brow, his face reflecting a dire calmness. Aladdin was not deterred. "Look nobody is the way you are for no reason. Sometimes bad things happen and we never really get over it. No matter how far we think we've come or how powerful we get…you just never get over something." He licked his lips, not entirely sure how to read that deadpan expression. "And…whatever it was…that happened to you…I'm sorry for it. And I'm sorry it happened to you."

There was…no more than an instant…less than a millisecond really. Aladdin knew it was something he would only see once.

Regret.

"Aladdin." Mozenrath said, for once the name held no hateful inflection.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and go to sleep."

Aladdin watched as the sorcerer turned over on his bag and closed his eyes. He sighed. What else had he expected? He stood up and walked away from the camp. He didn't mean to go far, he just couldn't be there right now.

He didn't see Mozenrath laying there, eyes opened as a single tear streaked down his face.

"Your heart exceeds the limits of your ability young Aladdin."

He gasped and turned, surprised to see Fasir standing there in front of him. He quickly turned to the camp only to see that everyone else was still within a blue haze. Fasir answered his internal question. "I have halted time so that you may be able to perceive me. It is rare that I am permitted to interfere once, but twice is unheard of."

"Then…why are you here?" Aladdin asked respectfully.

Fasir placed his palms together. "I have come to again ask you to consider yourself Aladdin. Why do you persist in helping the sorcerer? He has caused so much harm to those you love. Your nobility is endearing, but this has gone far beyond the calling of a hero."

Aladdin gulped. Was he being warned to back off? "I…I don't know. At first it was because we saw a chance to get Mozenrath away from the seven deserts permanently…but now…" he looked back at the sleeping man. "Now…"

"Ah. You have begun to perceive the heart of his torment." Fasir laid a friendly hand on Aladdin's shoulder.

"I'm not stupid. I know it doesn't change who he is or what he's done…but…" He shook his head. "It's not right. It's not fair. Maybe things could have been different for him if…I don't know."

"If he had not been raised by an evil sorcerer? If he had not been hurt and made to know only distrust and hatefulness?" Fasir asked incredulously.

"If he'd have had a friend. If he'd had someone to rely on. Someone just to be there when he needed them." Aladdin hung his head. "He never got to have that…did he?"

"He attempted it. Only once. The familiar Xerxes was a creation of his youth, a figment of his power and imagination trying to grasp hold of a concept he had no true knowledge of how to pursue." Fasir explained. "But I see this is not what you mean by…friendship."

Aladdin blushed. "I knew someone like him when I was younger. They were close…they made each other happy. They went through some pretty bad things together, we all did back then. But the last time I saw them they looked like everything was going to be okay. Because they had one another to rely on." He looked at Fasir. "I think…it would do Mozenrath a lot of good to have someone like that." Almost without thinking his eyes wandered to the lean, pale frame. The soft features and almost feminine way he posed as he slept.

A firm, but kind hand touched him reproachfully. "Aladdin…it would be well intentioned. But Mozenrath is not in a state where he would receive it as it was meant. You would only make him afraid of you."

Aladdin turned bright red and flustered. "W-what? No! I didn't mean me I just meant that…"

Fasir waved away the explanation as though it were no concern of his. "Perhaps." The blind man nodded. "But now is neither the time nor the place for such interludes. You can not fix his past Aladdin. But do you care enough for him to save his future?"

"What do you mean?"

"Think carefully Aladdin. Does the torment of Mozenrath's past, both far and recent, excuse his torment of others? Does it make him any less the evil and dark necromancer you have come to know?" Fasir said cryptically. "And can you care enough for someone like that to save his life?"

Aladdin said in a dejected tone. "Maybe it doesn't make him any less of an evil person." He turned to Fasir. "But that doesn't make me evil." He jerked a thumb at himself. "I'll save him if I can. And anything after that well…we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." He chewed the inside of his lip and shrugged. "I just…I don't want to see him suffer any longer."

Fasir smiled as though Aladdin had just circled the right answer. "It was wise to have chosen you to see this trough till the end young hero. Hear me." He lifted his hand and a bright light flared, through it a door could be seen. It was ornately carved with flowers and sprung up in the middle was a great bloom, cascading with a filigreed golden energy. It poured down onto others, transforming men who were carved to be weak and frail into strength and the prime of their life. "In a temple many miles to the east there lays the Blossom of Mithra. This flowers ability to heal is so powerful that it has been named the Blightsbane. It is the only thing which will renew Mozenrath's flesh and life." He said gravely. "But beware young Aladdin. No magic such as this comes without a price. When the time comes, who shall pay for this blessing?"

Aladdin stared at the doors a moment longer. "A price. What sort of price?"

There was another flash and Fasir was gone. Aladdin was left alone as the dawn's pinkish-grey light was still far off on the horizon. The group was starting to stir and he noted how slow and painful it was for Mozenrath to rise on his own. A voice echoed in the hazy darkness that he knew only he could hear.

"You must hurry Aladdin. For should you fail, Mozenrath will not live out the week."

Aladdin looked at the sorcerer, biting his lip and weighing the options in his head. "Okay." He whispered softly and walked over to his friend. "Alright…we need to get packed up and get going."

"Go where?" Mozenrath said sullenly. "Unless you have some idea you haven't told us about…"

"Just got one in fact. We're headed for the Blossom of Mithra." Aladdin said as Abu climbed up on his shoulders.

"The what? Never heard of it." Iago argued, crossing his wings like arms doubtfully.

"Yeah Al. Are you just making stuff up now?" The Genie hid his mouth behind his hand. "Cause ya know false hope is kinda cruel."

"No." Mozenrath said softly. "It's real."

"You know of it then?" Aladdin turned to the sorcerer and saw the worry on his face.

"I have. But getting to it is harder than it sounds. It's an ancient reliquary, supposedly guarded by barriers which keep out anyone…unworthy to receive the blossoms healing powers." Mozenrath stood up.

"And I'm guessing evil sorcerers count among the unworthy." Genie couldn't help and then looked a little embarrassed to realize he'd said it out loud.

"I know, but I didn't just pull this out of thin air. Fasir paid us another visit." Aladdin admitted. "He said that the blossom is the only hope you've got and…" he paused, not sure how the sorcerer would react to the rest of what Fasir had predicted for him.

But Mozenrath was far too observant. "What?" When Aladdin showed a reluctance to say anything more the sorcerer moved like a cobra, grabbing Aladdin's arm and jerking him around. "What else did he say?"

Aladdin swallowed hard and met Mozenrath's cold grey eyes with his warm brown ones. "He said if we don't find the flower within a week…it isn't going to matter." Mozenrath's face went white. It took him a moment to realize he was still holding Aladdin's arm as he trembled. He released the street rat with a jerk and turned away, moving to gather up the few items left as a camp.

The hero looked from the sorcerer to the blue djinn. "Genie…give it to him."

Every looked at him as though reality had slipped from the world.

"Genie give him back his gauntlet." Aladdin repeated.

"WHAT!?" Iago blurted out. "Are you out of your frigging hmmmph!"

Aladdin held tight on the parrots mouth. "We can't afford to waste any more time. If Destaine comes back he needs to be able to defend himself." He looked at Mozenrath who reflected the same amount of shock as everyone else. "Besides, the gauntlet is part of what's causing all this right…" he thought back on what Mozenrath had told them about the way the glove worked. "I'm willing to bet at this juncture…the more you use it…the more it's going to demand."

Mozenrath opened his mouth to say something, and instead nodded reluctantly.

"Which means you aren't going to risk using it unless you absolutely have to." Aladdin held out his hand to his friend.

"Al are you sure about this?" Genie said, and the hero shook his head.

"Yeah." He felt the sudden press of leather into his hand and looked down at the object of power. He lifted it to Mozenrath, and was genuinely aghast when the necromancer hesitated to take it. "Moze…"

There was a long silence as those dark, expressive eyes stared down at the glove, his hand clenching involuntarily, like a twitch. With a hesitancy bordering on unwillingness, he finally lifted his hand and took the glove from Aladdin.

He felt the void in him filling instantly as the leather encased his fingers. He winced hard and let out a gasp of pain as the burn in his chest came back. Aladdin reached forward and Mozenrath flung out his other hand. "No!" he insisted. "No…it's…it's adjusting…" he explained and made himself stand firm as the gauntlet resettled. "Alright." Mozenrath took a deep breath. "Alright…let's go."