full disclosure I wrote basically all that I've published so far for magi big bang back in May-June. however. the fic isn't even close to being over. which is good for all of you (or at least I hope!) but kind of bad for me because I am not great at planning ahead. I do intend to keep up with the weekly update schedule, but we'll see how that goes. I haven't been super successful with updating chaptered fics on time basically...ever, so please bare with me.

last chapter got a lot of really amazingly sweet comments and I am still just overwhelmed from the kind feedback! thank you everyone who's been enjoying this fic :D

Judal greets him the next morning with breakfast pastries and a broad grin. He's already dressed and made up impeccably. "Morning!"

"Good morning," Hakuryuu says, eyeing up the breakfast offerings. "This is nice."

"Well, you cooked for me yesterday, so I went to the bakery down the street. Don't worry, I didn't borrow your car," he says, helping himself to a danish. "Anyway, we've gotta get moving!"

"Oh?"

"Mmhm, Sinbad called. He needs my help," he says proudly, practically glowing.

Hakuryuu shakes his head, picking one of the less sugared pastries for breakfast. Unlike Judal, he needs something besides sweets to eat. "I see."

Judal deflates a little. "Don't look at me like that."

"You just seemed so upset yesterday-" he tries to say, but Judal interrupts.

"Whatever, I was totally overreacting! I'm fine, and I can show stupid Shitbad and his butt buddy that I'm better than them," he declares. "So eat up and let's go!"

Hakuryuu finishes his breakfast while Judal bounces around his home, full of nervous energy and excitement. He guesses they're not talking about last night, especially since Judal's focus is now firmly back on Sinbad.

"Sinbad knows where it is," Judal says, drawing his wand. "But he wouldn't tell me exactly where, because he's trying to control me or something. Lucky for us, I tracked it on my own!"

Hakuryuu gives up on trying to clean up the kitchen from breakfast and instead watches Judal work. He's focused on his magic, carefully drawing a sigil in the air in front of them. It glows, and Judal grins, offering Hakuryuu his hand. "Let's go!"

He takes one last look around, making sure he has his wand and any other necessities, and takes his hand. They walk through the sigil together and it takes them somewhere else entirely: the nondescript parking lot of an old convenience store with boarded up windows and trash scattered around it. Judal glances around, surveying the scene before walking up to the one car in the lot and knocking on the window.

"Yo, idiots, I'm here!" he declares loudly, and Sinbad and Jafar swing open the doors of the car, Sinbad's nearly hitting into Judal.

Jafar is glaring at them the whole time. "See, I told you he'd do this."

Sinbad just shrugs and laughs good naturedly. "I see you found the place on your own," he says, greeting them warmly.

"Of course I did. You made it easy enough," he says proudly. "So where is it hiding?"

Sinbad points across the street at an abandoned looking warehouse. "It's holed up in there, and we can't get through its defenses," he explains. "Its barrier is pretty sturdy, but you're particularly good at getting into places you shouldn't."

"I sure am!" Judal agrees. "I'm gonna blow it up."

Jafar cringes. "We are in public. You cannot just go after it-"

"Stopped listening, too boring," Judal says, cutting him off. He waltzes over fearlessly, drawing his wand as he gets closer. Hakuryuu follows closely after, grabbing his own wand as he does, with Sinbad and Jafar bringing up the rear. Judal taps his wand in the air until eventually it ripples around him.

"Found it," he says, firing off a blast of ice. It shatters against the barrier and Judal frowns.

"We tried attacking it already," Jafar tells him. "If you'd just listened to me, you'd know that."

Judal ignores him and his wand glows, twisting and changing into the same spear he used against Dunya. Hakuryuu can feel him drawing power in and focusing it into the very tip of the spear as he prepares a spell.

Jafar looks like he's going to complain again, and Sinbad merely waves a hand. "We do need his help, and I doubt anyone's watching right now."

Jafar scoffs. "You and your frustratingly good luck."

Judal grins widely and shoots another magical blast at the barrier. The swirling mass of black lightning splinters across the barrier without dispersing. He directs it with his staff, forming it back into a tight spear of magical energy, slamming into the barrier again and again until eventually the barrier ripples and bursts under the onslaught.

"Ha!" he proclaims gleefully. "You had problems with that? You really are stupid!" He walks through the splintered barrier without waiting for a response, leaving the rest of them to follow him in.

Inside the barrier, the air feels wrong, like a heavier, amplified version of the energy they'd experienced both outside and at its victims' houses. The magic in the area feels sick, and Hakuryuu walks quickly to catch up to Judal. He's already forcing his way into the warehouse, wrenching open the front door with another spell before heading in.

Hakuryuu follows him through the door and has to stop to get his bearings. It looks like he's walked into a completely different place somehow; instead of a rusted out warehouse, it has the pristine cleanliness of a doctor's office. Everything is smooth white and chrome, and eerily quiet. It's still as spacious as a warehouse inside, with walls stretching on until the emptiness feels oppressive.

"Shit, that's weird," Judal says, looking around. "Where's it hiding?"

They look around, trying to find something out of place in the cavernous room, until Hakuryuu realizes that there's an extra wall in one of the back corners. "Probably back there," he says, pointing to where it's blended in with the white around it.

"It's a Barren Neotoma. You should know these things are defensive," Jafar explains as he and Sinbad join the other two. "Since Judal made such a ruckus, it's probably hiding."

Judal shrugs. "How else did you plan on getting in? I hit things until they work for me."

"Caution-"

"Let's get moving!" Judal interrupts, and once again heads off without waiting for anyone. Hakuryuu sticks close to him as they turn the corner of the wall, and he almost misses it.

The Barren Neotoma looks harmless at first, sitting on a pile of broken trinkets, until they get close enough to realize that there are human bones amidst the collection. It lifts its furry head to look at them, its eerily human hands toying with a shard of bone while it studies them, and for a second, Hakuryuu thinks about how Judal is both cute and incredibly dangerous, before he makes himself focus on the problem at hand.

"Aw, it's cute," Judal says. "Shame I shouldn't keep it for a pet."

"Maybe you should," Jafar tells him, and Hakuryuu grabs Judal before he can start another fight. Meanwhile, the Barren Neotoma is eyeing them up and fluffing itself up to look bigger.

Judal laughs. "Look at it, it thinks it can scare us," he says, pointing at it and laughing harder.

"I don't think we should taunt it," Sinbad says, drawing a sword that pulses with magic. Jafar pulls out daggers so quietly that Hakuryuu only just notices the light glinting off one of them, and it all makes him feel very unprepared and kind of lame. Why did he bother on coming along? He's not going to be any help.

Something flares out, a burst of magic, and they're all shoved back as another barrier starts to form around it. Jafar lashes out this time, shooting lightning from his weapons, and shattering the barrier before it can properly solidify.

Judal is already in the air, cackling as he unleashes his magic on it, and he's so much less reserved than the fight with Dunya. Maybe it's because he's out to kill instead of talk or perhaps he's trying to show off, but it's impressive either way. Hakuryuu falls back some, trying to take it in and figure out what he can do. It's hard, since he's so obviously out of his depth, and he feels like the failure he's always known he is.

Sinbad's fearless in the same ridiculous way Judal is, but Jafar is calculating, covering Sinbad's back with enough ease that he can still throw in a few experimental attacks of his own. The Barren Neotoma chirps in surprise and jumps aside, scuttling away from their strikes. The two pause to keep from staggering over the Neotoma's hoard, but Judal doesn't relent just because his prey is now on the move. He's so reckless that Hakuryuu can't help but focus on Judal and what's happening around him. The Barren Neotoma is still on the defense, but it starts lashing out with every hit it takes, turning the same magic back at its user.

Judal is so taken by the thrill of battle and his desire to best Sinbad that he doesn't see the thick spear of ice turn back at him. But Hakuryuu does, and he reacts almost without thinking. A vine wraps around Judal's waist and pulls him to Hakuryuu, out of harm's way, and they go flying to ground from the force. He stares into Hakuryuu's eyes with wonder as the fight rages around them, and Judal leans in, just a little. Hakuryuu's breath catches and he knows it's the worst time for this, but he's not going to stop Judal from kissing him.

The wall behind them crumbles on impact and the moment passes.

For a moment it seems like the wall is just going to fall backwards and they'll be thrown onto their backs, but otherwise be little worse for wear. Instead, the upper part of the wall keels forward, and the roof high above gives an awful, dying creak. Time seems to slow as Judal throws a barrier up around them to avoid the falling rubble, twisting to pull Hakuryuu closer to him. Sinbad is yelling in the background, but the wall buries them before they can move out of the way.

Hakuryuu waits for the dust to settle, hoping that it'll clear up some, but it's still dark. Judal's barrier held up under the weight of the concrete, though it still means they're stuck under it.

"Well, shit," Judal says, whistling at the mess they're in. He conjures a ball of light and Hakuryuu realizes his wand is small again, probably to keep it safe from the fall.

"Thank you," Hakuryuu says lamely, and Judal laughs.

"Shouldn't I say thank you? You saved me! I wasn't paying to enough attention to where it was throwing magic around," he says. "I mean, now we're stuck under all this crap, so that sucks."

Hakuryuu tries to get a better look around, now that there's light to see by. The barrier is a perfect sphere around them, with the rubble packed on top of it. At least they seem to have enough air to breathe.

"At least we're not hurt," he points out.

"Yeah, cause we've got this personal safety bubble!" Judal says happily, rapping his knuckles against it.

"Judal…"

"Yeah, I know. I'm trying to figure out how to get us out without getting smushed," he explains.

"Please."

They sit for a bit, Judal eyeing up their concrete prison, twirling his wand between his fingers until his face lights up with glee and understanding. "Got it! Let's get the fuck out of here!"

For some reason, Hakuryuu expects a careful, thought out escape, perhaps by slowly moving each hunk of rubble until they can get out safely. But Judal is nothing if not flashy, and instead their escape comes from a brilliant explosion of magical energy that sends the rubble flying in every direction. Judal's cackling as he pulls them out of it and back towards the fight, and, belatedly, Hakuryuu wonders if Judal thought about any of the consequences. Probably not. Hopefully he only hurt the Neotoma and not their allies.

Thankfully, the two seem alright, having moved well away once the collapse started. Sinbad waves at them from across the warehouse, unsurprised to see them unharmed. "See Jafar, I told you they'd be fine."

"Unfortunately he's rather hard to get rid of," Jafar admits, and Judal laughs at him.

"You should know that by now, Freckles. I'm like a cockroach!" His wand twists back into its longer form and he goes after their target with renewed vigor. The Neotoma chitters as it greedily partakes of the energy Judal lobs at it.

Hakuryuu frowns. If it's just eating or deflecting magic, throwing more at it isn't going to do anything. "Judal, come here!" he calls out, and surprisingly, Judal flies down to his side.

He looks Hakuryuu over. "What's up? Are you hurt or something?"

"No, I have an idea," he says, and Judal grins at him. "It eats magical items, right? Do you have anything cursed?"

Judal looks confused. "Hakuryuu, I'm not just carrying cursed items on my person at all times-"

"At the shop, Judal," he cuts in.

"Duh. Oh. Oh! I get it," he says, before drawing a teleportation sigil and heading through it. Hakuryuu watches Sinbad and Jafar continue to go after the Neotoma, jumping to avoid being hit as they try to get through its defenses. They haven't noticed Judal's disappearance, and he'd like to keep it that way for now.

"Got something!" Judal says, popping up behind him. He's carrying a mirror that radiates with magical energy and grinning, obviously pleased with himself. "It's like super cursed but I've masked it to just seem deliciously magical."

Hakuryuu looks it over. "Do you think it'll work?"

He shrugs. "Blowing it up hasn't worked yet! So I wanna try your idea."

Even as they're discussing their plan, the Barren Neotoma loses interest in fighting Sinbad and Jafar and comes closer, sniffing the air. Judal tosses the mirror from hand to hand, trying to lure it in.

"Yeah, you want this?" he asks, leaning casually against his staff. Sinbad and Jafar have turned to watch them, confusion evident on their faces. Hakuryuu has a hand on his wand, ready to pull Judal out of trouble if things go poorly, and the tension seems that much worse with the cold sterility of the building. Judal somehow still seems relaxed, even as he throws the mirror like he's playing catch with a pet. The Neotoma catches the mirror with ease in its eerie, humanoid hand and scuttles to safety to enjoy its prize.

"Judal!" Sinbad yells as the Neotoma devours the mirror, but Jafar gets to him first and punches him in the face.

"It gets stronger from eating magical items!" Jafar yells, pulling back to punch him again. Judal screeches, trying to pull free, and Hakuryuu has vines wrapped around Jafar's wrists before he can follow through.

"I'm not stupid!" Judal screams, finally squirming out of Jafar's grasp. Lightning shoots down the vines around his wrists and Judal slices them before the shock can reach Hakuryuu.

"It sure seems like it," Jafar snaps back, pulling the remains of vines from his wrists. Judal is back by Hakuryuu's side, angrily protective, and they can only hope their plan works.

Sinbad flies down to join them, looking just as upset. "What were you thinking?" he asks, and Judal rolls his eyes.

"You'll see," he answers, purposefully vague. Jafar looks ready to punch him again and Sinbad sighs. He opens his mouth to berate Judal, but pauses when the Barren Neotoma starts making confused, upset noises. It stops moving and curls in on itself, whining loudly and struggling, and Judal starts laughing.

"What did you give it?" Hakuryuu asks, curious.

Judal manages to compose himself enough to answer. "You know, I almost grabbed your pottery, but I didn't wanna clean up that mess again. This one's all about bad luck!" Judal looks proud of himself.

"You threw bad luck at it?" Sinbad asks incredulously.

"Yep!"

"Wrapped up in something incredibly powerful?"

"Sure did."

Hakuryuu trusts Judal in a fight like this, but he's having trouble understanding his reasoning. He expected something more destructive. Sinbad and Jafar look similarly confused, but Judal still seems confident.

"Bad luck doesn't seem like a fast acting solution," Hakuryuu tries to point out delicately.

Judal grins wider, all teeth. "It's not just run of the mill bad luck, duh. Everything that could go wrong will. The last few owners died improbable - but still possible! - nasty deaths. Pretty quickly, too."

Jafar opens his mouth, probably to argue again, but Judal laughs before he can say anything. "See? Look at it!"

The Barren Neotoma has picked itself up again, looking far less soft and friendly. It comes after them, vicious with stolen energy instead of cautiously defensive, and they scatter to avoid it. Judal falls back beside Hakuryuu and goes on the defense for once, surrounding the two of them with a magical barrier.

"Judal-" Hakuryuu begins.

"Sorry!" he says. "I'm pretty sure it'll work though!"

Sinbad draws lightning down from above, scorching the ground around the Neotoma. It doesn't hit its mark but it doesn't reflect back this time either, which is some sort of progress.

Judal grins and starts to fight back again. Every attack gets closer, missing by less and less each time, but they're still not quite there. It rolls away, fighting back even as its attacks are slowly fizzing out as it loses power. It skitters into a puddle left over from some of Judal's ice magic earlier, and there's maniacal glee in Judal's eyes.

He aims lightning at the puddle and Sinbad follows his lead. There's an explosion of sparks and electricity, and Hakuryuu can hear Judal laughing over the roar. When the smoke clears, there's nothing but the fried husk of the creature left.

Judal flies them down - ignoring both Sinbad's warnings and Jafar's insistence that Judal be the idiot to get hurt if it's still alive - eager to inspect. It's not moving and there's an overwhelming burnt smell around it, but more telling than that, the air feels bereft of its power.

"Gross," Judal says cheerfully, before poking it with his staff. "It's dead!"

The white, sterile walls fade into grimy rusted out metal, like the building looked on the outside, and the last bits of magic in the air crumble away.

Sinbad joins them to look over it, followed reluctantly by Jafar.

Judal looks proud. "This was Hakuryuu's idea, you," he says, slinging an arm around his shoulders. "Guess he's better than you, Sinbad. You're getting old and slow!"

"Hey!" Sinbad says, frowning deeply. He looks insulted and almost self-conscious, probably because Judal knows the best way to get under his skin.

"Well, he is," Judal insists, pulling Hakuryuu closer. He's still vibrating with excitement and power, and it's kind of nice to be praised. Even if Hakuryuu kind of feels like he's part of a competition he hadn't realized he'd entered.

Jafar looks around them, at the mess and debris left behind from the fight, and sighs. He grabs Sinbad by the arm and drags him away from Judal. "It's time to clean all this up."

Judal deflates. "What? No way! I said I'd help get rid of it, not be part of a stupid clean up crew," he whines before Hakuryuu can offer to help. "Especially since neither of you have praised our genius!"

"It was still risky," Sinbad tries to say, but gives up when Judal whines louder. "Thank you for your help. It was a good idea. Can you please help with the clean up?"

Judal shrugs. "I was gonna make you buy us dinner as payment, but if I have to stick around and clean it' ain't worth it."

Sinbad sighs. "I should have expected this from you."

"Yeah, you shoulda by now!" Judal reaches down, poking at the Barren Neotoma some more while Sinbad and Jafar discuss the logistics of cleaning up. It seems like just idle curiosity at first, but Hakuryuu sees Judal slip something into a pocket when he thinks no one is watching. He makes a mental note to ask Judal about it once they're alone. Once Judal is done looking around, he rejoins Hakuryuu.

"Ready to get out of here?" he asks, just quiet enough for only Hakuryuu to hear.

"We could be polite and help," Hakuryuu suggests, even though he knows the answer to that.

Judal scoffs. "He got the help he asked for. Monster gone, problem solved, I'm outta here," he says, reaching out to draw a teleportation sigil in front of them.

"See ya Shitbad, Freckles!" Judal yells, before pulling Hakuryuu through with him. They're back in Judal's living room and it's comforting to be in its more familiar magic than what they just dealt with. Judal looks pleased but a little rundown, and he flops on the couch.

"Well that was fun," he declares, curling deeper into the couch.

Hakuryuu politely takes his shoes off and joins him. Once he sits down, he realizes just how tired he is. Running around and actually using magic like he did today is exhausting. "I'm mostly tired," Hakuryuu finally says, and Judal nods.

"Me fucking too," he agrees. They sit in comfortable silence, tired but accomplished, until Hakuryuu can't resist asking Judal about what he saw.

"What did you take from it?" Hakuryuu asks, and Judal looks startled.

Judal has the good grace to look sheepish, but somehow maintains his cockiness. "You caught me, huh? It's just some residue left behind from all the magic it's eaten. If I'm right, it's pure power and I want it."

"But we cursed it," he points out, and Judal shrugs.

"Yeah, but it should be gone. I'm not gonna eat this without being careful though, don't worry! I've got it tucked away somewhere safe until I have time for it," he says.

"I see."

"You're still judging me," he whines, and Hakuryuu laughs at him good naturedly.

"I'm tired," he tries to explain. "I don't have much to say."

"Oh, so you get meaner when you're sleepy? Good to know," Judal says, but he seems consoled. He leans up against Hakuryuu, practically melting into his shoulder.

The couch is far too comfortable, and if he doesn't leave now, Hakuryuu knows he's not going to want to leave later. "I should go," he says, sitting up.

Judal frowns, crawling half into his lap to keep him in place. "You can stay if you wanna."

"Thank you, but-"

"You're tired, right? Just crash on the futon again," Judal interrupts. "I'll order takeout."

"You do that all the time," he says, but he's already giving in. "It's hardly a unique offer."

"Okay, okay, you got me. I'll go to that stupid hippie cafe down the street and get you a salad or wrap or whatever gross healthy food you want," Judal offers.

Hakuryuu raises an eyebrow. "That's quite the offer."

"I'm a fantastic host," Judal declares. "The absolute best."

"Okay," Hakuryuu concedes, much to Judal's delight. "And just order pizza or something. That sounds easiest." He's not going to force Judal back out of the house when he's easily just as tired.

"Oh, you really are a good friend," he replies, digging out his phone to look up a delivery place online. Hakuryuu leans back into the couch, overdone but oddly calmed by Judal at his side.