Title: Visitation: Day 2
Author: Ryoko
Rating: PG-13
Email: RyokoVenus@yahoo.com
The rating is because the girls get a little violent in this part.
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(Part 2)
As the group came close to the end of the busy day, it began to get dark. Maribelle was already asleep on the good twin's shoulder. Esmeralda had enjoyed herself after all, realizing that the market place was much like the hustle and bustle of the Parisian streets. The twin asked if they could stop and sit down because the child was feeling heavy and they still had a while to walk before reaching the Palace. Agreeing, Aladdin led them to a small alleyway to relax. The good twin sat and sighed heavily, shifting Maribelle to her other arm. Esmeralda watched her sister's eyes blink slowly, heavy with sleep. She too was feeling tired. Aladdin yawned and stretched his legs as he sat. Esmeralda sat down near him.
"So…" Aladdin started. She looked up at his face. "I hope that you at least enjoyed yourself a little bit today," he ended. She blinked and smiled.
"You know what? I did. The marketplace is pretty cool." Esmeralda stated. Aladdin smiled back. He then coughed awkwardly and shifted his body a few times. As Esmeralda watched him, she could tell there was something he wanted to say or maybe do. She bravely placed her hand on his leg and looked him in the eye. "What is it?" she asked. Aladdin's eyes widened. Esmeralda was always straightforward – that was one of her best qualities. Licking his lips a few times and rubbing his neck, he tried to start his conversation. Noticing the tension, Esmeralda started talking. "I'm sorry I acted so…weird today." She said playing with her dress. Aladdin felt more at ease.
"Es…is it alright if I…" She smiled at him with hope in her heart. "I have to ask you something." He concluded. After fidgeting for a bit, he spoke. "Earlier when we were…when you…when, when I noticed your hand bleeding we were both quiet and I, I was wondering if, if maybe…"
"If maybe I was studying your features?" she finished for him, getting annoyed at his stuttering (though the author loves shy-stuttering – it's so cute). He grinned and nod his head. Looking down at her skirt she tried to stay focused. "Okay…maybe a bit." Esmeralda admitted. Aladdin smiled.
"Well I was doing the same thing…and I noticed something about your eyes," he began. Esmeralda's eyes darted up to his face. "They don't…they're not the same anymore." Aladdin concluded slowly moving his hand to her side. She breathed as if she were frightened. Gathering up her courage she swallowed and shot the same theory back at him.
"Your eyes are different too, you know," she said feeling this great urge to put her hand to his face. He blinked slowly.
"Why is that? And why are we noticing it?" Aladdin asked feeling timid. Lowering her eyelids Esmeralda slowly shook her head.
"It's still here," she said pointing to her heart and fighting back tears. Aladdin gave her a confused look. She tapped her chest again and bit her lip. "I still have feelings for-" she stopped short. It was dangerous territory to say that her feelings were still great as ever for him. "My eyes aren't the same because I've been hurt." Esmeralda ended. Aladdin looked worried.
"Hurt? What happened?" he asked, almost stupidly. Her eyes widened and Esmeralda gasped slightly. Didn't he realize what he put her through, she thought? In his own mind, Aladdin was telling himself over and over that he no longer cared for Esmeralda. But his heart was pounding immensely making him feel otherwise. Ringing her hands together, she attempted to say more.
"So why are your eyes different?" she asked, realizing that to anyone else this conversation wouldn't make any sense.
"I guess," he laughed, "I guess because they've been through a lot." Esmeralda tried to understand eyes being through a lot. "In fact, my whole… body has." He said shaking his hands. She looked surprised. Leaning her arms on her knees she pensively stared at him. He glared at her and she moved her eyebrows telling him to explain more. Laughing again Aladdin tried to continue. "I think with each…adventure, my eyes have lost their 'little sparkle' a little more," he said making quotation marks with his fingers.
"But they used to be so beautiful – so full of joy and happiness, so… 'sparkly'," Esmeralda giggled making the same quotation marks. Aladdin smiled at her and then his face grew serious.
"I guess I've been hurt too," he concluded. Blinking, Esmeralda longed to say what she was really feeling deep inside. Aladdin looked past her and saw that her twin and daughter were fast asleep. "We should really wake them up and get back home," he said standing up. Watching him head over to her sister, Esmeralda smiled softly. It was a nice conversation and she didn't ruin anything by saying what she was really dying to say. She watched Aladdin kneel down to her twin. He slowly pushed her bangs away from her forehead. Esmeralda could feel the jealousy rage through her body once more as Aladdin intently interacted with her sister. The good twin moved slightly and slowly opened her eyes.
"Oh…" she sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep!" she apologized, trying to stand up. Aladdin grabbed her arm and wrapped his other hand around her waist to help her up. As they headed towards Esmeralda she pretended to have trouble getting up also. But they walked right past her. Pounding her fists on the dust she growled under her breath and got up. Her lazy twin was slowly dragging her feet.
"Hey Es?" Aladdin called back to her. Her face perked up quickly.
"Yes what is it?!" she asked happily. Aladdin handed her Maribelle. Her face turned to disgust as Aladdin walked back up to her twin and let her rest her head on his shoulder as they headed back to the Palace. There she stood with her daughter while her used-to-be-man was pampering her twin.
The gate guards opened the doors for the group to walk through. By this time, Aladdin and the twin were far into conversation while Esmeralda sulked behind with the kid. At the Palace entrance Esmeralda walked past them with Maribelle and began to head towards the room her daughter was staying in. Meanwhile, Aladdin and the twin slowly walked up the stairs.
"I really did have a great time today. Thanks, Al." The twin stated. Aladdin blushed slightly.
"Oh, it was nothing; anytime you want to go back just let me know, I'll be more than happy to be your personal tour guide," he laughed. The twin looked deep into his eyes.
"I hope my sis wasn't too much of a pain today," she laughed. Aladdin laughed back but was thinking about the little conversation he had with Esmeralda earlier. Putting her mouth up to his ear she whispered, "Next time don't invite her."
Aladdin's gaze moved to the twin's eyes, which were dazzling. She winked and continued down the hall in the opposite direction of where he was standing. Aladdin blinked and wasn't sure how to take what just happened. Trying to shrug it all off, he walked back to the guest room to say goodnight to Maribelle.
He pushed the door open slightly and saw Esmeralda crying over the bed. His eyebrows narrowed and he stepped back as if to eve's drop. Maribelle was sound asleep hugging her bunny toy. Esmeralda's body shook as she sobbed, kneeling at the bed. Then she began to talk to herself.
"Why? WHY? Why do I feel this way? I thought it was all over…I thought…" she stopped to sniffle in between thoughts. "If he feels the same then WHY does he favor HER all the time?" she stated almost angrily. Aladdin blinked and listened intently, still hiding outside of the room. "You've got to get over him, girl…He's no longer a part of you…" Esmeralda told herself. "I've got to stop thinking that he still owes me the benefit of the doubt…He owes me nothing! And I am nothing to him…" she cried heavily. "When I am going to be cured of this ridiculous obsession!?" she nearly shouted. That is when Aladdin burst into the room.
"Esmeralda! Are you okay?" Aladdin tenderly asked kneeling to her level. She looked at him and tried to dry her tears. "No, no, no…shhhhh," he said holding her close. She began to sob even more.
"How much of that did you hear?" she asked. Aladdin's eyes shifted around the room. She looked up at him with her tear-stained face waiting for an answer. He looked down and decided to tell her the truth.
"I think all of it," he said. Sighing almost as an embarrassment, Esmeralda tried to pick herself up but Aladdin was still holding her too tightly. Realizing her tension he turned her face towards his. "I didn't know…" he started, "I didn't know you still had all these…feelings inside." She tried to look unobvious as she checked out the room hoping for her tears to stop. "Es…" he said grabbing her chin, "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked sincerely.
Her heart began to beat heavily as he held her face to his. Only inches apart she could feel his breath on her face. She wasn't sure if she should act strong and get away or let him know and give in. His eyes suddenly looked tender and caring like she hadn't seen in a while.
"Your eyes!" she cried. Aladdin was confused immediately. But seeing as she was still crying he tried to figure out just what she was trying to say. He looked deep into her own eyes and tried to understand her. Staring at him through her tears she could see that sensitive soul trying to invade her own once more. "Your eyes!" she cried again, now in a happier tone. Aladdin tried to hide his chuckles, still not understanding.
"What? What? Tell me!" he said, his hands grazing her back in longing of knowledge. She smiled and reached for his face. Once contact was made he smiled still lost as ever. Esmeralda's sobs stopped.
"It's you…" she softly said reaching her other hand to his face. His eyes widened and he tried not to arch back. At this point, Esmeralda was actually scaring him. Meanwhile the twin was walking down the hallway to say goodnight to Maribelle also. When she neared it, she could see it was slightly opened and peeked in. She saw Esmeralda caressing Aladdin's face, which was full of fear. Afraid that Esmeralda was making a move on the helpless boy, she rushed into the room.
"Stop it sis! Leave him alone!" she shouted, breaking the bond of arms. Both of them snapped into reality. She helped Aladdin stand up. "Are you okay? She didn't attack again, did she?" the twin asked, trying to comfort him. However, Aladdin was now in a state so far beyond confusion that he was feeling dizzy. Esmeralda then ripped her arms into her twins back and lunged her to the side. After the two fell heavily, Maribelle sat up. Aladdin tried to help the twin but saw Esmeralda now diving for him. The little one squealed and jumped out of bed. The twin was back on her feet and swinging her arms at Esmeralda. The girls broke out into an instant catfight. Aladdin ran for Maribelle and scooped her up into his arms as he headed for the door in safety. They knocked over the small lamp that was dimly lighting the room and from the smash, other people began to wake up.
"You have to accept the fact-" shouted the twin through punches "that he doesn't love you!" she hurled back at her sister. Esmeralda screamed and grabbed her twin's hair. The two Pocahontas' were now running for the door and Jasmine was not far behind.
"Well maybe if you-" Esmeralda said while being knocked hard on her back to the floor "would leave him alone-" she continued, wrestling her way out of grip "then he could-"
"ME? Leave him alone?" her twin said, straddling Esmeralda. Her claws flew into the sister's face. "I'm not doing anything!" she shouted back, reaching for Esmeralda's earring. Jasmine reached the door just in time to see the good twin slap her sister hard in the face. "Aladdin is not yours, you can't have him back, and I am not trying to steal him from anyone!" she shouted, slapping her sister once more before standing up. Esmeralda cried and rubbed her face. The twin turned around to see a crowd at the door. Aladdin's eyes were wide and he sheltered the crying Maribelle's face. Jasmine looked confused and the Pocahontas twins were slightly cheering.
"What is going on here?" Jasmine demanded. The good twin wiped blood off the side of her lip as she walked past the princess.
"Don't worry Jasmine, everything is fine," she said heading down the hallway. The Pocahontas girls followed her. Jasmine looked up to Aladdin who was gently cradling Maribelle.
"Aladdin you can take her to our room if you want," she said as he was hushing his daughter's sobs. He shook his head no, meaning he intended to stay. Jasmine flew her hands at her side. "What happened?" Aladdin put Maribelle over his shoulder and she began to grow quiet.
"I was in here talking with Es
because she was crying," he started.
Jasmine's lips pursed. She hated
how he still called Esmeralda by his nickname for her. "And before I knew it her twin was in here
beating her up. It sounded almost like-"
"They were fighting over you…" Jasmine finished, crossing her arms over her chest. In the room, Esmeralda slowly sat up and took notice to her wounds. "I'm going back to bed. We can talk about this in the morning." She commanded, turning around and walking back down the hall. Aladdin sighed heavily and entered the room. Maribelle was falling back into a deep sleep so he placed her in her bed, gave her the bunny and kissed her forehead before tucking her in. Then he walked over to Esmeralda.
"Are you okay?" he quietly asked, reaching for her arm to help her up. She huffed and pulled back sharply.
"Does it LOOK like I'm okay?" she shouted. Instantly his finger went to his lips indicating to her to be quiet. She stood up and left the room. Aladdin brushed the broken glass into a pile and threw it in the trash. Then he exited the room and shut the door.
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Now THAT was good clean fun… lol. I enjoyed writing this part of the story – most interesting so far… BUT WAIT! Maribelle is still here one more day…go get the rest of the story and don't forget to R&R! ^_^