The lyrics are from 3 Doors Down's song, "I Feel You", which, unfortunately,
I do not own. I also, thanks to a cruel twist of fate, don't own Aladdin or
the original characters from the movie/series. I do, however, own my
characters Lana, Shasta, Mama Shima, Ahhmal, and the others from the chapter
'Warm and Fuzzy Ties". If you would like to use them, I give you free reign
to do so, because I flatter easily. Lol. On with the story. Oh, and contrary
to the title's suggestion, this does not have anything sexual of heavy yaoi.
Aint I evil?
The first thing Mozenrath saw as he opened his eyes was an almost
obnoxiously sunny assault on his eyes.
"They gave me a life that's not so easy to live
And then they sent me on my way"
He groaned and brought his hand up to block it, then blinked in surprise as
he saw his arm, bandaged tightly from the wrist up to his elbow in white
cloth.
He winced in memory, his own actions sickening him, but turned his attention
to where in the hell he was.
He sat up in the bed he was in, as apparently he was, and looked about
briefly, running a hand through his exposed hair, his turban amiss.
He gathered he was in a medical bay, a warm, white walled room, the walls
trimmed with gold, he looked past the foot of the bed he was laying in and
saw a halfway open door, where a stoic, all too familiar sentry was posted.
Palace sentry that is.
Mozenrath groaned and let his head fall back on the pillow.
"I left my love, forgot my dreams
I lost them along the way"
Oh, but what did it matter?
This was all just part of this tireless habitual, a play he was given a
charity part in.
But something hit him as closed his eyes disinterestedly; his sleep, it was
odd.
There were no dreams.
His gaze darted more intently about the room, suddenly a lot more paranoid,
then growled out a sigh as he saw an all too familiar face, that was beaming
amusedly as he said,
"Oh no, not you".
"Those little things you say
When words mean so much"
"Nice to see you too Moze." Aladdin quipped with his trademark grin.
Mozenrath rolled his eyes at the exasperating shortening of his name.
"So when should I be expecting the swarms of guards and Genie power to
descend upon me?"
Aladdin rolled his eyes in turn,
"Depends Mozenrath."
Curiosity unwillingly piqued, Mozenrath replied,
" On what?"
Aladdin's grin couldn't have been more pleased,
"On how long it takes you to realize you've got your gauntlet on"
Mozenrath looked down in surprise to see his aforementioned gauntlet was
still on its customary place on his arm, surprised because he was usually
stripped of it when the opportunity arose.
But he regained his bearings as he was twinged by Aladdin's amusement at his
expense.
" Well, I guess you really are as foolish as I thought. What makes you think
I wont fry you right here?"
"You never back down
And they all shy away"
Aladdin was taken aback by the cold offense in Mozenrath's voice, reminded,
always reminded even in their routine back and forth, but wasn't to be put
down that easily.
"If you wanted to kill me, you would have done it a long time ago."
Mozenrath snorted half heartedly, covering the impact Aladdin's words had.
"You're too trusting for your own good, Aladdin"
Aladdin shrugged.
"Maybe"
Wholeheartedly intent on ignoring their past transgressions, Mozenrath felt
the full assault of Aladdin's blunt perusal.
"Why do you want to hold on?"
"You always listen to me"
"Excuse me?"
Aladdin leaned forward in his chair, narrowing his stare as Mozenrath
shifted in his seat higher to overcome the uncomfortable feeling it brought
on.
"When I came to the Citadel before you were brought here, I had with me a
potion Gen- a friend gave me that would get rid of select memories. But
finding you like I did,"
Mozenrath scowled, breaking his resolve as he looked away.
"- I kind of had to bring you here, I'm no doctor. But I sort of persuaded
Genie, when you were here but still out, to try and remove them himself, he
said he could do it." he said in a guilty voice, rubbing the back of his
neck self consciously, smiling nervously.
He added quickly, however, when he saw Mozenrath jump to his feet, enraged
and turning several attractive shades of scarlet, fully prepared to maim and
throttle,
"But even unconsciously, you fought his efforts. You want to remember don't
you?"
"And what do I get to get me through these sleepless nights?
And what do I have to hold when no one's there to hold me tight"
Mozenrath gaped at Aladdin for a moment, floored, thunderstruck and
generally crackling like the calm before the storm.
Aladdin realized this would be a good time to stand up himself.
"How dare you!!!"
Aladdin could tell Mozenrath was about to work himself into a frenzy, and
jumped up to defend his actions.
"Look, I was only trying to help!"
"Help?!? And how is anything concerning me any of your business?!? What part
of that makes sense to you?!?"
Aladdin threw up his hands in aggravation.
"I should have known! It's just like you to turn a favor into an offense!"
"Favor? If you need to play the hero, Aladdin, and some "good deed" to make
yourself feel good, leave me out of it!"
Aladdin looked at him bewildered, pointing back wildly.
"If it wasn't for me, you'd still be bleeding to death back in the Citadel!"
Mozenrath reddened in the shame of being caught, but refused to back down in
his barrage of Aladdin's gall.
"And what do I see?
The only thing that gets me through this
is what I feel
And I feel you"
"Damn it Aladdin! Why wont you leave me out of your damn heroics! I don't
need it and I don't want it! Aren't you busy enough rescuing your damsel in
distress?" he added scathingly.
Aladdin growled out defensively at the mention of Jasmine, his instinctual
protection of her in any form taking over.
"Don't you dare drag Jasmine into something that doesn't concern her!"
Mozenrath resisted the urge to stamp his foot.
"And this ain't no bed of nails
But there not roses just the same"
"Why in the hell are you talking like you're even involved!! Since when did
my business become yours?!?!"
" You let your past control you! How am I supposed to ignore that! Geeez
Mozenrath, you're wallowing in your own misery!"
Aladdin immediately had to dodge a blast to his head.
"What the fuck do you know? You have no idea," his voice cracked a bit,
"Have no idea how anything felt. Everything was handed to you to escape you
past. Not all of us get fairy tale endings dumped into our laps".
"God this road sure can be long
another endless day,
Another seven hundred miles that'll take me further from my home"
Aladdin turned red with anger,
" Your going to try and bring down what I've been through?" but just as he
looked like he was going to continue, he stopped with a tired sigh, rubbing
his temples and closing his eyes.
" Look Mozenrath, Its no wonder I don't know how anything felt. Do you know
why? Because you have hardened yourself so much to life in general you wont
let anyone in."
" I really am flattered by your attentions Aladdin, really, but I can't help
but wonder if your pushing it…" Mozenrath said, turning to a favorite weapon
of his, sarcasm.
"Those little things you say
When words mean so much
You never back down
And they all shy away
You always listen to me"
But Aladdin refused to heed the warning in Mozenrath's voice and his
gauntlet, crackling ominously, and pressed further on, unknowingly pressing
buttons neither knew existed.
"Nobody's past is perfect Mozenrath, but people get beyond it. Did you ever
even try?"
"And what do I care to get me through these sleepless nights
And what do I have to hold when no one's there to hold me tight"
Mozenrath stared back at him, more indignant, more punctured by those words
than anything else the street rat had ever said.
His next words were very quiet, very quiet indeed, and in the manner they
splintered Aladdin to silence, he knew he had indeed "pushed it".
" You have no idea do you?" Mozenrath said softly, looking at Aladdin like
he was just now seeing him.
When Aladdin didn't respond, he stepped a bit closer, looking down at his
nemesis from his greater height, and one of them realized how serious the
odds were, the ratios between them.
"And what do I see the only thing that gets me through this is I feel and I
feel you"
"I wonder if you and your little rose tinted ideals and notions would live
shoved into my world." He said almost thoughtfully, leaving the dangling
note at the end serve its purpose.
" You underestimate too much Moze" Aladdin answered in the same tone,
disposing of his own note of suggestion, something that was new and raw,
unexpected in the vulnerability and danger of the situation.
"Really?" Mozenrath asked with a disturbing smirk, suddenly gripping
Aladdin's collar in his fist.
Aladdin fought was jerked out of the mood of the moment, that odd exchange
of something more than words as his feet dangled a bit off the ground.
He grabbed the hand that held him and attempted to wrench it off.
There was a flash of gold and a yell of pain.
"Oh no, not again."
Jasmine skidded to halt in the smooth stone of the palace hallway, running
and panting for breathe, but pursue by the shouts and crashes emanating from
the medical bay.
She never should have let Aladdin bring Mozenrath here.
Why didn't he listen to her?
She pushed her way past the guards and Genie, Carpet And Abu at the doorway
of the small room, and did a little gasp.
Aladdin and Mozenrath were passed out, side by side, on the floor.
"And what do I care to get me through these sleepless nights
And what do I have to hold when no one's there to hold me tight
And what do I see the only thing that gets me through this is I feel and I
feel you"
Dean