Author's note: Sorry for the long wait! The format has changed a little, so thoughts are in italics. I've also decided on a voice actress for the twins. Since they're identical and have the same vocal chords, I picture them both being voiced by Hirano Aya. Faith's voice is a slightly deeper/lower pitch than Hope's. So Hope sounds like Lucy Heartfilia, and Faith sounds like Suzumiya Haruhi. If you prefer an English voice actress, then think Cherami Leigh. Thanks! I hope you enjoy the update!

Previously:

"Thieving is always wrong!? I was naïve!" Sinbad yelled, angry with himself for the statement he had made in his callous ignorance of the situation. "You know what has happened, don't you? The miserable condition this country is in… starving mothers… young girls armed with weapons… a corrupt nobility… You've already seen it all! Don't you have an compassion!? Are you not human!?" he demanded sternly.

'Ehhhh!?' Ja'far thought, breaking out in a nervous sweat as he gaped at his king in shock. The thieves were all staring at him and Sinbad with equally stunned expressions on their faces. "Of course… Me too…! I feel the same!" he said, wondering how and why he had suddenly become the bad guy here.

"You see!?" Sinbad said hotly as he turned away. "After seeing the state of this country, and that stupid, selfish king I thought this: I would rather help these people who clearly know that they don't stand a chance, but still won't give up fighting for what little they have!" he declared strongly. "Do you want my help?" he asked the Troupe. The thieves gasped. He could see from the looks on most of their faces that they did. "Then let me join your Fog Troupe!!"

The thieves began to talk anxiously amongst themselves. To them his proposal was so incredible, so inconceivable, they had a hard time believing it. They started saying things like "What!? A king join a group of thieves!?", "What's that guy thinking?", and "Did he go crazy!?"

Cassim grit his teeth and furrowed his brow, wearing a bitter expression on his face. 'What kind of joke is this… I will not be fooled,' he thought.

"What is it Aladdin?" Morgiana asked when she heard him laugh softly.

"Mister Sinbad is so interesting," Aladdin said with a smile. The rukh around the unusual king were very bright and clear.

"Yes, that's one word for it," Hope agreed wryly with a smile. She wondered if this had been his intention all along, ever since they encountered that group of desperate civilians the other night.

"He really knows how to steal the show," Faith said with a grin. "I was worried how things were gonna turn out for bit, but that really surprised me! Like something out of a movie!"

"Yes," Aladdin agreed, even though he had never seen one, "although he is a weird person, I know he'll definitely become really famous in the future! I wonder, had he already planned all of this from the start?" He could tell by the look in her eyes that Hope was thinking the same. "Anyway, whenever Sinbad ojii-san speaks, the people around him are unable to ignore him."

While the four friends chatted over the marvelous turn of events, Masrur silently gave a few comforting pats on the back to poor, frazzled Ja'far.

Chapter 45: Alibaba and Ahbmad

"So anyway, will you acknowledge me as a member, Alibaba-kun?" Sinbad asked boldly.

Alibaba stared at Sinbad in disbelief. He could hear the Troupe members around him saying things like "What exactly is he thinking!? That old man…" That's what he wanted to know. "… Sorry, but… I don't see myself as still being so naïve that I'd believe you. What are you planning?" Alibaba asked the king warily. "The king of a country directly intervening with another country's domestic affairs—you definitely have an ulterior motive, don't you?"

"… All I want to do is help the citizens of this country," Sinbad insisted evenly. "However, even if I say this, you probably won't believe me." Alibaba narrowed his eyes and stared hard at him in response. "Well, then…" the king said, moving to kneel down before the prince on his level. "If you want me to cite another reason for joining… It would be to stop the 'abnormalities' of the world!" he stated seriously.

"Abnormalities of… the world…!?" the thieves gasped.

Aladdin's eyes widened slightly.

Hope furrowed her brow a little, wondering what he could mean by that.

"… Okay, I'm lost," Faith admitted frankly. "What are these so-called 'abnormalities of the world'?" she asked, making air quotes with her fingers.

"You may be unaware of this, but in recent years, this world has been struck by chaos," Sinbad replied.

"…" Aladdin and Hope were pretty sure they had heard something similar before.

"!" Aladdin gasped when he remembered his private conversation with Hakuei and how she had mentioned that the world was currently afflicted by abnormalities. All around the world, there were many wars and dangers. Like the one that almost broke out between the Kou Empire and the Kouga clan.

Hope's lips formed a small frown when she recalled how Kouen had told her a little about all the recent wars and increase in poverty in many parts of the world.

Could that be what he meant?

"In particular, 'abnormalities' mean wars and poverty, and deepening discrimination. The world has been thrown into overwhelming turmoil…" Sinbad continued, confirming their suspicions. "As king of Sindria, I am concerned about this problem. This situation fills me with sorrow. With a rising population of refugees and the huge blow to its economy, this country has suffered enough. That is why this time, I want to solve one of the 'abnormalities of the world'—the internal strife of Balbadd. What do you say to that?"

Alibaba was astounded and confused. What do I… What is this guy thinking of…!? he wondered, feeling bewildered. All of a sudden he's saying the world's… He's clearly more dominant, so why does he still ask for my opinions…?

"Don't be fooled by him!" Cassim shouted, standing up again.

"Cassim!!" Alibaba gasped.

Cassim glared at Sinbad. "I won't be fooled… as a 'king,' how can he just commit himself to be our 'comrade'? All you royalty and high-class bastards trample on us lowlifes to survive!! You're actually just eager for us filthy, poor and inferior people to die from starvation and rot, right!?" he accused bitterly with a sneer. "You just want to live your lives in luxury! Am I wrong? Sinbad-san…" Before he could say another word, Ja'far's rope darts shot straight past his face, close enough to graze his cheek. The darts hit the floor with enough force to crack the target and bury themselves deep into the roof. "Wha… What!?" Cassim cried in alarm, falling back into a sitting position.

"Shut up," Ja'far said with an eerily calm expression on his face while he pulled his weapon back and advanced towards the callous thief. "You have no idea what Sin has gone through all this time… what kind of wounds he has sustained… or how much he's had to sacrifice for others…" Ja'far grabbed Cassim by the front of his tunic and held one of his darts over him in his hand. "You know nothing, you ignorant thief!" He moved to stab him, but was stopped when a strong hand grabbed the lower half of the dart.

"Stop it, Ja'far," Sinbad ordered calmly, keeping a firm grip on the dart while he knelt beside Ja'far.

"!" Ja'far gasped when he saw the blood dripping from Sinbad's hand. He flinched and immediately withdrew when he realized that his actions had caused his king to get hurt, and what he had been about to do. It was too easy to fall back into old habits when he was angry. "… My apologies!" he said earnestly.

"Ok," Sinbad said with a nod, glad to see that he had calmed down. Ja'far immediately started digging through his sleeves in search of some emergency first-aid supplies.

"Okay… I'll listen to you! Just knock it off," Alibaba said anxiously, rushing to stand protectively between them and Cassim. "So what do we do now!?"

"So you're willing to let me join? Thanks," Sinbad said, giving him a smile, while Ja'far bandaged his injured hand.

Don't think they really had much of a choice… the twins thought.

"Ja'far-oniisan can be scary," Aladdin said while beads of sweat rolled down the sides of his, Morgiana, and the twins' faces.

"Sometimes…" Masrur agreed.

I hope his wound isn't deep, Hope thought, frowning with concern. Not only because that had to hurt, but a cut on his hand could affect his ability to fight. It was good that Sinbad stopped Ja'far, but she wished he would've grabbed his wrist instead.

"Then, without further ado," Sinbad said, "Alibaba, let's take action immediately."

"Action?" Alibaba asked. What kind of action?

"You'll come to Balbadd's palace with me," Sinbad stated confidently.

"!?" Alibaba and the Troupe gasped, staring at him in shock.

"Comrades, my ass," Cassim snapped. "In the end, you just want to hand Alibaba over to the palace!!"

"That's not it. We're going there for negotiations," Sinbad said calmly. "Alibaba, didn't you say before? 'I'll get support from the citizens first, then reveal my identity, before negotiating with Ahbmad.' Now is the time to take action."

"?" Alibaba said, taken aback. Where did he hear that?? he wondered. The only ones he had told about that outside the Fog Troupe were Aladdin, Morgiana, Faith, and Hope.

"You've already succeeded in gaining the people's support," Sinbad continued. "And, as a king, I'll vouch for your identity as prince. You can just reveal your identity to the people. This way, you can use your status as leader of the 'Fog Troupe' and as the third prince of Balbadd to negotiate with Ahbmad."

"But…" Alibaba said, looking unsure of himself as he stared down at the ground.

"Are you afraid you won't be recognized?" Sinbad asked.

"…" Alibaba was quiet.

"Don't worry, you truly are a prince," Sinbad reassured him with a smile, placing a hand on his chest. "Your father was an old acquaintance of mine. He's talked about you with me before."

"What!?" Alibaba gasped and raised his head to look up at him in surprise.

"Yes… You resemble the previous king closely," Sinbad said. "You are, without a doubt, a prince of Balbadd. Isn't that why you carry… such heavy responsibilities?" he asked, adopting a serious expression while he looked the young prince in the eye. He could tell from the expression on the boy's face that his words resonated with Alibaba. "What do you think, Cassim?" Sinbad asked, turning his attention to the prince's partner in crime. "If the negotiations are successful, the lives of the people in the slums will be guaranteed. Isn't that what you were hoping for?"

"…" Cassim continued to stare at the king with narrowed eyes, a furrowed brow, a frown, and an extremely jaded look on his face.

"…" Hope glanced from him to Alibaba, who still hadn't given Sinbad an answer. He didn't look like he had much confidence in himself.

Aladdin noticed this, too. "Go on, Alibaba," he said. "There's nothing to fear." Alibaba raised his head again and turned to look at him. "You're a brave person, I know it!!"

"Yeah, you act like a ditz most of the time, but you're really reliable when it counts!!" Faith added with a grin, giving him a hardy slap on the back.

"I don't want to hear that from you!" Alibaba said with a vein throbbing on his forehead. But he straightened up with a determined look on his face and pulled himself together, gaining courage from his friends' encouragement.

Hope smiled. "Then, the first thing we need to do… is inform the public," she said. "I think it will help show how important this issue is to the people if we can have them gather in a large crowd where the king can see them. It's harder to turn a blind eye when the problem is standing right in front of you."

"That's just what I was thinking," Sinbad said with the hint of a smirk.

That day, major news circulated through Balbadd. The leader of the 'Fog Troupe,' 'Wonder Man Alibaba' was actually the third prince of Balbadd, and would enter the palace alone for negotiations. People gathered before the palace at noon to wait for the result of the meeting, entrusting all of their hopes for the future to this negotiation between the leader of the anti-government group and the king. The roar of the crowd was so loud that Alibaba and Sinbad could hear it clearly through the open windows in the palace as they stood before King Ahbmad.

"… Ah…" Ahbmad sighed, resting his large head on one hand while he lounged languidly on his throne. "So it was you, Sinbad-ojiisan, who caused this uproar. I requested for the 'Fog Troupe' to be captured, but instead you stirred up trouble."

"I'll leave the negotiations to you brothers," Sinbad said. "I have a principle of not meddling with other countries' domestic affairs."

"You still have the cheek to say that! Haven't you meddled enough already!!?" Ahbmad shouted indignantly with several veins throbbing on his head while he pointed accusingly at the other king.

"Here, Prince Alibaba, say it," Sinbad said, encouraging the young prince to step forward. "Don't you have many concerns to raise?"

"Le-Let's listen… Onii-sama…" Sahbmad whispered anxiously in his brother's ear from his position behind the throne. He was already dripping with nervous sweat. "A-Alibaba is a sensible person… I-I know this as a fact."

"…" Ahbmad frowned but didn't say anything to stop Alibaba when he began moving carefully towards the throne.

"… Ahbmad-oniisan…" Alibaba said, stopping to stand a respectable distance away from his half brothers. He kept his head lowered. "You should know it, too, but the incident of the palace treasury was caused by me… and you could even say I was the cause of Father's death… I know… that I've committed crimes that could never be forgiven… But… why did the Fog Troupe pillage the palace treasury? Why are the people crowding around the palace right now? Please think about it! The feelings of your citizens! The administration now… is causing the poor to suffer! I understand this, because I, myself, grew up in the slums! Your people are suffering to death right now!" he said earnestly, raising his head to look at them. "This is the reason for my presence here today. Ahbmad-oniisan, I'm asking you as king! Promise me you'll do everything in your power to ensure the citizens' livelihood! If you do that, I'll disband the 'Fog Troupe,'" he declared seriously with a grave expression on his face.

Ahbmad remained unmoved. "Is that all you have to say?" He tapped his scepter against the floor, signaling for the royal guards to surround Alibaba and block him from coming any closer.

"!?" Alibaba said, surprised when they crossed their spears to push him back. "Wait!!" he yelled, struggling to hold his ground. "You still haven't…"

"You're out of line!" Ahbmad said disdainfully.

"What?" Alibaba said, staring up at him with wide eyes.

"It is insulting that a thief is actually speaking to a king," Ahbmad continued. "Someone of such lowly origins as you, how dare you speak to the rightful king without permission! As I am Ahbmad Saluja, 23rd king of Balbadd, a thief like you has no right to speak to me." Ahbmad narrowed his eyes at the pathetic trash standing before him. "I have never once recognized a foundling from the slums as my younger brother! Do not forget, without the protection of the King of Sindria, you would have lost your head already!"

"…!" Alibaba furrowed his brow and grit his teeth in anger and frustration.

"Get out now, I don't feel well…" Ahbmad ordered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's because of all those maggots swarming outside the palace…"

For a moment, Alibaba was completely dumbstruck by his brother's insensitive words, but his shock quickly exploded into anger on behalf of his people. "DON'T SCREW AROUND!!!" he roared furiously with veins pulsing on his forehead. "As someone who insults his own citizens like that!! You have no right to be king!! Absolutely none!!" He was so fierce that he made the royal guards flinch, and many of them had beads of nervous sweat sliding down their faces.

"Hm? What on earth is all this ruckus about?" An unfamiliar voice asked from the side.

"Oh, you're back, Banker!" Ahbmad said, looking past Alibaba to the veiled man by the door.

"Wow! More people showed up than I expected!" Faith said, pleasantly surprised. The cheering crowd they were standing in outside the palace extended from its gates down into the rest of the city.

"It goes to show how high the people's expectations are for Alibaba," Hope said. "And how hopeless they feel about the current king." She hoped seeing them would give Alibaba the courage he needed to stand up to his half brothers.

"Do you think Alibaba's going to be okay?" Aladdin asked.

"It all depends on whether Balbadd's king will agree to recognize him…" Hope said.

"You don't think he will?" Faith asked.

"Since Alibaba-san has this many people supporting him, he should be fine," Morgiana said.

"Yes, that's right," Aladdin agreed with a smile.

I hope that's the case, Hope thought. She wouldn't be surprised if they rejected him. She remembered from her world's history that King George had ignored several petitions and most of the delegates sent by a young America, making the colonists feel they had no choice but to resort to a more violent revolution…

"Where are the other members of the 'Fog Troupe'?" Aladdin asked when he noticed that some people who should have been there with them were missing.

"They seem to have returned already…" Morgiana said.

"I see…" Aladdin said.

"You'd think they'd be the most anxious to see how the negotiations went down…" Faith said with a small frown.

"…" Hope frowned, too. She was concerned about Cassim. She didn't think he seemed as happy to accept the plan to try to bring this conflict to a peaceful end as he should have been. In fact, she had the distinct feeling that he may even resent it.

"Ah~ Why are there so many people here… If I had known, I would have brought my carpet," A young man dressed in black mumbled while he pushed his way forward from the back. "How troublesome~, why don't I drive all of them away!?" He took another step forward and released a wave of black rukh to scare off anyone sharp enough to sense it.

Hope felt a sudden chill, and Aladdin's eyes widened when he passed them. The young magi could see an enormous swarm of black rukh swirled around the ominous stranger. Hope couldn't see it, but she could feel ill intentions rolling off him in large waves, and she didn't like it.

What was that? Aladdin wondered. For just a second now… I thought that man looked like a black sun…