Hey AnimePrincess069 here! This is my first fanfic ever and I decided to write it because the Magi anime doesn't get as much love as it should, and there's not a lot of stories out there with Ja'far and an OC. And since this is my first fanfic, it may be a bit rough around the edges, which I apologize for in advance.I will also try to update weekly but that may change when school starts up again. Anyway, here's the Prologue for my story Amani! I hope you like it!
"Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory" - Dr. Seuss
Prologue
My first memory of Papa was of the day he left when I was a one year old. Apparently, he had been charged with treason because he housed a soldier from Reim and conspired against the Empire. But my big brother Sinbad said that it was all just a big misunderstanding. From what I can remember, soldiers in green and white uniforms were holding Papa at the entrance of the village. I was in Mama's arms when she and Sinbad ran over to him. I don't remember much of what was said at that moment but at some point, Mama slowly began to fall to her knees on the ground next to Sinbad. As I looked up at them, I realized they were both crying. When I began to cry as well, I took notice of the 'golden birds' that flew around us as if to try to soothe us. I momentarily stopped crying to stare at them in wonder as some of them stopped in front of my face. 'It's time to say bye-bye' they said. When I began to cry harder, one of them landed on my nose and said, 'He isn't leaving forever, only for a little while'. After hearing that, my wailing was reduced to sniffling and with a tear-streaked face and as much determination that a one-year-old could muster, I began to wiggle in Mama's arms to be let down so I could go to Papa. She tried to keep me in her arms, but with her emotional distress and me moving around so much, her arms lost their hold on me. After I slid down and my feet touched the ground, I grabbed onto the front of her dress and noticed that she had her teary eyes on me. I then reached out with one hand and wiped some of the tears from her face. When she stopped crying, I let go of her dress and slowly walked towards Papa. Sin said that at that moment everyone stopped what they were doing to look at me 1. Because I just took my first steps, and 2. Because I looked like I was on a mission with that 'cute, determined look on my face'. When I finally reached Papa, I looked up at him, put my arms up, and got on my tippy toes to tell him that I wanted him to pick me up when I lost my balance. After he overcame his shock, he quickly grabbed me before I could fall face first to the ground while adjusting his wooden cane. I buried my face into his neck and wrapped my stubby arms around his neck as soon as he grabbed me. With tears running down my face, I took a deep breath and inhaled his scent that I would later recognize as a mix of sandalwood and the ocean. As I pulled away from the hug, I gave Papa a kiss on the cheek, looked into his golden eyes and said 'bye-bye'. I remember his eyes widened in shock as if he just realized something and then he smiled when my chubby fingers grabbed onto his dark purple hair. As he tried to put me down, I let out a whine but didn't resist him. When my feet finally touched the ground again, I stood there and looked up at him. I knew he had to go, but I wanted him to stay for just a little while longer. I stood there for a few moments with it becoming obvious that I wouldn't move when Sin came up behind me and picked me up. With tears at the corners of his eyes, he said, 'Papa has to go now, but I'll protect you and Mama I promise!'. With that said he turned around and walked back to Mama, and I looked back to Papa as he smiled at us. As I smiled back, my eyelids began to droop from emotional exhaustion, and the rest of that day became a blur.
A few months later, a casket with Papa's sword in it was delivered to the house to notify us of his death. After looking into the box, I began to whimper when I saw something glowing in the corner of my eye. When I turned my attention to a corner of the room where I saw the 'golden birds' converging, I widened my eyes in astonishment. There in the midst of them stood Papa smiling at me. I turned around with a smile on my face to look at Mama and Sin who were still crying and figured that they probably didn't notice him yet. That's when I walked over to them, pulled on their sleeves and pointed to the corner where Papa was to show them that there was no reason to cry because Papa was still here. But they just looked at me in confusion with tear-stained faces and pulled me in for a group hug. When they finally released me, I looked back to the corner and papa was gone.
Over the years, I eventually realized that no one else in my family could see the 'golden birds' as I could. Through my conversations with the 'golden birds' or rukh as they call themselves, I was able to learn more about my ability, how rare it was, and how dangerous it could be for others to know of it. Which is why I decided to keep my ability a secret from everyone, including my family, to protect them. Because if there's anything that I learned from seeing papa in the rukh that day, it's that the death of a loved one hurts because 'this life' we live goes on without them and things can never go back to the way they use to be with them in it.