Ok, another fairly big chapter. And more reviews!

curlystruggle - So I actually hadn't seen that meme before you pointed it out but then I looked it up and she did, didn't she?! That made my day

IsraAl'Attia-Theron - Yeah, poor Yunan... he just makes it too easy. As for how things will progress between her and Sinbad and how she affects the story... Mwahahahaha, it'll be fun. I'm pretty sure we'll be departing from canon soon so we'll see.

Dame Amaryllis - Thanks so much! Aatiq/Raida is definitely a fun character to write too. I'm happy you like the story, hope you continue to enjoy it!

Lalal768 - Yayyy, thanks!

Jenny - Aww, thanks so much! That's really great to hear and I'm so glad you like it!

I love reviews. I really do. Please, please, if you haven't already, or even if you have, leave a review! They make my day! Thanks so much to those who have already reviewed, you guys are the best! Anyway, on with the chapter!

~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~

I was exploring the streets when the brat ran into me. Or did I run into him? I wasn't sure.

One moment, I was walking and the next, something thudded against my legs and I looked down to see a kid on the floor in front of me.

"Hmm?" I blinked, crouching low to meet his gaze. The kid flushed bright red and avoided my eyes. "Hey brat, what are you doing out here alone?"

The kid didn't reply at first so, after a moment of waiting, I held out my hand to help him up.

"Well?" I prompted once we were both on our feet.

"I... lowing... ther," he muttered something softly. I frowned.

"You gotta speak up, brat," I commanded. "Answering won't mean a thing if I can't hear you."

"I was following my brother," the kid murmured, a bit louder this time, "but I lost him."

"So you're lost then," I concluded.

"No," he protested at a much better volume before quietening again. "No, I was looking for him but I can't find him."

I hummed thoughtfully. "Do you think he'd head home by now? Or would he be looking for you?"

The kid shook his head. "He didn't know I followed him."

"Ok," I shrugged. "Well, how about you head home then. He's bound to show up sooner or later."

"O-Ok," he stammered.

Nobody moved. He didn't move. I didn't move because I was waiting for him to move. Now that I think about it, he may have been waiting for me to move. Either way, nobody was moving and we were just standing there, wasting precious moments of our goddamn lives.

For Solomon's sake...

When it became evident that nothing was happening, I rolled my eyes in exasperation. "Come on. I'll walk you but I don't know where you live so you'll have to lead."

Holding my hand out to him seemed to break his stupor and the boy took it hesitantly. I filled the silence as he began to lead the way home.

"So, brat, what's your name?"

"Huh? O-Oh, uh, I'm Spartos."

"Cool. You can call me Raida."

~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~

"Raida!"

I jolted in surprise as hands grasped at my arm. The bags in my fingers nearly slipped free as my friend came into view, seemingly very excited.

"Omaira?" I blinked, regaining my grip quickly enough. "Geez, calm down. You nearly made me drop the groceries that you sent me to get, remember?"

"But I have gossip," Omaira whined. Still, she let go, instead taking one of the heavier bags to help lighten the load. I adjusted the other bags into a better position and resumed walking as she fell into step beside me.

"Well then, gossip away," I remarked.

"There's a new group of foreigners in Sasan," Omaira launched into her story quickly. I smirked knowingly.

Omaira may be a mere waitress but she was the heart of all gossip in the kingdom of Sasan. She was the kind who could make friends no matter where she went. It was because of this that she was able to worm her way into being my friend so quickly and it was because of this that she was able to slip me through the whole foreigner-local barrier so easily. No one spoke against me as a foreigner because no one wanted to upset Omaira.

It was also because of her vast network of friends that she was always one of the first to hear the best gossip in the kingdom.

"Apparently, they're merchants looking to establish some sort of base or something in Sasan but they were totally shut down and-" Omaira rambled.

I cut her off quickly, knowing that she could get caught up in details easily. I wasn't interested in the little stuff.

"So what?" I chuckled. "People enter Sasan practically every other day hoping to establish roots only to be turned away. That's not gossip."

Omaira pouted. "Hey, Raida, you're so impatient. Let me finish at least."

"Alright, alright," I backed off, smiling cheekily.

"Anyway," she huffed, "it's more exciting than that because they managed to make a big scene in front of the Knight-King!"

I faltered.

"What, really?" I gaped. "Who would be that daft?! Even I know not to make so much of a fuss if I don't want to be driven out of the kingdom and I don't exactly have the best self-control..."

I frowned.

Actually, now that I think about it, this particular brand of stupidity sounds pretty familiar...

"Yeah, I know right! That's what I said!" Omaira continued excitedly. "It was some weird, purple-haired guy too and he was accompanied by this huge blue-haired guy and this tiny freckled kid."

I resisted the urge to groan, instead letting my head slump forward in exasperation.

Of course it was them. Who else but them could be so utterly moronic...?

"They made a fuss at the front gate of the knights' order earlier today too. They seem funny," Omaira hummed, a satisfied aura about her now that she had successfully shared the gossip with someone. She seemed oblivious to the dark cloud of sheer vexation surrounding me.

Those freakin' idiots... What were they expecting to happen? Though, Jafar and Hinahoho were probably the more reasonable ones in their group, so it was likely that a majority of the fault laid with Sinbad. As always.

"Hey, Omaira," I spoke up. "Do you think you could sneak me into some of the foreigner bars tonight?"

"Oh?" Omaira perked up curiously. "Sure, no problem."

She paused in realisation and sent me a sly side glance. "Say, could you possible want to meet these guys? Oh, that's so you Raida, always so adventurous. Just don't go causing too much trouble!"

"Actually," I sighed, "I'm pretty sure I know the imbeciles."

"Ehh? Really?!" Omaira's golden-brown eyes went wide in surprise. "Do you really?! Spill, Raida, spill! I need details!"

"Relax, they're not all that," I moaned, drifting away from her as she suddenly filled with energy. I felt exhausted just at the thought of them and the messes they get into.

"I'll go with you and meet them!"

"Absolutely not! I don't want you catching their stupidity!"

"Raida!"

"No!"

~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~

It took over an hour to convince her to stay home. After all, I refused to risk her meeting them and being drawn into whatever those morons were about to start in Sasan.

Red hair. Silver steel. A mountain carved by lightning.

Luckily, there weren't that many foreigner bars in Sasan. I found them in the second bar I checked, boisterously enjoying themselves with... was that the Knight-King's son?

Yeah, their cheerfulness made much more sense now.

As I drew closer, I realised Sinbad was telling him stories about his adventures so far.

Well, this was as good a way to catch up with them as anyway. Avoiding their attention, I edged around the bar and took a seat nearby, just far enough to be looked over as they went on talking but close enough to hear everything.

It wasn't until near the end that I announced myself.

"So you met and befriended the King of Balbadd, huh? Impressive," I complimented.

"Certainly, miss," Sinbad exclaimed, too caught up in his storytelling to really pay attention to whoever had just spoken.

Jafar noticed first. He froze, gaping like a fish out of water in her direction.

Blue noticed pretty quickly too, pointing at me in shock. "A-A-A-A-Aatiq!"

Sinbad froze in shock at his exclamation, twisting to see me smiling in their direction. Unfortunately, he ended up losing balance and toppling from the table. There's the idiot I know.

"Didn't Rurumu teach you that pointing's rude, Blue?" I teased.

"Aatiq?" Their sole audience member wondered aloud. "No, no, that's not Aatiq. That's Raida."

"Mystras Leoxses," I greeted coolly. "I see you're running around breaking the rules again."

The boy flushed and avoided my gaze. "I, uh..."

"Though, judging by the constant blushing and glances that the barmaid keeps sneaking at Ponytail, I'm guessing he already charmed her into letting you stick around for a bit," I deduced. "Don't worry too much. I break the rules far too often to be turning you in or anything."

"You two know each other," Jafar questioned, looking fairly confused. At this point, I stood and made my way to their table.

"Yeah, Mystras here has a penchant for cornering foreigners," I explained, much to the redhead's embarrassment. "He found me on my second night here, wanted to know about all the places I'd visited so far. Of course, we only talked for about twenty minutes before he got dragged off."

"I just really want to know about the outside world," Mystoras protested. "I don't corner fore-"

"He's a total dork," I finished, helping myself to their food.

I paused, mouth full, as a hand landed heavily on my shoulder. I slowly peered over my shoulder as a shadow loomed over me.

"A little walk, huh?" Sinbad chuckled darkly and I swallowed my food, blinking curiously at him.

"What are you going on about now, Ponytail?" I grumbled around another mouthful.

"You said a little walk!" Sinbad yelled, shaking me like a ragdoll in rage. "If you wanted to leave, you couldn't let us know so we didn't worry about you!"

I quickly put an end to that shit by digging my fist harshly into his head, forcing him to drop me with a yelp of pain. "Oi, stop that, ya little- huh?"

I stopped, his words registering in my head. "Wait, you were worried?"

"Of course we were, idiot," Sinbad exclaimed. Jafar and Hinahoho nodded in agreement too and I blinked. "Did you really think we wouldn't be?!"

So many visions, so much future... and she never saw herself.

"Oh," I said dumbly. "Well, yeah. I guess I did."

Sinbad faltered, caught off guard by my answer.

"Moron," Jafar scoffed in his place. "How could you think otherwise?"

"What made you leave without telling us anyway?" Blue inquired.

I frowned defensively and jabbed a thumb in Sinbad's direction. "Well, he spouted all this crap about us being allies and kept trying to drag me into his country, so I figured he wouldn't like me leaving! So I didn't say anything, less drama that way."

Sinbad sulked. "Don't blame this all on me!"

"Well, no harm done I guess," Jafar said slowly.

Blue agreed. "Yeah, just don't forget to let us know if you want to go off on your own again. You really did give us a scare."

I pursed my lips. "Brats. Fine, I'll let you guys know next time I take off, ok? No big deal."

I ignored the warm feeling welling up in my chest as they finally seemed satisfied. I left before any of them that night.

~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~

It took a day for them to stuff everything up. I don't know how they did it or, really, how they keep doing it but they have a talent for it.

All I knew is that the next day, a familiar little redhead brat came running up to me in a panic.

This should be a new record.

"Spartos?" I frowned, surprised at the kid's sudden appearance. Since that day not even two weeks ago, when I'd first walked him home, he'd shown up every now and again. Sometimes, he'd have been following his brother but also sometimes he came to visit me. The kid was stressed for his age, that much was obvious.

I liked the brat. He was cute.

"R-Raida," he stammered hurriedly, tugging on my sleeve desperately. "You have to help him! You said you could fight, right? Help my brother, please!"

"Kid, calm down," I took his hand and placed my other one of his shoulder. "Use actual words."

"I didn't know who else to go to!" Spartos wailed. "My brother's challenging the Knight-King so he can leave the Sasan Knights! They'll kill him!"

I took a brief moment to compose myself - those goddamn simpletons - before giving him a firm nod.

"Ok, Kid, lead the way."

~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~

Mystras had already fought his way through the Knights and was loudly challenging the Knight-King when we arrived.

I wasn't too worried, as I spotted Sinbad and company nearby. If Sinbad was here, then things would go as they needed.

Or he would fuck everything up even more so than he already did.

No, no, future king, remember? It'll be fine.

Ah, who am I kidding? We're all doomed...

Spartos tugged on my hand hastily, pulling me towards the fight. I stayed where I was, instead using his tight grip to keep him close to me and out of the way.

"I thought you would help fight," he cried out when it became clear that I wasn't going to intervene.

"Hey, your brother's pretty strong, right?" I questioned. He hesitated and I repeated myself.

"Y-Yeah..." he mumbled.

"And he really wants to go explore the world, right?" I asked.

"Yeah..."

"Then shouldn't he at least get a chance to fight for his dream?" I continued with a convincing smile (pretty words, just like-). He gave my hand one last tug before giving in completely, shooting one last look at the fight as Mystoras charged at his father.

I bobbed down to the brat's height and laid a hand on his head affectionately. "Don't worry, if he's in trouble, I'll swoop in and save him but until then, let's just let him selfishly fight for what he wants."

"Ok..." Spartos agreed, albeit reluctantly. I stood up and hauled him closer, letting him bury his face in my stomach.

"Here, you don't have to look," I said. "Just trust me and close your eyes."

He nodded against my abdomen and I gently rested my palms over his ears, helping to mute the sounds of clashing metal.

Sinbad caught my eye as I looked up and smirked at the sight. I scowled back in annoyance and he quickly averted his gaze.

Goddamn it, it wasn't my fault the brat was so tiny and cute.

Fuck, Ponytail was going to hold this over me for a while...

The fight wasn't long anyway. Soon enough, Mystras was knocked to the ground and I tensed, ready to interfere as the Knight-King raised his lance. There was no need though, as Sinbad stepped up instead, introducing himself and the power of his djinn.

I debated whether or not to remove my hands from Spartos' ears as Sinbad spoke but ended up leaving them. Who knows what Sinbad'll whip out next. Best to just tell the brat what happened later on.

I almost removed them a minute later though if only to be able to facepalm as Ponytail struck yet another deal.

Most people thought his weapon of choice was his djinn or his sword. I thought it was his words.

Pretty speeches, pretty words and an occasional display of power. That's all it is.

Still, I was fairly impressed when he revealed his newly-mastered djinn equip (even if he was taking the chance to show off like a peacock in heat). Though I was more focused on what was behind him, or more accurately, on his...

"Is that a tail?" I squinted. Yep, that was a tail. A big, blue lizard tail. Also, where the fuck did his shirt go?

He does have nice muscles though...

Not the time, Raida.

I covered Spartos with my arms quickly as Sinbad unleashed a brilliant blue flash of lightning. I winced at the loud crash of thunder as it made contact with the Knight-King's shield.

There was a huge hole in the roof once the attack had faded.

I openly gaped. I had thought I got angry with Sinbad at times, but I probably had nothing on the people who had to constantly rebuild and repair the messes he kept making, particularly to the architecture of wherever he visited.

It got worse, as Ponytail proceeded to clasp firmly onto the Knight-King's shield and fly upwards, exiting straight through the hole and taking to the sky.

There was a brief awkward moment of silence.

Did he just... kidnap the Knight-King...?

The knights began to mutter amongst themselves in awe and mild panic, a great deal of them seeming conflicted between turning on the foreigners, going after kidnapper or simply waiting for the Knight-King to return.

Eventually, they resigned themselves to waiting. It was the reasonable choice, I supposed. They couldn't just attack the foreigners, especially after the Knight-King accepted a one-on-one battle. They probably didn't particularly want to either, after Sinbad's little display. On the other hand, they had essentially no method of following Ponytail through the roof and sky.

Result? We're waiting.

Fuck this.

I took the opportunity to pry the kid's hands from around my hips and get his attention. "Oi, Kid, Sinbad's gonna take care of this for us. Why don't we take a walk?"

~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~

"You calm yet, Kid?" I checked as I sauntered out of the building, Spartos trailing in my wake like a flower with a broken stem. All floppy and droopy and shit.

"Ok, that's a little too calm," I remarked, stopping in my tracks. He drowsily bumped into the back of my legs and blinked in surprise.

Oh geez.

"What's wrong?" I asked irritably.

"N-Nothi-" he started. Even his voice drooped.

"Don't give me that crap," I snorted, dragging him to the nearest bench and seating us both down. "I've seen hairdos standing straighter and taller than you are right now. It's like someone liquified your spine and you haven't looked at anything but your shoes since we started walking."

"H-Hairdos...?"

Spartos spluttered indignantly as I poked him in the head a few times, just to check if he was still working up there.

"I-I'm fine!" He exclaimed.

"Really?" I gave him a stink-eye. "'Cause your brother's alive and well and his continued-living is looking pretty solid yet you look like someone's thrown your puppy over a cliff."

"Th-Thrown my... where do you come up with these expressions?" He pouted but I caught the glint of amusement in his eyes and grinned. "You're weird."

"Eh? My expressions are fantastically thought out, ya know? You should appreciate my brilliant intellect more," I grouched, messing up his hair for fun.

He quickly smoothed it down again with a small smile.

"So? Got a problem I can fix?" I prompted again. His smile faltered a bit and I blinked. "That serious, huh? Fuck."

"Father says swearing is only for heathens because it's inappropriate and distasteful," Spartos announced. Ooh, big words.

"I am a pretty inappropriate, distasteful heathen," I agreed without hesitation, "and you're dodging my question, Kid. If you don't want to tell me, then say so. I don't see the need in beating around the bush."

He fell silent for a short while. I yawned and stretched my arms above my head, feeling a few bones here and there pop.

"He's gonna leave, isn't he?" Spartos murmured.

I stayed quiet, adopting a more pensive look as I let him continue on his own.

"My brother, he's gonna go with that purple-haired guy, right? And he's gonna leave," Spartos started tearing up and I blanched.

Fuck, I was not ready for this karma, why did I do this, I wasn't ready-

"Oi, Kid, stop it with the crying already!" I squirmed uncomfortably. "What did your brother say about this anyway?"

He sniffled and blinked blankly at me. "My brother...?"

"Yeah, what'd he say?" The tears were drying up. I was just relieved the tears were drying up. I was not equipped or emotionally mature enough to deal with some five-year-old's tears. (Is he five? Maybe he's eight? Eleven...? Shit, I'm so bad at this age crap)

"I, uh, h-haven't..."

I stared at the tiny redhead incredulously. "You have talked to your brother about this, right?"

He hesitated, then shook his head shyly. Judging by the embarrassed red blush creeping across his face, he hadn't even thought of doing so. "I d-don't want to worry him..."

"So your plan was to just wait until all your emotions came bursting out at the last minute before he leaves," I deadpanned.

The tears returned. Ah, fuck.

"Look, Kid, go talk to your brother, like, as soon as all this is over. That should be like step one," I admonished. "He's the one you really want to have the heart-to-heart with, right? No point telling me if you haven't even told him."

Spartos sniffed and looked at me, eyes still watery. "W-What if he thinks I'm just a nuisance?"

"He's a dork. Of course, he won't think you're a nuisance."

The kid was clearly having trouble linking those two points together.

"I mean," I elaborated forcefully, "a dork like him wouldn't call you a nuisance. If anything, he'll blubber about how it's all his fault and how you'll definitely meet again and how much he loves you, etcetera, etcetera. You'll see. I'm actually a pretty good judge of character, ya know?"

Spartos still looked unsure but he nodded anyway. "Ok, I-I'll tell him! The next time I see him!"

"That's it, Kid," I cheered. "Now how about I bring you to my friend's bar until this all blows over. I could really use a drink or five..."

"Father says drinking is unnecessary and that it promotes an unhealthy, undisciplined lifestyle."

"Yeah, well, your father has a stick up somewhere unnecessary, unhealthy and undisciplined so don't you talk smack about my drinking."

"What do you mean?"

"I, uh... I'll explain it when you're older..."

~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~

"I still can't believe you brought the Knight-King's eight-year-old son to my bar," Omaira chuckled.

"I still can't believe you're not over the fact that I brought the brat here," I retorted, downing my third pint of booze.

"You're so inexperienced with kids, Raida," she sighed, placing a hand on her cheek dramatically. "I don't understand at all. I mean, you practically are one."

"Oi, it's fine as long as I don't get drunk, right?" I chortled.

"You poor dear," Omaira cooed at the kid, smiling reassuringly. "Honestly, Raida, you could at least afford to show some manners. He seems like he's had a rough day."

Spartos sat between us, eyes nervously darting from me to Omaira and back again. His posture was stiff and upright, he clearly had no idea what to do in the presence of the enthusiastic stranger.

Omaira had been bursting with the urge to share more gossip when they'd first arrived but calmed the moment she saw the little redhead tagging along behind me. Seating us on a little table near the back of the workplace, the darling angel of a girl hadn't asked any questions. She'd just gotten a small cup of water for Spartos and taken a seat on the other side of him as soon as she got a break.

I could see Spartos was slowly relaxing, a visible change, in the infectiously soothing aura that was Omaira's presence.

The barmaid must've been bursting with so many questions but she pushed them all down in favour of making sure the kid was ok before anything.

A much better person than I could ever be.

"You're leaving soon too, aren't you," Omaira finally said, her happy expression turning a little sad at the statement that was certainly not a question. Spartos' eyes widened and he whipped around to face me.

"I am," I confirmed calmly. "I've spent more than enough time here."

"Are you going with your friends?" She questioned.

"Unfortunately," I snorted.

"That's good." She nodded firmly. "You're far too lonely to be leaving on your own."

"You can read everyone at a glance, can't you Omaira," I breathed, considering a fourth pint at this rate.

"You give me too much credit," Omaira spoke demurely. "It's not that hard to tell. We're friends after all, right?

"Of course."

"W-Wait," Spartos squawked, interrupting our conversation frantically. "R-Raida! You're leaving too?!"

I paused to smile at him. "I'm a traveller, Kid. That's what I do."

"B-But you'll come back one day, right?" His lower lip quivered a little and I laughed nervously.

"Oi, crying's unfair," I said, tapping the side of his head gently with my knuckles. "I can't promise anything, Kid, but it's a possibility, sure."

"Promise," Spartos demanded.

"I just said I can't promise any-"

"Promise." He was steadfast for an eight-year-old.

I spent a moment longer staring him down before I realised it was futile.

"Damn, I'm such a bad influence," I sighed. "Yeah, ok Kid. You got me. I promise to try."

A compromise. He seemed satisfied, if not still a little bummer (aww, I feel the love) and returned to staring thoughtfully at his water. I scowled at him while he wasn't looking, earning a snicker from Omaira's direction.

If only the brat wasn't so cute... I was quickly learning that even this body had weaknesses and cute brats was definitely at the top of the list.

The little menace.

~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~

My parting with Omaira wasn't anything big. It didn't need to be. She knew where she stood and I knew I was welcome back anytime. A drink and a hug was enough for now.

I found the crew of idiots at the front gates, preparing to leave. One last piece of gossip from a friend, the departure date of the strange foreigners who fought the Knight-King and lived.

They seemed surprised to see me.

"Aatiq, what are you doing here?" Ponytail asked in surprise.

"My name's Raida," I corrected first and foremost. "I haven't been Aatiq in a while. And I'm coming with you. Obviously."

"Y-You are?!" They all exclaimed in unison.

I frowned. "Huh... did I forget to tell you...? Ok, well, I'm coming with you."

There was some mixed reactions, much to my annoyance.

"That's great, right guys?" Blue smiled tentatively, turning to the other two.

Sinbad and Jafar sulked, muttering darkly to themselves. "... demon lady... crazy... of course she's coming..."

I cracked my knuckles. "Let's hear a better welcome than that, you pathetic brats."

"Yayyy!" They all plastered on wide, though a tad strained around the edges, smiles and cheered.

Oh, how I love the smell of terror and obedience in the morning.

"Well, ready to go then?" I adjusted my pack, filled with my necessities for travelling, ready to depart.

"Not quite yet," Jafar shook his head. "We're just waiting on-"

"Sinbad, thanks for waiting!" A familiar voice cut the shortie off and I quirked an eyebrow in interest. Oh yeah, totally forgot about him.

"Dork," I greeted as Mystras rocked up. "You're late."

"Didn't you just arrive too...?" Sinbad mumbled irritably. Without sparing him a glance, I not-so-subtly landed a solid punch on his arm. He yelped and wisely stopped talking.

"Sorry," Mystras apologised. "I was just finishing up my goodbyes. I was given a mission and thus special permission to leave the-"

"Bored," I declared. "I'm ready to goooo! I've been in Sasan wayyy too long, longer than I'd planned!"

"Now I can finally leave... it's like a dream," Mystras murmured to himself. I paused at the look of pure dreamy joy that crossed his face. How... human. (Obviously. Just because you're not-)

"Oh? I understand how happy you must be to leave, but I'll be puttin' you to work," Sinbad warned, throwing an arm around the knight with a smirk. "As part of my alliance with Sasan, we formed a trade agreement. You're gonna be in charge of all contact with Sasan."

Just as Mystras began to panic at the responsibility Sinbad was dumping on him all of a sudden, he was interrupted.

"Brother! Please wait!" The dork's eyebrows shot up in surprise as Spartos hurtled into sight. Then his expression softened and I knew Spartos had had that chat with his brother after all.

Good for them.

"B-Brother!" Spartos gasped, stopping to take a breath before throwing himself at his sibling.

"Spartos?" Mystras blinked. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I wanted to say goodbye," the kid blubbered.

"Hey, don't worry, Spartos." Mystras beamed. "I said we'll see each other again, right?"

Called it. Dork.

Spartos nodded, hesitated, then lunged for me too. Both Mystras and I wavered in surprise as the kid latched on around my waist. I definitely twitched though as his tears and snot rubbed into my clothes. Urgh, this is why I should just avoid children. They're always getting some form of bodily fluid on you.

The others watched in amusement.

"Uh," I deadpanned, looking to them for help, "there's a brat hugging me."

"Aww, Raida, it's been so long since we've seen your softer side," Sinbad remarked, clearly enjoying this way too much. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"That's because I don't have one," I stated. I did but I sure as hell wasn't going to tell those morons that.

Looking down at the brat, I stayed completely still. He was looking up at me with those little eyes and goddamn it, I left him there, clinging to me like a happy sloth (again).

"Miss Raida, thank you for keeping me company!" He exclaimed, his words muffled by my stomach. "You... You'll take care of my brother, won't you?"

I stiffened and looked back at my allies for assistance. They all had teary eyes and collectively shook their heads in pride.

'What a reliable big sister you'd make!' They thought loudly.

Assholes.

I promised them a thousand painful deaths with my eyes. They all shivered fearfully in unison.

'Yes, be afraid,' I spat internally at them. Slowly, I forced the violence from my gaze to look back at Spartos.

"Uh, yeah brat, sure," I grunted, patting his head while I subtly tried to budge his arms. For a brat, he was surprisingly strong (and good at wringing out promises from me).

I faltered, then rested my hand on his head. "There, there."

"Omaira was right," he mumbled. "You're really awkward with kids."

"And that's enough of that," I announced, firmly pulling him off me. For a moment, he dangled in the air, hanging from my hands like a ragdoll before I set him down beside his brother again. "I'll miss you too, Kid. See you around."

Spartos hung around a bit longer before we decided to depart. I granted him one last ruffle of his hair and a wave before we set off. The kid stayed at the front gates, waving until we were long out of sight.

"Spartos talked about you a lot," Mystras commented as we walked.

"Yeah?" I said absently.

"You helped him come out of his shell a bit," he acknowledge. "Thanks for looking out for him."

I shot him a look out of the corner of my eye. "My pleasure, Dork."

We left Sasan far behind us and I didn't look back, not for a second.

~{}~{}~{}~{}~{}~

Yes, I did just sweep through the entire Sasan arc in one chapter. Do I regret it? Nah. Yeah, she didn't really have too much action here but you do get a mega-glimpse at her soft side and weakness - kids. She is not going to have fun in the future (but I will). Anyway, we'll be splitting from canon fairly soonish. Probably. Well, we'll see. Can't be too many more chapters but these things keep getting longer than I expected...

I'm also so happy to find that a lot of my reviewers like Aatiq/Raida/Little Rukh! (This name thing is going to mess me up in the future so much, I can tell) She really is a fun character to write, probably one of my favourites. I think I'll just call her Little Rukh for now (credit to Akira D. Ryusuke) since it'll be pretty obvious who I'm talking about no matter what name she changes to.

Until next time!

- Dragon