"How nice of that big blue giant to lead us into the woods...to die." Mari's head snapped towards Samuda who was now sitting in human form on a branch much higher than her own.

"Why can't you just be nice, Mu?" Mari turned her focus to another branch above her.

She hooked her arm around a higher branch and lept up, catching her feet on the other side and hanging upside-down.

"What are you, a monkey?" Samuda joked. Mari tilted her head, looking at all the oddities of Samu's face now that it was upside-down.

"I'm just saying, it's pretty weird that he'd bring you out here just to climb trees."

"Then what do you think his motive is, exactly?" Mari lifted herself over another branch, inching closer to Samuda's place in the tree.

"Maybe it's, uh, 'leave-your-master's-daughter-in-the-woods-day'?" Samuda laughed a bit to himself, leaning back against the trunk of the tree.

Mari frowned, shoving her foot into his side and kicking him off the branch. Samuda laughed as he fell back, dissipating into a sand cloud and rushing back into the confines of the tattered sword.

"Idiot." Mari mumbled under her breath, feeling the sword rattle against her back in response.

I agree.

It had been a while since Mari had heard Mauru's voice

"Oh, do you now?" Mari stopped and looked down at Mauru, whose green essence was floating around in the tiny metal piece.

"How's it goin' up there, shrimp?" Hinahoho called, scratching the back of his head. He blinked up through the trees from his seat on the ground. Mari wasn't always in his eye line but never-the-less, he was sure that she would be fine for now.

"Pretty good..." Mari leaned over the edge of the branch to peer down at Hinahoho. "...you blue-haired goliath ."

"Hey!" Hinahoho chuckled, trying to find Mari within the shade of the trees. She snuck back into the shadows, giggling to herself.

Her friendship with Hina had grown since they'd met, and Mari was truly happy about it. She was happy for all her new friends, all her new big brothers and sisters.

"We should head back, you know!" Hinahoho called from the ground, watching as the sun began to rise to the center of the sky.

"Your father will probably want you around for breakfast, don't you think?"

Mari peered over the side of a large branch, watching Hinahoho from her perch.

"Will he really?" The question was small, almost non-existent, making Hinahoho chuckle even more.

"I'm sure he'll want to spend time with his daughter, shrimp." Hinahoho called.

"I spent a week following him around. Don't you think that was...enough?" Mari hung upside-down on a higher branch.

"Hey, careful!" Hinahoho ran up to the trunk of the tree, fearing that Mari would fall.

"If you break your neck, your dad will break mine. Now please get down here."

"You're the one who suggested I climb a tree."

"I'm also the one who suggested you train out in the forest with a tattered old sword." Hinahoho sighed. "Obviously, I'm not someone you should be listening to right now."

Mari peaked over the other side of the branch and squinted down at Hina.

"What's wrong?" Mari tilted her head slightly.

Hinahoho seemed to falter.

"What are you talking about?" He said, squinting back up at her.

"There's something wrong. You seem...off." Mari crawled to the edge of the branch and laid down along the limb.

"You're going crazy, shrimp. Now, hurry up and come down."

Hinahoho reached his hands up towards Mari. Seeing his arms wide open made her feel safe. She didn't want to chose favorites, but she always had hers.

Ja'far was the best at butterfly kisses, Masrur was the best at hide-and-seek, Sharkkan was the best at playing Castle, Yamu was the best at bedtime stories, Aladdin was the best at building pillow forts, Alibaba was the best at climbing trees, and Hinahoho was the best at giving hugs.

Even though the first time Mari had met him, she'd thought that he'd crush her with his pinkie. Hinahoho turned out to be the best at hugging. He never held her too harshly and was always so warm.

He was like a big teddy bear.

Mari smiled brightly at Hinahoho and jumped straight from the tree and into Hinahoho's embrace.

"Shrimp." Hinahoho chuckled, holding Mari tightly in his arms.

The walk back to the palace was silent, Mari nuzzling her head into Hinahoho's neck.

"Due fink bwere punna..." Mari began mumbling into Hinahoho's neck making him laugh.

"Quit it." Hinahoho chuckled, poking Mari's nose. "You know very well I can't understand you. No what did you want to ask, oh mumbling one?"

"Do you think we're gonna have berries from the market for breakfast?" Mari asked.

"Well it's definitely a possibility." Hinahoho said, "Yamuraiha's been talking about all the stuff you two bought out at the market. Even said she got you a new outfit too. And also...something about a boy..." Hinahoho looked over to Mari, whose face was probably bright red.

What's this about a boy?

Mari shushed Samuda again.

"So...this boy..."

"He's just a friend!" Mari blurted out so fast, it made Hinahoho laugh hardily.

"Okay, okay." Hinahoho said, "He's just a friend."

There's was more silence, only the sound of Hinahoho's rough feet against the soil and sand.

"Is he cute?"

"Put me down. Right. Now."

Mari hurried up the palace steps, as much as one could, considering how many of them there were. Hinahoho followed behind, skipping four or five steps at a time.

What a show-off.

"Now that, I can agree with." Mari whispered to Samuda.

Mari could see the faint outline of her father standing at the entrance of the palace and a slight feeling of dread began to set in.

Was he going to yell at her again? Mari grimaced a bit at the thought.

The last time he'd scolded her, she'd felt as if he'd never smile at her again. It actually scared her more than she cared to admit.

Mari kept her head down the last few steps, afraid to meet her father's gaze.

"Have a nice time, did we?" Sinbad's voice was soft and kind, sending a shock through Mari.

She couldn't even open her mouth to answer, she only nodded.

"How about you run inside and we'll all sit down to eat, hmm?"

Mari found herself staring up at her father, completely at a loss for words. Sinbad's eyebrows drew together in concern.

"Mari?"

Mari blinked up at her father again, completely silent.

What's going on?

The sound of Samuda's voice pulled her back from her thoughts. Hinahoho reached the top of the stairs and lightly nudged Mari forward. Mari blinked once more before giving a quick little bow to her father and rushing passed him and into the palace.

Great job, captain. Definitely not suspicious or anything.

Mari rolled her eyes at Samuda's comment.

"Just shut up until you're back in my room."