/waves/ thanks a lot for the reviews Narutogod123, Aku-chan and...stranger-san, follows etc, very much appreciated :) Alibaba and Aladdin meet! Kind of. With the SinxJudal stuff its...erm...complicated. Well, it usually is with them.

Enjoy~

Chapter 3

From birth, Aladdin had happened to have been blessed with a rare magic. This magic, the "Wisdom of Solomon" was something he was yet to understand, or even to know it was magic. At that point in time he had no control over the magic, and mainly it manifested itself in dreams which the young Magi forgot when he woke up. In less than a year, he would learn to utilise it as a magic, and could use it to discover someone's past – including his own – or their hidden memories. Sometimes, it would even reveal events yet to pass. Aside from his brother, no one knew about the dreams he couldn't yet remember, but he did know at the time they disturbed him greatly. On that night just before he left Kou, however, what he saw would haunt him, and those events would come to pass exactly one year after his dream.

In his dream, Aladdin found himself in a curiously blurred landscape of a land far to the south and across the seas; one until that point he had never seen. The streets ran in sloping steps up a large, crescent shaped hill and were pale. He was standing under a banner of deep green and light gold he had never seen before. As he searched his surroundings, his azure eyes widened, and a chill ran down his spine.

The scene was one of chaos. It lay filled with shattered stone, ice, and fractured marble along with, it finally dawned on him, smearing of spilled blood. Bodies he hoped were merely unconscious lay scattered all around him and just two people aside from him seemed to be moving. One was a crouching figure behind him, someone he appeared to be protecting, and an antagonistic figure a good deal ahead of him. He held a wooden staff in hand he had never seen before, and knew something very wrong had happened here; a sensation of foreboding welled up within him as that second figure approached slowly and silently. It floated slightly on the air, followed by a darkly shining trail of what appeared to be black rukh. But, then such a thing didn't exist.

Behind him, a bloodied hand reached out and clung to Aladdin's ankle. He turned and looked down into light golden eyes, and hated the mingling of pain and fear within them. Whoever that man was he was protecting, he had a feeling they would seen encounter each other. And soon.

"Aladdin..." that man gasped, pleading with him not to as he carefully broke from his grip and started forward. He needed to guard him, whoever he was, and it felt as though in turn that man had guarded him before. He watched that man grip an ornamental, knife-like blade and try to stand. But he couldn't. "No, just get out of here. This isn't something you should do."

"Don't be silly, I have to. Who else can fight here? You can't even get up."

"I won't stay back and let you fight your own brother..."

"Brother...?" Aladdin repeated quietly. Blinking, he wiped at his forehead before looking back to the approaching figure. It, along with those strange and dark, rukh-like things, were suddenly thrown into sharp relief. "...Onii-san? ...What happened? Alibaba-kun just told me you did all this. Why...why would you hurt all these people? Stop it."

That voice, and a voice he had known to comfort him his whole life, had just laughed back cruelly. Judal it seemed was enjoying the chaos immensely. Aladdin froze as he left how different he seemed, with both a smirk and eyes colder than he had ever seen them to be. He watched as shards of ice were sent hurtling towards him, and then cried out as they pierced his skin. He tried to make sense of this.

"Ah- what was it again? Oh right, that was it..." Aladdin heard his twin reply lazily. "All these things sensei told me when I asked about you. It's funny, as he said you came from that world, Alma-Toran, like the rest of the magicians. So how are we meant to be brothers, if you were born there. See, tell me how that's meant to make any sense." that cold laughter again. "Tell you what – you can go, try to wake him up again if you can. But I guess he's been beaten up too much already Seriously, is that the best you could pick you...fake?"

Aladdin paused. "...Fake? Who are you calling 'fake'?"

That hatred was so thick and vile, and he felt it as it seeped from his beloved brother and darkened the very world around him. It was sickening how that dark glow of black rukh seemed to twist anything, everything, within that cloudless day. All that time, it took all Aladdin had to resist falling into that hopelessness. It was crushing, overwhelming, and pulled at every inch of him. All he could do was wonder; how had things ended up that way...?

Aladdin woke up with a start.

Slowly the young Magi's azure eyes blinked, then widened, and he was aware of little else than his own trembling body and how his skin was filmed in cold sweat. After several moments his mind had the sense to remind him that he had been asleep, and dreaming, and thankfully that dream was passed. Still shivering he drew his knees up to his chest, silken and white dress pants cool and comforting on his cheek and composed himself. He ran a clammy hand absently through his long blue fringe and tried futilely to remember his dream. As always, he couldn't, and regretted he forgot such things; even if it seemed an unpleasant thing to remember.

Silently he slipped off his bed, stretched, and gazed about him. Beyond the crack in the deep crimson slide door, he could see outside the sun was only just raising. He would very soon be leaving Kou, and for a year, and he told himself that it would be alright. And then he told himself the same thing again for good measure.

He stepped over his immaculate, yet now rather empty looking side of the room. It was even more distinct where the darkly lit, red and shadow room become his brother's. It was heavy with the laden perfume of incense, and was something of a treasure trove with its scattered and glittering expanse of dungeon items and jewels. Judal would insist that everything was exactly where he wanted. In a sense, it struck Aladdin to be something of an organised chaos – the emphasis being on the chaotic part. He carefully picked his way over, poling gently at his sleeping brother's slim shoulder before giving it a firmer shake.

"What..." he was met with a highly disinterested groan. A head of tangled ebony hair raised from its dark pillows and shifted to face him. Ruby eyes gazed up sleepily, and Aladdin knew that he had someone who would always help him get over his forgotten nightmares. "...It's the middle of the night. Go to sleep."

"It's morning," he corrected him. "Onii-san, I had one of those dreams again."

"What..." he was met with a highly disinterested groan, and a head of tangled ebony hair

"Eh? Did you remember this one?" Judal reluctantly shifted to sitting and looked over his twin curiously, and watched him shaking his head. "Hm, you look really terrible."

"Thanks...I guess. I'm alright," for some reason Aladdin couldn't remember, he and Judal had decided never to tell anyone about his nightmares. It seemed silly to say anything if he couldn't remember them, and he never would have thought they would have been related to magic. However, in a year's time he would know better. "But...well...the next time I have one I'll be in Sindria, won't I? And you'll be here..."

Judal just nodded, disinterested as they had talked about this already. "Chibi, stop being annoying about this alright? It's just a year so just think about getting as strong as me, OK? Then Kou will have two powerful Magi."

"...I just want to hit you when you say things like that," Aladdin admitted. Annoyed he slipped off his brother's messy bed. And looked over his own spotless and vacant side of the room. No, he hadn't forgotten anything as he was usually prepared. He knew if his brother had been leaving, it would have been a different story. "Fine...if me leaving isn't a big deal then just go back to sleep."

"...Huh?! You can't just wake someone up and tell them to go back to sleep, idiot."

"I just did though," of course, every one of those tumbled dungeon items were from a dungeon Judal had raised. Aladdin, conversely, had never been asked to choose a king nor had he raised a dungeon. How could he do any of that alone?

Judal flopped back, sheets tangling round his black clad and slender body. "That's so cold...first that idiot king and now you..."

"You started it. But you really should just stop going after him; he's not interested in you anyway," Aladdin paused as he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror. It was then that he had an idea. Looking back at his somewhat troubled and puzzled expression, he drew out a thin section of his long and loose azure hair. Running his fingers through the shining strands he started to weave it into a braid, both carefully and slowly. "You know that Kougyoku always says if someone doesn't like you then you can't make them."

"What does that hag know anyway? She just says that as no one likes her," Aladdin continued his work, and heard a loud and defeatist sigh uttered behind him. "Well...whatever then. He's really old anyway. I got my first kiss from him, so I can move on."

For a moment, and just as Aladdin reached the smooth end of his new and slim plait, those words dawned on him and he snapped round sharply. "You...wait, what? How is that fair? When do I get my first kiss?"

"Eh? How the heck should I know something like that? Anyway chibi, you're my younger brother – you won't be kissing anyone."

"...Like you can stop me finding someone. And you keep saying we're not children anymore," bordering on angry, Aladdin drew out a small knife from the pocket of his dress pants before cutting off the thin section of hair he had woven into a braid from his fringe. He told himself this was just how Judal was, and coiled the long azure threads neatly into his palm before picking his way back over to his brother. There he placed it before him, who looked down at it with a curious yet softened expression. "See, if you have this with you it's like we're together. I'm going to miss you, even if you're not going to miss you."

"I'll miss you, but you just get weird about it."

"...Whatever, now let me have a section of your hair. I'll do it, you'll just do it wrong and mess it up."

"...You're so bossy and clingy," Judal complained. He yawned, and it was then the concept of cutting off part of his hair – the same hair he was so vain over and had never cut – crept up on him. His eyes widened in shock, saw his brother was serious, and frowned slightly. Silently he looked down, fingers running through the dark, satiny threads as if fussing over them. it might have been either deciding which he could give away, or thought were the best, it seemed weird to Aladdin. It was a logical Aladdin didn't understand – hair was hair, after all.

He appeared to make up his mind, drawing out a long lock and catching his brother's eyes as he caught hold of it before weaving it dexterously yet with the same care. He then resumed talking. "Look, chibi, life's not going to be fair from now on, that idiot king told me. A lot of those candidates don't win. That legend they kept telling us when we were young says eventually just one king is going to unite all countries under him. He'll probably kill the people he doesn't like, as it shows he's better."

Plaiting the black strands, Aladdin just glared. "It's a stupid reason to kill someone."

"Not really, it's why they saved us when our parents were murdered. They knew we could make sure someone in Kou wins."

"I just don't like the sound of that," Aladdin insisted. He knew Judal would say something like it being fine, as it's what they were for. He never thought it was fine, it seemed wrong. On that morning and in his final hours in Kou, and even a year later, his thoughts on the matter stubbornly remained the same.

Thousands of miles away to the south, and to the far side of the seven seas, lay the sunlit and colourful island kingdom of Sindria. Within a large airy and cream-toned room of the hospital wing an exiled prince stared out over the lush palace gardens. He lay within his hospital bed, slowly blinked his light golden eyes over the sight and was waiting for his rather severe injuries to heal. They were taking their time to do so, but then the prince was lucky to be alive. He had been the leader of his Fog Troupe, and had recently attempted to lead a coup d'état for Balbadd. The memories of those terrible days only returned to him in fevered days, however. On that tragic day, he was told he had almost died before being saved from his home where it now lay in fire and ashes. His name was Alibaba Saluja.

It had been, only really been in the past days when his fever had gone down and he had been in any real condition to remain awake. Before then the days were a blur of violent nightmares that all seems to blend into one another. He attempted to sit up, in fact he was adamant to do so, and let out a sharp cry as he did. Pain flooded out from a particularly nasty gash running up his body, and his arm clutched over it.

"D-don't do that! You'll open your injures back up. Lie down right now!" there was, in fact, another prince in exile within Sindria. But then for all Alibaba's knowledge of the situation, there may be more than that. This particular nervous prince had allegedly been tending to his injuries for a reason he didn't know. It certainly didn't seem a very princely thing to do, but then all he knew was his two half brothers and they wouldn't do something like that. His name was Hakuryuu Ren.

"Ah...this is nothing. I feel great..." he collapsed back with a groan. It was, admittedly, a rather painful nothing. He couldn't remember his body feeling this bad, but he didn't feel like he had any right to complain. He reached up, a hand passing through his messy short blonde hair and sighed deeply. How useless he felt right now. "Erm...should a prince really be doing something like that?"

He noticed Hakuryuu had brought back a shallow bowl of warm water, and clean white strips of cloth to tend to the numerous stab wounds latticed over his chest and stomach. A cloth was run over his burning skin and he let out a slight cry.

"S-sorry!" Hakuryuu murmured quietly. "Well...a lot of people aren't back from Balbadd yet. As I've done like this before I thought I'd offer to help. I wanted to make myself useful, you know. Just...please bear with the pain. It won't take long."

"Erm...OK. Thanks..." Alibaba murmured. He really had no idea how to deal with a proper prince, not an illegitimate one like him who had spent half his life in the slums. Quietly he looked over at Hakuryuu as he continued his work instead. He noticed how the left side of his face was darkened by a rather unfortunate scar as if he was burned, and that eye was a little brighter than the other. Somewhat fascinated he looked over his odd toned blue eyes, only looking away when Hakuryuu noticed him and attempted to stare at the ceiling instead.

It really was quiet, but rather than empty felt peaceful somehow. Alibaba closed his eyes, feeling that cloth be dipped in water and returned to his aching body, and thought back to what had happened. Vaguely he remembered Hakuryuu had treated him throughout those feverish dreams. He was fairly sure in those broken moments he had ill-wittedly told the follow prince of what little he remembered had happened in Balbadd. That he blamed himself; but then he knew most of the Fog Troupe, including his childhood friend from the slums Kassim, had likely perished. When Kou had reputedly come to help, and in doing so had swallowed Balbadd whole, he remembered vaguely hearing any of the thieves they caught had been executed. Alibaba had been so powerless to do anything; but then if the men from this kingdom hadn't saved him he would have died.

If that wasn't enough to accept, he remembered Hakuryuu telling him that the quiet prince was actually originally from Kou. It was then he remembered something Hakuryuu had asked him, and looked back at him. "You know, I don't hate you."

"Ah, that's good. I mean..."Hakuryuu considered him with a polite interest. To be honest, Alibaba had no idea why the other man cared what he thought. Even if he had been a legitimate heir, by now the Saluja name would be all but sullied by now. But – that was it. Because of how Kou acted, few people apparently welcomed Hakuryuu even if he had claimed sanctuary in Sindria a long time ago. Kou, it seemed, was less and less trusted.

"I mean it."

A polite smile and a bow. Such things interested Alibaba really, as Hakuryuu didn't seem arrogant or condescending in the slightest. He looked down, watching a veil of deep blue hair descend as Hakuryuu started to conceal more and more of his bruised and pale body under those heavy bandages. What a curious person; even the rigid black and white attire he wore gave the impression of being both approachable and respectful at the same time. He seemed so kind...perhaps that was what a true prince should be like.

"Thank you," Hakuryuu replied. That left eye, certainly, seemed a little too bright and seemed to pierce straight though him. He finished smoothing the strips of cloth, checking them expertly before sitting back with his hands clasped together. "I'm sorry; I'm just not all that trusted here, being where I'm from. I guess it's fairly logical to hate someone from a place like that but...well it's not all that nice to be on the receiving end. People don't seem to want me here and I feel a bit of a nuisance. I have been here a while, actually, but then right now Kou is..."

Hakuryuu's quiet voice trailed to what Alibaba felt was a little of a pained silence. He guessed he didn't want to speak much of his home, and felt he could understand that. Right now he felt it was best not to ask too much about that.

"I did hear they took over Balbadd after my...revolt failed," he replied quietly, and watched Hakuryuu's face drain of colour. "I have been awake at times. Someone said they had executed my friends..." the other prince's hands clasped together almost painfully, Alibaba noticed curiously. "Well, it's my fault, anyway. I should have been stronger. If I was, none of that would have happened."

"No," Hakuryuu shook his head adamantly. "My cousin Kouen I heard wasn't that kind to your friends when he took over. I'm...so sorry..."

Alibaba felt his fists clench and said quietly. "No...but then neither was Abhmad..."

" I did here, but still I am sorry," Hakuryuu composed himself, bowing his head. "I really shouldn't be upsetting you when you're recovering still. At least you had an excuse, telling me about Kassim and the slums and borrowing those strange magical weapons from strangers when you were feverish..." Alibaba paled. It really did seem he had said too much for his own good over those days. "But...so you know, I don't like that Kouen did that. I do have good reason to hate Kou too; especially two men giving it power...two brothers..."

The bright darkness in Hakuryuu's left eye sparked to life again. "Say; when I'm better you can tell me about why you left there," Alibaba offered. Even if it was difficult to gauge his fellow prince's reactions, he was either calm or polite or broiling with that curious fury, he guessed he was pleasantly surprised for the offer. "I guess right now we're in similar situations."

"I guess we are, oddly enough," Hakuryuu replied. He was apparently done with re-bandaging his wounds, and had taken to scanning over the nearby table. Amongst other things lay the ornate and richly decorated knife Alibaba used. By it he noticed two crimson earrings and his chest tightened; they had belonged to Kassim. That felt all he had left of his friend now. "So...I'm wondering now. Once you've recovered, would you want to think about taking back Balbadd? I mean, I could help..."

The very thought of seeing his home again terrified Alibaba, really, even if he didn't want to admit it to himself. "Ah, that seems what I should be thinking about, doesn't it?"

"Perhaps. But I right now it's getting you well again. Saying something like that isn't helping..."Hakuryuu admitted to himself, before rising to dispose of those discarded dressings. Alibaba murmured quiet thanks, following him with his eyes. Right how he felt like all he could do was lay there, with fatigue pressing upon his aching body so much. "I was just remembering sensei – sorry, Sharrkan – telling me about when he met you in Sram. He said you had a lot of potential, and could likely beat a dungeon and get stronger. Well...that seems kind of fun. Maybe, well, we could do that. And train together. I-I mean not right now but –"

Alibaba smiled, softly, even if he felt he would never do such a thing again. It wouldn't hurt to do that, he told himself. "I think that could be fun. I-"

Their conversation was cut abruptly short. The heavy door from the far end of the hospital wing opened, and a stream of long and deep red hair rushed through it. Its owner, a petite girl in a simple white tunic, bounded up to meet them. As she did, Morgianna gave Alibaba an almost apologetic smile. She eyed over his bandaged body with concern. "Alibaba, I –"

"It looks worse than it is," he told her calmly. He noticed that in her hand she held tightly an uncurled letter, which he guessed was addressed to her. He knew the girl couldn't read, yet, as she had until recently been a slave but then he aimed to teach her. She clutched her bare and bruised knees before holding the letter out for him, and he took it. He noticed Hakuryuu look over at them curiously before he gave him a reassuring look and scanned the letter's contents.

"Is Musrur alright?" she asked abruptly, and before he had quite finished scanning the contents. More than likely she would recognise the careful handwriting of her fellow Fanalis, even if she didn't know what it meant. During the brief time they had met the tall general in Balbadd, he knew she had grown fascinated with the man. But then, she had never met another Fanalis before.

He nodded before re-reading the letter more carefully. "Of course. He said he hopes you got here safely," she nodded. "He's writing from when they were just getting to Kou. More than likely they'll be back in a few weeks. Sinbad apparently had an agreement to take back one of their Magi to study here and –"

There was a loud crash behind them, and they both turned.

Hakuryuu had knelt down from the other side of the room as he took to retrieving pieces of the fractured bowl he had dropped. He spoke in his usual quiet tone, but it carried. "R-Really? It says that? No...he can't be bringing one of those twins back here with him?!"

"...Twins?" Alibaba asked him curiously. He had only really heard of Magi in passing during his years at the palace. During that time, he definitely hadn't been deemed important enough to meet one. Morgianna was confused over what one even was. Carefully he re-rolled the letter and passed it back to her.

"I did mention having a reason to hate Kou, and it was two brothers. Do you remember?" Alibaba did remember; it hadn't been long ago since he mentioned that. That brightness had returned to Hakuryuu's left eye as he drew back up. "They're two brothers responsible for all the bad things the empire is doing to its people. Only bad things happened since they got there. I hate to say it, but only bad things will follow if one of them comes to Sindria."