Beneath the Stars

By Gold Sparrow

Valentine's Day Special:

Love Stories

Today.

Yes, today was the day.

That day. The one that adults take so seriously and young ones foolishly play around with. The one that involves romance~

You know it.

I know you know it because everyone knows it.

Oh yes, Valentine's day.

Where sweethearts kiss and children express their childish love for their friends.

Love.

That is where we'll start.

Instead of going to the town of Magi, we'll be staying in our story's universe, and here I will spin tales of love that you all will learn is a actually just hollow truffles. Starts out sweet until it gets empty.

King and Queen

With Sinbad and Zeina, their relationship was muddled in its term and meaning, but one thing was for sure- when around each other, they were not subtle in their emotions.

When they walked together, Sinbad would take Zeina's hand and knot their fingers, and the Temptress would use her free hand to grip his bicep as they walked the way, thus making people think they were a couple.

(They've done it for as long as they've known each other, from Reim to Heliophat to all the Kingdoms they've traveled to together. Even as adults, the actions weren't lost in the naivety of youth)

Or, Zeina'll be cooking- though this one pertains more toward their teen days- and Sinbad will come up behind her, nose buried in her hair and arms looped around her waist.

(Ja'far will never say it, but when he used to see it happen, something warm grew in his chest. It was like when he was around Hinahoho and Rurumu, except these two were the people who had wormed their way to the center of his heart. They were like parents, but he won't ever voice the words he thought when he was twelve)

If Zeina wasn't around, Sinbad would have women around to play with, flirting and laughing as they climbed on his lap. But when Zeina was around, Sinbad's body language always shifted toward the blonde woman. Always. It didn't matter if a skimpily dressed girl was trying to get his attention, he would smile at Zeina and the woman who smile back, gesturing for him to get rid of the entertainer(s) so she could sit on the edge of his throne.

(Only once has Hinahoho seen Zeina voluntarily sat on Sinbad's lap, and when she did the King didn't hold her like the showgirls he usually had sitting there, but rather with hands that ghosted over her skin, like he was afraid she might change her mind and get up if he touched her. And they'd spoken in such soft tones, intimacy dropping like a thick, private blanket over them as the woman shifted and sometimes touched his robes and he looked so much more...Happy than he was with other women)

Other times, the purple haired man would wrap a casual arm around her waist and they'd sit or walk or just chat, as if his arm's placement was the most natural thing in the world.

(Of course, it almost was for those weird two)

Although, this is the way things used to be.

Sinbad and Zeina used to act this way, used to have a complicated relationship that many knew was much deeper than the King's usual flirtatious flings because it was...Real.

As teens they acted this way, as young adults they acted this way. But then Zeina left, went off to handle her businesses and thus leaving a hole in Sindria's fabric.

(To Zeina's kinsmen, the matriarch departed from the fun-loving adventures with her old friends to manage their family's livelihood. To Ja'far and the generals who knew Zeina, she abandoned them, despite becoming a friend and mother-figure. To Sinbad, Zeina ran away from him. To Zeina, she sacrificed the only chance of living with an ounce of stability)

Sinbad worked hard to fill that hole.

Things aren't easy between the two anymore.

Sinbad no longer holds the Temptress or sends her saucy grins. Zeina no longer latches onto the King's arm or sits on his lap.

Because things have changed, and positions have become clear.

Zeina, matriarch of mysterious group, user of a rare and manipulative magic and leader of a world wide spy network.

Sinbad, King of a powerful nation and founder of a coalition of nations, and a Dungeon Capturer holding seven Djinn.

They are almost enemies now, just like they were not-actually lovers once.

Husband and Wife

"Husband and wife" Yamu smiles, patting Yunan's arm. The man smiles as well at the unsuspecting innkeeper, who nods and gives them the room key.

"We don't have to lie, you know" Yunan chuckles as Yamu quickly opens the door, depositing her bag on the bed in a unladylike fashion. "You've been using the 'husband and wife' bit for years"

"Ever since I was fifteen" She flashes him a grin. "Now hurry up, I wanna go~" Yunan shakes his head.

"I'm a magi, you could just ask me"

"Books are more reliable" The mage states, undoing her pigtails tied at the ends and instead putting her hair into a bun. "Besides, this way I can reread the lines and soak it all up! The library here is amazing, I never seen it!"

The blonde sighs.

"Okay, but after this trip let's go back to the Rift, okay? It's too bright up here" Yamu rolls her eyes.

"Okay Mr. Can't-stay-above-ground" Yunan pouts.

"Don't you like our home?" Her eyes grow soft.

"Of course I do. But not all of us are allergic to light, and I like to get out sometimes" Yunan smiles.

"Why do you think I always take you where you want to go?" The magi teases, and Yamu giggles, smacking his arm as she pases him to exit the door. He drops his back except for his staff, and follows his 'wife' out the door and into the bright city, all the while whispering so quietly that only his lips moving make out sound,

"Why do you think I always follow you into the light, no matter how painful?"

Boyfriend and Girlfriend

When Bad met Aladdin, she went by a different name.

When Bad met Aladdin, she was a different person.

But her feelings are still the same, so she supposes she has a right to tell this tale. The tale of before they were lovers, when she was innocent to the world and he- for some inexplainable reason- loved her careless and stupid self.

"Where are we going?" She asked him. It was a bright morning, and in the distance she could hear a strange buzzing in the grass.

"I promised King Sinbad I'd take you to his Kingdom, but I figured it would be nice to take you on a trip first" He explains, motioning to the expanse of farmland and the thin road they tread. "You've never seen the world, right? Well, I can probably show you around then!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I can show you the world*" Aladdin smiles, shifting the bag on his back. "Alibaba won't be happy I ditched him, but Ieft a note so…"
Bad giggled, adjusting her long dress. The two eighteen year olds walk along quietly.

"Hey…" She asks softly, and Aladdin looks to her.

"Mhm?"

"...Do you think...They hate me?" He stops in the middle of the road. She stops too, unsure if she was the one to make him do the action. "Lord Ala-"

He lurches forward, grabbing her elbows and looking down at her with an intensity she's unfamiliar with. The magi doesn't shake her, but he does have a strong grip, and a sort of strange worry lodges in his face.

"Why would you think that? Never think that. Has someone-?" He questions her, searching her face. Scared, her eyes water and she looks down, not looking at his face as she breaks his hold and launches into his arms, trying to hide in his blue robes.

"I-I'm s-sorry" She whispers, hugging him tighter. Sighing, the man hugs her back.

"Don't be, _" Aladdin apologizes. "I was stupid to get upset and scare you like that, especially when I know you get intimidated easily"

"Is that w-why yo-ou've taken c-care of me?" Bad stutters, embarrassed. "I know you s-saved me but...You didn't have to go to these lengths for me…"

"I can't help it, it's hard for me to control myself around you anymore" Aladdin smiles. "I've fallen for you"

Bad looks up at him and knits her eyebrows.

"'Fallen for me'?" She repeats slowly, confused. "I don't understand...Did I trip you?" The blue haired youth chuckles.

"I guess...It means I'll be your protector from now on, okay?"

Later, much later, Bad would ask a lady what that meant, 'to fall for someone'. The woman looked at her strangely, but then smiled like she knew a funny joke, and explained,

"It means that a man has fallen in love with you, silly girl!"

It would be longer a wait until she realized she felt the same way, that the protection and warmth and the reason she felt pulled to his open arms was because the strange feeling in her chest was love.

Add three days more for her to confess, and another week for Aladdin to reveal that he fell in love with her when he first laid eyes on her, though he didn't know that the strange feeling in his chest was love.

By that time, they had reached Sindria, and were officially dating.

(Alibaba had cried over the fact that Aladdin got a girlfriend much easier and sooner than he ever did)

After that, the timer on the time she had left with Aladdin started ticking, and she didn't even know.

(The signs were there, but she didn't see)

And while they were happy, so happy together traveling the world, a few things would soon put a wrench in their focus.

(Put a wrench in Aladdin's focus. He got careless because of her. She lead him to ignore all the telltale incidents that showed that Al Thamen was still around (even if she didn't know it))

She distracted him.

And the world paid for her love.

DONE.

*I can show you the world: Hahahahahahahahahaha if you get it then I guess I made a funny!

*Titles: Hey, did you notice the similarity in the names~?

Aww, only three stories? That's sorta sad. I wanted to right a cute ModernAu where it was an auction of all the female characters but I got tired and didn't have motivation or time, so this is not only late but short.

:(.

But, I hope you like the ZeinaXSinbad, YamuXYunan and BadXAladdin I've supplied for this lovely day, and I can't wait until I can publish the next chappie of Starry Skies! ILY MY DARLING READERS~!

BYE~~~~~~~