Chapter 1: Babkak and Omar

Aladdin sat, looking out at the city of Agrabah from his and Abu's newest hideout. It was late and he wasn't nicking anything tonight, much to Abu's annoyance. The little monkey had raged at Aladdin for skipping out on a Friday night.

This was one of the best times for stealing. Lots of people would be drunk and not paying attention to their purses, but Aladdin just didn't have it in him tonight. So, Abu had left without him, promising not to share whatever he found.

Aladdin had let him go. Abu didn't understand. Today would have been Kassim's birthday. He and Aladdin were now the same age. It wasn't right and somehow made the usual guilt that Aladdin carried like a watermelon around his neck even heavier.

It had been years, but Aladdin still missed Kassim.

"I'm sorry Kassim," Aladdin whispered to the night.

"Saying that doesn't do him any good," a nasally voice replied.

Aladdin turned and saw a familiar skinny rat-faced boy standing in the doorway with a long knife in his hand. Of course, the boy would be here tonight of all nights. Aladdin had known it would be only a matter of time before Babkak managed to find him again. He had just hoped that it would take Babkak a bit longer.

Aladdin considered his options as he casually stood up and said, "Hey Babkak."

"Don't 'Hey Babkak' me, Ape," Babkak spat.

"Really Babkak? Name calling? I thought we were past that," Aladdin said, stepping up onto the window ledge.

"Stop moving," Babkak said, waving his knife in a way Aladdin assumed was supposed to be threatening.

"I don't think I can manage that," Aladdin said. "if I did, you might-" Aladdin dropped off the ledge just as Babkak's knife flew through the air, missing him.

"Catch me!" Aladdin finished as he fell.

But Aladdin didn't get to feel safe for long because instead of landing on the ground, he found himself in the big hairy arms of his other childhood friend, Omar.

"Caught you," Omar said in his deep voice.

Not for long, Aladdin decided. He struggled to get out of Omar's iron grasp. The large boy held on tight until Aladdin punched his nose.

"Ow!" Omar shouted.

"Sorry," Aladdin said before setting off at a run.

"After him," Babkak called. He was closer than Aladdin thought he'd be.

Aladdin suddenly got the sickening sense that his old friends had been planning this attack for a while, but the street rat did his best to shrug off his unease.

Who cared if they planned this ambush?

Aladdin would escape them just like he always did. After all, if there was one thing that Aladdin was good at: it was not getting caught.


A/N: Hey Reader,

So this is like my third Aladdin fic and probably not my last either. This fic works as a standalone, but it is in the same universe as my other major Aladdin story, Rajah's Curse, and it could even be called a prequel. (Aladdin and Jasmine are in their early teens).

There are only a few things you might want to know upfront:

1. Rajah is a white tiger.

2. Aladdin is morally grey.

3. And Jasmine is politically active.

I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.