Beautiful curse

Series: Magi

Pairing: Kagome x Sinbad

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or series

He was listening to her advice.

Not every word she spoke was mindlessly taken as gospel, but her opinion and ideas were carefully considered despite her often times less than friendly attitude towards their leader, and that was far more than what Kagome would've expected from anyone else. All things considered, the girl could be in a far worse situation now that she was stranded in a foreign world, and yet….

Worry gnawed at her whenever she saw the greed in Sinbad's eyes. It was pure and raw ambition that gave his words such an intense weight when he spoke about his grandiose dreams. But his goals, admirable as they were, were impossible to accomplish. There was a reason utopias only ever existed in fiction and myths of old. But that wouldn't be enough to stop him, the miko had seen his determination first hand…as well as the bloody price he was willing to pay in order to succeed. Had the jewel not been sealed within her soul, the head of Sindria's Trading Company would've fallen prey to the Shikon's alluring whispers, letting himself open to the corrupting influence of the jewel while thinking he was still in control.

The smart thing for her to do right now would be to leave.

A year of traveling with him had allowed her to gather enough money not to worry about her expenses for a while, and if she asked, Masrur would likely agree to go with her. The boy had latched onto her just as hard as she had during the two years they struggled to survive in the hellish place that woman called a trading company. Despite his admiration towards Sinbad he'd worry too much about her safety to let her travel alone. As long as they kept a low profile, they could travel without worrying about getting the wrong kind of attention. They could get to the Dark continent and look for the Fanalis tribe while she searched for a way back home. Without the help of Sindria's Trading Company the journey would be less comfortable, but it was still possible; even if she had to keep going on her own there's no way she'd end up with chains around her neck again. Leaving was the best thing for her to do. It would be safer too, staying would allow the wanna be king to drag her into his conflicts, and if she stayed here any longer….she wasn't sure Sinbad would ever allow her to leave.

Being referred to as their High Priestess by Zepar had made something shift in the merchant's gaze. What had originally been mild interest seemed to turn into genuine desire.

Oh, he'd been trying to charm her from the moment he realized the power she'd held, that's why she was treated as one of the Company's main advisors despite being open about her wish to return home, but being acknowledged by one of the Djins as a special existence apparently bolstered his ambition. His subtle attempts to permanently recruit her had turned as heavy handed as they could be. If his greed continued growing, it wouldn't be unnatural for him to fully lose grasp of his morals and do something to ensure she'd remain with him.

Trusting him would be incredibly dangerous…still a part of her wanted to believe him.

Slender fingers traced the scar on her wrist as she looked out at the night sea. Listening to him speak was entrancing, the world he painted was a beautiful picture Kagome found herself yearning for, especially after what she'd been through. That goal of his might be impossible but just chasing it would help make things better, and it wouldn't waste the lives of the children she failed to protect.

"Kagome, there you are!" Sinbad's voice rose above the rolling waves. "I was worried you were feeling sick."

"I don't get sea sick." Azure eyes glanced at the filled plate the teen held in his hands.

Usually, the miko didn't mind joining Sinbad and the other for meals, after a year of traveling together she'd grown fond of them, but the thoughts she'd been trying to push to the back of her mind had been too loud tonight for her to smile through a cheerful dinner. No one else here shared their misgivings. Even those who didn't fully agree with the purple haired teen seem to admire him to a degree.

Giving out a sigh, she reached for a piece of fruit, ignoring the dazzling smile she got in return.

"Have you thought about it?"

"I'm not that type of priestess," Kagome said, not missing a beat as she took a bite of a sliced apple. "I don't belong here. I've told you before."

"What does Balbadd look like?" Frustration grew at the question, though she wasn't sure if that was because she knew him well enough to realize he wasn't truly changing the topic or because she knew exactly why he was asking her that.

"Very similar to Reim, honestly." Azure eyes turned back to the city that had been steadily growing bigger in the horizon for the last couple of days. The white birds circling around it seemed to follow a relatively calm pattern that hid mistakes underneath, making a shining spectacle no one else in this ship could perceive. "But then again, that's not the country in turmoil."

"This world must look so different to you."

Different was an understatement.

From the moment she opened her eyes in this world she'd seen the crowds of small white birds surrounding places and people alike. For a reason she didn't understand, she could see the flow of Rukh, of the energy that filled this world, with far more ease than she'd ever been able to see the spiritual aspects of feudal Japan. The delicate looking birds would often flock around her, their color changing into a soft pink when they got near. At first she'd tried to explain all these oddities as the byproduct of her being an outsider…but there was no way she could pretend not to notice how much stronger her power was since she got here. Injuries she would've struggled to heal before barely made a dip on her stamina, her shields withstood far more damage and her attacks seemed to cover more ground than she'd ever managed when she was in the Sengoku era. Miroku had never been able to figure out why her reiki reacted differently, but they'd assumed the Shikon clinging onto her soul for over five hundred years could've messed with something. The more time she spent here, however, she was left with the sinking feeling that the reason she'd struggled so much during her journey in feudal Japan may have been because the world itself restricted her.

If the Djins were right and Kagome truly was their High Priestess…then she may never be able to return.

"It is pretty unique I suppose." Leaning against the railing, the girl grabbed a slice of mango. This wasn't a topic she wanted to dwell on.

"I always felt like I could see the flow of destiny, to think I'd meet someone who could actually see it and influence it." There was awe in his voice, it was in moments like these that the miko understood how he'd managed to come this far. Sinbad had a knack for making people feel special and indispensable, it made refusing him extremely difficult. That's what scared her. "Perhaps the land you were born in cannot be found in our maps, but this world has welcomed you with open arms, Kagome. You'll always have a place with us."

"…The kind of priestess I was…I'm not religious and even if I was, I have to find a way home." It didn't matter if she belonged to this world or not, she couldn't just forget about all the people she loved.

"But that's precisely why you should take the position." As always, Sinbad was ready with a clever response. "Most countries don't pay too much attention to religious activities, it'd be easy to make it a symbolic position. If you happen to find a way to return before we create our country there'd be no issues, of course, but if we establish it first then it'd be hard to justify you having access to me without an official role. Plus, as a High Priestess, you'd be able to travel to other countries under the guise of diplomatic activities."

Nothing he said was wrong. While wars weren't quite as common here compared to Japan's Warring Estates era, and there were no blood thirsty demons prowling in the shadows, traveling between countries was far more complicated, and her lack of familiarity with these nations' political landscape could end up with her getting stuck in another annoying situation. Just being part of Sindria Trading Company gave her a lot of protection.

Sinbad's greed was far too grand, though, he knew she wouldn't be able to take on such a role without feeling responsible for those who followed them. One of the biggest reasons she stuck with him was because she didn't trust him with the lives of the children he incited to rebel. This was nothing more than another of his attempts to manipulate her into permanently tying herself to him and his future country by offering her a pretty lie. It would be so damn easy to get drowned by him and his ambitions…

"I'll think about it once we actually have a land." Biting her tongue, she accepted the offered goblet, pausing a second to make sure he hadn't grabbed something that was mostly alcohol. Getting dunk around Sinbad was dangerous in a different way.

"That's mean, Kagome," the merchant pouted, taking a piece of meat of himself. "You make it sound like I won't get it."

"If anyone can just start a country it's probably you," Kagome sighed. Following his lead was worryingly tempting.

"Only because I've gotten incredibly lucky to find so many talented people who support me." Gently, he pushed the plate towards her once more, another kind smile on his face. "Just from the insight you've given me about the place you came from has given me so many ideas about how to create a peaceful country."

Heat rushed to her face as she turned back to face the sea, absentmindedly taking something else from the plate. She barely noticed the flavor of the piece of salmon she bit into. It'd be a lie to say Sinbad wasn't handsome, or that he wasn't clever. He'd realized his absurdly overt flirting wouldn't work with her by now, but the concern he showed her all while heaping praise over her ideas was harder to ignore. After two years of being treated like she wasn't even human, it was hard not to crave the appreciation.

Staying here was dangerous.

Just because he was willing to hear her out now didn't mean it'd remain the same. He was conceited, overconfident, the whole reason he ended up meeting her wearing chains around his neck was because he thought he could overcome anything thrown his way. If he thought he knew better than her, than others, he wouldn't hesitate to overrule any dissent. Worse than that, he was also charming enough to convince everyone that they should disregard their own concerns and blindly agree with his opinion. All it'd take was for her to falter a little bit to find herself caged in his schemes, another piece for him to use…. And she wasn't sure she'd notice he'd replaced the chains he freed her from with ones of his own.

Before she fell through the well Kagome had lived her life without any specific goal in her mind. Her goals were limited to getting good grades and entering a good high school, she hadn't even been sure about what career she wanted to go into. It was only after shattering the Shikon that the miko began to focus on a specific aim, and had she returned to her own time, perhaps she would've struggled to readapt to her old lifestyle, still she didn't think she would've felt as lost as she did right now. She was grasping for straws in trying to search for a way home, but if her fears were right and she was stuck here, then there'd be nothing left for her to hold onto but his dreams and ambitions. Without anything left for her to strive for, the spider's thread he offered could easily turn into shackles.

"Why do you believe me?" she blurted out in an effort to redirect the conversation. "About me not belonging I mean."

"It's hard to argue when every Djin seem to agree with you. It'd be nice if they actually told us what they know." Rolling his eyes, Sinbad silently asked for her goblet.

Humming, she passed her the drink, her traitorous gaze following his movements as he took a drink from it. It was getting harder to keep up her cold facade when he was making such a big effort to appeal to her. The merchant never felt more at home than when he was drinking at a celebration or lively meal, yet he left just to join her at the deck, apparently comfortable in the silence she'd looked for, sharing a plate he'd filled out of concern for her skipping a simple meal.

The dancing pattern of Rukh caught her eye once more, this time swirling around Sinbad. The white birds seemed to love gathering in his vicinity, and whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was curious about what he could accomplish.

"We should go back," she spoke, cutting the silence short as she stole another piece of bread. "Or we'll end up catching a cold and I don't think Rurumu will be happy with us."

"Ahahahaha, she probably wouldn't care that you could heal us before reaching port." He winced even as he lifted the goblet for another sip, but he turned to walk back with her.

"We have an audience with the King the same day we land." An audience she probably shouldn't be included in, but Sinbad insisted in bringing her to. "Better safe than sorry."

"It'll be fine, we're in friendly territory. Besides, I'll have you with me now," Sinbad grinned at her once more, praising her again.

She couldn't trust him, she reminded herself, he'd willingly sacrificed so many innocent children when he could've put a stop to it when Sindria bought him back. Those kids had been pawns for him to use, and if she faltered she'd end up in the exact same position. So she returned his smile with a huff and sped up, desperate to get back to her quarters.

He was far too dangerous.

His hand found the empty spot on the bed and frowned. Groaning, the King stood up, grabbed a robe and left to the place he knew he'd find her.

Even after so many years, Sinbad couldn't help but hate it whenever he woke up to find himself alone. Kagome wouldn't leave him, there was absolutely no way she would, he'd made sure of that, but his worry never vanished.

Truth be told, he'd been charmed by her from the instant he met her. They'd been thrown into what he'd thought then was hell on earth but while he bent under the pressure, she'd remained unchanged. There had been chains around her arms weighing her down, bandages constantly wrapped around her limbs, but while she'd been tortured by the monsters that kept them captive, the priestess never bent. Within her eyes defiance shone bright even as the whips hit her back. Kagome Higurashi would never call that witch mother. He'd known from the start that he wanted her, but his decision was solidified as the then merchant watched her desperately running from one part of the destroyed building to another, exhausting herself in her attempt to bring back as many lives as possible with a power he'd never seen before.

Sindria needed this world's one true High Priestess.

Of course, securing her hadn't been easy, she'd outright hated him because of his decision to incite the slave rebellion. He'd been lucky she'd always been soft hearted and he'd managed to chip away at her walls. Using her sense of responsibility towards the surviving children had been enough for her to join him in his travels.

Back then, Sinbad didn't fully understand how badly he needed Kagome.

The image of her petite form covered in blood (her own, their enemy's, their friends), her dress in tatters, tears falling freely as she lunged at him with a broken sword was forever engraved in his mind. She'd forced him to open his eyes with a blade at his throat as she screamed that they failed, because they were just imperfect, and this was a tragedy, not another hurdle to overcome.

He'd thought he'd seen what her anger looked like, but that explosion had been beyond anything he'd witnessed. Kagome had been right, though, had he listened to her concerns perhaps they could've avoided that tragedy, and if things remained the same, there was no guarantee he wouldn't become blinded again. None of his retainers would speak against him, no one but her, so he needed her. It had been a small miracle that he'd managed to convince her to help him change instead of simply spilling his blood to protect those who survived. But even as his perception of the world shattered, his nature hadn't changed. He'd been cruel, doing everything he could to chain her to his side, weaponizing the love she had for those who'd followed them to convince her they both needed to survive.

What he'd done was dangerous.

Sindria was the only country that held two rulers of equal power, requiring any decision that could impact their land in any significant way be it trade, international alliances, or military deployments to be agreed upon by both its King and its High Priestess. For all intents and purposes, the responsibilities of a ruler had been divided between them, with him taking over things like trading and military aspects, and the priestess taking charge of more social issues, keeping track of the nations health and education with international diplomacy shared by the two of them. By giving her half of his power, he'd ensured she wouldn't leave him, because she was far too devoted to their people and she didn't trust him to value the life of their own citizens.

Of course, that also meant she had enough power to go against him. In fact, by now, she was likely the only person who had a good chance of killing him.

Loyal to him as they were, none of his Djins would agree to harm her in any significant way, and while physically weaker, she was smart enough to wait to take his life when he wasn't expecting it. Not to mention the influence she had within Sindria thanks to how loved she was. The country would split in two if they were go to war.

She made sure to visit hospitals, orphanages and schools at least twice a month, more often than not, she walked back to the palace and toured the local markets so she could keep an eye on how their citizens economy looked like first hand. He'd lost count of how many times she'd left to do her rounds adorned with the most precious gems and jewels, and returned with ribbons, flower crowns and clumsy(and cheap) first attempts at jewelry serving as replacements. The only other ruler who was as adored as her was the Dungeon Conqueror himself.

He was Sindria's head while Kagome was its heart…she was Sinbad's heart.

But as he looked at the woman who'd become his people's fiercest protector, he couldn't help but feel the risks were worth it. He might be able to manipulate her into obeying him. Hell, so long as he swore to keep her safe he might even be able to use Zepar…but the delicate balance he was keeping was more valuable because even after all his travels there he'd never found any woman who could compare to her.

"It's quite lonely when you just leave like that." His voice didn't cause her to flinch. She didn't make an effort to move from her seat on the balcony railing. "Especially when I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Shouldn't you be sleeping because you're leaving tomorrow." With a resigned sigh, Kagome leaned back as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Because I'm leaving tomorrow I need to make sure to take advantage of the time we have together," Sinbad said, barely stopping himself from carrying her back to their bed. "I miss you already."

"If you miss me so much I can throw you off." Absentmindedly pulling her hair to the side, she refused to turn to look at him, her sight locked onto something he couldn't say.

"You can be so mean sometimes." His lips trailed down her neck. Subtlety was always the way to get her to surrender, patience was the key.. "All I want is to spend time with you, heart of mine."

"Severe injuries will ensure your travel is delayed…you left your metal vessels behind, you'll fall to the ground." Despite what she said, the woman still turned her head, giving him more access.

"I'm not about to let go of you." Rough fingers played with the thin fabric of the robe she'd picked from the ground. "If I fall, you'll fall with me."

"The only one the Rukh will protect is me."

That much was true. This world's Rukh would only protect its High Priestess. With the position they were in, she could throw them both over. He wouldn't die from a fall like this, even without his metal vessels he could survive, but he would still end up heavily wounded…and no one would think to stop Sindria's High priestess from getting close to the King to treat him.

Kagome could kill him tonight.

One of her hands moved to play with strand of deep purple hair, azure eyes remained wary as she looked at him. She'd always been the only one who could see the more twisted parts of him, and there was nothing he could do to stop the rush of excitement going through him. Having her never failed to give him the mot exquisite of highs, especially when her suspicions were laid bare for him to see.

"If that's the prize for spending time with the person I love, I'm happy to pay it." Those words weren't something she believed either. But while she refused to say it out loud, she did love him, that love was the only reason she didn't slice his neck so many years ago. "What do you see?"

"Chaos….we're too far to say for sure, but the fact that I can see some disturbance at all is telling." Worry laced her words.

"You can always come with me, they won't dare stop my High Priestess." Talking about international politics was the last thing he wanted to do right now, but if he didn't at least acknowledge her concerns, she'd likely go back to her own room. "A few hours of delay won't cause too much trouble. It might be better to have you there if things go wrong."

"People are worried if the two of us leave for Balbadd their uncertainty will only increase." She turned within his hold, letting go of his hair in favor of tracing the faint scar around his neck.

The gesture was meant as a reminder that she couldn't trust him. Every time she opposed him she caressed the more pronounced scars around her limbs, and if they happened to be touching she'd often touch his. No matter what her feelings towards him were, she'd always put the people of Sindria first.

"Don't forget your promise," Kagome whispered. It was the most enchanting threat he'd ever heard. "I don't want to loose this."

"Wouldn't dare to." At last, his words go her to relax, earning him A soft smile before pulling him down into a soft kiss.

"Let's go back to bed." Long nails trailed down his chest. "If you don't want me to leave the bed before you wake up then you have to tire me out."

"Don't challenge me, heart of mine, or I'll make it so you won't be able to stand tomorrow."

A/N: Hope your holidays are going well, I know this isn't the chapter that was supposed to be uploaded this week, but between festivities and me managing to get myself sick for Christmas my writing was suuuper delayed.

Thank you guys for reading and any and all review/comment/criticism is greatly appreciated.