The Unbroken Promise {A Magi Fanfiction}

Chapter Sixteen: I Never Know How to Respond

"I just..." Alibaba trailed off. "Don't know."

Cassim snarled. "Give me a break!" 

Rashil shoved him away. "Leave him alone!"

The dread-locked boy glared at her. "You're one to talk! You don't even like him!" Why? Why did it hurt him to yell at her? Perhaps Zaynab was right after all... And why? Why did that hurt him? Being yelled at by her? She seemed so... Sincere. Many people may not have seen her as polite, not even a little, but perhaps by not sugar-coating things, that was her way of being polite. 

He opened his mouth to yell at her again, but Alibaba interrupted. 

"I don't know!" he said. "But I... I'm gonna find the answer somehow." Determination gleamed in his eyes, turning his irises molten gold. "I swear, I'm going to do everything I can to save this country. And I won't let a single citizen die!" 

Rashil punched his shoulder. "What are you thinking!? You can't promise that!"

Cassim's eyes narrowed and he lunged forward, punching Alibaba hard in the face. Saliva splattered everywhere. 

Rashil gasped and caught her blonde friend before he collided with the floor, in turn banging the back of her head on the edge of a stone bench. She groaned. "Uh... Uni, you okay?" 

Alibaba adjusted himself. "Me? Forget about me. How are you?" 

She chuckled. "Already forgetting about you." 

Alibaba cast a glare to Cassim. He sat up, enraged, and ran over to his old friend, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Cassim rolled his eyes. "Geez, Alibaba... Being with you really wears me out. You know it as well as I do. You have no power, no resolve. And as a prince, you're completely useless. And that's why, I don't need you anymore. Now, get out of my sight." He slapped Alibaba's hands away. "And if you still feel like stopping me, we'll meet again as enemies." 

Rashil stood up, glaring at the two of them. "That's enough, boys. You're behaving like children." She shoved Alibaba towards the door. "Go wait by the boat, understand?" 

Alibaba reluctantly nodded, still seething. 

The brunette turned to Cassim. "You know, Alibaba sees you as family."

Cassim's eyes widened. 

"I really wish you guys would start acting like it." She turned around and headed towards the opposite side that Alibaba had exited from. 

As she did, Cassim noticed a small trail of blood running down her neck. 

He gasped quietly and started following her to the riverbank. 

"Cassim?" Zaynab questioned.

Cassim blushed a bit, though he didn't know why. "Shut up!"

When he walked out, Rashil was crouched down, her hair completely covering her back. 

She scooped up a handful of water and poured it on her head. 

Her damp hair looked stringy and weird, but still beautiful to Cassim. 

He shook his head vigorously. Ugh! What was he thinking? 

She rubbed her wet palms against her scalp, wiping away the blood that coated the small area. She stopped.

"I know you're there," she said. 

Cassim ducked back inside. 

She sighed, exasperated. "Why not just come out?"