Akatsuki: The Second Act (Magi Ja'far X Fem Reader)

Of Veiled Eyes and Training

Ja'far

"Um...good afternoon?" (y/n) greeted, hesitating by the door. "Good afternoon," I reply before hastily turning back to my work, racing through my list of tasks in my head. A spice merchant's ship arrived late because of a pirate attack. We have to do something more to protect the ships sailing to Sindria. Tomorrow, I have that appointment with that one annoying group of traders. I also have that thing that Sin told me about. Oh, that's right!

"(Y/n), I've talked with the others and we've arranged time for your training. Tomorrow morning, you'll need to wake up early to train with Sharrkan, Sin and Yamurai-," my explanation is cut short by (y/n) slamming her hands onto my desk. "For goodness' sake, slow down! What have you been doing all day?" she says, gesturing to the piles of paper stacked around the room.

"Working, of course," I answer. "Finishing up the last of it so that I can actually have time to train with you." She shakes her head disapprovingly before telling me to take a break while she tidies up the mess of papers. "It's like you've caused a hurricane in here, Ja'far. I'll organise all this so that you can actually get you work done faster."

I sigh but relent. I guess I am slightly tired. "Fine. I'll take a break until this evening," I concede. (Y/n) spins around, a few papers fluttering from her arms as her (e/c) eyes widen in surprise. "I know that unless I stop working, you won't allow yourself a break, either. And with the training you'll go through from tomorrow on, you need it. I'm sure Sin told you the same thing," I explain. For a few seconds, she remains frozen in shock. Then her expression shifts to an exasperated one. "Hai. Right after I finish cleaning up," she says, yet I can sense some relief in her voice, probably because I've finally decided to stop working for a while.

Leaning my head against the desk, I let myself doze off, vaguely wondering what tomorrow's training can possibly bring.

Yamuraiha

My eyes still bleary from waking up so early in the morning, I try my best to watch Sharrkan spar with (y/n). She's in full fighting mode as she dodges and attacks Sharrkan. She truly is impressive, being able to keep up with a Sindrian general for that long. Her eyes, however, are completely clear of emotions. A shiver runs down my spine. After just a few months without seeing (y/n) right, it's unnerving to see her put on that familiar mask again. Nevertheless, it does make her already unique fighting style even harder to predict. 

But right now, that uniqueness isn't enough. 

She tries to trip Sharrkan, make him lose his balance, then attack. (It doesn't work). Instead, she barely knocks him down and gets disarmed. "As I thought, you've lost a lot of speed and strength, (y/n)," he remarks. Not that it's her fault, though. Her body just still isn't used to using a large amount of magoi, which she did during the fight against Al Thamen.

I approach them and put a comforting hand on (y/n)'s shoulder, although I'm not even sure if she needs it. She doesn't look disappointed or bothered by her defeat at all...not that I can tell with that stone-like expression of hers. Drawing something out from my robes, I ask if she remembers it. Some time ago, I made a modified version of the Eight-Color Magic Sorting Crystal. This is an even further developed version of that. I designed it to draw out magoi and show results faster and made extra sure that the crystal was shaped to look like an elegant swan.

"Hey! Isn't that like the deformed dodo head you made last time?" exclaimed Sharrkan. Feeling a vein start to pulse in my forehead, I snap, "No! This is a new and improved version!" He just smirks at me and continue, "The only improvement I see is at least this time, the deformed dodo head is smaller." Before I can retort or cast a spell to throw him out of the palace, Sinbad tells me to go on with (y/n)'s training.

Just like the last time, I let (y/n) hold the magic crystal in her hands. Sure enough, it begins to draw out a bit of magoi from her. Unlike the last time, however, the crystal does not fill up with some dark and screaming thing then explode. Instead, an (f/c) light glows within the crystal, causing its facets to shimmer. 

"Thank you, (y/n). I'll need to examine your rukh tonight. Hopefully, we'll find out more about your powers and how to help you master them," I say, taking back the (still glowing) crystal. 

Sinbad

After a short break, I begin teaching (y/n) how to use her own magoi. Normally, I'd send her to the Yambala Gladiators, the best teachers and experts when it comes to magoi manipulation. They're the ones who trained me, Alibaba and Hakuryuu, after all. But for now, I think we should avoid information about (y/n)'s powers from spreading. 

"There are several ways that magoi manipulation can be used, such as attacking your opponent to cause internal damage or negating their abilities," I explain. "Today, I'll teach you the basics." After a while, I realise that (y/n) is a natural at this. She can easily concentrate her magoi into her hands as well as her weapons.

"It's not that I have talent for this, if that's what you're thinking," (y/n) says, her blank eyes boring into my face. "Back when I was younger, Al Thamen tried to teach me how to use my magoi to increase the impact of my attacks. I was horrible at it. But after my rukh changed...and my new abilities...it feels like my own rukh is guiding me."

"Hmm. I see," I say. Sometimes, it really is unsettling how well (y/n) can read other people when she herself is so hard to predict.

Ja'far

Right on time, (y/n) arrives, her face tinted by the light of the setting sun. "Remind me why we're training in the evening instead of in the afternoon?" she says, unimpressed. "You need to learn how to fight well when there's not much light," I reply.

She snickers. "I think you know that I can fight well in the dark. You've seen me do it quite a few times. Besides, if I happen to need more light, I can set the garden on fire again."

"Yes. But you don't know how to fight in the dark like I do."

As her (e/c) eyes shift to me, they freeze over like a lake in winter, veiling the emotions and intent that might be lurking in them. She's ready to fight.

"Show me, then."