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

Chapter 8

Sinbad

"It's late, (y/n). What did you call us here for?" yawns Sharrkan. Next to him, Yamuraiha raises an eyebrow. "It's still pretty early if you ask me. What time do you usually go to bed?"

Sharrkan hesitates. "Around eight..."

Yamuraiha snickers. "Well, look who's a surprisingly good boy who has an early bedtime."

"Well, that's because I don't stay up all night slaving away at potions!"

I hold up a hand to silence them, as much as I hate to interrupt their rather entertaining argument. (Y/n) nods her thanks to me before activating her powers. A gentle (f/c) light envelops the room. "Just making sure that there are no eavesdropping spells here," she says. "I don't want our enemies hearing this."

At those words, a tense seriousness spreads among us.

With the eyes of all eight generals on her, she tells us about how Judal communicated with her through a dream, how her brother is alive after all, and how she has to save him before it's too late.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" I ask. "I thought that trying to get help from you might anger Al Thamen. Then they'll kill my brother."

"No," Ja'far says, the sharp staccato of his voice causing everyone to turn towards him.

"Thinking like that will probably just lead you straight into their trap, (y/n). Maybe Judal's only reason for sending you that nightmare was just to play with you emotions. I mean, he does love causing chaos. But it could also be some part of Al Thamen's plan. You destroying all those puppets they sent? They definitely must have noticed. They've seen your powers. You're a big threat to them. What if they're using your brother to lure you in?"

(Y/n) is silent. Then she says," Th-that's right. But...in the dream, my brother died because I couldn't find him fast enough."

Sharrkan speaks up, "What did Judal say at the end of the dream? "Some information before you go – your brother is still alive and with Al Thamen." He didn't actually say that they'll kill him if you don't get to him fast enough."

"Yes," adds Yamuraiha. "And didn't they spare just you and your brother when they attacked your village? They won't do that unless you two are important, probably because of the crescent marks you inherited – the ancient dark rukh you possessed. Judging from your powers, I'm guessing your brother's abilities are strong enough to be particularly interesting to Al Thamen."

"W-well, my brother's rukh was much stronger than mine. Which is probably why I never saw him during my training as a soldier. Being a normal soldier would be a waste of his abilities," (y/n) says.

"Al Thamen won't kill your brother. At least not any time soon. He's too important," says Masrur.

"H-hai." Relief washes over (y/n)'s face.

Ja'far walks over to her with a smirk and flicks her forehead. "Think before you freak out next time." She flushes, her face turning red like a tomato. "But still, I'd like to save him as fast as possible anyway. Who knows what he's suffering at Al Thamen's hands."

"I'll help you. We'll all help you. So there's no need to worry." Ja'far wears a determined, sincere look that's mirrored by the rest of us in the room. Smiling sheepishly, she apologises for how she's been acting these past couple of days. Most of us forgive her immediately. If anyone's good at controlling their emotions during battle, it's (y/n). Her recent attitude just shows how deeply she cares about her brother.

The only one who's hesitant about accepting her apology is Sharrkan. "It's okay," he says. "but you still owe me one for kicking me in the groin." 

Pisti

My bird, Hera, lets me nestle under her giant wing as I lie and listen to the hundreds of birdsongs echoing down towards us. Roosts teeming with many different species of birds spiral up endlessly along the tower walls. At the very top of of it all, where the ceiling should be, is a giant hole through which morning sunlight shines through. To me, it looks like a sun circled by a solar system of birds. Actually, this was the tower where Sinbad hid when Al Thamen attacked. The tower that (y/n) blew up along with the puppets. We haven't finished rebuilding it, but for now I'll let my birds make themselves at home here.

Suddenly, I hear the door open then close. At the sight of Masrur wading towards me through a sea of rainbow-coloured feathers, I giggle. "You really ought to clean this place up," he says.

"Why? It makes a nice mattress. Anyway, what brings you here?" I turn to Hera and gesture. She picks Masrur up in her beak and puts him down next to me. "You've sensed it too, right? The forest animals' unease?" he says. I snort. "SENSED IT? Pretty much everyone's noticed! The servants keep complaining about the hordes of birds that have been migrating to the palace and pooping everywhere. So I moved them all here," I explain, pointing up at the crowded roosts.

"But why are they all fleeing from the forest?" insists Masrur. 

I sigh. "Okay, yes. I've noticed that something bad's happening in the forest. I've already flown over it five times but couldn't find anything unusal. Whatever's happening is somewhere deep in the forest."

"Can't you ask these birds what happened?"

"Nope. They're too scared and agitated. If we want to find out, we have to go into the forest ourselves."

"Then let's bring (y/n) too. Just to be careful. We don't know exactly what we'll face in the-"

"You two are just worried about Irie, huh?"

Masrur blushes and walks away as I laugh. "Fine. We'll all go together this afternoon. This tower can't shelter these birds forever, after all." Grinning at his retreating back, I add, "If I were you, I'd come back here." The words barely leave my lips before a mini hailstorm of bird poop rains down on him.

Author's Note: Sorry for the late update (again! I can never seem to update on time). I've added the newest update on to this chapter (Pisti's part). Thanks for all the support! Feel free to give me constructive criticism.