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

Trial (Part II)

Ja'far

"Hey!" I rush to the window and scan the palace grounds below for any sign of (y/n). She's disappeared. Probably ready to ambush me the moment my feet touch the grass outside. 

That crazy girl. I groan and jump out of the window too, but I haven't even fallen one storey before I hear the familiar whoosh of an arrow carving its way through the air. Nice try, (y/n), but I was trained better than that. The instincts have been engraved into my bones and have rushed through my veins ever since the day I was born into Sham Lash, and now I let them take over, shifting my body to the left out of the arrow's range. Above me, I see the arrowhead's faint glint as it flies towards a spot to the right...

Before suddenly curving downwards in my direction. 

The arrow pierces my sleeve, pinning me to the palace's stone wall. I'm too caught off guard to dodge before the second arrow catches my other sleeve.

"Fine. But make it quick." 

"Oh, I will."

Well, (y/n) certainly intends to make good on her promise. I give a sharp tug, tearing my sleeves and letting myself fall as two more arrows embed themselves into the spot I was pinned to a second ago. Landing nimbly on the ground, I immediately take in my surroundings, my body tensed to react to (y/n)'s next attack.

There she stood, shrouded in her black fighting outfit, her unreadable (e/c) eyes staring down at my crouched form. Slowly, she edged away from the amber circle cast by my desk lamp two storeys above, and melded with the inky darkness of the palace grounds beyond. 

What else is there to do but to disappear along with her? I can't stay here in the light like an open target for her. But before I give chase, I shake off my robe and green keffiyeh, leaving me in just a shirt and trousers. The less cloth she can use to pin me down, the better.

I roam the palace grounds that I've come to know so well that navigating them in the darkness is child's play, my careful tread carrying me far away from the palace buildings. Every minute or so, I hear signs of (y/n) following me - a patch of grass bending under her weight, pebbles shifting underneath her feet, the faint tap of an arrow being nocked onto her bow. Even for someone like me, she's not so easy to detect. Despite myself, a smile tugs at the corner of my mouth, something akin to pride swelling in my chest.

I keep walking further towards the deeper, more hidden areas of the palace grounds - places that are less familiar to (y/n). Places where it'll be harder for her to fight. 

Just past the pavilion, I stop. Somehow, my instincts always seem to tense whenever the possibility of conflict, aggression or bloodshed is nearby. Whether it be a particularly tense sparring session in the palace, a fistfight in an alley, a war between nations, my instincts are like a compass needle, sharpening and pointing towards danger. There was a time where I would chase after that danger, that violence. There was a time when I craved it.

Now, those instincts tell me that (y/n) is lying in wait for me, ready to attack. A sea breeze combs through the grounds, causing the grass to ripple, the trees to creak and bend towards each other, their leaves whispering as if to exchange a deep, dark secret. Something soft and light brushes against my cheek. The smell of jacaranda flowers falling from their branches intertwines with the salty breeze. 

I know exactly where I am. Five trees ring this small, paved area meant for the performers - dancers, singers, acrobats - who come to entertain Sin and his important guests every once in a while. Why did (y/n) choose this spot? She's an incredible fighter, but here in this dark, unfamiliar spot where the risk of accidentally severely wounding me with an arrow is too high, I have the advantage. I shake my head. For now, just find out where she's hiding. 

The breeze dies down, taking the trees' chorus along with it. My ears are trained, my body tensed to react to the slightest sound that might emerge from the stillness. 

The creak of a tree branch.

There!

I fling my blades towards the branches of a tree behind me a split second before (y/n) lets her arrow fly. My wires find purchase. Her arrow pings off the paved ground. 

"It's over," is what I'd say if my opponent had been someone other than (y/n), who even now is straining against my wires, most likely working out a way to escape and defeat me. 

Just then, something bursts from the arrow that had been lying on the ground, seemingly harmless just a second ago. I knew it. By the time I jump out of the way, it's too late. Ice sheets shoot up from the ground, their layers partially encasing my body - one of our resident magician's simplest spells.

Dang it, Yamuraiha!

Immediately, I begin chipping away at the ice with whatever parts of my limbs that can still manage to move, which isn't that hard considering how thin the ice sheets actually are. But the spell served its purpose, holding me long enough for (y/n) to leap from tree to tree, my wires trailing behind her until they form a net stretched across the five trees like a cat's cradle.

A memory sparks somewhere in the back of my mind. The first time (y/n) and I paired up to kill a Southern Creature. How she swung and leapt between the cliff walls, dragging my wires along with her. How the creature thrashed in vain in the net she'd created.

Now, I'm the creature ensnared in a web of its own threads. 

(Y/n) doesn't even bother to hide the sound of her bow as she tosses it aside, useless now that her quiver of arrows is empty. She draws a dagger from her belt and aims it at me, her (e/c) eyes expectant, waiting for my surrender.

I chuckle. She got me. Convinced me to give up my sleep, get involved in this stupid fight, caught me off guard and trapped me. But if she thinks that I've run out of tricks, she's dead wrong.

Author's Note: Christmas break is here! More time to write! Yayyyyy. Sorry for the really late update. :( After the exams ended, I went on a school trip to Thailand, where a lot of crazy things happened. Thanks for reading! All the votes and comments mean a lot to me. Feedback is much appreciated.