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

Trial (Part III)

(Y/n)

A procession of clouds drifts across the sky, thinning out into wisps for the briefest of moments to allow a sliver of moon and starlight to sift through. Skeins of red wires criss-cross among the ring of trees before coming together in a tight pattern at the centre, trapping my target. Ja'far's eyes shift to meet mine, stubbornness roiling beneath their silver surface. A silent message passes between us. 

Give up. 

As if!

For a moment, I allow myself to bask in my victory. I allow myself to forget that Ja'far wouldn't be so determined unless he knows a way out of the trap I'd woven for him. 

A flash of silver. The whine of wires being sliced clean through. Ja'far grabs the knife hidden in the toe of his shoe and flings it at me. The sonorous clang of metal against metal as his blade collides against mine, knocking the handle out of my grip just as the tide of clouds swallows up the moon again.

Well, crap. I've never seen Ja'far fight with anything else other than his wires. Why didn't I stop to think that he might have another spare weapon hidden somewhere?  The creak of branches. The rustle of leaves. I spin around just in time to block a punch from Ja'far, who'd managed to climb up into the tree with me. 

We're toe to toe now - striking, dodging in the dark just like all those other nights, when we'd guide each other through our fighting moves until it all became a soundless, familiar dance. Except now, our dance is faster, more urgent and desperate - our first time actually sparring hand-to-hand. In a tree, no less!

No! I curse internally as I feel my foot slip from a branch, my body tilting before I catch my balance once more. Ja'far senses my weakness and latches on to it, aiming sharp kicks and jabs at my legs, trying to knock me off the tree. 

I inch backwards, the tree branch bending further beneath my every step. Gradually, like black water seeping through the crack under a door, I feel a familiar frustration creeping in. Here I am struggling to keep my balance and defend myself at the same time, while my opponent doesn't seem deterred by the darkness at all. Does he have supernatural night vision or something?

Light! I need light! My silent prayer screams through my head over and over again. Not good. Stay calm, (y/n). The branch grows narrower - creaking, nearly giving way beneath my weight. 

The moon's dim glow sieves through a gap in the clouds. 

Yes!

Ja'far strikes, sweeping my feet out from under me as I topple off the branch, letting it snap back into his face like a leafy slingshot. "Ow!" he cries out, reeling from the shock of getting slapped by a tree. Deftly grabbing hold of a lower tree branch before I can splat onto the ground, I swing myself back up and kick Ja'far off his branch.

Together, our bodies roll onto the paved ground. Fallen leaves and petals fly in a startle furry - a final burst of chaos before the stillness of the palace grounds settles down once more. A jagged piece of tree bark, clutched in my scratched hands, hovers over Ja'far's neck. Mud streaks his startled face. A cut stretches across his forehead. His silver hair, tousled from the fight, is a shock in the dimness of the night. 

"See?" I grin in spite of my ragged breathing. "13 minutes. Told you I'd make this fast."

"Actually, (y/n), that was 15 minutes." Sinbad approaches from the dark edges of the palace grounds, walking towards us with a weakly glowing lantern in his hand. 

"Wait, you were watching?" asks Ja'far, aghast. "Sure was!" his king replies, smirking at our dirty faces, our dishevelled, leaf-tangled hair...and the awkward position we were in. Sheepishly, I get off of Ja'far and try to explain. 

"Well, you see, King Sinbad and I planned this."

"What!"

"Yeah, he agreed that if I managed to beat you and Sharrkan in a spar, he'd take it as proof that I'm prepared enough to go save my clan."

"WHAT!"

"Anyway, I passed the test, though it did take a little more time than I'd hoped, so we're leaving tomorrow noon."

"W H A T!"

Sinbad laughs, which does nothing to help calm Ja'far down. "Get some rest, you two. You'll need it," he adds, then saunters off towards his quarters before his right hand man can explode.