"Starry Night" | {Magi} Cassim x Alibaba

[Starry Night]

The sky in Balbadd was akin to a masterpiece. Behind all the fog was an endless source of light- or so he wanted to believe. Each and every star had its own unique story.

Is Cassim there too, now?

Letting out a disheartening sigh, Alibaba directed his attention to the pier. It had been a while since he'd sat by the water. The last visit he could remember was crying into the ocean, filling the already salty water with his tears. They were young, then; at his age, Cassim struggled to push the woman's corpse into the water. 

That night his mother had passed was one he would never forget.

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-Flashback-

"Mom?" No matter how much he called, the woman wouldn't wake. "Please, wake up..." Her short breaths were lost to the air. Rolling, pushing, shaking- nothing would grab her attention. The gentle beating of her heart came to a halt as her limp hand fell to the side.

The look on Cassim's face was one of pity. He knew. He knew, and he wouldn't tell him. He couldn't. This was something Alibaba would learn in the future, and one of the reasons he could never forgive his best friend. "'Baba," He trailed off, voice growing hoarse. "Stay here. Watch Mariam, okay?" 

"Where're you going?" The younger boy asked through muffled sobs. 

"Don't worry about it!" 

Every conversation they had ended in an argument, didn't it? "But I wanna know!"

In the end, they left together, leaving Mariam cuddled in the corner of the makeshift housing. The both of them carried the woman's corpse as best they could, all the while Alibaba wondered what they were doing. Approaching the dock, Cassim instructed him to let go. "Right here." He murmured, a strangled pain evident in his eyes. 

"... Is Mom going swimming?"

"Yeah... She's going swimming. For a long time."

And so, they pushed her in.

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Now, he held an urn of ash. Tiny remnants he could collect from Cassim's passing were stored inside. "Hey, Cassim..." He smiled, fervent tears rolling down his porcelain cheeks. "You're going swimming too, right? With Mom." Of course, there was no response. For a moment, he could hear his voice. 

"Don't cry, idiot."

"You'd cry, too. Moron..." He sniffled, wiping those never-ending droplets away (to no avail). "What'd you have to go and die for?" With every spoken word, the sky became more clear. The stars threatened to shine even brighter. How dare they. Taking a deep breath, he held the pot close to his chest.

"Alibaba?" 

A familiar voice called for him, though not his own- and not Cassim's. Turning around, he was greeted with his Magi companion. "Hey." He waved, hiding his face behind the urn. His friend was a rather young child, and he certainly didn't want him to see something like this. Frowning, Aladdin sat beside him. 

"What's that?" The curiosity in his voice was apparent.

Alibaba could do nothing but smile. "It's... Important to me." He wasn't lying, technically. 

"If it's that important," His innocent smile nearly made Alibaba regret telling him anything. "You probably shouldn't be playing with it near the water, you know." His honest statement made the prince chuckle. Really? Well, he is a kid, after all.

For a moment, it felt alright. The suffocating feeling in his throat disappeared, replaced with a bittersweet laugh. All those painful memories finally faded. Maybe it was a good thing he had come to find him, sitting by the water. With someone else by his side, it was a bit easier to cope. It had always been that way. 

"Alibaba!"

Yet more familiar voices- though this time, a surprise. "Z-Zaynab? Hassan?" As kids, Cassim would always leave him to go play with the older kids. How ironic it was now that they would approach as Alibaba clung to his remains. 

"Cassim came here a lot too, y'know," The smoke-scented woman took her place on his open side, staring out into the water. "Said one day he was half-way hoping you'd show up. Didn't know what he'd do then, though. Beat you up, maybe?" 

"At least try to sound sad." The seemingly stoic man sighed from behind them.

"What? We all knew it was coming, one day..."

Laughing softly, the pain returned to Alibaba's bleeding heart. Right. Nothing changed, he's still gone. "Hey, can you do me a favor?" He opened the urn, dropping the lid on his lap. "Just... Sit here for a few?" Seemingly understanding, the two Fog Troupe members nodded. Every emotion he had ever felt rose up from his throat as he began to pour the contents into the water. Sadness. Regret. Anger. Longing. Despite this, the sky was chillingly beautiful still; the stars' gentle glow only grew more furious as Cassim made his departure.

He let it all go on that cruel, starry night.