Hoshi no you ni haka naku
Tsuki no you ni setsunaku
Zutto kimi dake o terashite iru kara
Kono basho de
Doko ka sabishige de
Utsumu kigachi na
Sono egao mamorita kute
Tada kimi wo mitsumete ita
Nanigenai kotoba sae
Umaku ie nakute
Saikoro wa mata ichi no me de
Omoi doori susumenai kedo
Akireru hodo tookute
Kanashii hodo chikakute
Sou konna ni sugu soba ni
Iru no ni
Hoshi no you ni hakanaku
Tsuki no you ni setsunaku
Zutto kimi dake o
Terashite iru kara
Kono basho de
"Hmm? This city sure is bustling around with people. Where am I anyway?" She asked to herself. She glanced at the map in her hands. It dawned on her that she was in the city of Balbadd.
'Seriously? This is Balbadd? I can't believe it.' She thought. The city was rich, and there were lot of stalls. Not only that, the place was also modernized now that there were so called television, cellphones and electricity. It was amazing! She sighed to herself, feeling a little panicky about her exploit. She was about to bust in at the center of this ruling estate. That place was a palace, and she could not wait to do it.
'I bet they will all be surprised.'
She raced towards the palace and saw the changes made by the current leader. Balbadd was not the same city anymore, but most of its tourist spot were remained untouched. The place was secured, and it just increased her excitement.
She tested the walls and found out that there were some kind of electric barrier to it so she grabbed a rubber from her bag before jumping up the wall. She landed safely but heard growls behind her. There were two huge monsters behind her. Fluffy monsters.
'It's no time to be gushing about them, you fool!' She ran for her life, and the guards noticed her. It made her more of target.
'Infiltration fail!' She cried internally. Just then, a voice halted their movements. She stopped to look at who gave the order. In front of her was a man in his late 20s with blond hair tied into a ponytail, kind brown eyes, a suit, and was holding a child in his arms.
"What is the commotion all about?" He asked. One of the guards who chased her spoke and told him that she was trespassing the area.
"I see. Let me talk to her then." He said, shooting them out from their sight. The guards argued, but he assured them that he will handle the problem himself.
Soon, all of her pursuers were gone. She looked back at the man. She did not know if he could recognize her because there had been drastic changes in her appearance. Her hair had turned white, and her eyes became a lighter shade of pink. The man asked her who she was. It was not a surprise anymore.
"Of course you won't remember me. Do I really need to introduce myself again to you, Alibaba?" She questioned. The blonde arched an eyebrow at her silliness.
"What do you mean?" She giggled before showing him a familiar staff. He glanced at it, but found nothing that indicates who she was. An irk mark appeared on her head. After all this time, Alibaba was still as oblivious as ever.
"Don't give up yet, blonde idiot! Does that ring a bell?" His eyes widened at those words. He saw the uncanny similarity between his old friend and the person in front of him. Disbelief was etched on his face before tears welled up in his eyes which she just returned with a grin.
"You've been a great leader, Alibaba."
"Azami!" He put down his child and hugged her tightly. It was then that they heard footsteps from behind. They stopped hugging to see a woman in her late 20s with red hair and eyes.
"Alibaba?" She questioned, seeing her husband hugging another woman. Alibaba turned to wife, sniffing.
"Morg! You will not believe this! T-This is Azami!" Azami stepped out of Alibaba's shadow and smiled at the Fanalis.
"It's been so long, Morgiana. You've gotten beautiful!" The Fanalis froze before rushing towards her. She hugged the white haired girl tightly with tears in her eyes.
After the unexpected reunion, Alibaba and Morgiana asked about the details of her being alive. She told them everything and were happy to see her but were sad that their djinns had to go as well. They conversed for a while before the two introduced their children whom she gushed at their cuteness. The two sweatdropped at this.
Azami turned to them and inquired where Aladdin and Setta were. Alibaba informed her that Aladdin was in Kou talking with the Imperial Princess while Setta was in the Dark Continent negotiating with the Toran people.
"I see. Then I'll just surprise Aladdin first. How long will it take to go there?" She inquired.
"About two to three days. You can take our ship with you. This one is usually for visiting only, and it's much faster." Alibaba said. She asked them if it was alright, and Morgiana gave her their consent. She beamed at the Fanalis. The two guided her to the ship. True to that, it was relatively smaller than airships and would be easy to maneuver. She tested it before saying her goodbyes to them.
"Alright. Just don't surprise them too much!" Alibaba joked. Azami smirked.
"Now where's the fun in that!?" Alibaba and Morgina both had a worried look on their faces, but it was Azami they were talking about. She will be all right. Soon, she took off to Kou.
About three days later, she reached Kou and parked the ship at an isolated area. The country was still quite the same but not much due to technology. She grabbed her ration to give herself some energy.
"Alright. I'm fired up!" She went towards the palace to see how it changed. She was awed by the intricate designs and technologies they added. The white-haired lady entered it without any difficulties before trotting over to the gardens where she heard two voices. Peaking, she found Aladdin with a blushing Kogyouku. She squealed at how cute they were which was the reason why she was caught red handed.
"Who are you, and what are you doing on my grounds?" She turned around to see a man with black hair cascading down his back, blue eyes and a familiar scar.
'No way! It's Hakuryuu!'
"Hakuryuu! You're a lot taller now!" She started patting his shoulders. The black-haired man inched away from her. He was confused. She sighed before telling her some things only Azami would know. His eyes widened in realization.
"How are you alive?" He asked. Azami smiled sadly and admitted that it was her djinns to revived her.
"Furcas and the others completely erased the rukh and helped transport my soul here. There was some sacrifice needed though." She said as she twirled her white hair around her fingers. Hakuryuu smiled nonetheless before asking if she wanted to talk to the two.
"Nah~ They are having their moment. Where is Judar anyway?" She asked.
"Did somebody called for me?" Speak of the devil. The two looked up to see Judar hanging by the roof. She grinned at him.
"Judar! How are you?" The black magi stared at her and questioned who she was. It had been the question of the day and to be honest, it was getting old.
"It's Azami!" He stopped and blinked profusely. He screamed in surprise before yelling ghost. It earned him an irk mark which made her punch his head.
"Who are you calling ghost, idiot!?" That caught the interest of the two lovers who were just talking with each other. They saw the commotion and heard everything. They both teared up before lunging at her.
"Azami/Azami-nee!" She tried to pry the two off her body, but gave up when they continued to cling on to her. She patted their heads before Aladdin asked how was she alive. She sweatdropped. She retold them everything she told Alibaba three days ago.
"How is ruling by the way? Now that magic is gone in the world, and there is no will to deprive you." She pointed out.
"It's not that easy but not that hard as well. We are doing our best to help the people around us. Plus, all the countries had been contributing to the improvement of the world. It's amazing actually." Hakuryuu said. Azami nodded before inquiring about Sinbad and Yunan. Aladdin told her that Sinbad had been appointed as the King of Sindria once more and was now married to a beautiful woman whom he met a year after the Sacred Palace event. She whistled in amazement.
"He finally settled down. I thought he would live a life in solitary. I'm glad though. How about Yunan?" She asked. They all looked down, but Judar had the guts. He told her that they had not heard anything from him for the past four years.
"Guess I'll have to find him myself now don't I?"
"You're going now?" Kogyouku asked with a hint of sadness in her tone. Azami said that she had to find six more people. They reluctantly nodded.
Her next stop would be Sindria where she will just leave out a letter in his desk. She succeeded though she was almost caught again. Next was her own company which was totally secured and difficult to get in. She left out letters there for them to read before going to the Dark Continent where she was sure that she would find the last three people she had been looking for.
She first reached Lucien's home. It was in Kina which was currently situated in the Dark Continent. She left him a letter. There was no one so she decided to tour it. Only pictures of what has happened for the past years were there.
"How nostalgic." Just then, she heard the door opened, and she quickly scampered to go out of the house. She listened by the window only to hear a loud gasp and crying.
"Mistress." That was enough for her. She quickly left to find her little brother. She used the ship to explore the area and soon, she was able to locate the Toran people. He was having tea with them? She shook her head in disbelief before parking the ship somewhere near the Toran tribe. She grabbed her bag and trotted towards where her brother was.
'I am a little nervous now.' Each step only made her nervous. Setta looked at her with surprise but not because of recognition but because she entered the place easily. She smiled at him. Before anything else, she greeted the leader of Toran people.
"I am sorry for barging in like this, Toran leader, but may I talk to Setta alone?" She requested. The leader glanced at the said man and asked.
"You know her, Setta-kun?" He shook his head no. Azami smiled sadly before pulling him towards the ship she was riding. He was confused as hell. Taking a deep breath, she gave him her first clue.
"I've been with you for a long time." She said. He asked how, and all she said was due to him being her little brother. He stopped in his tracks and looked at her with widened eyes.
"W-What are you saying? My sister died 6 years ago."
"Yeah, I know. I can't believe it as well that I am alive, but I am here." She admitted. She thought that it will end up good, but she felt a push. Setta gave her a cold look.
"Don't you dare mock my sister! She's dead, and I just accepted it! Stop making it worse for people!" She froze in her place. She did not expect that he will act like this. It hurt her heart. She tried to persuade him, but it looked like he would not even listen.
"S-Setta."
"Stop lying! She's dead! She-" That was when she lost it. She slapped him hard that his glasses fell to the floor.
"I know it's hard and I know that it's painful to know that the person you care is alive after she died 6 years ago. But Furcas and everybody gave me the chance to live once more. The rukh is finally erased to this world and my friends wished me to live. I wanted to see you grow you know. Now don't be an ass and come here!" She opened her arms with tears in her eyes. Setta stared at her eyes. She now had white hair and light pink eyes, but she was still the same.
"Azami-nee. It's really you. I missed you!" She hugged him tightly. She could feel him cry in her arms. Once Setta finally calmed down, he stood up and wiped his tears away. Azami smiled at her brother before patting his head. Since she did not want to hear him ask what happened, she told him everything.
"I see. Are you going to see, Yunan?" She smiled sadly.
"I guess so. I am worried though and I don't know." He held her hands tightly in his own. He informed her of what he had known so far about Yunan's status. He told her that he was back in the Dark Continent.
"I see. Should we talk about how things have gone through lately?"
"Yeah." She grinned. The two spent the whole day talking about their current selves. Azami enjoyed every second she had with her brother, but the thought of talking to Yunan had not escaped her mind.
The following day, Azami decided that it was now or never. She will have to face Yunan. Setta grinned and guided her to where the cliff towards the Dark Continent was. When they reached it, he gripped her hands and assured her that everything will be all right. He even boasted that he finally owned a company and that he would love to see her back with Yunan. She giggled at this.
"I'll talk to you later then." She rappelled down the Dark Continent only to see that it was still pretty dark. Once she reached the floor, she walked towards path she had memorized. Soon, she reached a very familiar house. It was always lighted. He may or may not be there, but one thing was for sure.
"Yunan." She knocked on his door and when he opened it, he gasped in surprise. His hands trembled as he could not believe himself with what he was seeing. She smiled at him before hugging him. Yunan teared up at the figure in front of him as he familiarized himself with the person he loved the most.
"I thought you were gone for good."
"Nope and this time, I will not be going anywhere. I love you, Yunan." He held her face and kissed her passionately. She could feel the longing and desperation in it. Azami teared up at finally being in his arms. Yunan withdrew from the kiss and led her inside for some tea. They talked about what happened for the past 6 years, and she was amused with most of his stories. Yunan held her in his arms tightly. Azami had no qualm about it as he kissed her neck lovingly.
"Y-Yunan! Stop! That tickles."
"You have to deal with me then." He said in a husky tone. Azami blushed heavily at that before Yunan pulled her into another sweet kiss.
"This really is a miracle."
Everybody who knew Azami received her letter and were surprised to know that she was alive. They all searched for the white haired woman, but all they knew was that she was with her lover. Setta even grinned at them and confirmed it. A year later, Azami and Yunan were married. They were now situated out of the Dark Continent as they lived there happily. They had a child named Liliane who was now two years old.
"Mama! Papa is hiding again in the barrels!"
"Alright. I'll go get him." She went towards the said barrel and saw it squirming. She giggled before opening it to see her husband.
"Yunan. Liliane is looking for you. Come out now." He complained to her about being so hot outside so she kissed him.
"Will you go out now?"
"Alright. It's for my beautiful wife after all." She giggled before their child, Liliane rushed to them.
"Papa! Let's go play over there!"
"Yes, yes, of course. Just wait for me, Lil. My bones are weary." He complained. Azami smiled at her family before watching the sky brighten up. She mouthed a thank you to it.
'Of course, Our Queen. It will always be a pleasure.'
=END=