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ENJOY! CHAPTER 32
Rashid had given them a lot to think about. After the meeting, Sinbad decided to take the opportunity to explore his mentor's country. Balbadd was beautiful, with many ravines for boats to sail, with the same equivalency of a road for caravans. It wasn't called a port city for nothing.
Sinbad stood quietly, looking out at the edge of the water, deep in thought.
"Sin…" Ja'far called
When he didn't respond, Hinahoho spoke to no one in particular. "What should we do now?"
"We need to search for land to build a country, but I also want to know the situation in Parthevia."
"The king already told us, that Parthevia's situation had changed," Sakura told him, afraid that Sinbad had just been cast a bone he wanted to start gnawing. "We have other concerns remember? The country you want to build?"
The thought of involving themselves with Parthevia did not sit well with Sakura for a number of reasons. Ja'far had been hired by that country's military general to track and assassinate Sinbad. Even Sinbad had shared the thought that Parthevia was a lost cause. Then there was also Serendine and Drakon who had come from Parthevia, escaping after the coup.
"I got it! I'm king of the mountain!"
Sakura, Ja'far, and Hinahoho turned around and saw a few children, running around on top of the roof of a small house. Looking in the area, Sakura realized that they had somehow ended up near the slums. The houses here were more or less the same, made of brick and worn out. The poorly kept environment was not the only thing that gave away its living status, but the atmosphere the individuals created. The people leaning against some of these buildings or lying on the floor.
"I guess places like this still exist, despite Balbadd's flourishing trade," Ja'far said softly.
"Just as King Rashid said, building a country and maintaining it won't be a simple task."
Sakura didn't say anything, instead, she returned to Sinbad's side. Resting her hand on his shoulder. "Sinbad…"
She was startled a little when she felt Sinbad take her hand and cover it with his own. Lowering her hand, he turned around to Ja'far and Hinahoho-a content smile on his face.
"I've made up my mind!" he began, Sakura felt the rukh fluttering gently around him. "Parthevia has become a peaceful country, that's what matters. We only knew about what happened from Drakon and Serendine's perspective, but it seems that Barbarossa was not a villain without a plan."
Sakura narrowed her eyes, "But you don't want us to share this new information with Drakon or Serendine."
He nodded, tightening his grip on Sakura's hand in a pleading manner. "It would only upset them."
She knew he wasn't wrong, this kind of information taken in the wrong context, could lead to some rash actions. That could put Sindria or even Sinbad at risk.
Serendine was the princess of Parthevia; the country's change in situations may not matter to her as much as how it was obtained. By her losing her father, her throne, her birthright…
"Yeah, you're right."
"It's good to hear the war's over at least," Sinbad said, his voice then lowered. "Even though there are things I want to change about the world, there will always be countries that won't change. There will always be people who promote injustice."
Sakura then gave Sinbad's hand a reassuring squeeze, to remind him and he continued.
"I said I would start by saving my home country, but I'm not about to stand in the way of my own progress."
Everyone kept quiet, sensing that Sinbad had more to say.
"Besides…" Sinbad's eyes closed, and his smile grew larger "A new adventure of the Dark Continent is waiting!"
The atmosphere became lighter, as Sinbad continued to go on excitedly about how they were going to build a country there. Wondering, what this new land would be like.
"Our destination is the Dark Continent! Let's go!" Sinbad exclaimed, ready to lead everyone through the streets and back to the company but he stopped when he came to a sudden halt. He looked back at Sakura, who was staring up at the roofs where some of the slum children were still playing.
"Sakura?" Sinbad called.
Removing her hand, Sakura smiled brightly. "You guys go ahead, there's something I want to check out."
"I can come with-
Shaking her head, Sakura gestured forward with her head. "You go on ahead, I won't be too long."
Sinbad seemed like he wanted to protest, but Sakura gave one look to Ja'far and Hinahoho. As if they had deciphered a code, the two got a hold of Sinbad and led him back; telling him about the preparations they needed to make before they could head to the Dark Continent.
..
..
..
It was strange, one moment she didn't feel anything and then it appeared. She had heard the fluttering of the rukh after Sinbad had dimmed down. It was vague, but it was strong enough to get her attention. She followed the laughter until she reached a clearing in the slums with nothing but piles of sandbags that filled the area, creating a hill. There were children running around, in a race. Sakura saw that they were trying to get to the top of the sand heap before the others. A piece of white cloth tied to a stick replicating a flag sat on top.
The children were clambering up the makeshift mountain to reach the goal. There was one that was outclassing them all, a boy with dark dreadlocks, and sharp yellow eyes; he appeared to be about six. He climbed up the hill, grabbed the flag on top, and turned around. Towering over the group of children with a huge grin.
"All hail your new king!"
One of the other children called out, "Gotta hand it to you Cassim; that was awesome!"
"There isn't anyone who can beat me is there?" The boy Cassim gloated.
Right behind him, Sakura saw a worn-out green dresser. Most likely thrown away by someone. The draw from the dresser slid open and the flag was suddenly snatched from Cassim's hand. Within the draw, a small boy appeared. A boy who looked to be five; with short blonde hair and hazel color eyes with a hint of gold.
He grinned, waving the flag around. "You should never let your guard down during battle Cassim." He stood up in the draw, "Know why because I can dig more tunnels in this mountain that you can begin to count!"
There were murmurs from the other children, however Sakura was fixated on the two that were standing on top. That sensation she felt before, grew. The rukh was fluttering more vigorously, it was different from anything she had seen before. Sakura gasped softly. 'What is this?'
"I win again!"
Cassim frowned at the smaller boy, "Dammit Alibaba, that's cheating!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
It looked like the two boys were about to break out into a fight, over who had won their little game. However, before that could happen, the flag had vanished from the blonde boy's hand. As if by magic.
"Huh?"
"Where'd it go?" asked Cassim, staring at the blonde boy's empty hand.
"I-I don't know!"
There were a few more mutters from the other children at the bottom; a loud whistle had all of the tiny heads turning to the roof of a small house. They saw a figure standing on top, a girl with short pink hair, waving something in her right hand-their flag!
Cassim frowned "Hey that's ours!"
Alibaba nodded, frowning at her as well. "Yeah, give that back!"
"Hey!"
"That's not fair!"
The other children also chimed in and Sakura was looking down at some hostile expressions. All from little kids, the oldest couldn't be older than eight. There were about….twenty or so now looking at her. Boys and girls. Judging from their state of dress, and the worn-out rags, they were all from the slums. Sakura's heart gave a little tug. The last time she had seen a child in a position like this, she had gotten teary-eyed in the middle of the street.
Sakura's eyes fell on the small boy, Alibaba. He seemed to stand out from the crowd of children; his hair was a physical feature that set him apart but more than that, Sakura saw the rukh's reaction to the boy, a kind of calling she couldn't understand.
It was something that piqued her interest, but she saw all of the children now. There was something else she wanted to do instead.
Sakura waved the flag around, a playful smirk on her face. "Well, how about this. If you can catch me I'll give it back."
Bending her knees slightly, Sakura pushed up and launched herself into the air. The wind blew through her hair, the children's heads moved around; their eyes following her in awe as she landed on the ground in front of the hill.
Spinning on her heel, Sakura looked down at the children, "Well, how about it?"
Cassim looked like he was about to say something when Alibaba spoke first. Jumping out of the draw, he started running towards her at full speed, his tiny bare feet stumbled down the mountain. He held an excited face.
"You're on!"
Two feet close to Sakura, he reached his hand out for the flag however the kunoichi vanished into thin air. Alibaba and the other children gasped all looking around for her again.
"You're gonna have to do better than that," Sakura said in a sing-song voice. Cassim jumped back, turning around to see Sakura now sitting on the dresser. She held up the flag high. A big grin on her face. "Though I must say, I am impressed. You were the first to strike."
Seeing a dark flash next to her Sakura spun around on the dresser, her legs straight swinging around; all of her body weight supported on one hand as she jumped off. Cassim came around the dresser to make a grab for the flag. His hands kept darting out towards it, but Sakura always moved it out of reach. He didn't come close to even touching the fabric, but that didn't mean he was willing to give up so easily.
'He's got spirit,' Sakura thought before she took another big jump off the hill near another group of children. She looked at them, holding the flag in front of them.
"Well?"
They also began coming at her, Sakura continued to avoid them as they reached out for the flag. There were four of them; yet none could get close to getting it back.
After another minute, Sakura vanished and materialized on the other side of the mountain again. Soon enough, all of the children were coming at her to get the flag, however, they were attacking individually as a team.
Sakura kept pace for about five minutes, she noticed the children were tiring yet they did not stop attacking. There was a thing with children's stubbornness and pride. It was far more resilient than adults. They couldn't understand their limits; in a way, that's what made them reckless. From her experience, it was a child's early experiences that had the most influence on their view on life and how they dealt with it. They were impressionable and that's what she was counting on.
"You're all still attacking alone." Sakura sighed, she continued to evade the children as if the task were as simple as walking down the street. She showed no sign of fatigue, however she did notice the children growing wary every passing minute. She didn't miss their grumbling stomachs either.
Sakura came to an abrupt halt, she jumped onto another house. Overlooking the children, panting and sweating. It may have all been for a flag that could be easily replaced, however, it was their own stubbornness that kept them going. The flag was theirs and they were not willing to give it up without a proper fight.
'Far more admirable than many adults.' Sakura thought.
Tucking the flag on the side of her belt, Sakura clapped her hands twice to get their attention. "This is no good! At this rate, you'll never get your flag back."
Craning her neck slightly to the side, Sakura managed to avoid a stone that was aimed at her head. The throw was slow, but nearly dead on. Her eyes fell on Cassim. Standing with his back slouched forward and his one arm dangling in front of him as if he had just thrown something.
"What the hell is wrong with you people!?" Cassim shouted, "You having fun tormenting kids!"
Sakura didn't respond and simply stared at the boy; he had a hateful look in his eyes. Something she had seen in Ja'far before. However, this was from another source. There was an obvious past behind this cause. The question wasn't directed just at Sakura; it wasn't a surprise though that children like these would receive grief from adults. They were seen as easy targets. Taking their situations and state of living as a means to define them until they believe it.
'That isn't what I want to do,'
Putting her hands on her hips, Sakura let out a dramatic sigh. "I just wanted to play a game since it's been a while, but you're all so slow….." Putting her finger on her chin, Sakura appeared to be in thought. She snapped her fingers, all the children still watching her. "I know how to make you faster!"
…
..
..
"What….
"Wow….
"No way…
"This is….
All of the children stared at the sight before them, their jaws open wide (some had saliva running down their chin.). Sakura had her arms crossed over her chest, but a blank expression on her face. Behind her, a cart meant to be pulled by at least two people or one animal; however, she came pulling it in herself till she reached the junkyard the children played in. She had disappeared for half an hour with the flag and came back with a cart, filled to the brim with crates of different fruits, some dry meat, bread, and two barrels of water.
"What are you waiting for?" Sakura asked the dazed children, she pointed to the cart.
"Can we eat all of this?" a girl asked.
"You're not going to beat me without energy." Sakura shrugged, then she gave a genuine smile that erased all doubts. "Go right ahead."
They didn't need to be told twice, the children ran towards the cart and started gathering up as much as they could carry. Sakura just stood back and watched the scene unfold. After they removed all the boxes from the crates, the boy Cassim came to the front.
"Alright everyone form a line."
In the beginning, Sakura could see three different scenarios occur from she brings food. One; the children would grab whatever they could get and run off with it. Second; they would stay but fight each other to get as much food as possible. Third (and what was possibly the most unlikely); they would share the food equally.
There was a light feeling in Sakura's chest as she watched the latter occur. The boy Cassim had taken the initiative to dish out all of the food and he had given everything in equal portions-though Sakura had gotten more than enough for all of the children to have seconds. It was only after everyone else was eating, that he helped himself with the same portion as everyone else. He went to sit with Alibaba and a little girl with dreadlocks and the same yellow eyes as Cassim. It was easy to tell they were siblings.
A flash of red caught her eye and Sakura held up her hand to catch the apple that was thrown her way. She turned in the direction it had come from and saw Cassim with his arms extended. When Sakura looked at his eyes, she saw a shift. The hate was gone, they did not hold hostility even though he appeared to be frowning.
"You're going to need energy too," was all he said before returning to his meal.
Sakura took a bite of the apple.
..
..
..
With their stomachs full, Sakura could see the change in all of the children's faces. There was no longer any hostility but the determination remained. This was now a real game.
"Go!" Cassim called.
The children started running, but it wasn't towards Sakura. They started running around her, a circle in constant motion. Sakura's eyes darted around her but she didn't turn around; this was meant to make her dizzy and throw her off balance.
One of the children broke up the formation and went for the flag tucked on the side of Sakura's waist. She avoided him easily enough, but then another came at her from behind when she was occupied with the other child; she managed to avoid him as well. However; the numbers continuously started to grow and the circle was soon no more. Sakura was being boxed in from all directions.
'So that's why they were whispering amongst themselves.' Sakura thought as she sidestepped a child. 'I wonder who came up with this plan.'
"Now!" Cassim called, he was the only one that wasn't a part of the formation. Watching everything from a distance near the hill.
The children suddenly launched forward all at once; Sakura realized that they had closed off any escape gaps. Jumping into the air, she landed halfway up the hill of sacks and looked at the children.
"Not bad," Sakura said "You almost had me."
Cassim started clambering up the mountain, alone. He rushed to Sakura, reaching out for the flag. Placing her hands behind her back, Sakura maneuvered ever so slightly out of Cassim's reach. Sakura began to gradually move up the hill, Cassim in pursuit. His eyes never leave the flag.
Sakura reached the top, standing up straight she looked at Cassim. Who was heavily panting and sweating? "You're trying to win alone against me; that's not going to work," Sakura stated, she hadn't wanted to say it but it seemed that he still didn't understand. "When facing off against someone stronger; numbers usually help you."
Cassim didn't respond to her, only he stopped panting and Sakura saw a hint of a smile on his face. She tilted her head to the side. 'What was that for?'
Sakura felt something slide out of her waist, she turned around quickly and saw a smiling blonde boy in a draw, holding a flag.
"I got it!" Alibaba announced.
All of the children cheered and clapped; it took a moment for Sakura to realize what had happened. She looked down at Cassim and realized why he was smiling. She had been so occupied avoiding the other children that she didn't notice the single blonde boy who was missing from the group. Cassim had only meant to lead her up the hill so that Alibaba could come out and snatch the flag when she was occupied.
'Not bad….'
Cassim ran up the hill, as if he wasn't tired at all, and high-fived Alibaba. The two boys then gave her sheepish smiles of accomplishment.
"Nice job, did you come up with this plan while you were eating?"
Cassim nodded, and he rubbed his nose proudly. "Me and Alibaba came up with the plan and we passed it on."
Placing one hand on top of each boy's head, Sakura smiled affectionately. "You two make a good team. Remember that."
"Hey miss," Alibaba said looking up at Sakura, "Why'd you take our flag?"
Sakura didn't hesitate in answering; "I just wanted to see if you all were determined and would work together."
Cassim frowned again, "But why?"
"You kids are living in a difficult world. You need to stand up for yourself and work together if you want to survive. I didn't know any other way to teach you this lesson than through a game."
She kept it as simple as she could, these were only children after all. There were only two facts that they needed to take from that statement.
Cassim and Alibaba just stared up at her, Sakura reached down and lifted the two. Cassim struggled a little before he settled and Alibaba just held on tighter. She turned back to the other children.
"Okay, I need everyone to form a line."
THAT'S ALL MY LOVELIES! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and remember to stay strong and keep reading!
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- (Bleach crossover) Kunoichi amongst Reapers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
-Commission: Demon slayer x My hero academia (PART 1 & 2)
- Kunoichi amongst Benders (Avatar x Naruto crossover) (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-Kunoichi amongst Heroes chapter (85, 86, 87, 88)
-Kunoichi amongst Heroes WHAT IF SPIN OFF: Dorms and Exams
-Kunoichi amongst Pirates chapter (36, 37. 38)
-Crossroads of Fate chapter 27, 28, 29, 30
-Through the Looking Glass chapter 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38
-(SEQUEL) Through the Spyglass chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6
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