Herro! /bombed with rotten food.

EEEEEEP. I AM SO SORRY. It's been a long time since I last updated, hasn't it? ;u; Did you all miss me? But hahahaha, I'm not dead, if that makes you feel any better.

Anyhow, I AM SO SORRY. PERIOD. It's just been CRAZY lately. But-but. I got through my first year of high school! ANDDDDDD, summer school ended yesterday! Wheeee, I am now slightly free! (still have an exam in a week, but, pfft, shhhhhhh)

Anyway, review time! Thank you to everyone who reviewed!

Yuki Candy Heart: Hahaha, thanks! XD And pfft, I'm always too lazy. TTWTT

doremishine itsuko: Sorry! ;u; I'm so sorry its confusing, hopefully it'll clear up soon! As for Aladdin, in due time I guess, ha ha.

Shiori-chi: XD I think he's more tsundere.

Calico Neko: Sorry! ;u; I'm an irregular updater. But I hope you like this chapter!

Injiru-chan: Thank you very much! I love support. ;u; Here's an update, haha.

djinfiend: No no no, I understand! ;u; I'm busy with school too. XD

Glitter Spires: Ehehehe… /sweatdrops/ Here is you update!

Dark Cat Food Lover: Here is an update! ;u; Sorry for the lateness.

KagamineLenkaBananas: Sorry for the late update. TWT But thank you so much and here you go!

Elonwye7Link: Thanks for the critic! ;u; Yeah, I should really flesh this story out a bit more…it's more like a backburner for me, haha.

Shinome Akira: Here you go! ;u;

Kashlazy: Here you go! Sorry for the lateness!

Anon: Thank you so much! ;u; Yes, I hope to get a few updates out for the summer. Hopefully, seeing as this is my more popular Magi fic. XD However, since it's not one of my most popular fanfics in general, it gets booted down the list in priority.

Yoshisaki Asuka: Thank you very much!

someone: Sorry! ;u; Here's your update!

Adghaskjghasjffdhas thank you everyone for the reviews! And remember to keep reviewing! It makes the ypdates come faster if you do-/coughs

Well, enough rambling from me! Enjoy the new chapter!

Disclaimer: Magi does not belong to me. I only own Jas~

-(*+*)-

I had once loved the cold.

I was unlike my brother, who had loved and craved for heat and warmth.

I appreciated the things coldness could bring; I understood it. And because of this, I had once loved it.

Coldness was something part of me…it was always there…

It was always cold and lonely. I already knew that though. It was something unchangeable; something set into stone. I had been prepared for loneliness, prepared to always be alone.

I had been young, I had been naïve. I barely managed to get by. I yearned for my older brother, a thousand times more than the food that would fill the hole in my stomach or the warmth my frail body needed.

The bleak, black and white style of life was integrated into me.

But…then…they appeared.

I had been happy when I found them– so happy that I even forgot my original mission. They were warm. I began to understand my brother's irrational love for warmth. Began to think that it might not be irrational at all. Colour began to bleed into the black and white life I had lived in ever since my brother disappeared.

However, happiness was only a fleeting butterfly in the wide and open sky. It was a pin in a needle sack, something that you can never find again once you lost it.

And lost it I did, in the most horrible way I ever could have. The free butterfly was killed, crumbling into a million pieces that flew away in the breeze– it was impossible for me to gather those pieces, let alone put it back together.

…All the king's horses and all the king's men, couldn't put Humpty together again...

And then I was alone again, just like how I was in the beginning. But now…I didn't appreciate the darkness or the silence. I hated it; despised it with my being.

I hated the cold. I hated the loneliness. I hated the dark world; the black and white pictures that life held.

And because of all these things, my hand was always reaching, reaching for that tiny spark of light.

…Reaching…reaching…reaching…

My body felt heavy and the feeling of being airborne in your sleep slowly began to dissolve. My senses returned to me as I was slowly being released from dreamland. However, I really didn't feel like my little nap did me any good. I was downright exhausted. In all honesty, I couldn't remember a time when I had been this tired.

As I finally gather enough strength to open my heavy eyes, the first thing I noticed was the fact that I was lying on a large and comfy bed. Light attacked my rapidly blinking eyes as I tried my best to clear my head. The location I was (namely, my nice and velvet bed) at wasn't that big of a surprise though; I did faint after all.

The second thing I noticed was that the whole Kou family was surrounding my bed. They also seemed to be watching me rather intently…

Okay…that…was a bit odd…

…Am I like an exotic animal that's being viewed by tourists…? And…why do they look so surprised…?

Still a bit miffed with everyone's reactions (Hakuei and Kougyoku looked surprised, Kouha looked like he wanted to collapse onto the bed and laugh his lungs out, Kounen was raising his eyebrows…and Judar looked slightly murderous), I blinked in confusion.

And then I looked down.

…

…

…

My hand was currently holding the end of Judar's braid in a death grip.

…

Holding. Judar's. Braid. In. A. Death. Grip.

…

…

…

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. Why, Unconscious Me, oh why do you torture me so?!

Immediately bolting upwards, I snatched my offending hand away as if it was caught on fire before immediately starting to apologize/ramble for my actions.

"Pardon my rudeness I have no idea what came over me it wasn't intentional I really mean it–"

And thus, with this slightly hilarious scene, we cue Kouha's outburst.

"Pfttttt….hahahahahaha!" He kneeled down beside my bed (well, at least he didn't collapse onto it…) and repeatedly hit his thigh as he doubled up with laughter.

Complete, total silence (other than the sounds of Kouha's chuckles)…and then another person joined in with small chuckles.

I whipped around with wide eyes to stare at the second laughing member of the Kou family…Kounen Ren.

And with the start of the eldest sibling laughing, the ice slowly began to melt. One by one, everyone in the room began to laugh as well. Even Judar cracked a lazy grin as he flicked his braid back (safely) to behind his shoulders. Kouha even gave my hair a bit of a noogie after he managed to stand up again.

…Needless to say, I…was absolutely…confused.

Cough…Wow, I am such a wise Magi…

…There goes the sarcasm again; I really need more sleep…

"Ermmm…" I began, a bit uncertainly. "Sorry to intrude…but…why are you all laughing?"

Unfortunately for me, I didn't get an answer. On the other hand, Kougyoku cracked a wide smile at my statement before hugging me with enthusiasm. "I can't believe how cute you are!"

…

I blinked.

…Well, if anything, that made me even more confused.

Luckily, my beautiful, kind, and understanding onee-chan Hakuei decided to finally give me a break. She smiled at me, her eyes shining with warmth as she finally directed us to the matter at hand.

"We all rushed here when we heard you collapsed. How are you feeling?"

Huh? Collapsed…oh, right! With all the laughter, I almost forgot that I had just woken up after fainting like a dead weight. A little rukh fluttered by and gently nudged my cheek. I giggled quietly. "A lot better! Sorry for making you guys worry."

A snort came from my left and I turned just in time to see Judar roll his eyes. "Who was worried about you?"

I blinked.

That earned another round of chuckles as Kouha slapped the older Magi's back heartily before shaking his head.

On the other hand, Hakuei looked slightly worried as she looked me over, the remnants of the happy atmosphere quickly disappearing. "Do you normally pass out like that?"

I shook my head as I unconsciously wrapped the blackest closer to my cold body. The warmth I had felt before was rapidly seeping away and I immediately began to miss it.

"If you mean depleting my magoi to the point until I pass out, no, I usually don't do that." I smiled wryly. "However, I had really wanted to get here…guess I wasn't paying attention…" That last part was slightly mumbled to myself as I tried to replay what had happened while I was on my trip. It was true I guess; I really hadn't been paying much attention to anything while I was travelling.

Kouha looked at me curiously. I blinked at his facial expression and patiently waited for a question that was bound to come.

Sure enough, after what seemed like an internal debate, he began to talk hesitantly. "I've been wondering…you…you have our accent."

Silence. I blinked, bewildered for the umpteenth time. "…Excuse me?"

The red-haired boy flushed slightly as he immediately began to explain. "I mean…it feels like you've been here for a long time."

An imaginary light bulb went off as I finally got what the young prince was trying to get at. Before I can even stop myself, I was already talking.

"You mean, in this world? That's normal right? I've been here for years."

Immediately after my casual statement, everyone in the room stiffened, me included. I berated myself harshly; I wasn't supposed to give away information like that! It was too dangerous, far too dangerous, especially when it came to the family I was currently dealing with. Unsurprisingly, Judar immediately clamped onto this bit of information with suspicion. He narrowed his blood-red eyes as he began to watch me carefully.

"…'Years'…? Chibi Two, just how can you be here for years when I've just met Chibi One?" The question was delivered quickly and smoothly. I inwardly gulped; I literally just dug my own grave.

"…I…"

I mentally pondered my choices and inwardly grimaced. Why? Well, because I didn't have many choices. To flee from an older (and most likely more experienced Magi), plus all those Dijinn Item holders? Not likely, even though I did have a better chance than my older brother. Lie to them? And be wary of my lie coming back to bite me in the butt? That was even more unpleasant. Sighing softly, I went with what seemed like my only chose: telling the truth.

…I just hoped that I won't regret it later.

"Ummm, you know how I said that Big Brother and I got separated?" Everyone in the room nodded at my question. "Well…since we got separated in the portal, I got dropped off in a different time zone."

I winced and continued with the storytelling. "I was dropped into this world 3 years before Aladdin came."

Silence. And then…

Hakuei gasped. "How did you even manage by yourself? 3 years before Aladdin, how young were you even?"

Now this…this is high time for what you call 'telling the truth while omitting some of it'. That topic was not something I wished to discuss…especially with people that I've just met.

I smiled, slightly strained.

"I got by, I guess." I specifically answered in a very vague way. Looking down, I felt my bangs cover my eyes as I continued. "But…"

My next words were quiet but held honesty. I had been thinking about it for a long time, and this was the first time I actually voiced my thoughts out loud. My hands absent-mindedly wrapped around my gold flute, the one that used to hold a very precious friend…who was now gone.

I looked up. "Do you know? I don't like this world…it's a cruel and lonely place." A long pause. And then…

"In fact, I hate it."

-(*+*)-

And cut! That's it for this update! Anyhow, now it's time for a little contest! The "Guess What's Jas' Full Name" Contest.

If you had been very observant, you would have realized that Jas had paused before giving a name. Jas is only a part of Jas' real name, and it's your turn to try and figure it out!

If anyone gets it, then I will make sure to update quicker and not wait 8 months. TwT People who know the name already *coughs Yuki Candy Heart coughs* is not allowed to play or guess or help!

That's it guys! See you next time and have fun guessing! And may the odds be ever in your favor. XD

Bye bye! Sakura-chan out~