Recap:

"We're leaving now! Listen, it's not like I'm leaving just because you told me to, got it?!" Kougyoku yelled, pointing a finger at Sinbad accusingly as she mounted the flying carpet. A moment later, they were gone. As the wind whipped her golden hair across her face, Rhyme closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Soon you'll be alright, Judal.

:Recap end

Hovering high above the Kou Palace, Rhyme was deep in thought. Kouen's healing crew had attended to Judal and healed him in no time under Ka Koubun's instructions. "He'll need a day or two of sleep to recuperate." - that's what Ka Koubun had told her. But a day or two had already passed, and Rhyme was starting to worry even more about Judal. What if he doesn't regain consciousness? Ugh. I should've known better than to let him off on his own. Interrupting Rhyme's musings, a certain redhead yelled for her attention from below, and, folding her wings with a sigh, Rhyme plummeted down. Unfurling her wings a few meters before the ground, Rhyme was pulled upwards by the air currents, and doing so allowed her to swiftly land beside Kouen.

"Has Judal regained consciousness?"

"No, b/"

"Then what is it, Kouen?" Rhyme cut the General off, looking at him tiredly. "I've asked you to not bother me with Princess or Kou Empire duties until Judal awakens, haven't I?"

"Those are not the reasons I'm bothering you. Princess Kougyoku has been waiting for your explanation of what happened for three days now, and I do believe she has earned one."

"Kouen.. I'm not in the/"

"I know you're not in the mood, Rhyme, but that is exactly why you have to do so." Kouen stated authoritatively, and his tone didn't escape Rhyme's attention.

"I have to?"

"Yes, this is an order. Now go, Princess Kougyoku is waiting in the library."

Rhyme stiffly bowed and brushed past Kouen, who sighed after the Valkyrie was gone. It's healthy to clear your mind from worrying about Judal so much, Rhyme.

~A few minutes later~

"Good day, Kougyoku."

"Ah! Rhyme-oneesan!" Kougyoku wasted no time in getting up to hug the person she counted as her older sister figure. "How are you? Did Kouen-san pass my message along? Oh I hope I haven't bothered him too much.."

"Don't worry, Gyo-chan. He's totally fine." Rhyme said, annoyance showing through her tone as Kougyoku giggled.

"Oneesan, there was no other way to grasp ahold of you in the past three days. You haven't been sleeping in your private quarters, you haven't even been eating with all of us like usual.. You were nowhere to be seen. I had to do something. We're all worried about you, you know? Even Kouen-san is, although he doesn't show it."

"Kouen is.. Worried about me?" Rhyme looked at Kougyoku in surprise. Satisfied she finally had her oneesan's attention, Kougyoku nodded and continued.

"Mm. He even asked Hakuei-san to try and cheer you up."

"Oh..." Rhyme trailed off, suddenly realizing why Hakuei had approached her a day ago. The bluenette had dragged Rhyme off for shopping the moment the blonde was in her hands. Rhyme had to admit, shopping with Hakuei had distracted her for a while. Hakuei was calm, attentive and very intelligent. If anything, she was the one person whose company Rhyme enjoyed as much as Kouen's (and Judal's, though she'd never admit to it aloud). Plus Hakuei had bought her a designer's outfit of black armor (ordering three more of exactly the same for spare wear). It consisted of a lightweight and extremely sturdy material. Link on how it looks because it is really pretty: ( /oid/112/640x768_19415_High_Level_Mage_Female_Style_Archetype_2d_fantasy_female_mage_picture_image_digital_ )

Rhyme hadn't worn it yet, neither had anyone (other than Hakuei) seen it, so, glancing at Kougyoku, Rhyme smiled. "How would you like to see my new outfit, Gyo-chan?" Oneesan is finally letting me see her wardrobe! Kyaaaaaaa! Kougyoku's inner self squealed, as Kougyoku herself jumped up from the couch she had been seated on and proceeded to glomp Rhyme.

"I'd LOVE to, oneesan!"

"Alright, then come along."

~An hour later~

Rhyme was beginning to get a headache from all of Kougyoku's talking. Don't get Rhyme wrong, she loved Kougyoku like a little sister, but sometimes being near Kougyoku was very, very tiring. Especially when all she had been talking about for the past hour had been... Sinbad. Of course. Rhyme should've guessed that Kougyoku had fallen for the womanizer the moment he touched her hand. As things had been at the time, however, Rhyme had only had ears and eyes for Judal. Now she was regretting not beating the bejesus out of Sinbad when she still had the chance. Although it wouldn't have been a fair fight since Sin hadn't had his metal vessels on himself. Rhyme sighed. Why can't life be easy for me? she wondered, watching the female redhead happily blabber away about Sinbad's awesomeness without a worry in the world. It's not that Kougyoku didn't have problems, it's just that for Rhyme, the problems Kougyoku had were so meager compared to hers. Try keeping an eye ON Judal whilst also keeping an eye OUT for Judal, just in case he decides to use magic on you for some stupid reason. And as if that isn't hard enough, he also constantly disappears somewhere, ESPECIALLY when you're in unknown countries. And YOU'RE the one who gets scolded if you're late to find Judal..

An explosion of black Rukh shook the palace. Jumping up, Rhyme ran to her balcony, trying to detect the source. Where, where.. Oh. Judal! Rhyme mentally exclaimed, feeling the black-haired Magi's Rukh run wild as he wreaked destruction on the medical quarters while probably still being unconscious. Before Kougyoku had a chance to say or do anything, Rhyme was already in the air, speeding towards the havoc Judal was causing. She paused over a confused Kouen near one of the food stalls, who was trying his best to understand what was happening (seeing as people were evacuating the medical quarters with screams). Another magoi explosion shook the area, and, not bothering to ask the General for permission (or to explain what was happening to him), Rhyme flew inside the building. Once inside, her folded wings disappeared into her body and she proceeded to sprint in the direction the Rukh was leading her in. Rhyme had barely reached the corridor in which Judal's room was located, when she got blown backwards by the force of his Borg. Ow. Just great. He must believe he's still fighting the djinn.
"Judal! It's me, Rhyme!" the only reaction that followed her yell was an attack, and Rhyme swerved to the side to avoid an ice spike, which happened to slice a chunk of her hair off. Rhyme stared at the golden strands on the floor. "OI JUDAL... YOU SLICED MY HAIR OFF. NOW YOU'RE DEFINITELY TOAST, YOU ANNOYING BRAT! FUCKING WAKE UP ALREADY SO I CAN BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!" the Valkyrie from Hell bellowed as she fired a shockwave around herself, making the walls of the room explode outwards. Simultaneously, Rhyme cast a barrier around the building to ensure it wouldn't crash outwards and crush anyone beneath it with the falling debris. The hellish noise (and Rhyme's screeching) was enough to finally wake Judal up. He sat up, sleepily rubbing his eyes.

"Rhyme?"

"Finally. Sleeping beauty woke up, eh?"

"Finally?"

"Well, you've been sleeping for/Judal, watch out!" throwing herself over Judal, Rhyme used her magic-infused wings to shield them both from the falling roof. After the initial echoes ceased, Rhyme exhaled in relief. "Whew, I think it's fine now." she told a startled Judal, just as the building groaned, and, with an almighty rumble, the floor beneath them collapsed. Rhyme made to fly them both out, but a particularly heavy piece of the falling roof hit her. With a shocked gasp, Rhyme's wings folded and she dropped down, still holding onto Judal. Then everything went black. As Rhyme slowly drifted back to consciousness, she felt someone gently touch her, and Judal's worried voice invaded her hearing.

"Rhyme, hey, are you alright? Rhymeeee, come on, at least say something."

For once it's the opposite- he's actually worried about me. Rhyme thought wryly, and then her eyes snapped open as she remembered everything that had happened. For a moment, she just stared at Judal and at the Borg around both of them. Noticing Rhyme's stare, he rolled his eyes. "What, did ya think I was a total idiot and that I would forget to use my Borg? You should know better, since you're the one who drilled it into my brain. 'A Borg repels most physical attacks, especially the Borg of a Magi'." Judal mimicked Rhyme in a high-pitched voice, smiling at her shocked face. Suddenly, Rhyme glomped Judal and buried her face in his chunnari. "O-Oi.. Rhyme?"

"Don't EVER worry me like that again, idiot. Got it?"

Judal blinked and stared at Rhyme's tear-stained face.
"You're the idiot, Rhyme."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Alrighty, people, I want to thank you for your comments and faves 3

They've really cheered me up cause I thought this story was a fail for a bit XD (well this WAS a crappy chapter in my opinion- I just didn't want to go with the traditional Judal fanfiction stuff. Meaning I didn't want Rhyme to wait at Judal's bed and then accidentally kiss/fall asleep next to him or something once he wakes up after his fight with Aladdin)
So what do you think of this chapter?