Another long Omegaverse story. This one took a little longer than usual due to plot bunnies, and I may or may not write a small oneshot sequel to this, since the plot bunny has decided to take root in my brain.

I do not own Magi.

Also, to all you Assassin!Ja'far fans, this one is kinda for you guys. I have a weird knowledge of ancient torture methods, so maybe I'll write something about Assassin!Ja'far being tortured one day.

"You know your mission, right Ja'far?" Sinbad asked Ja'far in the dead of the night as his advisor climbed onto the magic transportation device, and his invisibility cloak inside his bag along with other things he'd need for the mission.

"Yes, Sin. I know. I'm to go to the Kou, and I'm to find my target, and also eradicate anyone seen as a major threat to Sindria, and to deliver a message to Princess Ren Kougyoku." The moonlight shined onto Ja'far's back, making it seem as if he was glowing in the night, a myriad of stars in the sky above him and sparkling like tiny little lights that appeared in Sinbad's eyes when he was excited.

"But, don't let yourself get caught, Ja'far. You need to be careful. Judar can see through that cloak, so you need to make sure to stay out of his sight."

"Of course, Sin. I'm not an amateur at this. I know what I'm doing. Now, tell me, who exactly is my target?" His eyes were a dark grey, the pitch black slitted pupil as dark as the night sky. The outfit he wore was something similar to what he wore as a child, but a dark blue color coated this fabric as it covered his body, soft shoes meant for silence adorning his feet. The shirt he wore was similar to the top half of his Sindrian Official's robes, and he wore an undershirt of the same color underneath to be safe. His wires were hidden underneath his sleeves, and even though they came together with a tight cuff around his wrist, there were slits in the sleeves to slip them through when he needed them. A thin dark colored fabric gathered around his collar which he could simply pull up around the bottom half of his face if need be in replacement for the bandages he used to wear, and Ja'far felt that really, Sinbad was being overly cautious. Still, there was no such thing as too much caution in this business.

Who was he to talk about caution, though, when he himself used to play fast and loose with every single rule he was ever told? It was his own carelessness in his youth had gotten him many scars, and his extremely strong Alpha tendencies were the cause of it. They did the same thing they did with all children back then; they gave them drugs to make them more like Alphas, and the effects on Ja'far had been permanent.

"Your target's a slave trader that took a few of our citizens. And you have the herbs and potions from Yamraiha, right? I don't want your heat suddenly starting while in enemy territory." It was kind of cute, how his lover and Alpha worried over him. True, they weren't technically bonded yet; Sinbad hadn't bitten his bonding gland and solidified the bond, so their bond wasn't as strong as a normal Alpha-Omega couple and could easily be broken if someone else knotted Ja'far. Although, at any time an Alpha could break the bond between them and their Omega.

"Of course, Sin. I'll be fine, trust me. I'll find the target, and I'll be back within two months." As he said this, Sinbad pulled Ja'far down for a quick kiss, gently pressing their lips together before pulling away.

"Be safe." Ja'far grinned in a manner that made Sinbad think that he probably should stop sending Ja'far on these kinds of missions if it made him have relapses like this. Pulling up the thin fabric scarf to cover his face, he smiled and left, disappearing into the night.

As Sinbad sighed and went back inside into his room, he supposed he should have figured that something would go wrong.

The night air usually was cold, but the nights in the Kou were warm, even compared to Sindria. At least in Sindria it wasn't a dry night, but Ja'far assumed that he'd be fine. He ran on the rooves of houses, jumping from ledge to ledge in the dead of night, his invisibility cloak masking him under the light of the moon.

However, once his target had been located within the Kou Palace walls, Ja'far knew he'd have to be much more careful. The citizens' houses had been easy to maneuver through, since there wasn't much security or a Magi to worry about, but he was almost positive he could do this.

So, with that in mind, he took a large leap and was within the castle walls under the cover of the night.

Wind blew softly through his silver hair, his steely eyes scanning the area and listening for anything and everything once he stopped and was sure he was, somewhat, in a safe area. He knew he was in the guest wing, from some layouts that Sinbad had given him of the Kou palace from what he could gather. The dark sky dimmed the colors of the palace, the roofs a bright red and the pillars holding it up a dark color that Ja'far could not name offhand. Ah, but admiring their palace wasn't his mission. He snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes once again going back to their gray color as he focused on his mission.

It wasn't often Sinbad gave him these kinds of jobs anymore, since he really didn't like Ja'far getting more blood on his hands, and even if it took him a little bit of time normally to revert back into his assassin habits, it was nearly impossible for anyone but Sinbad to snap him out of it. So, normally these assassination missions would have Sinbad coming with him and being dropped off somewhere he could quickly rush back to before he lost his mind to his previous self completely. It was one of the rare times he'd admit he needed an Alpha, but it wasn't just any Alpha, after all. His body and soul connected to Sinbad on a different level than just his magoi, and so if any other Alpha tried to take Sinbad's place while Ja'far was in that mindset..

Well, that was best left unthought of.

As he ran down the halls, he checked and double checked that his cloak was covering him completely and he was being as quiet as he possibly could. He approached the rooms, and smirked. He had come at the time most likely for them to be changing guard shifts, and he had, ahem, made sure that the guards wouldn't be coming. Don't worry it really was nothing poisonous, just a temporary, untraceable, knockout gas. So, when he knew the guards would go looking for the others, it'd seem like they simply fell asleep in their room. He had been very careful about that one.

He slipped into the sleeping chambers, the assassin rising from within him as he raced in and out of room after room until his target was found. Find the room with the slaves, and you'll find your target. The target, apparently, always slept with at least two slaves in his bed.

Despicable, what he did to those slaves.

All Ja'far really knew about how he got a few Sindrian citizens was that they had left Sindria to go visit some family because a loved one had died, and then were captured. There had been no children with them, thankfully.

When Ja'far finally found the room he was looking for, his eyes widened at the three women that were in the bed with the fat slave trader. Those girls, he had seen them off when they left. They were court ladies, all three of them. Triplets, all almost identical, except for their eyes. Those eyes that were looking at one another with fear and worry and horror in them, and he wanted so badly to murder the man who had taken them. He looked around the room, behind his back holding a smoke bomb in case he needed it. He noticed the key ring at the foot of the bed, and he heard the chains upon the women's feet jingling as they struggled in the fat man's grip. He moved quietly, so carefully grabbing the keys in a way that they would not jingle nor make a noise, and he moved swiftly to unlock the chains on the girls. He heard their gasp above the fat man's snoring, and they looked down near their feet, yet saw nothing. Perfect. The chains fell on the bed, and the girls scattered, looking around frantically and whispering to one another. Ja'far smiled to himself, before saying in a quiet voice how they could escape and get back to Sindria, and the girls didn't know what was going on. One questioned who it was, before they were told not to question it and just run if they wanted to live. And they obeyed.

Thank goodness, now he could finally get this damn job over with. Stupid girls.

Wait—No, that wasn't right.

Ja'far clenched his blades slightly, enough to barely cut his hands to remind himself not to lose it. Sin wasn't there, and he wasn't going to go back. He slipped off his invisibility cloak as not to get blood on it, and looked down at his hand and he nearly growled. His Omega instincts were yelling at him that he shouldn't be here; he should be home with Sin curled up and possibly pregnant.

Ugggghhhhhhh.

He turned around and studied his target for a moment, before grinning like a madman and slicing the man's throat before he could even scream for help as wide blue eyes opened and stared at him with horror, fear, and death in them.

He loved this feeling.

Time and time again he stabbed the corpse, and ripping it apart so no one could tell just what had made the kill, and for extra measure, he slipped a poison into the open mouth of his now dead target and poured a bit of water into the mouth to make it look like he had been poisoned beforehand, and he made his getaway after slipping the cloak on.

Running back the way he came, he snuck along and hid. He was barely holding on to his sanity after making a kill, the feeling similar to when Falan's 'Magic Tool' had turned him into a black djinn along with Mahad and Vittel.

Kill them, Ja'far…

Kill all of them!

A voice rang in his head, and he tried to fight it while moving quickly back to the roof where he jumped from section to section, trying to reach the guarding wall as soon as he possibly could. The once warm night air seemed to grow colder as pinpricks of ice appeared on Ja'far's arms, and he shivered slightly but stilled, looking around for the source. If there was ice out of dry warmth, you could bet that Judar was around.

Kill him!

Ja'far winced, his scarf covering his face and freckles as he crouched down, making himself a smaller target and simultaneously preparing to strike if necessary.

"Oh, En will love this. Lord Moron's personal pet Omega.

Thalg Asfal!"

A blinding frozen mist engulfed Ja'far, pulling him down, down, down, into the darkness Sinbad had saved him from.

Except this time, Sinbad wasn't here to save the poor Omega.

The darkness of Ja'far's vision under the blindfold worried him slightly, knowing that he couldn't tell where he was. His wrists were chained to bedposts, and the feeling of the soft mattress beneath him worried him a bit more.

The chains were nothing, he had been chained up before many times in his life, but the soft feeling of the bed beneath him made him want to curl up and snuggle into it and never, ever come out again. Damn Omega.

He couldn't tell where he was, but by the heat around him he could tell that he was probably still in the Kou, and he should be on guard. He froze up, however, when he felt a bandage over his neck, think and covering his bonding gland. He became worried, what would happen to him? He didn't care what happened to him, not really, but if they wanted to use him to get to Sin… He didn't want to think about it.

He heard the door open and he stilled completely, listening carefully.

"Well, it seems you've awoken." A deep, somewhat gravelly voice spoke, and Ja'far knew who it was. He'd heard that voice before, heard it in political meetings or over Rukh's Eye with Sinbad, but never saw its owner.

Ren Kouen.

He heard the footsteps approaching the bed, smelled the Alpha's scent coming closer, and he didn't dare move. "I wonder why that King sent you here. You, his favorite general. Oh yes, General Ja'far, I know who you are. And, I know why you are here. Don't worry, I won't kill you."

"Like that's any kind of comfort." Ja'far growled, his instincts yelling at him that he should just submit to the Alpha in the room. His voice was strained as he felt Kouen's hands touching his legs and wait—

When had he become undressed?

"You knew Judar could see through that invisibility cloak of yours, yet you still wore it. You made your kill, and you would have escaped if it weren't for Judar being woken up by those girls you freed. They're being returned to Sindria as we speak, and Kougyoku is going with them. She doesn't know anything, just that they're Sindrian citizens who were kidnapped and nearly made into slaves." Those hands snaked up closer to where Ja'far really didn't want it, but he knew if he made any sort of reaction it could be bad.

"Well isn't that kind of you. Why didn't you kill me as soon as you knew I was here?" Normally, that'd be the procedure for intruders, to kill them on the spot or to torture them for information.

A dark chuckle erupted from the Alpha, sending spikes of fear into the very core of the chained Omega. "Kill you? Did you forget who and what you are? No, no. I won't kill you. I'm going to break you, and then we'll bring you back to your beloved King Sinbad."

He resisted the urge to laugh. One person couldn't break him.

However, when fingers trailed over his entrance he felt a singe of pain run through him, as this person was not his Alpha.

One finger after another was shoved inside of him, and he tried desperately not to cry out at the immense pain that being stretched was inflicting on him, since his body would not create slick, the natural Omega lubricant, to lessen this as the person touching him wasn't his mate.

"I admire you for not making a noise, but I wonder how long you'll be able to endure this." As soon as the fingers were removed and Ja'far thought he could take a second to recollect himself, a lubed up cock was shoved roughly inside him and he couldn't help but make a broken sob at the intense, breaking pain of someone that was not his Alpha being inside him.

Kouen didn't even give him a second to adjust before he started moving, smirking at how Ja'far was now barely keeping in any and all noises as pain flooded his nerves as his body pleasured another against his will.

"So beautiful, I understand why that Alpha King adores you so. A rarity in all lands." He picked up his pace, noting that he had already made Ja'far bleed. The distressed scent coming from Ja'far was filling the room, and Kouen relished in it.

White hot bursts of pain filled everything Ja'far could feel; his heart feeling like someone had stabbed it through with burning hot irons, and they increased the burning with every thrust Kouen made. He tasted metal as he bit down on his lip to keep from making any noise as tears built behind the blindfold until they finally burst forth when Ja'far felt Kouen's knot start to expand, his body responding accordingly. His bond with Sinbad had been fragile, as Sinbad hadn't bitten his bonding gland and truly made him his, and now that was gone.

They called it 'The Death' when a bond was broken between an Alpha and Omega, and now Ja'far knew why. The feeling was intense enough to feel as if one's soul was being shattered into a million pieces, only for it to slowly be stitched back together with a burning needle as his body formed a new bond with Kouen.

Well, now he knew why the bandage was over his neck; they didn't want to keep him, they just wanted to destroy him.

It felt like an eternity before Kouen's knot deflated enough to pull out, and Ja'far mumbled, "So, you've broken my bond with Sin. How is that enough to break me again?' He jostled the chains on his wrists slightly since they had become numb, and he heard something that would haunt him for the rest of his days,

"To an Omega like you, their bond with their Alpha is the most precious thing in the world, even more so than their own children. I wonder how many times it has to happen before you break."

Sinbad had been slightly, but pleasantly, surprised when Kougyoku had come to Sindria with the girls Ja'far had been sent to go rescue, even if Ja'far wasn't with them. He was probably doing a bit of spying around the Kou, so he didn't expect him back to Sindria for a week or two.

But when two more months had passed, Sinbad had become worried. He didn't show it, but when people asked him when General Ja'far would be back, as he had told the people that Ja'far had left on a diplomatic mission, he was afraid his voice waivered whenever he answered that he'd be back in due time.

As he went to bed one night, before even taking off his metal vessels, he lay in bed and wondered, is Ja'far alright? He hadn't been able to feel anything through his bond with Ja'far for quite some time now, and that was what worried him most. He knew Ja'far was alright, but that bond… He hadn't broken it on his end, hadn't tried to force it, so why couldn't he fell Ja'far's presence like normal? His inner Alpha roared at him to fucking march right into the Kou and demand to know where the hell Ja'far was, but he wouldn't allow himself to do that.

But, when the doors to his balcony suddenly burst open, and Sinbad saw Judar holding Ja'far who was dressed in his parliamentary official's robes, his worry increased tenfold. He knew Ja'far had taken one of his robes with him, so that wasn't too much of a surprise. But what pissed him off and caused his inner beast to roar louder than ever before was that Judar had Ja'far, and he was smirking.

"Hey, Lord Moron! I'm just here returning Freckles to you, so don't worry about me destroying anything right now." The tone he used as he walked into the room was almost too calm for Judar, and it made Sinbad wonder just what he was plotting.

"Judar. What did you do to Ja'far?" He asked as Judar tossed Ja'far onto Sinbad's bed, the Omega, even in the obvious sleep he was in, making a soft noise of protest, and that alone had Sinbad's head reeling and fighting between murdering Judar and comforting his Omega.

"Me? I didn't do anything except find an intruder in the Kou's palace. Kouen though, that's another story." The smile that spread across Judar's face tipped the scales towards murdering Judar, and the odds weren't in anyone's favor for who'd win.

"What did he do to him?!" He growled, a little louder than he realized. Although, the beast in him did really enjoy seeing Judar, the stupid little beta, flinch at the growl.

"All I know is that bonds are breakable, and having it done once can kill some Omegas. But what about a couple hundred times?" He laughed in an eerie fashion, his bright red eyes glinting in the dim light in the room.

Sinbad's eyes widened and he looked at Ja'far with a haunted look on his face. No… No no no! He turned back to Judar, who was still laughing, and growled even louder than before, his own eyes flashing red, and the Magi suddenly froze up.

"Hear me now, Judar. And listen well. The only reason I'm not murdering you right this very second is because you are so close to the Kou and Al-Tharman. If I murder you, it means war. So, before I lose control of myself; Leave." It was the tone in his voice, and the glowing of Sinbad's metal vessels that made Judar realize that Sinbad was being serious, and he had better get out of there for his own good.

"Humph. Fine, Lord Moron. Enjoy your broken toy!" He said as he left, going through the barrier easily, and Sinbad figured he'd have to talk to Yamraiha about that, but Ja'far came first. He quickly turned back to his sleeping advisor, and for the first time he noticed the distressed scent that Ja'far was giving off that screamed for someone, anyone, to comfort this broken Omega, and Sinbad planned to do just that.

He sat down on the bed, and quickly gathered Ja'far in his arms, the slight jostling enough to wake the ex-assassin from slumber. He heard the gasp before he felt Ja'far pushing him away, before he heard the yell of "STAY AWAY FROM ME!" and before he saw the blueish purple Ja'far's eyes had turned, meaning that Ja'far had no control of his body as it was being led by instincts.

Those eyes held fear, and they held brokenness.

The Kou had done it. They broke the unbreakable Ja'far. They broke Ja'far, who had been through enough pain before he was six to kill even some of the strongest of men. Ja'far, who had been cut open and genetically mutated to have the same characteristics as a Fanalis. Ja'far, who's very Rukh had been broken before he was even born.

They broke Ja'far, the most important person in the world to Sinbad, and the strongest person he knew.

After he got over his initial shock, he backed off carefully. He didn't know if Ja'far had his knives on him, and it was known that a scared Omega was not an Omega to be trifled with, since they had this odd control over Alphas with their scents and if it was strong enough, even Betas. But, a scared ex-assassin Omega? Only Solomon himself knew what would happen with that. "Calm down Ja'far… It's okay…" He said, carefully, as he got up and stepped carefully towards the door, staring directly into Ja'far's eyes as he backed away, showing he meant no harm. He knew to even some Betas his scent was powerful, intimidating, and he knew that when Ja'far had first smelled his scent he was struck with this unknown fear he couldn't let himself submit to.

But now, when he had become so broken, Sinbad wasn't so sure how to deal with him. He eventually knocked into the door, and carefully opened the door behind him and exited the room, taking a moment to calm himself down before asking a servant to get General Yamraiha and have her brought here immediately.

Once the Servant left, Sinbad silently swore one day, he'd kill Kouen for breaking Ja'far. He knew approaching an Omega whose instincts had taken over was like approaching a pained, angry bear. He also knew that if an Omega was angry or scared enough, they could be worse than any Alpha could ever be so he hoped Yamraiha would be able to help fix Ja'far, or at least put him back to sleep until they could figure out what was wrong with him.

He took the few minutes before Yamraiha arrived to calm himself down, wondering just what they had done to Ja'far to break him so much his instincts took him over completely. He knew Ja'far was very sensitive when it came to their bond, since there were a lot of emotions attached to it. If that bond had been shattered, and the pain of one was enough to kill some Omegas, then it wouldn't be surprising if Ja'far's instincts had taken him over to protect him.

To protect him from Alphas like me… He thought, and he growled slightly at the thought of any alpha other than himself touching Ja'far, and all those people hurting him… His eyes flashed red for a moment before he collected himself as Yamraiha walked around the corner, her staff in hand.

"You called, Your—Wait, what's that scent?" The female Alpha asked with the worry evident in her voice. Of course Ja'far's scent would seep through into the halls, and of course it would affect Yamraiha.

"It's Ja'far. I need your help; he's let his instincts completely take over him."

"Huh? Your Majesty, I thought Ja'far hadn't returned yet."

"He had been taken by the Kou; they broke him…" Oddly enough, it wasn't the fear or anger that made it real; it was admitting it.

Days passed, and the news spread through the castle. Sir Ja'far had returned, but he had become… Sick. In some way, somehow, no male Alphas could approach Ja'far for his own health and safety. The rest of the Eight Generals attempted to visit him, however, only the two Betas and Yamraiha could approach him, along with Aladdin Alibaba and Morgiana, since they were children and posed no threat to him.

A group of people waited outside Ja'far's room for Pisti and Spartos to come out and inform them of what was wrong with him. Hinahoho seemed jittery, the large man worrying over his adopted son. He couldn't even go into the room, on orders from Sinbad saying that no male Alphas were to approach the Omega. Sharrkan, Masrur, and Drakon seemed oddly calm, even if Sharrkan was mumbling about how "The Witch had better not screw this up and make Ja'far worse", and Hakuryuu was waiting patiently for the two Beta's to leave the room, wanting to know how Ja'far was and if there was anything he could do to make up for what had happened. He felt responsible for what occurred since it happened in his country. He was glad though that Kougyoku was not aware of what had happened, since they felt no need to worry her more than necessary.

But, when the door to Ja'far's room opened and Pisti and Spartos walked out, Pisti's face having tears streaming down her face as it was hidden in her hands. "How is he?" Hinahoho asked immediately, his anxiousness getting the best of him.

Pisti sniffed slightly, before she answered. "Yam's had t-to put a magic restraint on him, to keep h-him from hurting himself or anybody else… King Sinbad t-tried to hold his hand, a-and Ja'far s-started to.. To…" she didn't finish her sentence before she broke into sobs again and Spartos had to pick up where she left off.

"He started to scream for His Majesty to stay away from him, and he brought out his knife darts. He won't let them go, and it's true… He's been through more than we could explain."

"What happened?" Asked Sharrkan, worried about Ja'far. No one had been told aside from Hakuryuu what exactly had occurred with Ja'far.

"I have no idea. Yamraiha would not tell us, nor would His Majesty."

"I know what happened." Hakuryuu spoke up, looking away in anger at his own country as everyone turned towards him expectantly. His teacher while in Sindria seemed to look through his very soul, and he was grateful for King Sinbad's grace towards him.

"My country…. Sir Ja'far had been there on a mission from King Sinbad, since a slave trader had taken a few of your citizens, and Judar discovered his presence. Apparently, Ren Kouen had Sir Ja'far bonded again and again. Every bond was broken, again and again. They never properly claimed him, so the bonds could be broken as many times as it took until they broke him. Apparently, his instincts are trying to protect him from it happening again, as the pain from a bond breaking once can kill an Omega. I apologize for my country's actions." His voice was solemn, and when he felt a hand on his shoulder he looked up and saw Spartos smiling down at him.

"Thank you for telling us, Hakuryuu. We know you aren't responsible for the acts of your cousin or your countrymen, and we do not blame you." The knight smiled a bit awkwardly, and the other Generals in the room agreed with them, even if Pisti was still crying.

Sinbad sighed as he sat near Ja'far's bed, the Omega watching him carefully with bright blue eyes shining with speculation and calculation, showing Ja'far was still mostly under the influence of his instincts. He had tried to simply hold Ja'far's hand, but anytime he approached the Omega closer than this, Ja'far freaked out. The Alpha king just wanted to hold his mate, but it was harder for him because he didn't want to scare him. Ja'far's scent was easily the most scared thing he'd ever smelled, and it worried him. He wanted to comfort Ja'far, since his instincts were screaming at him to comfort the Omega and make the scent calm again and happy. There was a large part of him, deep down, that wanted Ja'far to be locked up, safe, and heavily pregnant. But he knew he wouldn't be happy with that, and nor would Ja'far if he was honest.

Maybe, he should claim Ja'far. Make sure this never happened again, and make sure Ja'far was his. He needed that comfort as much as he needed to comfort Ja'far.

As he stared at the scared Omega, he realized that even if Ja'far was slowly returning to his senses, one wrong move and he'd be shut down completely. Yamraiha had said that, apparently, there was no damage to his body, but she could find residual traces of strong healing magic used on Ja'far. Damn Kouen for healing Ja'far like he actually cared, only to further breaking him. Damn him to Ill Allah.

He noticed something though, staring into those bright, baby blue eyes set against the pale skin; there was the slightest tint of green in those eyes, and that meant Ja'far was somewhat returning to his normal self. He knew he was the only Alpha in the room, well, other than Ja'far he was the only person in the room. So, as the cold night air blew into the room, he smiled and spoke to Ja'far for the first time since Judar had brought him back.

"Hey Ja'far, you recognize me, right?" His voice was tentative, hesitant even. He was worried Ja'far wouldn't recognize him with how little control he had right now, but he could hope. His golden eyes stared at Ja'far's, the understanding obvious even under the almost complete control of his instincts. The moonlight that poured in through the curtains made Ja'far seem a bit like an angel, the way it hit his face just perfectly to give him an unearthly glow. His freckles were highlighted under the moonlight, and his silver hair seemed to vanish amongst the light.

Slowly, carefully, the Omega nodded, the look on his face not exactly reflecting his recognition, but his eyes did. They still held the same carefulness and slight fear, but they held the recognition, love, and loyalty of Ja'far.

"Good, good." Sinbad said carefully, reaching towards him very carefully, being sure not to make any sudden movements or do anything to spook Ja'far back into relying on his Omegan instincts.

Ja'far said nothing, but looked straight into Sinbad's golden eyes as Sinbad's right hand cupped the side of Ja'far's face. "Now, Ja'far, do you recognize where you are…?" Sinbad asked, and Ja'far's eyes and nose scrunched up for a moment, the Omega not even realizing how cute he was being.

"I… Think so…?" He mumbled the first thing he'd actually said other than for Alphas to stay away from him. Sinbad could've melted with the amount of relief he was feeling.

"Then you know you're safe, right? No one will hurt you…" He gently stroked the side of Ja'far's face, watching blood rush to the pale man's cheeks. When Ja'far nodded slightly, he sighed slightly. He knew the Omega was scared, and he had a reason to be. Ja'far had been raped often as a child, and he was still dealing with those demons. Who knows how long Ja'far would be dealing with these, or if he ever would stop having to deal with them? He wanted to take away his pain, but he couldn't and he had known that for a long time. The most he could do was simply be there for his Omega when he needed him.

He inched closer to Ja'far, and was able to climb into the bed and hold him in an attempt to comfort him. He realized that since Ja'far was already so close to him, he was probably the only Alpha to be able to get this close while Ja'far was in this state. Something, deep in his soul, was very pleased with this. Yes, very very pleased indeed.

But, as pleased as that part of him was, the now shaking Omega in his arms was infinitely more important to him.

As he heard Ja'far start to sob, he tightened his grip on him the slightest bit and started whispering sweet nothings into Ja'far's ear, moving them carefully so they could both lie down. He made a soft rumbling noise in an attempt to allow Ja'far to relax a bit more, as he felt Ja'far's sobs in his bones as he held him. It wasn't often that Ja'far would cry, much less sob, so Sinbad knew Ja'far was really and truly hurt by what had happened. Maybe not physically, again damn Kouen to Ill Allah, but mentally so.

That hurting was the kind that never really stopped.

It took weeks, months barely, but Ja'far recovered enough of his normal senses to go back to work. Very few people knew the truth about what had happened, and Princess Kougyoku had started crying as soon as she had heard about it, and Ja'far was oddly fine with this. He was happy to be able to go back to work, although he enjoyed his solitude when he was under the influence of his instincts. Sinbad had visited him as often as he could, and whenever Ja'far needed comfort from his demons Sinbad would hold him and whisper sweet nothings to him. When he couldn't rest, too afraid of what he would awaken to find, Sinbad would gently pet his hair and assure him he would be safe and Sinbad would be there when Ja'far woke up, and sure enough he was.

It took a while, but Ja'far slowly got into the habit of working again instead of being forced to relax.

It took almost a full year before Ja'far would stop flinching whenever an Alpha that was not Sinbad approached him.

It took very little time for Ja'far to be able to use his household vessel again, as he was eager to have his knives back with him.

It took time for these things to happen, but time couldn't fix everything. In the dead of the night Ja'far would always, always awake in a cold sweat, nearly screaming at the horror of his memories that were oh-so-real. He had dealt with much, which was true. But nothing would ever prepare him for the time he lost during it.

But nothing would also ever prepare him to see just how much Sinbad truly cared for him, every time he'd awaken in the night. Every time, when Ja'far was lost, Sinbad would find him.

When Ja'far felt he was about to break from the pain, the anguish of the haunting memories, he'd care for him and tell him how much he loved him.

He'd always be stuck in the darkness in one way or another, he'd assumed, but he was happy even so.

Because Sinbad would always hold him, a light amongst all of Ja'far's demons in the dark.