The busy city streets were crowded this morning with merchants and tourists, citizens and cars. Aladdin looked around a bit as he happily walked alongside his neighbor Alibaba as they headed for the school. His hand was swinging happily in the other's hand, eager to be heading to school and see his teacher again. This time though, he had promised his friend that he wasn't going to get in trouble and have to make him come get him early because he had decided to try to see if his teacher's boobs were as soft as they looked (he knew now, they weren't).

"Walking little Chibi to school again," a voice practically sang behind them. Aladdin looked behind them and smiled at the person.

"Hi there! Yeah, Alibaba-kun is helping me get to middle school!"

"Aww, how nice of Alibaba-kun," the strange drawled, wrapping an arm around the tensed up blond. "Do you tie his shoelaces and escort him to bed every day as well? You must be so proud."

Aladdin frowned a bit, tugging on Alibaba's sleeve. "Are you okay?"

The blond glared at the stranger before speaking, "Come on Aladdin. We need to get you to school before you get into trouble."

"I can take him off your hands if it's such a hardship." The stranger purred, moving around him and wrapping an arm around Aladdin. "You seem to not want to be around him very much right now anyway. I would be more than happy to be his escort."

"I can walk there myself if you would like," Aladdin stated, frowning a bit more. "I don't want to make you late for school or anything."

"It's fine," he replied, pulling Aladdin a little closer. "Anyway, go away, Judal. I'm busy."

"I was just acquainting myself with potential 'friends' for next year." Judal complained.

"It doesn't have to be next year," Aladdin replied, despite the sudden rapid movements from Alibaba for him to stop. "We can be friends now if you would like."

Judal grinned up towards Alibaba, "Friends now? It doesn't look like your friend Alibaba would appreciate it."

"You don't want to be friends with Judal, Aladdin." Alibaba pulled him away from Judal a bit more. "He's just a bully at the high school. He just enjoys causing fights and trouble."

Aladdin looked between the two of them beginning to speak when someone called out towards Alibaba, the dark haired high schooler turning rapidly and beginning to walk away.

"Later Fattybaba." Judal's face turned a bit so Aladdin could see the smirk, "see you soon, Chibi."

Alibaba glared at the boy leaving before he turned towards the incoming group. "Sinbad. Ja'far. Masrur."

Sinbad looked at the two of them before grinning brightly. "Aladdin! What a surprise! Did they let you off for what happened last week?"

Aladdin nodded, "Thank you for helping me out. I didn't mean to be rude, it was just she had a really nice looking pair of boobs and I was suddenly just trying to see if they were really soft."

"It's fine, it's fine!" He laughed. "She was one of my favorite teachers when I was your age so it was really easy to get her to understand. Ja'far looked anything but impressed with that statement. Masrur's eyes were on the disappearing figure in the distance, getting Ja'far's attention quickly.

"Was Judal bothering you two?"

Alibaba nodded, "He was being a prick this morning."

"When isn't he," Sinbad replied.

"I thought he was being nice enough," Aladdin argued, frowning again. "He was just offering to take me to school."

"There isn't an offer from him that I would take," the high schoolers all replied a bit as Aladdin watched the man leave.

"We should be moving along," Alibaba motioned towards the middle school building. "You guys want to walk with us?"

"We should be actually heading-" Sinbad was cut off as Ja'far grabbed a hold of his hand and nodded.

"We would love to join you. We should probably prevent the class president here from abandoning another day of school to go sleep in the school bleachers again."

"I wasn't going to skip," he argued, but the others didn't seem to be listening.

Aladdin's mind focused elsewhere as the other complained and argued over Sinbad's activities during the day. His mind was focused on the other boy from before. He didn't seem all that bad. He had been a bit strange of course, being kind of rude to Alibaba and calling him that name, but overall he seemed alright.

His gaze went down to the hand holding his as they walked towards the school.

Maybe it was time for him to be walking himself to the school building. He shouldn't have to make Alibaba walk him over to the building every day. It wasn't like he didn't have friends at his school or that he would get lost easily, but it hadn't really crossed his mind that Alibaba might want to be able to go to his own school and focus on his own work rather than have to walk him every day to the school building.

"Hey, Aladdin. Are you alright?" Alibaba caught his attention, making him nod.

"Yeah, I'm alright."

"Probably still trying to think through Judal's insults," ja'far pat his head a bit. "Don't dwell on anything too long, Aladdin. He's just a pain."

They were so readily willing to label him as a bully and mean. It didn't seem quite right.

Perhaps he should have listened to them, he would soon begin to think.

The next morning he left a bit earlier than usual, leaving a note for Alibaba saying that he could just go to school on his own this morning. He hurried along the roads a bit. His attention focused on getting to the school building safely. Usually he let Alibaba worry about the traffic signs and everything. His mind was so focused he didn't notice the shove from behind until he had fallen over, whining a bit in pain as he sat up to see what had happened.

"Ah, my apologies," the man replied, smirking in a manner that contradicted the apology. "Where's your friend, brat?"

"I decided to walk myself to school today."

"Oh, you must be so brave," Judal purred, watching him pull himself to his feet," walking yourself to school like a big kid."

"I figured it would be nicer to Alibaba-kun if I walked myself sometimes. He shouldn't have to lead me there all the time."

"I'm sure he greatly appreciates it." The boy leaned against the signpost as they waited for the walking sign to turn on. "Does he know of this plan or…"

"I came up with it on my own."

"I see." The light changed and Aladdin smiled at him.

"It was nice to see you again."

Judal laughed, "we're walking in the same direction Chibi. Don't think we'll be splitting ways just because. Or are you just wanting to not speak with me?"

"It isn't that," he said quickly.

"Then it looks like I'm your walking partner today." He motioned to the street, the walking sign already counting down. Aladdin hurried to walk across, the other striding in a relaxed manner across the street as they headed to school. "You looked like an idiot just now," the boy told him, rolling his eyes.

"I was just being safe," Aladdin replied.

"They weren't going to run over you. They would have to pay your parents for killing you if they did."

Aladdin shrugged, "there wouldn't be anyone to pay. I'm an orphan. I live with some adopted parents." He focused a bit on walking as Judal remained silent for a bit. Their steps and the sounds of the city around them being the only thing they could hear. He looked over at the other, watching him a moment before he felt the other realize he was staring.

He quickly looked away as Judal looked over at him.

"Ah, there's my schoo- AHH," he felt Judal tug on his braid, holding him back.

"Let's skip today, brat." Judal smirked a bit more as Aladdin flailed in his grasp.

"I can't! I'll get into trouble!"

"By who?" Judal grinned, "are they going to call your parents up?"

"No, but my family and everyone would be very upset if I missed school." He tugged his hair away from the other and felt a fist connect with his face before the other walked away.

"Your loss, Chibi."

He rubbed his nose for the start of a repeated cycle for the week. Every day the other would push him over, claiming to not have seen him or that he hadn't been able to slow down in time. He could tell Judal was lying, but he went along with it and forgave the other quickly. They would make it to the school building and Judal would yank his hair again and again, telling him that they should skip today.

And then he would spend the first ten minutes of school in the nurse's office for a bloody nose.

The following week, Aladdin found Alibaba getting up and coming to his apartment, his adopted parents letting him in so that they could walk to school together.

"How's your nose doing," he asked in concern as they walked out of the apartment to find the others waiting for them both. Sinbad and Ja'far arguing over something as Masrur told Morgiana about some defense techniques for Kendo.

"It's alright," he said quietly.

Ja'far hugged him as they got to the bottom steps. "I can't believe your parents took so long to tell us what was happening. You should have just waited for us, Aladdin. We love getting you to school."

Sinbad ruffled his hair a bit. "The bruised nose adds some character though. Don't let anyone bully you like that again. We'll make sure whoever did it gets a bruised up nose too."

"We won't do that, but we'll certainly report them," Ja'far argued, reaching for Aladdin's hand and holding it in his own. "The last thing we need is some kind of group fight turning up."

"Who hit you," Alibaba asked Aladdin as the two began to argue some more over the subject of revenge fighting or reporting.

"It was Judal," he admitted, sighing. "I didn't want to skip with him and he got upset about it and took it really hard."

"Took it hard," Sinbad looked over in surprise, "he didn't missed a day last week though. He had perfect attendance for once."

"He's nothing but a pain," Ja'far pointed out. "He probably was telling other middle schoolers to skip or he would hit them too. And here I thought he at least had a few boundaries."

"He didn't threaten me," Aladdin replied. "He just always got really upset when I would say no."

"Did you try to say yes before," Sinbad asked, earning a disproving look from the others.

"Why on Earth would Aladdin say yes," Ja'far asked as he led the group across a street. "That would be entirely inappropriate when he knows he should be at school. There is no reason for skipping unless he is not feeling well!"

"I was just wondering if the offer was serious or if Judal was just trying to see if he could get Aladdin to agree to skip school." Sinbad shook his head. "You're right though."

"Of course I am," Ja'far agreed.

"I should give Judal a few punches just in repayment," Alibaba declared, Sinbad nodding.

"I could get behind that."

"No, both of you can't!" Ja'far all but groaned at them. "We report issues of this nature, not take the rules into our own hands and try to tough it out. We are not living in the middle ages!"

"I like the middle ages then." Sinbad said with a grin, before a fierce growl from the other made him sigh. "Fine, fine. No violence."

"You won't get that kind of promise from me," Alibaba warned the man as he looked over in his direction.

"Oh, promises," a voice drawled. "Are we keeping secrets or just discussing something important?" The group looked behind to find Judal grinning, walking behind them a few steps. Masrur and Morgiana moved in front of Aladdin as Alibaba glared at him viciously.

"We were decided how to tell on you for beating up Aladdin."

"Beating up," Judal raised a brow. "I don't remember such things. I don't believe I hit him repeatedly or made him cry, did I chibi?" His red eyes flickered to the boy behind the red headed duo. "Did I make you cry, Chibi?"

Aladdin shook his head and he motioned towards him with his hands. "See, no tears, no foul. He's fine and I'm fine. We're all fine. I don't see where you are all getting so upset. Although," he turned a grin towards Alibaba, "if you would like to fight it out, I would hold no qualms in being the one fighting back."

The others glared at one another before Sinbad moved forward, pulling Alibaba back. "We have no need for fighting. We can reason this out. Just stay away from Aladdin, Judal."

"I don't take orders from a womanizing idiot." Judal's eyes flickered over the man, making a sound of disgust before he turned and began to walk away. "See you soon Chibi!" He waved back at them, making the entire group around Aladdin glower at his departing figure.

"He's going to be a pain isn't he," Morgiana finally said, Ja'far nodding a bit before pulling Aladdin along. Sinbad sighed and hauled Alibaba along with them.

"I'm going to hit him."

"I'm going to make sure you don't," Sinbad replied.

Aladdin's gaze continued to flicker behind them, looking to see if the other was following them. The others delivered him safely to school. He remained in that pondering state though, wondering what Judal was doing as he went through his day. His teacher frowned over at him and had him answer more questions than usual as he found no interest in her more than obvious cleavage today.