It was a well-known fact that Sindrian peaches were the epitome of all peaches. They were juicier. They were bigger. Any time merchants from Sindria went to sell their wares throughout other nations, there were always peaches on their selling lists.

The fuzzy fruits were the most delightful sight the world could ever hope to see. Solomon's bless, but those red and yellow splotched fruits were going to be the death of the magi travelling over the seas. Judal's eyes were set on his destination. His hands were clinging to his carpet as he flew across the bright and sunny skies.

All for peaches.

For there was no better place for curb such a craving, no better peach to be found in any corner of the world, than right at the heart of the Sindrian country. The palace of king Sinbad had the best peaches to be found. There was probably something sprayed on them, or perhaps it was the way the air hung around the palace, perfumed with the scents of the sea breeze and the smells of the kitchens nearby, that made the peaches taste the way they did.

It didn't matter, he just needed to steal them. Quite a few of them in fact; he had come a long way to get them. His stomach could have been stopped from its rumblings, its complaints, through eating some other peaches that grew in the Kou Empire. However they weren't these peaches. They were that idiot king's damn large, juicy peaches for him to sink his teeth into and spend weeks after a feast of them trying to regain his physique.

No, the peaches at home would never do.

So instead he was zooming over the countryside, flying towards the palace to no doubt be chased away later. His hair unbound since he had left from his room so early in the morning, his mouth practically dry from need for such fruits and then his stomach was clawing at him. It twisted and turned, begging for compensation.

Soon, he would have those peaches in hand. He would hide away under one of those loving peach trees and sink his teeth into one peach after another. He could see the trees soon enough in the distance. The small trees swayed in the wind a bit.

Faster, he thought to himself, trying to hurry along.

He found himself standing on his carpet, looking down at the palace as he passed. He would take as many of the peaches as he could fit on his carpet and fly off not to return for a time. He would watch the country suffer financially from his theft. It would be amusing to watch. Maybe he would leave a calling card of some sort to make sure they knew it had been him.

Slower now, he drifted down towards the Earth. His eyes fell upon the ripe fruit waiting for him. He fell to his knees on his carpet, reaching forward after a moment to cup one of those loving peaches in his hand. He leaned forward, biting into it only for his eyes to close. Such a heavenly fruit, the ultimate of Solomon's gifts to the land. He could want for nothing when he held one of these peaches in hand.

He plucked the fruit and held it in his hands, eating it a bit more before he slipped off his carpet, letting the fabric fall to the Earth. He leaned against the tree and looked at the pink flowers on the tree, enjoying the tree's fruits. Soon there was only a pit in his hand, being carelessly tossed aside for another peach.

The juices were always the first thing he noticed about his fruits. The sweet liquid flooded his mouth, dripping to his hands as he ate. The actual fruit might not have held such appeal to him without it. He was grinning a full-blown smile as he ate. His face faced up towards the sunlight as he enjoyed himself.

There was nothing better than a day to himself, just like this. He had nothing and no one to have to listen to. There were no plans in place for him or cloth heads following him around and telling him what to do. It was him, alone, in a field of peach trees.

He leaped onto another tree, feeling his stomach give a satisfied grumble. He plucked a peach from this tree and began to eat again, taking his time to savor the food as he ate it. One pit after another was sent flying towards the palace steps in the distance. Judal made a game of it, watching in amusement as they began to form a mess at the bottom of those stairs leading up to the door of the palace.

He began to jump to another tree when he noticed the figure under the one he was in. His feast was paused.

There underneath the tree laid a young boy, his blue hair braided over one of his shoulders, a peach lying in his arms, his head resting against his shoulder. A stack of books were strewn about next to him, one of them lying open as the boy dozed on a blanket under the tree. Aladdin was out cold by the looks of it.

Judal jumped down as quietly as he could, moving forward until he was staring down at the kid. His eyes drifted over the dreaming expression on the young boy's face. He had been eating these as well by the looks of his juice covered face. He could see a few peach pits lying nearby that confirmed his suspicions, but that didn't stop him from continuing to look the boy over.

He knelt down next to the young magi, reaching forward and gripping Aladdin's braid. A few tugs on it only served to make the brat mumble in his sleep before rolling over.

Judal moved a bit more forward, wiping at the kid's face only to not receive a response. He licked at the juice on his hand and froze. His eyes drifted onto the boy's face. Somehow, some way, the brat had made his peaches taste better. Judal leaned over the kid as he tried to fathom how they had tasted better.

There wasn't any kind of flavor he recognized in that juice. There were no other fruits or meat. Yet it tasted like there was something more to it. His eyes drifted over the boy's face as he felt his stomach growl in demand. It had tasted beyond compare.

Was it a taste from the boy's lips?

He could have sworn he had heard Kougyoku blabbing on about something like people having certain tastes before. Of course he had laughed and made fun of her for a while before going on his merry way when she had mentioned it but now…

Now he found himself wondering the same exact idea.

He leaned forward, hovering over the young magi in indecision. There were many reasons why he didn't want to do this. First and foremost being that this brat was a weak enemy of his. It was like kissing the idiot king, there would be no purpose in doing so. He'd rather kill them both and be done with it.

Aladdin's head turned to the side a bit, his voice murmuring the word quietly. "Judal."

The magi stared at him with the utmost of terror, one hand clinging to the ground as his other dipped into his clothes only for him to curse. He had come without his wand. However, it didn't appear to be necessary as the young boy continued to doze so soundly.

He rolled his eyes at his hesitance and went for it.

Bygones be bygones, there was no point in him beating around the bush. Not when his stomach was growling and there was that taste to revel in. It was definitely the boy's own taste. Judal found himself trying to deepen the kiss with the brat, climbing over the boy as he lapped up the strange peach flavor on the other's mouth.

He cupped the boy's face like he had with the very first peach he had eaten, his eyes closing as he savored the taste. His hair fell over the boy, a column of darkness that blocked anything from the outside world from seeing him.

How? How did someone taste like this? Judal couldn't understand how the boy could taste like this. There was just that extra something in the boy's taste that was quickly becoming something of an addiction to him. He wanted to steal the brat with all the peaches of this land. He could covet them in his room and quickly diminish the peaches away until he just had to satisfy himself with the boy.

He opened his eyes and found the other's eyes staring up at him. Those blue eyes stared up at him sleepily. He lost himself in the color for a moment, taking in the oceanic color, half expecting to see waves crashing along the blue depths of them. Judal tilted his head to delve deeper into the boy's mouth. There was a more potent taste there. He lapped at it avidly, taking it for his own. He could feel the boy's hands press against his shoulders, holding onto him before those eyes slowly started to close again.

Judal pulled back for air though, and Aladdin ruined everything.

The boy opened his mouth and held his fingers near his lips as he spoke. "Why did you do that?"

His hand moved before his mouth could even open, yanking the boy to him once more before he was kissing him again. He moved his mouth more demandingly over the inexperienced boy's lips. He wanted more, he felt like he needed more. But the way the other stared up at him in surprise, trying to understand why he was doing this…

He shoved the boy against a tree and took off, running along the fields and shoving himself up into a tree as the boy tried to follow after him. He watched as Aladdin looked around. He coaxed his rukh into being quiet and remaining hidden.

Aladdin ran along for a moment before he stopped. The blue haired boy looked around before he cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled for him. He wouldn't respond though, he dared not. He wouldn't give away where he was to the kid.

Yet a part of him felt his stomach drop when he saw the disappointed look on the other's face. He watched as the boy turned around and headed back towards where his things were. He waited until he saw the boy once more moving passed to look around one last time, his turban wrapped into place on his head. He called forth for him again, shaking his head and holding his books closer as he turned.

The boy headed up the steps of the palace, vanishing into the building before Judal dared to leave his place, grabbing his carpet and taking off out of Sindria.

Another time. During another time he would snatch the kingdom's peaches.

And maybe their magi in training too.