Through the Looking Glass (Magi x Naruto) (Sinbad x Sakura) crossover

"Thanks for helping us unload all of this Sakura," Hinahoho said looking at the pink-haired girl walking beside him and Mahad. Meeting at the docks with the delivery ships holding their stock. It wasn't the most glamorous chore but Hinahoho did enjoy watching onlookers gawk at Sakura. The petite girl that looked like she could fit in his pocket, carrying crates weighing over a ton and making it back to the company before the wagons was always a treat. This was usually for emergency runs, but with the company's growing success they were making these trips more often.

Sakura seemed to prefer walking along the ocean side, or at least getting out of the building and away from the paperwork.

"Sure thing,"

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"Peek-a-boo," Sakura cooed softly at Kikiriku who beamed at her sitting in front of her. Even though he was barely a year Kikiriku was already the same height as Ja'far which seemed to agitate the former assassin ever so slightly though Sakura reassured him that he would still grow (she wasn't sure how much). She found out by Ja'far that Rurumu gave birth while they were returning to Imuchakk for their restock. He had been griping about it for a while, as the only trained medic hadn't been present leaving the task to a ten-year-old boy.

"HOW COULD YOU STAY BEHIND LIKE THAT?"

"Huh?" Sakura asked in confusion , as Ja'far shook her shoulders.

"If you had been there on the ship when it had happened then I wouldn't have...I wouldn't have seen and, and-AAAAHH"

She and Sinbad were laughing for days after that; Hinahoho explained that Ja'far had to be there to witness the process of Rurumu giving birth as she told him it was part of his lessons. Though Sakura had to admit in that case she would've been of some help since she was a medic. But Hinahoho and Rurumu hadn't even told anyone that she was pregnant.

Sakura enjoyed taking Kikiriku and looking after him; it gave her an excuse to go out for a walk while she carried him around till he fell asleep or just allow her to get a breather from helping with the company. With his Imuchakk blood, he was more than five times the size of a regular newborn.

Kikiriku let out a cute laugh and clapped his hands as he watched the pink-haired kunoichi peek behind her hands.

"You're too cute!" Sakura gushed with a bright smile "Can you walk yet huh baby?"

"Ahah..brew...." were the noises Kikiriku made in response while flaying his arms around excitedly. Sakura patted his head just as Rurumu walked in.

"Oh Sakura, I'm sorry to have taken up so much of your time. Thank you for watching him."

Sakura shook her head bashfully "I enjoy it, he's too adorable."

"Well, in any case, you can go ahead and enjoy the rest of your day. I know it's so rare you get a day off here."

Sakura nodded and stood up after giving a kiss to Kikiriku but when she stood up and walked to the door she heard crying and saw Kikiriku's eyes filled with tears about to fall.

"My, it seems he is very fond of you Sakura," Rurumu said but then they saw something that made both females still.

With shaking legs Kikiriku pushed himself up from the floor and stood, very shaky he started taking small steps making Sakura gasp and move closer to the baby along with Rurumu.

"Oh my!"

"He's walking...." Sakura said gaping as Rurumu came to stand beside her.

After only several steps Kikiriku's legs gave out and he fell to the back in a sitting position. Sakura and Rurumu became excited and rushed to the baby.

"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Sakura smiling widely

Rurumu picked up her son "Your dad's going to be surprised to hear this and a bit disappointed he wasn't here."

Sakura gave a small laugh "I can't believe I saw him take his first steps."

There was an odd bubbling sensation that filled her chest when she looked at Rurumu nuzzling her child. The Imuchakk women looked at Sakura with a smile.

"I think he was really worried about you leaving."

Sakura blushed and raised her hands "No way; it was just a coincidence! But...I am happy I was able to see it...to be able to feel this happiness."

Rurumu looked at Sakura; observing her face before smiling "As you are now, you'd make an excellent mother."

Sakura's face dropped as she became flustered "E-Eh? Me-Me; not for years! I mean...yeah not for a long time!"

There was only one person in Sakura's heart, and he was on his quest for vengeance, while she was meant to be on a mission to get him home.

"We'll see, after all, fate works in strange ways..."

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Sakura chopped the vegetables carefully under the watchful eye of Rurumu, ever since she had returned from their restocking voyage Sakura, Sinbad, and Ja'far's lessons had begun again only not as long however for Sakura it was a different story since there was still so much for her to learn far beyond the terms of normal education. But as time passed, Sakura found something satisfying about sharpening this life skill. Everyone needed to know how to cook, and now she would know how to do it very well. Perhaps it was because of how Rurumu prided herself on that skill, a proud Imuchakk woman that could fight with the best of warriors and also held her standards high in domestic affairs.

It was good that Hinahoho had been put through those tribulations to become the man worthy of her.

"You're much better at this now," Rurumu observed

Sakura nodded as she added the ingredients into the curry; it was a simple enough dish she thought. They had been having fish for a while and she thought that some meat would be appreciated. The way things were going, everyone was always so busy so it was nice to take a break and just sit together around the table and eat enjoying each other's company.

Sakura remembered when she use to get together with all of her friends from the village when they weren't out on missions and take that rare chance to all just go to a restaurant together and eat. They would usually try and stick the bill with one person when they couldn't afford to pay for their meal however sometimes none of them would be able to pay and they'd end up on dish duty together.

'Still, it was fun Sakura thought as she continued to stir the pot 'I miss them...'

"You're well on your way to becoming the perfect wife."

Sakura laughed, knowing that Rurumu's statement of the perfect wife was far from conventional. Imuchakk women didn't just make the home, they protected it under the harshness of their environment.

'Makes sense now why the males have to endure that right of passage with the rampaging unicorn,'

"Why do you always say things like that to me? I highly doubt I'll ever be considered marriageable material."

Rurumu frowned at the negative comment "Now why would you say that?"

"Because," Sakura took a breath "I'm not built for it, when I was young I always fantasized about being married and having a family with the man of my dreams but...."

The hilt of the knife in Sakura's hand nearly cracked under the grip "I'm not cut out for it. That fantasy that I lived in has caused people pain and made me lose friends. I was too caught up in my world that I never noticed what was right in front of me; I didn't realize just how weak I was-a burden and deadweight to everyone around me. My eyes were opened in a very harsh way and I became content with becoming nothing but strong, powerful enough to protect myself and those around me. So that one day...I could make up for my past mistakes. I will make up for it; I will make it up to him"

"I take it he is the boy you claimed to be in love with?"

Sakura nodded solemnly.

"Well, it seems you are still unable to see what is right in front of you," Rurumu said offhandedly

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked getting defensive but her face softened when Rurumu placed her large hand on the side of her face in a comforting manner.

"You have been with us for how many months now? And during that time how much have you accomplished with Sinbad-sama? I know that you deny it but you've helped build this company. You can take charge of everything when Sinbad-sama is unable to; you've integrated yourself not only into this company but into the lives of everyone around you. Not many people can do the things you have done at your age. You're not only fit to be a good wife, you're fit to be an excellent queen."

"What?" Sakura asked baffled now "I-wait I'm not going to become queen or anything like that! It was a joke that-

"That may be true but I can tell that you would make an excellent queen." Rurumu said strongly "You are strong; kind; compassionate, and would be able to keep your king in order."

Sakura felt her face flush. "But I'm not...

Rurumu placed a hand on her shoulder "I'm aware that your heart is set on someone else at the moment but keep in mind that hearts can change."

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"No, that's not how you should write those characters, Sinbad it's not that curved."

"Argh! Come on Sakura, I've redone this twice already."

"You want people to be able to read your stories right?" Sakura pointed out watching as Sinbad attempted to fix his mistake.

"I got it..." Sinbad muttered. "Sometimes there's just no pleasing women,"

Sakura sighed; Sinbad had taken Rashid's advice to start a manuscript of his stories and would take some time out of his busy schedule of running his trade business to write. After settling into a routine, Sakura agreed to help Sinbad with his manuscript if he was willing to wake up early so they could take at least an hour to write.

"Just keep writing,"

"Fine," He muttered, dipping his quill in ink. All that could be heard in the room for a good solid minute was the pen scraping across the pages. In that song, Sakura took a moment to observe Sinbad in proximity.

From the side, she could see the new morning's rays hitting Sinbad at an angle that illuminated and sharpened his features. Making him seem more mature, his eyes focused but still bright. A strong gold, as if to deliver a message of his strength. That time in Valefor's dungeon, when he had given that speech to the others and started to turn their hearts towards him, Sakura could almost see Sinbad's goals in solid form. It was only for an instant, yet that image hadn't blurred away.

She was enjoying her days with him, it took away her loneliness and lifted the weight of her troubles. Most of their interactions made her smile. Sinbad also seemed to pay special attention to her, and he gave her a comfort she hasn't enjoyed in a long time. A comfort that she was completely void of when she was around Sasuke, and comfort she had missed since Naruto left the village.

"The heart can change,"

Her face felt hot, as she turned away, 'What am I thinking!'

"Let's see, clusters of crystals shimmering even where the son did not...how does that sound?" Sinbad asked scratching his head. "Sakura?"

"It's great," Sakura said though her voice seemed distant as if she wasn't paying attention.

Sinbad looked at her concerned "Is something wrong?"

"Huh?" Sakura asked looking at him before shaking her head "No it's nothing. Come on, this is the final editing before you send this off,"

Sinbad looked up at her with beaming eyes "Yeah! Let's go celebrate,"

"We still have a full day's work ahead,"

"I meant tonight, just you and me. I couldn't have done this without you,"

"I'm just helping you hurry things along, it's not like you couldn't do this yourself," Sakura said indifferently. She started to clear away the papers when she felt Sinbad take one of her hands. A habit he enjoyed, capturing one of her hands and then circling her palm.

He brought a new comfort to her, she hadn't been able to experience with anyone before.

"I wouldn't have been able to get this far if it wasn't for everyone else helping me. Including you, Sakura," Lifting her hand to his lips, they lightly grazed her skin.

Sakura felt her heart sink.

And when she laid in bed thinking of that moment with him, floating in sleep a voice whispered those words to her again.

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Sakura breathed in softly before staring out towards the ocean; she was standing out by the docks further away from the company. A gentle breeze kissed her skin as she reminisced about the last couple of months. She had never been able to forget Rurumu's words to her. Even as she packed her belongings and left her room silently in the night with the intent of never looking back. She still thought about them.

This world wasn't her's and yet she had made a place for herself within it. With him. She was working hard every day to help Sinbad achieve his dream but during that time she seemed to be thinking about her own less and less as time passed.

She looked forward to seeing Sinbad's face in the morning, listening to him speak, basking in his presence like rays of the sun. As if there was this inexplicable allure about Sinbad that was forming an ever-growing bond.

If it continued; she knew that eventually she wouldn't care about returning home anymore and would want to stay; with them; with him. She was making a life for herself in this world and that was unacceptable.

Grasping the mirror in her hand she looked at it for the first time in months; looked at it closely.

"Only three...." Sakura muttered feeling her heart sink "I've spent all this time here, and I've only managed to get three. How pathetic,"

"You know, it's really chilly at night,"

Sakura gasped and swirled around ready to fight in case of any danger but lowered her guard when she saw none other than Yunan standing at the end of the peer smiling at her.

"What? Yunan; what are you doing here?" Sakura asked.

The young man waved his hand "I felt something disturbing and thought I'd better take a look."

Sakura narrowed her eyes and pouted "So you found me? That's insulting."

"Sorry, sorry," he said coming up to her "It's been a while, how are you?"

Sakura looked down at the sea, watching her reflection "Well; I guess I'm alright."

"It doesn't seem like it."

She sighed twirling a piece of her hair that had grown over the months; she needed to cut it again but had been so preoccupied it slipped her mind.

"I'm worried Yunan. I've been here for so long and it feels like I've done absolutely nothing and I think frustrations finally caught up with me."

There was only silence between the two for a moment "What do you want?"

"Huh?"

"It's a simple question don't you think? What is it that you want? What do you desire above all else?"

Sakura took off her headband and looked at her reflection as she held it tightly "I....want to go home."

"More than anything?"

"Of course!" Sakura said feeling tears gather in her eyes "There shouldn't be a need to ask that question."

"Then why is it you are still here?" Yunan asked making her gasp "Why haven't you proceeded to move forward?"

"I-I don't know where I'm supposed to go to get home." Sakura attempted to justify; she pulled out the mirror and held it up to Yunan "It's this thing's fault, I thought it would bring me to where I needed to go to finally reach home but nothing's happened,"

"Until now?" Yunan asked, and she taken aback.

"How did you….?"

"There's a spell to activate the mirror, but honestly I was surprised when you came through. That mirror was for my use, I didn't even know that this could be a result of its existence,"

Sakura gripped the mirror to her chest as if she was afraid he might take it, but Yunan smiled. "I don't understand it myself but it seems that fate meant for you to get a hold of it, to bind you to this world,"

"It was a mistake," She tried to affirm her thoughts but it was hard.

"But the choice, in the end, is yours alone,"

It didn't seem that way to her. It had taken all of her courage just to carry herself away from that place, from Sinbad. She was afraid of this attachment she couldn't explain. She was finally able to remember the enchantment but it had left her stomach sinking when she realized that meant she could leave.

"I know that the four of us have worked together and for a while, I thought I could take that road instead-but in the end, I've decided on revenge. That's always been my reason for living. I'll never like you and Naruto."

'Sasuke; how hard or easy was it for you to leave us all behind?' Sakura thought looking at the mirror 'To abandon everyone by speaking a few simple words.'

"I know that we worked together and for a while, I thought I could take that road instead." Sakura started speaking in a stoic voice "but in the end, I've decided....to leave and go home, back to the place where I belong. This place will never be home; home will never be with you."

She then spoke the enchantment, word for word as if the foreign terms were her first language.

A slih ma tama kasrah ( Fix that which has been broken )

Aistirdad ma tama tahtimuh ( retrieve that which has been shattered )

Wamae kl qiteat qumt bi'iislahiha ( And with each piece that you have mended )

A n tunazil nafidhatan jadidatan ( A new window shall be descended )

And just like that, she was gone. Yunan stood on the dock and looked up at the sky.

"I wonder.....Sakura such cruel words you spoke, to those who were unable to hear it, what will you do in the end?"