Title: Sublime Oblivion
Author: Metal Pandora
Disclaimer: I do not own Okage: Shadow King.
Genre: Comedy/Romance/Drama
Rating: T (for mild language, suggestive themes, and comic mischief.)
Pairing: Stan/Ari
Summary: Life simply became too dull without a certain redheaded slave to harass. Exploring new worlds is just not a job to be done alone. Post-game – Shounen-ai – Stan/Ari
Prologue
The large house creaked eerily as it settled in the yellow moonlight. The occupants of this certain humble abode had long since tucked themselves away for the night and now slumbered peacefully. Not a soul was aware of the shadow that snaked its way along the crusty walls of brick siding. It seeped through the exterior and traveled down the carpeted floor before slithering up the wide staircase.
The second door of the left hallway was its final destination where an ordinary boy slept serenely, clutching his plain white sheets. The dark shadow lifted itself off the floor, forming a three-dimensional figure with a malevolent aura and unmistakably blonde hair.
The boy, Ari, shifted in his bed, unconsciously sensing the presence of another being in the room. The bed sunk slightly to one side as someone else's weight was added. Ari's eyes fluttered open sleepily to find familiar amber ones staring straight back at him.
"...Wha...?" Ari mumbled, finally realizing just who it was hovering over him, "S-Stan?!"
Immediately, a hand covered his mouth.
"Quiet. You want the whole house to wake?" Stan hissed.
Ari shook his head.
"Alright, then get your stuff, we're outta here." Stan stood up.
"...What?" Ari yawned and rubbed his eyes.
"Come on, get up. We have worlds to conquer."
Ari just blinked wearily. This had to be a dream. Sure, when they had parted ways two weeks ago, he admitted that he missed Stan, but dreaming about him? That was completely absurd. The boy sat up in his bed, yawned again, and then looked over at the impatient blonde man next to him. It seemed so awkward to see Stan in his real form instead of the floppy, goofy shadow Ari was used to seeing.
Realizing he was staring, Ari dropped his gaze and thumbed at his bed sheets.
"...I think...I'm dreaming." He murmured; the jolt of sudden awakening catching up with him and making him incredibly tired.
Stan shot him a stern look.
"Don't be ridiculous. This is quite real. Did you honestly think I would just let you go after the whole save-the-world-blah-blah-blah ordeal? I'm not the Great Evil King for nothing, you know. You're still my slave and always will be!" He continued to talk, though Ari only could half of it through his hazy, sleepy stupor.
"Now is the perfect time to commandeer the planet! With that damn Beiloune and his classification system out of the way, the world is practically mine!" Stan went into one of his obligatory and outlandish spiels about world domination, raising his voice and making grand gestures with his hands.
Same ol' Stan, Ari thought. 'At this rate, he'll never shut up. Oh well, when in Rome...'
Hopping off his bed rather gracelessly, the redheaded boy grabbed a backpack and stuffed it with assorted traveling supplies, making sure to also take the Gear Sword he'd acquired in their previous adventure. Lastly, he tucked a pillow under his arm and waddled over to where Stan still stood talking to himself.
"—and I'll be worshipped everyday and—huh?" Stan looked over, finally taking notice of the half-asleep boy next to him. Ari was still dressed in his oversized pajamas, fuzzy slippers, and rumpled rust-colored hair stuck out in weird angles from beneath the childish nightcap that adorned his head.
"...I'll be back by morning, right?" Ari yawned for the third time; "I have chores in the morning..."
Stan seemed momentarily stunned by how utterly ridiculous and hilarious Ari looked. Shaking his head, the blonde man snatched the nightcap off the boy's head and grumbled.
"Slave! Do you wish to make me a laughing stock?! Get dressed properly!" He commanded.
"..."
"Well?"
"Like, as in, right now?" Ari asked.
"Yes, right now! We're wasting precious conquering time!" Stan got angrier by the second.
"Oh." Ari shrugged, dropping all his gear and undressing himself. Stan opened his mouth to say something, but shut it, feeling his face get a bit hot. He watched dumbly as Ari stripped down to his skivvies uncaringly and slipped into his standard outfit, complete with his navy-colored headband.
"Better?" He asked.
Stan had turned away stubbornly at this point, hiding his lingering blush. "That'll do. Let's get going then."
They had made it halfway down the road to Madril when Ari finally became aware of his surroundings. Okay, so maybe it wasn't a dream and Stan really had come back to basically kidnap him. Mother was going to kill him for leaving in the middle of the night with no explanation or even a note. Especially since he had those chores. Groaning, Ari covering his face with his hands and plopped down on the ground. Stan turned around with a confused expression.
"What is the meaning of this, Slave? We have no time to dilly-dally on the ground like that." He motioned for Ari to get back up.
"Stan..." Ari began.
"Master Stan." The blonde man corrected.
"Okay, Master Stan..."
"Yes, what is it?"
"It's, like, three in the morning. I don't mind helping you, you know, conquer the world and stuff, but right now, I really need some more sleep." Ari whined.
"Sleep is for the weak, Slave. But I suppose if you need it so badly, we shall spend the rest of the night at the Madril Hotel." Stan complied.
Ari smiled drowsily, took out his pillow and flopped back on the dirt. Soft snores signaled he had fallen asleep before he hit the pillow.
Stan stood there speechless for a moment and then leaned over the boy with a scowl. He knew humans needed a full eight hours of sleep per day to remain fit and healthy, and that it was a shock to the boy that he'd just shown up randomly at an ungodly hour of the night, but no slave of his was just going to lay in the middle of a path to sleep. Nudging Ari's side with his boot, Stan commanded the boy to wake.
"Wake up, Slave! Don't expect me to carry you all the way to Madril! Slave—!" Stan paused in mid-rant when Ari turned over and clutched his leg, mumbling half-asleep drabble.
"...Mm...yes, pancakes sound great, Mom..."
Agitated, Stan plucked the redhead from the ground, marched over to the pond, and tossed him in.
Sploosh.
Ari surfaced immediately, gagging and gasping for air. Frantically trying to get a grasp on his surroundings, he spied Stan waiting on the shore.
"You...You tried to kill me!" He accused, flailing about in the murky water.
"Now that you're awake, we'll be moving on. Quit playing in the water and get over here, Slave!" Stan shouted, walking away.
Ari became exasperated.
"W-Wha-! Pla-playing?! Who's playing, you...you stupid evil king! You're the one who threw me in here!" He screamed, throwing a tantrum and splashing water everywhere.
And so began another bizarre adventure with the boy and the king. Tired, frustrated, and not to mention soaking wet with pond water and mud, Ari made his way to Madril with Stan, cursing the blonde demon the entire way. Many questions remained on his mind; like, why had Stan come back? Where did Ari fit into the king's plans for world domination? What happened to the others? Would Stan pay to get Ari's clothes dry-cleaned?
The boy decided that the answers could wait until morning.
To Be Continued...