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A Quest with Two Meanings

by: Stephanie

Stephanie does not own Okage: Shadow King, she does not own any of the characters and she is very sad. This fanfic contains Shoujo-Ai and Shounen- Ai and also has some bad language. I don't care if you review, ^_^;; do it if you want. Hope you like it -_-;;

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Chapter 1

Lets Go

"Slave!" Stan called out long paper thin fingers cupped in a cone shape in front of his yellow mouth. His teeth poked through his 'mouth', looking rather sharp today. Stan swerved around looking for the lost boy. Stan searched, with doubt of ever finding him again, his shoulder's drooped and he sighed a deep sigh of anguish. He approached a fallen tree trunk that he once passed when it was the happy days in a party of 3.

Rosalyn, the well-known hero, rested her parasol against the trunk and sat beside the grieving Stan. Even though deep in her heart she hated Stan, with a passion, she couldn't help feeling sorry for the silly Shadow now.

"Maybe if you treated him differently he wouldn't have run off. I mean you and Marlene sure treated him hard." She tried a slight smile, trying to actually be comforting and sweet to such a harsh shadow. "Maybe he has changed..." she thought to herself.

"Well, its sort of hard if he ran off with Marlene! Why couldn't it be the other way, I thought we had feelings for each other. The way he lovingly glanced at me, it gave me beautiful thoughts. Do you think that Ari... really loves... Marlene?" Stan frowned at his own words, he thought that he might sound strange, confessing his love for someone of the same gender. "Or maybe we aren't of the same gender.. After all, I am a Shadow, now that's different from a male isn't it??" Stan asked himself.

"Hmm... We could always try visiting Ari's house, maybe his family knows of his whereabouts.." Rosalyn suggested, reaching for her parasol and starting to sit up. Stan smiled slightly, "That might just be a good idea," he placed a disgusted look on Rosalyn, "Even if it's coming from you." Rosalyn noticed a familiar blackish glow slowly returning. She sighed, even if he did make smart comments, he was returning to the one she regretfully knew.

"I, King Stanley Hide-hat Trinidad XIV, promise from this day forward, I will find Ari." Stan smiled, he looked down and noticed the spot where Ari once had stood, reminding him of that deadly curse. Sheepishly, he turned to an unexpecting Rosalyn who was playfully twirling her parasol. "Rosalyn, I need your body."

"Hands off, lover-boy. I don't need you." Rosalyn blurted out, somehow mistaking Stan for a more 'intense' meaning.

Stan stood there horrified, "All I was asking is the need of your body, for possesment, so I am able to move." Rosalyn turned a bright crimson red, and tried to hide her embarrassment by pretending to clean her rapier.

"Really Stan, I was joking, I'm not in love with you. Actually I have my eye on someone else.. Go ahead, hurry up, do you want to find Ari or what?" She waited for the chant that would posses her so Stan would use her as a puppet, his 'slave'. Before she knew it, Stan was attached to her feet, he was grunting and urging her on.

"Slave, hurry up! Must I stand here like an imbecile?" Stan yelled in her ear. Rosalyn quickly started to walk in the direction of Tenel. Muttering in disbelief, how she could have possibly thought Stan might have changed. "Actually, Rosalyn, I am... I am...-" Stan stuttered, Rosalyn was puzzled, turning her head to see what the fuss was about. "-sorry... And I'll try to be... erm... nice-r." Rosalyn pushed her parasol against Stan, to the tip was lightly poking him in where the ribs would me.

"And you expect me to believe that?" Rosalyn said gruffly, removing the parasol from Stan's paper thin body. Rosalyn quickly rolled her head back around, facing the sign that said 'Ari's House', and bustled up the winding walk-way. Stan sighed, if he was nice, he'd never get the respect he needed, and if he was mean.. he still wouldn't get respect. Maybe Ari respects him.. Maybe, just maybe... Ari... A warm tear ran down his cheek and dropped into the dirt. Stan held a hand up to his face to whip at the wet stream the tear made down his face. He felt the wetness and looked at his hand, water glistened, creating tiny prisms on his black skin. "Why am I leaking...?" Stan whispered, even more streams of tears spilt down his cheeks and into the dirt, he started to heave and his shoulders quivered. Rosalyn looked back to see what the commotion was, when she saw Stan questioning the water left all over his face. Rosalyn's heart softened, she touched her gloved hand to Stan's cheek.

"Why Stanley Hide-hat Trinidad XIV," Rosalyn said with tears in her own eyes, "your crying..."