Chapter 3: Sigher Breath in Love and War

Rosalyn jumped up from the bushes and blurted out in a powerful tone, "you're a moronic, pathetic, immature, poor excuse for an evil king and now that you're no longer living as Ari's shadow like a coward, I will not hesitate to demolish you!" Ari, Stan, and Erpos looked at her. Stan laughed. "Just come over here and try it hideous woman!"

The rain stopped.

Rosalyn drew her rapier, ran up to Stan, and swung her sword at him, but it had no effect. Stan laughed again. His laugh was counteracted by Rosalyn's voice, "CHARGED PARASOL!" She attacked him with her spell, but Stan still remained unharmed. "You can't injure a shadow," Stan said, and continued to laugh as Rosalyn ignorantly gave it her all with great determination.

Epros and Ari had been quietly observing. Epros whispered, "Art thou not going do something about this?" Ari answered, "I'm enjoying it." After a moment he thought, "Why don't you do something if you want them to stop so bad, wuss," but of course, he said nothing.

Stan spoke with confidence. "You're through, weak, brainless hero! CRUSHING DEVIL!" He flopped back and slammed his shadowy head through Rosalyn. She fell to the ground. Ari ran up to her.

Stan turned away from them and worshipped his own power. While he went on babbling to himself about conquering the world and making lowly human filth fear and obey him, Rosalyn got up completely unscratched.

Rosalyn turned her back to Stan and began to talk to herself. "Why didn't his attack do anything at all? Of course, I expected it to be inferior to my own, but since he has the power of an evil king, such a feeble attack is quite puzzling."

Stan didn't even notice Rosalyn had risen to her feet. He continued to marvel at his own greatness until he realized something that had been overlooked. "Once I regain my power and return to my true form…wait, I've already regained my power. Why aren't I in my true form1? I should have gone back to it after I defeated Beloune and left the boy's body."

Meanwhile, Rosalyn was still thinking out loud. "Maybe, just as I couldn't harm him because he's a shadow, he couldn't do any harm as a shadow without a host, but WHY is he still a shadow? Shouldn't he be in his true form?"

The clashing monologues were interrupted by Marlene's voice. She had been standing in the main doorway for a while, but no one noticed her. "This has carried on long enough. The power of the great hero and the great evil king doesn't exist anymore."

Stan and Rosalyn quickly turned in her direction and screamed in unison, "WHAT!?" They both held their breath for a moment. Everyone concentrated on Marlene.

Rosalyn spoke under her breath, "I should have known."

Marlene walked onto the stoop and down the steps. She stood in front of the lowest step, and drifted off into her own little world as she gave a speech. "My father created the classification based world with me in mind. He thought so strongly I deserved to be a princess that he made me one. You destroyed the power of classification and now I'm not lost anymore. I thank you for that, but my father is gone." She started to cry. "All he ever did was love me enough to go to extreme measures for my sake. Without the power of classification, you, Rosalyn can't be classified as a hero anymore, and you, Stan, can't classified as an evil king. So please stop fighting" She ran up the stairs and into the house. The door closed behind her.

Ari wanted to follow her and comfort her, but he just walked up to the steps and stood there. There was silence until Stan said, "That's a lie! I am evil king and no 'classification' can change that!" Rosalyn was disgusted. "How could you be so insensitive!?" She stormed inside. Ari walked in after her, followed by Epros. After a few minutes Stan crept in under the door.

There was a crowd in the hallway in front of the bedroom that Marlene was staying in. Stan slipped behind everyone and stood against the wall across from the room. The door was open. Marlene was sitting on the floor leaning over the bed with her head buried in her crossed arms. Ari and his mom stood directly in front of the entrance. Rosalyn, Epros, Kissling, and Ari's dad were crowded behind them.

Ari's mother glared at him persuasively. He took a deep breath, took a few steps into the room, and started to say something. "…Marlene…I um…" Marlene didn't move. Ari's mom spoke up for him, "Marlene, honey, Ari is trying to talk to you."

Marlene stood and faced Ari. Her hands where folded in front of her thighs and her head was bowed.

Stan was getting impatient. "What are you doing slave??" He called Ari "slave" out of habit (it's not like Stan would ever call him by his name). "You'll never get anything accomplished that way!" He moved through the crowd and pushed Ari into Marlene.

He ended up on the bed, on top of her with his hand on her breast (evangelion moment). Once he realized where his hand was he moved it away, pulled himself off of her, and sat next to her on the edge of the bed. He was blushing.

Marlene said, "Well, I was about to forgive you for the diner incident. I was being a bit unreasonable, not being a very experienced cook and all, but now I'm not so sure if I can forgive you." Ari was a little nervous. Somehow he worked up the courage to grab her shoulder, turn her body towards him, and kiss her.

Ari had never kissed anyone before. Heck, he'd never even hugged anyone other than his own mother before, but he had spent enough time at home with his mom while she was watching her little chick-flicks to pick up on the concept a bit.

She pulled away, and held him back by pressing her palm against his shoulder. She mumbled, "How dare you do such a thing while I'm so vulnerable?" Ari felt stupid and embarrassed. He sighed. Marlene hugged him and whispered, "thank you."

Ari's mom: Aw, aren't they cute?

Rosalyn: smiles

Epros blank stare

Ari's dad: That should shut 'er up, huh?

Kissling I would have done a bit more with such a lovely lady, personally.

Stan: Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick!