Chapter 3: The Good, The Bad, The Ron
(Possible Residence)
Kim slowly wakes up, feeling all warm and can feel the recognizable feeling of her bed sheets on her. She feels the heaviness on her mind as some part of her resists waking up, wanting to go back to sleep where she wouldn't have to face something.
Just then a thought comes to Kim as to why she didn't want to wake up and she sits up in bed quickly as she says loudly, "Ron!" before turning back towards the bed and sees Ron's body still looking like he was asleep and without a soul, he didn't even move in his sleep for there was nothing to stir him in sleep that would normally cause a person to move.
Kim looks sadly at Ron as she remembers everything that happened in the adrenaline rush to her brain. From the way Ron had so heroically jumped in front of the lightning bolt to save her to the way he looked as the lightning coursed through his body, the way his eyes looked at her and finally the way he looked after telling her that he loved her and passed away… Tears start to well up at her eyes as the memory makes her heart ache so strongly.
Kim reaches out and brushes her fingers through Ron's messy hair with a tender touch and then she remembers that she had been too tired to pull the blanket over herself so that left her parents to do it. She hoped that she wasn't in trouble and just then there is a knocking at the door. She hops out of the bed, making sure that the sheets stayed on Ron before she says, "Come on in Mom."
Kim's mother opens the door and sticks her head through the opening before she says, "Hello honey, did you sleep well?" She looks at Kim standing beside the bed, trying not to look like she'd done anything to feel guilty about.
Kim says, "Yes… I slept good although I kept dreaming about what happened to Ron." She looks down at the floor and Kim's mother opens the door completely before walking in and saying, "Kim… honey… do you want to talk about it? It might help." As she puts her hand on Kim's shoulder.
Kim doesn't look up right away even as she says, "Ron… I don't want to lose him again Mom. But he's already died once, I don't know if I can stand to rescue his soul only to lose him again."
Kim's mother wraps her arms around her and says, "Honey, it is part of life… but to be honest, I know exactly how you feel. I thought about what I'd do if I were in your shoes last night and talked it over with your father. We both feel that Ron would choose to stay by your side rather than go anywhere else."
Kim looks up at her mother and says with a sad but hopeful voice, "You really think so? Ron won't leave me and not return to his body after I save his soul?"
Her mother gives her a loving smile and says, "Honey, Ron hasn't left your side since Pre-K, what makes you think that he'd leave your side simply because of a little thing like death getting in the way?"
Kim smiles as memories of everything that Ron and her had been through flow through her mind and she realizes that her mother is right and that she didn't have anything to worry about. Ron would return to his body the moment he was saved and return to staying by her side like always. Even her heart felt better after she realized that.
Kim's mother sees the smile on her face and hugs her daughter tightly, "Now, come on down for breakfast. I bet you're hungry after sleeping for so long."
Kim looks up and says, "Exactly how long did I sleep, Mom?" before she tries to turn to look at the clock beside her bed but she couldn't see it while being hugged by her mother.
Kim's mother says, "You've been asleep for most of the day. It is already 11 am, and don't you worry about Ron's parents. I have already called them and explained the situation."
Kim tenses at the news and says, "What did you say? How did they take it?" Her mother brings up a hand to run over Kim's hair tenderly, "Don't you worry. They were quite upset at the news about Atheus killing their only son but relieved when they heard that his soul and body are ok and that you were working on getting his soul back into his body."
Kim looks up at her mother and says, "They were? They don't blame me?" Her eyes looking hopeful, yet deeply sad as she asked her question.
Kim's mother shakes her head, "No, and in fact once I told them that Ron had done it to save your life, they got quite calm about it. You see, they know how much cares about you and I think they knew that he would never have let any harm come to you if he could do anything about it." She slides a finger over Kim's eyebrow to brush aside a stray strand of hair from Kim's eyes before she says, "They know you won't stop until you've helped Ron one way or another Kim. The two of you have been such good friends to each other and for so long, Ron's parents know that you'll do everything in your power to help free him from Atheus's clutches. They also told me that no matter how it turns out in the end, they wouldn't hate you because they know you. You are Ron's best friend and the most special thing in his heart."
Kim hugs her mother tightly and says, "Thanks Mom…" before she looks at Ron on the bed. She starts to say, "Mom… about Ron…"
Kim's mother says, "Don't worry. The human body can survive for a few days without food and water. And don't forget I'm a doctor so I know how to give his body the nutrients it needs without him ever being awake."
Kim hugs her mother again and says, "Thanks Mom, I don't know what I'd do without you."
Together, the two of them walk out of the room with Kim giving one last, long look at the sleeping form of Ron in her bed and she thinks to herself, "I'm going to get your soul back from Atheus. I promise!" not caring just how hard or what she might have to sacrifice to keep her promise but she didn't care at that moment.
(Back at the temple)
Atheus shakes the orb in his hand and says, "Once the little redhead realizes that there is no way to restore you back to normal without agreeing to marry me, I will have won!" He then laughs as Ron shouts from his prison, "KP will find a way to defeat you! Just you wait!"
Zathera couldn't move from her stone prison nor could she communicate verbally. It saddened her to see Atheus treating Ron, who was obviously a very loyal friend to his girlfriend and she wished that she were free so that she could restore Ron back to his body the way it was meant to be.
Atheus lets the orb slip from his fingers, knowing that it wouldn't break since only a god or godling could shatter it and laughs as Ron bounces around hard in the orb as it bounces down some old steps at the temple. He really enjoyed having someone to torture and laugh at their misfortune after so very long.
After so long, Atheus was going to milk it for all that he could. He knew that Ron couldn't actually be hurt inside the orb unless he used his godling powers to actually cause any harm and he wasn't going to do much harm until he got his answer from her and he was certain that Kim would say yes just to save her worthless friend.
Atheus was going to teach her how lowly and worthless all the humans on the planet were compared to him and her, even her friend Ron would become worthless to her when he got through with her and the thought of that made him laugh loudly while Ron rolls around like a small creature within one of the clear toy balls that Smarty Mart sold for pets like Rufus.
Just then Rufus sticks his head out from some bushes as he'd crawled out of Ron's pocket before Ron had been struck by the lightning bolt to go hide someplace safer and thus managed to avoid being sent back with Kim and Ron when Atheus had sent them both away.
Rufus squeaks to Ron who had rolled to a stop against a large rock near the bushes and manages to shush him before Ron can call out Rufus's name too loudly and attract Atheus's attention.
Ron nods, getting the idea about how dangerous it might be to get Atheus wise to Rufus before he gives a thumbs up to Rufus when he squeak-asks if Ron was ok. Rufus then dives back down into the bushes just as Atheus stops laughing and holds an open hand out to where Ron was before an invisible force seems to grab the orb and send it flying into Atheus's hand at a high speed.
Ron cries out when he hits his shoulder against the orb's side when it comes to a very quick stop in the palm of Atheus's hand. The sight of his master/friend being treated so roughly was just cause to make Rufus angry. He didn't like anyone harming or treating Ron so roughly without any regard as he considered him his best friend along with Kim.
Rufus lets out a low 'grrrrr' which neither Ron nor Atheus heard which was fortunate for Rufus, as Atheus most likely would have harmed Rufus. He crawls around, keeping himself hidden from Atheus as he watches the bastard godling walk off with Ron in the orb.
Rufus tries to keep an eye on Ron, wondering if there was some way to get Ron away from him if he can just summon the orb back to him at will. He knew that if Kim was there, she'd figure something out but until she showed up, he would have to do his very best to watch over Ron from the shadows. At least, he figured that as long as Ron knew he wasn't alone, that it would not be so bad for him as he waited for Kim to rescue him.
Rufus knew that Kim wouldn't let anyone, godling or no, keep Ron prisoner for long. He remembered when the Oh Boys were captured with Ron and Kim worked very hard to get Ron back, checking up all the time to see if there had been any leads and once she found out where he was, she had wasted no time in getting the fastest ride out to where SSS and SSJ were hiding out.
Rufus noticed something strange, the female stone statue that seemed to about the same height as Atheus seemed to be shedding tears. This made him very curious and he moves carefully over to check it out while avoiding any detection by Atheus.
Rufus comes up to the very tall grass and weeds right at the foot of it and looks up at it for a few moments, even scratching the top of his head in confusion. He leans forward and puts his tiny little paws upon it and after a moment it suddenly hears a female voice in his head as it says, "Hello little one, I am sad for your friend in the orb."
Rufus squeaks as he falls backward and then looks up at the statue, wondering if he'd heard right. The voice didn't seem to have any hatred or malice in it, much like Atheus's did. It felt like the voice of a person he could trust and so he gets back up and rests his paws upon it once more.
Rufus waits for another few moments before the soft, kind, yet very deeply sad voice spoke to him in his head again, "Thank you little one, I can only communicate with you while you're touching me. That is how it was supposed to be as part of the curse that Zeus put upon the two of us. The only other way I can communicate is by expressing my emotions such as by crying but only soundlessly."
Rufus starts to squeak a question when the soft, feminine voice says, "Just think and I shall hear you little one. If I may ask, what is your name?" He thinks back to her, "I'm called Rufus" before she thinks back to him, "Thank you for telling me your name Rufus. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am sorry I can not do anything for your friend in the orb as I'm trapped in this statue until someone frees me and I can only be broken by an act of kindness or love upon myself."
Rufus thinks to her his question, "There was nothing kind or loving about how Atheus was freed, so how come he was released?"
The woman thinks to Rufus, "That is because he was freed with anger and violence. That was the only way to release him. You see dear Rufus, Atheus is my twin brother and we are opposite sides of the same coin. Where he is violent and angry, I am kind and happy."
Rufus thinks to her, "He's your brother?"
The woman thinks back as she projects an image of herself nodding into his mind, "Even though he is my every opposite, we can not exist without the other and when Zeus tried to hurt him, I begged him to spare him. Zeus did spare him but was still very angry at Atheus so he decided that until he had learned his lesson, he would imprison Atheus as a stone statue and me along with him so that I could stay with him as was my desire to look out for him even though he has done many wrongs. He is my brother, would you do any less for your friends who Atheus currently is torturing in this way?"
Rufus thinks back to the woman, "No, I would not. Ron is my master but most importantly he is my best friend and he treats me more like a person than as a pet." He recalls the many things that Ron had done and the woman picks up all the memories that flowed through his mind in their shared connection. Rufus can feel how the memories affect her as the image of herself is still in his mind, and sees how she smiles at kindness and love that Ron had shown Rufus during the entire time he'd been with him.
Rufus stops the memories and then thinks, "I'm worried for Kim right now. She is Ron's best friend since something called 'Pre-K' whatever that is, but I get the feeling it has been since they were children. Ron has shown me pictures of when they were smaller." More memories, now of being on Ron's shoulder as Ron opens up a picture book and reveals pictures taken from Pre-K and later, the book showed many things with Ron calmly explaining every one of them.
The woman can see how close Kim and Ron even though she can understand from their connection that Rufus didn't fully understand all that Ron was telling him. She could pick up in Rufus's memories the way Ron spoke very highly and with great affection for Kim as he talked about their childhood. As Rufus finished his memory of the book with many pictures in it, he could feel a deep, almost overwhelming sadness coming from her and the image of her in his mind confirmed that she was indeed very sad as she was crying.
Rufus thinks to her, "Why are you so sad? Who are you lady?" Adding the last bit as an afterthought.
The woman looks at him in his mind and says, "I apologize for not introducing myself to you earlier when we first connected. I am Zathera, the Precious godling… at least that is what Zeus called me once." She softly sighs and her image approaches the image of Rufus in his own mind and she caresses his cheek tenderly before she says, "Rufus, your friends are so special that even a god like Zeus would think twice about doing anything. But of course that wouldn't stop my brother at all, he never thinks. You see… Kim and Ron have a very close relationship that has apparently stayed strong with each other since their childhood. From the memories you have showed me, I would strongly guess that they are soul mates that have found each at the earliest possible chance. I can not stress how very, very rare it is for two soul mates to find each other that early is and have such a strong friendship throughout their whole lives. Even the Goddess of Love's powerful magic would be ineffectual against their kind of strength, for there is a kind of magic that is more than just two soul mates meeting but of a subtle and long-lasting love to true love to which there is nothing stronger."
Rufus tilts his head to look at Ron who was sitting cross-legged with his arms crossed as well, not looking very happy while Atheus continues to talk about his plans for Kim and the world once she was his wife. He wondered if Kim and Ron would understand everything that Zathera was telling him as most of it was going over his little, bald, pink head in understanding. The only part that Rufus understood was that the relationship between Kim and Ron was a special one and something about it was what made the nice godling feel so very sad that he just wanted to burst into tears but he couldn't because that might attract the attention of the mean godling.
Zathera thinks to Rufus, "My dear little friend, if I was free I would do my very best to help your friends and restore Ron's soul back into his body. But I can't and I'm afraid that you can't do anything, but Kim might… if her love is as strong as I suspect but I don't know how to tell her."
Rufus thinks to her, "I could tell Kim! I could tell Kim!" before he hears her soft voice in his head say, "Thank you but the timing will be critical in this my friend. Do you think that you could do this with such precision?" An image shows up in Rufus's mind, outlining a simple plan on how Kim could free her and allow Ron to get his soul back into his body.
Rufus nods and thinks, "I like! We'll defeat Atheus for sure!" before Zathera suddenly thinks to him, "Please hide! Atheus is heading this way! He must not discover you or he'll destroy you for sure!"
Rufus looks and sees that Atheus had gotten up and started to head towards their direction so he quickly takes off and manages to hide in some tall plants at the edge of the temple grounds before turning around to watch.
Atheus was holding Ron in his right hand with Ron looking quite bored as he leaned against the back of the orb with his arms behind his head. Ron looked like he was about ready to fall asleep even as Atheus stops in front of his sister's statue with a mean look upon his face.
Atheus leans close and wipes a finger over the fresh tears running down her stone face before bringing it up to lick is sinisterly with his tongue. He grins at her and says, "There's nothing as quite wonderful as seeing your tears my dear sister… Your tears of sadness do much to bring joy to this dark heart of mine." Before he laughs wickedly as the tears continue to flow down Zathera's face while Ron shouts from the orb, "Hey! Leave the statue lady alone! What did she ever do to you?"
While Zathera was touched by Ron's kindness, she however was saddened by her brother's angry response and the tossing of Ron hard at the still-standing columns in which he bounced around like a ball in a ping-pong contest.
Ron cried out, "Please! Make it stop! I get sick on rides like this!" to which Atheus only makes Ron bounce around even harder and faster over many more of the surfaces around the temple until Ron passes out from it all, unable to throw up since he was nothing more than a spirit.
Atheus's loud and cruel laughing frightened many birds that were nearby in the forest, sending them flying high and far away while Rufus 'grrrrrr' went unnoticed.
Far away in Middleton, Kim was eating lunch when suddenly she heard Atheus's cruel laughing in her head and the feeling of Ron being asleep or unconscious could be felt. She dropped her fork which held a bite of pancakes which fell to the plate loudly in a clatter.
Kim's mother says, "Kim, is something wrong?" turning to look at her daughter and stops as she sees Kim wide-eyed and open-mouthed before Kim blinks and yells, "Ron!"
AN: Well everyone, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. More about how the twins came to be trapped in stone was revealed and soon with the help of Jerri, even MORE will be revealed. Oh, and yeah... I know how this chapter's ending looks, and all I can say is... review and ye shall recieve yet another chapter soon:) To all my readers, I am aware of Lightmastercheese's plagarism of my story and while I was angry when I discovered it, I made up my mind NOT to let what he did keep me from writing or continuing this story. I could have stopped posting on and taken down all my stories but that wouldn't do anything but make lightmastercheese happy and all my loyal readers sad. So, I am just going to keep writing and letting all my friends and fans continue to enjoy my stories.
Robert Teaque: Thanks for the review and which Star Trek: TOS episode were you reminded of? How did you know I am also a Star Trek fan? lol! As for Ron's parents, I had planned on covering them in this chapter and hope I didn't disappoint. I hope to get another review from you soon!
Chaltab: Yes, I know that he has plagarized my first chapter and as far as I know, Lightmastercheese isn't going to remove it or anything like that. Maybe if he gets enough complaints he'll remove it, but I doubt he will if you read his biopage. I've already reported it to in the abuse link which is all I can think of to do.
Densetzu no Gaizen: Thanks for your review and I'm pleased that you think my story was very well written. As for me being a 'mate' or 'shiela' , why not just check out my bio and find out? lol! As for Lightmastercheese, I'm aware that he plagarized my first chapter and yes, it did upset me greatly when I discovered it but didn't want to even review the story because I was so upset that I didn't trust myself to keep from using words that would just hurt my case. ie, swear words.