God, first class, third category, unlimited license.
Written above, in shimmering green letters, was his name: Loki.
The god smirked at Thor who stood beside him, holding a similar yet very different license that stated: Thor, and under that: god, second class, second category, limited license. Thor just shrugged. He didn't mind; he was just happy that he was issued a license.
Opposite them, sitting resplendently in an ornate chair, was Odin. He glared at the duo's reactions. Really, why did he expect anything else from these two?
His son Thor was far too confident and too lazy to properly use his skills, preferably on something other than fighting and being a hero of Asgard. So, Odin took it upon himself to issue his son a job that would teach the kid humility and responsibility. Odin wasn't going to be the king of Asgard forever, and Thor was immediately next in line. The thunder god still had a lot to learn.
On the other hand, just thinking about Loki, his beloved half-brother, caused Odin headaches the size of Asgard.
In terms of power, both Thor and Loki were first class, however, Thor usually applies his powers in the simplest way imaginable: raw, or simply through Mjollnir. Loki, in comparison, is very, very creative, and so, it's Loki who gets a 'first class' on his card.
Additionally, first class gods and goddess can't lie.
Removing the trickster's ability to lie felt divine. He can almost see Loki's reaction when the trickster realizes that fact.
It won't be pretty. For Loki, that is.
Odin assigned 'second category' for Thor since it meant field work. It was about time that Thor understood the meaning of hard work, in his opinion. Loki was assigned 'third category' because truthfully, Odin didn't know what job to give to his brother. This way, Loki is officially part of the system, and yet, had no real weight over the other gods because he wasn't assigned to anything specific. His job would depend on Odin's whim, or as the need arises.
Thor's limited license was due to the fact that Thor always acted first and thought about things later.
Loki's unlimited license was due to the fact that giving him a limited one gave Odin nightmares. Loki would treat a limited license as a challenge, and would do his very best to rise to it; this translates to the rise of exceptionally chaotic days in Asgard. By giving Loki an unlimited one, Odin was letting a sleeping dragon lie, therefore extending peace for an indefinite amount of time.
It was better than the prophesized alternative, Ragnarok.
A last resort.
Odin's scowl deepened. He never truly believed that prophecy. Loki neither loved nor hated Asgard; Odin could honestly say that only he and Thor mattered to Loki in the entire world of the gods, but Loki didn't hate Asgard either. In fact, Loki didn't care much about the place. Odin couldn't see Loki starting a war against every other god or goddess in Asgard.
Generally, women adored him and men were always jealous of his very being. All of them laughed and got irritated over Loki's pranks.
All of them were quick to judge Loki: for his face, for his powers, for his position.
Evil, they whisper loudly, not even waiting for Loki to turn his back.
But for all the things they accused Loki of, for all the pain they caused him by separating him from his family and children, Loki never seriously retaliated.
He simply endured with gritted teeth and a very charming smile.
Ragnarok was a joke. If anything, Loki would be its first victim, not its instigator.
Odin glanced at his brother, his mind finally wandering back to the present. Loki was mussing Thor's brown hair while hanging off the thunder god's shoulder.
"Can't you both behave, in my office, for ten minutes?" he snapped.
Thor pushed Loki off him, looking chastened and standing at attention.
"Well if you wanted our attention, you should have tried to be more interesting. Besides, you were glaring at your desk like it somehow offended Baldur, and we thought it best not to interrupt," Loki stated dryly.
"Quiet, Loki! Just this once!" Odin snarled. Loki raised his hands in a placating gesture, but he smiled like the cat that ate the canary.
Odin sighed. Of course, Loki always made a point to irritate him as often as possible. He should be used to it by now.
"Thor, I'm assigning you to Tokyo, Japan. You'll live as Narugami, a mortal. A high school boy. Someone so poor, he has to work part-time everyday—"
"Did you smack Baldur with Mjollnir again?" Loki asked thorn in a loud whisper. Thor, whose face had already lost all color, quickly shook his head vigorously in denial.
"Loki! I assigned you to help Verdandi for the time being," Odin managed to say through gritted teeth.
"What!" Loki yelped. "But her job is to grant wishes to mortals—"
Realizing that he was losing his composure, Loki snapped his mouth shut. His mind worked double time to find a silver lining, to turn the situation to his favor. It didn't take long since his mind was used to the exercise.
Mortals…
Mortals were in Midgard, weren't they?
He'd have to go there to grant their wishes.
Loki relaxed and flashed Odin his brightest smile yet. If Odin hadn't been waiting for it, he might have burned from the sheer intensity, but as he had his shields up to his strongest levels, he didn't even blink. Thor was already immune, seeing as he and Loki spent most of the time by each other's side as best friends do.
"Thank you, All-Father! I'll hop to it, then!" Loki chirped and all but skipped out of the office. He had a new playground to explore.
The father and son shared bewildered yet resigned glances.
"You'll look after him as much as you can," Odin stated matter-of-factly.
Thor grimaced. "Father, you do know that looking after Loki is a full time occupation, right?"
Odin sighed, rubbing his temples.
"How about this then…"
-x-
"Yo, Verdandi!"
Verdandi jumped in her seat, fumbling the telephone she was holding, because Loki—Asgard's heartthrob—had just spoken to her ear! It was only thanks to Loki's quick reflexes that neither of them got hurt from her sudden move.
She blushed further when Loki's hand brushed hers as they both reached for the phone.
That was totally not an accident! Her mind screamed. Her body didn't care as her heart beat sped up.
"H-hello, Loki. What brings you here?" Verdandi said. Inwardly, she cursed herself for stuttering. She wasn't the Norn with a crush on Loki—that was Skuld!
But…Skuld's not here. Loki visited me, not Skuld…
Verdandi took a deep breath to fortify herself, but it was for naught as Loki leaned over her shoulder to peer at the numerous folders on her desk. She felt her heart beat faster than ever.
"Odin assigned me to help you…so…I'm helping you…let's see…"
He's being cruel! How can he tease me like this? …dear Odin, I can feel his body warmth…
"Thor was assigned to Tokyo, Japan, you know? So I figured I'd go there too, to lend him a hand. Or annoy him. Whichever comes first. Ah! Here we go! Tokyo, Japan. Mayura Daidouji. Hmm, she's a high school girl too, nice! This should be fun!"
His smile should be illegal!
"Can I borrow you phone for a minute, Verdandi?" Loki asked. The goddess between his arms could only nod feebly in response. Loki chuckled, his deep voice giving Verdandi goosebumps all over. He mouthed "You're the best!" while dialing Mayura Daidouji's number.
Verdandi fainted.
-x-
"Hello, this is the goddess technical help line. Is this Mayura Daidouji?"
The girl in question blinked before looking at the receiver in her hand confusedly. Goddess technical help line? But the caller was a guy…
"Yes…?" she answered warily.
"Perfect! I'll be right there!" the caller chirped in a voice that promised…something.
"Where?" Mayura asked. She felt a flare of warmth behind her, uncomprehending.
"Here," a voice answered right behind her, making her stiffen up. A hand slowly reached over her shoulder for the phone in her hands. Another hand reached over her other shoulder to disengage the phone from her suddenly tight grip.
"We don't need that anymore," he said huskily to her ear.
Mayura whirled around, blushing pink like her hair. Her long tresses hit him full in the face in the process, making him splutter indignantly from the sting.
"Oops! Sorry, you surprised…me…"
Her voice trailed away as her brain processed just who was in front of her.
He was taller than her by a couple of inches. His hair was blonde and artfully messy. He had a handsome face, and his eyes were a startling green. He wore a formal suit—a red coat, a white button-up shirt underneath, a blue ribbon around his neck, and black slacks.
A bishounen!
But why was a bishounen in her home? How did he get there?
Fushigi mystery!
Her eyes sparkled as she thought it out.
"Are you an alien?"
Loki, who had just finished spluttering, stared at her like she had just sprouted five extra pairs of arms and legs.
"No! No, I'm not. I'm Loki, at your service," Loki said with a bow and a flourish, presenting his business card to her.
To his bewilderment, she erupted into loud peals of laughter after reading it.
"Sorry, but I don't believe in gods," Mayura said, finally able to talk after a full minute of laughing.
Loki gaped, not that he would ever admit it to anyone. The girl believed in aliens but not in gods?
He shook himself out of his stupor and snatched his card back. In the same motion, took a step forward and deliberately violated her personal space while staring at her intently.
"Let me prove it to you then, Mayura. I'm here to grant your wish. Any wish, but just one," he declared seriously.
"Bring mama back," she answered just as seriously, without even pausing to think about it. Loki felt his insides go cold. Mayura's voice was wistful when she spoke next. "That's what I wished for many years ago, Loki-kun. The gods didn't grant my wish then, and I know you can't grant it either."
Her odd reddish eyes told Loki volumes.
Well…maybe he could bargain with Hel this one time? The girl in front of him looked really lonely and he could sympathize with her pain.
After all, he knew all about the pain of being separated from his family.
Angrboda, his beautiful wife, had long been kept away from him. He didn't know if she was even alive at this point.
Hel, his beloved eldest daughter, was literally worlds away, being the ruler of Niflheim, the world of the dead.
Fenrir, his great Fenrir, was being kept chained—somewhere. Somewhere Loki couldn't find him or go to him. Loki didn't know where, after all.
And Jormungand, his shy, sweet Jormungand, was in the bottom of an ocean somewhere here in Midgard.
(Loki was here now, finally and with permission, and Loki swore to rescue his son if it took him forever!)
Only Odin would be watching him here; it'll be easy to escape his brother's watch. He had centuries of practice. He could even slip to Niflheim and visit Hel for a bit—and look for Mayura-mama—
Mayura giggled at Loki's expression, shaking Loki out of his plan-hatching.
"You're really considering it, aren't you, Loki-kun? You're really nice."
Loki blinked at the unusual reaction of the girl in front of him. He was totally unprepared for what she said next.
"I wish someone like Loki-kun would stay by my side forever," said Mayura earnestly.
Loki's remaining composure was shredded to a million pieces as his panicked mind processed Mayura's wish. At the same time, his magic swirled green around him, illuminating the room in a bright light as Yggdrasil, Asgard's super computer, processed it in mere seconds and approved.
Wait…approved?
The bright green light condensed, wrapping him in a cocoon of power. His vision swam. For the first time in a long while, his magic worked without his consent, forging the contract between him and Mayura.
Saying he was disoriented was a major understatement. His magic strengths lay in fire and chaos, sure, but he had learned to use magic from Odin.
It was ironic that Loki used order to govern the most unruly elements of all: fire and chaos. But that's just how he worked, and suddenly finding his magic out of his control shook him to the core.
The light dissipated.
Loki's mind had stuttered to a halt. He rubbed his temple to restart his brain processes. He must have thought wrong. It was easy to misunderstand the way the contract bound him to Mayura and vice versa—NO! NO! NOOOOOO!
He gave Mayura a weak smile, holding a shaky hand up to stall her questions and picking up the phone.
He dialed Odin's personal hotline—his brother picked up after one ring.
"You can't be serious!" Loki shouted in old Norse, his eyes red from anger. Luckily, that was the extent of his lack of control over his powers and his magic didn't blow anything up or set Mayura's house on fire.
The answer from the other line was curt.
"But—"
This time the answer was longer, and Loki cut Odin off mid-sentence.
"They're just jealous! I've told you a hundred times—that time! And that time with Svadilfari! I'm not its mother! How can you even consider that idea? I'm straight! I had a wife, and three children! And why the Hel would I do it with a horse—having sex with a goddess—any goddess—is infinitely better than—"
Any other time, Odin thought from his end of the line, I would have laughed at Loki's incredibly suspicious and detailed denial.
But Loki's voice was desperate and he was pleading like he never had before. It broke Odin's heart, but when he replied, his voice had no trace of his unsettled emotions.
Just calm.
And controlled.
He would do it for Loki, whose entire world was falling apart, just as he was being tied to another by a mortal's wish.
"I know. I believe you. I'll always, always believe you. Calm down. It's not your fault. I know that. But for now, stay on Midgard. Let them cool off. Let them think they've won. Let them forget for a while. Out of sight, out of mind, Loki. A mortal's forever isn't that long for us…so for now, just live with it," said Odin.
Just live with it. Just like before, when Asgard attacked Loki by taking away his family, this was what Odin told his brother. He's repeating it now, hoping that Loki would still trust him…
He heard Loki take a deep breath, and mentally applauded Loki's control.
Mayura could see that Loki's eyes had returned to green as he listened to whoever he had called on the phone. She was alarmed at first, and then horrified, because even if she couldn't understand Loki's words, she could guess—and it was a good guess—that Loki was begging.
She felt really guilty. Loki probably had family from where he came from, and she'd be separating him from them. But from the resigned look on Loki's face, she knew that her wish couldn't be taken back or erased.
Loki felt his magic finally settle as Odin said goodbye. He swallowed slowly, taking the time to rearrange his thoughts and composure. His eyes were still sad though, so when he smiled at Mayura, it didn't quite seem right.
"Again, I'm Loki, god of fire and chaos, first class, third category, unlimited license. Mayura Daidouji, please take care of me."
This time, loki said it with a simple, shallow bow, his former demeanor—mask—not yet in place.
"Ah…yes?" was Mayura's dumbfounded reply. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?
Uncomfortable silence followed, only to be broken by a shout.
"Mayura! What was that green light?"
"Papa!" Mayura gasped.
"Mayura-papa?" Loki echoed.
When Misao Daidouji entered the room, he knew exactly what to say to the man standing in front of his daughter.
"You! Get away from my daughter! Get out of my house!"
This is my take of MLR in Ah My Goddess style. Hope you like, and if you do, please leave a review. If you don't like, still leave a review. And since I wrote this at nearly midnight, there might be a couple of typos here and there. Please tell me where to find them and I'll fix them as soon as I can.
XD