The Science of Living
Disclaimer: Seriously? There is no way I could own this anime (or any other anime in that matter).
Author's Note: Another one-shot! During classes, I can't seem to get the idea of this story out of my mind, until I finally wrote it. I opted for a more serious fic this time unlike my other fics. I hope you'll like it (grin).
Warning: This story is set about ten years after the anime. The scene changes from the indicators '-----', and will mostly switch from present to past and back to present every scene change. If there is anything that confuses you, just tell me and I'll clear it up for you :)
-----
'Two high school girls missing-'
Today was a Saturday, he noted. Normally, he never really cared what or which day it was, but today, he felt something knowing that it was a Saturday.
'Two high school girls missing-'
His hand tightened its hold on the newspaper before him. By the way the sunlight flittering in his study room was gradually fading to a dark orange hue, it would be nighttime soon.
'Two high school girls missing-'
He had been reading the same line over and over again for the past few minutes. He can't seem to comprehend what he was reading, which was highly uncharacteristic of him. It was weird, he knew, for him to do so. But it was always like that whenever Mayura was concerned. Always weird.
"… Loki-sama?"
He looked up from the newspaper he was holding and found Yamino before his desk, waiting for a response. What did he say again?
He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Yamino-kun, but can you repeat what you just said?"
Yamino quirked an eyebrow, but nevertheless did what he was asked.
"I asked if you would like some tea," he said, raising the tray he was holding.
The detective opened his mouth but as quickly as he did, closed it again. A slightly morose smile graced his lips before he finally spoke.
"Not really. I would prefer some ice cream, if you don't mind."
Yamino looked confused. "Ice cream?" his tone sounded as if he was asking himself. "What flavor would you like then?"
"Any."
The green haired man turned to leave, tray still in his hands, muttering, "I'll be right back."
Loki didn't really like ice cream that much. If he'd been asked that question the day before yesterday, he would've gladly agreed to drink tea. Tea was obviously more relaxing and tasted better that ice cream, for him, after all.
It was weird.
He was acting weird.
And it was all because of Mayura.
-----
"Gah!"
"Would you stop doing that?"
Loki lowered the newspaper in his hand and looked towards the middle of the room. His eyes landed on the girl sitting on the couch. The person in question licked her lips and turned to look at her irritated friend.
"Stop what?" she inquired, her tone sounding like she didn't have a clue as to what Loki was indicating.
The detective sighed. "Those somewhat surprised nonsensical sounds you utter," he informed, clearly annoyed.
"You mean the 'Eh!', 'Hn!', and 'Ag!'s?"
"Yes."
"No way," Mayura huffed. "It's so much fun to shout, anyway."
Loki looked pointedly at the melting ice cream in Mayura's hand. It looked like it going to be a big mass of sticky liquid soon. And it was going to become a huge problem for him if that happens, with how his carpeted floor was recently cleaned just this morning.
"Well," he started, "You're the first person I've seen who gets excited while eating ice cream, not before or after eating."
Mayura snorted. "I'm unique," there was a muttered 'really?' from behind the desk which was fortunately not heard by the girl speaking, "besides, I'm not just eating, you know. I'm regenerating."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm regenerating," Mayura repeated, intent on emphasizing her point.
Loki knew that Mayura liked weird and mysterious things, but this time, even she might already be weird. He had to ask, "And what exactly are you 'regenerating'?"
As if it was the most obvious answer, she answered matter-of-factly, "My will."
The detective simply didn't know what to say in response.
Noticing her friend's silence and bafflement, Mayura thought that maybe Loki didn't completely understand. She continued, "You see, when you take a bite," she bit on the ice cream she was holding, "and swallow it immediately afterwards," her eyes widened and a shout of 'Nat!' came out of her mouth. After a few seconds she spoke again, "And then you get brain-freeze."
The smile present on her face looked stupid, in Loki's opinion.
"Okay… Now I clearly don't get it. I don't see how this is connected to your will of 'regeneration' unless, of course, if you 'regenerate' your will to have brain-freezes," he said dryly.
The pink haired girl looked exasperated. "Of course not!" she sighed, "I'm not regenerating brain-freezes." She glared at Loki, annoyed at what he insinuated.
The boy behind the desk shrugged. "What then are you 'regenerating'?"
Suddenly, a grin appeared on Mayura's face. Her voice was dripping with glee.
"I'm regenerating my will to live."
-----
"Here's your ice cream, Loki-sama."
Loki snapped out of his thoughts. Honestly, he had to stop thinking too deeply. He extended his hand towards Yamino and got hold of his ice cream.
"Thank you," he murmured. His mind was still reeling on the weirdness factors and was not functioning at its fullest.
"Anytime." The green haired man turned to leave. "Just call me if you need anything else."
Loki nodded even though Yamino can't see him anymore. He warily eyed the ice cream he was holding.
"… take a bite."
He licked the ice cream first before he took a bite, a huge one at that.
"… and swallow it immediately afterwards."
And he did.
"… brain-freeze."
"Ah!"
His mind went blank for a moment. A dull ache resided there after the blank subdued a bit. 'So this was how it felt,' he dimly thought. He raised a hand to touch his head.
He felt like whacking his head against his desk.
He wisely suppressed the feeling though, but it brought a smile on his lips. 'It feels like an annoying bug… a really inspiring and helpful bug.'
She was regenerating her will to live, she said so herself. That day she explained how having brain-freezes produces an ache, and how this ache produces numbness.
Numbness that reminds a person that he was alive.
"It reminds me that I'm alive and that I'm lucky to be living. It inspires me to live my life to the fullest."
He never thought of it that way, never even thought that it would also affect gods like him. He didn't bother to try it before. He thought that it would be pointless. But yesterday, he was reminded of times before when everything was all happiness and stupid things were frequent and were actually normal.
And everything was weird.
-----
He was going around the park to investigate a case he'd been asked to solve. He opted to investigate alone for a change and told his sons to guard their house. Near the fountain in the middle of the park, when he was walking rather aimlessly, he found her.
It looked like she was playing with water, and with a boy beside her. They were smiling widely and were giving an ambiance of happiness.
But her smile that day was better than the one today.
No, that day, her smile was simply incomparable.
Before he knew it, he was walking towards the two, enraptured by the happy scene they were portraying. His mind dimly told him that his legs suddenly betrayed correct reasoning and went with instinct.
"Mayura," his voice croaked, but it didn't matter. She had heard him and was already looking at his direction. Her red eyes still held the joyful gleam it always had. His mind registered the probability that the gleam seemed to have intensified since he last saw it.
Her eyebrows drew together for a second and as soon as it was gone, she asked in disbelief, "Loki-kun?"
The detective nodded meekly. Suddenly he can't find the ability to say anything, not when he was growing aware of the fact that the child beside Mayura looked so much like her.
"It's been awhile since we've seen each other," Mayura said, smile still present.
Loki cleared his throat, it wouldn't do to just nod. Mayura would suspect that there was something wrong with him. "Uh… yeah." Four years (1), he didn't think four years was 'awhile' for humans but he'd go with whatever she says. There's no point in arguing over something so small. Not when they've just seen each other again.
He can't help but flicker his gaze back at the child still playing with the water in the large fountain. Mayura seemed to have noticed his gaze and she quickly informed, "He's my eldest."
His breathing seemed to have hitched.
"So…?" Loki looked around and searched for anyone, any man that might resemble the child. 'Cowardly.' He knew that he was just excusing himself from directly meeting her gaze.
Mayura shook her head when she understood what Loki was asking. "Never mind that, tell me about yourself. How are you doing nowadays? Still working at mysteries?" Her eyebrows wiggled suggestively when she mentioned the word 'mysteries'.
"Yes," the detective answered. He chanced a glance at Mayura and saw her smiling proudly at her son. Her smile was painstakingly touching.
She turned back at Loki and her eyes brightened. She looked like she just thought of something brilliant and nice.
"We were playing with the fountain when you came," she pointed to her slightly wet clothes and to her son playing with the water.
"Would you like to join us, Loki-kun?"
-----
He can't stop his mind from replaying weird events since yesterday - since he met Mayura at the park. What did he expect when they first met? That they would stay young and remain together forever?
Probably.
He should've known that only he, as a god, wouldn't change. Mayura had asked him about it once. She asked why he didn't seem to be getting older. He just answered that it was in his genes, which was partly true.
He took another bite from his ice cream, swallowed it, and got a brain-freeze again.
Regenerate the will to live.
Deep inside, he knew he wanted to continue living. He remembered their play with the water yesterday. He never did like water as long as he could remember, being a fire god and all. But yesterday was an exception, he was given another chance. A chance to feel and be alive – a chance to play with water.
It was nighttime now, he noticed. And today was a Saturday night, just like that day. The only difference was the main thing.
The sky outside was clear.
-----
"So, now do you get it?"
Loki nodded and raised his newspaper once again to continue reading. He admitted, Mayura had a point with her brain-freeze thing but he just can't relate. He was a god, after all, and gods were, in-default, immortal.
He was halfway through a page when a sudden gust blew his newspaper across the room. He turned around sharply and found his window wide open, curtains flapping widely. The rain was heavy and it was getting inside his room.
"What the? Mayura!"
He crossed towards his window and searched for the rapidly-becoming-insane girl. Glancing down, he was about to shout at Mayura to get back and learn to ask permission to open his window, when he was suddenly stopped by what he saw.
Mayura was on a very narrow ledge, balancing her weight with careful precision. She looked unfazed by this fact though, and was actually… dancing. Her arms were raised slightly and she was twirling round and round. The rain was pounding at her harshly but she didn't care. In fact, she looked happy.
So happy to be alive.
When he finally found his voice, he quickly shouted over the sound of the rain, "Come back inside! You'll get sick!"
She laughed then. Her voice sounded musical, full of joy. "Why don't you join me instead?" she asked, smiling thoroughly.
It was the smile that would be deemed incomparable.
"I don't want to!" Loki looked at the dark clouds above and at the rain pouring heavily. "I'm fine with regenerating myself with reading the newspaper!"
"Suit yourself!"
Her smile was contagious, Loki told himself. This was why, he reasoned, that despite the weird things that were happening - or maybe even because of it - he found that he was smiling back.
-----
Notes: (1) When Loki said four years, he meant that it was four years since they last met / parted ways.
A different approach in a somewhat LokixMayura fic. The title came from my beta – Fujiko Tensai (thanks), she said it was better than the title that I first came up with. This is dedicated to all Matantei Loki Ragnarok fans, especially LokixMayura ones :)