Disclaimer: I don't own Thor.
Thor had been sure that fire and ice couldn't coexist. That their natures would make it impossible to do so. He was wrong. It seemed oddly poetic though, since the being that controlled them was the same mix of fire and ice. Green fire was everywhere, burning anything that was in its way. Thor smelt a mixture of smoke and charred meat. The second part Thor didn't want to think about. The ice came from the casket and it sprung up everywhere as well. The two created a terrible but unique blend of harm down on those who had gotten it its way. The fire would burn through the ice, then the ice would freeze the fire in a macabre dance.
However it wasn't the fire or ice Thor looked at, but the look in his brother's eyes. Eyes that seemed so entrenched in madness, in desperation. The fire and ice surrounded Loki in their grasp but neither hurt him. Which was probably rather the problem. Loki's eyes looked sunken in, which made the madness in eyes look more intense. His clothing wasn't standing up to the flames and ice as well as his skin was though. There were patches missing from the ice and fire, several of them. Leaving blue expose skin underneath, as his skin under the clothes as well as the rest of him was blue. Probably due to fact he was holding the casket. Loki's mouth was twisted in a silent scream.
Thor knew what Loki wanted. What he had asked for, but Thor wasn't sure even after everything he could grant his brother wish. The only thing saving Thor from being killed was Gungnir, which kept him in a protective shield from the fire and ice being thrown his way. Maybe he couldn't react because he was still in shock. Just hours ago he thought that Loki was dead rather than pretending to be his father. Loki had played it so masterfully well that Thor had not even suspected. But apparently something had broken him even further than what had broken him down when he had gone to Midgard. His anger, his madness, his desperation he had never seen anyone look so...deranged. Madness had cocooned itself around his brother not allowing for his escape. Thor looked at Gungnir again knowing what was required of him to end this. But found him lacking in conviction.
"You promised Thor! You promised if I betrayed you more time you would kill me! I betrayed you! Kill Me!" Loki yelled to be heard over the roar of fire and ice as he advanced on him again. Thor took a step back for every step that Loki took forward, keeping several feet between them. But not enough space that Thor couldn't see the madness burning in his brother's eyes and the pain. His brother wanted Thor to kill him. That was what this was all about. that was the only way his madness could end. He had tried to use Gungnir, but he wasn't knowledgeable about magic and Odin was meant to have trained him in such things.
"Loki it does not have to be this way!" Thor yelled back to his brother. Yes he had said that and at the time he had truly meant it. But no matter if he had thought himself capable of such a feat before, he was struggling with it now. Even after Loki had harmed innocent people.
"I can hear her in my head! Always talking to me!" Loki screamed the pain and madness somehow increased. "She blames me for her death! She tells me of the monster that I am!" Loki said, tears starting to roll down his checks. "They all scream." Loki said and used one hand to suspend the casket for a moment in the air. While he used to the other hand to tug at his hair madly. For a moment he left only the fire to burn everything in its path. "They call me murderer and monster. And their right aren't they?" Loki asked tears coming to his eyes and Thor wasn't sure what to say. Loki was a murderer and by many people's definition a monster.
"Loki, I cannot do what you want me to do." Thor said instead of responding to the other question. Loki stopped tugging at his hair at that and grabbed the casket again. Combining the two deadly forces again. His brother had somehow become extremely powerful. However he had given Thor Gungnir when Loki had told Thor what it was that he wanted. Death. His little brother wanted death.
"If you don't kill me I will only hurt more innocent people." Loki said his tears drying up and his cold, hard, mad eyes settled on him again. "I already killed Sif, and Fandral. Do you want me to make sure that Hogun, and Volstagg are in the next round?" he asked mockingly and Loki was almost like he was on Midgard again. He knew that it was probably false to make him angry, but it worked. Still bodies part frozen, part burned were frozen his memories. Their faces frozen eternally in his mind in a state of shock. Thor glared at his brother who had taken his friends away from him. Perhaps Thor should have obeyed right away when it would have saved them. His brother was mad, but he was also still dangerous. Thor's foolishness thus far had already cost him two of his friends. Could he let his foolishness, his inability to do what he knew he had to do, cost him his remaining ones?
"Please Loki stop this." Thor pleaded not for the first time, but his brother's previous madness paled in comparison to his madness of the moment. Loki had admitted to hearing voices, Loki wanted to die. Loki in a round about way admitted to having guilt. For the first time in a long time he could see a shadow of his younger brother; albeit an extremely mad and depressed version of his brother. It was why he was struggling a little with doing as Loki asked. He heard more screams in the distance and Thor closed his eyes. He could not allow his brother to hurt another innocent person. No matter if it tore his soul apart to stop it.
"Please Loki." Loki only smiled manically at him. Thor pointed Gungnir at him and a bolt of energy shot out from it hitting Loki square in the chest. The flames immediately died leaving the surroundings charred beyond recognition. Thor threw away Gungnir, hating to have the thing in his hand and made his way over to his brother's side. There was a large hole in Loki's chest and it was leaking black blood. Loki was still grasping onto the casket but no longer where icicles coming out. Loki's blood dripped onto the ground and surrounded him.
Thor looked at his brother and knew that even he ran his brother all the way to the healers, assuming it was still there, Loki was too gone to survive. He knew his brother didn't have much time left. Part of him hoped that this was another trick like his brother's last death. But he knew that it wasn't. Loki Jotun looks faded back into his own and the blood no longer was black but red. This was the third time Thor had to watch his brother die, but it wasn't any easier than any of the other times. Loki's eyes stared into him, but he didn't speak. His eyes that spoke of an unfathomable pit of sorrow, pain, depression and madness. Thor grabbed his brother hand in his and he weakly felt his brother squeeze it.
"Loki." Thor said pained. He had done this to his brother. He hadn't had a choice he told himself Loki would have killed more innocents. He had killed his brother another part said. There was no excuse for that, not when he should have spent his life protecting him, certainly more than he had. Blood dribbled out of the corner of Loki's mouth and for the first time in who knew how long Loki smiled. It only had a shadow of madness but most of it spoke of relief.
"You'll...be...happier...without me." Loki said taking deep breaths between his words and he looked to be in considerable pain. Thor shook his head unable to believe that. He had never been happier without his brother. He had thought so with Jane, he had filled the hole in his heart with many other people but none of them had been his brother. If only he had appreciated him more as a child. If only he let Loki know more how much he cared for him. Then maybe this wouldn't be happening.
"Loki don't go." Thor pleaded even though he knew it was what his brother wanted and knew that with a wound like that it was inevitable.
"I'm...sorry." Loki said earnestly and Thor felt tears hit his checks. His brother, his only younger brother was dying and there was nothing he could do about it. There were so many mistakes he wished he could apologize for. So many things he wished could have been different.
"I love you." Thor said just as he saw Loki's eyes freeze and the life go out of him. Had Loki heard him? Did he know? Thor felt someone gripped him but Thor ignored it. He had just lost his brother and he refused to look anywhere other than at him. Maybe a part of him still thought that Loki was not dead, since he had been lead to believe that more than once. The tugging became more insistent. Thor heard muffled words like someone was trying to speak to him but the words weren't processing. Couldn't they not see that he was in mourning? Some vague part of his brain registered as another pair of hands started shaking his shoulder vigorously, some vaguely familiar hands. Thor blinked as his attention came into focus and he noted a dull stinging on his check. Someone had slapped him.
Thor blinked in shock as he realized it was Sif. Thor shook his head. Sif was dead. Loki had killed her. He could see her in his memory. Her legs singed as were part her neck and arm while the rest of her had been frozen solid. Thor opened his mouth to say something about that, when he realized that the walls weren't charred anymore. In fact they were still in the weapons vault where Loki as Odin had called him to...Thor's gaze jerked back to Loki where he noticed that Loki's clothes which had seconds ago been burned in several places were now whole.
No. No! Thor got up and looked around the room for any signs of damage. Only to find only a few nicks from where Thor must have thrown Mjolnir. That had been before Loki had made it disappear and not come back to him. Which had been before Loki had given him Gungnir and taken the casket for himself. Saying something about how this was all how it was supposed to originally play out. Thor being the hero and Loki being the Villain, and something about it being written in the stars. Thor's heart dropped into his stomach as he realized what this all meant. His brother had lied and manipulated him into killing him.
A/N: This is not the end...so don't kill me.
Let me know if you liked it and review please :)