Title: Whitechapel
Author: Sarit
Rating: R
Warnings: Death, angst, sexual situations, horror, and intense violence (graphic)
Pairings: Loki/Mayura; Narugami/Yamino; Freyr/Heimdall/Freya
Spoilers: End of the anime series.
Credits: Thanks go to Ryo Hoshi and Amaya, for being my sounding board and betas! Thanks ladies!
Warning: This fic will eventually (not in this chapter) be rather graphic and violent. It will retell the story of Jack the Ripper from 19th Century Victorian London. I'll post big warnings when we get to bad stuff, but I hope everyone enjoys this one.
Chapter One
Odin stood before the ancient tree Yggdrasil. Loki had escaped him time and time again, no matter the odds. He'd sent his oldest and strongest son, Thor, against him. Loki had defeated him and even turned his son against Odin. He had sent Heimdall, and despite the animosity that the Watcher held for the Trickster, he had failed also.
Now Odin watched as the last of his minions, the Norns, failed. No matter who he sent to aid him in his quest to destroy the Trickster, none were successful. All of them had met with some type of failure; failure which he could not tolerate. Now it was his turn to battle against the Trickster.
But he wouldn't do it face to face. No, that battle would signal the beginning of Ragnarok, which he was trying to avoid. There was one way to get rid of Loki, and assure that Ragnarok never occurred.
Send him away, maybe? But where could he send him? Obviously, sending Loki to Midgard hadn't worked. He needed to send him some place that would assure his death. Sighing, Odin pushed back his long hair, sitting in his library. He idly flipped through the pages of a history book of Midgard.
He stopped, staring at the page in front of him. He'd come to a section about the island of England. It seemed innocuous, but had become an important power in the world of Midgard. Something caught his eye and he smirked. Yes...that would serve well. Loki had taken to the Victorian style of dress, but had never really explored the time period. He would be out of his element and vulnerable, especially if his spell worked properly.
Decision made, he came to his feet and made his way down the stairs of the library. There was a long spiral staircase that went from the top floor of the library all the way down into the basement of Valhalla. He'd had it specially made for his most sensitive of magical work. Now was the time to utilize it.
Once on the basement floor, he tapped Gugnir on the floor and a yellow runic pattern appeared on the floor, lighting the room. He stood in the center of the circle, closing his one eye. Power wrapped around him and he reached out with his hand. A portal opened, revealing the front lawn of Loki's mansion. On the other side, he could see Loki, in his adult form, speaking with the human girl and Loki's two sons. Constructing a shade of himself, Odin opened the portal and the shade stepped through.
Loki stood at the entrance to his home, trying to not laugh at Mayura. She stood in front of him, stomping her foot and giving him her best glare. She was just so cute when she was like this.
Yamino and Fenrir had come out to see him off. He was on his way to the police station to file a report with the local detective on a case they were working on. Mayura had insisted that she wanted to come along and he'd told her no.
Thus, the angry stomp of her foot and glare at him. He couldn't help but grin. She was just so cute when she was angry. "Now, Mayu-chan! I won't be gone long. When I come back, we'll all go out for ice cream or something."
Mayura glared at him. "I'm your partner, Loki-kun! I should be allowed to go too! I want to see the police station! Wah! Loki-kun's so mean!"
The fact that she wasn't still surprised that he was 'Loki-kun,' still surprised Loki. When Mayura had caught him changing into his adult form, he'd expected her to be shocked. But of course, she hadn't been. Mayura had given her customary "fushigi mystery" and just asked for an explanation. She'd eaten up the story he spun for her of being a young sorcerer who had been cursed by his blood-brother. It was true, in a way and to his relief she accepted the explanation readily.
Snickering, Loki was about to give in like he usually did with her. He shook his head and was about to guide her down the street when he felt a chill run down his spine. He turned, gasping in surprise.
A black portal opened up before him and the figure of his blood brother emerged. Odin smirked at Loki, holding out his hand. "You've evaded me for the last time, Loki. Now, die!"
A lance of black power flew from his hand and would have hit Loki if it hadn't been for Mayura. She gave a cry, jumping in front of the Trickster God. The lance of power hit her head on and she screamed.
"Mayura!" Loki cried out her name, reaching for her. He grabbed the bow on her uniform and held on. He gave his own scream, the ground opening up beneath them. Loki and Mayura fell through, tumbling into an empty void. He tried in vain to hold onto her, but the bow snapped and her body tumbled away from him. He lost consciousness not long after, mentally cursing Odin for interfering in his life yet again.
Mary Jane Kelly looked up from the cigarette she's been about to finish. Big Ben struck the hour of three and she sighed. Pickings had been slim this night, though it wasn't hard to understand why. Things had been tense in Whitechapel as of late. The girls knew something was afoot, though none dared to speak it out loud.
It was getting on towards summer in the year 1888 and Mary felt like something was going to happen. She couldn't describe it really, only that the air in London seemed to be different somehow. Almost...menacing and terror stricken.
'Ah well, the night wears on. Time to find some sap that will give me enough money to pay for rent,' Mary Jane thought to herself, heading down the alleyway of Dorset Street. It was difficult, making enough money to keep rent for herself and Joseph. But she refused to give in and go to...one of those places.
The worst place she could imagine would be one of the workhouses. They were for those that couldn't make it in life, and that were too poor to find any kind of job. They were degrading and she refused to become one of the destitute that resided within them.
Mulling this over, she jumped at the sound of a crash in a nearby alley. Cursing herself for a fool, she continued on, but stopped at the entrance. She could see a figure within, on the ground. Had they fallen?
Knowing she shouldn't but unable to stop herself, she entered the alley and approached the figure. She knelt down and was surprised to find a young girl, only about ten years her junior. She was a pretty young thing, though she was wearing such scanty clothing!
"Miss, are you all right?" Mary Jane questioned, helping the young girl to sit up. The girl groaned and rubbed her neck, wincing.
"Where am I?" She asked and Mary Jane frowned. She had a slight accent, but she spoke perfect English so she couldn't be a foreigner.
"Whitechapel, my dear, a district in London. Can you stand?" Mary Jane asked and helped the girl up when she nodded. Once she was standing, Mary Jane took stock of the young woman.
She was about fifteen, maybe sixteen years of age. She had the most beautiful hair, long and shining. It seemed to have a pink cast to it, though that could just have been the trick of the light. Her eyes were dark amber, the strangest color she'd ever seen. "What's your name, child?"
"My name?" The young girl frowned and looked up, trembling. "I...I can't remember. Do I know you?"
"No child, but you do now," Mary Jane winked and pulled off her cloak, wrapping it around her. "My name is Mary Jane Kelly, though you can call me MJ if you wish. Well, we certainly can't call you, 'hey you,' all the time now can we?"
The girl giggled, her fear put aside. She didn't know how she'd gotten here or who she was, but she was glad she'd met such a nice woman. "You're too kind, MJ. Thank you for helping me."
"Pooh, child...come on. Let's get you home. You can stay with me and my beau for the time being until you can get on your feet."
"All right," the young woman pulled the cloak around her more closely and walked with Mary Jane down Dorset Street towards Mary Jane's lodging house on Miller's Court. On the way, they spotted a sign, advertising farming equipment.
"Hmm...I have it! How about 'Annie Farmer' for a name for now?" Mary Jane suggested as they came to the lodging house that Mary Jane and her beau, Joseph, shared.
"Hmm...I like it," 'Annie' grinned, happy that she had a name. Now she didn't feel quite so disjointed from everything.
"Then Annie it is!" Mary Jane winked, opening the door and leading her inside. Joseph would be upset that she'd brought home another 'stray' as he called them, but she felt this young woman needed all the help she could give.