LOKI
I was considered spoiled. I was thought to be selfish. I was thought to be nothing more than a pretty face with blue eyes. I suppose they might have been right, too.
But as I ran blindly through the rain and the biting air I couldn't help but think that maybe I was more than that. Honestly, I don't know. I've been the center of everything for so long, I couldn't seem to grasp the concept that everything that defined me has been uprooted and thrown into chaos.
I lifted my eyes to the sky tears streaking down my cheeks, mixing with the rain. Lighting lit the sky briefly, but I didn't care. How could I? My life was totally ruined. There was nothing for me to live for anymore.
"That, my dear, I untrue."
I whirled, and came face to face with a woman. She was smiling softly at me, as if laughing about a private joke that I knew nothing about. She wore an expensive looking dress and had an otherworldly quality about her. Other than that, she looked rather ordinary. She was comfortably plump and had the tell-tale signs of age on her face.
I took an involuntary step back. "Who are you?"
She smiled again. Then I noticed that she wasn't wet. I took another step backwards.
"I am Lachesis, an Aspect of Fate. An Incarnation."
Revulsion grew in my belly. "No! Leave me alone! All I want is to die! There is nothing left for me here!"
Lachesis nodded, as if this was the answer that she was expecting. "Yes, I know. But you needn't die. Life has made a very good investment in you, child. Don't you want to see this investment paid off?"
I swallowed, very nearly approaching the feeling that I was going to accept whatever offer she was going to throw at me.
"What are you talking about?"
"You know of the five Incarnations, correct?"
I nodded. "Yes…who doesn't? There's Fate, Time, War, Death, and Nature. Then there are the Eternals, God and Satan. But what does that have to do with me?"
She smiled again, that smile that was reserved for dealing with errant children. "My dear, it is simply this. Loki has resigned, and we need another. We have chosen you."
I blinked, all my past woes disappearing. "You want…me? Why? I'm just a silly girl that was deluded into thinking that my whole life was cast in stone!"
Lachesis nodded slightly. "We have examined your thread carefully, and you are not destined for all that silly nonsense that you and your mother were dabbling in. It's virtually impossible. For one thing, Satan wouldn't allow it. Loki wouldn't allow it. I dare say, Mars wouldn't be very happy either. But that is irrelevant. Do you accept?"
I swallowed hard, and then said the one word that would change my life forever.
"Yes."
I have to say, I wasn't exactly ready for the whirlwind of events. A girl appeared and whacked me upside the head, and then lost her fairy wings and green orb on her forehead. After she did that, she simply walked away. I turned to Lachesis, who was watching me with slight amusement.
"Who was that?" I asked in astonishment.
"That, my dear, was Loki. You are now."
"Oh my monkey."
She took my arm. "Alright, we need to go talk to your parents now."
I gulped. "But~"
"No buts about it, Loki. The Unnamed is already impatient for a new Loki."
"Satan? Isn't he the Father of Evil?"
"Yes, although I'm not sure who he is for the Japanese."
"I don't have to talk to him, do I?"
"Yes. He will try to win you over when different topics arise. Of course, so will the rest of us."
Suddenly she became Clotho, the stunningly beautiful woman with blue tinted green hair and pink eyes. "I'm Clotho."
I'm sure my shock showed clearly on my face. "What happened to Lachesis?" I cried, sure something horrible had occurred.
She smiled. "Nothing, Loki. See, we are three different women in one body that can change forms. I used to be a woman named Sasami, Lachesis used to be my niece Achika, and Atropos was a woman called Caroline. But that's irrelevant. Come now, we must see your family."
My shoulders sagged. Was she crazy? My dad's favorite toys were his shotgun and shovel! But then again, she was immortal, being an Incarnation and all. But so am I. So would that make me immortal too? Or am I already immortal, being who I am? And why was I supposed to be Loki? I hardly had any mischievousness in me. Well, I kinda did as a child, but when I became a Senshi, it kinda disappeared.
Nearly growling in frustration, I stomped after the beautiful Clotho.
This was not turning out to be my day.
Clotho didn't slow down once. She hummed a little as she walked, but aside from that she made no noise. It almost seemed as if she walked with clouds beneath her feet, to make her movement soundless. Of course, maybe it was just another benefit of being an Incarnation. I had no idea.
Sooner than I would've liked, we were in front of my house. Clotho blinked, and was suddenly in a business suit. She knocked on my door. After a few moments, my father answered it. His eyes went right to me, and then over to Clotho. They stayed there.
"What are you doing out here, dear? And who is this…er, nice lady with you?"
Clotho bowed. "Konichiwa, sir. I am Tsunami Masaki. I am a foreign exchange manager. Your daughter has been chosen to be moved to Nerima where she will stay with the Tendos."
My father, not being in any state to protest, nodded dumbly. "Hai, hai. Of course…"
Clotho bowed again. "Agriato. We will be going now. Ja ne!"
"Ja…"
I felt almost put off by the resistance, or lack thereof, about letting me go. And who were the Tendos? In Nerima? That was where all the crazies lived, I knew that much.
"Clotho, who are the Tendos?"
She smiled. "They are a family from Nerima. The youngest daughter, Akane, is Thanatos' secretary. She died through an unfortunate accident that Satan managed to pull of without notifying either Chronos or me. That, generally, is what you are for. You are neither good nor evil. Loki is really kind of the middle between them. All of us will try to bribe you onto our side by means of extravagant gifts. You will choose between them, and choose whose side you are on for this particular issue." Clotho sighed and rubbed her temples. "It's always nerve-wracking getting a new Loki, because you're not quite sure what she likes. I need an Aspirin… Oh…there's another one I need to tell you about. Your tree's name is Bob."
I looked at her warily. "I have a talking tree named Bob?"
She flushed. "He is the result of another unfortunate accident. Thanatos' daughter, the Grim as she likes to call herself, has had some run-ins with Rex, Satan's great-grandson, Crys, Rex's cousin three-and-a-half times removed, and Will, the son of the God and Goddess of the Afterdeath."
I grinned. "I'm going to get that whole story out of someone, one of these days."
Clotho smiled in return. "I'm sure you will Loki, I'm sure you will."
For some reason, this made me happier than I had been in a long time.
After my slightly disappointing appointment with my father, Clotho became Lachesis again. I wasn't quite sure why, but I was more comfortable with the older woman, and I think Clotho knew. Maybe it was because she reminded me too much of Chibiusa, all sugary sweet. I felt a slight twisting in my gut, and knew suddenly that my mortality wasn't going to be the only thing changing with this position.
But how much would I lose? How much would I cease to be me, and begin to be Loki? How much would I lose myself? And what would happen to the Senshi, with me gone? I decided that they wouldn't miss me.
Lachesis seemed to realize that I was brooding, and left me alone. After a few moments, we stopped. I looked around, startled.
"What are we here for?"
We were standing in front of a forest. All I could tell from it so far, was that it was big, dark, and very scary looking. I was beginning to feel like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Only I was in a forest somewhere in Purgatory, while she was in Oz. Lucky her.
Lachesis smiled. "Loki, this is your forest. I'll be leaving you now." She turned to go.
"Wait!" I cried, and then pulled back.
She looked at me expectantly. "Yes?"
I bit my lip. I didn't want to sound like a coward, but I was scared to go of on my own. I had a feeling that if I went into there, I would never be me again.
"I- I'm scared. I'm scared that I'll lose myself! I'm scared that when I come out, I won't be me anymore!"
Lachesis smiled, and became Atropos. The old woman smiled at me. "Honey, if there ain't nothin' I learned from goin' from a simple ol' granny to a crazy old Atropos, it's that you're always yourself, hon. An' there ain't no one that can take that away from you. You can change so much that no one 'l recognize you, but you'll always be yourself." She winked. "Remember that. And if there was someone so mean to you that they made you believe that life wasn't worth living, you shouldn't hang on to the image of yourself that they know. Forget that life, koneko. It's pointless trying to please those who cannot be pleased."
Then she became a spider and crawled away into the sky. I watched after her, stunned, and then nodded. I faced the forest and marched resolutely into it. Of course, me being me, I became so scared about five minutes in that I seriously considered nullifying this whole Loki thing right then. But then I thought about poor Bob, all alone, waiting for me to come, and my resolve strengthened.
As I walked, I felt myself changing. I felt my body becoming physically perfect. I felt my mind clear, and my step lighten. Actually, it lightened so much that I leaped into the trees and bounced from tree to tree until I landed on one so massive that I knew it had to be Bob.
The leaves rustled. "Who're you? You're not Loki."
I gulped. "Well, actually, I am."
The tree paused in it's rustling. "No, I don't think you are."
I drew myself up in surprise. "Yes I am."
"No you're not!"
"Yes I am!"
"Not!"
"I am so!"
"No you're not!"
"Yes to infinity and beyond! Hah! Take that talking tree!"
"Nyaaaahhhhhh!!!"
I was impressed. He managed to put three exclamation marks in there. Then I realized that he was waiting for my comeback. I stuck my tongue out and glared at the branch I was standing on.
"Nyyyyaaaaaahhhhh!!!!"
The tree rustled in an impressed sort of way. I was proud of myself. Four exclamation marks! An accomplishment!
To my surprise, a face formed in the trunk beside me. It stuck out its tongue.
"Nyaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!"
I was so impressed and shocked that it took several moments to collect myself enough to make a suitable retort.
"Butt face!"
"Snot nose!"
"Booger butt!"
"You nasty two-legger!"
"You tree!"
"Very observant of you, Loki," came a new voice.
Even Bob looked startled, as we both turned to face the newcomer. It turned out to be a mean looking man in a skintight navy blue and black fighting ensemble and white boots with spiky black hair that defied gravity, coal black eyes, and a handsome face that was twisted into a smirk that I felt was his usual expression. He also carried a red sword at his side. He looked very powerful, I at least figured that much, as he landed on a branch across from me.
Of course, me being in a newly clear mindset, free from the senshi and that burdensome fate, I did the thing I never would've done before. I said the first thing that came to my mind.
"Can't you see we were engaged in a matter of utmost importance?"
The man raised an eyebrow. "Is that so, Shorty?"
Ooooohh…he was gonna get it! That meanie! I was gonna show him! I started crying. Wailing was more like it, actually.
He sweat-dropped. "Weak chibi onna." He muttered.
This made me cry harder. "You *sob* called me *sob* SHORTY! WHAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
Oh, I was really proud of myself now. I got six exclamation marks in that one! Then I found myself confronted with the tip of that red sword. I looked up. The kawaii man was growling at me, and trying to skewer me! Which wasn't very nice. Was he allowed to do that? My eyes widened, as I actually studied him. He frowned.
"Nani?"
I began giggling.
He frowned. "Nande kuso, onna!"
I laughed.
He growled. "WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING ABOUT?"
I gasped, and in between my peals of laughter, I managed to get this general message across: "YOU'RE A KAWAII CHIBI BADDIE! MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
This seemed to make him angry, even though I haven't a clue why. I get called short all the time! I told him so.
"DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO, ONNA?"
I plastered the dumbest smile I could onto my face.
"Nope!" I replied cheerfully.
"I AM VEGETA, PRINCE OF THE SAYINS, ALSO MARS, THE INCARNATION OF WAR!"
I smiled politely. I thought that was what mother said to do, anyways. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Mr. Veggie. I'm, uh~"
"There you are Loki! I've been looking everywhere for the prettiest girl around! The name's Thanatos, nice to meet you. So what's a babe like you doing in this position?"
I looked at the branch that Vegetable had just vacated in favor of a good shot at my throat. There was a hooded skeleton. The blood drained from my face. It quickly rushed back up into my cheeks, though, when he took his cloak off to reveal a VERY kawaii man with indigo eyes and a long brown braid. He grinned at me.
"It always makes me feel special when I can make a girl blush. I'm Thanatos, as you know, the Incarnation of Death. But Loki and the rest of us are usually on first name basis. I used to be Duo Maxwell, so that's what you can call me."
He glanced over at Vegetable, who was still glaring at me. "Aw, leave her alone Mars! She didn't do anything."
Vegetable growled. "SHE CALLED ME CHIBI!"
"Well, I'm sure she *cough* didn't mean it."
I sat up. "Oh yes I did!"
Vegetable pointed at me. "SEE! SHE'S IMPOSSIBLE!"
I shook my head. "No I'm not. I'm sitting right in front of you, so you can see for yourself that I'm very possible."
Vegeta roared, and burst away into the sky. I looked up after him, and then back at Duo, who was making himself comfortable on my branch. He grinned at me.
"So who were you, Loki?"
I smiled, and flipped over so I could hang upside down from my branch. I didn't really care if my skirt went up or not. I grinned back at him. "I'm Loki now, and I'm glad to be that way. But I used to be a stupid girl blinded by an imposed destiny that wasn't really going to happen anyways."
Duo sighed. "I feel your pain. Don't you hate those?"
I nodded. "Yup. To answer your original question about how I came to be here, I was betrayed by the people I trusted most. They were mortals that thought they could control me. They were wrong," I said bitterly. Duo was silent, knowing that I needed to get this off my chest. "They used me, and then betrayed me."
I righted herself, and then smiled with an effort. "Anyways, my name was Bunny. Usagi Tsukino."
Okay, so I know this was a whole, huge change from what I was slated to do. My mom was probably blowing a holy gasket, and my unknown father was most likely laughing his damned head off. My personality had undergone a big change. Because I wasn't exactly forced to be Serenity anymore, I felt a lot freer. My heart felt like soaring through the skies, and I felt like flying. Hmm. I'd have to get Vegetable to show me how to do that.
"Loki."
A new voice. I looked up, aware that this voice had the slippery feeling of a good liar. I beheld a man with a dark complexion and black hair with little red horns. He had the well groomed quality of someone who had gotten rich off of selling lies. I had no idea how close I was to the truth.
"Yeah?"
He smiled, once he knew that he had my attention. "So you are the new Loki. I must say, you are a great deal more beautiful than the previous one."
Oookay…this was not cool. "What do you want?" I asked, probably more harshly than I would have liked. "For that matter, who are you?"
"Yeah, turd-face!" yelled my tree.
The man smiled thinly at my tree. Barely concealed malice lurked directly under that oily smile. Nope. I didn't like him one bit! And weren't the Incarnations supposed to be trying to get along with me, or something? Jezz, a girl can't get any respect.
The man smiled again. "I, Pretty Lady, am Satan, Lord of Lies." He bowed. "I must say I am very pleased to make your acquaintance. You must be the most beautiful and gifted Incarnation I have ever laid eyes on."
Ha! He thought he could win me over by compliments? Bah! I was stronger than that! (Okay, I blushed a little) Veggie was doing better that our buddy Satan! I smiled dazzlingly.
"My dear man. Frankly, I don't give a damn about what you want to say. Go to Hell!" I yelled.
He glowered at me, and then vanished in a puff of smoke. I coughed a few times, and waved it away. Now someone else was standing in front of me!
I just couldn't take it any more! "JESUS, MARY, AND JOESPH! THE NEXT THING I TO THIS FOREST IS PUTTING UP A DETECTOR OR SOMETHING! I AM SICK AND TIRED OF PEOPLE COMING IN UNANNOUNCED!"
The man looked mildly affronted. "Er…Loki? I was just going to say hello."
"SURE! THAT'S WHAT THEY ALL SAY!"
"YEAH!" yelled my tree. I stamped my foot on his branch, and he fell quiet, muttering occasionally.
The man looked uncertainly at the tree, but plunged ahead. "M- Miss Loki, my n- name is Chronos. B- but you can call me Ryoga."
He was blushing so badly that I took pity on him. Who could resist that kawaii fanged face? I tilted my head to the side, and studied him. I instantly decided that he and Duo were tops.
Well, we stayed and talked for a while longer, and then he left to go 'talk' to Sasami. Those extra marks around "talk" confused me at first, but I decided not to worry about it.
Yawning slightly, I clambered up into the tree house and tumbled onto my bed, asleep before I hit the pillow.
Some day, huh?
I was considered spoiled. I was thought to be selfish. I was thought to be nothing more than a pretty face with blue eyes. I suppose they might have been right, too.
But as I ran blindly through the rain and the biting air I couldn't help but think that maybe I was more than that. Honestly, I don't know. I've been the center of everything for so long, I couldn't seem to grasp the concept that everything that defined me has been uprooted and thrown into chaos.
I lifted my eyes to the sky tears streaking down my cheeks, mixing with the rain. Lighting lit the sky briefly, but I didn't care. How could I? My life was totally ruined. There was nothing for me to live for anymore.
"That, my dear, I untrue."
I whirled, and came face to face with a woman. She was smiling softly at me, as if laughing about a private joke that I knew nothing about. She wore an expensive looking dress and had an otherworldly quality about her. Other than that, she looked rather ordinary. She was comfortably plump and had the tell-tale signs of age on her face.
I took an involuntary step back. "Who are you?"
She smiled again. Then I noticed that she wasn't wet. I took another step backwards.
"I am Lachesis, an Aspect of Fate. An Incarnation."
Revulsion grew in my belly. "No! Leave me alone! All I want is to die! There is nothing left for me here!"
Lachesis nodded, as if this was the answer that she was expecting. "Yes, I know. But you needn't die. Life has made a very good investment in you, child. Don't you want to see this investment paid off?"
I swallowed, very nearly approaching the feeling that I was going to accept whatever offer she was going to throw at me.
"What are you talking about?"
"You know of the five Incarnations, correct?"
I nodded. "Yes…who doesn't? There's Fate, Time, War, Death, and Nature. Then there are the Eternals, God and Satan. But what does that have to do with me?"
She smiled again, that smile that was reserved for dealing with errant children. "My dear, it is simply this. Loki has resigned, and we need another. We have chosen you."
I blinked, all my past woes disappearing. "You want…me? Why? I'm just a silly girl that was deluded into thinking that my whole life was cast in stone!"
Lachesis nodded slightly. "We have examined your thread carefully, and you are not destined for all that silly nonsense that you and your mother were dabbling in. It's virtually impossible. For one thing, Satan wouldn't allow it. Loki wouldn't allow it. I dare say, Mars wouldn't be very happy either. But that is irrelevant. Do you accept?"
I swallowed hard, and then said the one word that would change my life forever.
"Yes."
I have to say, I wasn't exactly ready for the whirlwind of events. A girl appeared and whacked me upside the head, and then lost her fairy wings and green orb on her forehead. After she did that, she simply walked away. I turned to Lachesis, who was watching me with slight amusement.
"Who was that?" I asked in astonishment.
"That, my dear, was Loki. You are now."
"Oh my monkey."
She took my arm. "Alright, we need to go talk to your parents now."
I gulped. "But~"
"No buts about it, Loki. The Unnamed is already impatient for a new Loki."
"Satan? Isn't he the Father of Evil?"
"Yes, although I'm not sure who he is for the Japanese."
"I don't have to talk to him, do I?"
"Yes. He will try to win you over when different topics arise. Of course, so will the rest of us."
Suddenly she became Clotho, the stunningly beautiful woman with blue tinted green hair and pink eyes. "I'm Clotho."
I'm sure my shock showed clearly on my face. "What happened to Lachesis?" I cried, sure something horrible had occurred.
She smiled. "Nothing, Loki. See, we are three different women in one body that can change forms. I used to be a woman named Sasami, Lachesis used to be my niece Achika, and Atropos was a woman called Caroline. But that's irrelevant. Come now, we must see your family."
My shoulders sagged. Was she crazy? My dad's favorite toys were his shotgun and shovel! But then again, she was immortal, being an Incarnation and all. But so am I. So would that make me immortal too? Or am I already immortal, being who I am? And why was I supposed to be Loki? I hardly had any mischievousness in me. Well, I kinda did as a child, but when I became a Senshi, it kinda disappeared.
Nearly growling in frustration, I stomped after the beautiful Clotho.
This was not turning out to be my day.
Clotho didn't slow down once. She hummed a little as she walked, but aside from that she made no noise. It almost seemed as if she walked with clouds beneath her feet, to make her movement soundless. Of course, maybe it was just another benefit of being an Incarnation. I had no idea.
Sooner than I would've liked, we were in front of my house. Clotho blinked, and was suddenly in a business suit. She knocked on my door. After a few moments, my father answered it. His eyes went right to me, and then over to Clotho. They stayed there.
"What are you doing out here, dear? And who is this…er, nice lady with you?"
Clotho bowed. "Konichiwa, sir. I am Tsunami Masaki. I am a foreign exchange manager. Your daughter has been chosen to be moved to Nerima where she will stay with the Tendos."
My father, not being in any state to protest, nodded dumbly. "Hai, hai. Of course…"
Clotho bowed again. "Agriato. We will be going now. Ja ne!"
"Ja…"
I felt almost put off by the resistance, or lack thereof, about letting me go. And who were the Tendos? In Nerima? That was where all the crazies lived, I knew that much.
"Clotho, who are the Tendos?"
She smiled. "They are a family from Nerima. The youngest daughter, Akane, is Thanatos' secretary. She died through an unfortunate accident that Satan managed to pull of without notifying either Chronos or me. That, generally, is what you are for. You are neither good nor evil. Loki is really kind of the middle between them. All of us will try to bribe you onto our side by means of extravagant gifts. You will choose between them, and choose whose side you are on for this particular issue." Clotho sighed and rubbed her temples. "It's always nerve-wracking getting a new Loki, because you're not quite sure what she likes. I need an Aspirin… Oh…there's another one I need to tell you about. Your tree's name is Bob."
I looked at her warily. "I have a talking tree named Bob?"
She flushed. "He is the result of another unfortunate accident. Thanatos' daughter, the Grim as she likes to call herself, has had some run-ins with Rex, Satan's great-grandson, Crys, Rex's cousin three-and-a-half times removed, and Will, the son of the God and Goddess of the Afterdeath."
I grinned. "I'm going to get that whole story out of someone, one of these days."
Clotho smiled in return. "I'm sure you will Loki, I'm sure you will."
For some reason, this made me happier than I had been in a long time.
After my slightly disappointing appointment with my father, Clotho became Lachesis again. I wasn't quite sure why, but I was more comfortable with the older woman, and I think Clotho knew. Maybe it was because she reminded me too much of Chibiusa, all sugary sweet. I felt a slight twisting in my gut, and knew suddenly that my mortality wasn't going to be the only thing changing with this position.
But how much would I lose? How much would I cease to be me, and begin to be Loki? How much would I lose myself? And what would happen to the Senshi, with me gone? I decided that they wouldn't miss me.
Lachesis seemed to realize that I was brooding, and left me alone. After a few moments, we stopped. I looked around, startled.
"What are we here for?"
We were standing in front of a forest. All I could tell from it so far, was that it was big, dark, and very scary looking. I was beginning to feel like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Only I was in a forest somewhere in Purgatory, while she was in Oz. Lucky her.
Lachesis smiled. "Loki, this is your forest. I'll be leaving you now." She turned to go.
"Wait!" I cried, and then pulled back.
She looked at me expectantly. "Yes?"
I bit my lip. I didn't want to sound like a coward, but I was scared to go of on my own. I had a feeling that if I went into there, I would never be me again.
"I- I'm scared. I'm scared that I'll lose myself! I'm scared that when I come out, I won't be me anymore!"
Lachesis smiled, and became Atropos. The old woman smiled at me. "Honey, if there ain't nothin' I learned from goin' from a simple ol' granny to a crazy old Atropos, it's that you're always yourself, hon. An' there ain't no one that can take that away from you. You can change so much that no one 'l recognize you, but you'll always be yourself." She winked. "Remember that. And if there was someone so mean to you that they made you believe that life wasn't worth living, you shouldn't hang on to the image of yourself that they know. Forget that life, koneko. It's pointless trying to please those who cannot be pleased."
Then she became a spider and crawled away into the sky. I watched after her, stunned, and then nodded. I faced the forest and marched resolutely into it. Of course, me being me, I became so scared about five minutes in that I seriously considered nullifying this whole Loki thing right then. But then I thought about poor Bob, all alone, waiting for me to come, and my resolve strengthened.
As I walked, I felt myself changing. I felt my body becoming physically perfect. I felt my mind clear, and my step lighten. Actually, it lightened so much that I leaped into the trees and bounced from tree to tree until I landed on one so massive that I knew it had to be Bob.
The leaves rustled. "Who're you? You're not Loki."
I gulped. "Well, actually, I am."
The tree paused in it's rustling. "No, I don't think you are."
I drew myself up in surprise. "Yes I am."
"No you're not!"
"Yes I am!"
"Not!"
"I am so!"
"No you're not!"
"Yes to infinity and beyond! Hah! Take that talking tree!"
"Nyaaaahhhhhh!!!"
I was impressed. He managed to put three exclamation marks in there. Then I realized that he was waiting for my comeback. I stuck my tongue out and glared at the branch I was standing on.
"Nyyyyaaaaaahhhhh!!!!"
The tree rustled in an impressed sort of way. I was proud of myself. Four exclamation marks! An accomplishment!
To my surprise, a face formed in the trunk beside me. It stuck out its tongue.
"Nyaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!"
I was so impressed and shocked that it took several moments to collect myself enough to make a suitable retort.
"Butt face!"
"Snot nose!"
"Booger butt!"
"You nasty two-legger!"
"You tree!"
"Very observant of you, Loki," came a new voice.
Even Bob looked startled, as we both turned to face the newcomer. It turned out to be a mean looking man in a skintight navy blue and black fighting ensemble and white boots with spiky black hair that defied gravity, coal black eyes, and a handsome face that was twisted into a smirk that I felt was his usual expression. He also carried a red sword at his side. He looked very powerful, I at least figured that much, as he landed on a branch across from me.
Of course, me being in a newly clear mindset, free from the senshi and that burdensome fate, I did the thing I never would've done before. I said the first thing that came to my mind.
"Can't you see we were engaged in a matter of utmost importance?"
The man raised an eyebrow. "Is that so, Shorty?"
Ooooohh…he was gonna get it! That meanie! I was gonna show him! I started crying. Wailing was more like it, actually.
He sweat-dropped. "Weak chibi onna." He muttered.
This made me cry harder. "You *sob* called me *sob* SHORTY! WHAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
Oh, I was really proud of myself now. I got six exclamation marks in that one! Then I found myself confronted with the tip of that red sword. I looked up. The kawaii man was growling at me, and trying to skewer me! Which wasn't very nice. Was he allowed to do that? My eyes widened, as I actually studied him. He frowned.
"Nani?"
I began giggling.
He frowned. "Nande kuso, onna!"
I laughed.
He growled. "WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING ABOUT?"
I gasped, and in between my peals of laughter, I managed to get this general message across: "YOU'RE A KAWAII CHIBI BADDIE! MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
This seemed to make him angry, even though I haven't a clue why. I get called short all the time! I told him so.
"DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO, ONNA?"
I plastered the dumbest smile I could onto my face.
"Nope!" I replied cheerfully.
"I AM VEGETA, PRINCE OF THE SAYINS, ALSO MARS, THE INCARNATION OF WAR!"
I smiled politely. I thought that was what mother said to do, anyways. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Mr. Veggie. I'm, uh~"
"There you are Loki! I've been looking everywhere for the prettiest girl around! The name's Thanatos, nice to meet you. So what's a babe like you doing in this position?"
I looked at the branch that Vegetable had just vacated in favor of a good shot at my throat. There was a hooded skeleton. The blood drained from my face. It quickly rushed back up into my cheeks, though, when he took his cloak off to reveal a VERY kawaii man with indigo eyes and a long brown braid. He grinned at me.
"It always makes me feel special when I can make a girl blush. I'm Thanatos, as you know, the Incarnation of Death. But Loki and the rest of us are usually on first name basis. I used to be Duo Maxwell, so that's what you can call me."
He glanced over at Vegetable, who was still glaring at me. "Aw, leave her alone Mars! She didn't do anything."
Vegetable growled. "SHE CALLED ME CHIBI!"
"Well, I'm sure she *cough* didn't mean it."
I sat up. "Oh yes I did!"
Vegetable pointed at me. "SEE! SHE'S IMPOSSIBLE!"
I shook my head. "No I'm not. I'm sitting right in front of you, so you can see for yourself that I'm very possible."
Vegeta roared, and burst away into the sky. I looked up after him, and then back at Duo, who was making himself comfortable on my branch. He grinned at me.
"So who were you, Loki?"
I smiled, and flipped over so I could hang upside down from my branch. I didn't really care if my skirt went up or not. I grinned back at him. "I'm Loki now, and I'm glad to be that way. But I used to be a stupid girl blinded by an imposed destiny that wasn't really going to happen anyways."
Duo sighed. "I feel your pain. Don't you hate those?"
I nodded. "Yup. To answer your original question about how I came to be here, I was betrayed by the people I trusted most. They were mortals that thought they could control me. They were wrong," I said bitterly. Duo was silent, knowing that I needed to get this off my chest. "They used me, and then betrayed me."
I righted herself, and then smiled with an effort. "Anyways, my name was Bunny. Usagi Tsukino."
Okay, so I know this was a whole, huge change from what I was slated to do. My mom was probably blowing a holy gasket, and my unknown father was most likely laughing his damned head off. My personality had undergone a big change. Because I wasn't exactly forced to be Serenity anymore, I felt a lot freer. My heart felt like soaring through the skies, and I felt like flying. Hmm. I'd have to get Vegetable to show me how to do that.
"Loki."
A new voice. I looked up, aware that this voice had the slippery feeling of a good liar. I beheld a man with a dark complexion and black hair with little red horns. He had the well groomed quality of someone who had gotten rich off of selling lies. I had no idea how close I was to the truth.
"Yeah?"
He smiled, once he knew that he had my attention. "So you are the new Loki. I must say, you are a great deal more beautiful than the previous one."
Oookay…this was not cool. "What do you want?" I asked, probably more harshly than I would have liked. "For that matter, who are you?"
"Yeah, turd-face!" yelled my tree.
The man smiled thinly at my tree. Barely concealed malice lurked directly under that oily smile. Nope. I didn't like him one bit! And weren't the Incarnations supposed to be trying to get along with me, or something? Jezz, a girl can't get any respect.
The man smiled again. "I, Pretty Lady, am Satan, Lord of Lies." He bowed. "I must say I am very pleased to make your acquaintance. You must be the most beautiful and gifted Incarnation I have ever laid eyes on."
Ha! He thought he could win me over by compliments? Bah! I was stronger than that! (Okay, I blushed a little) Veggie was doing better that our buddy Satan! I smiled dazzlingly.
"My dear man. Frankly, I don't give a damn about what you want to say. Go to Hell!" I yelled.
He glowered at me, and then vanished in a puff of smoke. I coughed a few times, and waved it away. Now someone else was standing in front of me!
I just couldn't take it any more! "JESUS, MARY, AND JOESPH! THE NEXT THING I TO THIS FOREST IS PUTTING UP A DETECTOR OR SOMETHING! I AM SICK AND TIRED OF PEOPLE COMING IN UNANNOUNCED!"
The man looked mildly affronted. "Er…Loki? I was just going to say hello."
"SURE! THAT'S WHAT THEY ALL SAY!"
"YEAH!" yelled my tree. I stamped my foot on his branch, and he fell quiet, muttering occasionally.
The man looked uncertainly at the tree, but plunged ahead. "M- Miss Loki, my n- name is Chronos. B- but you can call me Ryoga."
He was blushing so badly that I took pity on him. Who could resist that kawaii fanged face? I tilted my head to the side, and studied him. I instantly decided that he and Duo were tops.
Well, we stayed and talked for a while longer, and then he left to go 'talk' to Sasami. Those extra marks around "talk" confused me at first, but I decided not to worry about it.
Yawning slightly, I clambered up into the tree house and tumbled onto my bed, asleep before I hit the pillow.
Some day, huh?