Forgetting Me

Disclaimer: I do not own Matantei Loki

- - - -Chapter 3: Loneliness- - - -

When the sparrow sings its final refrain, the hush is felt nowhere more deeply than in the heart of man.

~Don Williams Jr.~

He would rarely read books about romance when he had nothing else to do back in the past. In some knowledge he had gathered when he stayed in Midgard was that girls were rather fond of those kinds of stories about lovers. About how the tragedy of their love happened or problems in their sturdy relationship or just how they cope with their loneliness when the person they love isn't beside them.

Loneliness.

The word that would unknowingly pop in his head like a bubblegum. He never would have thought that this kind of unsettling feeling would be inside his system; bothering him. Forgetting about it was nearly impossible and it mostly hurt. Every inch of fiber ached to be next to her again, sitting and enjoying eating sweet cakes while happily chatting with each other about her Fushigi mysteries.

But he did only what had to be done. It was the only chance for him to go back to Asgard, the world of the gods. His home.

And erasing her memories was last of the things he did not wanted to do lists. But he had to do it so that she wouldn't bear to feel pain of losing another loved one again. Just with that thought of it would bring him uneasiness for her well-being.

But when he thinks about this, guilt would build up inside him. He was a selfish god. He wanted two things that he couldn't have all at once. He picked his home and yet he still wants the girl he loves at the same time. It was selfish of him.

He gave out a long and depressing sigh.

"Is something bothering you, Loki of Asgard?" a voice questioned amusingly.

The god of mischief turned his emerald orbs to face the person beside him. The woman was beautiful with her golden hair shining brightly because of the sun. Her face showed amusement and curiosity as she placed a basket down on the soft grass and sat beside him.

"It's nothing for you to be worried about Idun." Loki simply replied with a soft pat on her knee to show reassurance. His smile said other wise and the goddess of youth and immortality could see he was trying to smile and yet he was failing to do so. Her previous amused expression quickly vanished.

A frown touches her delicate features and the feisty woman in her starts building up. "Don't lie to me. I can tell if a person like yourself has a problem." She snaps at him. "Why can't people be more honest and open with this kind of things?"

She hated it when people, even gods or goddesses never admit if they have a problem. Honestly, it was annoying to hear people saying that they didn't have problem even though they have. It pissed her off, especially if the person who would tell her this was Loki, a god who barely had any problems.

He chuckled lightly at her scolding, remembering perfectly well that he and her were still good friends. Idun was a goddess who never really meddled in on other people's lives but becomes amusingly overprotective or serious of the well-being of a closed loved one or friend who would somehow have a personal problem.

Loki, in response, gently shakes his head before looking at the goddess beside him. He just didn't want to talk about it. Not right now anyway but he will eventually, once he gets settled back in, here in Asgard.

"I can't talk to you about it right now but maybe… I'll tell you someday."

Idun saw for a brief moment, a flash in the god of mischief's emerald orbs and she couldn't place her finger on it. It was like a flash of melancholy but it never showed on his face. Only in his eyes and it made her confused. He was finally back to his own world but why would he have that kind of feeling?

She went through her mind to find a theory or a possible cause to this and it made her forehead wrinkle slightly. She kept thinking and came to a possible conclusion.

Something must have happened during his stay back in Midgard.

But she wouldn't dare ask him something uncomfortable. She would just ask someone else for answers when she has the time and definitely when Loki isn't around.

The sight of gold caught her attention as she turned to look down her basket. She took out a rounded gold object out of it and handed the fruit to the man beside her and he gratefully took it in his hands. He gazed at the deliciously looking fruit in his hands, taking in the beauty of its color and shape; simple in form and yet so exotic to look at. It was hard to believe that this simple golden object was known to be the fruit of immortality.

"Why don't you take a bite? I know it won't help you feel better but at least the fruit can lighten up your moody expression." She pointed at the fruit before taking a bite on one.

Loki smiled as he sunk his teeth on the golden skin of the apple, letting the sticky clear blood stream down his chin. It occurred to him that he definitely missed how these very fruit tasted like. He never had the time to eat one of these back in Midgard since Idun's apples tasted better than the ones in the human world.

"I missed the taste of these apples…"

Mayura sighed for the one hundredth time that night, sitting on the stone steps and gazing at the stars on the night sky. She let out another long sigh just as the breeze picked up and gently blew her long, pink hair behind her. In a plain yellow dress, she sat with her elbows perched on her knees, thinking how frustrating this day was.

Earlier this morning, she planned to explore and find some strange mysteries about the paranormal; wondering if there was going to be aliens springing up to her face to meet her. But disappointment came to meet her instead. This memory somehow made her lips curve downwards once again and the beautiful night sky did not match her foul and unhappy mood.

She looked up at the sky, trying to count the brightly lit stars with her eyes even though she knew it was impossible. The breeze picked up again and she felt a presence standing beside her. He would scold her again, no doubt.

"What are you doing here, Mayura?" Misao asked, looking down to see his daughter look up at the sky. The night was chilly and he could see that his daughter was wearing only a sleeveless dress. Not a very good choice to wear in a cold night.

"Just looking at the stars."

Misao could hear the boredom in her tone and he got a distinctive feeling that she hadn't find any mysteries that she could solve concerning the paranormal or the occult. He grunted, never knowing why she was so interested in this nonsense. Well – mysteries were her life was what she had told him once.

"You're bored, aren't you?" he asked skeptically and she sighed before she bit her bottom lip into a pout.

Was it so obvious that she couldn't find something she could do? Especially if she hadn't found any Fushigi mysteries she could solve? Yes, she was bored and she wanted an adventure that would revolve around ghosts, demons and aliens but it wasn't quite possible right now.

Misao gave out a long sigh of his own and turned his attention fully to his daughter. "Mayura, ghosts and demons and your paranormal fantasies aren't real. When can you understand that?"

Mayura couldn't help but roll her eyes under her pink bangs which went unnoticed by Misao. How many times had she heard that same sentence all through her life?

"Mou, papa…why can't you accept the fact that the paranormal is actually real?" she mused, shaking her head. She knew it was impossible for her father to believe her. No matter how many times she tried to convince him, he still wouldn't listen to her. But…she still hasn't seen any for herself.

No! She scolded herself mentally for thinking like that. The reason why they were called mysteries was because people like her where there to solve it. Even with that little encouragement that she said to herself in her mind, it still managed to lift her mood up, just like a ray of sunlight would do to a single flower.

She was grinning to herself until her father's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Since it's bringing you down, not finding any mysteries and all, you might as well find another thing to do; another hobby aside from chasing one of your mysteries." He suggested, patting her head and causing her to look up to him.

"What kind of hobby?" Mayura tilted her to the side, not sure what her father was saying. Was he implying that she should so some other stuff aside from chasing the paranormal? That would be just like him.

He thought for a moment until the face of his late wife came into his mind. He smiled, "Try gardening."

What?

"What?" she voiced her thoughts, wondering why her father was telling her to do gardening. She wrinkled her nose. She wasn't the gardener type. Misao chuckled at his daughter's expression.

"Maybe you could try and do that. At least you'll have something to do and it will still manage to keep your boredom at ease."

"Out of all the things, why gardening?"

Her father could have suggested many things aside from gardening. Like cooking for example. It would be worthwhile and she could see or imagine her father nodding in happiness or satisfaction to her making dinner every night.

"Because it was one of your mother's hobbies."

Mayura's eyes softened at the mention of her mother's name and how her father would give a look of love every time he would talk about her. There were no more tears, just an expression of little sadness and happiness for having memories of her dear mother. But she suddenly felt the relentless weight of melancholy tearing inside of her. The feeling wasn't for her mother but for something else or someone else. And yet, she couldn't think of anyone or anything else besides her mother, she could feel for. It made her feel a little…lonely of not knowing what kind of person would make her feel like that.

"How about it Mayura?" Misao's voice cuts through her shadow of thoughts and she looks at him before answering. "Yeah, maybe I'll try it."

:: End ::

Please review! :3