Arashiko had barely made it to the jeweler's before it closed, and it would be some weeks before her necklace could be repaired. She was disappointed since she had wanted to show it to Kazumi the next time he came by.
Narugami had told her he would walk her home that evening but he hadn't shown up by the end of her shift. Maybe he had had to work after all.
It was getting dark already as she started for home and she felt strangely nervous, as if someone were following her. Walking on a couple blocks, the feeling didn't go away. Trying not to show whoever it might be that she was suspicious, she knelt down as if to tie her shoe and picked up a smooth stone in her hand before going on.
She could hear footsteps now, running fast. Heart pounding she waited for the last moment. She swung around, aiming for the average assailants head.
"Kyaaa!"
"Kyaa?!"
Arashiko barely stopped her swing in time as Narugami ducked.
"What are you doing!?" They both shouted.
"Were you following me the whole time?" She asked, annoyed, but more relieved that she had been worried for nothing.
"No, I was late. I only just caught up to you."
"Then...who?" She glanced around, instinctively taking a step closer.
"What is it?"
Four figures seemed to melt out of the shadows and advanced towards them.
"Run Arashiko!" Narugami ordered. "I'll take care of this." She looked at him mischievously, gripping tighter the stone she still held.
"What kind of girl do you think I am?" She grinned.
It was a surprisingly fierce fight for two against four. They seemed to focus on Arashiko. Perhaps they had followed her from the jeweler's and thought she had something of value. Whatever they were after, Mjollnir would soon see them to Niflheim.
A yell flew past him, hitting a wall.
"Arashiko!"
She scrambled to her hands and knees, the breath knocked out of her but no worse. Narugami was impressed, but this had gone on long enough.
"Stay down!"He yelled. "Keep your head covered!" He added as electricity began to crackle around Mjollnir. No more holding back, but the less she saw of this the better. He swung.
Ignoring Narugami's order, Arashiko made it to her feet just as the dazzling flash filled the dark street. Slightly dizzy, she wasn't sure what she was seeing. The hair stood up on the back of her neck. Was it going to storm? Narugami was standing in the center of the street, three out of four down. Where was the fourth? The glint of steel played in the dieing light.
"Narugami, look out!"
He spun around, bringing the hilt of Mjollnir down on the top of the man's head just as they collided. He hesitated a moment. Nothing moved. They both ran.
Some blocks away Arashiko had to stop to catch her breath. Had he been forced to admit it, Narugami was far shorter of breath than he should have been. They stood panting in the ring of light cast by a streetlamp.
"Are you alright?" Narugami asked between gasps. Why wasn't it getting any easier to breathe?
Arashiko nodded and looked over at him. She looked at the ground near his feet and froze.
He looked down. Three bright splashes decorated the pavement like drops of red paint. A fourth joined them making an intricate splatter like a spider's web. Pretty...five drops...
"You're bleeding!" Arashiko announced the obvious. A three inch gash ran left to right across the upper right side of his chest. Blood had soaked into his shirt and uniform jacket as he ran. Now it was dripping...
"We're not far from my apartment." Arashiko offered. "You can get cleaned up there and we'll see how bad it is."
He nodded and followed her. How did this happen? He was Thor after all. Not that that meant he couldn't get hurt. Maybe he could still blame it on Mayura.
Having walked Arashiko home before he knew where the apartment was but he'd never been inside before. It was a little run down but had a balcony and its own bathroom. Currently Narugami was sharing a bathroom with the two other guys on his floor. Sure they were all guys together, but sometimes it was a little more togetherness than one guy could take.. Arashiko scurried off to get her first aid kit, telling him to take off his shirt and jacket. He did so, a little embarrassedly, and laid them across the coffee table as he stood in front of the couch. He was starting to feel a little woozy. This wasn't like cutting his finger slicing vegetables, or burning his hand on a hot grill. This human body of his hadn't received this sort of injury before. He had to say it wasn't taking it very well.
Arashiko set the first aid kit down on the table and started setting out things.
"I think the bleeding has stopped." Narugami stated, awkwardness meter rising dangerously high.
"Good. We still have to disinfect and bandage it or it'll re-open. Does it hurt very much?"
"No." He lied. Actually nothing had hurt worse since that time as a kid he'd backed into Gungnir. Frig had had to...thank heaven it wasn't his backside this time! This was embarrassing enough. He was having trouble focusing. His body had lost quite a bit of blood. He tried to piece together the events of the day and couldn't quite arrive at how he had got here; shirtless in the middle of a pretty girl's private apartment. He wished he wasn't so sleepy. Arashiko came back from the kitchen with a bowl of warm water and some hand towels. She was standing very close to him. Her hair was shiny and smelt nice. She looked at him, such beautiful grey eyes. She was talking...talking? He fought the fog in his brain trying to hear.
"This might sting." She was saying.
"This little scratch?" He slurred boastfully.
"Just hold still." She told him and placed her right hand flat against his chest for stability as she prepared to dab peroxide over the wound. Something like a small nuclear reaction exploded where her fingers touched his skin. It reached critical overload in something less than half a second and he was out.
When Narugami woke up there was only a dim light from a service bulb in the kitchen area. It took several minutes to clear enough of the fuzz out of his brain for him to remember where he was. He was lying on a couch with a light blanket. Rubbing a hand over his bare chest he resurrected a dull throb under carefully wrapped bandages.
On the coffee table beside the couch sat the first aid kit, a sewing basket and a plate of onigiri covered with a tea towel. He remembered vaguely fainting onto the couch. Embarrassed, he realized he must have then fallen asleep. Perhaps he should leave. Where was his shirt and jacket? They weren't on the table anymore. He stood up unsteadily at first and looked around. His clothes were hanging up to dry near an open window, washed and sewn.
Across the room from the couch was a curtained alcove which must be the sleeping area. A bed height platform with a futon mattress. The curtain would be useful if one had to work at night and shut out the light to sleep during the day. At the moment it made a good privacy screen.
It was still some hours before morning, but he should say something to her before he left he thought. It had probably taken a long time to patch him and his clothes and she had provided food and a comfortable place to sleep. He went up to the curtain.
"Arashiko?" He whispered. No answer. He tried again, slightly louder with no result. Working up more courage than it would take to face any number of muggers he carefully pushed aside the curtain, just enough for a peek.
She was fast asleep, looking peaceful and vulnerable. You know, he really should stay. She might wake up frightened about the earlier attack. With him, the mighty Thor, on guard she could sleep safe and soundly. He closed the curtain and crept back to the couch. The mighty Thor was hungry. He ate the onigiri and lay back against the couch arm to keep watch on the night. Things hadn't turned out so horrible after all. He might even consider forgiving Mayura tomorrow. Who cared about a poorly drawn picture when they had the real thing? Fair damsel need not fear, nothing would get past Thor.
When Narugami woke up, breakfast was almost ready.