Hailey Davis

.((Okay, so we last so our friend Kori in an…interesting situation. How long do you think she can dodge Freya and that sword of hers? Loki can't be counted on to help her at this particular moment, seeing as he lost track of her. Let's hope she can handle this…

No, I STILL don't own the Norse gods, quit rubbing it in! And I don't own Sakura Kinoshita or her marvelous anime, either. Hmm…

Oh, and by the way, I've used the Japanese terms for "big sister" and "big brother" until now, but I realize it's kinda silly, since my main source for my info in this fic is the English version of the anime and the manga released in America, neither of which use the Japanese terms. I'll be using the English phrases from now on. Instead of Onee-chan, san, and sama, it'll just be Big Sis (Kori), Big Sister (Midori), and Older Sister (Megumi).

Review shout-outs!

Gemini Artemis: I'm glad you think it makes sense. Originally, it was a lot more complicated, but then I realized no one would get it but me and I simplified it. As for Yamino, the reason I'm pretty sure he won't end up with Midori is because I'm considering having him fall for another OC, instead. Midori will love him no matter what, though, and he will befriend her. And like I said, I'm not positive it'll be MayuLoki, mostly due to the fact that I'm not sure how to get past the age differences.

Seven Midnights: Oh, yay, another person gets it. Yeah, I feel the same way about poor Vali and Narvi, it's a terrible fate. Stupid Odin. And there will be PLENTY of Narvi and Vali (especially Vali) as the story goes on…a little in this chapter, in fact!

Melissa Brandybuck: I never read the original manga, so I don't know how myth accurate it was. However, so little is known about Norse mythology that there's plenty of breathing room, so maybe it was more accurate when you bent it a little. And I'm glad you're reviewing again, by the way.

Also, random, but his chapter is WICKED long, so you'd better make sure you have some time on your hands and a snack nearby. I might actually have to cut it up into two chapters!

Alright, onto the story…or rather, the flashback…))

Ages ago, in the outer part of Asgard's beautiful palaces and gardens, near the wall that protected it from the freezing land of the giants, Siguna, the goddess of loyalty and wife of Loki, wandered through the warm outdoors. Rather than the black clothes she would take to wearing later on, she was clothed in a violet dress that complimented her dark hair and eyes.

By her side was a young boy, perhaps about thirteen, with the same black hair, but eyes that were greener than emeralds as opposed to his mother's darker-than-dark blue. He looked like a rather shy and nervous sort, and was apparently content to stay at his mother's side.

"Narvi, you really should play with the other younger gods," she said to him suddenly. Her voice wasn't unkind, but rather concerned: she worried about her son's anti-social tendencies and lack of communication with his "peers" when his brother Vali wasn't with him.

Narvi shook his head and looked at his mother with those big green eyes that reminded her so much of his father's. "I don't like them too much, really. Some of them don't like me too much, either."

"If you mean Odin's son, Vidar, and Balder's son, Forseti, you shouldn't let them scare you," Siguna told him, gently but firmly. "Stand up to them."

"I'm not scared of them," the boy informed her, although he also visibly shuddered at the very thought of sticking up for himself to those two. "I'm more embarrassed really. Mostly 'cause of Vali."

Siguna couldn't argue with that: recently, Vali had gotten into the habit of picking fights with none other than the strongest of all the Asgardian girls: Thor's beloved daughter Thrud. His strategy when she got too violent was a rather cowardly one, in Siguna's eyes. If he got in serious danger of being injured by the young thunder deity, his tactic was to run like a squirrel for the nearest tree and stay just above the reach of the small girl, who couldn't climb a tree to save her life. Usually, he'd be found half an hour later still throwing taunts at her, as she shrieked at him and tried to goad him into coming down. Once or twice the powerful girl had even knocked down the tree to get at him! Siguna would give anything to know why Vali was so intent on Thrud's suffering, so she could convince him to stop.

"I suppose you're right," she commented to Narvi. "It must be interesting having a brother like that. I wish he'd toughen up, that he'd get stronger."

"He's strong," Narvi said quickly to his mother, quick to defend his brother. "No one in Asgard can run faster than him, even when he's yelling at the person chasing him."

"What does yelling have to do with his speed?" Siguna asked, honestly baffled.

Narvi didn't smile often, but now he did. "Have you ever tried running from someone and talking to them at the same time?"

In all honesty, Siguna had never seriously had to run from someone until that day at the market in her human form called Kori, with Freya just barely out of range with her sword. The memory of her conversation with her late son came back to her suddenly, and she felt herself holding a new respect for her older, less gentle son Vali: she could never have yelled at Freya if she tried for fear of tripping or running out of breath, while Vali had been able to loose a barrage of clever taunts at will when at the same time fleeing Thrud's fury.

"YOU GET BACK HERE!" Freya screeched in rage, trying to keep up with the child. It was harder than it looked to run in her dress, and Siguna was fast: Vali obviously inherited a good deal of his speed from his mother. But Freya was determined. Pedophile! How dare she!

It was hard to believe that, once upon a time, Vali had been quite close to Freya's darling daughter Hnossa. But that's another story…

Foreshadowing aside, in the present, Kori suddenly realized that she was slowing down a little: she only had so much energy, being a little girl. Her only hope was to stop somewhere and try to talk Freya into a calmer mood. After all, Freya was boisterous and dramatic, but no murderer, and angry or not, she probably didn't really want to kill Kori. It was just a matter of getting her to realize that.

It was just as well that Kori came up with this, because she had also come to a dead end street, having run out of the market square and into a long-since deserted street in the shopping district. The buildings were once ornate but now run down and boarded up. That was good. If Freya caused any damage, people wouldn't be too suspicious.

Kori came to a halt and whirled around to face Freya. Surprised by this development, Freya also stopped. "What're you doing, Siguna?" she asked.

"First of all…my name here on Midgard…gasp…is Kori Hanabusa, so please…call me that," Kori instructed the goddess of war amid catching her breath. "Second, I stopped because I want to apologize…pant…for that comment earlier…and I can't do that while running."

"You want to apologize," Freya incredulously repeated, scowling.

Kori nodded, finally feeling good enough to talk without gasping for air. "Yes, I do. That was cruel. I don't know what came over me. I guess I just want to keep you away from Loki as much as you want to keep me away from him."

"Well, I was down here first!" Freya shouted.

In truth, Freya had not yet been sent to Earth when Kori had left herself, but she had found Loki first, so Kori decided for Freya's benefit not to bring up her mistake. Still, she felt she had to tell her "Yeah, but I was the one who he married."

"He didn't know me yet!"

"Fair enough," Kori conceded with a shrug of defeat but not surrender. "How about you don't keep me away from Loki and I won't keep you-or that cute little girl whose body you're inhabiting-away from him either."

Freya considered this idea. She disliked the idea of letting Kori-Siguna anywhere near Loki. However, she wanted to be with him too. And besides, the only way she could think of too keep Kori-Siguna away from Loki for good was to get rid of her, which wouldn't make Loki too happy with her, she was sure. "Well…I dunno…I can't think of another way, but…"

"I can." Kori and Freya jumped at the voice of another. They looked about them. Where had it come from? The answer came via a hawk that flew from seemingly nowhere, not quite clipping Kori with its wing as it flew by but making her turn up her head. Upon the roof of a nearby, empty shop stood the hawk's master, looking down upon the goddesses with a leering grin and a horrible look in his one eye.

"HEIMDALL!" Kori shouted, suddenly angry beyond all belief. Heimdall was nothing near her friend, and the two had always shown open contempt for each other since nearly forever, especially after Kori married Loki, who Heimdall hated from the very start. He was the last person she expected or wanted to see.

He cocked his head innocently, his smile losing its cruel edge and instead becoming sickeningly sweet. "Aw, that's no way to say hello to an old acquaintance after so many years without seeing them," he said in a voice that was mocking to the umpteenth degree. "I'm hurt, really, Siguna. Or Kori, whichever you prefer. It won't matter too much longer what you're called."

"Oh, it won't will it?" Kori snarled, disgusted by Heimdall's patronizing words. "Dare I ask why, Cyclops?"

Heimdall's face again changed, contorting into an enraged mask of fury. "Do you know why I lost this eye!?" he shouted.

"No, and quite honestly, I don't give a damn, either," Kori informed him. His already dismal face darkened even more, and deep down, Kori knew she was going too far. But she was still angry from Freya's arrival and now his, and she hated Heimdall for hating Loki, and her judgment was skewed. "Why don't you just go back to that little rainbow bridge of yours and leave the rest of us alone?"

Somehow, it took him a mere second to suddenly vanish from the rooftop and reappear in front of a very startled Kori. She gasped and stumbled back a little, but soon was forced to stop by Heimdall.

It is rather hard for a person to move when a strong pair of hands suddenly reaches forward and clasps their throat.

Kori struggled, tried by pure reflex to claw at Heimdall's gloved wrists to no avail. She couldn't breathe! Her eyes had instinctively shut when he grabbed her. She opened them a little and squinted at Heimdall, who looked at her with a mixture of severe dislike and some strange type of pity, like he'd sort of wanted to do this but not enough to have done so if he hadn't been forced to. And he didn't. But Odin had to prevail, and his instructions needed to be followed, and if he killed Siguna, Loki could be spurred to fight. And besides…the last thing he needed was another deity to try and observe. Kori couldn't absorb this, as she was unable to keep her eyes open too long.

"H-hey!" screamed Freya, who had been mostly forgotten. She was shocked by this: where had Heimdall come from? And why was he trying to kill Kori-Siguna? She hadn't attacked him or anything, and couldn't defend herself in this mortal form. "Heimdall, stop it!"

"I'm surprised, Freya," Heimdall said, not looking away from Kori's flushing face and squeezed shut eyes that were beginning to expel tears. "I'm ridding you of a rival for Loki. Why are you upset? Isn't that why you drew your sword?"

Freya was shocked to silence for a second. Then Kori-Siguna, poor Kori-Siguna, managed to let out a strangled gurgle that incurred Freya's sympathy. No one, Freya suddenly decided, should have to just stand there and be strangled without anyone trying to save them!

Heimdall had actually been slightly touched by this too. Kori's eyes had shot open again and were staring at him. He knew that his face was probably going blurry to her by now. "I really am not enjoying this, you know," he informed her, not that she could respond at this point. Much as he'd always been unable to stand her, he didn't like having to kill her. It was Odin's orders.

"Heimdall, you let her go right now!" Freya demanded, pointing her sword at Heimdall. He glanced back at her without the slightest bit of fear. "I mean it!" she told him.

"Tell me, Freya," Heimadall asked calmly, "If you run that sword throught me…how will you keep it from stabbing Kori-Siguna, too?" Freya realized he was right: Kori-Siguna was like his human shield. It looked very bad for the fate of Loki's second wife…

But then Freya said something that Heimdall knew would spell disaster for him. Something that would totally ruin this mission. Something that would cause not only his failure, but quite a bit of annoyance as well. Something that would bring forth someone that was very, very nearby, unfortunately for him.

Freya, at the top of her lungs, shrieked "BIG BROTHER! FREY! GET OVER HERE NOW!"

And, a second later, who should pop up but Frey himself. Quite literally POP up, from underground. From beneath Heimdall's feet, even! Frey and Gullinbursti, his loyal flying boar, came out of the sewer systems they were exploring and unintentionally knocked Heimdall down…causing him to lose grip on Kori, who was sent flying in the other direction and into a wall, which knocked what little wind was in her out. "Dear sister!" Frey shouted dramatically, completely oblivious to what he'd just caused. "I heard your cries from down below! What do you need!?"

"It's okay, you already saved her!" Freya told him, full of relief that her brother had actually been close by, as the luck of the gods would have it. Confused, Frey turned behind him and saw Heimdall, just sitting up from this fall, and Kori, who was sitting with her back against a building, choking and gasping and gently rubbing her bruised, sore neck.

Frey examined this for a second, and then turned to Freya. "Wait…Heimdall was attacking an innocent girl?" he asked, not quite believing this.

"She's not just a girl!" Heimdall yelled in anger. "She's SIGUNA! I was told to kill her by Odin himself! Get out of the way and let me do my job, Frey!"

Kori attempted to shout out some doubtlessly sarcastic comment, but only succeeded in making herself go into fits of coughing. Her lungs, her poor little human lungs were sore and aching so much she had trouble breathing even without Heimdall's hands around her throat. Oddly, the first thing that came to mind in her coughs was rather irrelevant: How would she explain the bruises on her neck to her Big Sister and Older Sister?

Heimdall glanced back at the girl, reluctantly impressed by her obvious vigor despite having looked death in the eye a moment before. "You don't bow to fate that easily, do you?" he asked. Again, any answer was drowned by Kori's hacking gasps for air.

Frey shook his head, shocked and rather horrified. "Heimdall, it's that just…barbaric?" he asked. Truth be told, Frey had always had a soft spot for Siguna, even with the constant fights between her and his sister.

But he also was pretty good friends with Heimdall, and he knew that after all he'd been through, the god of schemes had little left but the orders of Odin and his hatred for Loki. He couldn't just tell Heimdall to ignore orders…but he also couldn't just stand by as Siguna was murdered without any means of being defended! Besides his sister, who he realized had run off for some reason…

Heimdall let out a single bark of laughter that held no humor. "Well, then, what do you want me to do? Get myself a sword? Maybe find some poison?"

"I'd…like it if you didn't kill her at all, actually," Frey admitted.

Another humorless laugh from Heimdall. "Odin told me to attack Siguna as soon as she was positively identified. Do you have any other ideas?"

"Um…try and talk Odin out of it?" suggested Frey tentatively, poking his index fingers together nervously.

"No chance. AND IF THAT PIG OF YOURS DOESN'T PUT DOWN SIGUNA RIGHT NOW I'LL KILL IT TOO!" Heimdall shouted, pointing. Because, sure enough, Gullinursti had taken it upon himself to try and take Kori's semi-conscious self out of the danger zone, but had barely gotten Kori onto his back when Heimdall spotted him. Shocked, he jumped and squealed, dropping Kori to the ground with a thump.

"Hey! Leave Gullinbursti out of this!" Frey whined. When Heimdall just rolled his eyes, Frey actually pouted. "You're taking this too seriously."

"Then you aren't taking this seriously enough!" Heimdall accused. "We agreed back when you said you weren't going to try to kill Loki anymore that you'd stay out of my way while I did!"

"She's not Loki, though!" declared Frey as though this was some brilliant insight. "I never said I wouldn't get in your way when it came to Sig-"

"Kori!"

"What?" Frey and Heimdall cried in unison, looking toward the direction this new voice had come from.

"Her name on Earth is Kori," explained the newcomer as he approached them, calling forth his weapon as he came closer. He motioned for Freya, who had gotten him, to stand back and stay out of this. She complied to his wishes.

Loki held forth his staff Laevateinn and glared at Heimdall with pure, unadulterated rage.

((Whoa, this chapter was harder to write than I thought it'd be…it also had to be cut short, the conclusion to the drama will happen before too long. Sorry that I'm not sure this chapter came out too well, I'll do my best to do better for you in the future! This was just more difficult to put into words than I thought I'd be…

Sayonara!))