Mayura sneezed harshly then blew her nose into her handkerchief, hoping that would relieve her aching head even if just for a little while. When she was done she collapsed against her pillows, the world spinning around her as she cursed her weak human body for getting such a severe flu. Coughing she reached for the soup Yamino had made her for lunch, she looked at it and could not find the appetite to eat a single spoonful, she just felt too miserable. She put the soup back on her bedside table as she fought against another coughing fit, finally it settled down and she was able to breathe without worry. Pulling the covers up higher she shivered violently, her fever spiking again, the shaking causing the soreness in her body to flare up as well. Needless to say she was utterly miserable.

"Mayura, are you awake?" asked Loki through the door as he knocked.

"Barely," she replied, her voice scratchy. She watched as the door opened to reveal a very worried looking Loki, when he saw her he rushed over to her side, putting a hand to her forehead and cheeks.

"Looks like your fever's back," he sighed as he pulled his hand away then went searching for the aspirin Yamino had brought up days ago. Mayura had been sick for a little over a week and was not showing some signs of improvement, though they had hoped when her fever broke the worst had passed. "Have you eaten anything?"

Mayura shook her head, though she regretted the action seconds later when the room began spinning again. "I'm not really hungry."

Loki smiled gently as he took the bowl of soup in his hands, getting a spoonful. "Come on, eat a few bites and I promise I'll leave you alone."

"If I eat, can we talk about your twin?" she asked, looking hopeful.

"Yes, but only if you promise to eat half of the bowl," said Loki reluctantly. Since they arrived back from Utgard, Mayura had been trying to ask questions about Utgard Loki but he had been deflecting them, saying they could talk about it when she was well. She seemed to be better than she was when they brought her home, but that did not necessarily mean he wanted to answer any questions about Utgard Loki.

"I guess I can try," said Mayura as she took the bowl from him and ate a bite, the warm liquid warming her throat. She instantly loved the mushroom soup and took another bite, wondering why she had resisted eating it initially. "So, who exactly is he? Is he your twin brother or not?"

Loki shrugged as he watched her eat. "That's the best way to define him, I suppose. He's the result of the combining of my magic and blood when I created the Void, though I'm still not sure how or when he manifested."

Mayura nodded thoughtfully as she took another large bite of soup. "Why does he look like you? You know, aside from the hair and eyes."

"I actually used to look like that," admitted Loki and he looked to see her staring at him wide eyed. "When I was still fully giant, I had silver hair and completely red eyes, when Odin made me part Aesir I gained darker hair and green eyes though the red still comes out whenever I'm incredibly angry. Which I'm sure you've noticed."

"Yes," conceded Mayura, putting the spoon back in the now empty bowl. "Were you . . . are you . . . did you really hate humans?"

Loki bristled, not at the question but at the fear in her eyes, like she had been told some horrific secret and forbidden to talk about it. "What did he say to you?" he asked, his eyes narrowing at the thought of his twin verbally harassing his intended.

Mayura looked at the bowl in her lap, reluctant to tell him what his double had told her. "He said . . . that he hated humans, called me your pet and said I wasn't worth more than the dirt under his feet," she said quietly but he heard every word. "He slapped me a few times when I tried to defend humans, telling me I needed to keep my mouth shut unless otherwise told. For a while he ranted about how stupid and worthless I was because I was human, that I shouldn't even be allowed to know of the gods much less marry one. He really didn't like the fact I was going to be your wife, I think. When he saw my engagement ring he said it was a pretty bobble for a human whore, I think he was implying that you gave it to me as payment."

When she was finished speaking she looked up and saw Loki sitting stock still, his breathing audible and heavy as he dug his fingers into his knees. Instantly she reached out to comfort him but he recoiled from her touch, nearly jumping to the other end of the bed in his attempt to get away from her.

"Loki, what's wrong?" she asked hesitantly, thinking for a moment that she had upset him.

"How can you still love me?" he asked, his voice tight. "Now that you know of the brute I used to be, how I used to view your kind before I changed."

Mayura smiled sadly as she took the bowl off her lap and crawled across the bed to where he was sitting, gently putting her arms around his shoulders and holding him as tightly as her ailing body could. "I love you because you're you," replied Mayura, kissing his head. "While I'm not thrilled to know you hated humans, I can't exactly change that now can I? And I don't want to because I love who you are entirely, Loki, not just one part of you."

Loki relaxed in her arms, leaning his head back against her shoulder. "I don't know what I did that was good enough to deserve the love of a woman like you."

"I don't know, but maybe you should do it again," laughed Mayura before kissing his cheek. "Did you ever see yourself getting married again after Angrboda?"

"Possibly, but not for love," he said sincerely. "I thought about it when I was in Asgard, there were several goddesses more than willing to share my marriage bed but I could never bring myself to marry any of them. Gods, I couldn't even bring myself to welcome them into my bed for a night. I guess they weren't what I wanted."

Mayura raised an eyebrow. "And I am what you wanted? Even when you had beautiful goddesses throwing themselves at your feet?"

Loki chuckled as he reached around and pulled Mayura onto his lap, the warmth of her body concerning him a little but he held her regardless. "Mayura, no goddess is as beautiful as you; you possess a beautiful body, mind, soul, and heart. Someone like me couldn't even hope for two of those things in a woman, but I lucked out and found one with all four who loves me despite how terrible of a person I used to be."

"You learned," said Mayura, cupping his cheek, alarmed at the difference in temperature between his skin and hers. "And I never thought I would find someone like you, who could understand my interests and not be turned off by them."

"Well, I didn't exactly understand them," teased Loki, kissing her forehead. "More like tolerated them because I wanted you around. Although, now that I understand them a little bit more and why they mean so much to you I find them endearing, however I was a little concerned when you said you didn't believe in gods."

"Well I do now," she said with a smirk. "I kind of have to otherwise you might disappear again."

"I'm not going anywhere without you, Mayura," promised Loki solemnly, sealing his promise with a light kiss on her lips. "Now, do you have any more questions about my twin or has that satisfied your questionably insatiable curiosity?"

Mayura shook her head as she leaned against his shoulder. "No, I'm too tired to ask more questions right now. Will you stay with me?"

Loki nodded and smiled kindly as he laid her back down on the bed, then climbed in beside her, wrapping an arm snuggly around her waist so he could pull her back flush against his chest. Mayura placed a hand under her head and the other on his, interlacing their fingers before drifting off to sleep, glad to have Loki by her side.

Mayura woke up a couple of hours later drenched in sweat, it appeared that her fever had broken while she slept and would explain why Loki was now situated on the other side of the bed. She smiled as she sat up and stretched, her body aches a bit more manageable so she stood up, testing out her legs as she tried to walk to get her robe draped across a chair; her first few steps were wobbly but she managed to get to her robe without falling over once. Quietly she put on her robe and opened the door, checking over her shoulder to see if Loki had stirred and when she was satisfied he had not she left the room, closing the door as she did.

When she was out in the hall she breathed deeply, happy at the chance to be up and about instead of locked in her room for hours on end. With a smile she dashed as quickly as she could to the stairs, hoping Yamino and Fenrir were in the kitchen, she had so missed talking to them it was driving her crazy. She descended the stairs and went straight for the kitchen, planning on surprising them when she heard what sounded like angry voices, causing her to stop in path, though that did not stop her from pushing the door open a crack to hear better.

"I don't care what the old man says," grumbled Fenrir from the counter. "I still don't think he should have traded Mom for the Mystery Girl."

"Fenrir!" screeched Ecchan, his delicate tone chastising.

"Oh shut up, you over puffed cotton ball!" growled Fenrir. "I know you like her, but that still doesn't make this better. Mom shouldn't have been traded like some commodity in favor of Mayura."

"And you think it was right for Mayura to be used?" came Yamino's voice from beside the stove. "I think you're being very unfair to her, she didn't exactly ask to get kidnapped by Father's double."

"No, but there should have been a better way," sighed Fenrir glumly. "They could have dueled or the old man could have done a series of tests to try and win Mayura back instead of simply trading Mom away."

Yamino sighed audibly. "Fenrir, two trickster gods of equal power could hardly duel or be expected to perform tests fairly, it would simply end in a draw. Father did what he thought was best and Mother agreed with him."

"So you think it was right?" asked Fenrir.

"No, I didn't say that," replied Yamino. "I miss Mother too, things were much easier with her help around the house, but I've managed before and I will again."

Fenrir snorted. "Considering Mayura's Daddy's princess and doesn't have to lift a finger around here to help, all she does is sit in his office on his lap and drink tea. And now that she's sick we have to wait on her hand and fucking foot."

"Big Brother!" scolded Yamino. "You will watch the way you speak about Mayura, after all she is your friend and deserves respect. And taking care of friends when they're sick is what friends do. Father would be ashamed to hear you speak in such a manner."

"Whatever," mumbled Fenrir. "Hey Four Eyes, do you think the old man misses Mom?"

"Yes, I think he does," said Yamino sadly. "They were good friends and each other's first loves, so of course he would miss her after having to leave her so unceremoniously. He even alluded to it that first night after Mayura fell ill, he wished Mother was around to help, since things always seemed to go as planned when she was around."

"Considering Mayura's just a big ball of chaos, that's saying something," said Fenrir derisively. "Maybe when she dies, Daddy will find someone better."

Mayura clapped a hand over her mouth to keep a sob from escaping, though she only then became aware that tears were running down her cheeks. Unable to hear any more she ran from the kitchen and up to Loki's office, unsure of what to do now. She cried until her eyes were red and her throat hurt from choking down so many sobs, not wanting the rest of the household to know that she was so upset. She was not sure what she could do in this situation to make things right with Loki and his sons, it seemed like her very presence in the home was causing them all some kind of distress.

'If Spica were here, everything would be normal,' she thought and then her eyes went wide. 'That's it! I'll go back to Utgard and get Spica back! Then Loki, Fenrir, and Yamino will all be happy again. Now how do I get out of here without anyone hearing me?'

Mayura looked around the room like it held the answers to her problems, her eyes finally falling on a red and black chest sitting on a back filing cabinet. Getting up she padded over quietly to the cabinet, all the while working up the nerve to open the chest, she knew it contained Freya's Brising necklace the source of her power to change shapes. She remembered asking Loki about it and what it did a few years ago.

'So Freya's like you? She can shape shift?' she asks her fingers gently gliding over the delicate amber beads and intricate gold detail.

Loki shakes his head, an amused smile on his lips. 'No, not quite. The necklace grants her the power to change shape, whereas I can change shape whenever I please.'

'Is she limited by shape?' asks Mayura.

'Not that I know of,' replies Loki still smiling. 'As far as I know she can change into anything she wants, within reason of course, she can't become a piece of dust otherwise she won't change back. What's interesting about the necklace is it can make her invisible, something I can't do, but few gods can anyhow.'

Mayura nods as she continues her inspection of the necklace. 'Does it . . . would she . . . do her clothes change with her?'

At this Loki bursts out laughing, when he calms down he answers her question. 'Yes, they do, since her clothes are made of godly material. If you put the necklace on you'd change of course, but when you changed back to your original form you'd be stark naked. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing.' Something devilish gleams in his eyes as he stares at her.

'I see,' says Mayura nervously. 'But if I wore godly clothes, I would be able to transform clothed, right?'

Loki shrugs. 'Sounds logical to me, I personally haven't tried it but gods' clothing can't discern between those who are gods and those who are humans. Now about you being stark naked . . .'

Mayura shook herself, knowing that the rest of that afternoon had faded into a very long love making session that she really did not want to think about right now. She knew what she was planning was dangerous and probably a little bit crazy but she wanted to return everything back to the way it was before Spica left, and this was the only way she could think of doing it. So while she still had the nerve she opened the chest and saw the necklace sitting on the red velvet pillow like always, with shaking hands she picked it up and put it in the pocket of her robe, knowing there was something else she needed before she could carry out her plan. She left the office, making sure to close the chest before she did, then went down the hallway towards Spica's old room.

Entering the room, she was surprised to see so few things in it; there was a bed and the other basic furniture expected in a bedroom, but nothing personal or significant to Spica, like she had planned on leaving sooner than she actually had. Tentatively Mayura made her way to the closet, pleased to find a few of Spica's spare dresses hanging in there, she quickly grabbed the one that looked the warmest and set about changing her clothes. The dress was a little baggy in places, but she somewhat expected that since Spica had been a bit stockier than she, which was apparently normal for a giantess. Mayura then saw a pair of boots and some thick looking pantyhose sitting by the bed, knowing she would need those where she was going she put them on as well.

When she was finished she looked at herself in the closest mirror, considering Spica's wardrobe had consisted mainly of black dresses, Mayura was not surprised to look like she was dressed for a funeral. Not that it bothered her, she was more concerned about practicality than appearance. She then went over to her robe and pulled out the Brising necklace, fastening it around her neck she was surprised at how light the necklace actually was for being made of solid gold and heavy gems.

"Make me invisible," she said, loud enough so that her voice could be heard. She was not sure how to activate the necklace's power but she knew a few tricks to try and figure it out thanks to her time with the gods. Glancing down she saw that nothing have changed and was about the try a different means of commanding it when she looked in the mirror and gasped: she had no reflection!

'Wow this necklace really works!' she thought happily as she shoved her clothes beneath the bed, hoping no one would find them before she was back with Spica. She then crept out of the room and headed for the stairs, making sure to be extremely careful as she moved, while no one could see her they could still hear her and she wanted to get out without alerting anyone. Miraculously she made it down most of the steps without incident, and then she heard Yamino and Fenrir coming up the other end.

"Why do I have to help you clean the old man's office?" whined Fenrir as he walked behind Yamino, whom was carrying a few choice-cleaning products.

"Because you agreed you'd help out around here a little more," replied Yamino as he walked past Mayura, whom was pressed up against the banister.

Fenrir passed by her position and stopped for a moment, sniffing the air; she prayed that he was not about to say he smelled her on the stairs.

"What is it, Big Brother?" asked Yamino when he saw Fenrir had not moved.

"You know, I can still smell Mom even though she's not here," said Fenrir as he stopped his investigation and quickly caught up to Yamino then the pair continued on up the stairs.

Mayura breathed a small sigh of relief as she carefully descended the stairs; Spica's clothing must have masked her smell from Fenrir, which would explain why he thought it was his mother. She made it down the rest of the stairs and to the front door, quickly opening and closing it so it did not make too much noise, then she ran down the path stopping at the gate to look back at the manor. They would notice her missing soon enough, though hopefully not too soon otherwise this would have all been an effort in futility.

She left through the gate and was relieved when Loki's spells did not render the necklace's power useless, she was headed to the Norns' house and wanted to get there without anyone seeing her; often she would run into one of her friends in the city, while that was normally pleasant today it would be dangerous. Mayura began walking but then stopped, the Norns lived quite a distance from where she was and she wanted to get there as quickly as possible.

"Make me an invisible eagle!" she said to the necklace and was instantly transfigured into the animal she had ordered. With a slight giggle she took off flying towards the Norns' mansion.

When Mayura arrived at the Norns' mansion a short time later, she was incredibly exhausted, it had probably been a bad idea to shape shift while recovering from a bad flu but she knew she could not help it now. Still an eagle she rested against the fence outside of the house, catching her breath before she had enough energy to go through the transformation again.

"Turn me back to my original human form but still invisible," she told the necklace, and then felt herself growing to her normal shape. Cautiously she walked through the archway that led up to the house, curious to see if the spells would deactivate the necklace and after she was on the other side she looked in a puddle to see that she was still invisible. With a small smile she continued up to the house, unsure of whether to knock or just go in, when the door opened without her beckoning she knew it was safe to go through.

Standing in the entryway she listened for any sign of the Norn sisters being home but then remembered that today was their fortune telling day down at the park, so none of them were home. With a sigh of relief she took off the necklace, feeling the power that kept her invisible leave her body, then headed in the direction she remembered the Norns kept their portal to the other worlds only to find a familiar guarding the door. When it saw her it seemed pleased so she knew she was not about to be attacked.

"Could you please take me down to the portal?" she asked politely and the familiar nodded before opening the door magically, it beckoned to her and she followed it down the staircase to the portal's sanctuary. The room was dimly lit with torches but the portal seemed to glow in their own right, lighting up a majority of the room. Mayura gulped a little when she saw it, wondering how she was going to open it, then she looked down at the familiar.

"Can you work the portal?" she asked it and it nodded. "Can you set it so I can travel to Utgard?"

The familiar nodded though looked a little scared as he walked over to the pedestal, using its magic to summon the sundial from the floor then continued to use its magic to move the dial so it was turned all the way on the right. The portal flashed brilliantly before the image of snowy scene displayed on the glass, a cold breeze blowing into the room.

"The next time I travel to one of these places, it will be warm," she vowed as she approached the portal. She then presented the Brising necklace to the familiar. "I need you to guard this, you can't let your mistress or anyone else know that you have this, okay?" The familiar nodded, its beady eyes gleaming at the sight of the necklace, then she remembered she should probably tip the creature for its assistance. For a terrifying second she thought that she had nothing to tip it when she felt something crunching in her boot, kneeling down she extracted a crumpled up bill for 5,000 yen.

The familiar saw the money and chirped happily, indicating it wanted the money so she handed it and the necklace over to the creature then she stood up ready to leave for Utgard. "Don't tell anyone I was here, understand? You were very helpful to me," she told the familiar before taking a deep breath and stepping into the portal.

Utgard's harsh winds instantly chilled her to the bone as she struggled to walk a few feet in the knee-deep snow, unable to see much through the blinding mass of snowflakes that pelted her face like tiny pieces of glass. She could barely see with the little light provided from the portal but then it closed, leaving her in almost complete darkness. There was no way for her to tell where she was or if she was going in any direction, everything looked the same as she muddled her way through the snow and wind, the dress she was wearing barely keeping the cold away from her feverish skin. 'Maybe I should have brought my cloak,' she thought as she trudged along.

Mayura had no idea how long she had been walking for when she collapsed from a mix of exhaustion and illness, her body giving into the feeling that she was dying though she herself could not feel anything except the slow beating of her heart. The snow felt nice against her aching body, like a firm mattress was cradling her. She tried to swallow but her throat was still raw from shouting for Spica, hoping her voice would carry on the wind but she was sure no one had heard her. Regret and anger began to wash over her as she laid there; anger that she had failed in bringing Spica back and regret in that she had not told anyone she was here so they could come rescue her. Then again she was so tired of having to be rescued, all it did was inconvenience everyone and cause them endless trouble. This last time it had cost them someone very special to them and while she wanted to make everything right she also wanted to apologize to Spica for being the reason she was taken from her family. After all it was where she belonged.

"Fenrir's right," she said softly, her eyes closing. "I am just a big ball of chaos."