((Wow…I wrote this freaking thing, and even I'm having trouble comprehending that Heimdall actually won a victory so decisively. And that I actually put Odin and Frigga in this story so early. I guess I was just impatient. Sorry. Also, I apologize that this chapter will be short…
So, yeah, if you'll recall, in the chapter in which Nariko was introduced, she wasn't alone. I also brought up her friend, whose name was mentioned to be Rokia Kekkai. Have you been wondering, hmm, just who is this girl who Nariko made friends with? Why was she brought up at all, the only other character to receive a name? Could it be that she's important? If you haven't been wondering, you should have, seeing as that is going to come to light in this chapter!
Also, I've noticed there is a severe lack of Mayura in this fic, mostly due to the fact that I have trouble writing her character. But she gets some face time here. Even a bit of MayuLoki fluff, since at this point it's still the planned pairing.
Review shout outs…
Gemini Artemis: Glad you enjoy! Action is fun to write. Yes, more Yamino is always a good thing. Midori isn't weird, Midori is Midori! And yes, I plan for Nariko's character to receive quite a lot of development, as will Narugami's. And everyone else's', for that matter.
Seven Midnights: Haha, glad you like the "desu" moments, but remember, they were inspired by Deviant Artist Slayers-Nerd, it wasn't my own idea. Oh, and I'm glad you like Vali so much even though I haven't even introduced him yet! He will be the main character in the first installment of the Lives of the Gods.
In the immortal words of, er, me, time to start this story!))
The next morning Nariko went to school as usual, arriving a bit early so she'd have time to think. Heimdall had achieved a relic of great power to use to his ends, and had broken Loki's spirit while he was at it. All Loki had been able to say that night when she last saw him was "I lost," and "I don't believe it," although that last one had struck her as a reaction to something other than the loss. But what?
"You've been moody lately." Nariko jumped: she hadn't heard her friend Rokia slip into the seat next to her and had been lost in thought. She looked over at her friend, who was characteristically wearing a headscarf over her red-brown hair and looking contemplative.
"I mean," Rokia continued, adjusting her glasses as was her habit to do when she was a bit annoyed and trying to hide it, "A few days ago, you were normal. Then you just randomly walked in the next day like the world was the greatest thing that ever happened to you and you had not plans to ever stop smiling. That lasted for a couple of days. Now this morning, you've been walking around in a daze like you're trying to figure something out." Rokia glanced at Nariko. "Care to share why?"
Nariko didn't answer. Scowling, Rokia continued. "That's another thing. Ever since you first started coming to this school, I've been, for lack of better term, you're best friend. You've barely talked to me at all since the mood thing started, and sometimes you even seem to be looking at me bug-eyed when you think I don't notice. Please tell me this phase is almost over!"
Nariko looked away. She heard her friend sigh dramatically and turn away, and she couldn't blame her: with the weirdness of finding her father and now Heimdall stealing a powerful rune stone, she hadn't been the most attentive of Rokia, lately.
Well, actually, she had considered being attentive since the Heimdall thing. She'd been planning on trying to think up a decent lie about the whole situation and ask Rokia for advice. But before she could, she was waylaid. She couldn't really talk to her friend since the night she'd been reunited with her father due to the fact that she'd noticed something odd, something too odd for her comfort.
She noticed that Rokia, other than having bright blue eyes instead of green and wearing glasses, looked just like and older, female version of Loki. The resemblance, which Nariko couldn't believe she hadn't noticed earlier, was uncanny.
There were some other unsettlingly familiar things about Rokia Nariko found rather discomforting now that she noticed them. She had the same habit of staring out windows when she was depressed or thinking, the same hand motions when she talked, the same "Elementary, my dear Watson" tone of voice when she was making a point, the same piercing glare when she was annoyed (for all that Loki's was the deepest of greens and Rokia's was the bluest of blues, they're eyes held the same ferocity and ability to look right through you).
But why? Why did Rokia Kekkai have these strange similarities to the god of mischief?
"You're doing the bug-eyed thing again," Rokia told Nariko, who jumped again and realized that she was indeed staring at her highly annoyed classmate and companion. Blushing a little, she turned to the front of the room and made a point of glaring at the blackboard instead of eyeing Rokia.
"Nariko, if you want to ask me something, go ahead and ask," Rokia informed her, getting quite tired of this whole thing.
Nariko spared her friend a sidelong glance. "If I ask and I'm wrong, you'll think I'm crazy." It was true: if she asked Rokia if she knew about Loki and she didn't, she'd bug Nariko like crazy to figure out why Nariko thought she would, and things would probably spiral out of control.
"That's okay; I already think hyu are crazy!" Rokia said, smiling and showing the barest tinges of a strange accent when she mispronounced "you." Nariko almost laughed. And Rokia accused her of being moody! That was another shared trait Rokia had with Loki: the bizarre and sudden changes of mood from angry to playful to distressed to whatever other emotions came across their minds.
Rokia and Loki also shared their love of being a bit mean for the sake of amusement. Or a lot mean, when that impulse came upon them.
"Seriously, though, hurry up and tell me what's on your mind or I'll beat it out of you," Rokia said, and Nariko was reminded of a distinct difference between Loki and this girl. Loki was not typically cruel, for all of his crimes. Rokia, on the other hand, seemed to get a real kick out of other people's misery, had no problem with violence, and could even be mildly sadistic at times.
As such, the (probably serious) threat of physical injury finally started to worm it out of Nariko. "Well…I don't suppose you know anyone named-"
The bell rang and both girls practically fell out of their chairs. Saved by the bell, Nariko thought with relief. During lunch, there would be too many people around for Rokia to bug her. She was safe until after school, when she could try to lose her.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Loki had managed to keep Mayura out of the last case only by great effort, and by eventually going to her father, who had naturally forbid Mayura from going anywhere with Loki, and on a school night, too! Still, she managed to weasel her way into the investigation of the aftermath and had shown up earlier than he'd expected her to. He suspected she'd cut her last class despite her assurance that it was a study hall and she was allowed to leave early.
He might have made a bigger deal about that, but he was still reeling a little about Heimdall's accusations/assurances that Loki would one day lead the way to Ragnarok. As he watched some poor museum employees sweep at the insanely large amount of shattered glass, he wondered about what would happen if, heaven forbid, Heimdall was right…
No, it was too terrible; he couldn't imagine laying waste to those he cared about. But if he couldn't even beat Heimdall to get a rune stone, how could he defeat whatever forces would push him to Ragnarok?
"Hey, Loki, look sharp, would ya!?" Mayura came up behind him, startling him from his rather depressing reverie. He glanced up at her, as lively and naïve as always. For all of the annoyance she caused Loki, he had to admit being around someone as innocent and energetic as her made it near impossible to contemplate the world ending.
Still, he wasn't exactly in a cheery mood. Rather than answer her, he simply looked back out at the destroyed jewel room. His frown deepened when he caught sight of the display case Heimdall had destroyed while attacking Kori…
"Do you feel bad because that jewel got stolen?" Mayura asked, kneeling down to his eye level and, as he saw when he turned to face her, giving him a sympathetic look. Since it was technically the truth, he nodded.
Mayura gave him an encouraging smile. "Well, don't worry about it! I mean, entire police forces put up less of a fight than you did! And besides, there are more cases out there! Don't let one mistake get you down, or you might miss the next opportunity!"
Loki blinked in mild surprise. "That was a slight bit profound," he admitted. "Thank you, Mayura."
Now Mayura blinked. Then she giggled a little nervously, standing. "It doesn't need thanks," she told him, sounding rather embarrassed. "Now, come on! Let's do some investigating!"
Loki didn't comment on the lack of anything to really investigate, instead just shaking his head and musing over Mayura's strange appeal and the question of his relationship with himself and Mayura, which he still couldn't really answer.
Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Unfortunately for Nariko, she had not, in the end, been able to escape her friend Rokia. As such, all the way through the halls outside Rokia was practically clinging to her, begging for information on this person she should know whose name Nariko had yet to give to her. That was another of the several differences between these two: Rokia had far less dignity when she really wanted something.
"Look, it's hard to explain!" Nariko said for what felt like the billionth time as they exited the building, Rokia mere inches away. This made Nariko uncomfortable: a defining trait of Rokia (and another difference with Loki) was that Rokia had no problem with any sort of interpersonal physical contact. She could be very clingy and huggy and even make things a little bit uncomfortable. At the very least, Loki could keep his distance…
"Oh, come on, Nariko; just give me a hint about this guy!" Rokia begged, grabbing Nariko's arm and hugging it. Nariko pulled it away, and Rokia grabbed it again. "No! I'm holding your arm hostage! Tell me this guy's name!"
"Quit being stupid!" Nariko shouted as she pulled her arm away again, not knowing she was setting herself up for the dropping of a bomb.
"Oh, puh-leez!" Rokia told her, rolling her eyes and putting her hands on her hips. "You're hardly one to talk about intelligence, considering who your family is!"
Wait for it…
"What?" Nariko asked, startled.
"Well, you're daddy Thor isn't supposed to be the brightest guy around, ya?"
Ka-boom.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAT!?" Nariko shrieked. She had never mentioned her identity to Rokia! Rokia was normal, or at least, she thought she was, but…but…but… "AAAAH! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"
Rokia's scowl turned into a playful smile. "Ah-ha, didn't think I could tell, ya?" she asked, teasing. "Thought I was a normie, ya? Thought I wouldn't sense you're power and realize you were an Asgardian who had power over thunder, ya?"
"Ah…ah…ah…ah…how..?"
"Oh, I'm not human," Rokia said with a shrug. "I'm a Jotun."
"A Jotun," Nariko repeated, trying to take this in. "You're an ice giant. From Jotunheim. But…but how did you…?"
"Get to Midgard?" Rokia finished. Nariko nodded. "Well, hyu can thank your dear granddaddy Odin for dat one, ya," Rokia told her, scowling. Nariko could tell she was getting annoyed: more of her strange accent was showing. Of course, now Nariko knew it was a remainder of Rokia's apparent old tongue, the Jotun language.
"Hyu see, I, ah, got on Odin's nerves sometimes. Quite often, actually. He had someting I vanted, you see, and I was always, always trying to get it, always. Eventually, he got sick of me. Put me in a human form and banished me here, he did. So, I didn't know what to do, so eventually I gave ap and tried to be human. And then who should show up but you?
"I met your father once, hyu know, kiddo. I hate the Asgardians, they are all traitors, but…your father Thor struck me as rather good natured. So then when you come into school, I think, hey, she must be related to him. If he wasn't so bad, she can't be so bad, ya? And I got to know you…and now, here we are." And Rokia finished her monologue with a sweeping motion at the world around her, at 'here.'
"Right," Nariko said eventually. "Here we are. Oh, boy, that...that was…I don't know what that was, but I can't think again yet."
"Take your time," Rokia advised, grinning, apparently amused by Nariko's total stupefaction. "We've got plenty of time!"
"So…if you're a Jotun…" Nariko said slowly, speaking her thoughts aloud to make sure she had this straight. "…then you're from Jotunheim. And since he used to be a Jotun…he's from Jotunheim too. And if you're both from Jotunheim…maybe you do know each other…"
"Tell me who dis mysterious "him" is, ya?" Rokia inquired, poking her index finger underneath Nariko's chin to lift up the girl's head so they were looking at each other. "Who might I know?" Like Nariko, she was setting herself up for a bomb to fall.
Nariko thought for a second before answering "Loki."
Ka-boom. Again.
"LOKI!?" Rokia shrieked, releasing Nariko's chin to grab her by the shoulders. "Are you serious!? Loki!?"
"So you do know him!" Nariko exclaimed.
"Know heem!? Hai am related to heem! Oh by de godz, dis is beyond brilliant! Dis is vat I been vaiting far!" And she stopped just speaking heavily accented Japanese and began speaking rapid, excited Jotun, which is sort of like a mixture of German, Scandinavian, Russian, and a little bit of Latin, with some various hisses and growls added in there. Very interesting to listen to, but kind of scary sounding too.
Nariko continued to digest this. A relative of Loki. She'd made friends with a relative of Loki without even knowing it. This friendly, slightly charming, tall girl who had some sadistic habits and talked funny when she was excited was related to Loki. And was desperate to see him again, it would seem. Oh, boy, Nariko was really in for it…
"Take meh too heem!" Rokia suddenly ordered, pointing at her shocked friend.
"Say what now?" Nariko asked.
"Take meh too vere Loki eez!" Rokia explained, looking more than ready to beg if that's what it took to get Nariko to lead her to him.
"Um…I don't know for sure he's home…but I guess I can take you to his house…" Nariko said slowly.
And thus, she set up the opportunity for a Hel of a lot more bombs to come crashing down.
((Ooo, well isn't this interesting! Another member of Loki's family, eh? Where will this lead? Well, I know because I'm the author, but you'll just have to wait. evil laughter Of course, I'm the one who has to write it well enough to keep you interested…aw, damn.
If you had any trouble reading Rokia's accented speech, just tell me in your review and I'll translate. She's supposed to speak with a Russian or German sounding accent, if that helps.
Anyway, you'll find out the EXACT identity of Rokia and her relation with Loki (and his other family members) next time, which is going to be another long chapter if I can pull it off, what with the internet breaking on my computer all the time and making it hard to post and school starting up in a few weeks and my brother going off to college soon (wah, I'm gonna miss him!) and other stupid things in my pointless "real life" causing me trouble. Look forward to it!))