Title: Complications
Fic Series: Silence of the Heart Arc
Series: Matantei Loki Ragnarok
Rating: PG-13 gasp
Pairings: none yet, possible Loki/Mayura
Spoilers: suggest reading Silence of the Heart first, as this takes place right after that.
Summary: Sequel to Silence of the Heart. Staying on Midgard had been a more difficult decision than Loki had originally thought. Soon, events will change him, and others close to him, irrevocably.

Sitting at the window of his study, a small boy gazed outside, watching his friends and family together in the courtyard. Below him, he watched as Mayura played catch with Fenrir. Yamino was nearby, sweeping the walkway. Turning from the scene with a heavy sigh, the young boy sat in the plush chair at the desk.

Loki stared at the desk surface, not even noticing Eechan floating in to land on his head. His fingers drummed on the armrest of the chair, his face pensive. Resting his chin on his hand, Loki stared off into space, not even aware of the soft mewing sound Eechan made in concern.

It had been six months since he'd chosen to remain on Midgard instead of returning to Asgard. Things had changed drastically in those six months. His feelings hadn't changed, only grown stronger as the months went by.

He knew Odin was no doubt confused as to why he hadn't returned to Asgard. His adult form seemed to come and go at will, unfortunately not his will. It seemed to be unpredictable and completely without reason for it happening. In an attempt to once more kill Loki, Odin had sent Angrboda.

Known as Spica, she had taken up residence in the mansion as the maid. Loki had always had a fondness for the giantess, which resulted in them having three children together. But as fond as he was of Spica, he couldn't banish the intense feelings he had for Mayura.

It had taken awhile for him to realize who Spica was. He suspected that the longer he stayed in his child form, the more his memories would evaporate. He wasn't really that worried about it, however. The more he interacted with his children and the other gods, the faster the disorientation disappeared.

Getting up out of the chair, Loki walked out of his study and made his way down to the basement. Spica was outside with the others, watching Mayura closely. The two females didn't particularly like each other, which amused Loki greatly. Even with Spica unable to speak, she exuded jealousy in every pore.

The funny thing was, Spica didn't know exactly why she was jealous of Mayura. The interaction between the two women was amusing, though it brought a pang of guilt to Loki's heart, something he wasn't at all used to. Guilt was an illusive monster that seemed to have taken a hold of Loki with both arms, refusing to let go of him.

He'd never felt guilt before and he didn't much like it now. 'Why should I feel guilty now? I haven't done anything wrong,' Loki mused to himself, descending the stone steps to the basement. Once there he sat on the floor, leaning against one of the stone walls; gazing at the metal tree in the center of the room. It was devoid of any aura now, the entire evil aura having been consumed a long time ago.

Guilt was something that has always been elusive to the young god. Loki was a man of many pleasures, one who had previously done whatever he felt like doing. He'd never considered the consequences of his actions, which had resulted in him getting in quite a bit of trouble.

He still didn't know why Odin had banished him. There were so many reasons, most of which had to do with Ragnarok. Ragnarok seemed to be something that was being dangled over their heads, never leaving. The worst of it had to be the danger his children were constantly in. Yamino and Fenrir had been in such danger all their lives; he wanted them to know some kind of peace. And Hel…well, he wished he could have done something more for her before…

Sitting alone in the basement, Loki pulled his knees up to his chin, staring at the metal-framed tree. The room was dark, almost foreboding. He shivered, pulling his coat around him tighter. He didn't complain about the cold; it was his idea to seek this solitude. There was something that was bothering him, something he couldn't quite put a name to.

A dark red ball of light appeared near the tree, slowly growing. It grew until it blocked the metal tree, the light almost blinding. When it was gone, a tall man stood in its place.

The man was dressed in long robes or deepest onyx. He had soft brown hair, which fell around him and pooled on the floor. His right eye was covered by his hair, much the same way that Heimdall's did. His one visible eye gleamed with malice and hatred. The red orb gazed upon the huddled figure of Loki.

Loki looked up, finding himself in his adult form. He stared at the floor, his eyes on the hem of the black robes. Silence reigned for long moments before Loki slowly came to his feet, meeting the gaze of the other man. "Odin."

"Loki." Odin's voice was calm, his demeanor cold as ice. "I must admit, I didn't expect you to stay here."

"Apparently you don't know me as well as you thought you did," Loki retorted, angered beyond words. How dare Odin come into his life now? After all the pain his blood brother had caused him, he dared to intrude now?!

"Apparently so," Odin commented, walking around the metal tree. He placed his hand on the rim of the structure, gazing at it with interest. "Interesting creation, Loki. Pity you weren't able to keep them."

"I don't need them anymore." Loki narrowed his eyes suspiciously, watching Odin with caution. What did the All Father want now? He'd done enough as it was, what more could he want? Perhaps he had finally decided to take matters into his own hands and kill Loki himself…

"So it would seem." Odin turned, gazing at his blood brother for a very long moment. Loki took a step back; shivering at the look Odin gave him. It was a mixture of hatred, sadness, and pain.

None of which Loki understood. Odin and he had been so very close before his exile. They'd been the best of friends; blood brothers in every sense of the word. Odin had been one of his best friends, along with Odin's son Thor. "Why Odin? Why have you done this?"

"Retribution," Odin said simply, turning from the framework to gaze at his blood brother.

"Retribution? For what?!" Loki demanded, angered now. What did Odin need retribution from Loki for?!

"You don't know?" Odin arched an elegant eyebrow upwards, and then turned from him. He walked over to the far wall, waving his hand in front of it. An image began to form, white mist surrounding it.

Loki gasped in s hock, gazing at the dead figure of his wife, Sigyn. "No!"

"Yes." Odin turned a cold, hard stare onto Loki. His eyes were cold, unfeeling as he gazed at his blood brother. "You killed her, Loki. She died because of you! And with her death, I will have retribution! Tell me, Loki...how does it feel to have your daughter die?"

Loki took a step backward, as if he'd been slapped in the face. This was why Odin had turned Hel against him! It was for some sick sense of vengeance!

"That's right." Odin couldn't help but smirk victoriously. "You tried to insinuate yourself within my family, driving us all towards Ragnarok! But it backfired, didn't it? Instead of destroying us, you will be destroyed! Your daughter is dead and all because of you!"

"No! Because of you!" Loki growled, doing the one thing he'd never thought of doing before. He hit Odin square on the jaw, sending the All Father reeling backwards and hitting the opposite wall. "You were my brother! Do you know what that means? Do you have any clue as to what a brother is?! If you did, you would never have hurt my daughter! I loved you and you betrayed me!"

"Don't you dare to presume anything with me! You're nothing but a low-life giant I rescued out of Jotunheim. You'd be nothing without me!" Odin growled, coming to his feet. His one visible eye flashed in anger and hatred.

Bristling in anger, Loki stood up straight, his green eyes filled with fire. "I was happy with my wife until I met you! Tell me, Odin, how did Glut die?"

Odin was silent, staring back at his blood brother. Loki had never questioned Odin about this before and he was a bit surprised that he would do so now. "I told you she…"

"…fell down an ice shaft." Loki finished for him. He'd heard this so often he could repeat it in his sleep. "I've never questioned you on it before, Odin. Never. But after recent events, I can't help but do so now."

"I don't have to tell you…any…thing…" Odin stopped in mid-sentence, staring behind him.

Yamino stood at the bottom of the stairs, Fenrir in his arms. Behind him the staircase was silent, Spica and Mayura watching silently. Mayura stared wide-eyed at the two, instantly recognizing the tall auburn-haired young man. A thoughtful look crossed her face before she looked to Loki, nodding once.

This hadn't been the way he had wanted her to find out about him. 'Ah well…at least she knows now.' He turned to Odin, his eye narrowed dangerously. "So, how did she die Odin? You said she fell down an ice shaft and I never questioned you. I'm questioning you now. Why did she look as if she'd been raped and torn apart if she fell down an ice shaft then?!"

Silence permeated the room, Yamino and the others looking to Odin for answers as well. The children of Loki had heard of their father's first wife, and his two children. There was a look of horror on Mayura's face, her hand placed to her lips in shock.

"You're frightening your human whore, Loki." Odin sneered, waving his hand. The group on the stairs came crashing forward, Mayura falling with a cry onto the hard pavement.

"Stop it, Odin!" Loki growled, kneeling next to Mayura to help her up. She looked up into his eyes, expecting to see anything but what he saw.

She smiled softly at him, touching his face reassuringly. He placed his hand over hers, wordlessly thanking her for her reassurance and presence.

Odin's eye narrowed dangerously, anger and rage radiating from him as he watched the two. This was intolerable! Loki was supposed to suffer, suffer horribly! How was it that he was able to find love in this god-forsaken place?

"Mayura, look out!" Loki pushed her out of the way and behind him, his eyes narrowed in anger. A spike of power was embedded in his forearm, where Mayura had been only seconds before.

"Loki-kun!" Mayura reached out to him, afraid. He smiled back at her, despite the pain.

"Don't worry about it, Mayura. It's nothing." Loki pushed Mayura behind him again, unconcerned about his bleeding wound. He glared at Odin, his very posture showing his displeasure and anger. "I trusted you when I had trusted no one else in my life. You betrayed me, just as my own family had."

That stopped Odin cold. He looked up at Loki with his one eye, not even noticing the blood that trickled out of his mouth from Loki's previous attack. The word 'betrayal' hit him like a ton of bricks. He'd always blamed Loki, claiming what he'd done was betrayal. But was it betrayal? He'd been terrified of the prophecy of Ragnarok. It had always said that Loki would be the instrument of Asgard's destruction…but was he? Or was it Odin himself, his fear of death that was the real cause of Ragnarok?

Loki's children were strange, to be sure. But they were still children….how many times had he seen Loki's loving touch with them? All the times that Odin had witnessed Loki's devotion to Sleipnir.

That raised another question. Why did Loki give Sleipnir to him? The answer was obvious, if he only chanced to look for it. Loki knew that he would never be able to care for Sleipnir, not the way his son deserved. Odin could do that and so…

What had it cost Loki to give up his child? Sleipnir wasn't like Loki's other children. His blood-brother had actually born him, not just conceived. It was a revelation to the All Father, one he hadn't been prepared for.

Taking a step back, away from Loki, Odin turned to face the wall. He closed his eyes, not even aware of the cut to his temple from their fight. "I'm sorry, Loki. Can you forgive my rashness? I didn't realize…I'm a fool, plain and simple."

Loki stared, uncomprehendingly. Did he hear correctly? He just stared at Odin, dumbfounded. Did Odin just apologize?!

"Odin, I…"

"No." Odin turned, and then embraced Loki in a tight, brotherly hug. "I am sorry for what I have done to you and your family. I was so afraid of Ragnarok…that I nearly caused it on my own. There is nothing wrong with your family; I just chose to see that there was. There certainly is nothing wrong with you. I don't expect you to forgive me, for I cannot forgive myself. I will leave you to your life, brother. Do not fear; unless you approach me, I will not interfere in your life again." He took a step backwards, a soft light appearing on the wall. Beyond the light, fields of gold could be seen, along with a monumental castle in the distance.

"Odin, wait!" Loki reached out to his blood-brother, his green eyes wide with sadness. Odin smiled, shaking his head. He stepped through the portal, then vanished. Falling to his knees, Loki bowed his head and wept bitter tears.

An arm wrapped around him and he instinctively moved into the warm embrace, despite knowing who it was. He looked up, fully expecting to see Yamino.

Instead, Mayura sat next to him, trying to comfort him. "I'm sorry Mayura. I…"

"It's all right, Loki-kun." Mayura gazed at him confidently, with no hint of remorse or confusion on her face. "There is a lot I don't understand, but we have a lot of time to fix that, ne? We have to get you home, after all."

"Mayura…" Loki whispered, then hugged her tight. She sniffed, and then hugged him back, her own tears falling. She would return him home, where he belonged.

A.N.: Reposted because after going over it again, I realized there was a whole page missing. -.-;; Computers at work suck, I swear. Anyway, here's the update chapter and I should have the second chapter this weekend.