Chapter 10: Cold and Wet… Still

---Present---

Yeah, that's how I got into this situation. Well, the history behind my problem at least. The reason I'm in here now happened just this past weekend actually.

"Are you done yet?! I need to use the water!" yelled Mayura from downstairs.

"Just done!" replied Loki. I'm done now at any rate. Not that it helped very much. Loki dried himself off and put his clothes back on. He was wearing his normal dark pants, white shirt, blue ribbon, and red overcoat. But the fact that he had finally gained his original form again, although still not at his final height, brought little happiness to Loki. Mayura still thinks I'm a kid.

"Thanks!"

Loki walked out of the bathroom and back into his bedroom. Depressed, he fell back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Last weekend… If only I could erase last weekend…

Omake: Junk or Treasure

"Loki, several readers and myself as well have been wondering where you get all your money from. I worked at part time jobs all through school, mooched of you for most of my meals—still do, and now I have a full time job—while you do nothing I might add—yet you are infinitely richer than me!"

"It's really quite simple Narukami-kun…"

"I Thor, the god of lightening, justice, and the common worker will not allow this inaccuracy to go on any longer!"

"Narukami-kun…"

"I will stop your infamous creation of Japanese currency by magic!" yelled Thor in righteous anger.

"Thor" interjected Loki by crashing Laevatein on Thor's head. "I don't magically make money."

"Then where do you get it from!"

"A Swiss bank account?"

Thor sputtered. "Fine, how did you get the money then, hum?"

"Selling antiques, rare items… those kinds of things."

"So now you're stealing antiques! Loki, this reprehensible behavior must stop. And I, as your friend must correct you."

"Thor!" yelled an annoyed Loki, once again hitting him on the head with Laevatein. "We're gods. Buy a… a, a concave Sony TV—and don't use it Thor—wait a hundred and fifty years or so… it'll be an antique. You'll sell it for at least five times what it was originally worth. And because of inflation, it'll be more like seven times the original price."

"You became rich selling Sony TV's?"

"No Thor. Televisions aren't worth that much right now. Pristine Alexander Graham Bell telephones would be worth something however."

"So what do you sell Loki?"

"Quill pens I bought in the sixteen hundreds, letters from different noblemen, old handwritten books, jewelry and ceremonial swords I was given as presents from people I've forgotten their names..."

"So… your old junk?" asked Narugami incredulously.

"True… but to collectors of old artifacts, it's priceless treasure."

"Hey Loki, what are you collecting there?"

"The uncirculated yearly press of American coins straight from the Pennsylvania and Denver mints," replied Loki casually. "It'll be a fortune someday."

---Omake Credits---

The inspiration for this omake comes from one of Bibliomaniac's reviews. I was trying to think of how to answer a question when this omake was born!

Author's Note: Sorry, this one is late. I was too lazy the last two days to hook up to the internet. (I was at the computer, just didn't press the connection icon and dial in. Jeez… how lazy can I be? Very...) And this chapter had to be short because it's just a bridge between time frames... that and it incorporates chapter 1 into the over all of the story. I'll update tomorrow though... unless I'm too lazy to dial in again. (sweat-drop)

Kiss next chapter everyone!

And now it's time for the author's response to the reviewers! Yea!

To Erinys: Thanks for the compliment, and the omake was almost solely my beta reader's child. He doesn't like taking all the credit because I typed it up, made it into a story format, and wrote the first paragraph… but… It never would have been written without him since I've never played FF. (Friends start hitting me… "Here, I'll give you the disk! Play! Now!)

To Bibliomaniac:

1. Somewhere in episode 25, Loki broke the seal (curse… whatever you want to call it). I don't quite get how or why that happened… but anyway. At the end of episode 26, Loki uses his shape shifting magic so he could look like 'Loki-kun' again—for Mayura. Younger boys? Can't tell you what's going to happen there. Hehe
2. Odin's not losing the games… he's commenting about the ncp of himself programmed in the games. I can't really explain it to well… ask a Final Fantasy fan if you still don't get it.
3. I don't intent to make Mayura into a crybaby. In the earlier chapters she was crying because of her father dying. (Quite understandable) In the last chapter she cried because… Loki's opinion of her—especially after her father's death—has come to mean a great deal to her, and she was just at the braking point. It was funny to see Loki's response to a non-Mayura action. Guess he can't stand to see her cry.
4. I had Loki eating a lot because in Norse Mythology, Loki was very concerned about getting regular meals and was known as the biggest eater in Asgard—this is admitted by Thor in one of their adventures into Jotunheim. If you recall in episode 8, Loki was willing to stop the "Yamino Detective Agency" game because he was hungry!

To Ytak: Thank you. I was kind of worried about the character development I've planned to happen throughout this story. (For all the characters) I was hoping it would be believable. And this chapter marks the beginning of the angst. But don't worry… it gets much worse. Hehe There's a real bombshell for Loki at the very end of next chapter. Alaska Boy could only grin at the evilness.

To Judiann: Wow, I never thought it was a work of art! Thank you, thank you, thank you… (LokiGirl is bouncing around now—Nooooo! I'm acting like Mayura!) And my writing style is almost the way I talk (Or so I've been told by Beta Reader Alaska Boy.) … scary no? And I believe him because he can cue almost every time I'm going to say something. Scary! Kowaii!