"So," Mikoto says, and then doesn't continue.
"So."
Mikoto gives her a dry, dirty look. "You know I wouldn't be asking if it weren't my only option."
"I feel like I'm being insulted," Leah drawls. "Are you insulting me, Mikoto?"
"You are one of my best friends, for reasons I cannot fathom, but I'm sure you can understand why I'm wary of leaving either of my children in your care."
"Especially Saskue?"
"Especially Sasuke."
Leah shrugs. "Most people would be."
"However," Mikoto sighs, "he was rather insistent that he spend time with his 'Leah-nee-chan,' so I suppose that, on this occasion, it's acceptable."
"Because you're also leaving Itachi here."
"…well, yes." Mikoto gives her a Look. "I trust him to make sure your…"
"My bullshit?"
"…you peculiar life doesn't cause trouble," Mikoto says carefully, delicately, like she knows Leah won't take offense but wants to hold the high ground in terms of politeness anyway. "However, he's exhausted from a recent mission, which is why I'm not asking him to do this himself."
"And Sasuke asked for me."
"And, yes, Sasuke asked for you."
Leah smiles.
o.o.o.o.o
"—and so the children found that things in Avalon were not as they'd thought, that the Manchester Gods were more benign than the King had said, but there was a darker secret beneath Master Wilson's powered machines."
Sasuke sits on the floor, hugging his knees and watching Leah with wide eyes. "What was it?"
"The children found that the machines of the Manchester Gods were being powered by an ancient, evil entity, a fire demon by the name of Surtur, whom the magpie boy had previously offended, with the handmaiden's help." Leah tilts her head and pretends to think, but she can feel a rip in space behind her. "I don't suppose I can get some help telling the story?"
"Parts of it are fuzzy, but I'm sure I can remember enough," Loki says, plopping down on a seat next to her with a grin. He waves at Sasuke. "Hey, kid. It's been a while."
Sasuke waves back. "You're Leah-nee-chan's friend?"
"Mm… half-sibling, maybe?" Loki makes a face and turns to Leah, who shrugs. "You know what, sure, let's just go with friend. Our familial connections are too complicated to make sense of."
Sasuke frowns, but seems to accept that. "Can you finish the story?"
"Has she mentioned Ikol yet?" Loki asks, sneaking a glance at Leah, who only rolls her eyes. When Sasuke nods his head, Loki laughs. "Okay, then. Hopefully I can keep telling the story the way she's been doing it."
They manage to finish the story, weaving a tale of magic and tragedy, dead girls and living stories and a bird that acted as the man behind the curtain. They tell the story of the children that they never quite were, but that paved the way for their own creation.
By the time the story is over, Leah decides that it's time for Sasuke to go to bed, and sends him off to shower.
"Why are you here, Loki?"
"It's ending."
Leah considers that, lounging back on the couch. "Latverion?"
"Yes. The stories will be starting again soon."
"It's been eight years, hasn't it?"
"And they won't remember a second of it," Loki sighs. "I mean, some might. Doom probably will. But overall…"
"Just the most powerful and anyone capable of breaking the wall?" Leah asks.
"Basically." Loki fidgets for a moment. "I… there's a version of you there. Not child Leah, not Hela, but somewhere in between and more like you than the other two points of the story that I know. She won't fit into our world when it resets, not logically, but… I think all the stuff with the timelines resetting may let her exist despite the paradox. I'm expecting her to survive."
"…a sister." Leah has to think the idea over. "You're bringing it up because you think I might want to meet her?"
"Do you?"
"Absolutely."
Loki smiles. "And there are… hints, I guess? There are hints, in the world, that imply her story is going to meet up with Sera and Angela's, so they might… I don't know. I don't know where it's going, yet."
"All we can do is wait, now."
"…yeah."
o.o.o.o.o
"Leah," Mikoto asks, once she comes home, an odd look on her face. "Where did you say you came from?"
"Hel," she answers, and waits.
Mikoto nods, but doesn't say any more.
"You're suspicious of something," Leah says, none too delicate.
"Haven't I always been?" Mikoto says dryly. "Our friendship started because I was suspicious of you, and your refusal to answer certain questions, especially considering what Kakashi claims he went through a few months ago… you haven't done much to make that suspicion dim."
Leah shrugs. "C'est la vie, mon ami."
"I have no idea what that means." Mikoto's flat expression is almost funny.
"That's life, my friend," Leah translates. "I have my reasons. You know that."
"There are rumors," Mikoto says, dropping all pretense. "Of someone using your name and title, claiming to be a shinigami, showing up either to scenes of recent or soon-to-be mass deaths and then disappearing almost immediately. A similar aesthetic to yours, though the face can't be scene, and impervious to harm."
"How curious."
"Leah."
She sighs, wondering how to spin this. "Your gods and mine are not the same, Mikoto. And I am just as likely to be named after the gods of my culture as you are to be named after yours, she who takes her name from Susanoo-no-Mikoto."
Mikoto's lips purse thinly. "You're saying that this person is an actual death goddess."
"Or taking inspiration from such."
"And how do I know it isn't just you?"
"Just me? I feel like I should be insulted."
"Leah, please. Please just give me a way to be sure that you're not the one doing this. That I don't have to tell Hokage-sama that he needs to try to arrest you for the deaths of hundreds of Fire Country civilians."
"I don't have an alibi, Mikoto. No matter what I say, I cannot prove my innocence." She shrugs. "And you could not hold me if you tried."
Mikoto inhales sharply. "Did you kill those people, Leah?"
"No. I can truthfully say that I did not." Just collected their souls in the aftermath. "I can't prove my innocence, though."
"…I hate you."
"You don't."
"It would be easier if I did."
o.o.o.o.o
Next Time: Leah doesn't like the fate lines that she sees.