Chapter Twelve – Heart's Rain

The waters felt suave, hugging her body and still allowing her to move freely. Her muscles worked mechanically, as natural as if she was walking. Arisu's mind registered the touch of the water and the pleasant sensation spread through her body when she started to swim.

Other part of her mind, more conscious, was on different matters.

"You should be able to do something better" A small voice whispered in her brain.

"She's still…" Well, duh. It would have been quite stupid of anyone to think that it wouldn't be so. Maybe she had assumed in some subconscious level that things would be improving at least at a little more than before?

"You have "assumed" things were well once. See the result" The voice continued. Arisu's moves became wilder, her speed increasing as she pushed forwards, crossing the water as if to cut it.

"You got so focused in all that's happening that you forgot about her, is that is?"

Behind the swim goggles, her eyes closed strongly.

Yes, with all that was happening, arriving and getting used to this place, convincing the gods to attend the classes, then dealing with their anti-social behavior and…

But this was no excuse! And it wasn't as if she hadn't been thinking in anything else…

Her hand met with a wall, indicating the edge of the pool.

"It's almost funny…" The girl thought, stopping and leaning her arm in the edge. "All this time, we've found solutions for the problems with gods, or at least a way to give them a push, but for something like this I have no idea of what I could do for her…"

And this made her body heavy inside.

And she should be able to do more, without a doubt.

But she couldn't even think in a way to help Isuzu.

Starting a new turn, her mind passed through brief scenes and words from hours ago.

When her mind realized she was awake, Arisu had just turned in her bed, covers making a cocoon of warmth around the body that still had remains of the sleep to which she tried to go back to.

A small noise, however, pulled her more to a state of full awareness and by instinct, she opened an eye.

The room was painted by the weak light of the sunrise that slithered through the curtains that someone had pulled just a tiny bit to spy through it. At first, taking Ren's habit of sitting by windows, she thought it was the black-haired girl.

Soon she realized it was actually her sister.

And at once she understood why she had woken in the first place.

Isuzu was standing, holding the curtain with one hand and making a small crack where the light entered the room with more strength and hit her face, making her skin yellowish and the messed hair have a halo around.

"Hey…" Arisu muttered, tongue still limp. Her sister turned her face to her slowly. "Why you up?" Though she had an idea of the answer. And only Isuzu would manage to understand her words in such state, sounds dragging and mixing, still full of sleep.

The other then looked to the window before closing the curtain. The light became weaker.

"It's nothing" Isuzu told her. Arisu ignored the sleep in her system and sat up, hugging her legs.

"Isuzu?"

"Go back to sleep, Ari" The suggestion was kind in tone and with a smile as Isuzu sat at the table, picking one of the books they used to leave there, and opening it in just any page.

Arisu didn't give up.

"Why are you up?" She whispered to not wake the others. Isuzu shrugged.

"I just woke too early, that's all" The reply only worked to make Arisu kick her covers, getting free of that embrace and going over to her sister.

"Isuzu…" She repeated in the way of who is hearing a lie and asks for the truth kindly. It had been a while since something of this nature happened (the last time had been on the day after they moved) but there had been weeks in which Isuzu would wake early almost every day for the same reason… That when it wasn't the alternative. And soon, somehow Arisu started to wake as well, as if her body could feel it through the layers of her own sleep and leave this state behind.

Seeing there was no use in lying, the other tilted a shoulder, muttering quietly.

"Well… I… I had a nightmare."

Brief words, they expulsed every warmth Arisu's body retained from bed and even the light became pale. The girl knew this was impression caused by an associated of sounds with memories and knowledge, but didn't make the feeling less real.

"Was… Was it about…?" She didn't want to ask something so obvious, but couldn't help and a bitter taste took over her mouth.

"It was" Isuzu gave in, the smile sliding for a moment before she fixated it and waved her hand, as if meaning to dismiss the subject. "But I'm fine. It was just a dream, therefore…"

"Please… Don't do this, okay?" Arisu whispered, sitting at her side. Her mind was empty, she couldn't think about anything she could do to help her feel better.

"Just a dream my foot" She thought with bitterness, trying to think what their parents would have done and some words, but all that crossed her mind felt worthless and empty, without any result. Moving as if she was uncomfortable, the girl risked.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Isuzu lowered her eyes and a crack appeared in them so Arisu could see the darkness hiding behind, pulsating in veins and worms among rotting flesh.

"I think not…" The taller of the twins mumbled, eyes back in the pages without moving. Arisu knew Isuzu wasn't even seeing the words.

After a second, she picked a book herself and left it open in the table, turning the paged with one of her hands as the other held Isuzu's hand. For a moment was like holding a limp, dead flesh until she felt a pressure when Isuzu held hers back.

"Great work, no, really, amazing" Arisu thought with sarcasm, water agitating with her swimming. "She must be feeling sooo well with this"

No way of denying it, it was true. Great comfort she had offered. During the class, she had barely heard a word from Thoth and during all path to the way to the pool, Arisu tried to force some idea to happen, remembering what her parents used to try, but she knew it would be a poor imitation and even worse than doing nothing.

"She would be able to make you feel better, should it be the other way around." More truth that she had no answer for. And that didn't help at all either. "Great sister you are."

The girl tried to push this thought away. This wasn't about her, it was about Isuzu. Dreams, when about people or past events, had a curious power of pulling memories back to the surface, as a hook does to a fish. After this, the mind had a chain reaction of its own, a memory bringing another.

"I should be able of doing something" If they were back home, perhaps she would try suggesting that they would go out or see a movie… But thinking well, wouldn't this be just as useless? Covering a wound instead of actually taking care of it, just because you didn't want to see it. But she couldn't force Isuzu to speak of that subject, it would be cruelty. She had tried to suggest they ditched the clubs for the day and just walked through the gardens or stayed in the bedroom, but Isuzu had smiled and said she was fine, telling her sister to go…

Damn it all.

Once more, her hand found the edge of the pool and her legs stopped moving as she took notice of feet in front of her.

Putting the goggles in her forehead, the girl looked up.

Takeru.

"Hi there." She lifted her hand in greeting and moving her face muscles into the shape of a smile. "What's up?" Sometimes, her mind did take notice that she was talking so casually to a god. But she had already accepted how weird it felt anyway.

And today, she didn't feel like giving a damn.

Takeru, to a surprise that she hid, was wearing the swimming shorts, the same he had wore in the Sports Event. His tiger-like eyes were on her with the intensity of daggers, arms crossed in his chest. As always, Arisu couldn't figure out if he was angry at her, since he always looked like this.

"You truly look like a rat swimming"

Rolling her eyes, Arisu sighed.

"Hi for you too, Takeru, yes, I'm quite fine and speaking of which, why don't you go screw yourself?" Arisu still kept her smile (though it became ironic) and shrugged to show she couldn't care less for what he thought. However, he was the god of the seas, probably everyone looked clumsily when swimming at his eyes.

"Yeah, do forgive me if I wasn't born with scales, or a dolphin tail or whatever the hell"

Perhaps, weeks ago, Takeru would give a rude reply, yet this time he just shook his head like someone dealing with a hopeless situation. The girl pointed his shorts with her chin.

"And what's the deal with the shorts?" The answer could be obvious, but if Takeru used the pool, it had to be at other time than her club, since Arisu had never seen her even near it. Just Misaki came by from time to time and offered to keep the time or some other thing or then Yui passed by.

"I'm going to dance ballet, what do you think?" His voice dripped sarcasm and before Arisu realized it, a laugh shook her organs and she leaned her arms in the edge before the image her brain had just conjured.

"Wow, do tell me when the presentation is." She commented with a giggle. "I'll love to see it!"

Takeru rolled his eyes, but somehow it didn't look like a gesture of annoyance or anger. Arisu somehow felt a kind of relief, taking in his complicated temper.

The giggles fading, she still looked at him as she backed away in the water.

"Well. Leaving your destined to failure ballet career aside, you decided to swim today."

The god turned his face away, lips forming a thin line.

"I just thought… That there was no harm in joining the club, too" He mumbled with a shrug as if it was just he had nothing better to do. "Since I'm the sword fighting club anyway, no harm in doing something more." He added through gritted teeth. Arisu didn't see any reason to act like this, but in a weird way, there was something cute about it.

"I must have water in my brain, that's what"

Suddenly, Takeru stared at her for a second without saying a word before he jumped, arms stretched ahead, in the water. His body slid under the water gently before he came back up, almost making an arch.

Not having any necessity, Takeru refused to wear the cap and the goggles, also considering both most uncomfortable when he had had to wear them back in the Sports Event. Strands of bluish hair fell over his eyes and the light from the ceiling gave them a light reflex, making it look even more as waves in a lake.

And, like in the few occasions she had seen him wearing a swimsuit, Arisu had to admit that he had a nice body.

Realizing what she had thought, the girl pushed the thought away with all her strength before she blushed. It wasn't as if Takeru or any of the other gods were the first males she saw in such way and it wasn't as if she was crushing on any of them, but in her opinion, she was probably acting like a silly little girl.

"Yep, definitely got water in the brain"

"You need to take it easy" The strict tone of the god dragged her from her thoughts. If before tiny points of heat were coming to her face, now she was taken by a wave of coldness and she wished deeply that he hadn't realized anything. She wouldn't bear the embarrassment.

"Come again?"

Takeru raised a brow and rolled his eyes, showing that her reply had sounded more than idiotic and gestured to her as he came closer. There were no rails crossing the pool.

"When you were swimming" He explained with a little exasperation, becoming quiet for some seconds before adding, looking at her critically. "Your moves were too rigid, more like you want to punch the water."

"Oh, that…" No doubt that was at least a better subject. Takeru seemed about to say something else, but changed his mind and just suggested, averting the eyes once more.

"Relax"

And with an impulse, he dived in and went swimming in a perfect straight line, an arrow under water. Arisu blinked twice before she herself touched her feet in the pool's wall and took an impulse to follow.

During the competition, Arisu hadn't had time to really pay attention in Takeru's swimming. It was obvious that he was a great swimming, since he was a sea god, but it was far more than anyone could imagined and that went beyond merely being a good swimmer: There was nothing remotely human in this, he found no resistance in the water. A dolphin would look out of his element next to him.

Still there were moments during their practice in which Takeru complained how a human body was limited and slow, compared to what he was used to. They gave several turns, Arisu showing some swimming modes she had learned (her crawl was still good, but the butterfly was quite out of practice).

Since she had moved Arisu didn't go to a pool and the extra classed in her old school had never been just out of enjoyment for the thing and she told him that as they talked.

"Hey… If there's something bothering you, you won't solve it by being tense like this." He commented as he leaned in the pool's edge and took impulse to get out, leaning in one of his knees on the way. Behind him, still in the water, Arisu tilted her head, not understanding where this had come from.

"Hm?"

"The way you were swimming, all tense, it was easy to notice." He muttered as explanation. "Whatever it is… Just… Just take it easy, alright?"

It was Arisu's turn to become quiet. In the first place, she hadn't ever imagined that Takeru (or any of her classmates) would be able to see it, since she tried to act in a natural way all day. In second place, she also hadn't thought that the god would give her any sort of advice regarding this.

He turned to go to the locker room, but still cast her a glance and the girl realized Takeru wouldn't ask specific questions about what bothered her, something Arisu was grateful for. She wouldn't have been able to explain what she felt, let alone the reasons, without explain all rest. And even if she just said she didn't want to talk about it, she just didn't want to hear anyone asking anything.

"I don't think anyone can think about solutions when getting all nervous" The god commented, which was a bit weird to hear from him considering the first impression Arisu had had of him.

"Thanks, Takeru…" She muttered, even if he didn't know what her deal was, there was value in his words. The god, in his turn, merely shrugged.

"Just saying, Rat"

The girl raised her brow and jumped out of the pool after him, both taking the path to the locker rooms, which were close of one another. Again with that particular part of her surname?

"Okay, porcupine" She replied with a muffled giggle, recalling the comparison made by Misaki some days ago. The god stared at her with shock before he frowned.

"HEY!"

"Hey, what? You call me Rat, don't you?" She smiled. "And it wasn't my idea to be honest, but it's somewhat cute. Think about it as a compliment."

That made him stare at her as if she had said the greatest absurd or started talking in a language he had never heard before in his long life and Takeru shook his head.

"Sometimes, I think you and your friends kinda missing some screws in your heads"

"Hey!" Arisu repeated in the same tone he had just used, though she smiled, and the god rolled his eyes with a smile of his own.

"Well, I didn't say it was a bad thing. Just stating a fact."

"If we're missing screws, what is Loki missing them?"

"His whole brain"

XxX

Her body seemed severed from the mind and none of them worked properly.

It was frustrating and distressful at the same time. She managed to command her movements and stand in the correct position as she managed to focus her eyes in the target and even so, somehow she kept missing.

No, not "somehow". She could be positioning herself correctly, almost mechanically, but there was no true concentration. Her body felt empty of all kinds of organs or bones, remaining just a grey sensation that sucked her from inside out, stopping any other feeling and paralyzing her mind.

Isuzu hated to feel like this.

Retreating to the bank, she sat down and placed the bow at her side, sighing and lifting her face to the sky. Perhaps she should have taken Arisu's suggestion to ditch club activities for today and just wander together through the fields, but Isuzu hadn't wanted to make her worry.

Recalling how Arisu had woken up and sat at her side to read, the girl closed her eyes and would have smiled if she could. It had been like back home…

Her sleep had been made of sensations, images and words from memory. She had been tormented and caged in that until her body couldn't take it anymore and had broken the flux of sleep, as if happens when one is having an intense nightmare, body cold despite covers and taken by shivers that come in waves.

Aware she would be unable to sleep again, Isuzu then had stood up and headed for a shower, hoping the warm water would push the sensations away and bring some peace. It had been useless, those spiders that had been born inside her remained.

And, a little after she had dressed, Arisu had woken up. As it usually happened when Isuzu woke too early, her sister seemed to follow. Even back home, she could leave the room and go to the living room or the kitchen and yet her sister would wake.

Isuzu wouldn't have been able to deny that, despite not feeling very well for Arisu ending up waking too, it was something she enjoyed. It was better than to stay alone.

Placing her elbows in her knees, she held her chin, still turned inside herself. She didn't want to keep feeling this, didn't want to remember anything, and yet she couldn't get rid of any of it… Once it started, not a moment of peace.

One could think getting rid of sensations and problems that remained inside would be easier to get rid of them problems outside. Well, whoever believed this, was a fool.

The girl lifted her head once more. This was all useless, she wouldn't be able to do a thing today. Maybe she should go back to the Academy and…

"Isuzu?"

The girl moved as if meaning to look at the sky once more and saw Balder standing behind the bank a little to her left, arms at the sides of his body and holding the racket in one of his hands.

Not allowing a second of hesitation, an automatic smile surged in her face and she greeted him with the best cheerfulness she could force, just enough so the go wouldn't suspect anything.

"Hi there, Balder" She turned in the bank, passing her legs over it. "How's the training?"

"Good, good" His blue eyes ran until the target at the wall. The girl's last arrows were stuck in it and second had missed it completely, resting in the grass. "You seem a little distracted today"

Isuzu just blinked with an expression that didn't betray any emotion. During the classes, she had greeted everyone and tried to concentrate in Thoth, but his words hadn't reached her and the girl had taken notes without having an actual idea of that she was writing, as she merely copied the words without reading.

Still, she didn't think anyone had noticed anything.

"Why do you say so?"

Balder turned his eyes back to her and took a seat at her side, placing his racket near her bow.

"I'm not sure. It's just the impression I'm having" He indicated the tennis court nearby. "And… Well, when I was playing, I saw that you didn't seem to be very much like yourself" It was perhaps a gentle way of saying it was too obvious she wasn't concentrating at all due to how bad her performance was today.

The comment was of no surprise to the girl. Since their club areas were so close, it was even common that she, Apollon or Balder ended up sometimes walking to the others to talk a little as they took a break (though it was far easier to talk to Balder when those spirits stayed away to let him practice and didn't surround him asking for him to teach them –which would be useless, they had no minds to retain teachings or rules of how to play).

"I think maybe I'm really lacking focus today" She gave in, still holding her smile. "It's just one of those days, you know." There was no certainty he did, but yet Balder acquiesced.

"Oh, I know, yes. Your attention doesn't fix in anything, almost like you have a fog in your brain" He lifted his eyes to the sky before looking back to the girl with the kind of smile that comes when one has an idea. "Listen, why don't we go to drink something?"

"I don't know…" But Balder held her hand upon standing, pulling her along gently.

"C'mon, c'mon! You said yourself you can't concentrate here anyway."

Not finding any sort of answer or a good reason to refuse anyway, Isuzu decided to accept it and accompanied the god to the Academy, he still holding her hand. Balder was right, she wasn't getting anything with archery and a talk with the Nordic was actually welcome. Hadn't she been thinking she should have gone to a walk with her sister?

"How are you going with the tennis? No doubt better than me today, I bet" Isuzu added as a jest. Balder commented with her that he was enjoying the sport that he had never played before and getting good at it, soon telling a little about his world when she asked what games were played there.

"You use to climb mountains, don't you?" She remembered that back when they were going to the beach, Loki and him had commented of it and also back in the Sports Event day. Besides trails in the mountains, they had board games (more turned to strategy), and other competitions, like swimming and sometimes swordfight.

As he told her about the games, Balder also told about the mountains. So tall that they seemed to scratch the sky and some had snow in the top during all year. So many that as they grew fainter approaching the horizon, they became completely white.

"It sounds beautiful…" The girl's voice sounded quiet as her mind was taken by the image of mountains that were so unlike the ones she had seen in photos, wild places that would be fit for epic legends. She took a gulp from her soda by the straw, imagining how it would to see the sunset in them. "I've just seen mountains in photos, but this sounds…"

"Oh, you needed to see! Maybe… Maybe we will have snow here in winter" The god hurried in correcting and adding as they went back to the gardens, but stopping to sit at the stairs. Balder looked to the fields as if imaging the snow falling.

"It wouldn't be the same, but still…" He continued. It wasn't at all what he had been about to say, on the contrary, he was almost saying that maybe someday Isuzu could visit him in Asgard, the realm of the Nordic gods. But the words had soon turned into ashes in his tongue when he realized how empty they actually were.

Maybe the other gods would still be able to find a way to break the frontiers between their realms to visit, but even this was still an idea of fragile possibility. In Isuzu and the other's case… Well, they were just humans.

The chances of seeing them ever again after the end of this year were really low.

"Balder?" The sound brought him back to the present. At his side, Isuzu was leaning forward in a way to see his expression.

"Sorry, Isuzu… I was kinda thinking here"

The girl blinked in her silence.

"Do you miss home?" He looked at her when hearing this question. "Is that it?"

Balder didn't give her an immediate answer. It was something natural, of course, it would be even if they were here by choice (it had nothing to do with the place being enjoyable or not). On another hand, he was still thinking about her failed arrows and how one time he had looked at her she had seemed to be moving more like a doll than anything remotely alive.

"Don't you?" He tried, wondering if this could be why she was like that today or if it was really nothing like she had said.

Isuzu hesitate, but nodded.

"Yeah"

Both looked at each other for a moment, before they looked to the fields once more, with Isuzu asking him to tell more about the mountains.

XxX

"Since we could choose any author" Yui was telling during dinner. "I decided to do about him, I mean, I've read some stuff before, so…"

Hours later, during dinner, they were talking about other kinds of school's assignments (since they had had one due for today's class) and as they went on, Yui told about a literature's paper she had done some time ago in school about Chuya Nakahara, a Japanese poet.

Surprisingly, Takeru seemed quite interested.

"Ah, I think I saw a book of his when I was in the library… I guess…" Misaki commented with a frown as she tried to remember if it was the same author. It had been a day she had been walking in the poetry section, of course. Sometimes, she ended up going through the books, or even sitting in the floor to starting reading when she got distracted.

"Doesn't Thoth complain of this?" The Greek sun god who was sitting at her side asked. The Egyptian behaved in such a strict way that he wasn't even sure that the idea of Misaki picking a book and sitting in the floor to read was something he would just accept, even because sometimes she did this in the club's hours.

"Meh, when he sees that I still haven't left, he goes after me and tells me to not sit in the floor and so on. Not always, though" She suspected it had more to do with him being more interested in his own reading to reprimand her than for acceptance. She tended to stay among shelves and out of his way…

Ren, Misaki, Yui, Apollon, Takeru and Dionysus were dinning together, but there was no sign of Tsukito or the Nordic gods and the Hironezumi twins weren't there too. Hades still wasn't back from his Astronomy Club, yet this wasn't much of a surprise. His hour of return seemed to change.

"Tsukito isn't coming to dinner?" Yui asked out of sudden, turning to Takeru that didn't need to think and shrugged a bit.

"He has been really busy with the last details of the Moon Gazing Event…" He commented, almost more to himself. "I guess I'll take something for when he is done…" Truth was, while Tsukito was attentive to some things, he got distracted easily when involved in something he classified as a "duty", so there were times he even forgot to eat. This wouldn't be an issue before, but now in human bodies…

Aware of this and of how his brother could be, Takeru lately took something to the dorm and remembered his brother that he had to eat. Tsukito once had commented that dinner was not supposed to be had in the dorm, according to the students manual, to which Takeru hadn't give a damn and told him to eat. Plus, it wasn't as if no one else ended up sneaking some snacks.

And they weren't the only ones not having dinner in the cafeteria. Ren hadn't said anything, but when she was heading downstairs and passed by a hallway, she had seen Isuzu and Arisu sitting by a windowsill with their plates on their laps, seeming to speak little and when they did it, it was through whispers.

Out of respect, and because there was a heavy seriousness in the air, Ren had pretended she hadn't seen them and when Apollon wondered where they were, she gave no answer. The god had found it weird, since they usually had dinner in the same hour and now, frequently together.

At the end of the meal, Ren decided to take the hallway with arc-shaped windows, near the gardens where she sometimes stayed to look the gardens. It wasn't that she was going to do it today, she just wanted to take this way. Tired, a bath and a time with the girls before sleeping sounded good.

Her thoughts went back to the twins. During all day, both had behaved as always, not any signal that there was something wrong and just the fact they hadn't dined with them wasn't such an out of character behavior enough to be cause of alarm.

However, in a bigger context, this meant nothing… To say someone was okay just based in the fact their behavior was the same of always didn't mean anything. She didn't want to exaggerate or intrude, though.

A shadow moved, approaching.

Ren turned by instinct before her mind made out the waved hair and how the person carried a small bag.

"Hi, Hades"

"Amaya. Good evening" The god greeted her back with a nod, stopping some feet away. Even after what Yui had said, he was still cautious around others, so Ren gestured with her head as if indicating something behind her.

The god caught the real meaning and came closer, starting to walk with her.

"How were the stars of tonight?" In the silence around, her voice was a soft whisper, as if not wanting to break it. Though they hadn't joined his club, she and Yui sometimes went after Hades to star gaze together (always with an umbrella and Yui had once took books of the subject for when it started to rain). There were times they managed to see some constellations before it started to rain or the weather became cloudy. In the first case, they would go to the gazebo and wait for the rain to pass… Sometimes it did, sometimes the girls insisted on leaving, not wanting to bother his activities.

Hades had already understood from the first time that there was no sense in telling them to go away, as Yui had once said they would only leave if it was because he wanted and not due to him being worried. Hades had given in and just told them to leave if things did start to seem to be taking a real turn to the worse.

"It was quite enjoyable…" He commented calmly as it wasn't in his nature to be over excited like Apollon, although this was a particular passion of him. And in this place, sometimes he managed to see constellations that he had to wait far more time to see or perhaps couldn't at all.

The girl nodded with a smile, happy to know and already used to his ways. Upon reaching a stair, Hades looked at her for a moment before nodding in leaving.

"Have a good night, Amaya"

"See you tomorrow…" She replied as he went upstairs, becoming one with the darkness (she was sure somehow his eye would be still sort of visible, like some animals' eyes).

The girl went on her way, hoping she wouldn't bump into Thoth (though she never had in all the times she had stayed a little out of her room after dinner), but what would be the point in taking a risk? Even so, every time she thought about this curfew, it sounded silly… What, did Zeus thought they would try to escape? Yeah, there was a curfew in boarding schools, but here? Really?

Once they had been talking about this and Misaki had joked that the idea of pushing a "curfew" to gods (who without a doubt were way beyond the age for this) was a little funny when you thought about as a bunch of children that Zeus was forcing to go to bed.

Caught in this thought as she was and almost chuckling, the greeting of the person in the hallway was a knife cut.

"Good evening, Amaya Ren" After the two-seconds fright of being surprised, there was nothing out of ordinary that it was Tsukito. Not only because he had been staying up more (according to Takeru), but also because he was the only one in the Academy that called others by full name.

The girl stopped and turned, seeing him. Still and quiet, facing the skies.

"Evening" She replied, adding just to have something to say. "You missed dinner. Your brother said he would take something for you…"

Tsukito merely nodded, now realizing the empty sensation in his stomach. He wasn't used to feel hungry just for having missed one or two meals.

"I was far too concentrated in the last arrangements of the event" He replied in his controlled tone that left clear that this was a mere statement of facts and not a justification. The girl stood at his side, without saying a word.

The Moon god remembered another time they had stayed like this for a time, staring at the sky and the fields some days ago. The most she had said had been a question as to why Takeru didn't join a club and then commented his displeasure towards their present situation.

In this she had been right. His brother detested this and so did he.

Ren still stayed there for some seconds, falling back to her own thoughts. Tsukito was at the same time a being easy and hard to deal with. The fact he could spend quite a time without saying anything wasn't something that bothered her, since she could do the same. On another hand, he was also one of the hardest to know what he thought.

The others weren't easy, of course, but even Hades had a kind of behavior you could have some idea. Perhaps a wrong idea, who knew, but it was more than the nothing that Tsukito offered.

"You are a quiet one" The god commented suddenly, attracting her attention and not looking at her. Since this was once more a statement of fact and nothing else, Ren found no answer… Well, perhaps compared to Arisu and Misaki, yes, she was.

"We probably should head back to the dorms." He said as he turned, thinking about the details he could still review while in the dorm, which was a kind of two-floor apartment.

"The event will be good. You should rest" The girl said and was about to wish him a good night when Tsukito didn't show any emotion, but blinked to her words.

"I shall fulfill my duty perfectly." Before she said anything else, he wished her a "good night" and left.

It wasn't as if Tsukito's reply wasn't what she had expected, but Ren felt weird. Thor was quiet as well, but there was something different… As she went back to the dorm, Ren thought about it. You could see something in Thor's eyes, see him relax. Tsukito was always stoic and rarely spoke of his personal tastes or opinions, keeping more focus on the facts.

Somehow, her thoughts found a path back to Isuzu and Arisu. How they had seemed when eating together, barely talking… There was some curiosity for this, but she wouldn't ask.

Without realizing what she was doing, the control of her body being taken by the instinct, her hand rubbed a part of her arm.

Ana: Another day, another chapter.

Arisu: And as always, you took your sweet time.

Loki: This chapter sucked. It was boring!

Ana: Everything is boring for you if it doesn't involve you or some prank of sorts.

Loki: Yeah, so?

Ana: No comments. Well, not much to say here, except that I hope you liked the chapter. I know it was indeed a little boring, but I find the small chapters like this also necessary. I promise the next one will be better, with the Moon Event.

CameronEmma: You have no idea how happy this makes me! I try to make really good descriptions and actually, yes, my dream is to be a writer. If I ever manage to publish, then I'll tell you!

Loki: Hey! I just didn't see why we should bother! It's not like we're friends.

Arisu: I don't known Loki, ever heard of "decency"? Of doing things simply because it is right?

Loki: Ever heard of...

Ana: Both of you, quit it! Well, we can love characters all we want, but we can't deny that they have flaws and in the anime, Loki and Thor really weren't with the rest of the class, so...

Yui: It doesn't matter. We're together in this, so if you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us.

Ana: Balder is still "calm", but soon there will be subtle hints of his "dark" traits em emerging. About the girls...

Isuzu: ...

Misaki: Let's say Wolf is the kind of person that likes to break her characters...

Ana: For now, I'm dropping hints, but things will be revealed slowly. Honestly, some of them have trust issues and even so, I don't see some of them (or the gods for that matter) just exposing their hearts and thoughts easily. So, give them a little more time.

Yui: About us being afraid...

Ana: This was sure a thing for them now. While they are already more used to being with the gods, the shackles and their appearances make it easy to forget what they are (see how Arisu behaved with Takeru just now). Truth to be told, yes, this isn't something they will forget. Honestly, they look like humans but they are not. Don't worry about the review!

anaisonfire: Thanks so much! I agree, Kamigami deserves more public. I guess it's because the anime was so rushed (a pity!). I'm so happy you like my OCs! Yes, you're right, it will be reaaally fun! After all, their pasts are full of joy and love...

Arisu: I think I hate you.

Misaki: Do you have to be like that?

Ana: Indeed and even the gods have their own bad memories. And I plan to dwell a bit more on why they walked away from humanity, giving some details on their reasons, too. And yes, I won't just forget about Yui! She is going to have her scenes and who knows? Maybe one of the gods is going to fall for her...

Yui: You are just teasing the readers again, aren't you?

Ana: I'm the writer, I'm allowed to have this fun! Honestly, I agree. I understand that, since she was based on otome game, she didn't have much personality of her own, being just a "kind, helpful, avarage" girl. Nothing bad with this, but she could be more unique and less generic. But she is better than some other characters of this sort... I do like her a lot more than the Yui from "Diabolik Lovers" (I always wonder why on Earth there are people who love the males of that story. All I see is a bunch of abusive bastards who see the girl as an object!).

Arisu: This is not a "Review of Animes and Personal Opinion Corner", you know?

Ana: Oh, leave me alone. So, I tried to push her a little. I confess, I loved the scene of her facing Zeus like that. As they say, beware the nice ones.

Yui (blush): I got so angry that I didn't even realize what I was doing...

Ana: Luck you that Zeus needs you, otherwise... Yes, this will be a point here and in their relationships. For example, Takeru may say that he just thinks that humans are weak, but this isn't the reason why he gave his back to humanity and this isn't the only way he thinks of humans. But as I mentioned, those aren't things that will be solved in a couple of weeks and they aren't close enough to start spilling their secret just yet.

Yui: Loki can be fun, but some of his pranks get tiring.

Arisu: And some are just plain annoying.

Ana: Thanks for everything! Reviews like yours are the ones I long for, as I love to hear about the reader's opinion and what they think about the characters! And yes, my name is Ana too! Wolf is how my friends call me (either this or An).