The next few days were difficult to bear. While the palace was being cleaned up from the wedding accident, everyone in the lot of Asgard seemed to have a duty to attend to, except Takumi. It was a strange and lonely feeling as she watched everyone avoid her, as though she was some sort of freak; barely speaking to her and only looking her way when they ran into her or passed her through the barren halls of the palace. It was unnerving to her- especially when all she wanted was some company. Takumi spent most of her time in her chambers, idly staring out the window at the rolling fields around them, fiddling with her hands and picking at the threads on her dress.

Every now and then Loki would stop by to speak to her, but not much conversation was exchanged on her part. Takumi was still wary of him and his presence, and even though she was lonely, talking to him didn't help much either. She didn't trust him in the least, especially after nearly being married to him and all. For the first few days after the incident, she secluded herself to her chambers and only opened the door to servants who wanted to come and make her bed. When a week had passed and the incident was slowly dismissed, she found herself getting more and more lonely, with only dusty books to keep her company.

The more time passed, the more that she realized the incident wouldn't blow over so quickly. The people of Asgard were not quick to forget the monster that lay in the midst of the palace.

Sadly, Takumi now longed for Loki's return at night just so that she wouldn't have to be alone. The silence was slowly driving her mad.

Takumi scratched another notch into a book, her way of keeping count of the days since the wedding incident. Her fingers silently counted the number, and there was now a total of twenty. Twenty days, and nineteen nights. She sighed and closed the book, resting it atop her knees and let her chin rest carefully on the leather cover. She thought that someone would have come to her by now, at least to console her. But there had been no one.

Well, Thor had seen her twice. But she had told him that she wished to be alone, to hide from the rest of Asgard until the incident had blown over and was forgotten. Loki came to see her during some evenings, but there was still little talk. He mostly bought her new books to read, and told her about news around the palace. She noticed that he stepped carefully around anything that had to do with Muspelheim.

But the worst part was that she had seen nothing of Kaisa. Her fingernails tapped quietly and she sighed once more, curling more tightly into a ball on the floor in front of the empty fireplace. Where had her sister gone? Takumi bit her lip in frustration, her fingernail tapping more impatiently. Had she somehow made Kaisa angry with her transformation? She hadn't wanted to change like that, she hadn't wanted to accept that she wasn't of Vanir blood. That was the last thing that Takumi wanted- to be singled out like some sort of.. freak.

That's all she was. A freak. Some sort of alien thing from a different realm. A dead realm.

No.

Takumi took a deep breath and let the book slide from her legs onto the floor, the pages popping open to the notches she had drawn on the page. Twenty of them stared back at her, black harsh lines against the white paper. She had spent twenty days in the room because she was too ashamed of herself to leave her chambers, because she was too frightened of what other people would say. Twenty days was much too long, Takumi realized. She was a fool for forcing herself into isolation like this.

Getting up, she fumbled for the closed curtains beside her bed, tied shut with satin rope. Letting the rope fall to the floor, the curtains opened up wide and sunlight poured into the small room, flooding everything with a beautiful golden light that she hadn't even realized she missed. Takumi stood in front of the window and closed her eyes, letting the warmth of the sun swallow her entirely, filling her with an energy that she needed. Quickly, she turned around and spotted herself in the vanity across her bed.

She hardly recognized the girl that stared back at her. Pale and gaunt with circles under her eyes from lack of sleep and sunlight, tangled black hair piled on top of her head in some sort of bun, and a stained and disgusting looking dress from weeks of wear was staring back at her. It was nothing like how she used to be. It looked as though she had deflated, that life was sucked out of her the night of the wedding. Takumi shook her head, watching her reflection shake her head too. This wouldn't do. This wasn't acceptable. She didn't want to feel terrible anymore, and she wasn't going to.

Rummaging through her drawers, she changed clothes. Throwing the old spoiled dress onto the bed for the servants later, she slipped into a clean dress. The cool satin and lace felt good against her legs, falling gently to the floor like they were made of clouds. It was a beautiful white dress from Vanaheim that she loved, with crisp long sleeves that nearly covered her hands, and a collar that extended up her neck and buttoned down her chest. White lace with just a tinge of pink on the edge of the ruffles was why Takumi loved it so much.

She let down her hair for the first time in what seemed like centuries, and brushed it out. The black strands stood out against the white lace, falling in waves on her shoulders and down her back. Takumi stepped back to see in the vanity again, and smiled a little.

Yeah, that looks more like me.

Takumi stepped out from her room and gently closed the door, staring down the hall. It wasn't very busy, with only a few servants dusting off the antiques. There was hardly anyone in this beautiful hall, but it didn't matter. She had time to walk down it and admire the beautiful paintings that were hung everywhere, something she hadn't done during her time there. She was so entirely engulfed in her own hatred that she hadn't admired the beauty of Asgard.

The servants gave her a dubious look for a moment before giving her a swift bow, and a soft "Good evening your highness".

It was a relieving moment for her. They weren't treating her any differently than they had before. Perhaps they had forgotten already? No, she decided. It didn't matter what she was. She was still a Vanir at heart, no matter her blood.

There was almost a spring in her step as she walked down the halls of the palace, excited to be experiencing something good after being trapped in the darkness for so long. It was relieving, her shoulders light, the sunlight even brighter than it had been before. The air was crisp and cool, refreshing her to no end. Her feet could almost fly, she was so damn happy to finally feel something other than self loathing and pain, crippling sadness and crushing loneliness.

It wasn't long before she had made her way into the main ballroom, where the wedding was supposed to happen. Takumi paused for a moment before allowing herself to walk towards the heavy doors. She let herself grasp the door handles, wrapping her fingers tightly around the polished brass. The door pulled open easily, and Takumi took her first steps into the room she thought she would hate forever.

Surprisingly, she didn't. In fact, she felt nothing. It was a room, it meant nothing now. All the damage that had been done from the Muspelhiem warriors had disappeared from view. The ceiling had been fixed, constructed just like it had once been before. A new marble pillar with runes carved into the pole was now standing proudly off to the side, holding up its part of the roof. She ran her hands over it, and it felt so smooth and normal that she couldn't tell anything had happened to it. The floor was polished and new, with cobbles that gleamed in the sunlight.

"Do you like it?"

Takumi nodded, closing her eyes as she stepped into the sunlight, letting it wash over her again. "You can't tell the difference, really. How did you find me, Loki?"

There was the sound of shuffling feet, walking towards her and pausing right behind her. He wasn't close enough to where she could hear him breathing, but she knew that he was there. It was nearly comforting, but she pushed it aside. She didn't need Loki to comfort her. Not after the pain he had put her through himself.

"I have been checking up on you, every now and then." Loki had a small smile in his voice. "Finally decided to change your clothes? It was about time, Lady Takumi. I was about to make you do it myself."

Takumi swirled around quickly, insulted, but stopped when she saw the look on his face. It was a genuine, teasing smile. It was a small one, barely flinching across his face, but it was there. He wasn't being.. mean. She reeled back, unsure how to deal with this new version of Loki. She felt her face flush red, burning all the way to her ears. "H-hey! I did it, didn't I? Besides," she found a small smile herself, and crossed her arms haughtily. "Don't you have more than one set of armor? I swear you've been wearing that thing since we met."

Loki cocked his head, but the smile didn't waver. "I see. Perhaps I should find a new set of attire then. Perhaps with different colors, and something new for the eye. What do you think, Lady Takumi?"

"I think your green suits you just fine." Takumi pretended to think hard, rubbing her chin with her fingers. "But if you want to try something new, try to do something about your... uh.." She waved to his face. "That. Do something about that. Maybe a bag over it, or something."

"Oh. That hurts." Loki gave her a mischevious grin, a true smile that stretched across his face. "And here I believed you were nice."

Takumi couldn't stop her smile from growing a bit bigger. It felt.. nice. It felt good to speak to Loki like this, with lighthearted smiles and something that wasn't so terrible. This was something that she could live with. And after such a long time of loneliness, this was something that she craved. Interaction. Smiles. Laughter. Takumi realized with a jolt that she had never seen Loki truly smile until now. They had known each other for how long now? Hell, she didn't even know. Time blended together nowadays. But it was refreshing to see that cute grin, spreading across his face and lighting up all his dark features.

He didn't look scary in the least. In fact, he looked.. normal. Fine. Almost cute. Endearing. Takumi found herself laughing with him too, teasing him and having him do the same right back to her. The sunlight was radiating through his normally jet black hair, making it seem lighter than it was. And his eyes were.. green. Light green. Like the grass in the meadows.

She stopped herself for a moment to just stare at him, and then came to the realization that her mouth was drooped open a little. Reality smashed back into her, and she quickly tried to regain her posture, her cheeks blushing furiously as she angrily pushed away all of those cute sentiments. No no no! Loki was evil, how could she forget? He had tried to take over Midgard and kill all of the humans there. He had tried to kill her too, when she first arrived to Asgard, because he didn't want a wife. All that abuse that he had done to do, the terror that he had bought onto her, and that was washed away by a fucking smile?

"Loki." Takumi said, quietly, seriously. She knew her face was still flushed, but she ignored it. "Have you seen Kaisa? My sister? I haven't seen her since the.. erm.."

"The wedding?" Loki offered, quiet now as well. The grin that had lit up his expressions had disappeared, leaving behind a now smooth and calm exterior. But something was still different to Takumi. She wasn't sure what it was, or that she could put her finger on it. Her eyes met Loki's. "Yes, I have seen her. She is quite moody, shall I say."

Takumi wanted to be stoic and continue her posture as a grand Princess of Vanir, but she couldn't do it anymore. Her curiosity and nerves got the better of her. "I'm just wondering because she didn't come to see me! Not that I'm complaining or anything, because I wanted to be left alone and all, and I even told Thor that, but I still didn't see her at all. I didn't even hear from her, nothing at all. Not even from you!"

Loki shook his head, looking both exasperated and condoling. "Lady Kaisa had kept herself entirely locked away for about seven days before coming out of her chambers. She requested nothing but for a visit back to Vanaheim, where she wished to speak to her Father in private. She has not returned yet, and Thor has gotten rather anxious about it, but there is nothing we can do except send a message to Vanaheim and ask for her return."

Well, that felt like a punch in the face. Takumi stood there stunned, unable to move. "She.. She went home without me?"

"It seems." Loki almost looked apologetic, but Takumi pushed that aside. Loki didn't say sorry for anything. "Her instructions before she left was to keep this quiet, especially to you. But you were not willing to come out from your chambers, so that was an easy enough task."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Takumi said through gritted teeth. "I would've come out for that!"

There was a brief pause, and Loki shook his head. "We had to respect Lady Kaisa's wishes. She gave Thor strict instructions, and threatened me. Apparently I have a loose tongue."

Takumi scoffed."Loose tongue, eh? Not so much."

"She was very angry." Loki explained coolly, sighing as he did so. "Not only was she infuriated with how the wedding was interrupted, but now she feels as though her entire family name has been smudged by your father allowing a Muspelheimian in their home. Kaisa made my poor brother's life a living hell while she was here, however, and most of their conversations ended with her screaming at him. Perhaps I got the better end of the deal, with my wife only trying to kill me the first few times."

She ignored the last comment and concentrated on not collapsing on the ground with shock. Kaisa was angry with her for the interruption of the wedding? As though it was her fault? Because she WANTED to turn into some flaming fire freak with black eyes and smoke hair. Takumi remembered how her arm had felt when that thing had touched her- tingly and warm, and then her body wasn't her own anymore. Her dreams were still filled with singed clothing and fire, flames licking her skin and hot arms wrapping around her torso. And Kaisa was pissed because she didn't have the Title as Queen? Takumi felt a boiling rage in the pit of her stomach, churning angrily as she fought to control her fury. How dare she, when Takumi had cried for days in her chambers, hating herself for being a monster, and wishing that she could die, only to have Kaisa run off to Vanaheim to cry to their Father? Wasn't it enough that Takumi hadn't deserved to live from the very beginning, but now had to suffer through this too?

"Takumi.." Loki's voice broke through the hazy fog that had started to swirl throughout her vision. Takumi jerked her head up to see Loki reaching towards her, his hand growing a bit larger with each passing second. He looked so tall. When had he gotten so tall? With a hiss, she realized that she was on the floor, and that her legs were shaking from the fierce fury that was pulsing through her. At first, Takumi wasn't sure what was happening, and she angrily grit her teeth and tried to push him away, her rage boiling through her veins. But then she saw it.

Her arm. Her skin was orange, flaming angrily with red embers coming off the skin. It didn't hurt, she hadn't even felt it, and that was the worst part. Now she couldn't stop herself from becoming this creature. Loki's hand came closer still, and she didn't push it away. Was her entire body covered like this? Was she some sort of freak again? What if she caught the ceiling on fire? Was it even safe for her to be walking out in the open, where people could be hurt? The questions swirled through her mind in a panic, sliding around through her brain with ease. The rage that she had once felt had disappeared, replaced with gut wrenching fear and disgust. She shouldn't have left her room. She should've died here when she had the chance.

You should'a left me to die, Father. She thought silently, shuddering. With all the other freaks.

You're a freak. You're a freak. You're a freak, Takumi! You should'a died with the rest of them! You don't deserve to live, and endanger all these people!

"Takumi..." The voice was soft, soothing. It couldn't be Loki. He wasn't capable of sounding like that. She opened her eyes, and through the smoke, she saw him sitting down next to her, his hands laid on the floor. "Takumi." He said again, his voice more clear through the haze that was surrounding her. He was saying her name, looking at her with clear eyes. "Please, Takumi. You must calm down if you want to resume your normal form."

Takumi breathed heavily, the gut-wrenching fear starting to dissipate. The smoky fog around her slowly lifted, and she watched as her arm turned from a heavy flaming red-orange to a faded yellow, shrinking back into her skin and finally smearing back into a peachy color. The flames disappeared, but the heavy scent of smoke still hung in the air, drifting out the opened ceiling.

She looked at Loki, unsure to what just happened. Staring at him, she pulled back ever so slightly. "I was just..."

"Angry." Loki finished for her. "I know, Takumi. This has been much for you."

"That doesn't explain why I just turned into that horrible thing." Takumi said, the words coming out more bitterly than she expected them to. "I was just thinking, and the next thing I know my fucking arm was turning orange and I was.. I was on fire."

Loki sat back and rested his hands in his lap, cocking his head ever so slightly. "That is not uncommon for those who are just learning to transform. Those who deal with magic have to rely on their emotions for their transformations. Even young children who are shapeshifters must learn to keep their tempers in check, because they'll readily change without wanting to."

Takumi looked at her hand. "I don't want to transform into that.. thing!" She jerked her head back up at Loki and shook her head angrily. "I'm not a young child, nor a shapeshifter! I'm just some sort of weird fire freak, okay!?"

"No, you're not." Loki assured her quietly. "The form you are in now is Vanaheimian in nature, correct? Even Asgardians would have difficultly separating you from their own. But you're not from Vanaheim, so your true form had to be hidden underneath a veil."

"I don't understand." Takumi snapped angrily, her hands clamping into fists.

Loki's sudden cold hands rested on her own clenched fists, and she felt all the steam rush from her. In fact, there was steam. It was coming from their hands, small tendrils of white steam slowly floating upwards. It was coming from the top of her hands, as Loki's colder ones settled on top of the hot skin. Confused, Takumi stared at him, her eyes wide.

"You understand magic, do you not?" Loki asked quietly. "Your Father created a veil for you, a permanent veil so that you would look like the rest of the Nine Realms do. To protect you from the rest of the world, he gave you an identity for you to grow up in. Make no mistake, Takumi, the look you have is yours, but your other form is just as much as yourself as the veil is."

Takumi was quiet for a moment, and then closed her eyes. There was a lot to talk about, wasn't there? There was more to this situation than she thought.

"Please." she said after a brief silence. "Tell me more. Tell me everything."

I hope you like a little bit of the cute stuff! (cuz it won't last).

Please review.