Thank you for everyone who reviewed! Here's chapter three.

Chapter 3
Third Night – Girl Talk

"Ah! It's so big!" Kaho exclaimed as she stood next to Mayura, staring straight up at the gable-style roof of Izumo Taisha. "Hard to believe this is just the outer shrine."

"It used to be twice as high bigger before it was burnt down way back in the Kamakura Period. " Mayura announced, not quite as impressed as her friend.

Kaho lifted an eyebrow to Mayura and began looking around. "Really? Where'd you read that off of, I don't see a sign of anything around here." Which was pretty true seeing as the grounds were pretty sparse looking for a historic Shinto shrine. Nothing but gravel and concrete outside of the buildings.

Mayura held back puffing out her cheeks in annoyance. "I AM a miko." She stated. "Papa's been drilling Shinto facts into my head since I can remember."

"With the way you go on about mysteries, one forgets you're a Shinto priestess sometimes." Kaho grinned teasingly.

Mayura went back to quietly staring at the building for some time before she replied. "Mysteries are more fun than praying to gods that aren't there."

The expression Kaho saw on Mayura's face took the smile right off her face. She had NEVER seen Mayura look so depressed and serious before.

Mayura noticed in the corner of her eye her friend's concern and quickly gave her a reassuring smile. "Besides, you can only be a miko for so long, while I am well on my way to being a great detective!" Mayura gave her a little victory pose one would typically see in manga. Kaho smiled with relief.

"That's right, you started working at some detective agency, didn't you?"

"Um!" Mayura happily nodded as the approached the part of the shrine grounds where most of the class had wandered to.

"So you actually solve mysteries there?"

"Yep!" Mayura paused to stare at the familiar sight of the shrine entrance, and pushed back distasteful memories of Oba-Chi-sama and her priestess training. "We've had three cases so far, and have solved them all! Loki-san is a great detective, so word should spread soon about Enjaku Detective Agency's Loki-san and his beautiful, talented assistant!"

"I guess the beautiful assistant evens out the unattractive detective for the clients, eh?"

"Huh?"

"Well, if he's anything like Niyama-san he probably stinks of cigarettes, wears wrinkly clothes, and doesn't shave."

Mayura's eyes widened. "I didn't know you knew Niyama-san, Kaho-chan!"

"Of course I…" Kaho's brow scrunched up with a funny expression on her face. She to Mayura. "I… I really don't know how I know him, Mayura-chan." She giggled.

"Something must be screwy with my memory, but I do know I've met him, and he wasn't the sort of guy I'd want to spend my days around."

"Loki-san isn't like that." She smiled thinking about him. Loki-san…" Mayura thought about it as they stepped into the shrine and were enclosed by old dark wood that had shadows playing across it set off by the candles. "Loki-san…" What was nice about Loki? The scent of incense reached Mayura's nose. "…ooo, it smells nice!" Mayura concluded.

"Smells nice?" Kaho repeated in disbelief. "The guy's best feature is he smells nice? Well I guess that's one thing up on ole Ni-"

"Eh?! I didn't say…" Oh wait, maybe she did. "Ohhhh. No no no! Loki-san, doesn't… well I guess he does smell nice." Mayura knew Kaho was studying her, and really hoped the candle light was hiding the flush now appearing on her face. "I… I don't know! I never bothered trying to SMELL him!"

"SHHHHHH!" The teacher chaperon up ahead glared at Mayura and gave her a look that suggested they would be seeing her later.

Mayura instantly lowered her head some to show to the teacher she was reprimanded, and whispered to Kaho "Loki-san is way better than Niyama-san."

"And why is that, Mayura-chan?"

"Because…." They were nearing their turn on the altar. "Loki-san is a great detective!" She finished with a final tone, as if that was all the explanation Kaho needed. They now were up at the altar which was a table full of incense and candles, and in the center on display was a long sword in its sheath, detailed with a many-headed dragon. "Ooooooo, is this the sword that came out of the legendary, eight headed dragon Orochi?!" Mayura squealed what had to be the loudest whisper possible. "Mysteeeriii!"

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away elsewhere in Japan:

"Aaaaaaaaachooooooooo!"

"Loki-sama! That's the third sneeze in a row!" The snake exclaimed from his tank. "You're not getting sick, are you!"

Loki rubbed his nose with his sleeve in a rather child-like manner. "I highly doubt it, Midgardstrom. I think it's just allergies."

"Still Loki-sama, you should prepare some hot tea!" The snake looked out at its father with the most concerned expression anyone would ever see on a snake.

"Maybe in a bit." Loki replied as he set aside the book he was reading and started to get out of the bed.

"baaaaDDYYY!" Came a cry from outside the open door. A few seconds later the black dog appeared and ran in with a newspaper that almost looked a bit too large for him. Fenrir bumped into a few things with the ends of the paper, but after a few attempts managed to jump onto his father's lap who had sat himself at his desk.

Fenrir spat the paper out.

"I got the paper for you, Daddy!" His tail was wagging so hard it was nothing but a black blur.

"Why thank you Fenrir, how very thoughtful of you!" Loki cooed as he picked up the paper and gave his son a good scratch. Fenrir made himself comfy as his father began scanning through the paper.

"Don't forget your tea, Loki-sama!" The snake reminded as he began to slither out of the tank.

"Here Mayura, why don't you buy one of these charms for love?"

Mayura made a face. "That's not something I think Loki-san would like as a souvenir." The two girls had made their way to the suvonir stand, along with a number of other students, and now were looking through the wares.

"I didn't mean for Loki-san, I meant for you." Kaho shoved it towards Mayura with a gleam in her eye.

"But I don't need it."

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No…"

"Then you need it." Kaho noticed her friend still wasn't bought. "Come on Mayura, I would think a super mysterious charm from one of the super mysterious shrines in all of Japan, a place rumored to help out with young lovers, would get you all over it!"

"But, I don't really ne-"

"Mayura-chan. You're 17, almost 18. Have you had a boyfriend yet?"

"… no."

"Then you need all the help you can get to not end up an old maid." Kaho went back to searching through the other various charms displayed against the wall.

Mayura puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. She didn't think her situation was THAT bad. The wooden figures for sale on the top shelf caught Mayura's attention. In several rows sat very detailed carved eight headed dragons, all with what Mayura would call an air of mystery. "Sugoi…" Mayura murmured. "They're super cool mysterious looking!" Mayura pointed to the dragons, but Kaho just glanced and went back to looking at the charms.

Hmph, well they weren't for Kaho-chan anyway. But one would make a pretty good souvenir to Loki, she thought. With that Mayura began digging through her wallet to see if she had enough yen.

"Do you ever think about boys, Mayura?"

Mayura was counting out her money.

"Mayura?"

"Hmmm?" She just needed a couple more yen…

"I asked, do you even think about boys?"

"Mou, Kaho-chan! I think about boys sometimes!"

Mayura signaled to the stall owner she wanted one of the wooden dragons. The stall attendant who was dressed in Miko-garb immediately began wrapping her up one.

"But not as much as your mysterious mysteries?"

"Huh?"

Kaho let out a deep sigh as Mayura received the dragon in a bag. "I'm sure Loki-san will like this!" Mayura grinned.

Kaho paused a moment to reassess her friend. She sure did bring Loki-san up a lot. "… Mayura?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you perhaps… like Loki-san?"

"EH?!" Mayura's eyes were bulging out now.

"I was just thinking… maybe a detective is just the right sort of guy for you. You like mysteries, he likes mysteries…"

"Loki-san and I have a "professional" relationship Kaho-…" A movement way off behind Kaho caught her eye. Mayura stopped, and watched the bushes for the movement again.

"Huh, what is it?" Kaho began to turn around to look at what her friend was staring at.

Suddenly out of the green bushes with glimmering eyes poked the small head of a fox.

"A fox!" Mayura yelled, and pointed.

"Huh, where?!" Kaho turned around to look at where Mayura was pointing, but at that moment it disappeared back into the bushes. Mayura ran after it, bag flapping after her. "Wha! Mayura!"

"I'll be right back! I want to see the fox!"

Mayura dove into the brush bordering the shrine, and was immeadiantly noticed she suddenly seemed to be in a forest with some very large, old looking trees. She looked around for any signs of the fox and was rewarded with shaking of the bush ahead of her.

"Ah.. Fox-san! Please wait a second!" She called after it as she began chasing it. She could feel some branches from a nearby bush cut into her skin as she ran by, but up ahead she focused the lightly tipped tail of a fox disappearing behind a big tree.

"Fox-san!" Mayura called, when suddenly her foot caught on to something, and she fell forward into the ground.

Mayura groggily sat up, and carefully dislodged her foot from the root that had tripped her. Then she examined her now brusied and bloody knee. "Itaiiii" she whined. But what about the fox? She looked around for any sign of the fox, but saw no sign of it. Just a bunch of trees with their leaves rustling in the breeze.

"Aw, Fox-san, all I wanted to do was say hi and see if you were Kitsukoko…" Mayura cried as she began to stand up. As soon as she stood up Mayura had to lean against the tree closest to her so she wouldn't fall from the dizziness. Her head suddenly felt so heavy, and her eye sight was blacking out, almost as if she got up too fast.
Mayura stood there for several minutes as the dizzy spell slowly passed.

"Mayura-chaaaaan!" Kaho called to her from the distance.

Mayura looked for the bag with the dragon, noticed it among the roots, and grabbed it. "Coming!" She called back as she cautiously made her way back to the shrine.

"Daddy, can we go on a walk?" Fenrir asked.

Loki looked outside the window to notice the sun well on its way to dusk. "I don't see why not Fenrir. Midgardstrom, do you want to come along?" Loki set the paper down and looked over to where the snake rested on the table. He put his hand in to allow the snake to crawl up his arm.

"Come on, Daddy!" Fenrir cried by the door.

Loki followed his son, leaving the newspaper behind on the table. Unread by him because it held little interest to him was an article on page three; An Apparent increase of young teenage girls running away from home.

Sorry there's nothing really going yet. I'm told by my friends it takes me a while to get going. But I promise, there will be lots of action coming up eventually. I just… needed Mayura to go on this trip. You'll find out why eventually, so please bear with me. bows
And oh! For all you Loki fans, the Hemuloki community seems to be getting back together to release scanlations of the manga again. I can't wait. If you're not aware of the Hemuloki community, look up Hemuloki in a search engine. I love their doujinshi scans. o.o

Mischa