Hmm, well, I got a number of questions after the last chapter.

First, Loki-girl's question concerning Mayura. I really haven't decided if she'll get her memories back or not. I'm leaving the option open, but whether or not she'll get them back depends if I can work it into the story in a way I am satisfied and feel really works. Haven't gotten there yet. XD

Next, -'neko-chikka'- Will we see some of the other characters show up, like the Norns, Freya, Freyr, etc? Eventually I plan on SOME of them making an appearance, but not any time soon. Certain characters just really wouldn't work into the plot too well at the moment with what I have planned, and the end of the manga which inspired this gave the impression that Loki was done with Asgard and the world of the gods, at least for a while. Narugami/Thor is the only one at the moment I really plan on using every once in a while, and I will admit I have some plans for the Norns, but everyone else is at a standstill at the moment. Heimdall is busy guarding the bridge, Freya is away pining away heartbroken, Freyr is… well… Freyr, Hel is from what I can tell stuck in the underworld (I have a plan with Hel I've been playing with), the Norns… well, not quite sure the survived the whole Odin deal with them apparently sacrificing themselves… so yeah, that's basically it for the moment. However, if I get enough people wanting it, I suppose I could focus a chapter on what they're doing at some point.

Anyway, thanks everyone for all the great reviews. Here's the next chapter for you guys. It's… well… some stuff I didn't know just what to do. You can think of this as a sort of … filler chapter because I'm just using it to progress certain things. I promise action… soon. Including some stuff the Loki/Mayu fanatics will probably be pleased with in the next chapter. I think I ramble on a lot to get to where I'm going, sorry.

Chapter 5
Fifth Night – Food is the Way to a Man's Heart?

"Ah, Mayura-Papa! Thank you so very much for letting me stay here while my home is under construction."

Misao stared at the young man in front of him, standing next to his daughter, both carrying boxes. You could tell Misao was annoyed by the constant twitch in his eye. He did NOT like this suspicious young man, and he did not like this suspicious young man near his daughter, and he ESPECIALLY did not like this suspicious young man staying in his house with his daughter, and him.

"Mmm" He mumbled, turning away from the two before going back to sweeping the shrine grounds with a renewed vigor.

"Ummm… I'll show you the room you'll be staying in Loki-san, and then I'll give you a tour of the grounds…" his daughter said, apparently the ideal example of a hostess.

Why'd his daughter have to be so strange? Any normal girl would be into clothes, boys, and if they were an especially ideal daughter, studying hard to get into a good college. Or maybe even getting ready to get married. But nooo. He was cursed with a macabre, mystery obsessed tom boyish freak. And his odd daughter, to make matters worse, had recently acquired this suspicious foreigner detective as a… a companion in her obsession.

Misao winced at the headache that surfaced at the very thought of what the young man meant for his daughter. Surely that wasn't her taste in men, but his daughter was into very strange things….

"Woof!"

Misao looked down to see a black puppy staring at him, wagging its tail. Apparently one of this "Loki's" pets. If he remembered correctly guy was bringing a snake too. The nerve of the man. Weird with an equally weird set of pets…

He glared down at the dog, and the dog stared back at him for a while longer, the tail wagging slowly coming to a stop. Then all together the animal's expression seemed to change completely. It no longer looked so happy, instead he could have swore it looked a bit miffed. The now not so happy pup walked over to one of the stone lamp statuaries on the shrine grounds, and lifted its leg.

It took Misao about three seconds to understand what the dog was doing, but by that time it was already halfway done.

"YOU MANGY MUTT! GET AWAY FROM THAT, AWAY! HOW DARE YOU!" He went at the dog, swinging his broom, and almost hitting the pup which luckily for it was just a bit too fast for him. It dodged out of the way before running towards the house, barking non-stop.

Misao was NOT liking this living situation. He wasn't liking it one bit.

"Daddy! Daddy! Mystery Girl's father is trying to kill me! Daaaaaaaadddddddddddddy!!"

Loki turned to the direction his son's yelling was coming from. He and Mayura were just setting down the boxes containing some of his personal items, one of which was Midgardsorm's tank, when the pup ran into the room at top speed.

"DAAAADDDDDDDY!!" He yelled once again as he jumped up to his father, begging to be held. Loki picked him up.

"Looks like Fenrir is getting settled in. I'll go get him a bowl for water." Mayura volunteered and left for the kitchen. Loki gave his son a "what were you saying" look.

"Daddy! Mystery Girl's father is trying to kill me!!"

"Mayura Papa?" Loki asked in disbelief. Why would the man try to hurt one of his kids?

"YES! He's crazy! He's trying to kill me!"

"Nii-sama…" Midgardsorm slithered out of Loki's jacket, and looked down at his older brother. "Misao-san has never tried hurting you before. Did you antagonize him by any chance?"

From his Father's arm Fenrir looked as if he was insulted. "Me? Antagonize Mystery Girl's father? I leave that to Daddy because he likes it so much! All I did was try to take a piss, and next thing I know he's trying to kill me with his broom! HE'S CRAZY! Can't a dog do his business without getting attacked?! INSANE!" Fenrir then took on the hurt puppy expression and looked up to his father. "Protect me, Daddy!"

Loki had to smile at hearing what caused such a reaction out of Misao. "You can avoid Misao trying to kill you as long as you don't… piss in front of him I should think." He set Fenrir down lightly and then pulled out Midgardsorm's tank from the box and set it in the corner of the room. It wasn't that bad of a room in the minimalistic Japanese sense. A futon, a closet with drawers, a light… a window.

Midgardsorm, seeing him home ready, slithered down his father's arm onto his heating rock.

"Here you go, Fen-chan!" Mayura announced as she entered the room and set down a bowl of water for the dog. Fenrir suddenly found himself thirsty, and eagerly shot for the bowl.

"I have to cook dinner now, but if you need any help with anything Loki-san, just ask. I'll call when dinner's ready." And with that Mayura ran off again.

"Mystery girl is cooking?" Fenrir asked. "Dinner?"

"It would seem that way." Loki responded, just as surprised, but then again in such a small family with just her and her father, he supposed she did some cooking around the house. It didn't occur to him to take her offer of cooking for him the other night seriously.

"Can she cook?" Fenrir continued.

"Mayura-san helped out that one time I was on the cooking show, but I couldn't really judge her cooking ability since she was only doing the prep… and she did help out a bit in the kitchen. Never really cooking anything by herself though, always just helping me. I think Mayura-san could do alright."

This more than likely meant dinner was an all together event here, which meant eating dinner with her father. Dinner with Mayura-Papa…

If Misao could see the smile growing on Loki's face at the moment, he may have been very much afraid of his daughter's employer indeed.

"Alright! Tofu, check. Konyaku noodles, check. Beef… check. "

Mayura counted off her ingredients with a determination that would make her father wish she put the same into her studies. Loki was here for dinner, and more than likely there for dinner for the next week or so, which meant he'd be tasting her cooking which she was determined NOT to be embarrassed about. She wasn't a fantastic cook, but she knew the basics any Japanese girl knows, which meant Loki-san was getting a traditional Japanese dinner!

She had tied on her apron, and before her all the ingredients were spread out. On the menu for tonight was white rice and Sukiyaki. She believed she couldn't go wrong with that since she made the dish hundreds of times before for her father, and HE never complained, so that meant she wasn't bad… right?

So in the next hour or so she'd be seated at a dinner with her father, and her now accepted crush. (She saw no point in denying it now). What could go wrong?

Mayura couldn't get worries about her cooking out of her head.

"What if he doesn't like my cooking?" She began to wonder to herself. "What if… What if I'm so bad that I don't know it because Papa has developed an immunity to my cooking?!" Mayura stood frozen in horror, butcher knife in hand, with the carrots before her now completely forgotten.

If Papa's developed immunity to my cooking, it could be like poison to anyone else!

Visions of Loki eating her cooking popped into her limitless imagining. There Loki sat before hear, forking in some food to his mouth and then suddenly he was turning purple, then slowly blue with his eyes glazing over before finally collapsing onto the table and into his poison food dish. Then his little soul leaving his mouth, moaning that she killed him as it began its ascent to where ever it was ghosts went. On the side would be Fenrir, howling in grief.

But wait! What if his ghost didn't go to heaven! What if his ghost decided to haunt her in vengeance for killing him!

Haunted by the spirit of a well looking, young spirit, out for revenge. She might never get another good night's sleep! She'd be haunted, and as cool as ghosts were, having them haunt you wasn't good.

And she would have killed her first crush! Such an occurrence could start a chain reaction, or a ghostly curse, eventually transforming her into something like a Black Widow husband killer! Except she wouldn't be married, she'd just… kill people with her cooking! And all of their spirits would haunt her till her dying day!

And if she kept killing off any of her love interests with her cooking, it meant she'd die an old maid! She'd never have a lover, least of all her first kiss!

Loneliness… hauntings… Black Widow…

"Ah, Mayura…"

She swirled at the sound and found herself face to face with Loki. What poor Loki saw was a very pale, crazy eyed Mayura in an apron with a butcher knife, facing him, and breathing heavily.

"Mayura..?" Loki squeaked and slowly started backing away.

"I CAN'T RISK IT!!" She yelled suddenly as she swirled around back to the counter, stabbing the very large sharp knife into the cutting board before blazing out the back door.

Loki stared at the door the pink blur disappeared from, completely confused by what had happened, but wondering if perhaps he should make an effort to never EVER interrupt Mayura when she was in the kitchen again.

Loki then decided maybe something like tea at the time wasn't worth it. Water was easier, and at the moment less of a risk to his life.

Misao was trying very hard to ignore the addition of the blonde foreigner and his dog to who sat across him at his dinner table. Instead he focused his attention to his daughter who sat between them.

"So Mayura, when are you starting the prep school?" He asked as he helped himself to more rice. "Have you signed up yet?"

"Yes Papa, I have. I start tomorrow at Ohtori Prep, the one near Tamazawa-san's house."

He spooned on some more of the curry his daughter had prepared. By the taste of it, the curry was instant, as well as all the side dishes on the table if you can count macaroni and cheese as instant. He wondered in her odd choice of a side dish. Tempura would have been much more appropriate, and they had all the ingredients…

"You make sure you go every weekday. I will not be wasting my money on a prep school just because you choose to pursue your… strange interest. Your midterm grades will decide if you need to go to it on the weekends in addition to the weekdays."

"Mou, Papa! I don't need to take additional-"

"Don't start Mayura. I WILL see my daughter in a college, mystery sickness or not."

"Papa…" she was starting to pout but Misao forced himself to ignore it. He must not give in to his cute little daughter. He may indulge his daughter like any good father, but by this he would stand firm!

"I completely agree with you, Misao-san." The stranger across from him intruded. Misao slowly turned his head and looked at the young man. The man was giving him the most oddly agreeable smile as he leaned forward and rested his head on entwined hands. Apparently he was done with dinner.

Misao also made note that this was the first time the Loki character had ever called him by his name. Before it was always that nickname of his…. Mayura-Papa, wasn't it?

His daughter was gaping at the stranger, apparently not too keen with the comment.

"YOU agree with ME?" Misao repeated, not quite buying it.

"Of course!" Loki continued. "I agree with everything you just said. Mayura's education is most important, and she should be more focused on her grades than her mystery sickness. She's young, and her future depends on her grades." He actually looked concerned, and then the man smiled at his daughter who pouted at him. "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate her work as my assistant, but I don't want her sacrificing her bright future for it."

Misao continued to study the man as he went back to finishing off his dish and in the background he heard his daughter's usual "Mou".

Was he serious? He seemed sincere about what he said, but something just kept telling him not to trust this person. True, he didn't like the young man since his daughter first introduced Loki to him, but there was just SOMETHING about that smile the boy gave him sent his instinct reeling in distrust.

But now in light of getting to know him better he began to wonder if he misjudged the young man. Maybe this Loki could actually be a GOOD influence on Mayura. Misao continued to watch him, this time in a slightly different light.

Mayura was stacking some of the dirty dishes, puffing out her cheeks. Yes, he was a very concerned, caring father, only out for what was best for his innocent, but weird, sweet daughter.

"Ah! Almost forget about dessert!" Mayura announced before running off back to the kitchen.

Misao was left with nothing to do but stare at the foreigner in front of him, who just responded with what would usually be considered an innocent smile, but looked anything BUT innocent to Misao. Misao couldn't help but feel… irked by it. Something just wasn't right.

"Here ya go!" Mayura set down before them vanilla/chocolate ice cream in tall glasses. "American Style Parfaits!" She announced. Beside Loki the little dog barked. "Don't worry Fen-chan, I got one for you too! It's just in a bowl."

Misao started on his, still watching the foreigner so laced in his thoughts. He was currently eating away at the dessert with a very pleased look on his face. "This is… excellent, Mayura. Thank you."

Misao watched as his daughter begin to blush at the comment.

No, on second thought he didn't like this young man at all.

Loki sighed, now in the privacy of his room.

"Can I go sleep with Mystery Girl, Daddy?"

"Huh?" Loki looked down at his son. Oh. "Why do you want to sleep with Mayura?"

"She… said I could."

"Perhaps Onii-sama is trying to get more food out of Mayura now that she's the one feeding him." Midgardsorm suggested from his tank in the corner of the room. He, having eaten earlier this week wasn't one to worry about food at the moment, but the reaction he got out of Fenrir who quickly turned around and gnashed his teeth confirmed his brother's suspicions.

"I have no problem with it as long as she's okay with it…."

"Okay! Night Daddy!" And with that the pup shot out the room.

He must think he's getting something good…

Loki shrugged and decided to get to work. He had a lot of plans for Misao, and unfortunately most of them that came up during dinner he couldn't really do because of the position he was in. You do NOT tease/freak-out/antagonize the host of the roof you're sleeping under unless you WANT to get kicked out, and Loki didn't want to get kicked out. Or at least not till his house was finished, so until then he needed a more… discreet form of indulging himself. Since his powers were to where they naturally were without his Godhood, they were quite low now. So much that it would make it harder for Misao just to see things like illusions. He needed an accomplice Misao couldn't connect him with, one he had to his knowledge never seen before.

Loki began pushing the futon against the wall when suddenly there was a shout of his name.

"Loki-san!"

Mayura suddenly ran into the room and took a dead stop. "Oh…. Sorry… I didn't mean to just run right in here… I'm so used to…" she tiled her head when she got a good look at what he was doing. "What are you doing?"

"Ahh… just moving the mattress around. Seeing what… what would be more feng shui."

Mayura raised an eye brow as she studied the futon. "… Oh." Suddenly there seemed to be a spark. "Isn't that the weird mysterious mystic art of energies in a room?"

"Uh… yeah." Well at least she was buying it. Couldn't exactly tell her he was making room to draw all over her floor.

"Ah! That's neat! I want to learn to feng shui my room late- AH! I almost forgot what I came to ask you. Can Fenrir-chan sleep with me tonight?"

"…. Yes."

"Thank you Loki-san! Papa's never let me have a pet before, so I've never gotten to sleep with a dog!" She started to head back out when she turned around. "Goodnight, Loki-san."

"Goodnight, Mayura."

She smiled back and then shot off down the hall. "Fen-chaaaaan! Come on, we're gonna have fun. It's going to be like… like a sleep over!"

Hearing that Loki had to wonder if Fenrir really knew what he was getting into. He made sure the door was shut, and then got back to work. Once everything was properly cleared he took out a piece of chalk he brought with him and after a few minutes he was done writing out the proper symbols and runes. When he was done inspecting the pentagram-like design on the floor he finally called upon Laevateinn, and with a smile began.

"I summon thee, loyal subject to me, answer to my call and awaken, Ecchan!"

The room was suddenly filled with a lot of smoke, but once the smoke cleared Loki was greeted with a happy "Loki-tama!"

"Dorei…"

She was calling him. Quickly the man forced all thoughts of sleep from him mind, and jolted out of bed. If she was calling him, she didn't like to wait.

"Oh Dooooooreeeeeeei!" She was getting louder as he approached the door to what once was his room. Now it was hers. Once inside, he quickly shut the door. She sat among cushions in the center of the room, amid gauze and silk he setup for her own little pavilion of comfort, of beauty. A shrine to her.

He quickly bowed before her on the floor, head to the cool floor, afraid the darting glimpse he took of her every once in a while would anger her. He didn't want to displease her, but the very outline of her against the moonlight that came in through the window which were sealed black by day was breathtaking.

"Ah, there you are dorei."

"Hime…"

"I think it's time for another one."

"A… another girl, Mistress?"

"Yes, I said another one fool, did you not hear me the first time." The servant held his breath, afraid that even his taking another breath would displease her. But another girl? They still had the previous one…

"Fo.. Forgive me, oh envy of the sun, but… the Police… they'd get suspicious…"

"But I need another one, dorei. If I don't have another girl, you won't be able to stay with me, be with me. You do want to be with me, don't you dorei? You want to look at me, you want to touch me, even taste me, don't you?"

"Only if you would allow it…"

"Then I need another one."

"Then the current girl?"

"It's time to kill it I think. I'm ready for it, and besides… I can hear it crying and screaming at during the day. It keeps me awake. I can't get any beauty sleep with it doing that, now can I? Perhaps you should try and gag the next one."

"Yes mistress."

"… kiss my feet, dorei. You've been a good boy so far, a very good boy."

There you go. Sorry this chapter took a while to get out, but I promise the next one will be out soon since I already have most of it written, and like I said, something that could be considered a serious Loki/Mayu moment. … or… well… I dunno. But yeah, next chapter up soon, and sorry to those who were expecting Loki to do more to Misao. Loki has plans… he just can't be seriously evil to Misao at the moment.

Mischa