Previously:

Takeru took a good look at his face and noticed he was actually frowning. "Brother?"

"Something wrong?" Dionysus asked.

Freyja didn't like his silence. "Hey, the quiet one, what's with the strange face?"

"What if Kusanagi Yui is back already and has run into Sisyphus?"

The others' eyes widened at Tsukito's theory. They hadn't thought of that. They had just assumed Yui was safe in the human world and never did it hit them that she might have returned already because she thought Sisyphus was somewhere near the mountains, being taken care of by all of them. "Fairy was just going to leave the child with his parents, she must have returned for sure!" Apollon panicked.

"We should have teleported ourselves back right after we found out Sisyphus wasn't there!" Takeru exclaimed.

"Instead we're wasting time!" Freyr added, he too sounded worried.

"Let's go everyone!" Balder called. "Loki, you- ...Loki?"

Loki was already gone.

Now:

"He left!" Takeru shouted.

"And that's exactly what we should do as well." Hades stated before he too disappeared.

"Loki is worried." Thor commented and followed Hades.

Meanwhile, Yui was not wasting any time either, she was walking as fast as she could towards the castle without drawing attention to herself. If she started running people would suspect something was going on. 'I wonder when they will be back, they must have figured out Sisyphus isn't in the mountains by now.'

Suddenly, Loki appeared right in front of her and her body collided with his. "Uh, Loki-san?" Yui said in surprise and used her hands to push herself away from him but Loki grabbed them before she could. "Are you alright?" He asked, looking down at her with a serious facial expression.

Yui wasn't ready for this, she was used to Loki appearing out of the blue but she needed more time to prepare herself. She hadn't even figured out what she was supposed to tell him and the others without having them find out about her serious condition. "W-Why would you ask that? I'm fine." Yui answered and smiled innocently at him.

A moment later Hades and Thor appeared, closely followed by the others. "Fairy!" Apollon cried out in relief.

"Weed, you're not hurt are you?" Takeru asked, sounding very worried for once.

"Thank goodness you seem to be alright." Hades smiled at her.

"My little flower!" Freyja exclaimed. "Nothing has happened, right?"

Yui blinked at her worried-looking friends. This wasn't good, she needed to assure them she was fine. They sure had caught her by surprise. She had hoped she would at least make it inside the library before they would return, giving her more time for researching and find the right words to use when they finally found her.

Loki turned to them, not letting go of her hands and grinned. "She's fine."

They all sighed in relief, holding a hand over their beating hearts.

"That's right." Yui assured them. "Did something happen in the mountains that made you believe something had happened to me?"

She had to act like she had no idea what was going on, she had just returned from Japan, that's all.

"Yeah, Zeus believed it was a setup." Freyr spoke.

"A setup?"

"It was an unknown woman dressed in a cloak who had told the guards about Sisyphus being near the mountains." Balder explained.

"And because we couldn't find anything suspicious over there we believed the woman had lied so she could lure us away. We were worried Sisyphus was actually here instead and hurried back as fast as we could." Dionysus added. "But it seems like we worried over nothing."

"You didn't see anything unusual, did you?" Hades asked her.

"Um, no, I just returned from Japan, so…"

"That's right, you returned the kid to his parents. How did it go?" Sif asked.

Yui's face changed from cheerful to a little troubled when Sif mentioned the boy. 'He must be scared out of his mind right now…'

"Kitten?"

Loki's voice brought her back to reality. "Sorry, I'm just feeling a little down. I really liked the kid you know." Yui answered the goddess with a sad smile. "But I'm also glad he's back where he belongs." 'Good, no one will suspect anything if they believe I'm just a little sad about having to part with the boy and since I told them I just returned they won't ask about my clothes either.' She thought.

"We completely understand that, Yui-san." Balder smiled. "We're going to talk with Zeus and the others about what we're going to do next so why don't you take it easy for awhile?"

'Thank you, Balder-san!' Yui screamed inside her head. "I think I will do that. I was actually on my way to the library, reading usually makes me feel relaxed."

"Good idea. You'll be careful now." Apollon said cheerfully.

"Of course." She smiled back at him.

Loki removed his hands Yui was well aware of had been holding both her hands the entire time. She hadn't minded, his hands were warm and warmth was very nice for someone who was slowly getting colder. "You're a little colder than usual." He commented.

'Oh no.' Yui thought. "I am? I haven't noticed."

"It's a good thing it's pretty warm inside the library." Sif pointed out.

"Really? I guess I should go then. I hope everything goes well for you and I'll be careful, promise."

"I'll visit you later, Yui-chan~" Freyja giggled.

"If you're going, so will I." Freyr said.

"Then I'm going, too." Sif smiled sweetly.

"I want to play that funny game again!" Dionysus said in excitement.

"And I'm definitely going to win!" Takeru smirked.

Loki started grinning. "No way, Kitten is going to make sure I win. Right?"

"Um, I don't know how I'm supposed to help you win the game of Twister, Loki-san… I don't think it's possible." Yui laughed nervously.

"See you later, Yui-san!" Balder called as he, Thor and Hades tried to make their friends start walking to where Zeus and Odin had gathered together with the search party.

Yui giggled as she watched her friends leave, she had never thought that Twister would be such a popular game for her friends to play. She started to think that they should find more games to play together but then she remembered why she was heading for the library in the first place and her smile disappeared. 'If I want to play more games with them, then I better hurry.'


"Thank you for showing me the way, I've only been there once before so I forgot the way." Yui explained to the servant who was walking beside her.

The female servant had pink hair, golden eyes and pointed ears, like Loki, and looked like a really sweet lady. "It is an honor to be of use to you, Lady Yui." Her whole face was shining as if she was really enjoying showing her around.

Her bright smile made Yui smile as well, despite the circumstances. "I really appreciate it."

A few minutes later the servant opened the big door to the huge library. "Here it is."

"Thanks again, I would still have been lost if it wasn't for you."

"Don't mention it, Lady Yui. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No I think I'm good, thanks anyways."

"Are you sure? I'd be happy to help you with anything you want."

"Oh, no, you don't have to do that."

"Alright… I'll be close by if you need anything."

Yui noticed she seemed a bit disappointed. "Umm, now that I think about it…"

The woman's face lit up. "Yes?"

"Well, there are some specific books I'm looking for, perhaps you could help me find them?"

"Of course!" She exclaimed and hurried inside the room together with Yui, who seemed rather confused. It really did seem like the servant wanted to be useful to her, that she was doing it because she wanted to do it and not because, as a servant, she had to do it. "I'm so happy I get to serve Lady Yui!" She giggled to herself.

"You are?"

"Of course I am!" The woman took both of Yui's hands in hers and Yui, of course, took this moment to enjoy the warmth her hands gave her. "I've heard everything about you and what you did for Balder and the others during your time at the academy. And then you moved here and helped us make our world a better place by coming up with ideas for that new island. You're such a kind person who wants to be useful and I admire your loyalty."

Yui looked at the servant in surprise, unable to find any words to say.

"So from now on, when you decide to visit the castle, I would really like it if I could be your personal servant!"

"M-My personal-?"

"If you would allow me of course."

"But, I don't want to bother you when you have so many other duties to take care of…" 'And besides, I don't even know how much time I've left.'

"Oh don't worry about that! When you become someone's personal servant you can be excused from your duties while your master needs you."

Yui thought for a moment. 'Well, if she really wants to do it…' "I've never ever thought about being someone's master, I don't really like telling people what to do."

The servant's smile slowly began to disappear. "If that's how you feel, then-"

"But." Yui cut her off and looked away from her. "If you really want to, then I guess it would be nice having someone here who can help me out if needed and… perhaps… keep me company?" She turned to face her again and was met by the biggest smile she had ever seen.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" The servant jumped up and down like a little kid, her hands still holding on to Yui's. Yui would have laughed but because her heart hurt with every jump all she could do was smile and try to hide her pain from the excited female. "I promise I won't disappoint you, master!" She assured her once she stopped jumping.

"Please, just call me Yui."

"Yui-sama it is then!"

Yui sweat dropped and smiled awkwardly. "I have I feeling we're going to have a lot of fun together."

"You bet! Now, what kind of books do you want to read?"

"Oh, right, almost forgot about that. Umm, do you have anything about the… outcasts perhaps?" Yui asked nervously, hoping she wouldn't ask too many questions about it.

"Outcasts? You mean the ones who aren't part of our society?"

"That sounds right."

"Yes we do have books about them, I'll take out some of them for you so you can just wait by the table over there." She explained and pointed at the round table a little further away.

"You don't have to do that on your own, I can help you-"

"No, no, no, starting today I want my master to rely on me. Please?" Yui could have sworn the goddess's once golden eyes turned into puppy eyes. How could she refuse when she was looking at her like that?

Yui sighed in defeat. "Alright, I'll wait over there." She said and turned around and walked towards the table.

"Thank you!" The servant called after her, sounding very happy.

'I guess it's a good thing I can rest for now, because soon I will have to sneak away and search for something or someone who can help me remove the curse.' Then she remembered something and turned around. "What's your name by the way?"

The servant turned away from one of the bookshelves and spun around, she looked a little surprised but a smile soon decorated her beautiful face. "It's Helga, Yui-sama."


Yui must have spent at least 2 hours reading about the creatures who roamed the areas far away from civilisation, Helga hadn't left her side either. "Have you found anything interesting?" She asked.

"I have but I think I want to read a little more." Yui answered, not looking away from the book she was reading.

"If I may ask, is there a reason you want to read about the outcasts?"

Yui looked up from the book and smiled innocently at Helga. "I'm just really interested in them, that's all. And besides, I want to learn more about them so I know what I can do if I ever meet one of these creatures."

"Good point, you're a human so you need to be extra careful."

Yui almost sighed in relief, glad that Helga understood the "reason" why she was reading about them. She didn't want to lie, she hated it but what other choice did she have?

1 more hour passed and she was beginning to feel tired.

"Do you want some tea, Yui-sama? You have been reading for 3 hours now."

"That would be nice, thank you, Helga-san."

"I'll be right back." Helga giggled and left the library.

Yui had just finished reading something interesting about elves. 'Elves commonly cause human illnesses, but they also have the power to heal them. They are willing to do so if sacrifices are offered to them.' She read. 'Perhaps they're able to help me, even though I have nothing I can offer them.'

Just a few minutes later Helga was back in the library with the tea. "Sorry to keep you waiting~" She sang happily.

"Helga-san, look at these. They're beautiful."

"Oh?"

Helga walked up to her, put the teacup on the table and looked at the picture Yui was referring to. "Ah, the elves. Yes they are indeed very beautiful creatures. They can usually be found deep in the forest."

"I see, and they don't have any connections with gods?"

"Not really, if gods and elves meet then they will only nod to acknowledge each other's presence and walk their separate ways. We may not interact with each other but we still like to be polite."

"And… what if I met one?"

"I guess they would either ignore you or approach you. If they do, they want to see if they can do anything for you, for a price that is."

"I understand. Thanks for the tea, Helga-san." Yui said and took the teacup in her hand, trying to change the subject.

"You're welcome~!"

Helga was a few inches taller and looked a little more mature than Yui but she acted more like a child when she was pleased or happy. She looked like a regular and calm goddess when Yui first met her on her way to the library but was already showing her what kind of a person she really was. Yui knew that all of the servants had to be polite and do what they were told but it seemed like once you got close to them, they would show you their true nature. "I think I should return home now." Yui said and finished her tea.

"That's probably for the best, you look a little tired." Helga pointed out. "Just promise me you will call for me next time you visit the castle."

"I promise."

"I will escort you to the exit." The goddess stated and offered Yui a hand to help her up from the chair.

Yui giggled at her gesture but took her hand anyway. Helga's hand was warm… or was Yui just getting colder? "Oh my, your hand feel more cold now than it was before." Helga noticed and used both of her hands to warm it up.

Yui had to act like she was thinking about something and put her free hand against the cheek to check the temperature. "Hmm, you're right… Maybe I'm coming down with a cold?"

"A cold? Ah, it's that common human sickness, right?"

"Yes and it's nothing serious, I just need to rest."

"Then you should go home right away before it gets worse."

Helga started to lead Yui out from the library and didn't let go of her until they were standing in front of the exit. "Now you take care of yourself."

"You too, Helga-san. Goodbye!"


Yui was almost back at her cottage when she felt a sharp pain coming from her heart and she could feel the ice starting to spread. 'No… Not now…' She thought as she felt the urge to groan but tried as hard as she could not to let a single sound escape her mouth. 'I have to get home, now!'

She walked as fast as she could and finally made it inside her cottage. She immediately went inside the bedroom and placed herself in front of the mirror. It still hurt like hell and what only made matters worse was that every time she moved, it felt like the ice was tearing on her skin. She groaned as she removed the sweater. Once it was off she gasped at what she saw, the snowflake-shaped patch of ice over her heart was twice as big as it was before and from its edges grew curvy lines of ice. The lines made it look like an octopus was trying to crawl out of her. One of the lines was heading for her left shoulder, it hadn't reached yet but if it grew this fast then it was only a matter of time… Another line would definitely spread sideways and go just below her armpit, the third line would head towards her throat and the fourth line would travel down between her breasts and then reach her stomach.

"I won't be able to hide it for long…" She whispered to herself with fear in her eyes, her mouth slightly open and tears that threatened to fall. She was so scared right now and realised she had much less time to heal herself than she first thought. She could cover herself all the way to her throat but if the line that was heading that way went any higher she wouldn't be able to hide it. She would have to leave as soon as she wakes up tomorrow, she couldn't waste any more time.

A/N: Sorry you had to wait a little longer than usual for this chapter but you'll get the next chapter in about 3 days, promise!