AN: Thank you all for your comments and support! 3 You guys are the best! More chapters are to come, sorry for the wait :) ~Moonmilk

...

Fall away

The straight path of triumph and sanity trudged on, but suddenly it stopped, falling off the bar graph. Thor was sad to hear that Loki was becoming more abusive to the guards again, and himself.

"He...he was so close." Thor pressed a palm to his forehead, holding back a sob. Miku wasn't hungry, she picked at her carrots and potatoes viciously, while listening to Thor's choked voice.

"How could this happen? It's his heredity, correct?" Queen Frigga asked her son. "The antidote isn't progressing correctly."

"Possibly." The hammer god took a bite of potatoes, then wiped his eyes.

Miku set down her fork, clattering against the china plate. Within a second, two pairs of blue, hazel and green were on her.

"Miku, are you alright?" Darcy asked in a shaky tone.

"No! No I'm not I," She paused and looked at Jane, then Darcy. "It's all my fault!" She pushed the golden chair back, it screeched but she didn't mind. Miku trudged out of the dinner room, into an open chamber, exposing a full moon. The same room where she saw Jane's fiancé cry, the day where Loki was assaulted.

She felt like he was assaulted, the images of his struggles haunted her every day since. Her chocolate eyes filled with tears, the streamed down her white face. It was all her fault, her and her rambling, not thinking before she speaks. Bringing up King Odin brought Loki into tears. And he brought her, like an assembly.

Why should she care? Why did she even bother coming over yesterday. She made a mess inside him and made a mess in his room, covered in black, with sad words written for him. She thought of him caressing the painted word with his bony fingers, screaming out behind her.

A brash voice echoed behind her. She turned and noticed a royal purple scarf. Darcy ran up to her, raising her eye brows in dismay. "What are you doing? Why is this your fault, c'mon." She grabbed Miku's wrist. Miku hesitated and leaned against the railing.

"No, I can't...I did something I will regret forever. His medicine cycle is broken, he's hurting himself again! He insulted me when I brought up the king, and..." She was blubbering, why was she blubbering?! "I had to leave him, Loki warned me not to come back before and I did, it's worse than ever."

"Miku stop!" Darcy grabbed her shoulder, then it moved up to her neck. She shook her. "Stop ok? It's not your fault, ok? Look, Loki is...he's lost alright? A screwed up man who treats others the way he treats himself! I told Frigga and Thor about yesterday, they are not mad, they understand what you want to do."

"Darcy, he's going to kill himself he can't kill himself! I hardly know him...yet I know so much. He can't go, Thor needs him."

Darcy looked at the floor and pressed her lips together, her green eyes were blinking rapidly. "Miku...I think we need time. We just need to wait. You should be happy, and I should be happy ok?" She noticed Darcy's eyes were growing red. "I don't want any crying, no crying at this wedding!" Darcy chuckled, her red painted lips quivering. "I don't want my friends crying..."

Miku chuckled too. "I'm sorry," She let out a shaky sigh. "I just can't let him die, no one wants him too."

Darcy soothed Miku more, then she asked if she would like to return to dinner. Miku walked in front of her while Darcy kept a hand on her shoulder.

...

"I understand your need for sympathy, but he must be in there for his...deeds." Frigga's lip quivered slightly.

"Just give him space, everyone should leave him alone until the medicine is in full swing. Give it two or three days at least." Jane mentioned. Miku felt sick to her stomach, it felt like her 'pep' talk with Darcy wasn't enough.

They continued to eat their supper. The conversation shifted to Jane's wedding and plans. It was to be held in the garden, all of Asgard's richest were to attend. Really the only mortals that will partake is Miku, Darcy, Ian and Selvig.

"Everything's all chosen. Things are being set up soon, I just couldn't have done it without you all, thanks." Jane gave her regards to her future husband, her future mother in law and her friends. Smiles and squinted eyes seemed to fill the room more than tears and frowns, because of the conversation shift. The wedding will happen, the vacation's done, and Miku will return to the Magic Sakura, living a normal life, getting her student loans payed off.

"Pardon. My Queen-,"

Heads moved to the guard who opened the golden dining hall doors. "My queen," He began to stutter. "T-the King wishes to see you, all of you."

Frigga frowned and stood up, grabbing Jane's hand.

"Wait, what's going on?" Darcy called, but it was too late, Frigga and Jane already took off.

"Follow me." Thor ordered and took Miku and Darcy to the throne room. Miku stared in awe at the small details of the walls, the golden glow was truly spectacular, especially at night when the torches of fire glow against it. Sitting on the throne was King Odin himself, staring down at his wife and future daughter in law. His chin lifted higher once he saw his son approach with the two other women.

"Husband." Frigga trembled. "Is...is this what your decision is?"

Odin said nothing as he got off his throne, slowly staggering down the golden steps, approaching his wife. Jane backed away and stood next to her fiancée as Odin stroked his wife's face. Frigga leaned into her husbands touch, and began to stroke his silvery worn-out locks. "I can't bear it any more." She sobbed.

"Alas, it is quick. It will help him."

"What will father, who?"

Odin turned to his son who was closer to him now.

"We must begin another procedure, and send Loki to a different chamber. Somewhere private,"

"Is this a joke father?" Thor half laughed-half coughed from sudden sorrow. Lighting blue eyes grew darker as his father told Thor his plan.

"I have already ordered a guard to send another antidote to his quarters, there he will be faced with another force fed."

Miku flinched and grabbed Jane's hand. The scientist squeezed it , then let go and rubbed her back. Miku tried her hardest not to shudder, the pressure for crying was harder than ever. Miku was starting to believe that all Odin wanted to do was to hurt Loki, to keep giving him punishment after punishment.

"Father, this is assault!" Thor roared, blue eyes boiling with anger.

"Don't talk back to your father like that! Your king!" Frigga's voice grew more cracked as she spoke. Thor could notice a single tear streamed down her cheek.

Thor bowed his head in defeat. Jane approached him and grabbed his arm, looking into his eyes. She rested against his chest, he kissed her caramel locks and held onto her.

"You will not be visiting him...for as many days as possible. He will be moved in a hidden chamber, to be punished for his deeds." Odin concluded.

Miku hung her head and watched Jane and Thor depart after telling the all father they 'understand'. Frigga decided to stay with her husband, and finally decided to sleep in the same quarters as him. Miku lifted her head and brushed her ebony locks away, revealing a red, grief stricken face.

"Wait! Hey Miku wait!" She sped off, sobbing uncontrollably. Odin swished behind him, watching the unknown mortal run like a madwoman. Miku pushed Thor and Jane out of the way, Darcy tried to catch up to her, but failed. She continued to call out her name.

Miku ran down the empty halls, choking and gritting her teeth. She picked up the pace and ran down another hall, then another. Finally she reached the dungeon and tried to escape the oncoming guards. They grabbed her wrists and wished to pull her back, but she slipped free. Miku raced down the halls, passing every heathen, monster, criminal, until she reached the cell of a broken man.

Miku stopped and saw him. Still the same Loki, staring back at her, hands on his lap while sitting against the dirty wall. Her tears dropped to the ground, and several sobs escaped. His eye brows were raised and he sat up, staring at her with more intensity.

A guard entered his cage, and she could do nothing about it. The approach was slow, Loki slowly registered that the Aesir guard was there. A blow to the cheek, then the stomach.

"Runt!"

Another guard.

"Monster!"

A cry escaped Miku's mouth, she wanted to pound on the golden gate, but she knew that alone would kill her. More kicks, more insults. Blood sprayed from Loki's mouth and it splattered to the floor. Soon it would dry rust like the other splatters, on the bed, on the wall.

The more she screamed the worse it got. The two guards grabbed his limbs and pinned them on his unwashed bed. He was force fed again, the long tube plunged into his throat violently causing him to vomit. The medicine entered his body, slowly working its way inside. The guards continued to pin him down, bones starting to crack.

'Stop! Stop, please!' She wanted to cry. A strong hand grabbed Miku's delicate arm, a guard held her back. This time she screamed aloud. "Stop! Stop, please! Loki!"

They let go of him, the cord was out of his throat. The two guards threw him off his bed and on the ground. Another 'crunch' was heard. His body was motionless on the floor, most of his shirt was ripped, forest green fabric littered to the floor. Bruises covered his abdomen, legs arms and forehead. A small pool of crimson flowed from his foot.

Miku collapsed, the guard's rough calloused hand still gripped on her as she fell to the ebony floor. Why? Why did they hurt him again, he's had his punishment! Miku's mind swarmed with thoughts and worries,Moshe looked back at Loki and her heart tightened. Why was she feeling this way, why was she so drawn to this man, 'The monster' they called him.

She let it all out, crying a river. She watched his motionless body disappear from her, the guard ran away from the cell of Loki and out of the dungeon. Miku's tears dried on her cheeks, her lips red and puffy from the screaming. An ivory moon looked down on her as they passed through an open room, past Jane Foster's room, through another hallway. The open walls showed the moon again. Miku arched her brows and drooped her eyes, her mouth was agape, breathing and sighing.

The moon started to move, the stars blurred. Strands of black covered her eyes until it surrounded her.

...

Loki awoke in a heap of white. He inhaled as he sat up, glowing fire was in each corner, stacks of his old books were beside him. He was till dressed in the same fragments of clothing, the scratch and rubbing of the fabric against his skin caused him to wince.

The room was hidden, no golden barriers. His muscles screamed for him to stop moving, so he fell on the mattress, tangled hair outstretched. He stared at the mahogany celling for hours, then he turned his head to the side and caught a sight of black and white.

The painting of Miku sat by his door. Loki sat up and arched his brows, bloodied lips parted. His hands slowly moved across his abdomen, then they locked in place. He pressed against his stomach and let out a scream, then the screams turned to unstoppable sobs.

He began to tear the sheets of his new bed apart, he fell in a heap of blankets and grabbed his hair, he let go and noticed blood on top of his finger tips.

'They pulled me. My hair.'

Loki gritted his teeth and released yet another scream. His voice became raw hours later, then he collapsed. Surrounded by the tangled sheets, new blood from his hair seeping into the sheets.