The halls of the school were quiet except for the muffled voices and gentle notes playing through cracked door of the music room. Strolling down the hall, shopping bag in hand, Yui quickly made her way back to her classmates. It was under Nari's instruction that she had gone to collect the water bottles in the first place, but still, the younger sister couldn't help but be a little concerned. Leaving her alone with only one of the gods had the potential to end in someone getting their head ripped off. Eight of them? That was a disaster waiting to happen. Lifting her hand, she gently pressed the door open, preparing to announce her presence. It was the look on her sister's face that stopped her, eyes alight with joy, her fingers tapping expertly across the keys. Surrounding her were, singing their hearts out, were six of the gods, with the remaining two taking a rest against the wall.

omoi precious one…

As her fingers began to slow for the chorus, she lifted her gaze to instruct the gods. "… and all together!"

nakidashisou na hodo yasashii ai yo
todoke tsubasa ni nosete
tatoerarenai fuan subete kono ude tsutsumikonde
koe ni suru koto mo kanawanu itami
hajimete fureta my feeling
takanaru kodou uketomete tsuyoku
kagayakasetai for you

Despite herself, Yui found herself swaying back and forth to the music, a smile growing on her own face at the sight of them. As the song came to an end, Nari tapped the final note. "Good job, guys."

"You know, I'm going to be honest, I was little worried, but you guys actually sounded pretty well together." Dionysus praised.

"Of course, we did! Of course! It was the sound of our growing bonds!"

Nari let out a tired sigh. "Again, Apollon… that's not how it works."

In the doorway, Yui clapped her hands in applause, as best she could with her shopping bag in the crook of her arm. "Wow, Nari! You really got them motivated… what song was that again?"

"Reason For. It's from an anime."

"Which one?"

"Um… I can't remember, actually." Nari linked her fingers together and stretched, trying to loosen the ligaments and tendons. "That's it, then. Everybody grab a drink of water. Trust me, you don't want to end up with a dry throat."

Catching one of the bottles Yui tossed, Dionysus screwed open the cap. He took a long swig before fixing the older sister with an absolutely dazzling smile. "A cool refreshment is just what I needed to sooth my thirst."

Nari rolled her eyes when he gave her a suggestive wink. "Shut up, Dio."

"That was really fun, Siren! It was really fun!"

Balder smiled. "It was… I can see now why you have such a love of music."

"Yeah, I used to…" she muttered.

When Thoth had decided to cover human music during the day's lesson, Nari had initially been relieved. For once, it seemed they would be covering an interesting topic that didn't make her want to pull her hair out or throw herself off a bridge. Unfortunately, that relief had died quickly when Apollon decided to voice the fact that Nari was a musician, a comment which quickly sent the entire lesson spiraling into chaos. The debacle ended with Thoth losing his patience, handing the lesson over to her — if she was so talented, then they didn't need him there — and returning to the library.

Stuck with the unruly students, it didn't take long for the older sister to decide that there was little sense in trying to teach the gods the traditional way, as half of them weren't paying attention in the first place. No, the best way to get their interest was by doing, and thus she herded them from the classroom down to her domain where the assignment for the day was learning and performing a group song. Shockingly, the gods had enjoyed themselves and had actually done fairly well. Most of them, anyway. Dionysus was determined to sing off-key, and Thor was so quiet, he may as well have not been singing at all.

With classes over, the remaining six could finally relax. Loki sauntered across the room, tossing, and catching his bottle in one hand. He circled around the older sister a couple of times before hopping up on to the edge the large instrument. Agitated, Nari scowled. "Get off the piano, Loki."

Unsurprisingly, he ignored her request, instead going a step further by stretching out and laying across the ivory surface. "I think we deserve a reward. We sang so nice for you, puppy."

"You didn't have a choice. It was mandatory for today's lesson."

"But we still did our best…"

"Uh-huh."

"How rude. To think I worked extra hard juuust for you…"

Nari narrowed her eyes in challenge, the corner of her mouth twitching with irritation. He was wearing that playful smile again, the one he always wore when he was about to get either himself or someone around him into trouble. And she wasn't in the mood for it. "Really?"

"Mm-hmm…"

"You sang better just for me? It had nothing to do with lightning strikes or turning into life-sized statues?" The legs of her bench slid across the floor as she rose from her seat and circled around to the side of the piano.

"Nope! Not at all! And since I was so gracious, I think I deserve a reward."

Thor rolled his eyes from the side of the classroom, Balder shaking his head exasperation. It seemed their classmate was up to his old tricks again, and if this went anything like it normally did, this was going to end in an argument.

Nari met his sly grin with one of her own, leaning over the piano so the two of them were eye-to-eye. "Oh, I've got something for you, Loki."

"Oh, ho, ho, I can't wait — gyaagh!'

Lifting her hand, she slammed it down on the keys, erupting a loud, dissonant sound from the instrument right by Loki's head. Startled, he yelped and tumbled off his perch, slapping the bench along the way before landing on the floor with a loud thump. "Off," she repeated. Having made her point, she got to work collecting their lyric papers and dressing down her piano. With class time officially over, Hades began slumping away toward the door, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. Which, as one of the tallest gods in the room, only served to make him more suspicious. Rolling her eyes once more, she called out to the retreating god. "And just where do you think you're going, Hades?"

Caught, the lord of the Underworld grimaced and turned his head. "The lesson is over so…"

"Yeah, but why don't you hang out for a bit? Shoot the breeze, entertain your nephew…" Nari emphasized the last part, flicking her eyes to the other side of the room where Apollon was messing around with a French horn. He was going to break something; she just knew it. Hades, unsurprisingly, shook his head.

"It is best if I go… or I shall bring misfortune upon you all."

Nari sighed, placing a hand on the edge of the case for balance as she slid her bench underneath. "Hades, if you don't stop complaining, the only misfortune that's going to happen is —" In the middle of Nari's scolding, the stand holding the lid up came loose, sending it crashing down with a crack. "Ahh! Son of a — agh!"

"Oh, my — Nari, are you okay?!" Startled, Yui rushed to her sister's side where she was cradling her reddening hand in agony.

"I… have brought misfortune." Once again, Hades slipped his way out of the room, but this time Nari didn't complain. She was in far too much pain.

"Ooh, that looks bad. We should get you to the infirmary…" Dionysus suggested, taking careful note of her quickly swelling appendage.

"I'll carry you, Siren! I'll carry you!"

The god of the sun was quickly waved off by her functional hand, followed by an agitated glare. "I can walk, Apollon. My legs work fine."

"Come on, let's get you to Eir…" Yui mumbled.

. . .

Their trip to the medical wing was uneventful. Primarily, it consisted of Apollon and Balder fussing, Nari shoving them away, and Thor stepping into the center of them to break it all up. Upon arrival, the Norse goddess of healing looked unsurprised to see her, though highly amused to see Thor. It turned out the two of them knew each other, much to Yui's confusion.

Luckily, Nari's hand wasn't broken, only heavily bruised and a quick salve set it right within less than an hour. Before sending her on her way, Eir commented that Nari was oddly durable for a human woman. A compliment which she took in stride but didn't say much else on the matter. Considering she had taken a tennis ball to the head that probably should have killed her, almost nothing surprised the student anymore.

After escaping from her concerned sister, the first thing Nari did was search for the miserable god, finding him wandering along the one of the hallways. Despite his protest, she quickly caught up with him and stubbornly strolled by his side. Then, much to his chagrin, decided to agitated him even more by spending the rest of the afternoon with him.

"Kusanagi, I cannot stress enough that this is a terrible idea."

"It's alright. I have a lifetime of terrible decisions. It's par for the course."

With a tired sigh, Hades clutched his bag to his chest, attempting and failing to place some distance between them. Naturally, she simply followed him, to his ever-growing frustration. He felt he had more than enough evidence to substantiate his claims that his presence was bad for her physical health. Yet none of that seemed to matter to the older Kusanagi sister who, at this point, he was convinced was doing it just to spite him.

"Kusanagi, I really —"

"Hades, would you relax? It's fine. Whatever bad luck will fall upon me, I promise you I can —"

"Watch out!"

As if on cue, a doll student came rushing toward them from a connecting hallway shouting and waving her arms like her life depended on it. Though it was not the student that was cause for concern but the object she was chasing. A carrier filled with books had gotten away from them and was now careening toward them at top speed. Unfortunately, the student's warning came entirely too late as by the time she turned, she had only enough time to yelp before the collision. One moment, Nari was walking next to him, in the next she was swept away before crashing against the wall.

"Oh, my goodness, I am so sorry!" The doll student caught up with her runaway cart shortly afterward, quickly pulling it back and releasing the sister from its hold. The impact had stunned her, so much so that the cart was the only thing keeping her upright. Thus, when it moved, she crumbled to the ground with an audible groan. It took a few moments for her to regain her bearings; she was all but seeing stars. When her world finally stopped spinning, there was only a concerned face in front of her. She took his hand and allowed him to pull her up, brushing off her skirt before completing her previously unfinished sentence.

"— handle it."

Hades gave her an odd look, lips pulling into a worried frown. This was the second time he had watched the older Kusanagi sister get clobbered by a stray object and each time had ended in a similar manner. He was deeply concerned for her safety, at this point, but he couldn't help but be a little impressed. She would raise to her feet and dust herself off, sometimes literally, before returning to her activities as though nothing happened. She easily had to be one of the most durable humans he had ever seen in his lifetime. Her strength was admirable. Her stubbornness however…

"Come on, let's go get something to snack on. If I don't eat at least three meals a day, Yui will strangle me. She always seems to find out too, I swear that girl is omnipotent. If I didn't know any better, I would think she was a god."

Hades could only shake his head, skulking sulkily after her with a hanging head.

Their trip to the lunchroom didn't go much better. Along the way, his traveling companion had been subject to a swinging classroom door, a wet patch inexplicably located in the center of the floor directly in her walking path, and a falling doll student who tripped and dumped their sandwich over the top of her head. After nearly falling victim to a bowl of hot udon, she quickly decided that the safest place for her would be the dorm rooms — or really just isolated from anyone who would pose a hazard — which was precisely where they went.

Finally, they found some sort of relief and the two of them sat silently on the couch, snacking on their own treats. The lord of the Underworld sat on one end, quietly nibbling on a strawberry rice cake. His classmate sat on the other, munching on her own meal; a group of onigiri stuffed with beef shigureni. She had initially protested their separation, but it seemed that their distance from one another was enough to protect her from his influence. At least, for the time being.

Nari shifted her gaze, watching as her classmate stuffed the last of his fruity treat into his mouth. She had never seen a look of such joy on any human, to see it on a god was highly amusing. She didn't even realize she was giggling at him until he turned to look at her with a questioning expression on his face. With a shrug, she answered honestly. "You look adorable when you're eating those. Like you had a little slice of heaven." The Greek god nearly choked on his bite, eyes widening at her unusual assessment. His reaction only served to make her laugh even harder, a light brush of crimson rising to his face. He had been called many things over his centuries of life… adorable was never one of them.

"You… are a strange one," he muttered.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or anything. It's just… interesting, you know? Who would have thought the lord of the Underworld would be a big softie? It's not what people imagine when they think of the ruler of the dead."

"I did not choose my domain. It was simply given to me."

Nari slowly nodded her head. "Right, you mentioned that before… well, either way, it suits you."

At that, Hades lifted a brow, a slight frown forming on his face. He wasn't certain whether to be insulted or not. Knowing her, it wasn't meant as one. Even still. "What do you mean by that?"

For a moment, she fell silent. Her mind worked rapidly, trying to organize her thoughts. "I mean… your personality is great for it."

"I am suited to ruling the dead to you? That doesn't sound complimentary."

"That's because you're looking at it the wrong way." Nari finished her rice ball and shifted, leaning her arm against the back of the couch. "Think of it like this… dying sucks. It's basically one of the worst things that can happen to a human, which is why everybody hates it. After experiencing such a thing, a person probably wouldn't be feeling really good about it."

"They generally aren't."

"Right… now imagine, after going through something so traumatic, you wake up in an unfamiliar world, surrounded by unfamiliar things, and the first person you're greeted by is Takeru." Hades blinked. "Or someone like Zeus… or heavens forbid, Thoth. Talk about rubbing salt in the wound… My point is, you're a gentle soul. Exactly the sort of thing a person needs to see upon their death. If I were to wake up to someone like you… I don't know, maybe it would be a little less terrible."

Hades remained silent, his mind briefly running through the scenarios in his mind. He imagined the other gods greeting a passing soul upon their arrival, each of their voices ringing in his head.

Looks like we've got another one… Tch, humans are so weak.

Lament, for judgment has been laid upon you.

Your life is over. There is the land of souls, get out of my sight.

The thought made him visibly shudder. That would be truly awful. "I… never thought of it that way."

"Eh, sometimes all we need is an outside perspective."

Her words hung in the air between them. She said nothing further, allowing him to process and digest them. He couldn't help the gentle smile that slowly rose on to his face. What a strange human. "Kusanagi."

"Yeah?"

"I don't understand you. I don't understand why you view me in such a way, or how you even stand to be around me. You have been hurt numerous times today alone, yet still you persevere. It is as though you lack fear itself."

Nari's smile faltered, her eyes falling to the floor. "I… I don't lack fear. Nor am I immune to pain. I'm no different than any other human in that regard. But…" In her eyes, he could see conflict. Uncertainty. As she tried to figure out what and what not to say. "Remember when I asked you if you had seen someone… a coworker of mine?" His silent nod gave her confirmation. "His name was Akihiko Yamagata. My talent agent, and my manager. I guess I just wanted to know which way he was going, you know…? Where he was headed."

"Why?"

"He's the reason I became this way. And if I'm being honest, I highly doubt I was the only one." There were others, she was sure of it. There had to be others. "Let's just say… there are things far worse than getting hit by tennis ball, or a bowl of noodles. Anything your curse can throw at me, I can almost promise you, I've experienced worse… let's just leave it at that."

Her words struck deep with him. Not only were they unexpected, but it was the way she said them. The look in her eyes, filled with so much pain, so much sorrow and regret. It was a side of Nari that he had never seen, so open and vulnerable. On the one hand, he was honored that she felt comfortable enough around him to reveal that part of herself. On the other, it made him wonder just what this Yamagata had done to her to make her so bitter. Perhaps he should pay him a visit upon his return…

"Anyway… Think about what I said, alright?" Nari rose to her feet and stretched, leaning her head from side to side. When Hades didn't answer, she shrugged and continued onward. Gathering her bag from the side of the couch, she slowly made her way toward the entrance. "Oh, and Hades?" she called back to him, smirking when he finally made eye contact with her. "We should do this again sometime. You're a cool guy, unlucky or not." Spinning around, she waved over her shoulder before slipping out the door, leaving the god of death behind.

He shook his head and lowered his eyes to his hands, thick mane of green hair covering his growing smile. What a strange, strange human.

. . .

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Thanks for reading! Feedback is always appreciated, it really keeps me motivated. Still working on the game! :)