Over the following weeks, Nari's symptoms began to lessen. The first was absolute hell; there were multiple stages during the process she genuinely wished she had swallowed the entire bottle. It felt like her pain would never cease. During her worst, she had briefly caved, falling into relapse. But her attempt was thwarted, failing upon arrival at the school store. Rather than the familiar school receptionist, she was met with the god of fire, who had followed after spotting her flitting across the school grounds. Miserable and utterly defeated, Nari hung her head in shame as Loki dragged her back to her room, threatening to inform her sister should even think to try something like that again.

After that, Loki rarely left her side. He appeared first thing in the morning before classes, if only just to ensure she was still in her room. By the time lunch rolled around, he would be hovering nearby, dropping off food items or spending the afternoon with her should she so wish it. As it turned out, he made an exceptionally comfortable pillow as well as offering endless warmth to boot. By nightfall, he would generally return, hanging out before leaving her in Fuyu's care. Following Nari's first escape, she had taken to sleeping directly in front of the door; it was impossible to open without waking her.

It was a living nightmare, and in the beginning, Nari hated them for it. But before long, their efforts proved successful. Through the combined efforts of the fire god, her familiar, and her younger sister, Nari found herself slowly improving, little by little. With each passing day, she felt her spirits lifting. She had been prepared to weather the storm alone in agony, isolated in her dormitory room. Nothing could have been further from the truth. In reality, she rarely spent a single day alone; she was almost constantly being checked in on and cared for, with most of the gods utterly disregarding school policy to come see her.

Apollon came to visit her multiple times. He was a ray of sunshine that always aimed to brighten her day and strangely, sometimes succeeded. But much like the sun, he often became too much for her, forcing her to gently dismiss him as kindly as possible lest she end up with a migraine worse than before he arrived. Dionysus was her third most frequent visitor, right behind her sister and Loki himself, so much so that the three of them often crossed paths.

On those occasions, Yui noted the clear tension between them. But whatever problem they had with one another they put it aside. Nari's recovery was more important than some petty rivalry. Thus, their visits came without incident, with the exception of one. Frequenting her room many times throughout the week, Dionysus appeared, often bearing gifts to make her merry. At one point, that gift consisted of freshly bottled wine, much to Yui's extreme irritation. The result was a world-class scolding about why a god shouldn't be giving alcohol to a recovering addict, before throwing him right out the door.

Nari laughed hysterically the entire time.

Thor came by a few times and just sat there at her side. They didn't speak much, just enjoyed each other's silent company. Takeru arrived twice because 'he was bored', according to him. But the fact that he had made a point to bring ehomaki and tonkatsu on each occasion blew a giant hole in that claim. It was clear to all of them that the god of storms was concerned… even if he would rather go to his grave than admit it.

Tsukito sent his regards with his brother, refusing to break the rules. He also sent a charm with his younger brother. Balder came by a couple of times along with Hades, although the latter stood near her bedroom doorway for fear of causing misfortune. When she erupted into a fit of nausea, he relocated himself to the other room entirely, ignoring the woman's protests.

Even Anubis appeared multiple times, always to chat with her and play. Although, typically, navigated around the other gods.

But by and large, her most frequent visitor throughout her journey was the god of fire, Loki himself. Aside from her sister, it was his face that appeared most often in her room, typically with some sort of snide remark. By the fourth visit, she had simply come to ignore it, or use it to kick off some form of playful banter. He appeared so often she eventually came to expect him, even going so far as to set out the occasional bowl of candy. Today was no different, the trickster appearing in her bedroom doorway shortly after Yui's departure. The transition was so seamless, Nari was convinced he had been waiting just outside the door.

"I'm getting tired of seeing your face, Loki," she complained. The words were harsh, but the smile on her face suggested otherwise.

"Hush, Puppy. You know you missed me."

"I saw you twelve hours ago."

"And still, you're happy to see me."

"Get over yourself."

"Hehe." This had become the routine: Loki's arrival, followed by banter, reconciliation, and relaxation. Crossing the room to her bed, he waved his hands at her, brushing her away. "Scoot over, Puppy."

"It's my bed, you prick…" Nari grumbled, but complied, sliding over, and making room for him to lay atop the sheets. Her chills had all but vanished at this point; but she still enjoyed his warmth. Oddly, despite being the embodiment of fire, it was never enough to make her uncomfortable. He was just the right temperature. Enough to take off any edge. A contented sigh escaped her lips as she rested her head, a restless finger running along the length of a long red tuft.

"You seem to be in better spirits today. Feeling any better?"

"Much," she affirmed, letting the hair fall between her fingers. "Pretty sure I've gotten through the worst of it. At this point, most of my symptoms are mild. I was even thinking of taking a little stroll from the dormitory." Loki turned his head, eyes narrowing in immediate suspicion. Nari rolled her eyes and groaned. "Would you relax? I just meant around the grounds. Wasn't even going to the school building."

"You can't exactly blame me."

"No, I can't… So, I won't." Nari hummed, letting her head fall completely onto the pillow; her fingers drummed lazily against the sheets. "I just… wanna get out, you know? Being in here all the time is driving me crazy."

"Really? I always figured you for a homebody," Loki commented, eyebrows raising in genuine confusion.

Nari took no offense, chuckling at his thoughts. "Yeah, I guess one would think that the way I avoid people all the time…" Her eyes drifted upward, tracing an imaginary line along the markings beneath his right eye. "But actually, I prefer spending my time outside. Honestly, I'm surprised you never noticed. I mean, I could get my exercise any number of ways, a treadmill, Pilates…"

"Pilates…?"

She shook her head and continued. "Anyway, I run because I enjoy the open air."

"Huh. Well, color me surprised." Of all the things Loki had imagined her to be, an outdoorsman was the least of them. The image he had of Nari was that of an angry hermit, snapping at any who would enter her domain. Actually, with her attitude, she might be more akin to a gremlin, but Loki had enough sense not to mention that. "Never would have thought we'd have that in common. You'd fit right in in Asgard."

"I would…?" Nari blinked. "Wait, what do you mean? Balder told me you spend most of your time inside…"

"I do. But it's by necessity, not by choice," Loki corrected. "I enjoy the outdoors, but it's so damn cold all the time, leaving the house is a chore."

Nari balked. "But… you're a god of fire. How does someone like you get cold…? Is that even possible?"

Loki poked her nose with a painted nail, smirking at her resulting scowl. "Of course, I can. It's just difficult. Typically, I keep the air around me fairly warm." She shook his hand off and he let it fall, though he didn't move his fingertip, letting it rest against her chin. "But the temperatures are so low back home, it takes energy to do that. It's just work, you know? Don't feel like dealing with it."

"Damn, just how cold is it in Asgard?"

"Well below freezing, Puppy. All the time. Come to think of it, you might actually like it… assuming you don't freeze to death." Though he would never admit it, the thought had crossed his mind before. Loki, in his bored moments, often found himself considering the possibility of her visiting his homeland. She claimed she never grew cold, and perhaps that was true in the human. But Asgard was a realm of the gods, and Nari was still human. Though perhaps…

"It sounds wonderful," Nari mumbled, mind drifting to a faraway land. She imagined a world full of ice, with no humans to bother or harass her. A world where snow covered the ground year-round and the temperatures never rose above 10 degrees Celsius. Such a place could only exist in her dreams.

Loki scoffed. "Of course, you'd say that. Sometimes I forget you're insane."

"I am addict, Loki. Perfectly sane." She said that, though couldn't help but wonder for a brief moment. She was lying in her bedroom next to a god, surely the very idea could challenge her sentiment. Were she to mention this to anyone back home, they would probably have her committed immediately. And she wouldn't entirely blame them. Had she not experienced this fantastical world, she would have never believed it herself. "Anyway, that being said, I would probably enjoy your home, should I ever be allowed to visit."

"Not sure that's a good idea. Some of the Aesir don't take kindly to humans. Couldn't have you wandering around and run into the wrong one."

"The who?"

"The Aesir… the Norse gods."

"Ah." Nari nodded her head thoughtfully, the term sounding vaguely familiar in the back of her mind. Then, it drifted to a curious thought, the words blurting out before she could stop them. "What, you wouldn't let me stay with you? Jerk."

Her words tore a laugh from his chest. "Absolutely not. My home is sacred. Besides, there's no room for two." A blatant lie. He had shared his bed once with another in a similar fashion. And the very thought pierced his heart like a knife.

"Whatever. Don't need it. Maybe I would just camp out in the woods or something, I don't know. Better than going back home…" Her words trailed off, voice growing quiet as she descended into thought. Reminding herself of her grim reality. That one day soon, she would return to a future unknown. Likely one of imprisonment. Permanently. "Not like I really have one anymore…"

Her words were barely a whisper, but Loki had heard them, his lips pulling into a frown. "…Because of Yamagata?"

Nari's eyes shut up, locking with his in a stunned expression. But after only a moment, they softened. Of course, he had been listening in. He wouldn't be Loki if he hadn't. The fact that he had somehow been present for her confession that night was of little surprise to her; though that wasn't to say it didn't annoy her. Regardless, there was little point in hiding information he already knew. So, she nodded sadly. "Yeah. Because I burned it to the ground. With him inside."

"He deserved it."

She nodded again. "Maybe so. But the other humans aren't going to see it that way… to be honest, that's the reason I spend so much time outside now. Because when I go home… I'll probably never see the sky again." Loki listened, twirling a strand of her navy hair between his fingers. It was true that she spent an alarming amount of time outside, particularly at night. That was something he'd learned about Nari. She enjoyed watching the moon. "But what did I expect? That's what I get for trusting the wrong person. I fucked around… and I found out."

The god of fire shook his head, pausing his motions. "You didn't do anything wrong, Puppy. Your only crime was being too ingenuous."

"But I'm not though," she insisted, her eyes narrowing. "People have messed around with me since I was a little kid. Because I was… different. Humans are like that. I learned to harden my heart long ago. But for some reason, that man —" she paused, realizing that she was getting worked up again. It wouldn't do to keep allowing him to have that effect on her. To give him that power. "There was just something about him that made me… trust him. That I just couldn't turn away."

"What do you mean…?" Loki asked. In truth, he had been hoping to ask her about it for some time but hadn't found the right opportunity. He wanted to know as much about the man as possible, if only to make his spirit easier to find. "What was he like?"

Nari sighed. She had expected such a question. "Yamagata was…" Her mind thought back to the day they had met after the talent show. The way he had smiled at her and offered his hand. His gentle eyes and soothing voice. His words, so convincing, so persuasive, she believed he could make almost anyone believe whatever he wanted them to. His clever grin. His soft, flaming, fiery red —

Her entire body froze, mouth falling open in a moment of shock as the realization finally hit her. Of how foolish she was for not seeing it sooner. "Actually… he was just like you."

"…Eh?" Loki balked, his own face mirroring her startled expression. He wasn't sure what to make of that, that the man who would go on to ruin her life was his copy. In all honesty, he was deeply insulted. "I sincerely hope you meant that as a compliment, Puppy."

She shook her head. "No, not like that. Well, I mean, he sort of looked like you. Same hair color, same demeanor, same height. But it wasn't even that, it was something else. Yamagata was — it's hard to explain." Nari tried to piece together her thoughts, to best explain herself without insinuating the wrong thing. "He had the same… air about him as you do. Almost — he was very… convincing. Like, when he spoke to me, I knew that… I believed that I could trust him with anything."

"Trust him?"

"Yeah. I don't know. I just felt like I needed him."

"But why?" The thought of Nari needing anyone was baffling to him. She was fiercely independent, easily one of the most resilient human beings he had ever seen… Or was she? Perhaps it had been Yamagata that had made her that way.

She didn't answer. Instead, she chuckled bitterly. "Don't worry about it. You're just gonna use it against me. I'm not in the mood for it."

"I won't mess around, Puppy," Loki replied, fixing her with a hardened stare. A gaze so genuine she could feel its sincerity. "…Try me."

Nari exhaled a heavy sigh. "It's just… all my life, I've always felt like I was searching. Like something was missing. Like… like there was a piece of me lost out there that I needed to find. And seeing him, I felt like… like I had found that missing piece. In retrospect, I guess maybe I thought he was the solution to all of my problems. But at the time, I just…" Nari frowned. "When I looked at him, I saw… I felt… home."

Loki absorbed her words, taking in each detail and giving them careful thought. Her logic was sound; he was, after all, the god of tricks. If they were as similar as she said, it was no surprise he had been able to fool her. But from the way she spoke, it sounded like her attraction to him went deeper than kind words and careful misdirection. As though there were something about the man specifically that she wanted. And if they were truly alike in that regard, then he couldn't help but wonder. "And you say he is… so is that the way you feel about me?"

"I —" Nari's words caught in her throat, the question suddenly registering in her mind. She hadn't considered that possibility. The similarities between them. That maybe whatever it was they shared was the very thing that drew her to him in the first place. It made sense. Why, even though she often wanted to throttle him… she felt that she could trust him. And she had no idea why. Her face ignited, every drop of blood rushing to her face at the realization. "N-No! I mean… m-maybe… I —" She shook her head. "Look, it doesn't matter. Obviously, I was wrong. His kind words meant nothing. Everything he said was a lie. His guidance, his 'concern' for my wellbeing. Hell, even taking me up the mountain… it was all a ruse."

"The mountain?"

"Yeah." Her body bristled at the memory. "It was during one of the company's bonding trips or something. The employees all took a camping trip out of the city. Before we left, he said he wanted to show me something, and idiot that I was, I followed him."

Loki felt his blood run cold, narrowing his eyes as she spoke. He didn't like the implications of where this was going; especially considering what he would later do to her. "…What happened?"

"Nothing. We went to the mountaintop, and he told me to look up at the sky. And…" A small smile slowly rose on her features, as she recalled it; her most pleasant memory. "I saw them; the dancing lights… drifting over the horizon. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my entire life."

"Dancing lights…" Loki thought for a moment, trying to decipher her meaning. If she meant it literally, then there was only one conclusion he could think of. "The aurora borealis?"

"Yeah. It was the first time in almost 20 years that they were visible in Japan." Her eyes softened in a wistful expression. "They were beautiful, Loki… I can't even describe them."

His head slowly nodded in agreement. He knew very well. The aurora truly was a beautiful sight. One that he tended to avoid, for the image now served as little more than a painful memory. After a few moments of silence, Nari's voice brought him back again.

"We were supposed to travel the world, you know… the company said they were going to take me global. Then, I would be able to travel; see them whenever I wanted. Obviously… it didn't work out that way."

The two fell silent, lying side by side on her bed. Nari had little more to offer, and Loki wasn't sure what to say. Part of him wanted to offer to take her, to see the lights once more. But he wasn't sure it was possible. As far as he knew, they weren't visible from the garden, and bringing her to Asgard wasn't an option. Perhaps he could speak to Zeus. Maybe there was a way before she returned, that she could see them one last time.

"Hmm?" The sound of quiet tapping reached their ears. One tap. Then two. Then three. Within minutes, there were hundreds, rattling against the building in rhythmic patterns. Rain.

Nari smiled, letting the sound lull her as she closed her eyes. "Right… it's still autumn." She reminded herself yet again. If only she had the energy, she would go; stand outside beneath the entranceway. But all she wanted to do now was sleep. She was moments from doing so, only the sound of Loki's voice pulling her away.

"Hey, Puppy?"

"Yeah?"

"The rain… what did it remind you of?"

This again. It seemed that Loki remembered everything, a truly meddlesome trait. But at this point, he had more than earned his right to ask. He had already learned the darkest parts of her life. What more was a simple question? With a tired yawn, she let her eyes drift closed once more, a single word slipping from her lips as she drifted into sleep. "… Snow."