[MaLoRa] In a Distant Time 3/?

[melrose_stormhaven]

Disclaimer: Ehem. I do not own Matantei Loki Ragnarok. Loki-kuuuuuuun! Bleh.

Free talk: Ahhh…It's been a while. Alas, I suffer from the disease called 'procrastination'. Enjoy this chapter!

This chapter is for Wicked and Bookworm.

Chapter III: Of Rings and Dwarves

Love works a different way in different minds, the fool it enlightens and the wise it blinds.
- John Dryden (1631-1700)

Heimdall was not having a good day. First, Freyr had managed to fill their house of all sorts of stuff that he had brought from bargain sales, nearly taking over all the space in the house, leaving little room for Heimdall. Cartons of milk, stacks of rugs, rolls of tissue paper, even a bushel of corn, and other whatnots filled rooms. Right now, Freyr was out shopping, again. Freyr had tried to drag Heimdall along, but somehow, Heimdall managed not to go with Freyr.

Second, the place where his right eye should be was hurting again. Damn Loki, he cursed to himself as he put his hand over his missing eye, feeling it throb against his palm. Nowadays, even the thought of Loki brought pain to him. Will he ever be free of the Trickster god?

Swearing in Old Norse, he made his way through the maze of merchandise, but was halted by a sudden chill in the room. Turning, he saw a bright light emerge from the wall. He stiffened, for he knew the light only meant one thing. A second later, his suspicion was confirmed.

"Heimdall." Odin's voice filled the room. "How fares your struggle with the accursed trickster?"

"Not well," Heimdall admitted. He couldn't have lied, anyway; Odin wasn't called 'All-Knowing" for nothing. "He still lives."

"Have I been in error in sending you, Heimdall?" Odin's tone was mild, but Heimdall knew better to be taken by that tone. "I thought you were most eager to avenge the loss of your eye."

"Loki claims he did not steal my eye."

"And you believed him?" Heimdall clenched his hands into tight fists at the hint of amusement and pity in Odin's voice. "He is the trickster, Heimdall. He lies, deceives, and manipulates. I have thought you were more…knowledgeable of his ways."

Heimdall said nothing. The silence lasted for a few seconds until Odin spoke again. "I will be sending one who will aid you."

Heimdall blinked at the announcement. Please, don't let it be someone like Freyr, Heimdall thought with dismay. I can't handle any more Freyrs. I'll go crazy. "I am honored, but I really don't need anyone's help to kill Loki. Loki will die by my hands alone."

"Do not be selfish, Heimdall," Odin admonished. "The trickster's existence is a threat to us all. We must all join efforts to be rid of him."

Heimdall set his teeth. "As you wish. Who shall you send?"

"You will discover that soon enough. The one who will help you will arrive soon," Odin replied. "For now, there is something you must accomplish."

So Odin won't tell him who he'll send. Heimdall skillfully hid a twitch at Odin's evasiveness. Though seething inside, he managed to calmly listen to Odin's plans. What else could he do?


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"Oi, Loki. What are we doing here again" Narugami asked Loki, who was heading towards the shrine. Narugami was annoyed. Loki had dragged him from his part-time job to accompany him back to the falls. Usually, Yamino accompanied Loki in these investigations, but Four-eyes had other things to do. Narugami made a mental note to give Yamino a sound trashing when he saw him again.

Loki glanced over his shoulder. "I want to check out some things. Mayura said a priest gave her a ring for protection. Then later, the kappa attacked her. I don't believe that is a coincidence."

"That's fine, Loki. But why do I have to accompany you?" Narugami demanded. Then he held up a balled-up mess of twine and other organic materials that gave out a musty smell. "And why do I have to carry this stupid thing? What is this, anyway"

"It's a fishnet, Narukami-kun," Loki explained. He watched with veiled amusement as Narugami struggled with it, nearly entangling himself with it. "Please be careful with it" Loki said. "It's very old, and we'll need it later."

"What are we going to do with this? Catch fish? You could buy those stuff in the market, Loki."

Loki gave him one of his patented mysterious smiles that always made Narugami want to beat the crap out of him. "I know, Narukami-kun. But that's not the sort of fish were catching."

Not the sort of fish…Narugami's eyes widened. "We're not catching that thing that dragged down Mayura, are we? I thought you've taken care of it."

Loki's eyes narrowed. "I just want to ask it a few questions. Now let's go to the shrine. I need to talk to the priest about Mayura's ring." He didn't have time to examine the ring thoroughly on the day Mayura came to his house, but he did feel the ring give a faint aura of familiar magic, the kind he didn't like.

At the shrine, they were greeted by a kindly black-haired kannushi sweeping the shrine's steps of fallen leaves which Loki thought to be a futile effort since the leaves kept on falling anyway. When Loki asked him about Mayura and the ring, he frowned. "I'm afraid you have the wrong person. I wasn't here at the time you mention, and I vow I have not seen this girl you speak of nor have I given her any ring."

"Then who was here that day?" Loki asked.

The man thought for a moment. "That would be my lazy assistant." He pointed to a red-haired youth scrubbing the floor with a disgruntled expression on his face.

Loki nodded. He bowed at the kannushi. "Thank you for your assistance. Let's go, Narukami-kun."

When they were out of earshot, Narugami asked Loki, "What was that all about?"

"Mayura said the ring was given to her by a old white-haired priest. The one we just talked to was a relatively young, black-haired kannushi," Loki explained. "So who was the person Mayura talked to and received the ring from?"


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Daidouji Mayura was, Heimdall decided as he watched the pink-haired girl stroll through the park as she headed for school, a very weird, troublesome human. He knew the girl had an unusual fondness for mysteries and was very clumsy, but really–

He's been watching the girl for no more than thirty minutes, but the girl had managed to ram into five people, coo over three black cats, stop over three 'mystery shops', and then nearly get hit by a bicycle for lingering too long in front of a weird symbol in another store. How did the girl survive this long? And how could Loki stand being with a girl like that?

Heimdall never understood much of what Loki did or his tastes. He never understood the Trickster god's fondness for bow ties, or his penchant for silly, often dangerous pranks. He didn't understand Loki's tastes in women, too.

Ah. The women. The Trickster god had been infamous for pranks as much as he was famous for his women. There had been that first wife while he was still in the Land of the Giants (Heimdall heard that wife died after Loki went to Asgard), and then his string of mistresses…from (allegedly) Freya to Angrboda, the giantess who bore his three children. Heimdall's mind shied away from the more…unnatural…unions Loki had. I will not think of Sleipnir. I will not think of Sleipnir.

Then he remembered Loki's second wife, Sigyn. She had been very beautiful, Sigyn, with her long, fair hair and dark eyes. Always calm…and loyal, Heimdall recalled. She tolerated Loki's affairs very well and stood by her husband's side no matter what. She wasn't very well known in the mortal realm, for she rarely ventured out of her hall, and she didn't seem to have any 'functions'. She was just known as 'Loki's faithful wife'. However, reclusive as she was, many of the gods and even the giants admired her. Even he himself fan–

Heimdall then frowned. Why was he thinking of such things? Shaking his head, he focused at the task at hand, steadying himself in the branch in a tree near Mayura's schoolroom. Mayura was at school now, greeting everyone effusively as she breezed by into her classroom.

Now this girl, Mayura, was far different from Loki's past women. Mayura was pretty, but hardly a raving beauty. As for brains…well…he didn't have to elaborate on that. There was nothing remarkable about her, except perhaps her penchant for getting into trouble.

Nevertheless, Mayura was Loki's main weakness right now. He had proved that repeatedly, from the day in the aviary to the day Hel confronted her father. Loki would do anything for Mayura, he was sure. Heimdall's lips twisted into a smirk. He wondered if Loki knew just how vulnerable he had just made himself when he attached himself to Mayura.

"Heimdall, why are you watching Freyr's Yamato Nadeshiko?"

Startled, Heimdall nearly fell from his branch. He shot Freyr a deadly glare. "Why did you sneak up on me, Freyr?" he demanded. Damn, his heart was still pounding from that scare.

Freyr, dressed in his grand, eye-catching clothes, looked offended. "Freyr didn't sneak up. Heimdall was too busy to notice Freyr." He inched closer to Heimdall, making the branch wobble dangerously. "Why is Heimdall watching Freyr's Yamato Nadeshiko?" His eyes narrowed. "Is Heimdall going to steal her away from Freyr?"

"No, of course not! Now get off my branch or we'll–"

There was a sudden, sickening crack, and the two gods fell to the bushes below in a tangled heap of limbs and branches.

"Heimdall–"

"SHUT UP, FREYR!"


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Mayura's ears perked up. What was that sound? She peered outside then turned to Koutarou. "What was that? I heard something crash outside."

"Hmm" Koutarou glanced outside, but saw nothing. "Maybe a branch fell. So, how are you feeling after that dip in the pool?" he said, a teasing lilt to his voice. He had laughed his head off when Mayura arrived from the falls, soaked to the skin.

Mayura laughed. "I'm okay, Koutarou-kun. Papa was mad, though, because I got wet."

"How did you fall into the water, anyway? I knew you were clumsy, but not THAT clumsy."

Mayura blushed, and debated whether to tell Koutarou about the creature that pulled her in. Then she shook her head. Koutarou was a good friend of hers, but he'd just probably laugh if she told him what had happened. "Anou…I slipped. I was…um, looking for the treasure."

"Figures. Why do you bother looking for it when there's one right in your face?"

"Eh?" Mayura stared at Koutarou, a confused look on her face. "What do you mean?"

Koutarou smiled. "Me, of course. I'm rich, handsome, and intelligent. A treasure, many girls have said."

Mayura face-faulted. "Anou, Koutarou-kun–" Mayura would have said more, but the door burst open with a loud bang, and a flustered-looking Uzumaki-sensei entered the room, muttering to himself. They immediately took their seats.

"Sorry I'm late, class. I was lost in the road of life." The class rolled their eyes at his excuse. Their teacher was fond of lame excuses. "Anyway, I have several announcements to make. As you know, the Drama Club has been putting up a play of Snow White that will be shown a week from now. Unfortunately, there has been a problem. The lead actress and actor, Snow White and the Prince, will not be able to play. Apparently, they were involved in a vehicular accident when their car hit a fruit stand. This means they need replacements."

The room erupted into conversations. The position of Snow White was much coveted by the girls, probably because it involved a kiss. Besides, lots of people watched the play, which was the school's and the town's highlight activity for autumn.

"So," Uzumaki-sensei said, raising his voice. "To make things fair, the teachers in charge of the production, which means me, Haruno-sensei, and that bast–I mean, Uchiha-sensei, decided that we'll draw lots." He held up a small box. "Form a line and pick up a single piece of paper. If your paper has the initials S.W. or P written on them, you get the parts."

The students stampeded to get in line. Mayura, for most part, took her time. It would be nice to be Snow White, but she had other things to do, like finding out who her mysterious rescuer was. Was the brown-haired man really a god? And if so, why was he helping Mayura? And why, why did he look like Loki-kun?

Mayura was not, as most people would think, dumb. She saw the similarities between the two, and was it really only a coincidence Loki-kun caught a cold?

She knew Loki-kun was strange the day she met him, which was probably the reason why she was so drawn to him. Loki-kun is such a big, big, mystery, she thought as she absently drew out a paper from the lots and opened it, not really seeing what was written on it.

"AHA!" Uzumaki-sensei crowed, startling Mayura out of her thoughts. "Looks like we have our Prince! Koutarou-kun plays the Prince!" He pointed to a pleased-looking Koutarou. The girls in the class screamed wildly at the announcement.

"All right, calm down!" Uzumaki-sensei told them.

"What did you get, Daidouji?" Koutarou asked, walking over to her.

"Eh? I haven't looked at it yet." Mayura glanced at her own paper, her eyes widening when she saw the initial S.W. on it.


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"I know you're there, Andvari. Come out," Loki demanded as he stood on shore. He was no longer in his child form, but in his real one. In his hands, he held the net. Behind him, Narugami held his bokken tightly, anticipating an attack. Loki smiled grimly. He knew of only one dwarf who liked to live under waterfalls and had a greed for gold. And if his guess was right, he'd be talking to that dwarf soon.

The pool beneath the waterfall was still, and then there was a sudden flicker in the water. Without another thought, Loki threw the net into the water.

Narugami's eyes widened when he saw something struggle in the water where the net fell. "Help me haul out the net" Loki told Narugami. Together, the two of them pulled out the net…which now contained an angrily flopping fish. Narugami stared at the fish as it blurred, and turned into a small, stocky, very hairy man–a dwarf, actually.

"Let me out of this!" Andvari shouted, struggling against the net. "Loki, curse you! Isn't it enough you stole my gold and my ring?"

Loki regarded the dwarf calmly. "I don't have your gold or your ring. Now, tell me, why did you attack the girl? She did you no harm. And what are you doing here in the first place" He tightened his grip on the net. "Don't think you can get out of this easily. The goddess Ran herself made this net, so it's very tough."

The dwarf glared at Loki. "Very well. Odin sent me here. He said I'd find my ring and my gold here. And I did find my dearest Andvaranaut! The girl was wearing Andvaranaut! I did not mean her any harm! I just wanted Andvaranaut back!"

"So you transformed yourself into a kappa and tried to grab it from her."

"Yes! But you stopped me! You and–" His eyes widened when he realized who the young man behind Loki was. "Thor."

Loki narrowed his eyes. So this was one of Odin's ploys. He should have expected that. The one who pretended to be the kannushi must have been Odin. What are you planning, Odin? And why did you involve Mayura? He loosened his hold on the net. "Go back, Andvari. I'll give you back your ring as soon as I can. But I warn you, if you dare ever lay a hand on the girl again, you will answer to me."

"And to me as well," Narugami said in a menacing voice.

Andvari scrambled to get out of the net. He took one look in their eyes and realized how close he was to getting very hurt. "Curse you both!" he shouted before diving into the water again. In a few moments, everything was still once more.

Loki turned to Narugami. "Let's go, Narukami-kun. We have to get that ring from Mayura. The ring brings misfortune to those who wear it other than Andvari."

Unknown to them, a pair of ravens watched them from a tree branch. As they left, so did the birds.

T.B.C.

Free talk, part 2: Yes! Another lovely, long, long chapter from me:cough:cough:

Heimdall and Mayura: And if you noticed, Heimdall thought of Mayura as 'one of Loki's women (in the romantic kind of way)', even though Loki has yet to do any verbal…um…claiming of any kind. XD

Andvari: In Norse mythology, he's the owner of the cursed ring. He's a dwarf that can transform into a fish if pursued. He's the owner of the Rhine gold, I believe, the basis for Wagner Ring of the Nibelungen…XD Andvaranaut is the name of the ring. It brings bad luck to those who hold it.

Uzumaki-sensei and his team: Yes, I brought him back, and a bit more XD. My little tribute to one of my favorite anime, Naruto.

The quote: I love that quote. Now…which is Loki…the fool or the wise? XD

Odin: I hate that guy. I know in the manga he isn't so bad, but I'm basing this on the anime…so…what the hell.

Next chapter: Mayura plays the Princess…and guess what role Heimdall will play? Freya and Reiya make their appearance…and as I've said before…beware of apples! More comedic fun next chapter!

[wicked]

*grins stupidly* Melroooooooooooooooooose! You updated Melroooooooooooooooooose!

And even though there isn't a Hatake-sensei he still made an appearance. *stupid grin widens* I can't help but think that I helped this chapter get out since I prodded you about it on the ML. ~_^

If anyone doesn't think Mayura is one of Loki's women, s/he is very mistaken. So many odd names it's so hard to keep up. @_@ But I love that you put in little explanations at the end after someone new is introduced. It makes it very helpful.

But was that Koutaru-kun flirting with Mayura? I always found their acquaintance strange. Mr. Popular hanging out and inviting Ms. Weird to places. Ah well, maybe it's because she isn't all over him like the other girls. Who knows!

Do get that disease looked at will you? It rather dreadful from what I understand and some of us here NEED this fic. Need it like whoa. O_O

~Wicked

[bookworm]

*points above* Wicked has done the cheering for me. And I totally agree w/ her that this has been dearly anticipated by the two of us. Good job, Wicked, for prodding Melrose!!!

Now to the chapter. Definitely the story gets more intriguing. In my optimism, I think that hidden inside Mayura is a wise soul. And frankly, I like the Mayura in your story. Can't wait for the next chap, whenever it will be.

[melrose_stormhaven]

Thanks for the wonderful reviews!

And yes, wicked, you did prod me a bit to update this. Wait for March 1 in the Church of Lemons. ^__^ I have a Loki x Mayura lemon for CoL.

But was that Koutaru-kun flirting with Mayura? I always found their acquaintance strange. Mr. Popular hanging out and inviting Ms. Weird to places. Ah well, maybe it's because she isn't all over him like the other girls. Who knows!

It's strange, because in one MaLoRa sight I went into said that this is the exact reason why Kou-chan hangs around with her! She's too busy with mysteries to chase after him (though Mayura, at least in the series, have expressed some interest in him) and there's always something interesting going on around Mayura.

In my optimism, I think that hidden inside Mayura is a wise soul. And frankly, I like the Mayura in your story. Can't wait for the next chap, whenever it will be.

Actually, Mayura has an uncanny ability to perceive what an person truly feels inside. Not empathy, though. She's...sensitive to the feeling of others. And in the manga, she wasn't as ditzy as the anime showed. She's smart.

And wicked, I am tempted to put a Hatake-sensei here. There is still the play, so I might get a chance. I don't want to overdo it though. It might overshadow the MaLoRa storyline. XD

Thank you, and until next time!

Wicked and Bookworm: And when is that?
Melrose: In March! *scurries away*