Nataku tried for how many times now but she could not remember. Being an orphan… She was an orphan. Her life was miserable and hateful but someone found her. It was the Jade Emperor who took her in, taught her everything she knew now, gave her a name and at the right time, he let her soul eat the Immortal Peaches. And she became the Goddess of War, the Fighting Goddess, the Battle Aesir… It was indeed an honor and she was truly grateful but before that… Before that was…
There was another head-splitting ache. She winced.
“Nataku.” It was Loki and Nataku did not have to look to know. He walked towards her, the sound of the leaves he stepped on piercing the sound of the crickets and of the forest in the night.
“I can’t seem to remember.” Nataku said not waiting for what Loki would be asking.
“Can’t seem to remember what?”
There was a long pause, silence Loki wanted to break. He sent her glances she failed to notice as she stared somewhere… far out. The back of his mind was searching for something – anything – to tear the utter stillness between them.
“My life… as an orphan… It was…” Nataku finally spoke and paused a while to think, “Miserable. But I can’t seem to find… the details. My memories are skipping… Like a book with missing pages.”
Another long pause wrapped around them thickly. Loki was in a trance.
“Why would you want to remember anything so miserable?” Loki said beneath his breath, veering his head away from her.
“That misery is a part of me.”
Loki gasped and his head lifted, looking at Nataku. He bit his lip, groping for anything to say that could comfort her but found none. But deep inside… Deep inside, he felt happy…
“All of a sudden… Something feels wrong.” She murmured, holding herself and rubbing her arm, “My memories have gaps between them… Large gaps.”
Loki said nothing.
“Like something hit me.”
Loki gasped again.
“Hey, hey! Lookie!” Goku laughed, holding his hand up by the fire and looking at the tent where the shadow of his fingers seemed to form a rabbit in silhouette. Odin was busy cooking slices of meat and fish over the fire. He was looking at it intently, all concentration seeming to have diminished into what he was doing.
“Nataku…” Loki murmured again. Nataku looked up and he said, “Earlier… Today… I…”
“Yes?” Nataku blinked.
“I’ve been trying to tell you… That I…”
“That you…?”
“I… uh…”
“Yes?”
This was hard. This was really hard. Loki was sweating and trembling. He knew what he wanted to say and his mind was going crazy trying to say it if only his guts weren’t playing obstacle course with him. Loki gulped, his eyes shifting until he got every ounce of courage, held Nataku’s shoulders and said, “Nataku, I lo—”
“SOMEBODY STOP THE FIRE!” Odin’s voice shattered every emotional moment Loki had in him. And when they looked, there was a large fire literally burning their supposed-to-be dinner. Goku was sitting amused with his legs crossed, looking at the giant flare. Nataku gasped. The moment Loki extended his hand towards the fire was all the time he needed to swallow it in a ball of darkness that became smaller and smaller until it diminished into smoke.
“Master Odin, are you all right?” Nataku said right after, going to Odin who was sitting on the ground in shock and leaving Loki where he was standing. Loki rolled his eyes away and followed as he muttered to himself, “Oh, I just love you, Odin! I love you!”
“What was that you were saying, Master Loki?” Nataku looked up at Loki from beside Odin who was pouting at a taunting Goku.
“I…” Loki stuttered, “…Forgot.”
Loki turned and set sight on Goku. He wasn’t a Vanir. He wasn’t an Aesir. He wasn’t an Elf. He wasn’t a Dwarf. He’s definitely no Titan but he sure seems to have something from every race. And if it weren’t weird, Loki wouldn’t know what it was.
“Hey, Goku.” Loki said, sitting down and attending to the dinner Odin half-wrecked, “Why’d you keep on calling Fenris Fenrir back there?”
“Hm?” Goku was rocking himself, “If I didn’t, it could’ve squished you.”
“And if you called it, it wouldn’t have squished you instead?”
“At least it didn’t squish Nataku.” Goku was still rocking himself.
“How does calling it stops anyone from being squished?” Loki stopped short, sending a glance at Goku.
“Why do you guys keep on saying ‘squished’? You’re getting redundant.” Odin was saying, an eyebrow raised.
“You want me to squish you, Odin?” Loki growled.
“Why do we keep on talking about squishing things and people?” Odin shot back.
“You want us to squish each other instead?” Goku grinned. Nataku was blinking at the exchanges.
“Bah, never mind!” Loki shook his head and waved a change of subject.
“Let’s eat and rest early.” Odin crawled towards the fire, “We’re heading west tomorrow.”
Nataku said nothing but as she stood up, she felt a sudden dizziness sweeping her and she moved unsteadily. She heard Loki say something she could not understand. She continued wobbling as she trudged to grab onto anything for support. And the moment she felt Loki touch her, she collapsed into darkness.
There was darkness and nothingness. Nothingness… How Nataku loathed this nothingness. The emptiness of her mind, the emptiness of her heart, the emptiness of her memories and the emptiness of her life. She tried opening her eyes but it took much effort to do so. She felt heavy but empty. She could hear different voices, see various visions but there came no sense from them and they all made her head ache.
Loki was beginning to worry. She had not woken up yet and it was unlikely for her to be such unless she was injured quite so in battle. What’s worse, Odin was sure it wasn’t Silent Melody but it was something his healing abilities could do nothing about. Loki was sitting anxiously by her side in the small hovering pad that looked like the top half of an egg with three round windows and an arched door. Odin always had this pad safely “kept” inside his ring, which his mother had given him. All Odin had to do was to command it and it “released” itself. It only had one large bed inside and it was obvious that Loki would not share Nataku’s side with anyone.
The door began to open and Loki’s head darted towards it. Odin peeked but even before he could say anything or show any trace of expression, Loki’s mouth opened and asked, “Why isn’t she waking up? When will she wake up?”
Odin stopped himself from sighing. Loki had asked this question for how many times now. The older brother stepped inside and walked towards Nataku. He put his hand on her forehead and said, “She isn’t sick. Maybe she’s just tired.”
“But…!”
“Calm down. It hasn’t been long since she slept.”
“Slept?” Loki blurted, his eyes suspended on Nataku, “She didn’t sleep. She lost consciousness. And for what reason we don’t know.”
“Loki.” Odin said, sending a look towards his brother who turned to him and sighed saying, “Sorry. I guess I’m over reacting.”
And even before Odin could say it was all right and that he understood, Nataku began to groan. Loki gasped and caught her hand in his, calling her as she fluttered her eyelids open.
“Nataku, are you all right?” Loki gasped and she groaned in response.
“Don’t force her to speak.”
“Master Loki… what happened?”
Loki opened his mouth to answer but Nataku shot up from her bed and covered his mouth, a finger on her lips as she motioned both brothers to be quiet. The twins blinked as Nataku slowly got out of bed, silent and stealthy as she slowly bent and walked towards the side of the door. Each breath drawn in was short. The door swung open with Nataku’s arm fiercely extending with the rings of light in grasp. And Nataku wished she had not done so when she saw what was behind that door.
Blue flowers fell on the floor from the hands of a baffled Son Goku, looking down at the ring of light towards his neck. Nataku gasped and softened, looking at the flowers that fell on the floor.
“Hydrangeas…” Nataku whispered.
“I got them for you.” Goku grinned widely as Nataku’s hands lowered. Goku bent and picked them up, handed them to Nataku and said, “I thought it would make you well. It seems you already are.”
Nataku felt heat entering her cheeks as she stared at the bunch of blue flowers that Goku was handing her. The rings of light diminished but Nataku continued to stare. Goku tilted his head and gestured for Nataku to take them. The Battle Aesir hesitated but took them with trembling fingers. Somehow, Nataku’s heart beat heavily and she was not sure if it was good or bad. And everything felt weird… Everything felt familiar… And a voice made its way to Nataku’s head.
Nataku…
“Nataku…” said Goku.
I took these flowers for you.
“I took these flowers for you.” He continued.
They were hard to find…
“They were hard to find…”
But I knew you liked these…
“But I knew you liked these…”
I hope you still do.
“I hope you still do.”
Because these flowers…
“Because these flowers…”
Are from me to you.
“Are from me to you.” Loki and Goku chorused as the God of Darkness stood up violently, visibly shaken and shocked as he sent a bewildered look from his widened eyes towards Goku.
That was all Nataku needed to hear. Her chest seemed to have two hearts that beat at the same time and she felt a sting out of nowhere. Her head began to ache terribly and her hands tried to squeeze it to ease the pain somehow, dropping the hydrangeas on the floor. Odin worriedly went to Nataku as Goku and Loki stared at each other. Goku was firmly looking Loki in the eye as if trying to tell him something, challenging him, letting him know he knew something. But Loki could not understand.
As Loki’s clouded mind began to think, Nataku released a scream that made his feet run towards her – something he should have done moments ago. “Nataku, are you all right?”
But Nataku heard nothing because her senses were in blazes yet blank. And as the voices around her ceased to come, the world around her seemed to disappear and a vision seeped into her head.
There was darkness and nothingness. Nothingness… How Nataku loathed this nothingness. The emptiness of her mind, the emptiness of her heart, the emptiness of her memories and the emptiness of her life. She tried opening her eyes but it took much effort to do so. She felt heavy but empty. She could hear different voices, see various visions but there came no sense from them and they all made her head ache.
Loki was beginning to worry. She had not woken up yet and it was unlikely for her to be such unless she was injured quite so in battle. What’s worse, Odin was sure it wasn’t Silent Melody but it was something his healing abilities could do nothing about. Loki was sitting anxiously by her side in the small hovering pad that looked like the top half of an egg with three round windows and an arched door. Odin always had this pad safely “kept” inside his ring, which his mother had given him. All Odin had to do was to command it and it “released” itself. It only had one large bed inside and it was obvious that Loki would not share Nataku’s side with anyone.
The door began to open and Loki’s head darted towards it. Odin peeked but even before he could say anything or show any trace of expression, Loki’s mouth opened and asked, “Why isn’t she waking up? When will she wake up?”
Odin stopped himself from sighing. Loki had asked this question for how many times now. The older brother stepped inside and walked towards Nataku. He put his hand on her forehead and said, “She isn’t sick. Maybe she’s just tired.”
“But…!”
“Calm down. It hasn’t been long since she slept.”
“Slept?” Loki blurted, his eyes suspended on Nataku, “She didn’t sleep. She lost consciousness. And for what reason we don’t know.”
“Loki.” Odin said, sending a look towards his brother who turned to him and sighed saying, “Sorry. I guess I’m over reacting.”
And even before Odin could say it was all right and that he understood, Nataku began to groan. Loki gasped and caught her hand in his, calling her as she fluttered her eyelids open.
“Nataku, are you all right?” Loki gasped and she groaned in response.
“Don’t force her to speak.”
“Master Loki… what happened?”
Loki opened his mouth to answer but Nataku shot up from her bed and covered his mouth, a finger on her lips as she motioned both brothers to be quiet. The twins blinked as Nataku slowly got out of bed, silent and stealthy as she slowly bent and walked towards the side of the door. Each breath drawn in was short. The door swung open with Nataku’s arm fiercely extending with the rings of light in grasp. And Nataku wished she had not done so when she saw what was behind that door.
Blue flowers fell on the floor from the hands of a baffled Son Goku, looking down at the ring of light towards his neck. Nataku gasped and softened, looking at the flowers that fell on the floor.
“Hydrangeas…” Nataku whispered.
“I got them for you.” Goku grinned widely as Nataku’s hands lowered. Goku bent and picked them up, handed them to Nataku and said, “I thought it would make you well. It seems you already are.”
Nataku felt heat entering her cheeks as she stared at the bunch of blue flowers that Goku was handing her. The rings of light diminished but Nataku continued to stare. Goku tilted his head and gestured for Nataku to take them. The Battle Aesir hesitated but took them with trembling fingers. Somehow, Nataku’s heart beat heavily and she was not sure if it was good or bad. And everything felt weird… Everything felt familiar… And a voice made its way to Nataku’s head.
Nataku…
“Nataku…” said Goku.
I took these flowers for you.
“I took these flowers for you.” He continued.
They were hard to find…
“They were hard to find…”
But I knew you liked these…
“But I knew you liked these…”
I hope you still do.
“I hope you still do.”
Because these flowers…
“Because these flowers…”
Are from me to you.
“Are from me to you.” Loki and Goku chorused as the God of Darkness stood up violently, visibly shaken and shocked as he sent a bewildered look from his widened eyes towards Goku.
That was all Nataku needed to hear. Her chest seemed to have two hearts that beat at the same time and she felt a sting out of nowhere. Her head began to ache terribly and her hands tried to squeeze it to ease the pain somehow, dropping the hydrangeas on the floor. Odin worriedly went to Nataku as Goku and Loki stared at each other. Goku was firmly looking Loki in the eye as if trying to tell him something, challenging him, letting him know he knew something. But Loki could not understand.
As Loki’s clouded mind began to think, Nataku released a scream that made his feet run towards her – something he should have done moments ago. “Nataku, are you all right?”
But Nataku heard nothing because her senses were in blazes yet blank. And as the voices around her ceased to come, the world around her seemed to disappear and a vision seeped into her head.