With one last cry of "Fushigi mystereeee~' Mayura raced off down the hallway to closely investigate the mysteries of the refrigerator (and, perhaps, the green tea pudding inside). "Tell me again, Yamino-kun," Loki said, a rather ominous sing-song note in his voice. "Why did I choose to stay?"

"I knew you would, Loki-sama," Yamino said calmly, setting out the tea things. Then the good cheer flooded back into his voice. "Scones today! And I made one without currants for brother!"

Loki sat up, studying Yamino carefully. Folding his hands on the desk before him, he carefully said, "I chose to stay, Yamino-kun."

Once again Yamino became calm. "I knew you would."

Loki became absolutely still. Yamino's face flooded with expression again, and he put the currant-less scone on a china plate and put it on the floor, ensuring that Fenrir would appear from nowhere. Loki looked at Fenrir. "I don't know why I decided to stay on Earth, Fenrir."

Fenrir's muzzle paused an inch from his treat. "I knew you would, Daddy." From behind him, in a dim and chilling echo, Yamino said, "I knew you would." A moment later Fenrir snapped up the scone, showering crumbs everywhere, and Yamino tutted and dashed for the dustpan.

Loki collapsed back into his chair, grabbing at the arms. "I chose to stay," he murmured to himself. And a moment later the suspicious expression faded off his face and his voice was remote as he said, "I knew I would."

Outside the room Mayura clung to the wall and listened, a faraway smile on her lips. The spectacles clung to her nose at a ridiculous angle. "I knew you weren't gone for good, Loki-kun," she murmured. "I knew you'd come back. Come back to stay."

A spiralling light swirled in the depths of the spectacles, and the little smile faded from Mayura's face. "I knew you would."