*revives after several years in hell* Oooh! People like this story, cool, I'll keep it going then :D

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Yui stood in front of school, for a second time surrounded by the gods she had gone to school with for so long, but in another world. It felt so strange to be here with them now, in her normal life. Loki had seemed unsettled since yesterday, but once they arrived at the gates his old mischievous self had kicked in.

"Hey, Yui…" Kiri had said, looking at the courtyard where people were turning and staring, whispering things to each other. "You're really attracting attention."

"Yeah, we all are." Haru giggled, linking arms with Thor. "Come on Kiri, enjoy it."

"Hah? I'm alright thanks." Kiri said, crossing her arms stubbornly. "I prefer not to have the entire school looking at me."

"The whole school?" Yui said, looking at her school fellows, and feeling their eyes on her. "Ano…"

"It's alright Koneko chan." Loki said from right beside her, making her jump. "I have the perfect solution, ne?" He scooped her up, for a second time, and bounded away from the group, as they exclaimed at him. Bouncing up with ease, he jumped onto the school wall, and up onto the pillars that stood either side of the gate. "HEY, ALL OF YOU." He called, and the school ground fell silent apart from the other gods.

"Hoy, Loki, stop messing around." Dionysus called, automatically reaching out to grab the scruff of Takeru's shirt to pull him back as he lunged forwards.

"BAKA, HOW IS THIS A LOW PROFILE?"

"Takeru, shouting at him isn't making it less obvious." Tsukito said, trying to pacify his brother.

"Loki san! What are you doing?" Apollon called up.

"What does it look like?" He smirked down at them. "Announcing something." He grinned at all the students, then called out to them. "All of you, my name is Loki Laevatein. And this is Yui Kusanagi. Before any of you get any ideas, I'm going to say this now. Mess with her, and I won't forgive you."

"Loki san…" Yui said, looking down at the speechless crowd.

"HEY, BAKA, DON'T FORGET US." Takeru yelled, making the trickster god laugh.

"Of course, of course, and if you're planning on doing it when I'm not looking, this idiot will probably do something stupid as well."

"Loki san, that's not very fair of you." Apollon said, frowning up at him.

"Fine fine, all of us." He shot a menacing grin at everyone beneath him, except the other gods. "Lay a finger on her, and you'll regret it."

He leapt down, landing amongst the gods, who loudly objected his act, but placing Yui gently on the floor, he danced away, chased by Takeru and a reluctant Balder, who smiled an apology at the group.

"He likes to show off doesn't he." Dionysus said, frowning.

"He's just reasserting himself." Thor said, letting Haru hang off his arm and stare around happily at the attention.

"Reasserting?" Apollon said, looking at him in confusion.

"Mm." Tsukito nodded. "He had his position threatened when he thought he had caused the…incident this morning."

"Incident?" Kiri asked, and the five gods and Yui became aware that the two other girls were still with them.

"Ah…" Apollon began, uncertain of how to explain it.

"Yui got hot tea spilled on her." Hades said bluntly. "Loki was being an idiot and the tea was spilt."

"Ah…" Haru said, looking understanding. "Are you okay Yui?"

"Ah! I'm fine, really! It wasn't that hot." She said, playing along.

"Eeh? Yui is good at getting into accidents." Kiri said, placing her hands behind her head. "Come on, let's get to class." She said, leading them through the whispering school grounds.

A woman lurked across the road, wearing a crimson dress with white flowers in a stripe across it, which trailed down to a smattering at the bottom hem. A man in a red and black suit stood beside her, leaning against a wall in the dark corner they were stood in.

"Looks like they've set you a challenge." The man said, and Aphrodite made a 'tsch' noise, smiling smugly.

"You think a goddess like me will have difficulty with that?" She held out a gem, where a creature twisted and turned inside to try and get free. "I could easily do it on my own, but that's no fun." An unsettling grin appeared on her face as she stared at the stone. "This now, this is much more…appealing."

"Ah! I'm so glad it's lunch!" Takeru said, leaning back in his seat. "I need my stew." He pulled out the food he had prepared earlier than morning, and began to eat.

"Take-take." Apollon admonished. "You could wait for the rest of us to get our lunch."

"Eh?" Takeru said through a mouthful, glaring at Apollon.

"It doesn't matter." Thor said, getting up. "We can still go to the lunch room."

"I suppose." Apollon said, looking sad. "I miss us all eating together at lunch."

"Well, you could always bring lunch back here." Yui said, smiling at him.

"Hai!" Haru cheered, taking hold of Apollon and Thor. "I can take you to the lunch room this time."

"Ah! Just a…" Yui said, but Haru had already dragged the two gods out of the room, despite Apollon's attempt at resisting.

"I guess I should follow her." Kiri sighed, standing up. "Hades san, didn't you need to get lunch from there as well?"

"Hai." He said, getting up stiffly.

"Ah, I'll take you there. Haru really is a pain." She said, sighing again, and leading him out of the room.

"Takeru, we should wait for them to get back." Tsukito said, placing his crisps and sweets on his desk, but not opening them.

"Ne?" Takeru stared at them stubbornly, but the frown faded as he met Tsukito's passive stare, and put the lid back on his food. "They better get back soon." He grumbled, resting his chin on his arms.

"Ah…" Balder said, as suddenly a crowd appeared at the door, and began to approach him. "Lunch together might be difficult."

"Again?" Dionysus said, watching the girls and boys cluster around Balder's desk, and offer him food.

"I guess I have to rescue him again." Loki said in a resigned tone, but there was a smirk on his face. "Luckily I have my own bento today, so I don't have to depend on scraps." Takeru sent him a glare.

"Half of everyone's bento is hardly scraps." The sea god grumbled.

"True, but they can't beat a koneko chan bento." He winked at Yui, who had in the end made the bento. Loki parted the crowd, calling out; "Hai hai! All food must go through me!" The crowd swallowed the pair up, and encroached into Yui's desk.

"Ano…" Yui said, as the crowd began to accidentally shove her. "Could you…maybe…ah!" One person knocked into her, and she was pushed backwards, only to be caught just in time by someone. "Thank yo…" She turned to see her upper classmate Jin looking down at her with a smile on her face.

"Yui, maybe we should find somewhere less crowded to eat?" She asked. Yui smiled at her, and nodded, letting the older girl help her up. "You guys?" She asked, looking at Dionysus, Tsukito and Takeru, who looked at her in confusion. "I'm assuming you want to eat, and not be knocked out of your seats as well?" Dionysus laughed, and stood up, picking up his food.

"That would be nice." He agreed, Takeru and Tsukito following suit.

The group ended up in the garden behind the school, where not so surreptitious glances followed them.

"So Yui," Jin said, leading the girl further ahead where they couldn't be overheard so easily. "you've been acting so sombre for the past few months…I thought someone in your family had died, but no one seemed to know. But then these guys show up with you…and…" Jin smirked at her, "…so spill. Which one's your boyfriend?"

"Jin!" Yui said, surprised. "They're not…I mean…I'm not…aah…" She put her hands on her cheeks where they were flushing red.

"I see I see, so no one has proposed to you yet." Jin said knowingly. "Well, I'm just glad you're back to your usual self." She smiled kindly down at Yui, who smiled shyly back. "You know though…" A more serious expression crossed the upper classman's face. "some people won't like this. People can be irrational, especially after that declaration Loki made."

"You heard that?" Yui groaned, making Jin laugh.

"Yui, I don't think there was a single person in this school who didn't." Jin smiled again, and reached out to hug Yui. "It doesn't matter, I'm just glad you're back to normal. But…I'm not promising not to flirt with the other redhead. He's hot." Jin giggled, Yui joining in. "Not that any of them aren't."

Yui smiled warmly, it had been a while since she'd felt this way, she knew it probably seemed to her friends here like she'd moved away from them, become more withdrawn… but she had not forgotten her friends. She supposed in a way she had been mourning, not expecting to see her beloved friends and… well, everyone, ever again.

"Jin… what would you do if you liked...more than one person?" She asked, looking up the the older girl, who had always kept an eye out for her, and even tutored her sometimes.

"Eh? Hmm…" The dark haired girl looked thoughtful, then smiled and raised a finger up, as if counting something. "I would… have them all!" She grinned so happily that Yui knew she wasn't kidding.

"Eh? How...what? How can I have all three?"

"I thought it wasn't hypothetical." Jin smirked, and turned to walk backwards, eyeing up the guys, and looking back at Yui, seemingly smug. "Well, if they all care about you half as much as you seem to about them… they'll be fine with you having more than one boyfriend."

"Isn't that...cheating?" Yui frowned, though in her heart something felt like it was blooming with hope.

"Nope." Jin smiled. "Polyamory. It's where you have more than one partner. Although it does mean everyone has to be kept happy, and you have to tell them all, no secret dating. But it just means there's more love. For everyone." She smiled gently at Yui, who seemed confused. "Think of it like this, does your mum love any of you or your brothers more than the others?"

"Eh? Of course not!"

"Exactly, she loves you all the same. So people are capable of loving more than one person, and that's okay."

"Ano… but lovers are different…" Yui said, uncertain.

"Hmmm… true, but people remarry, so you can love more than one person, and people have many partners, just one after the other. But… if you love three people, you love three people. If they make you choose, they don't care about your feelings, so aren't worth it." Yui stared at Jin, who was talking so matter of factly.

"Boy's can need to be the only one you love though…" Yui said slowly, "they can be possessive…"

"And that's healthy?" Jin frowned. "Well, it's up to you, but… from the looks of it, Loki is already doing it."

"Eeeeh?" Yui almost stopped in her tracks, and Jin draped an arm around her, and tugged her forwards again.

"Loki is clearly a thing with Balder." Jin smiled. "But does that stop him loving you? And being possessive of you? Nope. So he can hardly complain." Yui glanced back at the two japanese gods and Dionysus. It was true, she'd seen how Loki acted around Balder, there was something deeper there than just friendship, but...that's just how he was. Wasn't it? But...did that mean that could just be how she was? Her mind was racing, and she felt her pulse quicken.

"All of us, together…" She voiced her thoughts out loud, and a small giggle escaped her, before suddenly she was laughing heartily. That felt right. "Together eh? I think that would be perfect." She smiled at Jin, and hoped it would be that simple. But somehow felt it might not. But then, only time would tell.

"You look like you've settled on that then." Jin smiled, and Yui nodded.

"Hai!"

Lunch passed quickly, Takeru tearing into his food, only to glare at Dionysus when accused of having no manners.

"Well you try waiting all day for food." He had snapped. "I see you snacking during lessons."

"Ah, hoi now…" The redhead had complained, making Yui and Jin laugh. Tsukito had quietly eaten his snacks, until a small squirrel came up to them, at which point he became so mesmerised that he gave it too many nuts and it got fat and bloated. Jin had to rescue it, and place it in a flower bed to recover somewhere it wouldn't get in trouble, and Tsukito had been sad until Takeru had said he would eat the nuts if it made it better.

"But you're not as cute as a squirrel." He had come out with, bluntly, making Takeru yell out in complaint, and Dionysus laugh. Yui smiled, thinking how they had quite a close bond as well, though it was clearly more of a brother complex than anything more.

The classroom was full of people from other classes when they got back, though the crowds were thinning, and the main bulk of the group was settled around Balder and Loki. Apollon, Hades and Thor had also returned, and the sun god called out to Yui, asking if he could make lunch with her tomorrow morning as well.

"Eh? But I thought you liked eating in the lunchroom?" She said, confused.

"Hai, but… I want to eat with you and everyone else, Yousei san." He smiled, and Yui smiled back.

"Hai!"

Class for the rest of the day seemed dull in comparison, but then she remembered, it was Tuesday! As the bell rang, and the gods got ready to head home, she bowed in front of them, and they looked at her in confusion.

"Gomenasai, I'm sorry, I have practice today."

"Practice?" Apollon asked.

"Yes, sword practice!" She stood up, looking at them hopefully. "Will you wait for me?"

"Of course, idiot." Takeru said gruffly. "We're not going home without you."
"That's right." Balder agreed, smiling, and the others all nodded and confirmed happily.

"Guys! Ah! I have to go change! You're welcome to watch if you want!" She hurried off to the changing rooms, slipping out of her uniform and into her Iaido clothes. Stepping out into the room where she practiced. Pulling out her sword, she looked at it happily, and began her warm up, hardly aware of the gods slowly entering the room and lining up at the wall, bar one.

"Yui sama!" Came a call, and Yui looked up, wiping her brow, as her fellow club leader called to her. "We have someone who just joined!" The student grinned at her, and he stepped back to reveal Takeru, looking pleased with himself in the schools Iaido uniform. Yui grinned, looking determined.

"Alright Sanjo, I'll partner up with him today."

"Eh?" The other leader, Sanjo, looked at her in surprise. "Nani? But...you're the highest level here!"

"I'm not worried." Takeru smirked, and Yui stepped up to him, looking confidently at the god. He may be powerful, but she had learnt a few more tricks since he had been gone. The club members backed away, splitting off into pairs or threes, but clearly spying on the main pair, as they sized each other up.

"You should know the rules well." She said, and took her stance.

"Of course." He replied, taking his.

They both paused, locking eyes, and Yui waited, watching for that slight twitch of an eyebrow that gave away Takeru was about to lunge, and when it came, she dodged, swerving away and swiping up towards him. He recoiled with ease, and knocked the sword to one side, which she easily recovered from, blocking his next attack and twisting it into her own. They sparred like this for what seemed like forever, determined grins on each of their faces, dancing between each others blows, until finally Takeru landed a hit. There was a sudden burst of noise from the club, who had all stopped practice to watch the fight, and cheers came as well as cries of shock and distress, with a few 'no waaay's.

"Looks like we caused a fuss." Takeru grinned, resting back slightly as Yui mopped her forehead, not failing to notice the beads of sweat on the gods brow. She may not have won, but she felt like she gave him a good run for his money at least.

A group of people came up and clustered around them, asking questions, and trying to tease out of Takeru where he had been before now, and how he was so good. Eventually Yui and her co leader, Sanjo, managed to reclaim some order, and set the group back to practice, as Takeru ran through some cool down exercises beside Yui and some others.

"I'm going to go and get changed." Yui smiled, excusing herself from practice early so that she could take a rest in the changing rooms. After getting changed, she picked up her bag and head through the main entrance back to the club room, and was about to turn the corner when someone bumped into her.

"Ah, Gomeno-" she froze, a young man, who couldn't be much older than her, was blocking the path. He wore a red shirt, unbuttoned at the neck, and tight black jeans. She faltered, trying to recover her words, but her voice seemed to have abandoned her. Not because of his looks, though he was startlingly beautiful, soft blonde hair grown long and framing a delicately featured face, with sharp blue eyes that seemed to dissolve any fight in her. No, it was because of the aura around him. He was enticingly beautiful, but something else was drawing her towards him, something she had no control over, something...that wasn't part of her, and that put her on edge. She backed away slightly, getting a raised eyebrow from him.

"Little lamb, why flee? Do I not please you?" She looked at him, struggling for words. "It seems I do on some level...maybe not quite a strong enough one...hmm...I suppose now is not the time then." He reached out, and traced a finger down her cheek, and it felt like a tear making it's track down her face, so soft and gentle, yet full of emotions she didn't want right now, and then he just… walked past her. She felt a shiver go down her spine, as if someone had just walked on her grave.

"A… ano… who…?" she said, finally finding ehr words, but he kept walking, as if he hadn't heard her. Her cheek felt hot where he had touched, and her stomach churned. She tried to carry on back to the club, but her legs gave way, and she slumped to the floor, covering her mouth. Something felt wrong, something felt like she had been touched by poison. Bile rose in her stomach, and she shuddered.

"Yui!" Came a cry, and Jin was suddenly there beside her, "what's wrong? You look sick! Come on, I'm taking you to the nurse's office, your parents can come and pick you up if you're like this." Yui felt so shaky that she didn't even complain or protest, she simply followed Jin, feeling sick right to the bottom of her stomach.

The nurse took one look at her, and declared that she should rest in the bed whilst she called her parents. The bed felt cool and soft, but didn't soothe the feeling running from her cheek to her gut. She felt dizzy, and hot, unsettled deep inside of herself. But she closed her eyes, and began to slowly drift into unconsciousness, and a feverish sleep.

"Yui? Yui sama?" She woke up in her room, feeling something cool on her forehead. Balder's face swam into view, and she felt relief wash through her. "You're awake, I'm glad. You disappeared after practice, and Takeru went a bit mad looking for you. So did Loki and Apollon. Loki nearly set fire to the school in anger, but then Kiri found Thor and told him you'd been taken to the medical room. Don't worry, they're outside cooling off. Loki and Takeru can be quite hot headed, Apollon got quite angry too though. It surprised us all a bit and….ah! I'm sorry!" Balder paused, looking guilty as tears ran down Yui's face. "I shouldn't have said so much, it's fine, really, we're all just worried about you!"

"No, no, it's….it's not that…" Yui stammered out, but a lump in her throat made her voice choke as she tried to speak.

"Yui sama, please, try and rest. You may have a fever." Balder said, calming her.

She nodded, and closed her eyes, hot tears still flowing down her face. The memories of the stranger, and his unpleasant effect, had left her weak and feeling more vulnerable than ever. She was just so grateful to see one of the god's faces again. Balder soon switched out with Tsukito, who brought her some halved grapes in case she was hungry, and sat nearby reading, changing the cloth on her forehead when it dried out or heated up too much. She felt a haze pulling her under again, but fought it, trying to remain awake.

"You can rest, Kusanagi sama." Tsukito said, eyeing her gently. "Everyone is just downstairs. You're not alone." She looked at him, eyes drooping, and nodded.

"Uhn…" She muttered, slipping back into her fitful sleep, though the feverish dreams stayed away this time.

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(Special 3 to Yaoi Lover 98 for ambitiously following everything, you are the reason this has been picked up again.)