Title: Fuse

Disclaimer: The characters and settings described in this fanfiction do not belong to me. Please credit Sakura Kinoshita for Mythical Detective Loki. Please credit me for the fanfiction itself.

-START-

"Is that…big brother?" Yamino asked, looking up the stairs in perplexity.

Mayura's scream had almost blocked out his voice, but by some miracle, the others heard. Narugami blinked and Loki turned his emerald gaze toward the shape and squinted.

Then it hit him. Fenrir hadn't been with them when the blackout had occurred. The first minutes of initial worry had blotted out the fact that Fenrir had recently started living with them at Enjaku.

"Fenrir?" Loki called unsurely, "Is that you?"

The whole group paused and stared at the silent shape.

"Huh?" Narugami asked with wide eyes. "Your what?"

The black shape grew smaller and Loki was able to make out four tiny legs and a wagging tail. The glowing eyes also diminished in brightness and became normal. His round, grey orbs watered at the sight of his father and he rushed down the stairs.

Loki, sensing his son's fright, opened his arms to receive Fenrir's embrace.

Fenrir charged in Loki's direction and leaped into his arms. He shook like a leaf. "Daddy, daddy! The power went out while I was upstairs. I was all alone in the dark hallway!"

Mayura cooed at how adorable Fenrir was acting. Yamino rolled his eyes.

Fenrir saw the action and snapped at his younger brother angrily, causing the man to jump and take a cautionary step away from the black dog. It was better to be safe than sorry.

"I forgot that you were here, Fenrir," Loki said as he petted the top of the puppy's head fondly. "Were you all alone? My poor baby. Stay down here with us until the power comes back on. We'll need to save the candles until the blackout ends."

The small dog nodded and stayed put in the crook of Loki's arm as they traveled back into the kitchen. After Yamino found some bottled tea to serve from inside the pantry, everyone drank and gathered around a table close to the window. It was easier to use the natural daylight that to rely on too many candles. After all, chances were the blackout would go on for a few days. Even if it was possible for them to leave Enjaku, the stores would be flooded with people buying food and supplies.

Mayura went into the next room after she was finished snacking to use her cell phone. The best reception was in the corridor, and she needed to call her father and tell him not to worry. While she was gone, Narugami finished his drink and sauntered off somewhere else in the house with Mjollnir. It wasn't easy to distract Thor. His attention span was that of a goldfish. Only moments after being left alone, he'd wandered off to seek fun elsewhere. That left just Loki and his two family members in the kitchen. They talked of the situation as quietly as possible.

Yamino was calm and reserved, like normal. The miniature detective was beyond perplexed at the bizarre nature of the situation. Now that Fenrir was with his family, he seemed aloof and unafraid. He was, however, incredibly worried about the other two people in the mansion.

"But, Daddy…how are we going to keep Mayura from finding out your secret?" the puppy asked with a hint of concern. "She's so nosy! Even if you cover you're tracks, she'll just circle you until you drop a piece of useful info! You can't shake her!"

It was a rare occurrence that Yamino actually agreed with his elder brother. However, he was right, which was a rare occurrence. "He is correct, Master Loki."

Loki knew it was true. Slowly, he played with the bottle cap that had come with his tea bottle. With each sentence, he added additional pressure to the plastic. Eventually it began to turn white under his repeated act of strength. Even Loki's tension, while subdued, was still evident. "I know. She's not the most perceptive or bright girl in the world, but she is very curious about mysteries. To her, the events that happen around us must seem like the paranormal jackpot. We need to be very careful."

Both nodded.

It wasn't long before Narugami burst back into the room at top speed. His breathing was uneven, but there was a wide grin on his face. "H-Hey, guys! I thought you guys said there was a lock on every door. You said that, right?"

"Yes," Loki replied bluntly.

Mayura entered the kitchen again, cell phone in hand. There was a small beeping sound from the cellular device before she looked at Narugami's flushed face. "Huh? Narugami, what's wrong?"

"The lock on the back door is broken!" he said with a smile. Everyone seemed to perk up a bit at his promising words. While Loki appeared to also be skeptical, Narugami tried erasing his doubt by elaborating on what he saw. "You said that when the locks malfunction, they lock from the inside and outside. I tried pushing on the back door just out of curiosity…and it opened!"

The last two words grabbed Loki's attention immediately. Everyone ran to the back door to see if Narugami was telling the truth. Once they reached the back door, the sight was promising. The door was indeed ajar and led out to the garden.

"This is great!" Mayura cheered, jumping into Thor's arms enthusiastically. "Although I am a little sad to leave before anything mysterious happened, I'm so relieved! I better hurry home before my dad gets really worried!"

The two rushed out the door before Loki could stop there. Instead, the boy knifed his fingers through his hair and slowly went back inside. Meanwhile, Fenrir looked up at Yamino with curiosity. "Hey, snake. We still have that concrete fence, right?"

Yamino nodded slowly and followed Loki, bracing himself for the aggravated screams that would follow seconds later.

The deafening sound was indescribable. The only thing Loki could do to escape it was to go to his study and leave the students to mourn their lost opportunity. Yamino followed suit.

The fence was far from a serious obstacle. Narugami could have blown it to pieces with one swing while every member of Loki's family could have leapt or flown over it with ease. Mayura was the real problem. They had to keep their divine powers a secret from the young woman. If anyone left, even while she wasn't watching, there was a chance she'd figure out the people were leaving somehow. Daidouji also had a habit of being…well, nosy. The girl didn't solve any mysteries, but she did always notice them.

"We might as well just stay put," Loki said slowly, watching as Yamino painstakingly lit every candle in the study. Nighttime was approaching, and the agency turned into a catacomb when the sun set. "It's too risky to try and leave to take Mayura home. She's not that bright, but she would definitely notice is we used any sort of magic."

"We'll see how long this blackout lasts," Yamino said in agreement. "After all, it may only take a few days for the power to come back on!"

Loki sighed. He envied his son. He always tried to remain optimistic, no matter the situation. It was a skill he hadn't been fortunate enough to develop personally. The trickster had his bouts of silliness, but also equal amounts of sarcasm, bitterness, and bitchiness. While he handled stressful situations with poise and ease, it was always less than pleasant for everyone involved. Thankfully, Yamino seemed to be keeping Mayura happy and Thor somewhat distracted. Both were incredibly disappointed by the false lead, but at least they were sedated for the time being.

"Daddy, what are we going to do if that mystery girl has to stay tomorrow too?" the puppy asked his father with wide, adorable eyes.

"We'll just have to…put up with it," Loki exhaled, rubbing the puppy's head. "We're all tired. Yamino's going to try and research who we bought those door locks from, so tomorrow we can try and break out."

The dog seemed satisfied with the answer and, within a few minutes, curled up in his father's lap and started to sleep. Loki managed a weak smile and carried him off to the soft doggy bed that sat near his bedroom door. After Fenrir was dropped off, Yamino pointed out that it would be best to decide upon room arrangements for the next few days. Loki had been incredibly worried until Yamino explained his plan with more depth.

"I was thinking that they could stay in rooms near yours, Master Loki," the serpent proposed cheerfully. "After all, you and Mr. Narugami are good friends. Also, I believe Miss Mayura would prefer it if you were nearby as well."

There weren't enough sedatives in the world to make Loki's stress dissipate. After a long sigh, he reluctantly agreed. "Okay. Sounds good. Show them to their rooms. In order to save our supplies, we should think about going to bed earlier. We don't want to run out of candles, after all. Chances are the stores have already been drained…"

Yamino nodded and set off to grab Narugami and Mayura. If he recalled correctly, he'd left them in the living room.

As he entered, their deflated aura was as palpable as the darkness of the building. He felt bad for the two as he gazed upon their slumped forms. After all, they had almost been able to leave. It must have been even worse for Thor. If it hadn't been for Mayura's presence, he could have busted out easily. Any of them could.

With a loud clap, Yamino managed to get the two's attention. "Alright, enough moping! Come on, I'll show you both to your rooms. After some sleep, we'll all feel better."

With that, the mansion was consumed with silence for the first night.

-END-

Work. Doctor visit. More work. UGHHHHH. Summer didn't use to be stressful...

Sorry for the late (and lazy) chapter. Things will pick up, I promise! :)

Thanks for reading! Drop a review, if you've got the time.