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"No wonder the witch is so powerful." Loki sighed. "Explains the hell out of Masayi too."
Chiyoh looked up from her plate at her father. "Hm?"
"She's the daughter of a primordial."
Chiyoh went still. "Great. Still think we can take her?"
"Everything can be killed. Primordials can be killed too, you know?" Loki shrugged. "Hardest thing to kill is actually Death and all it's helpers. Be far more difficult to kill Hanni than even a primordial. Agents of Death can take a hell of a beating. I've tried. I imagine that's why the witch didn't kill Hanni as punishment."
"She likes being cruel. Cruel takes time." Chiyoh shrugged.
"That she does, but she wanted her son punished as well. Best way to punish him would be to kill Hanni. But she didn't...she probably can't, even as strong as she is."
"So...who is this primordial?"
"Amatsu-Mikaboshi." Loki said. "Turns out the witch hates her father. Who knew she had hatred in her heart?" Loki snorted. "Bet if I manage to kill him...it'd draw her attention. Plus, I don't particularly like him. He and I have gotten into a couple fights. Would like to show him who's best, if I'm honest."
Chiyoh's eyes widened. "What are you planning to do?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to put on a show. Of course, no one will know it's me...until I tell them. Then she'll come running for the spell that can fool even the oldest of powers."
Chiyoh snorted. "You play dangerous games."
Loki lifted the vial and looked at it. "My dear, I play to win. And I will. I will always win." He hadn't told her what the strange girl had said. But he had a feeling... If he did help Hanni and Masayi, he'd have a chance to have his lover back. He'd do far worse than kill ancient beings for even a second with his beloved again. "You may want to lay low, my dear. This is going to be messy."
-
Hannibal watched, enjoying the way the young man looked. Masayi always looked glorious when he killed. He wondered why this version of his love seemed to have something against prostitutes. But he wasn't going to judge. Masayi wasn't like Hannibal. Hannibal could kill pretty much anyone at any time for anything he deemed 'rude.' Masayi always had a reason. There was always something just in his actions. And this Masayi had a steady hand, like a doctor. Hannibal knew, because he had studied. He himself was a doctor.
They were calling Masayi The Whitechapel Murderer in the papers.
"I told you where he is. Why haven't you met with him?" Chiyoh asked.
"If I couldn't smell you coming, you would have startled me." Hannibal commented. He turned and raised an eyebrow at her.
"Do you think this is the one?"
"No. This version won't suffer pretty enough. He usually has a frailty to him, it comes from knowing so much, from the burden of knowledge. But this one...he's more justice than knowledge. He won't play the game we need to play. But I can't wait to meet him. Oh, to sink my teeth into that."
"Ooh, can I watch?" Loki appeared, sitting on the edge of the building. "You two are a beautiful couple, got to say. And my-my he's pretty. You lucked out, didn't you?"
"Finally, we meet in person." Hannibal commented.
"Do you ever phone home?" Loki asked. "Ever listen to the gossip?"
"I tend to find it boring."
"Well, you probably wouldn't hear this anyway. I may have killed Amatsu-Mikaboshi."
Hannibal paused. "You did what?"
"Yeah, your grandpappy-by-marriage." Loki nodded and made a gesture of slitting his throat. "Dead. Gotta say, never killed a primordial before. It was an experience, let me tell you. And doing it in front of Ame-no-Uzume was my best idea yet. She just couldn't help but skip off and tell everyone that some human managed to kill a primordial." Loki oozed confidence and accomplishment. "It was crazy out there. They were all freaking out. All the different religions started having pow-wows about how to defend from powerful mortals. Even our witch was afraid. She was in attendance when I stepped forward and took off my mask. Laughed at all of them. It was a grand production. You should have seen me. Touted my magic and abilities. Laughed at how they couldn't sense me when I was right under their nose. Then I vanished. May have led a trail to my home where the spell was stored." Loki grew more serious. "She took the bait."
Hannibal smiled. "Good."
Loki nodded and lifted a vial. "I've altered the use of this." He held it out, but didn't let Hannibal take it. "It will only give you two days. If you give this to her, you have two days before she must die or she will find a way to make this far worse... She will not be fooled twice. But she is locked into her from now, and she thinks herself perfectly unremarkable and hidden. You can still smell her, but do not let her know that. That is the only advantage you have at the moment. Make her feel like she's won, Hannibal. Distract her so well, that she won't think that you could possibly win. Her hubris will be her downfall."
"Thank you." Hannibal said, taking the vial once it was released. He'd keep it safe, until he and the right version of Masayi could work together to tear her apart. This version, below, walking away from a fresh kill was not the right Masayi. Hannibal knew it on gut instinct.
"Just kill her and make a gift basket from her flesh or...something. Use your discretion. Be tasteful, as I know you are."
"Oh, it'll be lovely." Hannibal promised.
-
The Whitechapel Murderer had not been the right version, but he (his name had been James) had gotten Hannibal particularly interested in how the human mind works, because humans definitely didn't process the way gods or even spirits did. That and they'd had a rather lovely time. After James had finished his killing in London, they'd left together for Florence. They'd lived and loved rather peacefully there. Hannibal had a sketchbook full of James' likenesses. The curse wasn't all bad all the time. Hannibal really just wanted his forever to begin with his lover. Wanted to be free. Wanted them both to be safe.
The next version of Masayi...well, he'd been dead before Chiyoh or Hannibal got to him.
Chiyoh had found Masayi's remains in Treblinka. Unlike the other bodies there. Masayi hadn't been gassed. He'd been shot. Perhaps he'd tried to fight, tried to run away...maybe even killed some people on his way out. They couldn't know what had happened. But Hannibal was furious that they hadn't properly buried him. He took his lover's body from the pile. He clothed him in soft, warm clothes, then buried him in a sea of flowers.
He'd then returned to the awful place and killed every last person who'd run it.
No mercy.
-
Masayi took a deep breath and then slammed his head against the rocky earth. "Dammit."
Charon made a low grumbly noise from his riverboat. It almost sounded like a greeting.
Masayi opened his eyes and sat up. "Hi, Charon. Sorry. Not exactly pleased to be here. Guessing there's been quite a bit of traffic in all the underworlds lately. War's fun like that. But you still made time for me, huh?"
Charon grumbled, and nodded.
"I guess that makes us friends, huh?" Masayi slowly stood. Garmr wasn't around, so he snatched up some flowers and walked to the boat, handing them to Charon. "Thanks again."
Charon rumbled, then began their journey down the Styx.
Masayi felt around for a note.
'Mas,
Everything is still ready. We must remain patient. We will make this. I know we can, my love. I long for the days where we can live at peace. When we can be gods together and spend an eternity clothed in our love.
I miss you. And I am eternally yours.
Love you, mylimasis.
Hanni'
Masayi took a deep breath. They could do this. They WOULD do this. They just needed the right lure. It would work. It had to.