{Chapter 20 : Trial by Spirit}
"It is no lie, you cannot speak of lies."
- Judge Hathorne, The Crucible by Arthur Miller

    *Pant*  *Pant*
    Where am I going? Am I there?
    Not yet.
    I'm tired. Can I sleep?
    No you can't.
    What are you?
    You.
    What am I?
    You.
    Me?
    Yes.
    Who's Me?
    Look at yourself.
    I am, I am.
    Yes you are.
    Am I?
    Yes you are.
    I don't see myself. Who am I?
    Wake up!

    Belldandy opened her eyes and looked up. It was raining, and it was cold. But she was warm, the blanket kept her warm. Something shifted besides it. Something black, with a white cross. Velsper.
    What was that dream? Belldandy was confused. There had been nothing but sound. Belldandy sat up and gathered the blanket around her, shivering. Velsper yawned once and opened an eye. He saw Belldandy shivering as she sat up, looking into the blanket. She tried to wrap herself, but remembered Velsper. She stopped. Velsper meowed again and trotted into the corner, where his kitty bed was, and curled up there instead. Belldandy saw him move amidst the flashes of lightning and thanked Velsper silently, then wrapped herself as fully as she could in her blankets.
    She was warm for now, but she still felt cold somehow. She had to make a call.

*     *     *

    The Almighty pondered. He had seen everything that was happening, and it ached His heart that He would leave them be. His precious children were all suffering because of this, but He had no choice. They had to do this on their own.
    "Secretary, if Belldandy calls, tell her I'm not available, and I'm not taking messages."
    "Understood, Sir."

    The Almighty sighed. He had foreseen this a long time ago, but He had not recognized its signs until now. Everything was falling into place, and He was just aware of it not too long ago.
    A metamorphosis, a mortal, five Goddesses and a demoness had all fallen into place into the great riddle that the Almighty had found in Uruz when She came to be.

    That when one trouble does come upon another,
    That shall the sisters do like to their fellows,
    And thus Much will be accomplished,
    Even if only More comes to pass.
    Which all shall end when it all began.

    Things would be right, and if He had to intervene, so be it.
    But for now...

*     *     *

    "I'm sorry, He is not available right now, Miss Belldandy, and does not wish to have His messages taken. Good day."
    Belldandy listened to the person on the other line utter her apologies, then put down the phone. She kept the phone there as the handset beeped insistently at her, telling her to put it down. Her cold hand trembled ever so slightly.
    "But...." Belldandy muttered. A futile effort, but she had to get it out. She put the phone down. Then she sank and leaned against the table the phone sat upon, in the common corridor. She hugged herself within the blankets and shivered.
    "...I just need someone to talk to..." Belldandy whispered. "Oh, Keiichi-san!"

*     *     *

    Keiichi couldn't sleep. She just couldn't. It had started raining not too long ago, and the wind screamed at Keiichi's window to open them, while the rain hammered at them, hoping to break through. She knew she'd disappointed Megumi, had wrecked the lives of all those around her, and now, she was lying in her bed, thinking about letting the others deal with the problem for her.
    All for her.
    Keiichi groaned, and sat up. She knew she couldn't do this. It wasn't right. There had to be something she could do. Keiichi got out of bed and carefully tiptoed out the door, on the off chance that Megumi was camping outside her room. She slipped her head out the door and looked around, but there wasn't a soul around besides hers. She stepped out and stepped on something soft. It was Megumi's handkerchief. Keiichi picked it up. It smelled like salt and tears. Keiichi felt a burning tong of guilt poke and pull at her heart, telling her what a useless brother she was. She told it to shut up and shove it.
    Then she heard something else. Someone was calling someone, the phone was whirring and clicking as someone dial a number. Keiichi listened for a moment, caught nothing, and cautiously made her way to the phone down the corridor.
    "....need someone to talk to...." someone whispered around the corner. Then she heard her name, and the shattered voice that called it out, saturated with remorse.
    Belldandy's.
    Keiichi peeked around the corner and saw Belldandy. Keiichi's eyes widened in surprise and sadness. Belldandy's hair was turning black before her eyes, which wasn't too surprising, but what scared Keiichi was that Belldandy was sitting there, crying. It wasn't anything she'd seen before, Belldandy was wailing hopelessly like a lost soul.
    "Bel..Belldandy?" Keiichi whispered, hesitantly. Belldandy turned her head and saw Keiichi. It was Providence, Belldandy would've sworn, had the Almighty already proven that He wasn't doing this. She got up and grabbed Keiichi by the neck, hugging her.
    "Keiichi. San!" Belldandy sobbed. Keiichi was surprised. Belldandy hung on with all her might, and buried her face in Keiichi's shoulder. Keiichi felt every little bit as guilty and sad as Belldandy did, and she knew that for some reason. But it was ghastly cold out here, corpse-cold. Keiichi hugged Belldandy back.
    "Come on, it's too cold here Belldandy." Keiichi whispered. "Let's go to my room." Belldandy nodded, and the two headed for Keiichi's room.
    At another time, at another place, when the temple was more hospitable, Keiichi might've realized where she was asking Belldandy to.
    But now... now, it was anything but.

*     *     *

    The next morning....

    Someone staggered up to the temple stairs, hair frayed, dripping wet, ragged, covered in mud and weeds, worn and torn. The dishevelled woman dragged herself up the stairs, barely strong enough to crawl, and made her way up the temple.
    "Well well, it looks like you've decided to take me up on my offer after all, Mara." Urd said, haughtily as she stood at the top of the staircase, arms crossed. Urd was not in a good mood. She wouldn't be, when her sister's life and of those around her were threatened. Mara cursed Urd's name and parents, but stayed there. Urd smiled.

    The previous night, Urd had faced off with Mara in a battle of might and magic, which Urd had won easily. They'd kicked up one mother of a storm, but Urd had won mostly because she had all the lightning at her command, while Mara had naught but her energy blasts and a couple of physcial projectiles to hurl, which proved sadly ineffective in the raging winds where nothing could stay in a straight line for any proper length of time. Aerial combat was Urd's element, since lightning bolts hardly missed simply because they found Mara more attractive than the ground at such heights. Mara had claimed total ignorance over the entire matter of the passwords, had claimed she didn't even know what was going on. Urd, before dropping a half-dead Mara into the river, had told her that if she didn't want to be hunted down again, she'd come for a lie-detector test at the temple.
    So, Mara had come. Urd was not to be trifled with.

    "Damn you and your family, Urd." Mara spat. Urd tsked and wagged a finger at her.
    "Oh no, you've already done more than your fair share for us, Mara. I can't even begin to pay you back." Urd purred, invitingly. Mara hissed, but didn't say any more.
    "Come on in, I'll get you started on your test. Maybe after that I'll heal you up." Urd said, turning on her heels. It was very early morning, and the sun was only beginning to peek over the mountains to see if it was safe for it to rise. Mara stood up unsteadily, tried to walk, but fell face first into the dirt. Urd turned around and helped her up, slinging an arm over her shoulder to help Mara along. Friends again, a casual observer would have noticed.
    "Urd, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to kill me." Mara said as the two went into the temple, floating. Urd chuckled.
    "So I lost myself a little back there, back then. You're not going to hold it against me, are you?" Urd asked, grinning. She was getting mud all over her good cheongsam (sleeveless, chinese dress), but she could easily remedy that, unlike other things. Indeed, she had given in to her temper upon seeing Megumi's hurt face. Urd liked the girl, was slightly attracted to her. She had a lot of boyfriend potential. Urd would have to deal with that later, though. Mara huffed.
    "Knowing us, I'd say we're even."
    Urd nodded. Mara had a point. Both of them couldn't live with each other, but couldn't live without each other either. It was the way friendship was.
    "Fine, I'll be sorry for the little things I did, and you'll be sorry for that one big thing you did." Mara raised an eyebrow.
    "I didn't think last night's fight was a 'little thing'."
    "I didn't say I was apologising for last night." Urd said, suddenly serious, as she brought Mara into her room. The smell of herbs in the morning was like balm, it soothed the nostrils and warmed the heart. The smell was redolent in the air like a potpourri, and Mara wasn't too regretful that she'd taken up on Urd's offer. There was a huge symbol painted (etched? carpeted?) on the floor of Urd's room, but Mara recognized it as purely decorative. Urd took out a bunch of newspapers and set them on the floor.
    "Sit on that. You'll get mud all over my lovely carpets." Urd said. "I'll get some of my medicines, and we can begin." Urd floated off. Mara looked around. Cabinets, drawers, racks and rows of medicines lined the walls, floors, ceiling and corners of the room. Urd had her little chemistry equipment table moved to one side to allow for more sleeping space, and Mara noticed that there was someone else in the room. To one corner was a small partition, and Mara heard someone talking in her sleep.
    "...Keiichan... break.... please?" She sounded sad, but hopeful. Mara recognized Megumi's voice. Again, fate had led here to Megumi. Mara wondered what it was with this girl that the two of them would always meet, regardless of circumstance?
    "I'm back." Urd chirped, in a happy morning mood. Mara stared at her.
    "You're sure happy this morning, Urd." Mara remarked, deadpanned.
    "Really?" Urd asked, interestedly. She looked slightly surprised, eyes opening a little wider. Her mouth was opened in a little 'o' as she unscrewed the caps to her bottles. She put a finger to her mouth and looked thoughtful.
    "Guess my mood's a little capricious nowadays." Urd said. Mara looked at her incredulously, but said nothing. Urd tipped out a few pills that Mara could swear had faces and were looking at her, and a few other weird and distinctly un-wonderful medicines. Mara pointed.
    "I am not going to eat those." She said, simply. Urd shook her head.
    "Of course not. You'll only be swallowing these pills here. I'm taking the rest to make a rejuvenator. For someone else." Urd said, holding up a bottle of small, darkish pill that looked like a lizard's eye, but was hard. At least this looks more normal, Mara thought.
    Urd took out a tape recorder and a microphone. Mara 'eked' at the sight.
    "Right, shall we start?" Urd said, smiling, bottle in one hand, recording equipment in the other.

*     *     *

    Velsper woke with a yawn and a gaping maw. He licked himself and looked around as he did so. Being punished to be a cat had certain disadvantages, such as lack of sentience. But Velsper was still smarter than the average animal.
    Strange, where was Belldandy? Velsper wondered where his loving master was. She was normally there at this time of morning. He got out of bed, stretched, and sauntered around looking for her. He didn't see her, so he went out.

*     *     *

    Keiichi's eyes twitched for a second, then she opened them sleepily. It was a wonderfully cool morning, and Keiichi was nice and warm under her blankets. Almost as if something else were radiating warmth.
    Warmth? Another warm body. Besides her.
    Belldandy.
    Keiichi clutched her head with one hand and reminded herself of the previous night. Sunday, if she wasn't wrong. Sabbath day. Goodness, what a way to spend a holy day like that.
    Holy? Keiichi thought. Oh, great. Look at me.
    But Keiichi decided to hold everything off for the moment. It was a beautiful morning, Keiichi was alive and sleeping in the same futon as her loved one, and it could only get better. Quite literally, everything could only get better. Anything worse, well... Keiichi didn't want to think about it. The air was sparklingly clear, at last. The futon and floor didn't throw up a wall of dust when disturbed, and Keiichi could take a long, deep breath of clear air at last. In fact, everything seemed clean and sparkling now in the room, like as if the rain had washed everything clean and dried quickly. Keiichi rubbed her eyes and resisted the urge to go back to sleep. She looked at Belldandy, sleeping besides her. Belldandy looked so... at peace, when asleep. Beautiful, in every sense of the word. Who knew what she dreamt of? Hopefully, Keiichi thought, of good things. She stroked Belldandy's hair, now obsidian black like her sister Skuld, and sighed to herself.
    And what happens now? The only thing left to her is her gender and her markings. Keiichi thought. Then Keiichi thought about it. The two of them had gotten their eyes 'switched' at approxmiately the same moment....
    *meow*
    Keiichi looked as silhouette appeared outside the doorway, pawing at the door. Velsper, Keiichi thought. She went over to open the door.
    "Ohayo gozaimasu, Velsper." Keiichi greeted.
    Velsper looked up at Keiichi and meowed. Then he hopped into her lap and snuggled against her. Keiichi was taken aback at Velsper's sudden affection for her.
    "No, not for me." Keiichi said to herself. "Belldandy."
    She held Velsper out in front of her, turned him to face Belldandy, still sleeping, and pointed.
    "Not me, Velsper. She, is Belldandy."
    Velsper looked, meowed once, and kicked. Keiichi let him go. Velsper scampered to Belldandy's side and curled up besides her, yawning contentedly. Keiichi smiled despite her own feelings. There were still a few things to be glad about, after all. Ah....
    Keiichi walked out into the corridors and headed for the kitchen. Maybe she could make Belldandy a little something to raise her spirits, and her own. Keiichi wasn't too bad a cook, one learned a lot of things living in a dorm with a bunch of guys who made you their personal butler, and Keiichi wondered what Belldandy would think of scrambled eggs, buttered toast, some ham and a little darjeeling on the side? Keiichi smiled to herself as she passed Urd's room.
    "Hey, Belldandy? That you?" Someone called from the corridor. Keiichi froze. It was Megumi. Bluff her? Don't bluff her?
    "Yes... Megumi?" Keiichi asked, standing there stock still. She risked a quick peek. Megumi came out, yawning and stretching, her hair a mess. She was coming out from Urd's room. Good old Urd, Keiichi thought. She brought Megumi in so she wouldn't freeze in the corridor.
    Bad old Keiichi, letting her stay out there like that.
    Megumi came up to Keiichi, stopped for a moment, and looked at her, up and down. She was still a little sleepy, so she took some time to recognise Keiichi.
    "Keiichan?" Megumi asked. Megumi suddenly felt a pang of panic run from her head down as she suddenly recalled something she couldn't quite understand. It tingled and pulled at her insides, at her fingers, and her hair. Megumi thought her hair was standing on ends, which they weren't. Fortunately. Megumi suddenly shuddered with fear.
    "Y...es?" Keiichi asked, turning slowly. Megumi looked at Keiichi's top.
    "Your hair." Megumi pointed out. No use screaming about it now, everyone knew what was going on anyway. Keiichi looked up, then Megumi pulled a mirror out of her pockets somewhere and pointed it in Keiichi's face.
    "Oh." Keiichi said, simply. No surprise, she had Belldandy's hair colouring. Maybe she'd ask Urd to let her have that hair growing medicine, because a honey-silver blonde woman with a crew cut didn't look very appealing to Keiichi. Megumi sighed. The moment of fear had passed, and left a throbbing seed in her heart. Megumi pushed it to one side for the moment.
    "Where're you heading off to, bro?" Megumi asked.
    "Kitchen. I'm thinking about making Belldandy some breakfast in bed." Megumi giggled.
    "Mou, finally, something good out of this whole wretched mess." Megumi said, after swallowing her giggles down hard. Keiichi looked at her half indignantly, half incredulously. Eyebrows raised with indignation, Keiichi scowled at her.
    "Oh? And what's so strange about this?" Keiichi asked. Megumi's giggle evolved into a laugh.
    "Who was always making breakfast for who?" Megumi asked. Keiichi thought for a moment, finger to her chin.. She nodded.
    "You're right. But Belldandy always told me to keep out of the kitchen because it was her duty, not mine." Keiichi thought. Belldandy got upset when people did her chores for her. Not too strange, when you thought about it in the Japanese context, but still, Keiichi thought it was too much to let one person handle everything by herself.
    Megumi shrugged.
    "Ma, as you so please, Keiichan." Megumi said, smiling. Might as well be happy when you could.
    "I'll confess! I don't know the passwords!I lied about that time!" Someone cried out from Urd's room. Megumi felt a drop of sweat roll down her head.
    "Ano...." Keiichi said, looking over Megumi's shoulder curiously. "Who... was that?"
    Megumi laughed nervously, and pushed a surprised Keiichi towards the kitchen.
    "Ah haa ha haa haa! You really should get breakfast ready before Belldandy wakes up, Keiichan! If not she'll kick you out of the kitchen. Ha aha aha haa...."
    Keiichi was too surprised to protest as Megumi kept pushing her towards the kitchen, and even helped her put on the apron when they got there. Megumi gave Keiichi one last friendly shove into the kitchen and slammed the door shut behind her with a final crack. Then she covered the door with her back. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and let out a breath of relief.
    "Phew. If Keiichi found out Mara was here..." Megumi heaved to herself.
    Megumi had felt as surprised as Keiichi looked when she first woke up, to find herself in Urd's room. Then even more so, when she saw Urd recording something with Mara in the room. Mara was holding something distastefully in her fingers, observing it, then looking at it through the glass of water in her other hand. Megumi had stood there a good three minutes before Urd noticed her and hustled her out of the room. Megumi didn't complain.

*     *     *

    "I'll confess! I don't know the passwords! I lied about that time!" Someone cried out through the temple. It was barely audible from here, but that was all that was needed to wake someone out from her sleep.
    Uruz's eyes snapped open.
    Mara. Someone called from inside her head. She's here. Now's your chance.
    Uruz blinked. Who was that?!
    I am you. The voice called. You are I. It wasn't her own voice though. It was a male's, deep, reverberating, and, if truth be told, sexy. Uruz felt a slight attraction to this... presence.
    It was almost the same voice Uruz remembered having heard when she lost control during that time.
    But who was this? How did he get in?
    I told you. I am you.
    Strange. This was waaay too weird for Uruz. But she couldn't move. Her limbs wouldn't respond despite all her mental struggling. Fear welled up inside of her, tingly and pressurizing. Panic struck next, lancing her through the head and heart.
    Do not worry. I can set you free. After all, I am you.
    Uruz managed to grit her teeth and utter something.
    Do you want to move? The voice persisted. It was like as if Uruz was talking to herself. The voice had said so. It certainly felt like it.
    If you're me, then how come I acted all funny earlier on? Uruz asked, challengingly. She imagined herself asking the question behind clenched teeth, growling with threats of pain to whoever it was who dared invade her spiritual privacy. The voice chuckled. Uruz felt it, it was exactly like her own chuckles. She shuddered, involuntarily.
    That was you. You are you now too. But I want you. Let me be you again, once more.
    Uruz blinked. He sounded horribly persuasive.... Uruz's mind went blank for a moment, she recalled something. Something horrible, dark, that she thought she'd forgotten. For a while, she had.
    But the past always catches up with someone, Mara was proof of that.
    Uruz felt warm suddenly. She started crying. She wondered what she was crying over, as she remembered. But everything was too blur, too indistinct. Like another life.
    But you've never died. The voice told her, listening in on their every thought. At least, not in that sense.
    Uruz blinked again. Light. White light, not stifling blackness. She cried silently. The light hurt. The blackness beckoned.
    A tinkling sound, like crystal shattering. Purple powder filled the air.

*     *     *

    Mara felt a chill hit her, hard. Like an icicle impale her through the body, Mara felt the core of cold run through her entire body like cold water. Urd must've felt it as well, since she suddenly spasmed once, eyes widened in shock, mouth opened in a gasp. Mara looked around desperately, searching for the source. The pill's effects had worn off as soon as Urd had given her the antidote, but Mara wasn't taking any chances.
    "What's going on, Urd!?" Mara asked, loudly. Urd was sweating now, her hands clutching her head. She was looking at the floor, shuddering. This was too familiar to her. The feeling. Her legs felt weak, she almost couldn't stay kneeling.
    Lord of Terror!
    No, not that. Urd knew the Lord of Terror was dead, or incapicitated.
    But the feeling was the same as when Urd had felt the lure call out to her, a demonic presence.
    But it wasn't Urd.
    No, not her.
    Who?
    That time. Not too long ago.
    "URUZ!" They both yelled out at the same time.

*     *     *

    Belldandy sprang up like a diving board. A demonic air filled the room, and it didn't feel like Mara's. Belldandy thought.... it felt familiar. But it wasn't Urd, even though the signs did remind her of that episode.
    Who was it? The feeling pervaded the air like a fragrant candle.
    That was scary, the fragrance. It called to Belldandy like a lure. But Belldandy knew better. She had felt this a while back, so much weaker that she'd totally dismissed this feeling to be related to the other.
    Uruz had shattered her seals again.
    Belldandy flew out of bed, Velsper suddenly awake and meowing in distress at being left alone all of a sudden.

*     *     *

    Keiichi dropped the pan she was holding and watched, in slow motion, as it hit the ground with a clatter. Nothing was in it, Keiichi didn't feel weak, and it certainly didn't burn her hand, so what...?
    Then it slapped her in the face, a frozen palm full of spikes. Keiichi felt it cut her face, draw cold blood, numb her head. Time oozed by, slimy.
    Something had happened. Keiichi ran out the room, ripping the apron off. Megumi fell backwards into the kitchen as Keiichi opened it suddenly. Keiichi caught her sister in time.
    "Hey, Keiichan! What's going on!?" Megumi asked, as Keiichi helped her to her feet.
    "No time to explain, Megumi." Keiichi replied, she sounded so very much like Belldandy now, concerned all of a sudden. "Take cover in the kitchen and don't come out until I come looking for you, understood?"
    Megumi nodded slightly, and Keiichi took off at once. Megumi watched Keiichi go, holding Keiichi's apron in her hands.
    "What's going on?" Megumi asked the air. It didn't reply, so Megumi shrugged, put the apron on, and set out to make the breakfast Keiichi had so inconsiderably left unattended to.

*     *     *

    Peorth was rudely awakened, and even more rudely shocked when she stared at the glowing person besides her. It was Uruz.
    Definitely was. Uruz's head was tilted back slightly, mouth set in a grimace, as she floated off the floor covered in a blue flame. Peorth scrambled against the wall, setting up the strongest shields she could come up with at a moment's notice, and watched in horrified fascination as Uruz convulsed slightly.
    "By the Almighty and all He holds Holy..." Peorth uttered. A dark shadow flew across Uruz and covered her, and Peorth remembered the time she had viewed this from an impersonal distance away. But... a relapse?!
    "Belldandy!!!" Peorth screamed as Uruz's clothes melted around her and started changing. "BELLDANDY!!!"
    Peorth was hysterical. She could see Uruz's Goddess markings change, colour and form. They glowed with a sickly, overexaggerated light. It didn't remind her of a First Class demonesses' markings at all.
    Not at all.

*     *     *

    Belldandy heard Peorth screaming, and decided to fly instead of run. She ran into Urd, Mara and Skuld on the way to Peorth's room, and Keiichi found them standing outside the guest room seconds later. There was a distinctly blue glow coming from inside.
    "What's going on, Belldandy!?" Keiichi said, gasping for breath. "I felt something cold hit me, then I ran here fast as I could."
    Belldandy looked at Keiichi. She had felt it?! Time was running out.
    But first things first, Belldandy slid open the door and looked in. She nearly backed out a second later when she saw what was inside.
    "What is it, Belldandy?" Urd asked. She peered over Belldandy's shoulder and hissed like a cornered cat, with the expression to match.
    "This!" Urd spat, like a snake. Everyone looked at her. Mara pointed at Uruz as her clothes became more recognizable.
    "Looks like you aren't the only one with demon's blood in her, Urd." Mara pointed out. Urd stared, as did the rest.
    Then Belldandy noticed Peorth, scared out of her wits like a frightened child, crying, crouching to one side, trying to get away from Uruz. They didn't need to test Uruz to tell that she had a lot more power than the rest of them combined, it radiated from her like heat. Peorth knew if she was attacked, that was the end of her. Belldandy uttered a spell, flew in and grabbed Peorth as quicky as she could before getting out by teleporting. But Uruz didn't notice them. She was still floating there, but the flames were going out. No, they were gathering at her hands.
    Belldandy set Peorth gently to the floor, both of them gasping loudly. Peorth was shuddering, scared out of her wits. Her vice-grip was ready to gouge holes in Belldandy's arms, if Peorth wasn't shaking so badly she couldn't get a firmer grip on Belldandy.
    "W..w..w.hat....was...that!?" Peorth said, shuddering, her voice choking on the fear. "That wasn't Uruz!"
    "I don't know." Belldandy said. "But I'm going to find out."

*     *     *

    Soft, warm, blanket of darkness. So sleepy.... so tired. Am I there yet? Am I where I'm supposed to be?
    Where am I supposed to be, anyway? Here? There's nothing here.
    Except sleep.... urh...urgh.... I ache. I'm cold. It's warm here.
    Darkness, warm? Since when did it do so?
    Because it is like a blanket, wrapping you completely and covering you, sheltering you.
    Smothering me.
    No, you live don't you? You're tired. The darkness is just to comfort you. Don't worry, you'll never need anything else.
    Won't I?

*     *     *

    Everyone was staring with horrid fascination at the person who stood before them. It was still physically Uruz, she still had the same body for sure. She even felt like Uruz.... but there was something way too obviously wrong. She was grinning, whether maniacally or not, nobody could guess. Her teeth showed on her face, her entire front, was cloaked in shadows, even in the perpetual light her fires gave off. They overwhelmed everything else, turned them blue. She was chuckling, constantly.
    Belldandy joined the group seconds later, and looked into the room. Uruz was just standing... hovering there, waiting. Waiting.
    For who?
    "Uruz!" Belldandy shouted. "Uruz!"
    "That is me." Uruz replied.
    Urd shuddered. She couldn't be, Uruz. But still, she was. Body, mind, soul. Soul?? But Urd couldn't deny it, her signature was there, she was Uruz. However much they hated to admit it. There she was. But she couldn't be?!
    "What's happened to you!?" Belldandy cried. Uruz chuckled.
    "Nothing. I'm myself." Her markings glowed brightly, burning almost as bright as her flames. She chuckled a little louder for a moment, hauntingly. Skuld could've sworn she saw Uruz's grin grow a little wider. Then the grin turned into a slight frown.
    "Well, I am myself, but... Uruz... maybe."
    Belldandy sucked in her breath.
    "What's happened to her?!"
    "I told you, she is me. I am her."
    Urd groaned.
    "Split personality, Belldandy. Uruz's a bloody psychopath."
    Uruz glared at her, her eyes became visible for a moment. They were clearer, shinier, than any other eyes they had ever seen. Urd shrank back.
    "No, I am not."
    "What do you want!?" Skuld asked. Better to get things over with.
    "I want her." Uruz said simply, pointing. Everyone stared at the burning hand. It was consumed by fire, but it never shrivelled, never burned. The light moved with her hand, her dark finger pointed at Mara. Everyone followed it and ended up staring at Mara.
    "M..m.m.m.m.m...me!?" Mara stuttered. She backpedaled a little, utterly terrified. Uruz grinned sweetly. It was scary, when you could only see the whites of her teeth on a featureless, shadowed face.
    "Yes, you, my dear." She purred, sweetly. It wasn't an evil purr, it didn't even sound malicious. It was... just that. It set everyone's heart at ease, even though it made them beat with fear at the same time. The mind registered it, yet refuted it.
    "Why me?" Mara said, getting her courage back. "Am I so special to you?"
    Uruz nodded. "Of course, my dear. Remember.... this?"
    Her voice dropped several octaves lower. Everyone almost recognized it to be the one Uruz used... last time... but it was male. Distinctly male. Mara's jaw dropped.
    "Y..y..y..y..y...y....y-You!" Mara screamed.
    "Yes, me." Uruz said, her grin growing wider. Skuld stared. Was her entire face one huge grin!? There was no end to the number of toothy expresisons she had, Skuld thought.
    "I'm here-" Uruz paused, grinning again. When she spoke again, she said each word longingly, rolling them like a carpet, stretching them with savour. It sounded like each syllable was an extension of another, yet an individual entity on its own.
    "Ma-ra-Ma-ma."

*     *     *

    Peorth was sitting in a meditative trance, head facing skywards. She had someone to contact, and she had to do it soon. She was sitting outside in the living room, floating an inch above the ground. Her face looked surprisingly peaceful.
    Freya! Freya! Peorth yelled into the Heavens. She was more than impatient at Freya's slow response. You show yourself this instant!
    What's the matter, Peorth? Freya's calm, patient voice came back. Peorth was infuriated! Her face squeezed itself into a huge frown.
    You've got the guts to sound so calm! Peorth chided, her voice dripping anger all the way into the Heavens like wet clothes.
    What's wrong, Peorth? Freya asked, sounding a little more worried now. Uruz? Peorth smiled to herself. Freya wasn't stupid after all.
    You bet your license it's her. Freya paused for a moment, Peorth could feel it as a quietness that blanked out her mind.
    NO! Freya shrieked over the distance. Peorth's body shuddered with the force of the scream. Not again!
    Oh, yes again, Freya. And how are we going to stop it this time? Another seal? Peorth asked, this time genuinely concerned with the outcome. If she had been paying attnetion to her surroundings, she might've noticed that Mara was running blindly towards her.
    No, it won't work again. Freya replied. But....
    Mara slammed into Peorth and broke the connection. Peorth was jerked back into reality by her brainstem, and it throbbed like hell. Mara tripped over Peorth, fell, and landed on Peorth. The two hit the floor with a soft thump.
    "Hey, watch where you're going, demoness!" Peorth spat as the two got tangled trying to free themselves.
    "You wouldn't if you knew what she wanted! Lemme outta here!" Mara yelled. She sounded more hysterical than Peorth as she kicked, clawed and stepped on Peorth in her mad bid to escape.
    Just then, a small explosion came from the guestroom, and both Peorth and Mara paused to watch as the three Goddesses and Keiichi were sent flying out into the wall besides her. Through several other walls before that. Peorth got out of the mess and ran for the raven haired Belldandy. Skuld and Urd picked themselves up quickly and dragged Keiichi to a corner.
    "Belldandy!" Peorth yelled. Belldandy was dazed, she was looking into the hole from where they had come flying through, her eyes fixated on one spot as her pupils shrank to pinpricks. Her mouth was slightly open, her eyebrows raised to their limits. She was slightly blackened by soot and dirt, but was otherwise fine.
    "Belldandy!" Peorth repeated, shaking Belldandy. Belldandy snapped out of her haunting reverie and looked at Peorth.
    "Peorth! Uruz...!" Belldandy said, she couldn't go on.
    "Is a Demon...ess." Mara said, suddenly. She sat on the floor, hard, and sighed. "Might as well let her deal with me."
    All the four Goddesses looked at Mara, sitting with her legs pulled up and spread, her arms resting on her knees. Mara was looking at the floor, her hair covering her face. Urd came over and grabbed Mara by the collar, lifting her up with surprising strength. Mara choked a little at Urd's death grip.
    "You tell us what it is with that weirdo over there now, or I blow you away into next millenium and woe be those who gain your favour!"
    "Not here!" Peorth yelled. She saw a blue glow coming from the hole in the wall, and it didn't promise much good. "On campus!"
    Everyone knew where that was. Everyone ran off to find their nearest teleportation medium, Skuld hopping into the pot of tea, Urd dragging Mara through the television and Belldandy carrying Keiichi through the mirror. Peorth looked around, a sweatdrop on her head.
    "Where'd everyone go all of a sudden?"
    Then she saw the glow coming closer.
    "Forget that thought!"
    Peorth disappeared into the floor.

*     *     *

    The Almighty looked at the viewscreen as Peorth disappeared into the floor seconds before Uruz came burning her way through the wall, looking around. She was positively fearsome, not because she looked horrible and monsterlike, but for the very fact that she looked perfectly beautiful and calm, despite her appearance. Her grin was very disturbing.
    The Almighty closed His eyes and waited.
    This part would soon be over, but there was the other.
    The puzzle was so perplexing, but once half of it was solved, the other half would easily fall in place.
    Or so He hoped.

*     *     *

    Hiding in the storeroom of Nekomi Tech's Auto Club clubhouse, which Peorth remembered as being the place she had tracked Keiichi down to last time, everyone huddled in the middle waiting for her.
    "About time you came, Peorth." Urd remarked as Peorth's head popped up through the hatch. "We were afraid Uruz had gotten you."
    But there was no sarcasm there. There was a very real concern which no amount of Urd's blustering could cover. Peorth shook her head.
    "Nah, nah. Don't let that get to you." Then she looked for Mara.
    "Where's the demoness?"
    "Here." Mara said, as Keiichi and Belldandy shuffled apart. She was sitting in the middle of the ring, and Peorth came over to fill up the space between them.
    "Here's the story..." Mara began as soon as Peorth sat.

*     *     *

    "I found... Uruz... not her real name of course, abandoned in Hell in an alley I was hanging out in. A demon. Yes, without the 'ness'. At that time, I was still Second Class. Uruz was a common born demon, but I had no idea who abandoned him. And knowing my preferences which meant I would never have a kid of my own, I took him in as my own. Yes, I did, what's so funny!? I had no idea who his parents were, and nobody could tell me. He was Second Class, of course. I raised him for a couple of years, that's why I didn't bother to come looking for you, Urd, and he showed great potential. Oh yes he did! His powers grew quickly, he learned faster than anyone I'd ever seen. He surpassed me in half the time I took to gain so much power. He was basically First Class in a Second Class position, toddler that he was. Smart one too. He was enthusiastic, and he loved me. Hey, stop sniggering! He kept calling me Mara-mama. I was the butt of everyone's joke during those years but I held on. What, can't a demoness stick with something?
    Anyway, as he grew, I found that he had a greater capacity for power than anyone I'd ever seen, in the Heavens or the Hells. So here I was, adoptive mother to a little tyke who was already a lot more powerful than I was, with nothing else to do but to waste his time burning the butts off those making fun of me. I was rather aimless for a while, teaching him the ways of Hell and everything to while away the time, but I hadn't given him a name yet. I couldn't think of any, all of them were girl's names. Hey! Stop that laughing! I can't concentrate if you're laughing! Thank you.
    Where was I? Oh, yes. Names. So I took him to friend of mine for a name. At least, I thought he was a friend. Bloody bastard saw a chance to get promoted then, what with all the power my 'friend' saw in him. So here he tells me : 'Come back every two days and let me see how he grows. I'll think of one soon enough.', and I stupidly trusted him, so I did. You know, I suddenly realized the only ones I can trust are you guys, my enemies, just for being what you are. Of all things! All right, back to the story. I didn't expect him to want to backstab me, of course. I should.
    So one day, I was watching my little darling- STOP THAT! Thank you! I was watching him rip apart some poor fellow who crossed me real bad, then putting him back and doing it again until the demon, I think Second Class, begged me for forgiveness while Uruz was busy tearing off his toenails one by one and stuffing salt in them. And at such a young age too, I was so proud. But I was losing interest in watching him being torn apart anyway, so I told my little boy to go back to my friend's place with me, maybe he had a name.
    Damn that day I brought him there. My 'good friend' was waiting there, with a contingent of the Master's men. He'd told the Master I had found a successor to replace Him and was planning to be Queen of Hell. I'd never even thought of that, but my boy did have that potential. That was why I guessed he was abandoned, he was too powerful for his own good. Smart parents, those. Kids like those were supposed to be absolute flukes which I found out the hard way. But there they were, stinking butts and all, those minions waiting to grab me and bring my boy back to be.... re-educated, but he would have none of it. By the time he was done with them all, my 'good friend' had disappeared. Damned if I knew where, but my boy was badly hurt, so I had to bring him back. I couldn't leave him there like that!
    Yes, I can care too. What, you say demonesses are heartless things? Shut your gap, you don't know a thing. Anyway, there I was, watching my boy turn and come back to me when the bastard appears and stabs my boy in the back quite literally. I killed the guy, of course, watched him scream and burn, but I had to flee because more of the Master's men were coming. Killed my heart, it did.
    How did I become First Class? Well, I won't tell you that. You got everything you wanted to know.
    No, I don't know Uruz got away or how he became... that. No, I don't know why! Shut up! But it was so long ago... I thought I'd lost him. Apparently... he came back."

    Mara finished the story with a long sigh. Everyone around her was looking at one another, disbelievingly. Mara herself looked horribly upset. Her story was so absurd, so insane, but so terribly true. But the only thing was...
    "How did Uruz end up... well, being Uruz!?" Peorth asked. Everything she knew about Uruz was falling into place now. Why her past was blank, why she had such an important job, why she had access to so much power, why she wouldn't answer anything pertaining to her past or job.
    But why did she end up with Peorth?
    Peorth thought about it. Uruz could've easily looked for another person to call 'sister' or 'brother', and outside of their names, they had nothing in common. Freya was a perfectly good person to look to as a mentor...
    Mara shook her head. Her breath came shudderingly. That story had unlocked a lot of memories for Mara, memories Mara didn't want dug up.
    "I have no idea. None whatsoever."
    Everyone looked worried. They all knew the Almighty had a hand in this, but what was the meaning of doing so? He knew the risks, He knew the implications, but...
    But everyone has their reasons.

*     *     *

    "Keiichan!" Megumi called from the kitchen. "I got breakfast ready!"
    Megumi poked her head out the doorway to the kitchen and looked around.
    "Eh? Nobody's around?"
    She stuck her head back into the kitchen and picked up the tray. She had stuck with a morning toast with butter and jam, a slice of ham, and a cup of tea. All she could find in the cupboards were green tea and Darjeeling, Darjeeling, Darjeeling. Belldandy was the only one who drank the stuff, and there was almost as much darjeeling as green tea. Megumi looked at the lavender box one last time, to note the brand.
    "Twinings of London, established 1706. Hm...." Megumi thought to herself. She made a note to buy some of it herself one day and find out what made it so special that a Goddess would fall in love with the tea. Megumi held the tray and walked into the corridor.
    "Keiichan!" Megumi called cheerfully. Obviously, she hadn't heard a thing that happened outside, caught up as it was in rummaging through the kitchen stores.
    When Megumi got to the living room, she nearly dropped the tray. There was... Uruz... there, Megumi remembered what had happened. Only seeing it once before stopped her from wetting her pants and dropping the tray, at the same time. The cup and teaspoon on the tray rattled as Megumi shivered.
    Uruz was standing with her back to Megumi, looking around. Her hands still burned with the fires, but they gave off no heat. Then she heard the rattling and spun around. Megumi shrieked and jumped, but everything on the tray stayed put, much to Megumi's surprise.
    "Megumi..." Uruz muttered. "Ah, yes." She didn't sound like a killer, or a demoness or anything, she sounded perfectly normal. In fact, even though Megumi could only see Uruz's teeth, Uruz looked surprised. Megumi also noticed that Uruz had red markings on her head instead of blue ones, markings she never noticed the first time....
    "Good morning." Uruz greeted cheerfully. Megumi did drop the tray, but caught it just in time with a remarkable show of reaction time.
    "G...g..ood morning, Uruz." Megumi stuttered. Uruz pointed a burning finger to the tray.
    "Who's that for?"
    "K..k..keiichan..." Megumi said, trembling. Uruz looked around.
    "They're not here..." Uruz remarked to herself. Far from looking like a psychopath, Uruz looked perfectly normal, except, of course, for that eternal shadow on her being and those pair of burning flames. Megumi was beginning to freak out. Megumi held out the tray to Uruz, doing her absolute, complete best not to scream and run.
    "Y..y..you wan..t it-t-t-t-t?" Megumi's teeth were chattering, even as she grinned nervously at Uruz. Uruz nodded.
    "Sure, thanks."
    So, Megumi thought to herself. Uruz was... well, Uruz. But she was a spooky Uruz. What is going on?
    Uruz took the tray from Megumi, who stared as the tray stayed as it was without melting through Uruz's hands, and sat down to eat. Uruz paused for a while when she noticed Megumi standing there, not noticing the destruction around her otherwise, and looked back.
    "Aren't you eating?" Uruz asked.
    "I..I.. I'll go get something from the kitchen." Megumi said. Uruz nodded. Megumi turned, and was never before so glad that had been Given legs to run on.

*     *     *

    "So, what you're telling us is, Uruz is probably holding a grudge against you because you abandoned him..her.. whatever, there, bleeding to death, just to save your own hide?" Peorth reiterated for Mara. Mara nodded, shamefacedly.
    "That's about the up and down of it." Mara said, softly. "Except I never did give her a name." Everyone stared at each other.
    Then Peorth grinned. Then she chuckled. She kept chuckling, and it turned into a laugh. Then Peorth couldn't stop laughing. She rolled on the floor, laughing her heart out until tears were squeezed from her eyes in streams, and still she kept laughing. Urd, Skuld, Mara and Keiichi all gave her the look of a person diseased and shuffled away. Belldandy just sat there, watching.
    "Oooh ho ho! Hoo hoo! This is rich!" Peorth said, choking her own voice in laughter. "A demoness brings up a demon, who then becomes a Goddess, then back to a demoness!" Peorth couldn't help herself, she felt like her throat would rip itself out of her if she didn't keep laughing. Nobody else could see what was so funny about it. Urd looked at Belldandy and pointed at Peorth with one hand, using the other to draw circles in the air around her temple. Skuld and Mara followed.
    "She's nuts." Urd told Belldandy. "Then again, who doesn't know that?"
    Belldandy watched Peorth laughing, focused on her. To the others' hearing and sight, they saw and heard Peorth laughing. Belldandy heard more than mirth in that laughter, she saw more than amusement on that face. And that more was worse than Belldandy could imagine on someone as confident, as proud, and as caring as Peorth.
    Peorth was laughing to keep herself from crying.

*     *     *

    Uruz had finished breakfast, and was looking around for Megumi. She meant her no harm, not that Megumi knew that, of course, but Uruz was just curious as to where Megumi had gone to. She had, obviously, no idea what she had just done. To her, it had been as natural as breathing, as talking.
    Uruz had no idea whatsoever.
    After a while of looking around, Uruz gave up trying to find Megumi. The girl had probably run off somewhere after eating, and she hadn't even told Uruz about it. The manners of people nowadays!
    Which reminded her... where was Mara? Uruz knew she was looking for Mara, but had no idea what for. She remembered a slight simmering of something she didn't like, and she knew she would have to find Mara to get rid of it. Of course, she remembered that she had sent...
    Oh dear. She had sent Belldandy and the rest flying through the walls when they tried to stop her. And she didn't even mean it. She hoped to apologise to them later... if she met them somewhere.
    And where was Peorth? Peorth wouldn't leave her here without even a word, would she? Uruz didn't want to think about it.
    So, why did she suddenly feel so... distant? That usual feeling of well being was gone, if it had ever been there. Uruz just felt... alone. Like nobody was watching over her and she was on her own.
    Then Uruz laughed. She was on her own, for now. Nobody was in the house. But that wasn't it, Uruz reasoned... there was something else missing. Something else Uruz couldn't understand. But Mara was the key to this lock. She'd find Mara.
    She walked up to the nearest door and closed her eyes, holding out a burning blue hand in front of her. She whispered a few words, and the doorway glowed blue. Before her, a white wall appeared in the glow, a gateway to another place. Uruz lowered her hand and looked at it. That was the strangest wall she'd ever seen, it was crawling with wires. But she didn't bother with details, she just walked through it.

*     *     *

    Mara stared at the ceiling as Peorth's laughing became incessantly bothersome. There was a lamp, and some wires running from the ceiling over the trapdoor to it. Mara wondered what the rest of the wires did, as she stared at the loose wires.
    Then a glow appeared beneath them, lighting up the wires with a haunting light. Mara swallowed, and along with the rest, looked at the trapdoor. It was glowing white, and a blackish figure was pulling its head through it.
    Peorth screamed. It was Uruz.
    Or, who Uruz was now.
    Mara spat a curse and tried to hide, but the storeroom was stacked wall to wall with full boxes, and Mara didn't want to make them fall. Mortal they were, but the two sempais were fearsome when their precious equipment was toppled. Mara backed into a corner and hoped someone would cover her.
    Uruz appeared through the hatch, looking up.
    "Oh, so that was what I was looking at. Silly me." Uruz chirped. Peorth stopped screaming and stared at Uruz. Uruz looked back at Peorth. She smiled, her teeth showing again.
    "Peorth-one-sama!" Uruz cried happily.

*     *     *

    Peorth couldn't believe this, not one bit. There she was, a completely changed Uruz, and she was calling Peorth 'one-sama'??
    Peorth never felt so happy in her life. She wanted to reach out, grab Uruz and hug her, telling everything was all right, but Belldandy held her back. Peorth remembered what Uruz was now.
    She... was a demoness. They could see it on her face, markings painfully obvious on such a shadowed face as they glowed. But Uruz didn't... feel right. It was like her markings were a demonesses's, but her disposition was... well, it was terrifying to think of her as a demon Goddess. It just wasn't right.
    Uruz looked around, but couldn't see Mara. Strange, Uruz thought. I thought my spell would lead me to her? She's always had that distinct...
    Distinct what? Feel? Feel of? Feel of motherhood??
    Uruz blinked once, her eyes visible for a moment as the shadows lifted from her face. She looked like the old Uruz, Peorth nearly sobbed when she saw it. So young, so innocent... so scared, vulnerable. Peorth wouldn't deny she was beginning to like Uruz as a sister.
    "Mara?" Uruz called. "Mara?" She sounded nothing like the evil, crazy, psychotic killer demoness of earlier. Urd was beginning to believe that Uruz was a split personality case. If it weren't for the story Mara had told them about Uruz, and those flames, Urd would've been inclined to believe her own theory. Those flames were tainted black with demonic energy.
    Mara, from behind Urd, shuffled a little. Urd had been kind enough to cover Mara. Uruz sounded so... scared. Like she was looking for Mara to apologise. Mara was nearly moved. But she had vowed to herself that after losing Uruz, she would never be moved by a reunion if it came to that.
    "Mara-mama?" Uruz called, half panicked, half sadly. She sounded like a baby crying for its mother. "Mara-mama?" Uruz asked again, tentatively, her voice straining. She sniffed once.
    Belldandy, Keiichi, Skuld, Peorth, they all watched. That sniff pulled at their hearts like a bowstring, creating an uncomfortable pressure on their chests. All of a sudden, they all thought of their own childhoods, when they had called out something like that. It was killing them, but they couldn't do anything. As hard as their resolve was, Uruz was still a child.
    Even Skuld knew that.
    "Mara-mama?" Uruz asked. She sat on the floor quietly, although everyone thought she looked more like she fell to the floor instead. "Mama... I miss you."
    Peorth thought about the Almighty. What in all He held holy was He thinking when he brought her to the Heavens!?!? Peorth felt like screaming and cursing the Almighty, but looking at Uruz and recalling Mara's story, Peorth suddenly felt unfair for even thinking of doing so.
    But, would it have been better to let Uruz die, a nameless young demon with no future?
    And what did the Almighty do to turn Uruz from a demon to a Goddess? Why a Goddess? Why not a God?
    Peorth couldn't stop asking herself strangely relevant, yet utterly useless questions as Uruz sat there, quietly, looking around. The shadows were fading, slowly. The fires on her hands flickered and died, and Uruz just sat there, biting on her lower lip.
    Mara couldn't stand it. She had her own apologies to give, demoness or not. Mara hated herself for being such a softy, but blamed it on Urd. She stood.
    "There you are... my boy." Mara said from behind a flabberghasted Urd, who scrambled out of the way. Uruz looked up.
    Mara never wanted to do that again. If she lived through this.

*     *     *

    Uruz looked up, hearing a voice she found as comforting as Peorth's own. But when she did, her world screamed at her with all of Hell's might.
    Uruz felt her stomach lurch, and her black bile of hatred rise afresh. In a clearing flash of white which lanced her head and blinded her for a second, Uruz suddenly felt rage.
    Pure, liquid rage. Memories started coming back to her. Memories of Mara cooing sweet nothings into her ear when she picked her up from the alley where she would've surely died otherwise, abandoned for a reason even the Almighty couldn't know. Memories of Mara feeding her, raising her.
    For what?
    She had heard it herself from Mara's friend, the one Mara told her she could trust... back when she was a demon. Ah... those days. No obligations, just cause hurt. Lots of hurt. She liked that.
    But when she had seen Mara's horrified face as her 'uncle' had called the Master's men on Mara, she couldn't stand there and do nothing. She remembered killing a lot of bad men, and enjoying every moment. She had felt proud, protecting her Mara-mama from these bad men, killing them until none were left. But she had realized she herself was badly injured, wounds she didn't feel as she killed happily.
    Mara had beckoned to her, told her to come back. Uruz would, happily, but Mara suddenly looked up and behind her, screaming silently.
    And Uruz's world went dark. She couldn't remember anything after that...
    Except... hatred. Mara. She would remember that name for all eternity as the woman who had brought her up, and then left her to die without even a word of sorry.
    She felt hurt. And she didn't like it.

*     *     *

    Mara watched as Uruz practically flew up standing, and the room turned blue as her flames burned anew, and stronger than before. The shadows totally covered every feature on her face and front, except for that mouth. Uruz was growling, grinding her teeth, gnashing. Uruz was going to kill, and kill for revenge.
    Mara knew words weren't going to work on Uruz. Her rage went beyond that anymore. Only Mara's spilled blood would appease her, and maybe not even then.
    Mara suddenly felt worried for the rest of her... friends. She hated to think of them that way, but if she was going to die, then at least she'd die with real friends.
    Mara cursed that demon's name again as Uruz took a step towards her. Peorth and Belldandy ran to Mara, Urd joining them. Skuld and Keiichi took deep cover behind a stack of boxes.
    "Uruz, dear... couldn't we discuss this?" Peorth said, hesitatingly. As if.
    Uruz grinned, evilly. She suddenly remembered why she was doing this. Everything was so clear to her now, her rage, her anger, who she was then, who she was now. She was Uruz.
    But Uruz? That wasn't truly her, was it? Her name... she had none. But Uruz was better than nothing.
    "Discuss?! Mara-mama?? The one who abandoned me and left me to die!?" Uruz howled. Like a wolf, like a beast, Uruz howled laughing.
    Belldandy and Peorth looked at each other, then held hands and started chanting. A white glow appeared around them and encompassed Mara, then disappeared. The two kept chanting, exchanging energies, calling upon the earth for strength. Uruz kept coming closer.
    Urd used her powers to lift the heaviest crate she could find at the top of the stacks, and hurled it at Uruz. Uruz watched it fly, then grabbed it with one hand and dropped it handily besides her. Urd, Keiichi, Skuld and Mara felt their jaws drop. Uruz hadn't used any spells for that, they were sure. She'd done it so quickly.
    "Get out of the way, Belldandy, Urd." Uruz said. Her face softened for a moment as she considered the crate besides her. Then she looked at Peorth. "Peorth one-sama... please? I don't want to hurt you."
    Peorth and Belldandy stopped chanting for a moment, and looked at Uruz. Peorth was tempted to move, but Belldandy gripped her hand and squeezed. Peorth nodded. She couldn't let Uruz completely ruin her life by killing Mara.... Peorth was already devastated at seeing her adopted sister turn bad, she would be destroyed if she knew someone in the Heavens would die if Mara was killed, and because of her. Uruz might still have hope, but Peorth placed her bets on the Almighty and none other.
    But nobody called, nothing came from the skies as Uruz waited.
    "Peorth?" Uruz asked. Peorth looked at Uruz sadly.
    "Sorry, kid. I can't let you do this, even if I have to die as well." Peorth was horrified. She had just said that, and she hadn't even thought about it. Uruz grinned suddenly. So suddenly, Peorth knew Uruz was beyond redemption.
    "Then... I'm sorry." Uruz said. But Peorth heard nothing of Uruz's old apologetic ways in it. Uruz was mad with rage, and she was going to kill them all. She could do it, easily, having once been one of the most powerful demons in the Hells.
    And Peorth realized with startling clarity why Uruz was abandoned and left to die in the first place. She was too powerful for her own good. Mara had said that herself, but Peorth hadn't understood it. A fit of anger and everyone would die, Goddess or demoness.
    Like now.

*     *     *

    Uruz was truly enjoying herself now as she watched Belldandy, Peorth, and then Urd join in the chanting of the spell. It was the most powerful protection spell they knew, but Uruz thought it was nothing. Still, she wondered why she had so much power.
    Revenge, perhaps. Perhaps someone had foreseen this. There was some error in that logic, but Uruz dismissed it. She had other things to do.
    Uruz raised a hand, and Keiichi winced as a high-pitched sound of glass shattering reverberated throughout the storeroom. Belldandy, Urd and Peorth were slammed unceremoniously against the crates, walls and ceilings as Uruz waved her finger around. Keiichi stared. She couldn't stand it anymore.
    "HEY! YOU!" Keiichi screamed. Uruz stopped throwing the three Goddesses around the room and looked as Keiichi hopped out from the crates. Uruz noted the Goddess markings on Keiichi's face. Another one? Keiichi reminded Uruz of Belldandy, except that something was wrong here. Keiichi wasn't a Goddess, that mortal frame would shatter with a Goddesses' power. Uruz was amused though. What was Keiichi going to do? Try to attack Uruz? She'd flick his head off easily enough.
    "KEIICHI-SAN!" Belldandy screamed as Keiichi hopped over the crates. She spotted Uruz eyeing Keiichi with interest. She screamed again, to no avail.
    "Leave my friends alone, Uruz." Keiichi growled. She wasn't going to sit there and watch Uruz kill everyone she knew and loved, with all her heart and soul. Keiichi had had some time to think about what Megumi had told her the other time.
    "Time you grew some guts", Urd had once said.
    Well, now was that time.
    Uruz eyed Keiichi contemptibly. She was putting off killing Mara, which was making her irritated.
    "Well," Uruz said. "Are they all your friends?"
    Keiichi nodded, then pointed at Uruz.
    "You were too, once."
    Uruz blinked. Belldandy felt herself drop, but stopped her fall with some magic. Peorth and Urd too, were in the same state. Uruz looked at Keiichi.
    "Me... once?" She asked. Quietly. Keiichi nodded. Belldandy's eyes grew. Keiichi was negotiating with Uruz, and it was working! Belldandy's eyes misted over with pride. She didn't know why.
    "I want you back the way you were, Uruz. Please?" Keiichi said, holding her arms out to Uruz. Uruz's face softened, she lost her grin. "Come back to us? Forget Mara, whatever grievance she's done you us over. We still love you. If you kill us, nobody will, or ever can love you... not Skuld, not Urd, not Belldandy, not even Peorth."
    Uruz looked around, her eyes suddenly glowing blue, as with her markings. She looked at the Goddesses she had flung around the room, at Mara, still standing there, shocked, then at Skuld, who was slowly inching her head over the crates. She smiled, then nodded slightly. Belldandy looked to Urd and Peorth, and they were all grinning. They all shared an unspoken thought.
    Keiichi's done it!
    Uruz nodded again. The flames died. The shadows were fading again.
    "Ok. I won't be angry anymore. Being angry's crummy."
    Urd turned to look at Mara, to tell her everything was fine now. Mara wasn't there. That rat! Urd thought. She's escaped!

*     *     *

    Under the temple, Ganchan had finally escape the grasp of that rat eating plant after feeding it the entire packet of tidbits he had, slowly, day by day, promising more if he was kept alive. The plant was somehow partially sentient, and understood. When it had finally grown drowsy on the snacks, Ganchan had decided to make a break for it. He was never going near the temple's bottom again.

*     *     *

    "KYAAAAAAAAAAA!"

    Urd spun in a flash and saw Mara, a black dagger in her hand, gouging a hole in Uruz's arm. Blood spurted.
    "What in all the blasted levels of hell do you think you're doing, Mara!?" Peorth shrieked. Uruz screamed and slapped Mara into a bunch of crates. Her arm bled red, but the blood seemed to glow as her arms blazed with a white flame and this time, the shadows took her completely. Not even her teeth could be seen anymore. Keiichi groaned and leaped behind the crates, all her guts left behind with Mara's dagger. Belldandy watched helplessly as Uruz screamed again and charged at Mara, still sliding off the pile of junk she had freed by flying into that crate. Belldandy was glad nobody else was in the university, or they'd attract a crowd of onlookers in serious danger of getting killed.
    Better to have only so few fatalities than so much.
    Mara stared, upside down, as Uruz charged for her. Mara shut her eyes and cursed her stupid self for trying that stint on Uruz. She had obviously not thought that Keiichi meant every word she said. Stupid, stupid Mara!
    Belldandy and Peorth ran to cover Mara as Uruz leapt, hoping she'd change her mind. But Uruz was clearly berserk. Mara had always wondered why Uruz had, in the past, loved fighting so much. Obviously she liked the mindlessness of killing. She thanked the two Goddesses for their efforts, but knew there was nothing to do. They waited for death, and/or the Almighty.

    *tinkle*

    Everyone opened their eyes and looked. There was that familiar tinkling sound, of windchimes and crystals. A pair of silver wings were folded around Uruz, and from those silver wings a shimmering, blue top could be seen.
    Silver Sapphire!?
    Urd stared, Peorth gasped, and Belldandy ran over to Keiichi. They all watched.

    Silver Sapphire was hanging onto Uruz as tightly as only an Angel could, arms wrapped around Uruz's stomach and wings wrapped around Uruz herself. Uruz thrashed, trying to get the stupid Angel out of the way. Her view was being blocked by Silver Sapphire's blasted wings, and she was going to rip them off if things came to that. Silver Sapphire buried her face in Uruz's shoulder and wept as Uruz screamed and thrashed, tinkling as she shook with Uruz.
    "Get off me, you winged monster!" Uruz screamed as Silver Sapphire hung on for dear life.
    Whose?
    Uruz screamed and flailed, but Silver Sapphire refused to let go. Finally, Uruz lost it. She grabbed Silver Sapphire's wings from the back and started to pull them from the base. Silver Sapphire reared her head and screamed silently as the pain ate at her, chewed her up but refused to spit, but she held on. Her body was convulsing and her head shook, but there was no sound. It was the most haunting sight to behold.

    It was so silent.

    So.... very.... silent.

    Silver Sapphire gritted her teeth and hung on as Uruz pulled, a cracking sound was heard as bones snapped and were pulled free. Peorth couldn't stand it any longer.
    "URUZ! LOOK AT YOURSELF!" She screamed. She had no idea what she was saying, the thought just slammed her in the face like a telephone directory.
    Uruz blinked. She stared ahead. There was the mirror, a true mirror, in her face, and she never saw it. She did now, and she was seeing herself. Silver Sapphire's wings glinted as her fires winked off the feathers. Her hands loosened and Silver Sapphire suddenly drooped, her head falling onto Uruz's shoulders as she sighed silently. Uruz looked at herself in the wings.
    "An angel is like a mirror, we see a reflection of our true selves, we see our selves in them."
 Belldandy found herself reciting this verse as Uruz stared at herself. Then something else came into Belldandy's mind. Something she never thought of before.
    "And thus it is done, that they then fulfil their duties to us."

    "......N..." Uruz muttered. She brought her hands up to her face. The fires did nothing to lighten her face, it was as dark as night. Uruz couldn't see herself anymore. She saw a faceless thing in the wings, trying to bring light to itself, failing. She opened her mouth to scream, nothing came out. She was numbed.
    What had she just done!?
    What was she!?
    Uruz then remembered everything.

*     *     *

    Darkness. Uruz slept in the darkness, curled, cold, condemned. The Master's men had come, and Uruz knew Mara-mama was going to die if she stayed to help. Uruz understood... he knew that he could die if Mara-mama lived. One life gone, rather than two.
    Uruz felt it was unfair, that he should die. But he loved Mara-mama. It was worth it. Mara-mama had even said....
    "I love you."
    Not sorry.... but I love you. Uruz had forgotten. He had always thought people said sorry, because they never truly loved. It was that way in Hell.
    Then, voices. Men's voices. Gruff.
    But not evil. Not angry. Not cold. Warrior's voices. Full of honour and glory, throaty and valorous.
    Some screams, but these were inhuman and cold. Clashes of metal and light.
    Warmth. Uruz felt very warm, and alive. But he slept on, because someone told him to. A pair of hands, soft, wrinkled and gnarled, but soft. He cried like a baby because he was disturbed, but someone hushed him and put him in a bed. He stopped crying.
    "And what shall we call him, My Lord?" Someone said. Uruz recognized that old, mature voice. It was a mother's one.
    "For his love and sensitivity, strength of resolve and dedication to love..." Uruz didn't recognize this voice at first, but it was powerful... caring. Uruz smiled in his sleep. The woman chuckled.
    "And he's got quite a temper there." Freya spoke, chuckling. "He doesn't like being woken up." Uruz didn't want to open his eyes to see, he was comfortable sleeping there, warm and safe. This didn't feel like Hell to him.
    It was like Heaven.
    The male voice chuckled as well.
    "True. But to lose his mother to abandonment, twice... is tragic. Anyone would be angry."
    "Truly spoken, My Lord."
    "Then let him be known as Uruz, and that he shows so much desire to harbour life... a Goddess. I can see it in him, that desire. And I hope that he learns what it means to love and forgive, for he shall be yours to care for, and you are to teach him the ways of love."
    "So it shall be writ, My Lord?"
    "So it shall be writ, Freya."

    Days later, Uruz bounced up to Freya with a bunch of flowers in her hands. They were wilted, and Uruz looked sad. Freya was practicing her swordskill with a valkyrie, but she stopped when she saw Uruz walking up to her.
    "What is it, dear?" Freya asked, squatting to Uruz's height. Uruz held up the flowers.
    "Why are they dying?" Uruz asked. She looked at her with puppy dog eyes.
    "Because nobody took care of them." Freya replied patiently.
    "Can I take care of them?" Uruz asked. "I can make them alive again, right?" She sounded so hopeful.
 Freya nodded, smiling.
    "Of course. You just take a vase of clean water and put them in. They'll grow again." Freya said, reassuringly. Uruz's face lit up and she beamed at Freya. She was still so young....
    "Thank you, Freya! I'll make sure sees these flowers! They'll love them!"
    Freya smiled as Uruz bounced off, humming to herself. Uruz promised herself that she'd be the best Goddess in the Heavens to make Freya proud, and to make everyone so happy and love her and she'd love them back. It was wonderful, she could never imagine being angry at anyone. Anyone at all. She promised herself that too, because it was so possible.

*     *     *

    A feather sparkled. Then another. One feather fell as Uruz looked, it landed in her hand. Another fell, in her other hand. She held them up amidst her tears. She had promised never to get angry at anyone at all. She had broken it, but it was mended now.
    "Thank you." Someone said in her mind. It tinkled like a windchime, sonorous and beautiful. Silver Sapphire.
    Uruz watched as the feathers soaked up the white fire and glowed, white. Then a flash and a searing heat, and Uruz was looking at her 'normal' self in the mirror of Silver Sapphire's wings of silver.
    Then a warm breath was exhaled onto her shoulder, and the wings fell away. Uruz watched, tried to hold them, but her hand went through them. She turned and saw Silver Sapphire falling backwards, eyes closed. Her back looked torn out, it showed from the front. Her whole body was distorted as she hit the ground noiselessly, as if someone had tried to pull out her wings.
    Pull. Out. Her. Wings.
    Uruz stared. She knelt by Silver Sapphire's side. The Angel didn't respond when Uruz stroked her face, gripped her hands. Uruz could barely feel Silver Sapphire anymore. Something in Uruz was dying.
    "Silver Sapphire!" Uruz whispered, loudly. Silver Sapphire flicked her eyes open for a moment. Uruz smiled, and a tear dropped. It passed through the angel. Silver Sapphire smiled, then faded.
    Uruz blinked, felt the floor.
    Nothing left, but a silver feather. Her Angel was gone, forever.
    "Thank you." Uruz whispered. But an Angel was there for a Goddess, they needed not, nor wanted any, thanks.
    Uruz wailed for a soul lost.
    Hers.

{End of Chapter 20}
{Chapter 21 : Fortune smiled on you}