{Chapter 11 : The Morning Mist Clears}
"Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God's fingers?"
- John Proctor, The Crucible by Arthur Miller

    Dawn.
    The sun was just beginning to peek over the mountains like an excited child peering out the window for his first view of the world.
    A sparrow tittered on the roof of a temple, wet with dew and last night's rain. Other sparrows and birds joined it, singing their own morning songs.
    Somewhere else, someone was playing a classical music CD, Grieg's "Morning Song".
    A swift was flying high over the temple, catching a morning breeze. The swift was pretty well acquainted with Belldandy, she'd talked to him almost every morning. She wasn't here this morning, but the swift didn't mind.
    "Hey, hello?"
    The swift heard an unfamiliar voice. But he wasn't scared, this voice had that same feeling to it as Belldandy's. The swift circled lower, and landed on the small boulder Belldandy normally sat on in the mornings.
    "Mr. Sparrow?"
    The swift tittered angrily, and the voice apologised.
    "Sorry, Mr. Swift! I'm an Earth Spirit. Is Belldandy around?"
    Well, this one knew Belldandy too? The swift was happy. But he still couldn't see where the Earth Spirit was. He thought the rock was talking. Rocks were always in the earth, he reasoned, maybe he was a spirit?
    "Hurry up, Mr. Snail!"
    And the Swift saw a funny little man sitting on top of a snail, slowly inching its way up the rock. The funny little man was probably the Earth Spirit. He tittered.
    "Yeah, could you find her for me? I have to ask her something."
    The sparrow bobbed his head once, and took off.

*     *     *

    Belldandy woke up to the first ray of light that warmed her face, and to an affectionate meowing and licking. She was lying on her back, and the sun was shining in her eyes. Then she giggled as something licked her face. It was Velsper. Looking at him, she stroked him affectionately, and Velsper meowed again. She sat up, and saw that Keiichi was still on her lap. She stroked Keiichi's hair once, and spoke quietly.
    "Ohayo, Keiichi-san.... and you too, Velsper!"
    Velsper mewed. She eased Keiichi off her, and got ready to prepare breakfast.
    *whistle* *twitter*
    Belldandy turned around. She saw that her friend, the Swift, had dropped by. Standing at the windowsill, he was saying something she couldn't catch, he was too fast. Velsper eyed the swift hungrily.
    "Oh, hello, Mr. Swift!" Belldandy chirped. Her mood was a lot better this morning than it had been the last few hours. Mr. Swift slowed down and repeated himself. He knew if Belldandy didn't catch him, she'd probably just greet him first. Belldandy listened.
    "Earth Spirit? Here?" Belldandy asked. She looked curious. Normally, beings of differing elementals wouldn't confide to the others. Particularly fire to water, and air to earth. Belldandy was one with the Elemental of Air (her magic was, at least), as was Holy Bell.
    This was serious. If the Earth Spirit had talked to a bird instead of a grasshopper, he had important news.
    The Swift offered to give her a ride. Belldandy looked at Keiichi, still sleeping, and wondered. She shook her head.
    "Could you bring him here please? I need to prepare breakfast for Keiichi and Velsper here. He can have some too! I'll be in the kitchen." The swift bobbed his head again, and flew off. Belldandy went to the kitchen, humming her tamago song (tamago = egg, she sang this in the OVA when baking a cake) with a special little black cat in tow.

*     *     *

    "Waaaaaaaah! Not so faaaaaast! Slow down! Not so faaaaaaaaaaaaaast!"
    The Earth Spirit was having the ride of his life. (Which might've ended it, were he mortal, he thought.) The ground having been soaked, he found travelling by the Ground slow going, so he decided to hitch a ride on the first Earth-based creature he came across. It had been Mr. Snail.
    He was not an elemental spirit of the air, and he didn't take to aerial rides like this very well. The swift was travelling at, what he thought, were breakneck speeds. Worst of all, he wasn't on solid, stable ground. The poor Earth Spirit hung on for dear life as the swift made another twist in the air.

*     *     *

    "Humm da dum, lah lah lah...." Belldandy sung. She set a small bowl of fish and cat food down for Velsper, and started preparing a simple breakfast of soba noodles and miso soup. She and Keiichi had talked for a night about how to cope with life as.... well, anyone could guess. It would be another week and more before university reopened, but things could get nasty before then. She was boiling the noodles as she heard someone rather familiar from outside.
    "Waaaaah! Slow down slow down! I can't take this! I'm gonna huuurl!"
    Belldandy opened a window and watched as Mr. Swift came in, with a dizzy Earth Spirit. She recognized him as Megumi's "Mr. Rat". Mr. Swift gently let the Earth Spirit slide off his back, tittered a good morning, and flew off. The Earth Spirit was lying still on the windowsill, groaning. Belldandy looked at him from above, worried.
    "Are you alright, Earth Spirit?"
    The Earth Spirit sat up unsteadily, shook his head a few times, and tidied up his impressive mane of hair. He wavered a little, but was otherwise alright.
    "Er, I will be soon. But that's not the point." He looked up at her. "I felt a disturbance, Belldandy-san."
    Belldandy looked worried.
    "When?"
    "Yesterday evening."
    Belldandy felt a drop of sweat forming.
    "I took the snail express here, alright?"
    Belldandy nodded. But this was serious. Even the ground power-lines were affected by the forced feedback that Uruz had somehow caused. It was more than just a simple overload, Belldandy knew. She looked at the Earth Spirit, who was regaining his balance, and asked.
    "What happened?" She was genuinely concerned now. The Earth Spirit sat on the tap and told her.
    "I was just minding my own business yesterday, eating some stale cheese I'd found, and Miss Megumi was home with some friends. Miss Megumi told her friends she would call Keiichi to tell him that she'd be dropping by after her stay at a beachside resort. That was when I felt the lines disturbed. It started with a slight static jolt which made my hair stand-"
    Belldandy giggled. The Earth Spirit looked fierce, but he was proud of his hair and made the cutest faces whenever something bad happened to it.
    "-Then I felt like the lines had gotten up and were whipping the place like wild snakes. They writhed for a while, then settled down. I was pretty worried, because after that, I felt some shockwaves in the ground. It came from here."
    The Earth Spirit looked around. Everything seemed normal. Belldandy nodded.
    "Something went horribly wrong, Earth Spirit. But we fixed it."
    "Mind if I look around?" The Earth Spirit had an uncomfortable feeling. It had started when the snail had oozed its way onto the temple soil.
    Belldandy nodded. Then she noticed the water cooking the soba noodles was beginning to boil over.
    "Ah! The noodles!" She went over and took it off the stove. Then she turned to look at the Earth Spirit and smiled. "Would you like some breakfast first?"

*     *     *

    Peorth returned to her Office, and just dropped into her seat. She heaved a sigh, and closed her eyes. She was tired, and needed a rest. There was nothing to do for now and Peorth was glad for it. She leaned back in her chair and rested, thinking about what she could do now. Nobody had called the Earth Otasuke Centre yet, so she had time to think.
    The first thing she'd heard when she came back were the many gossips going around about Uruz and her competence. A lot of the people up here weren't so sure about Uruz's abilities anymore, ever since that incident. Even worse, a lot of people were blaming Peorth for Uruz's incompetence because Uruz looked up to Peorth all the time. Peorth had, after handing in her report, spent the day chasing down rumours and staring down anyone who dared say anything bad about her to her face. She was not having a good time.
    Apparently, Uruz had understood the implications of her failure, because Peorth had too heard that Uruz had been going about dispelling the rumours that Peorth had nothing to do with this. Peorth smiled inwardly.
    "Girl's got a strong sense of responsibility and loyalty." Peorth commented to herself. "For all the good it's doing her now." And she felt that twinge of guilt again. Peorth wondered what had gone wrong during that wish granting session. Chances were one in a billion that Uruz really didn't have anything to do with it. But what could Peorth do about it? She was only one Goddess.
    Peorth sighed. It was going to be a long day.

*     *     *

    Uruz was curled up in her apartment in Ghandi section, floor 50 of the Earth Otasuke's office block.
    If it could be called that. The Heavens were so varied, artistically designed and flowing. Each area was sculpted out of the personalities of the God/desses and other staff working and living in it, melded with glittering forests and crystal waters, deep pits and dark recesses, solid mountains and living stone. The Earth Otasuke Centre wasn't even the most impressive place in the Heavens, but it was enough.
    Uruz looked at her knees in the darkness of her room. It had been another day of bug chasing, rumour dispelling and Peorth-protecting. Uruz still looked up to Peorth, but only now, she was afraid Peorth would look down on her. When Peorth had gotten back from the investigations, the rumours hadn't mellowed out, far from it, they'd proliferated. Uruz had also become the runt of the Second Class graduates. She'd been teased by them as she had gone debugging, about being the teacher's pet and everything. They also accused her of sleeping in class, which she obviously hadn't since there weren't much classes to sleep in. But rumours always got out of hand, and they always turned into ugly, twisted "facts".
    Uruz knew most of them were jealous. She'd been hardworking in class (some started learning to be God/desses later in life due to certain constraints) and had shown the most promise in tackling a Third Category job position. Those in Third Categories tended to be afforded lots of respect, along with an unlimited license, although most people didn't know that. But these were rare jobs, and Uruz wondered how she had managed to get in.
    But at least, she had retained the power to summon her Angel. She definitely needed someone to talk to now, and nobody else would lend her an ear.
    "Silver Sapphire...? Come out." Uruz whispered. There was no need for theatrics when nobody was around to watch.
    A twinkling of wind chimes, and Uruz's angel appeared. Uruz's Angel was very unusual, most others had agreed, more so than Peorth's. Not because she had short hair or a boyish charm, or anything else, but....
    Uruz's Angel was already mature, she had a creamy paleness about her which spoke petiteness, and she wore the white cloths that most Angels did which wrapped around her arms, but that was where the similarities ended. Angel hair was never an issue around the Heavens, a fair number had short hair, but even then, not that short. Silver Sapphire's hair though, was boy-short, and was just a little long at the back. The front fringe was pulled upwards, into a spiky fringe above her forehead. It sparkled in a shade of clear sapphire blue, and some of it was actual sapphire. Her wings were silver in colour and lustre, which reflected like a blurry mirror and had most other Angels envious. And again, some of her feathers were actual silver, hence the wind-chime tinkling. Silver Sapphire shared the same boyish looks than Uruz did, although she was definitely feminine. Her body and actions certainly said so.
    Silver Sapphire came to rest in front of Uruz, who was still lying down, curled up. Obviously, Silver Sapphire shared the same feelings as Uruz. She looked unhappy. Uruz watched as Silver Sapphire strongly flapped her wings once, producing a very loud and cacophonic tinkling sound. A sign that she was unhappy. Uruz sat up. Silver Sapphire cuddled up besides her, wrapping Uruz in her warm, silvery wings. Uruz shivered once, then closed her eyes and soaked up the warmth.
    "Yeah, I know. Things haven't been real good lately." Uruz confessed. It was good to be able to speak for once to someone who actually understood. Silver Sapphire always listened.
    "But what can I do?" Uruz sighed. Silver Sapphire mimed the same action, shaking her head. More tinkling. Uruz had once wondered if she should've been renamed "Tinkling Bell" instead, but decided against it. Silver Sapphire loathed the mere idea of that name, and attempts to nickname her "Tinklebell" resulted in a very noisy protest. Uruz smiled at those memories for some unknown reason.
    "It would be better if I could just get this gossip stopped," Uruz continued. "It would be so much better." And Uruz sighed again. Silver Sapphire nodded vigorously. Every little bit helped, they both knew.
    "But I don't control their lives, and I can't tell them what to do." Uruz lamented. "So I guess I just have to go on." Silver Sapphire could tell Uruz was falling deeper and deeper into her pit of depression. Something might happen soon if she didn't do anything about it. As an Angel, Silver Sapphire was bound by Uruz's word and powerless without permission. But Uruz and Silver Sapphire had found a way around this. Uruz could just tell Silver Sapphire to do something, and leave it to the Angel's initiative to carry it out. So Uruz normally used simple, easily manipulated commands to instruct Sapphire. Few were those who had met her Angel and fewer still knew of this relation.
    "Do you have a suggestion, Silver Sapphire?" Uruz asked. Sapphire had been thinking, and had that look on her face. Sapphire nodded happily, more tinkling.
    "Well, what is it?" Uruz asked.
    Silver Sapphire drew a rune in the air that represented Freya. Uruz understood immediately.
    "Asking Freya to defend me?" Uruz had done Freya a lot of favours which she never expected collection on, she'd done it out of love and respect for the Norse Goddess. This would be the first and only time Uruz would probably collect on those favours. Silver Sapphire nodded. Uruz smiled at Silver Sapphire.
    "Thank you for your good intent, but I can't drag another fellow into this with me. If they started talking about Freya as well, there would be real havoc up here."
    Silver Sapphire sulked. She looked unusually charming when she did so. Uruz wished she could look the same. She wasn't ugly, but she wasn't too much of a looker either. Then Silver Sapphire stuck a thumb to her chest.
    "Leave it up to you?" Uruz asked. Sapphire nodded.
    Uruz considered. It was a risky thing to let an Angel wander far from her Goddess, there would be nowhere to hide or protect themselves if something did happen. And if an Angel died, the Goddess might too.  It was called a Seperation. Uruz certainly knew it was true vice versa. Freya lived in a risky portion of the Heavens, there was always a lot of fighting going on there. Not all Gods and Goddesses were as good and holy as what most mortals thought or were used to, and Freya's turf had a lot of those who fought just for the fun of it. Uruz thought they were simply sadistic savages, and most of them found Angels who were not their own easy targets. Uruz was glad she commanded respect there, if only for her fighting prowess.
    "All right. You can go. But if things get too risky, come back, fast. Understood?" Uruz said. Silver Sapphire nodded, and Uruz immediately felt that guilt ease off her chest. She hugged her Angel, and she felt warm and loved for once. Silver Sapphire took off, and Uruz whispered after her.
    "Thank you."
    But Silver Sapphire needed no thanks, they were Angel and Goddess after all.

*     *     *

    Urd was taking sips of a dry white wine, about a hundred years aged and preserved remarkably well. Well, the Heavens didn't really let mortal things decay. Sometimes. Urd was glad that applied to wines. She would've hated to taste vinegar. The wine burned and parched her tongue and throat, strong in both flavour and aroma. Urd loved it when she finally got to try something other than the local alcoholic beverages.
    As she continued her practiced tasting of this rare treat, Urd heard something. It was a whine. And she had this strange feeling.
    She'd felt it the other time too, when they had won a trip to a hot springs resort. And she'd felt it again, in the alley when Mara kidnapped her.
    Mara?
    It was definitely Mara.
    Then the world went white, and Urd knew it wasn't from alcohol.

*     *     *

    Urd woke up, gasping. She scratched her head, and looked around groggily. It was morning, and for once, Urd's room didn't smell of alcohol.
    Not surprising, considering most of it was being soaked up by the plants after that explosion. Urd wondered if plants could ever get drunk, of if they would grow erratically after a drink or two. She chuckled, then groaned. There went her collection of aged fine brews and mixtures. She'd have to spend some time ageing more.
    Then Urd remembered the dream. She shuddered. That feeling.
    And then it struck her. If Mara was involved, then maybe it wasn't Uruz after all...! But she needed evidence.
    Urd flew out of the room with amazing speed. As she passed the kitchen, Belldandy called out after her.
    "Won't you have breakfast first, Urd?"

*     *     *

    Under the temple, the Earth Spirit was digging around. He'd felt many, many spots of weirdness around the temple grounds, most of it in a wide radius away from the living room. With the help of some earthworm friends, the Earth Spirit searched the earth, looking for the sources of these discomforts.
    Suddenly, one of the worms came up to him. They spoke in their language, a series of vibrations and thumpings in the dirt, and the Earth Spirit was told this :
    "There's something strange. We can't understand it. It isn't our Hard Lumps."
    The Earth Spirit, of course, knew Hard Lumps meant rocks and minerals, but if it wasn't the Hard Lumps, it had to be something else that didn't fit. He told the earthworm to lead him there.

*     *     *

    Keiichi woke up to the smell of apples, miso soup, and soba. When she opened her eyes, she saw Belldandy placing the trays on the table. That got Keiichi up. Belldandy looked at Keiichi and smiled.
    "Ohayo gozaimasu, Keiichi-san." Belldandy said, cheerily.
    "Eh, ohayo, Belldandy." Keiichi said, nervously. She still hadn't gotten used to her new Belldandy-like voice. (But it would've been worse if she had.)
    Belldandy giggled. The idea of having a sister who sounded like her did appeal to her, but this was downright amusing. Belldandy never thought that Keiichi would be stuck like this. Of course, she had confidence in the Almighty. She was just teasing 'him' now. Keiichi caught on. After all, they had discussed this last night. They both laughed.

*     *     *

    "Belldandy?" Keiichi asked. At least Keiichi was handling this a lot better than Belldandy had hoped for. Growing a chest was one thing, losing that part was another.
    "Yes, Keiichi-san?" Belldandy never got tired of saying that.
    "Well... I...." Keiichi was nervous, obviously. Asking questions about being a being gender 'he' had never been was unnerving. It would've been to anyone.
    Belldandy just waited. She understood Keiichi's mood.
    "Well, obviously... we're not going to be able to behave like we always did in public..." Keiichi knew this wasn't the question she wanted to ask, but it would do for the moment.
    "It'll be all right, Keiichi-san!" Belldandy assured her. "It doesn't mean we won't be able to show out affections... alone." No sense in avoiding that topic, everyone knew about that, or would sooner or later. Keiichi was suddenly glad Belldandy said it, but it was ironic the way circumstances had forced her say this. Belldandy thought so too, apparently. She blushed, crimson.
    "I hope I didn't say anything wrongly."
    "Of course not!" Keiichi said, a little too suddenly. Then she calmed down. "Of course not. We've both known it for so long, we just weren't used to the idea of saying it out." Belldandy had to agree, they had grown used to the silent way of saying they loved each other. Just silence in each other's company.
    "Well... actually, that's not what I wanted to ask." Keiichi went on. "But I guess this is going to be a really stupid question."
    "Nonsense." Belldandy said, with finality in her voice. "No question is dumber than the one not asked."
    Keiichi swallowed. Belldandy noticed Keiichi had also lost the Adam's Apple obvious in male throats. Not that she'd really noticed it at first, but its loss was noticeable.
    "Well.... I mean, what happens now?" Keiichi asked, visibly shaken by the prospect of it. It wasn't too obvious, but the time lapse between blinking and the way the slightly widened eyes looked everywhere but at Belldandy told her that. Belldandy knew what this meant.
    "I'll still love you and stay by your side of course, Keiichi-san."
    "How am I gonna tell the rest at University? Or anyone if they ask, for that matter?" This was what Keiichi was really worried about. Belldandy's answer was immediate.
    "We tell them that something went wrong in the Heavens, and to prove it...." Keiichi could guess what Belldandy meant. But to just reveal things like that...
    "We can't do that. Not just for me!" Keiichi knew the implications of what people would go through just to see, and use, a beautiful, young, trusting Goddess. Keiichi would rather cut classes than do that. There were the implications of, say, hiding things too, if Keiichi decided to come.
    "I could always cast an illusion," Belldandy suggested. "Nobody could tell."
    "Thanks, Belldandy, but there're still a lot of other things... no need to trouble yourself."
    Belldandy could guess what Keiichi meant. Social implications were always so severe when people found out what had happened to someone they'd known, and in the most unusual ways. But Belldandy smiled.
    "Don't worry, we've been through a lot worse than this. We'll find a way." Keiichi smiled at Belldandy's sure tone.
    "Well, it'll be impossible to change my voice, I guess. I sound almost like you!" Keiichi joked. Belldandy giggled.
    "Well, I've always wanted a sister who sounded like me." Belldandy played along. "Then I could always charm twice the number of people I normally would."
    Both of them laughed for a while. Belldandy did leave an impression on people, however briefly they met, and her voice had a lot to play in it. It sounded airy, light, beautiful. It had grace and elegance, it never sounded rough, even when angry. It was verbal balm, so to speak. It worked better than music, unless she was the one making it.
    And Belldandy knew what questions Keiichi would have in mind as well. She could well guess. Belldandy leaned on the table and whispered softly.
    "Oh... and let me tell you a little something about being 'one of the girls', Keiichi-san..."

*     *     *

    "Keiichi-san? Is everything all right?" Belldandy was waving a hand in front of Keiichi's eyes. Keiichi blinked, and realized that she'd been daydreaming about last night. There was a lot to being one, Keiichi realized. As much as, if not more than, being a guy. But Keiichi could safely claim he/she was the only one to really see life on both sides of the coin, however unwillingly it     had happened.
    "Yeah, just thinking." Keiichi replied.
    "Eat up. Skuld should be coming in just about-"
    "Ohayo, one-sama." Skuld said, sleepily. She was rubbing her eyes and dressed in green pyjamas with Banpei-kuns all over them. She even brought in her bolster, dragging it behind her.
    "-Now." Belldandy finished. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Skuld. Hope you had a good night.
    Skuld plopped down besides Keiichi. She nodded.
    "No more dreams, at last." Skuld muttered to herself.
    Since it had been raining last night, Skuld had switched off Kewl-Aid kun. The air was noticeably warmer, but not uncomfortably so. Skuld yawned sleepily, and turned to look at Keiichi.
    "Oh, hi, Keiichi."
    Then she remembered what had happened recently, and prodded Keiichi's chest to confirm it.
    "This is real." Skuld commented. Keiichi was telling Skuld to cut it out. Skuld wasn't very alert right now, and therefore she wasn't watching how hard she poked.
    "Ouch! Hey, cut it out! That hurts! Not so hard, ouch!"
    "Dear, stop it. Keiichi doesn't like it." Belldandy gently chided Skuld as she set out Skuld's share of breakfast with an additional plate for ice cream. Skuld obliged, and looked hungrily at her ice cream. Even in the mornings, she had ice cream. Keiichi wondered how Skuld's stomach could take it.
    "Itadakimasu!" They said, and dug in.

*     *     *

    Peorth made her way across the wasted, blasted fields that were the lawn just before the Office of the Gods of War. There was always a dry, stinging grit-filled wind that dried and irritated her eyes constantly, making them tear. The ground was trampled into hard stone, but they would revert to fresh soil soon enough. Peorth had a question she wanted to ask Freya, who was keeping mysteriously silent throughout this upheaval caused by Uruz's... misendeavour. It was quiet today, nobody was out here blowing each other up or slicing arms off each other. Peorth was glad, she'd never liked the desecration of such beautiful earth, especially up in the Heavens. Roses would grow red here on these soils, Peorth noticed with some irony, but not for or because of beauty.
    Peorth finally found the structure that housed most of the Gods of War. From the outside, it looked like a mix between a Greek and Gothic structure. Huge, massive pillars supported porches and balconies that held gargoyles which looked over the wasteland, and some of them at her, Peorth though. They felt like they were. Decaying with time, the now browning marble was accompanied by plaster spires that reached into the stormy, purple-black skies above. Sharp, and longer than a lance, the spires were knobbed and spiked, and iron black. Peorth felt a stab go through her gut just looking at it. There were three, all of them twice and twice again as thick as the columns that held up the front entrance, at least. Blasted by winds, the place was horrible. Murals and statues of soldiers and generals from all eras and lands littered the surrounding area and walls. Peorth shuddered, not all of them were shown to be in particularly glorious poses. Some of them were violently, graphically, explicit. Peorth hated it passionately.
    At the entrance, Peorth entered unimpeded. Once inside, the building was nothing like the ancient architecture it appeared to be on the outside. A dark hallway stretched into the distance, a small bank of lights on each side. The hallway was metal, but Peorth didn't care. She did a lot of flying for movement. It wouldn't be different here.
    "Walk." Someone bade her. Peorth looked around. A figure was standing in the hallway. It was standing, arms crossed, with a high calibre rifle slung on it. It wore combat fatigues, and Peorth recognized it as another one of the 'new circa' Gods, this one was of Modern Warfare. Peorth didn't like this one. He enjoyed making humans more and more violent, more bloodthirsty, more cruel killers, horrible maimers, always developing more disgusting methods of killing. Peorth shuddered. Why couldn't more Gods follow the mortal peacemakers who'd given their lives for peace? Well, Gods would be Gods, obstinate, some of them. Thank the Almighty Goddesses were less towards violence trends nowadays.
    "Is that the regulation here?" Peorth asked, challengingly. The God shifted weight, and nodded, his face covered in shadows.
    "Since when?" Peorth asked, daring his authority. Knowing he was still a Class Two God, he couldn't challenge her authority up here. It had to be real regulations and not this stuck up little snot's own. The God was prepared though. He pointed to a sign, which glowed as soon as he had done so.
    "Please refrain from flying within these walls, for your own safety. Thank you, the Almighty."
    Well, Peorth wasn't going to argue, but she was absolutely bristling with resentment for the smug look this God shot her, as if he was showing off his absolute righteousness and Peorth's insubordination to the Almighty to the world. Peorth wondered if she should teach this one a lesson too, but dismissed the thought.
    "The strength I waste on him is better spent growing roses." Peorth thought as she walked down the suddenly deserted hallway, the God having disappeared down the corridor a long time ago. Peorth walked on.

*     *     *

    Urd came out, in mini form, looking around. She floated down to the ground when she saw some signs of disturbance, and cautiously went underneath the temple.
    "Hello?" Urd asked, knowing someone had been here recently. There were some scratching sounds. Urd went over to a small hole in the ground, knelt and listened with a hand to her ear. It sounded like a lot of earthworms burrowing under the soil. Urd was intruiged. Why would hordes of the squiggly little things suddenly become so hungry? Urd yelled into the hole.
    "Hello!!? Does anyone down there speak comprehensibly?"
    Suddenly, a fierce looking head with the most impressive shock of hair popped up from the ground like a fierce, cartoonish red indian, followed by the rest of him. Urd squeaked once, and fell back.
    "Yikes!" Urd dusted herself off as she recognized the fellow as an Earth Spirit. Then she walked over to him and put her hands on her hips, annoyed. "Hey, don't just come popping up like a mole! You could scare someone!"
    The Earth Spirit seemed to recognize Urd. He bowed. He seemed grateful.
    "Ah! A Goddess! Just what I wanted to see!"
    "Eh?" Urd blinked once.
    The Earth Spirit disappeared under the soil for a moment, then brought up something tiny, even by mini standard. Urd looked. It looked solid, flat, and bent. It was metallic, but it also radiated that feeling Urd helped before the blast. Urd gasped.
    "I felt a disturbance in this area," The Earth Spirit explained. "So I came over to see what happened. I was digging around, and found this." He held up the metallic shard to Urd, who took it from it.
    At a touch, Urd was revulsed and shuddered. It sent waves of disgust up her arm, and Urd nearly dropped it, but she held it. She couldn't stop her heart from pounding, that feeling running up and down her body. It just felt disgusting to even feel that piece of metal. This is a really nasty piece of work, Urd thought. Even I feel revulsed. She suddenly looked serious. She remembered the feeling in her dream, when Mara was surely there. Urd looked to the Earth Spirit, still waiting at attention.
    "Earth Spirit!" Urd commanded.
    "At your disposal." The Earth Spirit replied. Urd was of the element of Fire, which was a little more compatible with the element of Earth.
    "I think we just stumbled onto something very important." Urd said, thoughtful. If Mara was involved, she reasoned, Uruz couldn't be totally to blame. Mara was always causing trouble. More so than Urd....
    "We've got to start digging overtime!" Urd said, suddenly excited. "Get to it! Go go go!"
    The Earth Spirit bowed once. Urd turned around, fist clenched, and with that manic look in her eyes. She was grinning evilly now, with veins obviously straining in her fist, ready to pop.
    "I'm gonna show that Mara who's better at causing trouble for who! Oooh ho ho ho ho!"
    The Earth Spirit had an embarrassed smile on his face, a sweatdrop forming on his head.
    ".....Who's she doing this for?" He asked himself. But orders were orders, especially from the higher ups.

    Urd left the Earth Spirit to keep digging for more of these fragments as she split herself into several other mini-Urds. One of her went to the kitchen, where the other three were still eating breakfast. Belldandy noticed the mini-Urd floating in.
    "Ah! Urd! Would you like to have breakfast now?" Belldandy asked, cheerily.
    "No time, Belldandy. Oh, do we have a bucket? A big one, if possible? Please?" Urd seemed distracted and harried, as if there were something she had to do, and quickly. Keiichi and Skuld turned at this tone of voice, as if this Urd weren't Urd at all.
    "A bucket? Hm, I think we do have one, in the storeroom!" Belldandy mused. She got up and walked out.
    Keiichi looked at Urd, floating in circles with a worried look. Skuld blinked.
    "What's the matter?" Keiichi asked. Urd turned to look at Keiichi.
    "Nothing you should be worried about, Keiichi." Urd said, sharply. This was strange, both of them thought. Urd never spoke like this before, and she had never asked so nicely for things before. The two wondered what was giong on. Belldandy came back though, just as they were about to ask Urd for details.
    "I found one. I hope it's big enough." Belldandy said, passing the bucket to mini-Urd. She didn't look strong enough to hold it, but hold it she did, and tightly.
    "Thanks, Belldandy!" Urd said, and flew out. She passed another mini-Urd on the way out. Everyone looked as the other Urd flew across the entranceway. Seconds later, the Urd came out dragging a rat by his tail. The rat wasn't too happy, he was clutching the floorboards with his tiny little paws and squeaking angrily as Urd dragged him, effortlessly, across it. Skuld bigsweated.
    "Wonder what Urd's recruiting Ganchan for?" Skuld asked Belldandy, who was also watching. Keiichi had no idea who or what this Ganchan was, but she guessed it was that rat. Keiichi didn't know the temple had rats, but the Goddesses probably kept them in check.
    "I don't know, Skuld." Belldandy said. "But I believe she has her good reasons." Belldandy smiled. "I've never seen her so dedicated before, this must be important."
    Skuld seemed to follow that line of reasoning. She forgot about Urd for the moment.
    "One-sama's so smart!" Skuld said, proudly. Belldandy smiled and stroked Skuld's hair.
    "You are too, Skuld. Sometimes, you just have to look at yourself for a change."
    Keiichi watched this exchange with interest. Normally, she wouldn't have really noticed this exchange, it happened all the time. But it held special meaning for Keiichi now, she realized. So far, 'her' perceptions of simple actions had changed. What used to be every guy's dream to be touched by a beautiful girl was now more than just loving affection on their part. Sometimes, it meant a lot more, like an understanding or an act of bonding, to which most guys didn't really notice. Well, that was what Keiichi felt. Keiichi sighed. Sometimes life was so different, so complicated from the other side, yet at the same time, so familiar. Being a guy had made Keiichi more used to the rough and tumble brotherly bonding 'she' had grown up with with some of 'her' friends.
    Yep, things were different, and Keiichi finally noticed.
    Then Belldandy blinked once, remembering something.
    "Oh! I just remembered something! The Earth Spirit came in today-"
    Keiichi remembered that guy. He'd nearly possessed Keiichi the first time they met, but Keiichi could understand. She'd be pretty pissed too, if her lifeline to energy was disrupted. Belldandy was still talking.
    "-And told me something about Megumi wanting to call, because she wanted to come over after her stay at a resort."
    That struck Keiichi hard. A suddenly wave of blank fear passed through her head, and her vision went white for a second.
    "Me..Megumi!?" Keiichi asked, panicked. All her appetite for breakfast had gone. Belldandy nodded.
    "But, like this!?" Keiichi said, gesturing up and down her body. Skuld still kept staring, as if what had happened yesterday was all a bad dream.
    It was, but long before this had happened.
    Belldandy went over to Keiichi and held her hands. They were soft and smooth, and Keiichi noticed that her own hands were registering a lot more feeling than usual. It was ticklish.
    "Keiichi-san," Belldandy said. "You may be different now," She was leaning closer now, bringing her forehead closer to Keiichi's. They touched. She was whispering now. "But that's only in form. You'll always be Keiichi." And they were almost bumping into each other's noses now. Belldandy's hair was tickling Keiichi's head. Then Belldandy moved back and let go of Keiichi's hands. She was smiling. Keiichi felt a little disappointed. She'd hoped for a little less distance between them...
    "And that's what counts." She said, smiling broadly. "Eat up!"
    Skuld went back to her breakfast, ravenously. Keiichi just kept staring ahead as Belldandy went back to her own breakfast. Somehow, that little incident with the foreheads left an indelible impression on Keiichi. She touched her forehead once, and there was a slight tingling where Belldandy's head had touched it.
    Truly, that's what counts. Keiichi thought, smiling to herself.

*     *     *

    Peorth looked into Freya's living space. It was huge. From the entrance, vines grew around the arched gateway. Moss covered most of the walls outside, some of which were cracked and aged. As Peorth had wandered through the singular corridor that led through the offices of the Gods of War, the scenery had changed from stark metal walls to carved marble with murals of a hundred thousand warriors fighting on a vast battlefield, to misty fogs which covered everything around her. Peorth had crossed the God of Modern Warfare's room once, with radar and weapons displays scattered all over as trophies. Peorth shuddered at the thought of what else she'd seen besides those.
    But when Peorth finally got to Freya's area at the end of a long road, she was pleasantly surprised. Freya wasn't exclusively a Goddess of War, she was the Goddess of a lot of other things, and a mother to boot. Peorth couldn't remember if she had a mother, some Gods/Goddesses had them. But Freya was obviously not like the others. Upon entering the area that Freya lived in, Peorth felt much at ease. The feel of bloodthirstiness wasn't as pronounced anymore. Far from it, the place had the feel of a temple to it. Cared for gardens, cobblestone path, even birds! Peorth then saw the archway at the far end of it all, and didn't take her time enjoying the scenery anymore.
    She had a job to do, and it was important.
    "Hello? Freya?" Peorth called from the entranceway, politely. The floor was covered in mist, which poured out into the garden, and covered Peorth's feet. She couldn't even see her knees anymore.
    A figure appeared in the doorway. It carried as spear, and wore a winged helmet. A valkeryie. Peorth was intruiged. A valkeryie working for Freya?
    The valkeryie said nothing, but just indicated to Peorth that she follow. Peorth obliged, glad that her trip wasn't wasted. Peorth's patience was well rewarded, as it seemed. The pathway to where Freya lived was pretty treacherous. A singular path, hidden by the mist, marked the only way to Freya. Peorth could feel the sucking, hungry Void which a wrong step would lead to all around her. Apparently, the garden was meant to fool intruders.
    Again, Peorth wondered if the risks were worth it.
    What risks? She asked herself. The fact that you're doing your own little investigating, against your better judgement not to get in the Almighty's way! A little Peorth inside of her said. But she didn't think a simple inquiry would hurt, much. Well, she had gone this far. Peorth wasn't known for her stupidity, but she was tenacious. Some Gods and Goddesses up here thought tenacity and stupidity went together hand in hand, but oh boy, did Peorth have something to show them.
    "Ah. Peorth." Peorth hadn't noticed that the valkeryie had already brought her to Freya's true home, and then disappeared. Peorth had been lost in thought during arrival. She woke up, fast.
    "Freya?" Peorth asked, peering into the mist. She couldn't see a thing. Typical, she thought. A little simple special effects, just for show. Who's it going to work on? Me? Peorth chuckled to herself sardonically. She'd done enough posturing and showing off herself to be surprised by a simple trick like this.
    "You came to ask me something. Is it about Uruz?" Freya said, somewhere behind the mists. Peorth nodded, guessing as much that Freya wouldn't see it.
    Not that she needed to, Freya had known that with everything going on around here, sooner or later, someone was going to see her concerning Uruz. The first person she'd thought who'd see her was Peorth, as was proven. Peorth knew more than anyone how much Uruz adored her, and Freya had been genuinely amused. She'd always thought Peorth would boast about it, how another Goddess totally unrelated to Peorth looked up so highly to her, almost as highly as the Almighty, but she'd been modestly quiet. Quite uncharacteristic of Peorth, who was always showing off. Well, Peorth had plenty of reasons to show off, and she was good at it. Nobody'd been put off by her yet.
    The mist cleared. Peorth could see Freya now. Now Peorth knew what the mists were for. It wasn't for awe inspiring, Freya did that easily, it was a privilege to see her face to face. Freya was in what most would call "late middle age", but she aged very gracefully. She was tall, not lanky, and dressed in simple, thin, long, white robes that flowed like silky water around her. She was slender, not quite thin, with a musculature that spoke of fitness well into her age. Not too unlike Uruz, Peorth thought. She had the regal bearing of a queen, with large, quiet eyes graced with gentle wrinkles, full lips set tightly together  that spoke of a firmness, but gentleness, with which she spoke to people. Again, there were some lines and wrinkles there, but they only emphasized the firmness of her stance. She kept her hair swept back like a cascade, with a small laurel of nettles on her slightly raised head. A mark of superiority which suited her perfectly, Peorth thought. It was long, her hair. Silverish with age, it was streaked with browns and blacks. She had a look of kindness on her face, her mouth always upturned just that little bit, and her eyes twinkling with humour. Peorth couldn't imagine her to be a Goddess of War, amongst other things, but there she was. Her appearance was, Peorth noted, as deceptive as the place she lived in.

(Author's note : This is my interpretation of Freya. I did not find any physical descriptions of her, so I'm using my own impressions to create one. This is not fact, and is not meant to be followed.)

    The place was a veritable garden, both living and crystalline. A small fountain bubbled in the center, but Peorth noted that there was a small moat around the rim, filled with blood. Bushes and creepers grew around support columns which supported nothing but the grey, purplish sky and dark clouds. Yet, it was bright and sunny, and birds sang where there were none. Peorth wasn't in the protective comfort of the Earth Otasuke Center, and she wasn't used to the environment here.
    "You had something to ask me?" Freya asked. Her voice rose a little, with plenty of power behind it. It wasn't soft, and it didn't flow smoothly. Instead, it was more like a wizened woman's, hardened against time and age, with a gentle tone that belied a stronger, deeper voice. She was definitely something different, Peorth thought.
    "Yes..." Peorth nodded. First Class Goddess or not, Peorth had respect for this one, who had no real office to work in. "It's about Uruz, as you said."
    Freya nodded, slightly, deliberately. Even when her head dipped, she still looked like her head was being held high. She had that sort of presence. Peorth envied her.
    "I need to know how to stop the rumours from going around. Sooner or later, Uruz is going to crack. This sort of thing isn't let go of lightly. You're her mentor, and you command quite a bit of respect in the Heavens." Peorth knew. Wish granting was a serious job. Mistakes wouldn't be tolerated lightly.
    There had been only one other incident, centuries ago. The Goddess involved had asked to be made mortal and die of old age rather than live forever with her name tarnished in the Heavens. Freya nodded again, but this time she held her head down as she frowned. She pinched her chin with her thumb and index finger, considering. She knew too, as much as anyone, what had happened. Her eyes looked dangerous now, half closed, like slits. Her wrinkles enhanced the furrow of her brow, the downwards slope of her lips. They looked like extensions of her expressions, Peorth realized. And it emphasized her features scarily well.
    "I know." Freya said after a few seconds. "And Uruz is just a girl." Freya sighed, and the garden sighed with her. Deafening.
    "But what can I do?" Freya asked now. Peorth stared. Well of course you're staring! Peorth told herself. You thought Freya would know what to do!?
    Peorth cursed herself then for the stupidity of her action. Freya smiled slightly.
    "No, Peorth. You did the right thing coming to me. We can think this over now, both of us."
    Just then, a valkeryie appeared from out of nowhere. She knelt before Freya, and Peorth watched in surprise.
    "Ma'am, there's a stray Angel trying to get in here! We're currently holding it back." The valkeryie reported. Peorth looked surprised. A stray Angel? It couldn't be a renegade, could it? Freya didn't look fazed, more pointedly, she smiled.
    "Blue hair, silver wings, tinkles a lot?" She asked. The valkeryie looked surprised, but held her stiff upper lip. She nodded. Freya smiled at the valkeryie.
    "Let her in."
    "Understood." And the valkeryie disappeared. Seconds later, an annoyed tinkling (Annoyed? How could tinkling be annoyed? Peorth asked herself afterwards. She never did find the answer.) was heard, and Silver Sapphire appeared out of the mists behind them. Peorth didn't recognize the Angel. The Angel had a boyish appearance to her, but was definitely feminine. Peorth suddenly realized whose Angel this was.
    "Uruz?" Peorth asked the Angel. Silver Sapphire looked at Peorth, recognized her to be Uruz's idol, and nodded. She smiled at Peorth. Peorth nervously smiled back. Freya cleared her throat, and the two looked at her.
    "I see you two know each other," Freya said. "And I can gather what you wish to see me for, Silver Sapphire." She definitely sounded like a queen, Peorth thought. Only a lot better.
    Silver Sapphire tinkled happily. Freya walked, no, flowed, over.
    "Then let us pay Uruz a visit."

*     *     *

    Outside the temple, the small troop of Urds were directing salvaging operations. They wore miner's caps, denim overalls and stained, worn shirts.
    "All right! Earth movers, bring it over here! Yes, yes, there! Alright, everyone, let's sort! All unusual scraps, put them in the bucket over there! Let's go!" One Urd yelled over the noisy din of scratching, thumping, digging and oozing. The Earth Spirit had recruited louses, silverfish, earthworms, centipedes, millipedes, ants, termites (which Urd hoped wouldn't decide to make their home in the temple after this was done with) and a host of other insects and small animals to help with the salvaging operation. Everyone worked, with the group of mini-Urds overseeing operations. One Urd came up to the directing Urd.
    "Urd #3 reporting in, Urd #1!" She saluted. Urd #1 saluted back.
    "Report status?"
    "We have found the furthest scraps of these materials confined to within temple walls. Fortunately, the blast didn't carry anything further than that." Urd #3 reported. Urd #1 nodded.
    "Is there anything else?" Urd #1 asked.
    "Judging from the dispersion of this device, whatever it is, we'll take approxmiately two weeks of nonstop digging to find everything. Three and a half, with rest and food."
    Urd #1 knew that however well-meaning these helpers were, they were living creatures. And the Urds, for all their normally mischevious, inconsiderate, busybody, occasionally cruel, devious, and cunning antics, knew enough they needed to eat and rest.
    (Enough with the desciptions already! - Urd)
    Urd #1 nodded. She beckoned to another Urd, this one having a #5 on her overalls.
    "Reporting." Urd #5 said with military precision.
    "Go see what's in the fridge. These guys gotta eat." Urd #1 said.
    "Gotcha! Want some sake with that?" Urd #5 asked as she got floating.
    "Of course!" Urd #1 said, irritated. Sometimes herselves could be so dense.

*     *     *

    The heat was beginning to become unbearable again. Summer might have been winding down, but it was still hot as ever on the beach. Heat waves rose from the sand like a desert, and made ears and hair prickle with sweat and salt. A breeze was like a welcome artic wind, and the water was cooling glacial ice.
    Megumi was carrying an ice-packed styrofoam box with the day's catch in it as she made her way back to the beachside where the rest were. She had a hat perched on her head in addition to sunglasses, wore a one piece swimming costume, and had a vest pulled over her to carry the impromptu fishing equipment she'd made from Ootaki's store of stuff. The sand was pretty hot, so she had to wear slippers too.
    "I wonder what the rest are doing now?" Megumi said to herself as she passed groups of playing children, dozens of sunbathers and hundreds of holiday seekers. The beach was anything but quiet, and the sea lapped not quite peacefully on the beaches. Megumi could see the rest of the city on the other side of the beach, where the unfortunate ones were suffering the summer heat in silence. She had a pretty good catch, considering the number of people on the beach. Maybe they could have a good lunch today!
    "I wonder.... what's Keiichan up to now?" Megumi thought, as she had the past few days. She couldn't get Keiichi out of her mind these few days, for some reason.
    Then she came up to a section of the beach occupied by the Nekomi group. There were her friends, Yumi and Kikuko, busy playing beach volleyball with some other people on the beach. Then there were the wild ones trying to surf on tiny waves (Megumi wondered how these people actually managed it.), and there was that blindingly glaring suit of armour sitting on a badly overstressed deck chair, giving off steam. Megumi sighed and took off her glasses with her free hand. Ootaki was a weird one, and even though he'd gotten just a little less stranger after Satoko (AMG! manga Volume 1, chapter 6), he was as goofy as ever.
    Except Ootaki didn't think of it that way.
    Megumi walked up to Ootaki, who was puffing in the heat, and whose face was as red as cooked lobster.
    "Enjoying your sauna?" Megumi asked. The sun was hot, blazing, bright. And metal conducted heat so very, very well.
    *puff* "It's not a sauna!" Ootaki said, puffing again. "I'm getting a tan!"
    Megumi rolled her eyes upwards, and covered her face with a palm, shaking her head.
    "Ootaki, you're getting broiled inside that suit of armour." Megumi said, stating the obvious. Ootaki was really red.
    *puff* "But it's the way to go suntanning!" Ootaki whined in response. Megumi wanted to laugh her head off, if only she didn't need it so much.
    "Ootaki, suntanning is supposed to mean letting your skin turn a nice shade of brown from the sun. Your skin is not only turning red, your suit of armour is too."
    That got Ootaki's attention. He finally leapt off the deck chair, yelping, and made a beeline for the waves. Megumi watched as he leapt in, and evaporate a portion of the sea with a hiss and a cloud of steam. She sighed and shook her head.
    "Some guys are just so dumb." Then Megumi grinned. "Not my Keiichan, of course."
 Megumi looked at the chair. It was charred, from Ootaki's armour. Megumi nudged it with a toe, and it fell apart. Megumi inched away quietly, hoping nobody saw her do that.

*     *     *

    Back at the resort, Tamiya was busy fixing up a Yamaha race bike in the resort's garage. He had this strange feeling the past few days, as if he had the chance of a lifetime and he'd lost it. For some reason, Tamiya couldn't fathom what chance it had been. Maybe it had something to do with Chihiro?
    Well, at least the stay had been eventful. They'd had drunken drinking and karaoke sessions for the first few days, had met Megumi after that, and were now fixing up the vehicles they'd brought in from Nekomi Tech. Even though he'd tried calling Keiichi, apparently he didn't get through. He couldn't remember what had happened that night, so he dismissed it.
    Oh, yeah, he was going to pay Keiichi a visit too. When they'd seen Megumi and her friends walking in the front entrance that day, Tamiya had been more than interested in paying Keiichi another visit, which he made known to Megumi. Megumi didn't seem terribly excited that her brother's sempai would be paying him an honoured visit, but girls were like that. They wouldn't understand the real man's bond of brotherhood, girls always gathered in their groups and giggled about silly things which Tamiya felt were never as important as the bassy roar of engines and the hard-worked sweat which he felt real men were made of.
    Well, he'd get that favour from Keiichi anyway. He'd then show off his bike to the world, and he'd be proud.
    Well, for now, Tamiya had his work cut out for him. He would double, maybe even triple, the horsepower of this little baby. And of course, he was sure it'd work. Ootaki and the rest were busy sitting at the beachside now, getting a tan or surfing or what-have-yous. But Tamiya had to wonder how Ootaki got a tan in all that metal armour of his. Megumi had gone fishing, and he was the only one of the original group he'd arrived in left at the resort for now. Even Chihiro had gone off, wanting to try her hand at parasailing.
    Oh yes, everything was right with the world, and Tamiya was in the middle of it all.

{End of Chapter 11}
{Chapter 12 : Try as one might, just to get it right}