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}