Resting Hearts

An Ah! My Goddess/Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki! Crossover

Chapter 1 - The Beginning

By Jedi (JediGotenks@juno.com)

Rated: NC-17 (PG for now, but will be NC-17 for later chapters)

Disclaimer - I do not own Ah! My Goddess and I also do not own Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki! They are property of AnimEigo (I think) and Pioneer, respectively. Also, I believe AIC has copyrights or something on both series. I thank the directors, animators and everyone else involved in making these great anime series, for allowing us the room to write fan fictions.

Author's Notes - This is the first in a long (hopefully) series of fan fictions, dealing with Ah! My Goddess (the OVA, not the manga - including the movie) and the Tenchi Muyo OVA (including Daughter of Darkness). As I said, it should be long. The fic starts 1 year after Manatsu no Eve (sp), and Tenchi has just graduated high school, while Keiichi has just graduated from college, and him and Bell are now both in graduate school. I am sure in two things: it will be Keiichi/Belldandy and Tenchi/Ryoko, so if you don't like those couples, don't bother reading, you probably won't enjoy it. It will also heavily involve the goddess trio in Tenchi (Tsunami, Washu and Tokimi). If you haven't seen the Ah! My Goddess Movie, you have to, because it really matters. (K and Bell admit their love for each other). And also, and if you haven't seen the DoD Movie, Kiyone is now in the OVA group, and Mayuka is Tenchi's daughter (no, he's still a virgin, she was genetically created). And, ah, Tenchi is going to be living with Keiichi and Co. for his freshman year in college, as he choose Nekomi Tech (what luck, eh?). Oh, and thanks for reading. Please review, like the responsible reader should. On with the story!

|It is true of true love as it is with ghosts; everyone talks of | |it, but few have seen it. | |-La Rochefoucauld, Maxims |

"Keiichi..."

"Hi, Bell-chan" Keiichi greeted, waking up, seeing Belldandy the goddess laying next to him, looking in his eyes. She was beautiful as usual, and Keiichi couldn't help staring at her for a few seconds.

Belldandy noticed, and she giggled. "Is there anything special you want for breakfast today, my Keiichi?" she asked, smiling her perfect white smile at him.

"Well...not really, anything you cook will be perfect. But, umm...after breakfast, could you meet me by the cherry tree?" Keiichi asked.

"Sure, Keiichi!" Belldandy replied, happy that he would spend time with her. "Could you go wake up Urd and Skuld?"

"Ok, Bell. See you in a bit."

Belldandy got up and put her day clothes on, leaving the room. Keiichi put his clothes on to, going to wake up Urd. He knocked on her door, and a grunt came from inside. "Urd, time to get up!" Keiichi said.

"Ok, ok, I'm workin' on it," the goddess of the past replied, lazily turning over to flip the lights on.

Keiichi left her to her own devices, and headed outside to sit on the porch and enjoy the sunrise. It came quickly, filling the sky with orange and pink hues. Keiichi sighed, and thought about the recent events.

Belldandy had been taken away from him once again, this time by her mentor, Celestin. He had erased her memory, and made a great attempt at destroying the world. Celestin thought it was for the better, but he was wrong, and didn't realize it until he was defeated.

They had forgiven him, though, and all had returned too normal...well, as normal as life can get with three goddesses living with a college student. 'Oh, crap!' Keiichi thought. 'I'm meeting with the boarding student tonight! What is he going to think?'

After several minutes of his thoughts and the magnificent sunrise, Belldandy's voice drifted outside. "Kei-chan! Breakfast is ready!"

Keiichi close his eyes, smiling, opened them and made his way inside. Urd and Skuld were already at the table, and Keiichi knelt down next to the empty space, waiting for Belldandy.

She appeared in a second, bearing a large tray of food for the four of them, and as soon as she sat down, they started eating.

"Mmmm!" Keiichi said, though a mouthful. "Very good, Belldandy."

Belldandy blushed, and quietly said, "Thank you."

After meals were done, Belldandy whisked away the plates while Urd retired to the roof with a bottle of sake, Skuld went to her room to upgrade Banpei, and Keiichi went to the cherry tree.

"Kei-chan?" Belldandy said. Keiichi turned around, seeing his goddess peeking around the trunk.

"Hi, Bell. Wanna go for a walk before the guy from Okayama gets here?" Keiichi asked.

Belldandy linked her arm with Keiichi and replied, "That sounds nice, Keiichi."

They walked away, as a slight wind ruffled the branches of the cherry tree above their head, sending blossoms fluttering about their heads. They kept walking, Belldandy's head on Keiichi's shoulder, their hands intertwined. Keiichi gazed lovingly at his goddess, pondering the idea that had been in his head for quite a while. He had finally saved up enough to buy the ring he wanted for her, and he had it resting in his pocket in a little black box. He looked at the trees, green in all their finery, awaiting the arrival of fall when they could amaze the world with their colorful plumage. 'I hope it stays like this forever,' Keiichi thought, wistfully. But he knew it would have to end, when his mortality ran out. 'Hopefully I can see Belldandy when I'm nothing more than a spirit, in heaven.' He gazed up at the sky, pondering what came after death. 'It's no time to be thinking of death now! I'm only 22, for Pete's sake!'

"Belldandy," he said, coming to a slow halt. "I want to ask you something that will probably change our lives forever." He fished in his pocket for the small black box, bringing it out slowly. Belldandy looked at it, raising an eyebrow. Keiichi continued, kneeling on the grassy forest floor. "I wanted you to know, that I will love you, forever, and nothing can change that. And…" he said, pausing, gathering up courage for what was to come. "Will you marry me?" he finally asked, looking into her beautiful blue eyes pleadingly, looking for the answer held in them.

Belldandy's eyes reflected the love held within Keiichi's, and they also held surprise. She blinked a few times, to reassure herself that she wasn't having a dream. Indeed she was not, and Keiichi was kneeling in front of her, with the small velvet box opened, revealing a magnificent gold ring set with two sapphires and a diamond. "Yes…" she whispered, "Yes, of course I will, Keiichi!" she said, her face brimming with happiness, almost flinging herself at him.

Keiichi wrapped his arms around her, getting to his feet to gently slid the exquisite ring on her finger. It fit perfectly next to the platinum ring that he had bought her four years ago. He slowly separated them, and looked upon Belldandy's beautiful, tear-stained face. Tears were still coursing down it, and as he started to wipe them away, he felt himself tearing up. He decided wiping them away or trying to hold them in was futile, so he just took Belldandy in his arms and kissed her on the lips, feeling her fold into his embrace.

Belldandy's mind was swirling, she was in complete bliss. All she could do was kiss her Keiichi back with an equal amount of affection. When they finally broke the kiss minutes later, Belldandy had the brightest smile on her face, even brighter than hers when they had passed through the Gate. Keiichi smiled back at her beauty, still holding her in his warm embrace. They kissed again before heading back to the house, no words exchanged between them, just the knitting of their fingers, walking through the cherry blossoms.

As they neared the door, Urd poked her head out. "Keiichi, could I have you for a second? I need your help," Urd asked, politely, before seeing their linked fingers and the smile that they both wore. While looking at their hands, she saw the new ring resting on Belldandy's finger. "Belldandy, what is that new ring?" Urd asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Belldandy and Keiichi both blushed mightily, and Keiichi spoke up. "Urd, I asked her to…to marry me. And Bell said yes."

Urd looked in astonishment towards them, blinking rapidly. "You…you…you asked my sister…to…to...marry you?"

"Yes. Did you think I was kidding?" Keiichi said, slightly annoyed.

Urd blinked again, and responded with, "No, I just can't believe you finally asked her. I've been waiting for you two to hook up for 4 years. Oh, I'm so happy!" She ran forward and hugged both of them mightily.

Keiichi managed to choke out, "Thanks, Urd. Could you let us go before I die of oxygen starvation?"

"Oh, sure," Urd said, releasing them, smiling at the couple. "Congratulations, guys. I guess you'd be my brother now, Keiichi."

"Thank you, sister," Belldandy said, smiling, entwining her fingers with Keiichi's again.

"Yes, I guess so," he replied. "Well, anyway, do you still need me Urd? We were going to tell Skuld and then phone my parents before starting to get ready for Tenchi's arrival."

"Umm…no, not really, I can manage. You two just go enjoy yourselves and get ready. Is Tenchi bringing anyone along?" Urd asked.

"Umm…" Keiichi thought about it for a second. "Yah, he said he was bringing four people over. The house will be pretty stuffed, but it should be a lot of fun."

"That sounds great, Keiichi. I'll see you around," Urd said, and she took off.

"Should we go tell Skuld now, Bell-chan?" Keiichi asked, looking at his fiancé.

"That sounds like a good idea, Kei-chan. I hope she takes it well," Belldandy replied, laying her head on Keiichi's shoulder. They made their way inside. "Skuld?" Belldandy called. "Where are you, Skuld?"

"Over here, sister! In the computer room!" Skuld's young voice responded from the other end of the house.

Belldandy and Keiichi proceeded to the room, and Keiichi braced himself for what was to come. He couldn't be too sure if Skuld would give them a blessing or if she would say he wasn't good enough for Belldandy. He slid the door open to the computer room, looking in on Skuld typing furiously away, updating Yggdrasil's bug catching systems.

"Skuld, Belldandy and I would like to tell you something," Keiichi began, looking at the young black-haired goddess. "About 10 minutes ago, I asked Belldandy to marry me. She said yes." Keiichi announced it this time without stuttering, losing some of his nervousness of his closeness to Belldandy.

Skuld looked at them strangely. "Really, Keiichi?" she asked, but didn't give him room to answer her. "Oh, that's so great!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet and grabbing them both in a fierce hug, smiling broadly. Belldandy and Keiichi responded by hugging her back.

When they separated, Belldandy spoke first. "Thank you for your blessing, Skuld. We weren't that sure if you were happy over it, but it seems everything is perfect now." Skuld smiled at this.

Choosing her words carefully, Skuld says, "I can only hope that sometime, I will come to find someone who I can love as much as you love Keiichi, big sister. You too go and have fun, I've got work to do." Skuld smiled at them again, giving them a quick victory sign, and turned around and returned to the computer.

Belldandy and Keiichi turned around and walked towards the kitchen. Belldandy spoke up, "Keiichi, I'm going to start preparing for dinner, if that's ok with you."

"Actually, Bell, I was wondering if I could just help you a bit to ease the demand. There will be 9 people here tonight, and you might want a bit of help. And, anytime spent with you is, well, perfect for me," Keiichi said, smiling at her, gazing at her faultless features.

"Umm...Sure, Kei-chan. I would be grateful of any help," Belldandy said. She continued more quietly, almost in a whisper, "Time spent with you is the best in my life."

Keiichi hugged her and drew her close as they pressed their lips together in a sensual embrace. A bit later, they continued to the small, clean kitchen.

"So, Bell-chan, what are we going to cook for dinner?" Keiichi asked. He opened the fridge, slightly surprised to find it bulging with food, but he reasoned that Belldandy had planned ahead for the meal.

"Halibut usuzukuri served in sauce made of red chili, green onion and radish, along with agedashi tofu for the appetizers. For the main entrée, I'm making shrimp and vegetable tempura with miso soup and rice, and for desert we'll have mochi ice cream with chocolate syrup and apricot sauce with mango rice cakes on the side," Belldandy said.

"Wow. It sounds great, Bell-chan," Keiichi said, giving her a peck on the cheek. They both proceeded to get all of the ingredients out of the fridge and cupboards, setting everything out, and opening the necessary cookbooks.

Several hours later the meal was completely done, and they set it aside in the fridge, knowing they could warm up the tempura and soup right before dinner. Belldandy and Keiichi were laying on the couch in the living room, Belldandy on top of Keiichi. He had his arms wrapped around her waist, hugging her tightly, but gently.

"Kei-chan, it's going to be interesting with Tenchi living here, isn't it?" Belldandy asked. "Maybe he'll be cute and Urd could hook up with him…" she added as an afterthought.

"Maybe, Bell. But when I talked to him last, it seemed like he had quite a few troubles with women. He said he has 6 living at his house. But still, I'm bet Urd could give them all a run for their money," Keiichi responded, kissing Belldandy's forehead from above.

They just laid there for and hour, waiting for 5 o'clock to roll around, and Tenchi to arrive. Soon enough the arrival time came, and with a knock at the door, Belldandy and Keiichi both got up, called Urd and Skuld, straightened their clothes and headed for the door.

Author's Notes: I know I'm a stinker for leaving it off right her, and Tenchi and Crew haven't been in it yet, but you just wait! They'll be in the next chapter, and the Tenchi/Ryoko parts will probably be in chapters 3 or 4, most likely 4. I need to give it some time to…mature. Anyway, please email me at jedigotenks@juno.com with comments, suggestions or criticisms. Anything about how it should be Ayeka/Tenchi or Hotsuma/Ryoko will be discarded and paid no attention to, and I'll regard the senders as enemies. Peace out, people!

JediGotenks, an anime fanatic.