Oh My Goddess!: Transcendence

by Eric H. Bowen

A Fan-Fiction in the Oh My Goddess! Universe

based upon characters and situations created by Kōsuke Fujishima

The Partnership

Keiichi re-read the closing paragraph of the letter which had arrived the previous day:

...it is good to know that my temple has been in the best of care. During these past three and a half years I have learned new ideas and encountered new experiences the likes of which I never would have dreamed! But, now, my pilgrimage draws to a close; the time has come for me to return and share my new understanding with the people of Nekomi whom I have not seen in so long. You may expect me back in early November, when the maple leaves turn red as fire. Good luck and good fortune, and I eagerly await the chance to see you and Miss Belldandy once again. —Koshian.

Something similar had happened once before; more than two years past the monk had returned thinking his pilgrimage was complete. But Keiichi had not seen him that time; he had met Urd and Skuld. That encounter was enough to drive him back onto the road for another three years; Keiichi had not even heard about it until afterwards. But he had known, in his bones, that the day would finally come and this halcyon time of goddess companionship...and free lodging!...would come to an end.

He had not been prepared for it two and a half years previously, of course; he and Belldandy and her two sisters had been living from odd job to odd job as impoverished college students. But, now, the situation was better. His employment with Chihiro at Whirlwind had been steady and, after the first few months, fairly remunerative. But he and Bell had continued to scrimp and save, and in the past two years they had managed to accumulate a decent nest egg...enough to where he could walk into a bank and discuss a mortgage loan without being laughed out the door; he had in fact done so yesterday afternoon immediately after receiving the letter. And Chihiro had even promised to make him a full partner in Whirlwind, after he received his Master's in Mechanical Engineering. His diploma had been awarded in April, two months prior...but she was still holding off. It was time to talk to her again.

"Fujima-san..." he began.

"Don't you 'Fujima-san' me; I know you too well!" she retorted, wiping her hair away from her eyes and leaving a small streak of grease in the process. "What do you want?"

"It's the promise you made to me two years back," he said. "I have my Master's now…."

"I said I would make you a partner after you received your Master's. I didn't say how long after!"

"Chihiro! But I really need this now!"

She sighed. "I know I've been dragging my feet. But it's the only leverage I have left on you. I've got an ulterior motive!"

"Will you at least say what it is?"

"I shouldn't." Then, after a pause she said, "I'm wanting you to make Bell an honest woman!"

"What?"

"Yeah. She's such an angel...and you haven't made a single move to legitimize her, as far as I can see. She deserves some security!"

"But that's exactly what I'm wanting to do!" He showed Chihiro the letter. "It looks like we'll have to move in four months. I can qualify for a mortgage, just barely...but it would be a big help if I had that partnership! Once we have a place that's really our own, I'll be ready to ask Bell to marry me!

Chihiro was silent for a few seconds as she reviewed the letter. The impish racing champion and master mechanic was tough to pin down...but, once she made a commitment, she always followed through. She looked him square in the eyes. "Do you mean that?"

"Yes, I really do."

"Then as of today you're a full partner. I'll give you a copy of the books to show the bank."