Note: Shohei Yoshida is the boy from Episode 25 of the TV Series. This is when Urd is stuck in the body of a child for awhile, and develops feelings for a boy, before ultimately having to push him away when she is restored to full-adulthood. There is a similar incident in the manga too, though it isn't identical. For our purposes, we will be using the TV Series continuity, since that was left open-ended.

This might be a one-shot, but if you all like it, maybe I'll develop something out of it.

Memory of a Goddess

Shohei's final year at Nekomi Tech had been a triumphant one. Graduation loomed on the horizon, and with his impressive academic record, he was sure to land a good job afterward. He had studied hard, that was something he never had issues with even as a child. Perhaps more importantly, however, he had learned to confront his fears, to find opportunities and seize them when they came.

Once, he had been a meek, soft spoken boy. He had been teased and harassed many times, and even when he had escaped their torment, there had been little for him to do but read and play video games. Things had changed for him on that day more than ten years before, sitting on a park bench, trying to hide from the rest of the world.

He never forgot that girl in all the long years that followed, nor had he lost the lessons she had taught him. Even now he could see her eyes, so bright with a wisdom that was far beyond his own. The features of her face had been obscured by the years, but her beautiful violet eyes, he would never forget. He could remember standing on top of the highest skyscraper in town, watching the sunset reflected in them.

Shohei had lived his life ever since with boldness and confidence. And, he reflected, a liking for sake that was probably a little greater than the norm, even for a college student. That memory always brought a smile to his face.

As the last rays of sunlight fell below the horizon, he twisted the key to his Honda motorcycle, speeding down the mostly-deserted streets of Nekomi. It was true that Urd had brought him a certain fearlessness, a confidence he had never known before her. But it was also a sad memory, in many ways. She had been an almost magical creature, as if she never really belonged in this world. Hadn't he seen her flying through the air? Once, he had even suspected the woman who claimed to be her older sister actually was her, somehow. There were times he wondered if the whole thing was just a youthful dream.

For years, afterward, Urd's memory weighed heavily on his mind, but his thoughts traveled back to that time less frequently over the years. In fact, he wondered to himself just why he thought of her now, what had triggered it, it had been months since that sort of nostalgia had overtaken him like this. There had been other girls in his life since then, but he could never really bring himself to settle down with any of them. It was foolish to let a childhood dream rule him so, but he couldn't fight it.

Shohei sped around the bend, finding himself near his old neighborhood. Once again, he didn't understand what brought him here, he didn't even remember consciously deciding to come back. But something different was in the air, and he could feel it so strongly it was impossible to ignore...

"Unlike before, I will at least do something without giving up." Shohei had told the hauntingly familiar woman. "No matter what I will try my best... So when I grow up can we meet again?"

"Yes, I promise..." The woman said. And she kissed his cheek. He felt the warmth of it, the familiarity of it. Hadn't Urd told him she wasn't a child? Was this her, somehow? "So grow up quickly." He left the sake bottle the little girl had been drinking far too much of, and smiled. He was sad she was gone, but felt alive in a way he never had before...

And just like that, he found himself in front of that old temple again, just like that day a decade before. He couldn't say why he had come, he was driven by that same mysterious urge which had convinced him to chase down a girl he had never met before, to give her a sake bottle he should have thrown away.

"Well, I'm here." He said to himself. "Might as well check it out."

Even assuming anyone still lived here, and knew where Urd had gone, he was certain nothing would come of it. It would be rather stalker-like to do what he was doing, but once again, he didn't care. That girl had changed his entire life, and even in the off chance there was any chance of... Of what, he thought, of this beautiful goddess suddenly dropping in my lap? Get a clue, he laughed, I have a life ahead of me, I shouldn't live in the past.

But, somehow he had climbed the steps to the temple anyway. A strange excitement came through him, and he finally made it to the door. It slid open before he could even knock, and an irate monk stared him down.

"Your business?" The monk asked simply, without a hint of emotion.

"I'm looking for someone named Urd, she once lived here a long time ago." Shohei said, reigning in his excitement. She was gone from the place, that was obvious.

"Urd... I don't know that name. But there was a nice couple here who maintained the temple for some years while I was gone on a pilgrimage. Keiichi and Belldandy were their names. I forget their last names, though." The monk seemed oddly frustrated with himself over that.

"Do you know where they went?" Shohei asked, hopeful for even a scrap of information.

"No, I never heard from them again. They were very mysterious people." The monk mused. "Very enlightened souls. That woman had the singing voice of a Goddess."

"I know exactly what you mean." Shohei mused. "Someone they must have known touched my life very deeply."

"They were good at that." The monk agreed. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you more." It was time to leave, and Shohei sighed. It was clear he would never see Urd again, outside his dreams.

"Thanks." Shohei smiled, despite his disappointment. The door slid shut, and he was alone again, standing on the very same steps he stood on as a boy. He shook his head and walked back towards his motorcycle.

"Wait." The monk's voice rang out. "Is your name Shohei?" Shohei turned on his heels suddenly as the monk walked towards him holding something.

"Yes. Shohei Yoshida." Confusion rang in his mind, and a stab of hope caught his heart.

"I almost forgot, the couple, they told me that someday a Shohei would come here asking for someone. I was supposed to give him this." A familiar sake bottle was in the monk's hand, and he handed it over. It seemed full of powerful memories, and just the touch of it was electrifying. "There's something inside it." The monk added.

Sure enough, as Shohei tilted it, a small note fell out, wrapped around a piece of wood. Even the monk's stoic expression shifted with curiosity as Shohei read it.

"What does it say?"

Shohei's heart beat faster in his chest. "It tells me where to find Urd," he said. "Thank you!"

He was on his motorcycle before he knew it, speeding down the highway with a boyish grin etched onto his face. His thoughts went back to the letter, and he knew what he had to do.

Shohei,

If you're reading this, then you remembered my promise to you. If you want to find me again, go to the Whirlwind motorcycle shop down the street from Nekomi Tech, and tell them you need to speak to Belldandy. When you see her, give her this letter. She will know what to do.

Don't give up, Shohei.

Urd.