Notes:
This fanfiction features an alternate ending to the Ah! My Goddess
movie. There are spoilers for the latter, so be forewarned. Ah! My
Goddess is copyright Kosuke Fujishima and Kodansha. Characters used
without permission, but this is a not-for-profit fiction. So please
don't sue me. ^_^ The title "Fateful Decision" is taken from an
Escaflowne episode, so I hope that Bandai doesn't mind. Thanks to
Xerlic for help in editing the original Part 1.
*denotes emphasis*
Fateful Decision
An Ah! My Goddess Fanfiction
Part 1
They called her Morgan the fairy princess, but she didn't feel
like one. Of course, she looked like a fairy; her face and wings were
proof of that. But there was no reason to call her a princess.
Princesses always stay with their true loves, don't they? This was not
so for Morgan. She was all alone, and watching the Earth down below
made her feel even lonelier.
Long ago, in another life, Morgan had fallen in love. It was
perfect bliss, and she and her love thought that they would be together
forever. But things happen. One day, the Almighty had caught wind of
their intentions and sent them to the Judgment Gate to prove their
loyalty to each other. Even though she was happy, Morgan had doubts in
her heart that she wasn't good enough for her love. Once they passed
through the Judgment Gate, Morgan found that her love was no longer by
her side, much to her despair. Over-stricken by grief, she committed
suicide.
Fate had saw it fit to give her another chance, and so she was
reborn in the present. If she had been born to parents, they were
long-lost very quickly after her birth. Young and helpless, Morgan
would have perished had it not been for the immortals of Heaven to take
her in as their own. They selected one god to guide her through her
early years of life - Celestin.
Celestin was different from the other gods. He was a little too
idealistic, but gradually Morgan began to understand his ideals.
Through him, she learned of the events that transpired in her past
life, and he opened up her memories of them as well. At such a young
age, such things such as love didn't mean much to her. However, they
became a big deal rather quickly when Celestin was sent away to mentor
some young goddess, and Morgan was left all alone. This made her
rather bitter, as she knew that Celestin had won this new mentorship
due to his success with Morgan herself. So she left Heaven and grew up
in the dimension between Heaven and Hell - not Earth, but some humans
called it Purgatory. She could see everything that transpired on
Earth, however. And she could see her love.
She would have been fine, just staying up there and wallowing in
her misery, but her past love had to go and find a new love. Oh no.
That just wouldn't do. It wasn't his fault of course; he had no
memories of his former life. But Morgan knew what had happened. And
for him, she would stake everything. She was older now and she had
realized how important he was to her, and how he would free her from
her loneliness. This is why she decided to free Celestin, even though
he was part of the reason for her bitterness. From the rumors she had
heard, Celestin had been imprisoned for trying to destroy the Judgment
Gate. That would suit her plans perfectly.
Now, Morgan danced across the surface of the Moon, searching for
him. She could sense his presence. Finding a sharp increase in his
energy, she jumped far into the depths of the Moon. Down and down...
until she found a large machine designed to hold Celestin's soul
captive. How ineffective. She noted wryly that the security on this
thing wasn't too strong, and so she set about disabling it.
Morgan shot an energy blast into the heart of the machine, which
began to come to life. Drat. It needed to be activated. She flew
over to the machine's heart and grabbed hold as the wind started to
blow out of control. Clinging on tight, she traced over the keywords
to activate the machine. At the end, she flew off from the force, but
by then the machine had already released its center, where Celestin was
imprisoned.
The sand blew away to reveal Celestin's capsule. With him by
her side, there was hope. Both wished for the elimination of the
Judgment Gate. Without the Judgment Gate, Morgan and her love could be
re-united once more. After all, the only reason they were separated
was because of that accursed blockade.
"You, the guided one who holds the same wish... my powers have
been frozen, so lend me yours," Celestin's voice came from the capsule.
"You incurred the gods' wrath and have been in such a
predicament. What more are you trying to do now?"
"You should know, if we are of the same mind."
Morgan pressed the capsule against her chest as she floated back
to the Moon's surface. Thinking of her love, she allowed the capsule
containing Celestin's soul to infuse onto her skin. Yes... together
they would change the hands of fate, and Morgan would be happy once
more.
As per Celestin's request, Morgan disguised herself as an
ordinary female college student. Her instructions were odd: to get
close to Keiichi and his goddess girlfriend, Belldandy.
"But why?" Morgan asked Celestin.
"Those two carry the power to change the world. You will
understand in time."
"That's always your answer," Morgan grumbled, but she did
understand. It was rumored that Belldandy was one of the most powerful
goddesses, and her relationship with Keiichi was approved by Kami-sama
himself.
Still, it was quite depressing for Morgan to traverse the
college alone. Well, not all alone as one might remember that Celestin
was with her, but he wasn't quite the company. Finally, she spotted
Keiichi hanging up a club poster. After he left, Morgan casually
walked up to the bulletin board. The poster was an advertisement for
the Motor Club. That would be a good way to get to know Keiichi, at
least. There would be a demonstration of the club's activities.
Morgan wrote down the date and time.
At the demonstration, Morgan hid herself within the crowd to
scope out the scene. Nothing was too intimidating, really. Just a
bunch of boring old vehicles. But where were Keiichi and Belldandy?
Suddenly, a sidecar blazed around the corner and stopped in
front of the crowd. The riders got off and removed their helmets --
they were Belldandy and Keiichi.
Morgan decided to take advantage of the commotion their
appearance had created, so she walked up to the announcer and told her
that she would be joining the motor club. For some reason, the
announcer was so excited that she told the audience over the microphone
that a girl would be joining. Strange. The announcer was then
mobbed by a crowd of males. How vulgar, Morgan thought. Luckily, most
of them were scared away by the appearance of the Motor Club's graduate
student members.
There was a required party for new club members, so with
resignation Morgan went. She was one of only three. At first the
other members were very welcoming to the new members, but then the
actual party activities started, and Morgan was left alone again.
Well, this time it was mainly by choice. She didn't like partying, so
she sat alone in a corner. Her instructions from Celestin were to
catch Keiichi and Belldandy alone, anyway, so being apart from the
festivities enabled her to watch them more closely.
Uh-oh. Keiichi was headed her way. Don't act interested, don't
act interested.
"You don't like this kind of party?" he asked. She looked up at
him, he was holding out a glass of beverage. "Don't worry; they look
pretty weird, but they're basically good guys." Weird? *Oh,* he was
talking about those two graduate students. Morgan looked down, but
Keiichi sat down beside her. "You must be interested in motor
sports, seeing as you joined the club. Do you have a motorbike or
car?"
"Nope, not really." Not really interested motor sports, just
trying to spy on you and your girlfriend. Oh well. Keiichi was
dragged off by one of the graduate students, and Morgan continued to
watch the party. She noted with amusement that two girls were hanging
all over Keiichi while Belldandy was singing. Hmm. Maybe Keiichi
wasn't so close to Belldandy after all. Suddenly, the glasses holding
alcohol all burst at once. Belldandy's powers? Yes, they were.
Belldandy ran off in embarrassment. Did she do that in the best
interest of those people or because -- Ah, well, no matter. There were
other urgent matters, because Keiichi had just run out the door after
her. Morgan's muscles tensed. This was her -- their -- chance.
Morgan rose to her feet and slipped out the back door as
discreetly as she could. She transformed into her regular fairy form
and then teleported to an alley cloaked in shadows that she had scouted
out earlier. It was located opposite of the Motor Club's meeting
place, so it would avoid any suspicions that she had come from there.
Butterflies danced in her stomach as she carefully went over everything
she needed to do.
"It's time," came Celestin's whisper.
"Yes..." was Morgan's hardly-audible reply, as she let
Celestin's consciousness take over. Her soul retreated, and her body
changed shape to that of Celestin's. There. That wasn't half-bad,
actually. Here she was safe from pain and she could let Celestin do
what was needed to be done.
Celestin walked from the shadows. Belldandy ran up to him and
embraced him as Morgan lost consciousness.
Morgan blinked her own eyes open groggily. Morning already?
She focused on her surroundings and realized what Celestin had done ...
he had started his plans to distance Belldandy from Keiichi. Morgan
could see it in her mind: the confrontation with Urd, the kiss,
everything. She wiped her mouth off with a suppressed shudder. *Her*
-- Belldandy ... that was whom Celestin had mentored! Morgan's anger
boiled.
"How could you do that to me?!" Morgan yelled. Her eyes blazed
with tears and she threw a pillow against the wall.
"Morgan... I *love* Belldandy."
"..."
"It's nothing against you. I fell in love from the first moment
I saw her, when she was young. I saw her purity, her innocence, and I
knew I wanted her to be mine. And I didn't want her to lose that
purity either... which is *why* I am trying to make a new system for this
world." Celestin's voice sounded sad. "I need your help, because I
know I can count on you."
"But you also want Belldandy for yourself."
"That's right."
Morgan collapsed on the bed and sighed. "That'll do." She
glanced at her watch. "Oh, just in time for school." She resumed her
human disguise and left her apartment.
She pretended to pay attention during all of her class lectures.
After school, she headed to the Motor Club, curious to see the results
of Celestin's actions. Belldandy had amnesia. Celestin was truly a
genius. Morgan would have to be sure that Belldandy remained afflicted
so that everything would go according to plan.
The Motor Club members had other worries, however, because
Belldandy and Keiichi were supposed to be in next week's race.
"What a drag," Chihiro sighed. "There's only six days until the
race. And it's a mixed race, so it's not like anyone can replace her.
Sora-chan, do you wanna try?"
"I can't!" Sora interjected.
Chihiro looked depressed. "Who can replace Belldandy...?"
"Shall I go in the race?" Morgan asked.
The entire club trooped out to the track, with Keiichi and
Morgan suited up in racing uniforms.
"Do you know how to ride?" Keiichi asked.
"More or less, since I watched the other day," Morgan replied.
"It's just like that. You can go faster or slower, depending on
the passenger. That's what makes the sidecar so much fun. In other
words, the driver trusts the passenger, and opens up the throttle."
"You're saying you're going to trust me, too?" Morgan's hopes
ballooned.
"I have to. That's how this machine works," Keiichi replied
jovially. Morgan's hopes sank. They both put their helmets on and
started off.
The ride was exhilarating, if you were into that kind of thing.
Morgan's first reaction was one of boredom, since she could attain the
same speed just by flying, and with less effort as well. But gradually
she began to enjoy it, if only because she seemed to be good at it.
She and Keiichi passed the place where they had started, turned around
and then came back. Morgan took off her helmet.
"Changing the chamber was the right thing to do. It sounded
great. If you find a good partner like him, you'll be able to do even
better than now. Just like Bell-chan and Morisato-kun," Chihiro told
Morgan.
"You mean like two lovers?" Morgan asked sadly.
"Oh, we're not...!" Belldandy protested.
Exactly. Not anymore, Morgan thought.
"What's the connection between getting close to those two and
our goal?" Morgan complained as she showered. All she was seeing was
Belldandy and Keiichi, still romantically intertwined despite
Belldandy's amnesia.
"You just need to stick close to them," Celestin said. "The
time will come when you'll understand."
"Then what'll happen?" Morgan asked.
"This is all to realize your wish, and achieve my goal,"
Celestin replied.
Good. That was the way things should be.
Morgan discovered that Belldandy was still planning on being in
the race, despite her amnesia. She couldn't let that happen, not after
how well she had raced with Keiichi the other day. And it had been
fun, too, although Morgan found it hard to admit. At any rate, she
needed to find Keiichi and tell him that she had no intentions of
giving up her spot in the race.
"Excuse me. Do you know where Morisato Keiichi is?" Morgan
asked.
"Who's he? Know him?" one boy asked his friend.
"Nope," his friend replied.
"Forget it then." Morgan turned and left.
"Come on, show a little appreciation here. How about a coffee
together?"
She turned back around with a glare and shoved him away. "I'm
done with you."
Morgan finally found Keiichi in a German class. She walked
right on in and up to his seat. "I've been looking for you. We need to
talk," she said as she pulled him out of his seat. Morgan, Keiichi,
and Belldandy went to the hallway outside. "I want to go in the race
as well," Morgan continued.
"What?!" Keiichi exclaimed, surprised.
Morgan gestured to Belldandy. "She can't go in it, right?."
"We're going to practice, so she can go in it," Keiichi
responded.
Gotta deter him somehow, Morgan thought. "Practicing will be a
waste of time."
"We won't know until we try! Even if she has amnesia, she's
still Belldandy!" Keiichi said.
"Then time us both, and see which is faster," Morgan said with
conviction.
They went back to the track, where Morgan was paired up with
Keiichi's sister, Megumi. The race was close, but Keiichi and
Belldandy still won.
"We almost had it, huh. When they're in sync, no one stands a
chance against them," Megumi said. Morgan looked unhappy.
"I don't want to get close to those two anymore," Morgan said to
herself.
"Why are you jealous?" Celestin asked.
"Jealous? I got rid of that emotion long ago," Morgan
practically sneered.
"Then what is it?"
"I don't know!!" Morgan shouted. Realizing she was making a
scene in public, she lowered her voice. "Is this really going to
create a new world?"
"Her love for someone will open a window to a new world. She's
already started to feel that way. In the same way that your feelings
are beginning to waver."
"Are you ready?" Celestin asked Morgan, back at the apartment.
"As ready as I'm going to be," Morgan replied.
"This might be a tough fight, so feel free to..."
"I know." Lose consciousness again. But this time, Morgan
wanted to have some control over the events that would transpire.
She let Celestin take over her body, and together as a light
they flew over to the temple where the goddesses and Keiichi lived.
Belldandy took note of the light and followed it to a shopping mall,
where Celestin revealed himself.
The first events were predictable, Morgan thought. Celestin
opened Belldandy's memories of their time together that was abruptly
cut short. These memories had a profound effect on Belldandy, causing
her to lose control of her powers when Urd threatened to hurt Celestin.
However, Keiichi soon arrived on the scene, who brought Belldandy to
her senses. The force of her power knocked Keiichi, Urd, and Skuld
out. Skuld quickly came to, and she was furious. Morgan was more
worried about Keiichi, so she summoned her willpower to regain control
of her body. Still in Celestin's form, she started walking down the
stairs to see if Keiichi was all right. Skuld had no intention of
letting Celestin by, however.
"This is your fault..." Skuld sniffed. "This is your fault...!
Idiot!!" She lashed out with her power, and in her weakened state,
Morgan was blown back into the large TV screen above. Celestin
relinquished control as she teleported outside.
Morgan resumed her form as she landed on top of a building,
holding her arm in pain and dropping to her knees. She gritted her
teeth.
"Now the gods will take action," Celestin said.
"And then it'll all be over," Morgan shivered.
"No, it'll be just the beginning," Celestin remarked.
Morgan looked worriedly in the direction from which they had
come. "Well, you're on your own from here."
"What?"
"I can't take this anymore. I... you made me hurt *him.* She
said it was my fault... so I don't want a part of it anymore. Everything
will still go to plan, but I... I..."
"I knew this would happen." Celestin's capsule loosened its
hold on Morgan's chest, and she picked it up with her hand with a sad
smile.
"Thank you for understanding."
Morgan went to the Motor Club house and sat on the stairs, just
as she had done on that first night. So much had changed since then.
She didn't even know if she could trust Celestin anymore. Keiichi and
Belldandy were only getting closer, not drifting apart. Everything was
going wrong.
Keiichi walked into the room and noticed blood on the floor, and
then he saw her. "Morgan! Where'd this blood come from?" He came
over to her. "What happened?!"
Morgan offered a shaky smile. "You seem to be all right."
Thank goodness, she thought.
"Forget me; you've got to worry about yourself!" Keiichi
replied.
"That's okay..." He's concerned for me? she wondered.
"Let's go to the medical room," Keiichi said firmly.
"Are you worried about me?"
"That's not the important thing here! Hurry!" He pulled her
up.
Up in the nurse's office, Morgan sat on the patient's chair as
Keiichi took a box of bandages out of the cabinet. "I'll just put on a
bandage, then you go to the hospital." He saw her bloody arm and
jumped with shock. "That's serious!" Softly, he cleaned up the wound,
but Morgan winced in pain anyway. "Sorry." He started wrapping the
wound.
"I used to have someone I loved. But we were forced to stay
apart. I feel funny seeing the two of you together. Maybe you two can
overcome the obstacles I couldn't. I can't stand the thought of that.
Because that'll make my relationship seem insignificant. But what I'm
trying to do seems to result in quite the opposite. It's like I'm
helping you and Belldandy." Keiichi was taken aback by this. "Why...
what for...? I don't know anymore."
"Morgan..."
"If this world were to change, would you fall in love with me?
Would you make my dream come true?"
"I'm not really following you, but I can tell you've been hurt.
Still, it's not something material that you want, right?"
"Belldandy will become Celestin's girl no matter what you do.
And you'll be left alone."
"What are you talking about?" Keiichi asked, bewildered that
Morgan knew about Celestin.
"The world is about to change. That's why I've come here. And
this is my new start..." Morgan leaned in and kissed Keiichi deeply. She
had Celestin's capsule in her hand, and she pressed this onto Keiichi's
hand.
He broke away and exclaimed, "Are you the one who erased
Belldandy's memories?!" Morgan changed back to her fairy form.
"Morgan! Wait!" Keiichi called after her as she flew out the window and
disappeared.
This fanfiction features an alternate ending to the Ah! My Goddess
movie. There are spoilers for the latter, so be forewarned. Ah! My
Goddess is copyright Kosuke Fujishima and Kodansha. Characters used
without permission, but this is a not-for-profit fiction. So please
don't sue me. ^_^ The title "Fateful Decision" is taken from an
Escaflowne episode, so I hope that Bandai doesn't mind. Thanks to
Xerlic for help in editing the original Part 1.
*denotes emphasis*
Fateful Decision
An Ah! My Goddess Fanfiction
Part 1
They called her Morgan the fairy princess, but she didn't feel
like one. Of course, she looked like a fairy; her face and wings were
proof of that. But there was no reason to call her a princess.
Princesses always stay with their true loves, don't they? This was not
so for Morgan. She was all alone, and watching the Earth down below
made her feel even lonelier.
Long ago, in another life, Morgan had fallen in love. It was
perfect bliss, and she and her love thought that they would be together
forever. But things happen. One day, the Almighty had caught wind of
their intentions and sent them to the Judgment Gate to prove their
loyalty to each other. Even though she was happy, Morgan had doubts in
her heart that she wasn't good enough for her love. Once they passed
through the Judgment Gate, Morgan found that her love was no longer by
her side, much to her despair. Over-stricken by grief, she committed
suicide.
Fate had saw it fit to give her another chance, and so she was
reborn in the present. If she had been born to parents, they were
long-lost very quickly after her birth. Young and helpless, Morgan
would have perished had it not been for the immortals of Heaven to take
her in as their own. They selected one god to guide her through her
early years of life - Celestin.
Celestin was different from the other gods. He was a little too
idealistic, but gradually Morgan began to understand his ideals.
Through him, she learned of the events that transpired in her past
life, and he opened up her memories of them as well. At such a young
age, such things such as love didn't mean much to her. However, they
became a big deal rather quickly when Celestin was sent away to mentor
some young goddess, and Morgan was left all alone. This made her
rather bitter, as she knew that Celestin had won this new mentorship
due to his success with Morgan herself. So she left Heaven and grew up
in the dimension between Heaven and Hell - not Earth, but some humans
called it Purgatory. She could see everything that transpired on
Earth, however. And she could see her love.
She would have been fine, just staying up there and wallowing in
her misery, but her past love had to go and find a new love. Oh no.
That just wouldn't do. It wasn't his fault of course; he had no
memories of his former life. But Morgan knew what had happened. And
for him, she would stake everything. She was older now and she had
realized how important he was to her, and how he would free her from
her loneliness. This is why she decided to free Celestin, even though
he was part of the reason for her bitterness. From the rumors she had
heard, Celestin had been imprisoned for trying to destroy the Judgment
Gate. That would suit her plans perfectly.
Now, Morgan danced across the surface of the Moon, searching for
him. She could sense his presence. Finding a sharp increase in his
energy, she jumped far into the depths of the Moon. Down and down...
until she found a large machine designed to hold Celestin's soul
captive. How ineffective. She noted wryly that the security on this
thing wasn't too strong, and so she set about disabling it.
Morgan shot an energy blast into the heart of the machine, which
began to come to life. Drat. It needed to be activated. She flew
over to the machine's heart and grabbed hold as the wind started to
blow out of control. Clinging on tight, she traced over the keywords
to activate the machine. At the end, she flew off from the force, but
by then the machine had already released its center, where Celestin was
imprisoned.
The sand blew away to reveal Celestin's capsule. With him by
her side, there was hope. Both wished for the elimination of the
Judgment Gate. Without the Judgment Gate, Morgan and her love could be
re-united once more. After all, the only reason they were separated
was because of that accursed blockade.
"You, the guided one who holds the same wish... my powers have
been frozen, so lend me yours," Celestin's voice came from the capsule.
"You incurred the gods' wrath and have been in such a
predicament. What more are you trying to do now?"
"You should know, if we are of the same mind."
Morgan pressed the capsule against her chest as she floated back
to the Moon's surface. Thinking of her love, she allowed the capsule
containing Celestin's soul to infuse onto her skin. Yes... together
they would change the hands of fate, and Morgan would be happy once
more.
As per Celestin's request, Morgan disguised herself as an
ordinary female college student. Her instructions were odd: to get
close to Keiichi and his goddess girlfriend, Belldandy.
"But why?" Morgan asked Celestin.
"Those two carry the power to change the world. You will
understand in time."
"That's always your answer," Morgan grumbled, but she did
understand. It was rumored that Belldandy was one of the most powerful
goddesses, and her relationship with Keiichi was approved by Kami-sama
himself.
Still, it was quite depressing for Morgan to traverse the
college alone. Well, not all alone as one might remember that Celestin
was with her, but he wasn't quite the company. Finally, she spotted
Keiichi hanging up a club poster. After he left, Morgan casually
walked up to the bulletin board. The poster was an advertisement for
the Motor Club. That would be a good way to get to know Keiichi, at
least. There would be a demonstration of the club's activities.
Morgan wrote down the date and time.
At the demonstration, Morgan hid herself within the crowd to
scope out the scene. Nothing was too intimidating, really. Just a
bunch of boring old vehicles. But where were Keiichi and Belldandy?
Suddenly, a sidecar blazed around the corner and stopped in
front of the crowd. The riders got off and removed their helmets --
they were Belldandy and Keiichi.
Morgan decided to take advantage of the commotion their
appearance had created, so she walked up to the announcer and told her
that she would be joining the motor club. For some reason, the
announcer was so excited that she told the audience over the microphone
that a girl would be joining. Strange. The announcer was then
mobbed by a crowd of males. How vulgar, Morgan thought. Luckily, most
of them were scared away by the appearance of the Motor Club's graduate
student members.
There was a required party for new club members, so with
resignation Morgan went. She was one of only three. At first the
other members were very welcoming to the new members, but then the
actual party activities started, and Morgan was left alone again.
Well, this time it was mainly by choice. She didn't like partying, so
she sat alone in a corner. Her instructions from Celestin were to
catch Keiichi and Belldandy alone, anyway, so being apart from the
festivities enabled her to watch them more closely.
Uh-oh. Keiichi was headed her way. Don't act interested, don't
act interested.
"You don't like this kind of party?" he asked. She looked up at
him, he was holding out a glass of beverage. "Don't worry; they look
pretty weird, but they're basically good guys." Weird? *Oh,* he was
talking about those two graduate students. Morgan looked down, but
Keiichi sat down beside her. "You must be interested in motor
sports, seeing as you joined the club. Do you have a motorbike or
car?"
"Nope, not really." Not really interested motor sports, just
trying to spy on you and your girlfriend. Oh well. Keiichi was
dragged off by one of the graduate students, and Morgan continued to
watch the party. She noted with amusement that two girls were hanging
all over Keiichi while Belldandy was singing. Hmm. Maybe Keiichi
wasn't so close to Belldandy after all. Suddenly, the glasses holding
alcohol all burst at once. Belldandy's powers? Yes, they were.
Belldandy ran off in embarrassment. Did she do that in the best
interest of those people or because -- Ah, well, no matter. There were
other urgent matters, because Keiichi had just run out the door after
her. Morgan's muscles tensed. This was her -- their -- chance.
Morgan rose to her feet and slipped out the back door as
discreetly as she could. She transformed into her regular fairy form
and then teleported to an alley cloaked in shadows that she had scouted
out earlier. It was located opposite of the Motor Club's meeting
place, so it would avoid any suspicions that she had come from there.
Butterflies danced in her stomach as she carefully went over everything
she needed to do.
"It's time," came Celestin's whisper.
"Yes..." was Morgan's hardly-audible reply, as she let
Celestin's consciousness take over. Her soul retreated, and her body
changed shape to that of Celestin's. There. That wasn't half-bad,
actually. Here she was safe from pain and she could let Celestin do
what was needed to be done.
Celestin walked from the shadows. Belldandy ran up to him and
embraced him as Morgan lost consciousness.
Morgan blinked her own eyes open groggily. Morning already?
She focused on her surroundings and realized what Celestin had done ...
he had started his plans to distance Belldandy from Keiichi. Morgan
could see it in her mind: the confrontation with Urd, the kiss,
everything. She wiped her mouth off with a suppressed shudder. *Her*
-- Belldandy ... that was whom Celestin had mentored! Morgan's anger
boiled.
"How could you do that to me?!" Morgan yelled. Her eyes blazed
with tears and she threw a pillow against the wall.
"Morgan... I *love* Belldandy."
"..."
"It's nothing against you. I fell in love from the first moment
I saw her, when she was young. I saw her purity, her innocence, and I
knew I wanted her to be mine. And I didn't want her to lose that
purity either... which is *why* I am trying to make a new system for this
world." Celestin's voice sounded sad. "I need your help, because I
know I can count on you."
"But you also want Belldandy for yourself."
"That's right."
Morgan collapsed on the bed and sighed. "That'll do." She
glanced at her watch. "Oh, just in time for school." She resumed her
human disguise and left her apartment.
She pretended to pay attention during all of her class lectures.
After school, she headed to the Motor Club, curious to see the results
of Celestin's actions. Belldandy had amnesia. Celestin was truly a
genius. Morgan would have to be sure that Belldandy remained afflicted
so that everything would go according to plan.
The Motor Club members had other worries, however, because
Belldandy and Keiichi were supposed to be in next week's race.
"What a drag," Chihiro sighed. "There's only six days until the
race. And it's a mixed race, so it's not like anyone can replace her.
Sora-chan, do you wanna try?"
"I can't!" Sora interjected.
Chihiro looked depressed. "Who can replace Belldandy...?"
"Shall I go in the race?" Morgan asked.
The entire club trooped out to the track, with Keiichi and
Morgan suited up in racing uniforms.
"Do you know how to ride?" Keiichi asked.
"More or less, since I watched the other day," Morgan replied.
"It's just like that. You can go faster or slower, depending on
the passenger. That's what makes the sidecar so much fun. In other
words, the driver trusts the passenger, and opens up the throttle."
"You're saying you're going to trust me, too?" Morgan's hopes
ballooned.
"I have to. That's how this machine works," Keiichi replied
jovially. Morgan's hopes sank. They both put their helmets on and
started off.
The ride was exhilarating, if you were into that kind of thing.
Morgan's first reaction was one of boredom, since she could attain the
same speed just by flying, and with less effort as well. But gradually
she began to enjoy it, if only because she seemed to be good at it.
She and Keiichi passed the place where they had started, turned around
and then came back. Morgan took off her helmet.
"Changing the chamber was the right thing to do. It sounded
great. If you find a good partner like him, you'll be able to do even
better than now. Just like Bell-chan and Morisato-kun," Chihiro told
Morgan.
"You mean like two lovers?" Morgan asked sadly.
"Oh, we're not...!" Belldandy protested.
Exactly. Not anymore, Morgan thought.
"What's the connection between getting close to those two and
our goal?" Morgan complained as she showered. All she was seeing was
Belldandy and Keiichi, still romantically intertwined despite
Belldandy's amnesia.
"You just need to stick close to them," Celestin said. "The
time will come when you'll understand."
"Then what'll happen?" Morgan asked.
"This is all to realize your wish, and achieve my goal,"
Celestin replied.
Good. That was the way things should be.
Morgan discovered that Belldandy was still planning on being in
the race, despite her amnesia. She couldn't let that happen, not after
how well she had raced with Keiichi the other day. And it had been
fun, too, although Morgan found it hard to admit. At any rate, she
needed to find Keiichi and tell him that she had no intentions of
giving up her spot in the race.
"Excuse me. Do you know where Morisato Keiichi is?" Morgan
asked.
"Who's he? Know him?" one boy asked his friend.
"Nope," his friend replied.
"Forget it then." Morgan turned and left.
"Come on, show a little appreciation here. How about a coffee
together?"
She turned back around with a glare and shoved him away. "I'm
done with you."
Morgan finally found Keiichi in a German class. She walked
right on in and up to his seat. "I've been looking for you. We need to
talk," she said as she pulled him out of his seat. Morgan, Keiichi,
and Belldandy went to the hallway outside. "I want to go in the race
as well," Morgan continued.
"What?!" Keiichi exclaimed, surprised.
Morgan gestured to Belldandy. "She can't go in it, right?."
"We're going to practice, so she can go in it," Keiichi
responded.
Gotta deter him somehow, Morgan thought. "Practicing will be a
waste of time."
"We won't know until we try! Even if she has amnesia, she's
still Belldandy!" Keiichi said.
"Then time us both, and see which is faster," Morgan said with
conviction.
They went back to the track, where Morgan was paired up with
Keiichi's sister, Megumi. The race was close, but Keiichi and
Belldandy still won.
"We almost had it, huh. When they're in sync, no one stands a
chance against them," Megumi said. Morgan looked unhappy.
"I don't want to get close to those two anymore," Morgan said to
herself.
"Why are you jealous?" Celestin asked.
"Jealous? I got rid of that emotion long ago," Morgan
practically sneered.
"Then what is it?"
"I don't know!!" Morgan shouted. Realizing she was making a
scene in public, she lowered her voice. "Is this really going to
create a new world?"
"Her love for someone will open a window to a new world. She's
already started to feel that way. In the same way that your feelings
are beginning to waver."
"Are you ready?" Celestin asked Morgan, back at the apartment.
"As ready as I'm going to be," Morgan replied.
"This might be a tough fight, so feel free to..."
"I know." Lose consciousness again. But this time, Morgan
wanted to have some control over the events that would transpire.
She let Celestin take over her body, and together as a light
they flew over to the temple where the goddesses and Keiichi lived.
Belldandy took note of the light and followed it to a shopping mall,
where Celestin revealed himself.
The first events were predictable, Morgan thought. Celestin
opened Belldandy's memories of their time together that was abruptly
cut short. These memories had a profound effect on Belldandy, causing
her to lose control of her powers when Urd threatened to hurt Celestin.
However, Keiichi soon arrived on the scene, who brought Belldandy to
her senses. The force of her power knocked Keiichi, Urd, and Skuld
out. Skuld quickly came to, and she was furious. Morgan was more
worried about Keiichi, so she summoned her willpower to regain control
of her body. Still in Celestin's form, she started walking down the
stairs to see if Keiichi was all right. Skuld had no intention of
letting Celestin by, however.
"This is your fault..." Skuld sniffed. "This is your fault...!
Idiot!!" She lashed out with her power, and in her weakened state,
Morgan was blown back into the large TV screen above. Celestin
relinquished control as she teleported outside.
Morgan resumed her form as she landed on top of a building,
holding her arm in pain and dropping to her knees. She gritted her
teeth.
"Now the gods will take action," Celestin said.
"And then it'll all be over," Morgan shivered.
"No, it'll be just the beginning," Celestin remarked.
Morgan looked worriedly in the direction from which they had
come. "Well, you're on your own from here."
"What?"
"I can't take this anymore. I... you made me hurt *him.* She
said it was my fault... so I don't want a part of it anymore. Everything
will still go to plan, but I... I..."
"I knew this would happen." Celestin's capsule loosened its
hold on Morgan's chest, and she picked it up with her hand with a sad
smile.
"Thank you for understanding."
Morgan went to the Motor Club house and sat on the stairs, just
as she had done on that first night. So much had changed since then.
She didn't even know if she could trust Celestin anymore. Keiichi and
Belldandy were only getting closer, not drifting apart. Everything was
going wrong.
Keiichi walked into the room and noticed blood on the floor, and
then he saw her. "Morgan! Where'd this blood come from?" He came
over to her. "What happened?!"
Morgan offered a shaky smile. "You seem to be all right."
Thank goodness, she thought.
"Forget me; you've got to worry about yourself!" Keiichi
replied.
"That's okay..." He's concerned for me? she wondered.
"Let's go to the medical room," Keiichi said firmly.
"Are you worried about me?"
"That's not the important thing here! Hurry!" He pulled her
up.
Up in the nurse's office, Morgan sat on the patient's chair as
Keiichi took a box of bandages out of the cabinet. "I'll just put on a
bandage, then you go to the hospital." He saw her bloody arm and
jumped with shock. "That's serious!" Softly, he cleaned up the wound,
but Morgan winced in pain anyway. "Sorry." He started wrapping the
wound.
"I used to have someone I loved. But we were forced to stay
apart. I feel funny seeing the two of you together. Maybe you two can
overcome the obstacles I couldn't. I can't stand the thought of that.
Because that'll make my relationship seem insignificant. But what I'm
trying to do seems to result in quite the opposite. It's like I'm
helping you and Belldandy." Keiichi was taken aback by this. "Why...
what for...? I don't know anymore."
"Morgan..."
"If this world were to change, would you fall in love with me?
Would you make my dream come true?"
"I'm not really following you, but I can tell you've been hurt.
Still, it's not something material that you want, right?"
"Belldandy will become Celestin's girl no matter what you do.
And you'll be left alone."
"What are you talking about?" Keiichi asked, bewildered that
Morgan knew about Celestin.
"The world is about to change. That's why I've come here. And
this is my new start..." Morgan leaned in and kissed Keiichi deeply. She
had Celestin's capsule in her hand, and she pressed this onto Keiichi's
hand.
He broke away and exclaimed, "Are you the one who erased
Belldandy's memories?!" Morgan changed back to her fairy form.
"Morgan! Wait!" Keiichi called after her as she flew out the window and
disappeared.