Oh My God

by TFahey2

This is a fan fic by Brett Handy I am posting With his permission. A self insert Fanfic of BrettxUrd. Brett gets a wish and becomes a God.

Note:

I do not own this story. I am posting this story with the permission of Brett Handy. This is one of the greatest Oh My Goddess stories I have every read.

Hope you enjoy!

Once again Thank you Brett, I salute you!

XD

Author's Forward:

This is a compiled version of my OMGod FanFic - I've done a little editing.. correcting a few errors that I've made and changing some of the grammar - no big changes...

Firstly - before you read this you should be informed that it's a story that deals with the author putting himself into his story... many people object to this kinda FanFic..
now that is their opinion and they are certinally entitled to voice it whenever that want to. So if you are a member of this group that doesn't like what I term 'self-indulgant'
FanFics... DON'T READ ANY FURTHER.. if you do.. you'll be sorry...

As for everyone else... enjoy..

-Brett (14/7/96)

This all started one sunny afternoon, it was a beautiful day outside, the birds were singing, it was hot, perfect for a swim. Where was I, well, as usual I was tucked away in my room, hunched over a computer screen...

"Finding new places is getting hard", I thought to myself. Here I was going through my lists of internet sites,
looking (in vain) for a site which I hadn't already plundered of interesting files.

"Hey, Brett!", called a voice.

It was my sister (of course), interrupting me in the middle of something that could, ahh, well some day be considered important. "Are you coming to the pool with us or not?", she asked, sticking her head around the doorway.

"Naw Jan, you go ahead, there's a few things I want to check out first", I replied.

She sighed, "Well, it's your loss, I'll see you tonight",
she said, heading out the front door. I am in the lucky position of living downstairs, a place that is not only spacious, but also walks straight out into the yard (very good when you sometimes come home at 3 in the morning).

I stood and walked over to the window, for a moment I considered calling out and asking her to wait. The call stuck in my throat, I really didn't feel like going out with her friends.

I walked back to the computer and sat down again. Not really caring what I was doing, I pulled up my web-browser and started flicking through a few links. I must have spent about twenty minutes just browsing, before something caught my eye.

ENTER THE PEARLY GATES (.)

Well it looked interesting, so I followed the link, not really knowing what to expect. The picture on the screen blanked out suddenly, replaced with a shimmering pink-gold background. "Nice effect", I thought. The brightness gradually lowered, I was marvelling at the unique way it faded. The background was gradually replaced with a picture of a woman. She looked to be in her mid twenty's, had a mane of silver hair and a piercing gaze. She was looking straight out of the screen at me.

"Well at least they're using nice graphics", I said,
admiring the figure on the screen. Two things should have tipped me off at this stage, the first was that usually images of this quality take time to download the second was the way the woman's eyes seemed to follow my movement.

"Thank you", said the computer, in a *very* female voice. I looked at my computer in shock. I must have been using it for too long, I was starting to hear things.

"Your not hearing things", said the voice again. Suddenly the image reached out towards me, pushing slightly as it encountered the monitor's screen. A delicate hand lay before me. "Well?", the voice asked again. Not knowing what else to do I took the hand and pulled.

A well formed arm followed the hand, and the body that followed the arm was definitely.. ahem.. quite 'well formed'
as well. The woman looked around thoughtfully and then proceeded to study me, the same way I used to study laboratory mice, back in high-school. "I am Urd", she said, "A Goddess".

I stumbled backwards, my legs catching on the bed. Sitting down heavily, I did all the usual things one would do in such a situation (that is.. I pinched myself, checked my glasses etc...). "Ahh, how did you do that?", I asked, not really being able to think of anything else.

She looked at me disgustedly, "I told you 'I am a *GODDESS*", she replied.

"Well, if your a Goddess, why are you here in *my*
room?", I asked.

"Alright, here's the deal", she said, sitting down in a chair, "And listen closely because I don't want to have to repeat myself". Seeing that she had my full attention, she proceeded to explain. "I am here to grant you *one* wish",
she said.

"That's it?", I responded, expecting a much more complicated explanation.

She nodded, "Yep, that's it, you get one wish", she said,
"So what's it going to be?".

I frowned, "Umm could you give me a chance to think about it for a minute?", I asked.

She nodded, "Alright, but don't take all day, I've got places to be and things to do", she said.

With that she stood up and walked over to me bookshelves,
examining the huge library that I've collected over the years. Meanwhile my mind was in a loop, "If this is a dream or a joke, it doesn't really matter what I wish for", I thought to myself, "But, on the other hand, if it isn't...".

The woman (ahh that is to say Goddess), yawned loudly,
and sat back down, after inspecting my collection of video tapes. She sat waiting expectantly, I was getting rather nervous, I kept coming up with nothing, my mind kept turning around in circle. In desperation I decided to delay for a while. "So, ummm, how's business?", I asked.

Urd broke off her examination of my posters, "Are you trying to delay me?", she said, "I told you I've got things to do".

"What things?", I asked, trying to delay her even more.

Urd sighed, looking at her wristwatch, "Well I've got to get home soon, my sister will have made dinner and it will be getting cold", she said.

"Sister?", I asked, forgetting my contemplation of my wish.

"My younger sister, Belldandy, she's annoying sometimes,
but she can really cook", Urd replied.

"I know what you mean", I said, remembering my own sister's delicious dinners. "So what does your sister do?", I asked, getting interested in the conversation.

"Oh, at the moment, she's living with this Japanese guy named Keiichi", she replied, "But usually *she's* the one going round answering wishes".

"Is that all you goddesses do?", I asked, "answer wishes?".

Urd nodded, "Well pretty much, when we're not answering wishes, we're supposed to help out people in trouble, but after that our time is our own", she explained.

"Wow", I said, forgetting something important, "I wish I had that kind of a job".

Urd's face registered shock, as she suddenly began to glow. She suddenly raised off the ground, energy seemed to crackle around her, filling my room. Suddenly a huge beam of light shot from her, through the ceiling and into the sky.

"Your wish has been approved", Urd said in a quavering voice.

"WHAT!", I practically screamed.

Oh my God ?

An Oh My Goddess FanFic

by

Brett Handy

CHAPTER 1:

The Goddess seemed quite bewildered herself, "According to our office - you've made a contract that's been approved",
she explained.

"You've got to be joking", I spluttered, "Why.. I couldn't do a job like that.. I mean I'd have to be a...".

Urd sat chewing her lower lip, "There's got to be some mistake here", she muttered. Suddenly she snapped her fingers, "I've got it", she exclaimed, jumping up and grabbing the phone. She then proceeded to dial an impossibly complex number, my mind boggled trying to keep up with the speed she was hitting the buttons.

I shook my head, "this has got to be a joke", I thought to myself. Not knowing what else to do, I got up and had a look out of the window. As I caught my own reflection in the window something made me pause. For a moment I couldn't tell what had made me stop, then I saw it. Moving a shaking hand up to my brow, I felt the distinct outline of something like a gemstone. I jerked around and raced over to my mirror. It was there alright, just visible below my hairline. It was a light golden colour and seemed to shine the more I looked at it.

"What do you mean, *I've* got to take care of him?",
Urd was shouting into the phone, "I thought this was supposed to be a one-shot, 'grant the wish and get the hell out of there deal'".

Urd winced and held the phone slightly away from her ear. Even across the room I couldn't miss the authoritarian tone emanating from the earpiece. Urd sighed heavily (a magnificent sight in itself, but we won't go into that), "Yes sir", she finally answered, "Yes, for as long as he needs it,
and no I won't do anything to try to get out of it' she began again.

Shocked and a little (make that a lot), scared by the change in my features, I had resumed my seat at the bottom of the bed. "All I wanted to do was find some new software", I was thinking to myself morosely.

Urd hang the phone up and began pacing the room, "I can't stay here", she muttered, "If I don't keep an eye on Belldandy and Keiichi something's sure to go wrong".

I just sat meekly on the bed, my mind was totally blown. "Alright!", she said finally, "You're coming with me".

I looked up, startled, "I beg your pardon?", I said.

She looked around the room, "Throw anything you need into a bag and we'll get out of here", she said.

"But... what about my family, I can't just..", I began.

Urd snorted, "Just leave them a note, saying that you'll be gone for a few days - that should be enough time to sort this mess out", she said.

I sighed, not knowing what else to do I followed her instructions. Leaving a note for my family, I also called a friend and let him know that I would be gone for a few days. "Why, what's up?", Hubert replied, to my jumbled explanation.

"Never mind, I just need to get away", I said, noticing Urd was tapping her foot impatiently.

"Oh come on Brett, you can tell me", he insisted.

"Look, can you just tell my sister or parents, that I'm staying with you if they call?", I asked again.

Urd stomped over to the phone, snatching it out of my hand, "Look just do as he asks", she said into it angrily.

Snatching it back quickly, I was met with silence on the other end. "Hello?, are you still there?", I asked,
wondering if he had hung up.

"You sly devil!", Hubert exclaimed, "No wonder you never wanted me to fix you up with a girlfriend... ", then remembering what the conversation was about he quickly agreed to take care of any questions from my family.

I hung up the phone with a sigh, "This will take a bit of explaining when I get back", I thought to myself. Grabbing up my bag, I turned to a now very-impatient Goddess.

"Well *finally*!", she said, grabbing onto my hand and walking over to the computer.

"Uhhh, I don't think I'll fit in that", I said to her as she prepared to jump back onto the screen.

She gave me a flat stare, "Trust me", was all that she said. Suddenly I found myself on the other side of the computer.

I'll say one thing for travelling behind the screen, it's certainly not boring. We whizzed along circuit paths,
sometimes stopping to let other travellers pass. That's something that I also found incredible, there are actually hundreds of, well people in there. We had just gotten to the junction where information flows outwards from Australia to the rest of the world, when I finally realised how much goes on behind the scenes.

Urd had decided to stop for a rest, we were sitting somewhere in a database on a large mainframe when I finally got around to asking about all the other travellers. "Oh,
there other gods/goddess etc, all providing wishes or services for mortals", she explained.

From what I gathered, since the expansion of the internet, the Goddess Relief Office and a number of other heavenly (and other) services had decided that using the net for transport was the best way to get around. I guess progress follows progress, where once gods and goddesses had to fly themselves to where they wanted to go, now they just hitchhiked on the super-highway.

{Authors Note: No I *don't like the phrase 'information super highway' - but it seemed to fit in here...}

Anyway, while it seemed like we travelled for hours, Urd later told me that it only took a few seconds to travel from my home in Australia, all the way to Japan. I must say this,
it's certainly a unique way to travel.

Well when we had finally reached our destination, I had my first experience with looking at someone from the other side of the monitor. In this case, it was a young girl, she was sitting typing away at her terminal. Urd and I appeared suddenly from out of the screen, "Hello Sis", Urd greeted her.

"Oh... hello Urd", she said (as if this was an everyday thing - and I was to find out later that it *was*). Then she noticed me, "Who is this?", she asked, "Another poor fool,
who's fallen for your 'love' potions?".

Urd winced, "I told you that wasn't my fault, I got the wrong dosage...", she said.

"Oh right", said her sister sarcastically, "You 'accidentally' give the guy enough for one *hundred*
doses...".

I stuck out my hand quickly, "G'day, the name's Brett".

The young girl looked at my hand suspiciously for a moment before returning the handshake, "I'm Skuld", she said.

Urd turned and walked over to the door, "Where's Belldandy?", she asked Skuld, "I need her help".

Skuld smiled maliciously, "Oh, our sister's *out* at the moment", she said, "Why what's wrong this time?".

Urd snorted, "Never mind", she replied. "Come on, let's find you a room", she said, dragging me out of the room.

I smiled apologetically at Skuld and followed Urd from the room. Something about the situation struck me as strange (well actually the whole situation was bloody weird.. but this stood out), the whole previous conversation had been in Japanese - I didn't speak Japanese! Ignoring that fact for a moment I followed my reluctant hostess down a small corridor. She opened a sliding door, "Here, this is your room", she said, grabbing my bag and throwing it inside.

I was about to protest the treatment of my stuff, when I heard a motorcycle pull up outside. Urd quickly ran from the room, leaving me to trail along behind her. I walked through the house more slowly, looking around, absorbing the feel of everything. Now I've got no idea what a *traditional*
Japanese home looks like, but I got the feel that this was something close. The walls were, for the most part, a kind of paper and the floor seemed to be rather unusual. I headed in the general direction that Urd had disappeared in.

I finally came to a wide veranda and took my first look at the outside of the house. It looked like a rather large Temple. I wondered at the statues and buildings, it all looked so incredibly peaceful. Then I shook myself, "Where else would a Goddess live?", I thought.

I then noticed a rather dispirited Urd sitting on the steps leading out into the courtyard. I walked up beside her,
"What's wrong?", I asked.

She stood suddenly, "I'm afraid that my sister has decided to visit heaven for a few days", she said, "According to Keiichi she won't be back until Friday".

I frowned, "Who's Keiichi?", I asked.

My question was answered a few seconds later as a young guy came around the corner of the building. At first I thought he was just a young kid, because of his height. But then I noticed that he was carrying a set of keys and wearing a motorcycle helmet. He was also carrying a pile of groceries bigger than himself.

Urd made no move to help him, so I grabbed up the top few packages, just before they could fall. "Thank's Urd", he began. Then he noticed that it was *not* Urd in front of him. He looked at me awkwardly for a moment before I introduced myself, "Hello, the name's Brett", I said, bowing slightly because my hands were full of groceries.

The young man nodded, "I'm Keiichi", he said, "Not that I mind the help, but what are you doing here?".

I shrugged, "You'll have to ask her that", I said,
indicating Urd with a flick of my head.

Keiichi's face took on a pained expression, "What has she done now?", he asked.

Urd stood up indignantly, "This is *not* my fault!", she said, before heading inside and slamming the door.

I exchanged a long look with Keiichi, his look was one of sympathy, "Come on, you can explain inside", he said, making his way up the steps.

"And I thought that *I'd* made a mistake", Keiichi muttered under his breath. I'd just finished filling him in on what my situation was. We had unpacked all the groceries and were sitting on the front steps talking.

I sighed, looking up at the afternoon sky, "I'm really in trouble", I said, "My family's going to start worrying about me if I don't get back within a few days".

Keiichi nodded, "Well Bell-chan should be back before they get too worried and I'm *sure* she'll be able to work this out", he said confidently.

"Bell-chan?", I asked.

Keiichi blushed slightly, "Umm yeah, well Belldandy and I are.. ummm", he began.

Taking the hint I nodded, "That's ok, I was just a little confused - I woke up this morning not knowing how to speak Japanese", I explained.

Keiichi's eyes widened, "But... you're speaking it so well, without even an accent", he said.

I shrugged, "It must be Urd's doing", I said.

He nodded and got to his feet, "Well, you're welcome to stay, as long as you need to", he said, walking inside.

I smiled, "Thanks mate", I replied.

"I heard the accent that time!", Keiichi called from inside.

I just sat and looked up at the slowly darkening sky.

CHAPTER 2:

I must have sat for about an hour, turning things over in my mind, before Keiichi called out that dinner was ready. Looking up at the stars for a final time, I headed inside.

Urd and Keiichi were already sitting at the table, eating ravenously. I joined them (finding sitting on the floor to eat a new experience), and after a moment Sklud brought out her meal and my own.

Looking at the offered food I suddenly realised that I was *famished*. I gobbled down the meal quickly, hardly pausing for breath. I don't know what everyone thought of my table-manners, but at the time I didn't really care. I think I enjoyed Sklud's cooking - but I can't really remember what it tasted like (or even what it was!).

Urd and Keiichi finished their own meals and sat back contentedly, "Your getting better, Sklud", Urd commented.

I smiled, "Yes, I really enjoyed it", I commented.

Skuld looked at me disgustedly, "Oh we *never* would have guessed", she said sarcastically.

Keiichi finished up his meal and the two Goddesses proceeded to clean up the dishes. I offered to help but Keiichi insisted that I was a guest and I shouldn't trouble myself.

The rest of the evening passed pretty quickly and surprisingly I found myself rather sleepy. Excusing myself I headed back to the room that Urd had stuck me in. Making myself comfortable on the strange bed I drifted into a restless sleep.

I was woken rather rudely the next morning by the shouts and screams of two goddesses arguing. "I'm telling you, it's not my fault!", screamed Urd.

"Oh sure, you were in too much of a hurry and approved a wish that was only a slip of the tongue!", replied Skuld sarcastically (obviously enjoying being the aggressor in the argument).

Finally they degenerated into insults, before Keiichi broke them up. "Why do I have the feeling that things aren't going to get better quickly?", I thought to myself. Standing up I marvelled at how refreshed I felt. "Umm must be the different kind of bed", I thought.

I rummaged through my bag for a set of clean clothes and procddeded to shower and shave. Stretching my legs, I stood and made my way to the veranda. The morning was crisp and clear, I took in a deep breath, Keiichi noticed my appearance,
"Morning Brett-san", he greeted me.

I smiled and nodded, "Morning", I called. He disappeared around the corner of the building, carrying a huge box. Curious I followed, walking into a auto-workshop of some kind. Keiichi was sitting in the middle of the floor, sorting through some parts.

I looked over his shoulder, "Humm, what are you building?", I asked, not recognising most of the parts strewn over the floor.

"My Sempai - Tamiya, asked me to rebuild the fuel-
injection system for our drag bike", he explained, "So, I'm stuck using these old parts".

I nodded and sat down beside him, "Anything I can do to help?", I asked. While I'm not very experienced with engines - pulling apart computers has given me a knack with working on small parts.

Keiichi nodded, "Sure, see if you can sort...", he began. For the next few hours I had a lecture on how to assemble a fuel-injection system. We had finally gotten it together when I noticed something strange (actually the thing that was strange was the fact I noticed it at all). We had just finished hooking up the injection system to the bike when I glanced over the front tyre.

A strange grey spot was covering half the tyre. Curious I walked over to have a closer look. The spot was there alright - it was definitely unusual. I called Keiichi over,
"What do you make of this?", I asked, point to the grey spot.

Keiichi looked at me strangely, "It's a tyre?", he asked.

"Yeah, I *know* its a tyre", I replied sarcastically,
"But what's that grey patch?".

He glanced back at the tyre - looking closely, "I don't see any grey patch", he said.

Confused, I shrugged, "Well it must have been a trick of the light", I said, wondering if I was starting to loose it.

Keiichi nodded, "Never mind, give me a hand to get the bike on the trailer", he said.

Keiichi and I rolled the racer out onto the trailer,
strapping it down firmly. "Do you want to come along?",
Keiichi asked.

Shrugging I nodded, "Well it doesn't look like anything else is happening here", I said.

As we travelled Keiichi explained that he was in his college's auto-club. They had a big meet this weekend and their bike had to be tested. We travelled for about half an hour, towing the drag bike behind the car Keiichi's Sempai had lent him. Finally we stopped at a large race-track.

We were just unloading the bike when a pair of guys came running up. "Morisato, where have you been?", said the first fellow, grabbing Keiichi by the arm and dragging him off towards the trailer, he then proceeded to lecture Keiichi on the proper way to attach a bike to the holding clamps.

I frowned, not really liking the way he was brow-beating Keiichi. Walking over to the trio, I was surprised to notice that the grey patch that I'd had noticed earlier now covered the whole front half of the bike! "This is *really* strange",
I thought to myself.

Suddenly the two fellows stopped talking to Keiichi and looked in my direction. "You there!", called the bigger of the two, walking over.

I stood my ground (I've had lots of guy's try to intimidate me - *usually* I don't intimidate). "What are you doing, hanging round here?", he asked, eyeing me suspiciously, "You're not from the Aoshima Formula Racing Club are you?".

Keiichi stepped up beside me, "No Sempai, you see...", he began to explain.

"Be silent, Morisato.. I asked the *gaijin* a question",
he snapped.

I frowned, "I think you could be more polite to Keiichi-
san, after all he's just spent the last three hours rebuilding that fuel-injection system", I said, beginning to get a little upset at this guy's attitude.

"How would you know that?", he said, "Unless you've been *SPYING ON HIM!*", he said, grabbing me by the shoulder.

Now usually I'd have backed away from a situation like this, but for some reason I was feeling rather hostile (not angry - just hostile...). I looked the guy straight in the eye and said in my most threatening voice, "*Mate*, if you don't *bloody well* let me go now, you'll never use that hand again!", I snarled.

Keiichi was jumping up and down in frustration (literally!), "Please Sempai, Brett-san is staying at *my*
house, he's a friend of Urd's", he said desperately.

Something strange seemed to pass (like the sun moving out from behind the a cloud), "I apologise", the fellow said,
dropping his hand and smiling widely, "I don't know what happened to me, I don't usually threaten Keiichi's houseguests". His attitude had completely changed.

I grinned back at him (also not feeling hostile anymore),
"Never mind, I guess your a bit tense about this weekend's meet", I said, "Keiichi-san has been telling me about it,
while we were working on the fuel injector".

Keiichi breathed a sigh of relief and introduced me to his two friends, the big fellow was Tamiya and the guy in the leather jacket was called Ootaki. They were both senior students at NIT, and both heavily into anything to do with engines. I made the mistake of mentioning that I was studying computers and the next thing I knew I was sitting in front of some computer simulations of their bike.

After running through most of the stuff, I couldn't find anything wrong with it - but I still had a strange feeling. When I finished up with their computer (assuring them that, to my knowledge, their simulations were right-on), I went out to the track to watch Keiichi test the bike.

I was just entering the gate to the track, when Keiichi started up the bike for the first time. I frowned, something was still not right, looking around I saw that the stands were empty, except for a woman sitting high up at the back. I was making my way down the track towards Keiichi, just as he took off. Suddenly I finally realised what had been bothering me,
Keiichi's right forearm was covered in the same grey patch that was covering now covering the *whole* bike - and it was steadily making its way up his arm.

Acting on impulse (and not knowing why I was doing it at the time) I jumped forward and snagged Keiichi's right arm as he went by, throwing us both to the ground. The bike continued on its way down the track. Three seconds after I pulled Keiichi from the bike, it exploded in flames. Ootaki and Tamiya ran up to us, "Morisato!, are you alright?",
Tamiya cried.

Ootaki turned to me angrily, "Why did you do that?", he said, pointing at the wreckage of the bike, "You've destroyed our bike".

Keiichi was holding his right arm carefully, attempting to hold back tears at the pain, "It's not his fault, if Brett-
san hadn't pulled me from the bike I would have been on it when it exploded", he explained.

Tamiya and Ootaki helped Keiichi to his feet, and I examined his arm carefully, "It's broken", I said, testing it carefully.

I glanced around for someone to help, as we moved Keiichi towards the car, but the only one was the strange woman who was sitting in the stands, She was wearing a black-leather jacket and matching black jeans. She had hair that was a silvery colour and there was something *very* strange about her.

Keiichi cried out in pain as he accidentally bumped his arm on the car door and I helped him carefully to sit as comfortably as possible. I looked back as we drove away, but could see no sign of the woman.

It was very late by the time we'd returned to the temple and Keiichi had fallen asleep from the pain-killers. Tamiya and Ootaki offered to help me carry him in, but I declined their offer of help. "It's alright, I'll take care of him", I said.

"We're going to find out what happened to our bike",
Ootaki declared to me quietly, "If it was sabotage then there's going to be some revenge".

I nodded, "Let me know what you find, I'm sure Keiichi will be interested too", I said.

With that the two (rather depressed) guys drove off,
leaving me holding a sleeping Keiichi. I trudged into the temple, kicking the door open loudly.

"Keiichi!, where have you been!", began Urd angrily,
stomping out onto the veranda.

"Shhhh!", I admonished her, indicating Keiichi's condition. Urd's eyes widened in concern, noting the cast on his arm. I carried him upstairs and into his room, laying him gently on his bed.

The two Goddesses hovered around (no *not* literally this time) anxiously, examining Keiichi's sleeping form. I left the room, leaving him to their examinations. For some reason, I was feeling *very* tired again. I stumbled back into my room, only managing to get my head on the pillow before I fell into a restless sleep.

I woke slowly the next morning, ignoring the sounds of activity outside. I tried to sort out what I had seen yesterday. The grey patch on the bike had grown gradually,
but I actually saw the grey patch growing on Keiichi's arm before I grabbed him. "It must be a kind of warning thing", I thought, wondering why *I* of all people would start seeing things like that, "I'll have to keep an eye out for any more of them in the future". Again, I was feeling refreshed after a good nights sleep (and only slightly hungry), so as I got up and moved into the bathroom to have a shower and shave.

I had just finished my shower and was about to start shaving when I noticed something strange, I didn't need to. I ran a hand over my jaw, and noticed that it was still smooth. This was *very* disconcerting, I'd been shaving daily for a while now and was a bit concerned in this change in routine. Taking a closer look at my face, I noticed that the strange gem-like object that had appeared was suddenly no-longer a solid thing. It appeared to be a part of my skin - something was most definitely wrong. I was contemplating the changes when a swirling began deep within the mirror.

Shocked I took a few steps backwards, a moment later a woman stepped through the mirror, she seemed slightly out of breath. "Where's Keiichi-san?", she asked quickly.

Not really knowing what else to do I pointed in the direction of Keiichi's room. Obviously understanding where to go the young woman raced from the room. "That's gotta be Belldandy", I thought to myself. Looking down at my towel-
clad body I gave thanks that she didn't arrive a few minutes earlier.

Shrugging on my last set of clean clothes I brushed my hair down carefully, to cover the strange marking and headed out to see how Keiichi was doing. I got five steps towards Keiichi's door when a *very* upset pair of Goddesses greeted me.

"Keiichi tells me that *you* broke his arm!", Urd accused, advancing towards me.

Skuld was two steps behind her, holding a rather large mallet of some kind. I began backing away holding up my hands in a gesture of surrender, "Well, umm yes, you see...", I began.

I caught a faint glimmer of grey on the floor at my feet. Needing no further encouragement I jumped to the side, as Skuld's mallet impacted where I'd been standing.

"After we take you into our home", Urd snarled, hurling an object in my direction. Not wanting to find out what was it was I decided to make my exit. I raced out the front door,
only a few steps ahead of the tumbling object I now recognised as a bottle.

I was about to race down the front stairs when I saw they they covered in a shimmering grey light. Cutting to my left I winced at the sound of an explosion behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw a large crater where the steps used to be. I jumped the railing and landed on the ground running (I must admit - I've never been much of a runner, but I guess some things *really* encourage you to do your best).

"How the hell am I supposed to fight two (or even a single) angry Goddesses?", I thought to myself, reaching Keiichi's auto-shop.

Stopping to catch my breath I again caught sight of another growing grey patch, it was centred on the door to the shop and was steadily moving across the floor towards me. I took several steps back, deciding that I should stand my ground (and the thought had occurred to me that they might just hunt me down and kill me later...). Placing myself outside the ring of grey, I stood and waited.

A few seconds later, the door blew inwards in a fiery explosion (I made a mental note that the destruction stopped at the exact point the grey patch did). I raised my hands again, "Stop, please and let me explain", I begged.

Urd was breathing deeply, holding up another bottle ready to throw and Skuld had an even *larger* mallet than before. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't blow you back 'down-
under'?", Urd asked angrily.

Fortune smiled on me at that moment, Keiichi appeared from the main house, followed by the young lady I had seen earlier. "Urd, Skuld, stop that!", he called, seeing them about to finish me off.

Urd lowered her bottle reluctantly, "But you said...",
she started.

Keiichi awkwardly jumped down where the steps used to be,
"Brett-san broke my arm", he finished for her.

"Yes.. ", she said, her eyes getting angry again.

Keiichi cut her off quickly, "You left before I could explain: Brett-san broke my arm, saving me from an exploding motorbike", he said.

Urd and Skuld took a moment to digest that news before grinning sheepishly, "I guess we over-reacted", Skuld admitted, looking at her 'mega-mallet'.

Urd smiled weekly too, "I'm sorry Brett", she said,
turning to me, "I misunderstood".

Skuld echoed her a moment later, "I'm sorry too", she said, bowing.

I breathed a sigh of relief and looked around at the damage that had been done, wondering how sorry they would have been had any of those attacks managed to hit me. "That's alright", I said, "next time, just give me a chance to explain before you try to kill me".

The young lady (who had been silent up until this point)
bowed to me, "Thank you for taking care of Keiichi-san for me", she said, "I'm Belldandy".

I smiled and nodded, "I kind of guessed that", I replied,
"and I'm sorry I couldn't help him without injuring him".

Keiichi rubbed his good hand up behind his head, "Oh that's alright", he said, "Bell-chan here will fix me up, good as new".

I followed the others back up the path to the house and then stopped as Belldandy suddenly halted in front of the ruined stairs. I was wondering what she was doing when I suddenly saw tendrils of mist (or what looked like mist to my untrained eye), gathering around her. She began chanting in a strange language (I later found out it was ancient Nordic) and making unusual patterns in the air in front of herself.

I stood shock still - feeling the hair on my arms raise,
as a strange form of energy seemed to fill the air. I kept watching Belldandy as she completed her intricate motions, the energy I had felt (and seen) building in her suddenly shot outwards. I watched amazed as the bits of broken step and veranda pulled themselves back together, mending seamlessly. I was observing warily as the energy dissipated, "Oh, did I do something wrong", Belldandy asked, glancing at my bemused expression.

I shook my head, "Uh.. no never mind", I mumbled,
following them inside.

We all made our way to the main living/dining room and sat down to talk. Firstly Urd explained to Belldandy what had been going on in her absence. Keiichi joined in, telling Belldandy about what had happened at the racetrack. To be honest, I felt like some 'prize exhibit', sitting there listening to people (who had been total strangers three days ago) describe me.

Belldandy smiled graciously (how does she seem to keep that radiant expression, *sigh*), "Brett-san, I would like to aid you in your studies", she said.

I frowned, "Umm, what studies?", I asked.

Belldandy turned to Urd, "You didn't tell him?", she asked.

Urd shrugged, "I figured that he'd work it out for himself", she replied.

"Oh, sister", Belldandy said, shaking her head.

Getting slightly upset I repeated my question, "What studies?", I insisted.

Urd looked slightly embarrassed, "Umm, well I've been assigned to help you learn how to be a god", she said.

"A WHAT?", I replied, disbelieving.

It was later that afternoon when I met Keiichi's sister,
Megumi. I was sitting on the (now repaired) front steps,
marvelling at how well Belldandy's spell had worked out, when I spotted a person walking through the temple gates. She was wearing some kind of sports uniform and was carrying a baseball bat on her shoulder.

She seemed to be lost in thought, walking up the front steps and past me without a word. She had just removed her shoes, about to enter the house when she realised that I was sitting there. "Who are you?", she asked, examining me closely.

I smiled, "I'm a friend of Urd's", I replied.

She seemed a bit dubious, "Oh really?", she said, "Well the next question would be: 'what are you doing here?'".

I shrugged, "I'm staying here for a few days", I answered, "and you are?".

She seemed satisfied with my responses, "I'm Keiichi's sister, Megumi", she said.

I stood, "Well, don't mind me", I said, "I'm harmless".

She looked me up and down, carefully. "That's a shame",
she replied, turning and going inside.

I shrugged and made my way back to my room. To my surprise Urd was waiting for me, "Oh there you are", she said,
"Time to start your training".

I looked at her suspiciously, "No exploding bottles this time?", I asked.

Urd blushed slightly, "Look, I already apologised about that", she began.

I sat on the floor beside the bed, "I know, I'm just teasing", I said, trying to lighten the mood.

Urd shook her head, "Your not helping", she said,
"Firstly, you need to get a bit of background on what it means to be a God".

I nodded, "Alright, lay it on me", I said.

She pointed to a high stack of books that looked suspiciously like textbooks (*very* thick textbooks). I groaned, "You've got to be kidding", I said.

Urd grinned maliciously, "Nope, when you've finished reading all that, then I'll get on to teaching you techniques", she said, making her way to the door.

I suddenly realised something, "How long will it take me to learn this properly?", I asked.

Urd shrugged, "Oh, not much more than six months", she said.

I believe that my next response was words to the effect of 'you've got to be joking', well the words I used aren't *that* important.

CHAPTER 3:

Dawn was just breaking over the temple, turning the sky a beautiful lavender colour. The few wisps of clouds were a shimmering silver and the outlook for the day was clear.

I yawned mightily after having spent the night reading. I set down the heavy book, finally having finished it after reading all night. Glancing over at the remaining dozen or so I despaired of ever getting through them. It had been three days since my arrival here at the temple, and I knew that my time here was limited. If I didn't return home soon, my family would be freaking out - not only that, I had run out of clean clothes.

Laying down on the strange bed (which I now recognise as being named a 'futon'), I went over the possibilities. I must have spent about three hours, just lying and thinking, before Keiichi came to fetch me for breakfast. "Morning Brett-san",
he greeted me cheerfully, "Bell-chan has made a wonderful breakfast for us all".

I nodded and got to me feet, noticing that he was much better than yesterday. "How's the arm?", I asked him, as we made our way to the dining room.

Keiichi grinned, "It's fixed now, Bell-chan healed it for me last night", he said.

I glanced at the cast on his arm, "Really?", I asked.

Keiichi nodded again, "I'm only wearing the cast so that people won't think it's strange that it healed overnight", he explained.

I nodded, accepting his explanation. We sat down to a delicious meal cooked by Belldandy - and I have to say her cooking is at least as good as my mothers (who used to teach cooking professionally). I sat back contentedly, "That was wonderful", I exclaimed.

Everyone nodded their agreement, before the table was cleared away. As everyone split up to pursue their particular days activities I followed Skuld back to her room. I knocked on the doorframe, "Excuse me Skuld?", I called, "may I talk to you?".

I got an affirmative grunt and took it to mean yes. Slipping up behind her I observed her for a moment before talking, she was using her computer to log into some complicated mainframe. I sat down beside her to watch, her fingers danced effortlessly over the keys (oh yes, this was exactly what I had in mind).

"Would you mind if I ask a personal question?", I inquired.

She gave me a short nod.

"Have you done much hacking?", I asked, as conversationally as possible.

As expected this got her attention right away, "What!",
she cried, looking up.

"Oh come on", I said, glancing at her system, "With that kind of system you've probably been into the Pentagon's computers".

She snorted, "Piece of cake", she said, turning back to her screen, "Its those big corporations that are a real challenge".

I nodded, "Well that being the case", I said carefully,
"Would you mind doing me a little favour?".

Skuld looked up, "Such as?", she asked.

I grabbed a chair to steady myself as Urd and I re-
appeared in my room. I listened carefully, making sure that everyone was out. Hearing nothing I relaxed and threw my bag onto the bed.

"Just remember, you owe me for this", Urd said, fingering her clothes. She was dressed in a business suit, her hair tied back in a respectable pony-tail. "I can't understand why I have to wear this get-up", she said, for the tenth time.

I sighed, "I told you, if anyone asks, your from the student exchange program, here to pick me up".

She nodded, "Yeah I get it, but without any proof, how are we supposed to convince anyone?', she asked.

I smiled, "Leave that to me", I said confidently.

Glancing around my room, I grabbed a fresh change of clothes and headed in for a quick shower. By the time I'd gotten back downstairs, I found that half my stuff was already packed.

"Ahh, thanks Urd", I said, "But I can handle that". She had packed my stuff into a bunch of large boxes. I frowned slightly, not realising how much stuff I had accumulated over the years. Urd shrugged and sat back down in a chair.

I went through my collection of books - realising that there was *no* chance of bringing them all. Settling on a few of the best, I dumped them into another box. It took me less than half an hour to get everything ready, and it took Urd less than a second to transport it all to my room in the Temple.

I sighed looking at the remains of my room, it had taken me nearly three years of work to get it just right, "Oh well",
I thought, "It's only temporary".

It was at this stage my (dare I use the phrase *little*,
she's about six foot two) sister, Jan, got back home. "Where have you been, Brett?", she asked worriedly, "Mum and Dad have been worried sick".

I nodded, "Sorry about that, I'll explain everything when they get home", I replied. Jan was looking at Urd curiously,
"Who's this?", she asked.

Urd smiled, "My name's Urd, I'm with the Japanese Student Exchange Program", she said sticking out her hand.

Jan's eyes widened, "Exchange program?", she said in a confused tone, then she took a look at my room, noticing that just about everything was missing.

She turned to me in shock, "*your* moving out?", she asked in a small voice.

I nodded, "Its probably only for six months or so", I replied, glancing at Urd suspiciously.

Urd retained her pose of 'unconcerned official', relaxing back in her chair.

Jan was still quite shocked and grabbed me by the arm,
pulling me outside, "Excuse us", she said to Urd.

She practically towed me upstairs, into the lounge room,
"Ok, tell me what your doing", she commanded.

I shrugged, "I've been accepted into a student exchange program", I explained (sweating slightly), "I'm moving to Japan for a few months".

Jan raised her eyebrows dubiously, "Oh, and when did you enrol?", she asked.

"Oh not long ago", I said, "I've got a place waiting for me at the Nekgmi Institute of Technology".

She sighed and sat down on a couch, "You've got to be kidding", she said again, "*You* in Japan, you don't even speak the language".

I was struggling to maintain my composure, "Well look at it this way", I said, attempting to lighten the mood, "At least this means that *you* get my room".

Her interest sparked up slightly (we've been fighting over my room since I moved into it - but I'm bigger than she is...), "Well, I hope you know what your doing", she said.

I nodded and turned to go back down stairs, "Well, I've got some things to do in the city", I said, "I'll be back before dark".

"Righto", Jan said, moving towards her own room (undoubtable working out the best way to shift her stuff downstairs).

When I finally got out of the Japanese Embassy I found Urd waiting for me in her regular clothes (that is to say she was looking rather... Umm.. well - this is Urd, you get the idea). "How did you get all that?", she asked curiously.

"Not important", I said, "We've only got one stop left before we head back to my place".

Urd sighed, "*another* place, we've already visited half the buildings in the city", she complained, "I'm getting hungry".

I nodded, "Well I won't take too long..".

Urd trudged along after me, (I neglected to tell her that our next destination was across town...) and her complaints dropped off after I promised to buy her lunch. We took a short cut through the Botanical Gardens and this seemed to pick up her spirits a bit. "Nice variety of plants", she commented.

I nodded, "Yeah I like coming here to relax sometimes", I replied.

We were just passing through the centre of the city, when Urd spotted a restaurant that caught her eye. "Well, let's have lunch in here then", she said, grabbing my arm and pulling me inside.

It was only after sitting down at our table that I realised exactly what restaurant we were at. "God, please don't let him be working here today", I thought to myself.

"Hello, my name is Hubert and I'll be your waiter", came a voice from behind be. I shuddered slightly and turned around, "Hello Hubert", I said.

I don't think he could have been more shocked if I'd grown an extra head. He stood shock-still for a moment, then he looked at Urd and back at me. "Uh, hello Brett", he replied, "Who's your friend?".

I sighed, "This is Urd", I explained.

Urd reached out her hand, "I'm with the Japanese Student Exchange Program", she said.

Hubert shook her hand slowly, "Exchange program?", he asked.

I kicked Urd under the table to silence her response,
"Yes, I've been accepted for a transfer to Japan and I'm moving to there for six months", I explained. After he had recovered from the shock of *that* statement, he took our orders and walked away to get our drinks.

Urd was rubbing her shin, "What did you kick me for?",
she demanded in a whisper.

I sighed, "You figure it out for yourself", I said,
"What's Hubert going to say now to my friends now?". Seeing her blank expression I continued, switching my voice to a poor imitation of Hubert', "Oh I saw Brett and this knockout-
looking Babe in the city and he's moving to Japan with her...".

Urd nodded, "I see what you mean", she said. Then she thought for a moment, "You think I'm a knockout?", she asked.

I blushed slightly, "Uhh, well", I said unintelligently.

It was just at that moment that Hubert returned, "Here's your drink Brett", he said placing it in front of me. "And one for the 'Knockout'", he said smiling at Urd (I think I must have turned a bright crimson at that point).

"I'll bring your meals over when they're ready", he said turning and winking at me, "Enjoy yourselves". The less said about the rest of lunch, the better.

A five minute walk later we were at my final destination in Brisbane city. Urd sighed again, looking at the large flight of stairs in front of her, "You can wait here, if you like", I offered, "I'm just going to say goodbye to a few friends".

Urd shook her head, "I've come this far, so I'm curious to see what brought us so far out of our way", she replied.

I shrugged and made my way upstairs. Walking up into the familiar club I looked around to see who was running the place today. Amazingly almost everyone I wanted to see was here, I was surprised for a moment before realising that it was Friday (that means there are several different RPGs playing at once).

Ron (the owner/manager) spotted me and waved me over,
"Shove over a bit there, Brendon", he said to one player, "the Captain's here now".

I shook my head, "Sorry Ron, I can't play Star Trek today", I said smiling.

Ron shrugged, "Oh well, looks like these poor boys will have to go it alone", he said turning menacingly to the players.

I tapped him on the shoulder, "Can I have a word with you?", I asked.

He nodded, "Ok boys, take a break", he said, following me over to his office.

I quickly explained to him what was happening, that I wouldn't be able to run any more gaming sessions until I got back. He was rather disappointed, "But I was looking forward to Robotech this afternoon", he complained.

I smiled, "Well get John to run the game", I suggested,
"He's been wanting to run one for a while". After saying goodbye to Ron, I moved around the room, bidding farewell to a good bunch of mates.

Urd had remained silent for most of this, watching me move around the room. When I was finally ready to go I suddenly realised that I *really* didn't want to. "Don't worry", she said, "I'm sure it won't be for too long".

I nodded, "Well let's get back to my place then", I said.

I won't even attempt to explain what happened when I finally got to talk to my parents. To sum it up: they accepted it and I left. It was harder than I thought, leaving home (something that I'd only vaguely considered), but after a few tearful goodbyes and promises to write, I finally got going.

I was sitting on the floor, unpacking my stuff, when I heard a faint knock on the door. "Come in", I said, clearing the entry of empty boxed.

Keiichi stuck his head in the door, "So how is everything?", he asked.

I shrugged, "Oh, I'm fine", I said, "Just getting my gear unpacked".

Keiichi sighed, "Well Urd seemed to think that you're a little depressed", he said, sitting down across from me

I sighed, "Well, who wouldn't be, I've only been overseas once before", I explained, "Now I'm living in a foreign country, I've had to leave all my friends and family behind..."

Keiichi nodded, "I thought so", he said, standing and walking back to the door, "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll make lots of new friends here". He was just about to close the door when he added something that made me feel a *bit* better,
"You've already made four", he said.

I nodded and continued to unpack, I was still a little unsure of where I stood with the Goddesses, but I had the feeling Keiichi would be a good friend.

The meal that evening was great (as usual), and during dinner I quizzed Keiichi on what he knew about the computer course at NIT.

Urd looked at me curiously, "I thought that was just a cover so that your family wouldn't worry", she said.

I nodded, "It was, but I'm also not going to give up my studies", I explained. Keiichi said that he would help me get settled when the new semester started next week.

I got to my feet when the meal had finished and pulled out a heavy wad of bills, handing it to Keiichi. "What's this?", he asked, confused.

I shrugged, "Since I am *actually* enrolled in the Student exchange program, this is what I got given to cover expenses for this semester", I explained.

Keiichi swallowed slightly, "Uhh, what's the current exchange rate?", he asked, looking at the Australian currency I had handed him.

"I dunno", I replied, "But there's about 7,000 dollars there".

Skuld whipped out a calculator, "That comes to... Half a million yen".

I shrugged again, "It's suppose to go on accommodation and food", I explained, "Since I going to be staying here..."

Keiichi just nodded silently, "Thank you Brett-san", he said.

I bowed slightly, "Thank *you* for letting me stay here",
I replied, making my way back to my room.

My first week at the Temple passed quickly, Keiichi was on a break from College, so we had plenty of time to talk and he showed me some of the more interesting sites in the city. I must say I found Keiichi to be a *very* interesting guy,
according to the manuals that I'd been reading every night,
only certain people got picked to receive wishes (dunno how I managed it...) and I'd say that Keiichi is a good person.

"Now, by adding the correct amount of ground oyster shell, we can increase the potency of the formula by almost fifty percent", Urd explained, adding the selected ingredient.

I had *finally* gotten through the manuals that Urd had given me and she decided that I would be able to learn something by watching her produce some of her simpler potions. She was sitting watching a boiling beaker of liquid, checking it every now and then with a thermometer. The last few days had been almost impossible for me to get through. I had finished the books quickly (I *do* read rather quickly) and Urd had been trying to teach me some spell-casting.

My opinion of Urd had continued to go down in the last few days, it seemed that everything I did was wrong. I had meticulously drawn out a pentagram in the front courtyard (copying from one of the manuals) and when I had finally finished Urd had insisted that I re-draw it under her supervision. If that wasn't bad enough - she had decided that (after I had finished) she would re-draw it herself, showing me where I went wrong.

"So how much longer is this going to take?", I asked. We had been sitting over this mixture for nearly an hour and the fumes were starting to get rather annoying.

Urd frowned, "Look, do you want to learn this or not?",
she snapped, "I don't particularly like having to teach you in the first place".

"My life had been fine until *you* showed up", I thought to myself. I had found that due to my change in 'status' the goddesses couldn't read my mind anymore (and it had been a *very* useful ability in the last few days).

"Now having done that you must let it boil for precisely two minutes, before adding some sulfate of ammonia", she explained, reaching for an ingredient.

I suddenly saw something very disturbing, a small grey sphere had formed around the potion and it was rapidly increasing in size. It passed outwards, beyond the rooms walls. I frowned and then glanced over at Urd, who as about to add the next ingredient.

"No!", I shouted, slapping her hand away (and knocking the vial to the floor).

"What the hell are you doing?", she screamed at me.

I ignored her for a moment, watching as the grey sphere seemed to dissolve around us. I breathed a sigh of relief,
"that was close", I thought.

Meanwhile Urd was continuing to rant and rave (and I must say some of the insults were rather colourful), I shook my head at her, "You should check your ingredients more carefully before you add them", I said, motioning to the empty vial on the floor (it had 'nitric acid' marked on the side).

This seemed to stop her for a moment (but only a moment),
"You were distracting me with all your comments", she responded lamely.

Now usually I can take a *lot* of abuse before becoming upset, but the last few days had been quite enough. I have no recollection of exactly what insults I used (or what Urd used in response), but I do know that it ended when Urd punched me in the mouth, *hard*.

I staggered back slightly, not really expecting her to hit me. From the look in her eyes, I don't think she was expecting to hit me either. I wiped away some blood from my lower lip and my look must have scared her because she took a few steps backwards.

Getting control of myself once more, I turned and walked from the room, "I think I'll talk to Belldandy about my training from now on", I said coldly, "*you* no longer have to trouble yourself".

Not turning around I didn't see the sorrowful look in her face, or the half-said apology she tried to make. I didn't even see her begin to cry silently as I closed the door behind me.

Something that none of us saw that night, was a pair of shadowy figures, watching from just outside the temple boundary. "Well done, Marller...", said the first figure.

Maraler nodded, "It was simple, Urd is such a hot head anyway, it was a simple matter to get her that angry", she said.

"Soon he will be without a teacher and when we meet, I will win", it continued.

Maraler shrugged, "I'm happy to help, after all, he ruined my plans to deal with Keiichi, but you still have to go through with *your* end of the bargain, Nilthar", she said.

Nilthar nodded, "Soon... After I have him, I will help you with you three goddesses".

CHAPTER 4:

I lay awake, staring at the ceiling. My jaw ached annoyingly, the cold-compress that I had gotten from Belldandy had long-since warmed against my skin. I could hear the three Goddesses arguing a few rooms away, it sounded like Skuld and Belldandy were scolding their sister rather harshly.

I didn't really remember what I'd said to make her so angry and I was starting to feel a little guilty about the whole thing. "Whatever I said must have been awful", I thought to myself. Resolving to apologise I slipped out of my room and walked down the hall to where I could hear voices.

"I'm telling you he's a complete looser, who has no place learning anything from me!", shouted Urd. I paused with my hand on the door.

"Well if he's such a looser", Belldandy replied softly,
"Why have you bothered to teach him at all?".

"Hah!", Urd responded, "You *know* what will happen to me if I go against orders again".

I frowned and turned back to my room, nothing would be gained by apologising to her. I flopped back down on my bed and picked up one of the three spellbooks that I'd borrowed from Urd yesterday. "I'll just have a look at these before I give them back tomorrow", I thought, leafing through the many spells listed.

I paused when I came to a healing spell. It was designed for small, non-serious injuries. I sat up and placed the book in my lap, carefully running through the gestures and words a few times. "Well let's see if I've learnt anything", I thought, beginning the spell.

I felt the same charging of energy that I'd first experienced when Belldandy had fixed the temple steps, but this time *I* was the focus. The rushing energy seemed to fill me, and my right hand began to glow with a soft white radiance. With the completion of the spell I gingerly touched my glowing hand to my jaw.

A flash blinded me for a moment and I felt a sharp pain. Pulling away my hand quickly, I was surprised to notice that my jaw was no longer sore. I stood and walked over to the mirror, examining where Urd had split my lip. There was nothing visible at all.

"Well at least I'm not a complete failure", I thought. Lying back down, I continued to go through the spells. I paused once or twice at some of the more interesting ones. Finally I grew tired and decided that I'd learnt enough for one day.

I was standing in a large park, looking down at Urd's blasted body. She was lying in a small crater a few meters in front of me, her dress was charred and burnt, blood was trickling from the corner of her mouth. In the distance I could see a dark figure, it was a woman, I recognised her from the race track, when Keiichi had his accident.

And most surprisingly of all I saw *myself*, I was standing slightly in front of Urd, and I didn't look happy. Then I noticed that there were some changes present in that other 'me', he was wearing clothing that shimmered a light-
blue in the moonlight and seemed to move with a life of it's own. For a moment I had the sickening feeling that *I* had done this to Urd, but then I saw another figure emerging from the trees. He was dressed in a *very* dark shade of blue clothing, and was advancing towards the other 'me'.

My double shouted a few words at him and he answered in a slimy voice. I couldn't understand the exact words, they seemed to be slightly blurred. A second later, a huge ball of fire, raced from the stranger's hand, racing straight at Urd and my double.

I cried out, watching the fireball engulf Urd and the other me, but a moment later I saw that they were both unharmed, a shimmering shield had formed around them,
protecting them from the flames. My double smiled grimly and advanced towards the other man, raising his arms and chanting some kind of spell. Bolts of force ripped into the strange man, forcing him backwards, eventually he turned and fled.

I watched as my double turned and walked slowly back to Urd, he seemed to be quite exhausted. I watched silently as he fell to his knees beside Urd, crying.

Waking up in a sweat, I sat bolt upright. I looked around the room, it was still night and according to the clock somewhere slightly after midnight. Shivering I pulled the covers up against the chill of night and rolled over. The dream had been particularly vivid and most distressing.

I flicked on the light and picked up one of the spellbooks, flicking through the pages I found the two spells that I'd seen myself use. On impulse I grabbed a pen and scribbled down the spell procedures into my notepad. I turned off the light and rolled over trying to get back to sleep.

I walked into a restaurant and looked around, I recognised the restaurant as one not too far from the Temple,
Keiichi and I had walked passed it on one of his 'guided tours'. He had commented that Belldandy loved eating there and he took her to it often.

I wondered what I was doing here. Walking around the room at random I spotted the familiar figure of Urd, she was sitting at one of the tables. I walked over to her quickly,
"Umm, Hi Urd", I said.

She seemed not to hear me. I moved my hand in front of her face, but she took no notice. I was about to try and shake her arm when someone familiar walked into the restaurant. It was me again. My double was dressed in quite 'up-market' clothes (usually I wear jeans and a t-shirt unless something important's happening), and he walked straight over to Urd's table, smiling at her.

I frowned, my double and Urd seemed to be getting along quite well, the chatted for a while and had a nice meal. I followed them as they left the restaurant watching as they walked along. They were holding hands. I frowned there was no way I'd be seen anywhere near Urd at the moment, this was most unusual.

I warily followed them back to the temple, noticing that they didn't relinquish the 'hand-lock' until they walked inside. Slightly (did I say 'slightly', make that *bloody*)
confused I slumped down on the step. Looking around I noticed that the night was warm and clear. I sat and looked at the stars (as I like to do on occasion), wondering what on earth had caused such a drastic change in my and Urd's relationship.

"Brett-san!", called Keiichi.

I opened one eye, "Yes?", I mumbled.

Keiichi frowned, "If we don't get a move on you'll miss your first class", he said.

This brought me wide awake quickly, today I was suppose to start at NIT. Jumping up quickly and muttering apologies I grabbed for some clothes.

Seeing that he'd gotten my attention, Keiichi left me to change and went to warm up the motorcycle. Shivering slightly against the cold, I put on a warmer jacket. The weather was was something that took me by surprise at first. Everyone knows that the seasons are reversed when you cross the Equator, but to actually experience it was something else. It had been late spring when I left Australia (just starting to get *really* hot) and now here in Japan it was almost winter. Somehow I felt cheated, I'd missed summer this year.

Flinging a pack full of books on my shoulder, I raced out to find Keiichi. Belldandy tried to force some breakfast on me, but I shook my head, "That's ok", I said, "I don't usually eat breakfast anyway".

It was only when I saw our transportation that I began to have second thoughts on attenting NIT. Now Keiichi's motorcycle might be fine for him and Belldandy, but have you ever tried to fit a six foot six Australian into a side car? bet you haven't. We must have looked ridiculous, me with my knees up round my ears and Keiichi madly leaning to the side,
to keep from tipping us over. I resolved to ask Belldandy about how to transport around, if (I added after we narrowly missing a light pole) we ever get home.

I un-jammed myself from the Motorcycle and straightened out with some help from Keiichi. "If we'd had to travel for another five minutes, I'd be a pretzel", I groaned, stretching my legs.

Keiichi grinned, "If we'd had to travel for another five minutes, *I'd* have had to replace the bearings on that wheel", he commented.

"Very funny", I said, taking a long look around.

The campus was quite nice, although a little smaller than what I was used to. Everything seemed to be packed into a tight area, with only a little space for the grass and trees (my preferred study habitat) that I was so used to back home.

Keiichi indicated that I should follow him. I nodded and trailed along behind him. There were a *lot* more students than I was used to, everyone seemed to be in a hurry to get some place. Keiichi dodged around people, who seemed to take little note of his presence. While *I* on the other hand,
attracted a bit more of a response. I've noticed that people tend to get out of the way, when you out-weigh them by two to one and tower over them.

I walked into the auto-club, smiling as I recognised Tamiya and Ootaki. The shop was packed with people, Keiichi immediately squeezed his way over to talk to his friends. I moved through the crowd a little more awkwardly, apologising as I went.

"Morisato, good to see you up and around again!", said Tamiya, grabbing him up in a affectionate hug.

I greeted the pair a just a *little* less enthusiastically. "How's tricks?", I asked.

The two of them became serious all over a sudden, "We have not found out what happened to Keiichi's bike", Tamiya said, frowning.

Ootaki nodded, "There is no evidence of sabotage and we can't find anything else wrong", he commented.

I frowned, "Well the parts that Keiichi-san used to make up the fuel-injector seemed a little old", I surmised, "It *could* have just been an accident"

Keiichi nodded, "The parts were old", he said, "But usually a broken fuel injector won't cause the bike to explode".

I shrugged, "Well you guys are the mechanics", I said, "I wouldn't know a fuel injector from a muffler".

Excusing myself from the three friends I decided to get to my lecture room a little early. I walked slowly across the campus, not in any real rush. I decided to sit down for a few minutes and just relax, I was still a little disorienatated after last night's dreams.

I was minding my own business watching the ebb and flow of student-kind, when I felt a tap on my arm. Startled I glanced over beside me to see a young dark-haired lady sitting there. I smiled in greeting, "Hello there", I said (attemping to be polite).

"I said: 'are you a friend of Keiichi-san's?'", the girl said (obviously repeating a previously asked question).

I nodded, "Yes, I'm staying with him while studying here", I responded.

A caculating look seemed to cross her face and her brown eyes flashed maliciously. I smiled a little nervously, "Oh,
do you know Keiichi-san too?, Miss ?", I asked, fishing for a name.

Suddenly the strange look dissapeared, replaced with an enourmous (and rather beautiful) smile. "Oh, forgive me for not intoducing myself sooner", she said, her voice dripping honey, "My name's Sayoko".

I nodded, "Nice to meet you, my name's Brett", I said.

"Brett-san!", came a voice from behind me. Turning I saw Keiichi's sister waving and walking towards me.

"Good morning", I replied as she stopped in front of me.

I glanced back at Sayoko, she was examining Megumi with distaste. When I looked at Megumi again, she too was not looking very happy. I stood, "I take it you know each other?", I asked. The two nodded silently.

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Megumi grabbed my arm, pulling me towards one of the buildings,
"Well, we've got the same lecture this morning, so come on or we'll be late", she said.

I smiled apologetically at Sayoko, "Sorry!", I said as we walked around a corner out of sight.

I felt myself pushed up against a wall, Megumi looked up at me squarely, "And what were you doing with her?", she asked.

I frowned, "Why, what's wrong with her?", I asked.

Megumi looked confused for a moment and then stepped back, "Oh, that's right you don't know", she said.

I was begining to get confused, "Well?", I asked.

She took a step back and motioned me to walk beside her,
"Well you see, Sayoko has this thing for my brother...", she started to explain.

By the time we got to the room, Megumi had filled me in on some of the more exotic ways that Sayoko had tried to get Keiichi away from Belldandy.

"I don't believe this girl", I said disbelieveing,
"Doesn't she take 'no' for an answer?".

Megumi smiled slightly, "No!", she answered.

We took our seats in the lecture room (it was considerable larger than what I was accustomed too, with *lots* more students attending.

About half-way though the lecture I leaned over to Megumi, "What does fifteenth century culture have to do with computers?", I asked her.

She shrugged, "About as much as it has to do with mechanical engineering", she replied, "But *everyone* has to do some of this kind of thing". I shuddered, it was one thing to study for a single goal, but to have all this other stuff thrown in was a *real* pain.

Finally the lecture was over and I suggested to Megumi that we have lunch. She seemed surprised at the offer, but accepted readily enough. I'll say one thing, if the rooms were bigger, the caffetira was enourmous (and I'd have tosay the food was a darn sight better too). We sat and had an enjoyable conversation, Megumi was certinally as knowledgable as her brother about engines.

We had just finished eating when Keiichi arrived, "Hello Sis", he said, "And Brett-san, did you have a nice lunch?".

I nodded, "Have you 'petrol-heads' worked out what happened to your bike?", I asked.

Keiichi shrugged, "Nope, we still can't find a reason for it", he said, sitting down beside me.

Megumi frowned, "Well at least you wern't hurt badly",
she said.

Keiichi nodded, "It was lucky that Brett-san was there",
he replied.

I groaned internally, I hadn't told anyone but Keiichi and the Goddesses about me pulling him from the doomed bike. Tamiya and Ootaki obviously hadn't said anything either,
judging by the reaction on Megumi's face.

"The Bike exploded?", she said incrediosuly, listening to Keiichi's explanation, "I thought you were just thrown off".

Keiichi nodded, "Well Brett-san pulled me off before I could get seriously hurt", he explained, "But we still can't find a reason for the explosion".

Megumi thought for a moment, "Well would you mind if I took a look a them?", she asked.

Keiichi shrugged, "I guess it couldn't hurt", he replied.

Megumi immedately stood, "Well, let's go", she said, "the sooner I have a look at it, the sooner I can work out the problem".

Keiichi looked at me apologetically, "Sorry for interrupting your lunch", he said.

I smiled and stood, "That's alright", I said, "We were finished anyway".

The three of us walked out, splitting up as we reached the exit, "I'll see you for that study session tomorrow?", I asked Megumi.

She smiled, "Of course", she said, "I'll look forward to it".

I decided to go and sit outside for a while, it was a sunny (if a little cold) day and I prefer the outdoors. Whistling a litte tune I walked to where I saw some other people sitting on the grass studying. It had been a good morning, I'd found a study partner who was not only smart, but pleasent to look at and be around.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, my afternoon class was a little more interesting and I was starting to feel more comfortable with the large lectures. I met Keiichi later that afternoon, he was standing talking with a young lady that I didn't recoginise.

"Keiichi-san!", I called, walking up to him, "How was your afternoon lectures?", I asked.

Keiichi shrugged, "Oh, not much different than normal",
he replied.

I smiled at the young lady, "G'day, I'm Brett", I said,
introducing myself.

She smiled a little nervously, "Yes, I know, Keiichi-
sempai has told me all about you", she replied, "My names's Sora Hasegawa".

I nodded, "Pleased to meet you, Sora-san", I said, then I turned to Keiichi, "Are you finished for the afternoon?".

He nodded, "Yes, I was just about to come looking for you", he responded, then he grinned, "Ready to become a pretzel again?".

I sighed, "When we get home, I'm going to ask Belldandy about some 'alternate' transportation", I said.

He frowned, "Oh, you can do that?", he asked.

I shrugged, "I don't know until I try", I said.

Sora was watching our conversation and listening closely (I don't know exactly what she made of it...), "Brett-san",
she said, "I know a few people who are in the market to sell their cars, I'm sure they would charge you a reasonable price".

I smiled, "Thanks for the offer", I said, "But I have this feeling that most japanese cars would be almost uncomfortable for me as the side-car".

{Author's note: It's true, there are only a few types of car that I can drive comfortably and none of them are made in Japan}

I groaned as Keiichi helped me up the front stairs and gingerly sat down on the step. "Did anyone ever tell you that you should be bigger?", I asked Keiichi.

He winced slightly, "All the time", he replied.

I frowned and stretched, "They were lying", I groaned. He grinned and headed inside. I rolled my shoulders,
trying to get the stiffness out of them.

I turned sharply as the front door slid open suddenly,
"What the hell is this?", demanded an angry Urd, she was holding the collected textbooks/spellbooks that I'd borrowed from her the previous week.

I frowned, "What are any of the missing?", I asked.

She shook her head, "No, but what are they doing outside my room?", she asked again.

I shrugged, "I didn't have time to give them to you personally", I said.

She frowned, "So you were serious when you said that you didn't want me for a teacher anymore?", she asked.

I shrugged again, "Look", I said, trying to be reasonable, "You don't *really* want to teach me, so this makes it easier on both of us".

I stood and walked inside, "This way it's not your fault and the decision rests with me", I said, walking towards my room.

I noticed Belldandy walking into the kitchen, "Excuse me,
Belldandy?", I asked.

She turned around, "Yes, Brett-san?", she replied.

"I was just wondering..." I began. What followed was a detailed explanation on the travelling ability of Gods and Goddesses.

It was nearly dinner time, before Belldandy had finished explaining things to me, she had cooked while we talked, so I had the pleaseure of watching her prepare our meal. "So what your saying is that I *don't* get to choose the medium for travel", I said.

She nodded, "That's right, each God or Goddess has their travel medium chosen for them, every one is listed in the database of the main computer, up in heaven", she explained.

I frowned, "So how am I suppose to find out *my*
traveling medium", I asked, "Or do I even have one?".

She shook a pinch on spice into the meal she was preparing, "There we go, dinner's ready", she said.

I tapped her on the shoulder, "How?", I asked.

She smiled a little nervously, "Well you and your teacher will have to visit heaven's computer centre", she said.

I nodded, "Well, are you doing anything after dinner?", I asked.

Belldandy turned back to the meal, "I'm sorry Brett-san,
but I can't take you", she said.

"Why?", I asked, a little confused.

"Well, Urd and I had a little discussion last night and we concluded it with a request that *I* be allowed to teach you", she said a little nervously, "But, well, the request was refused".

I did a double-take, "What?", I said, "I've still gotta have Urd teach me?".

Belldandy nodded, "Well yes, Urd has been assigned to be your teacher", she said, "Can you help me carry this out?".

I nodded absently, picking up a couple of plates,
carrying them out to the table, I sat down and started eating silently, not even noticing when Keiichi, Skuld and Urd arrived.

Keiichi noticed my vacant look, "What's wrong Brett-
san?", he asked, "Something wrong with the meal?".

I shook my head, "No, Belldandy's dinner is perfect as always", I replied, still eating.

I finished my meal and turned to Urd, "Can I talk to you?", I asked.

She frowned and took another sip of her Sake, "Alright,
what did you want to talk about", she replied. At this point,
Belldandy hustled Keiichi and dragged Skuld into the kitchen to help her wash up.

I sighed, "According to Belldandy, we've got no choice in this matter", I said.

Urd nodded, "Yes, my sister is usually correct", she replied, pouring herself another cup.

I sat and thought for a while, "Well, I realise that you don't really like me very much", I said, "But I'm sure that we can get along enough for me to learn the basics".

She nodded absently, "I'm sure..", she said, lisping slightly.

"Well, once I've learn't the basics, with a bit of luck I'll be able to continue by myself", I continued, "That way you won't have to put up with me for long".

She nodded unsteadily, "Whatever you say... Brett", she said, slumping to the table.

I jumped forward, checking her breathing and pulse, I shook my head, "Some people don't know when to quit", I thought, looking at the empty Sake bottle.

Sighing, I picked her up gently, and poked my head in the kitchen, "How much did she drink?", I asked.

Belldandy shrugged, "I don't know', she said, "Why don't you take her to her room, Brett-san and we'll working things out in the morning", she said.

I nodded, "Alright", I responded.

Carrying her down the corridor easily, I reached her room and threw open the door. I'd never been in Urd's room before and I have to say that the decore took me slightly by surprise. It was not flashy or extravagent (which was what I was expecting), but rather relaxed and comfortable.

I carried her over to the bed and layed her down gently,
pushing an open book off the bed. She startled in her sleep slightly, and muttered something about 'stupid mortal', which I assumed by which she ment me. Frowning slightly I picked up the book, and glanced at the cover. It was a romance novel by the look of things, some silly story about an ilicit relationship between a teacher and his student.

I shook my head, what a load of garbage. It surprised me to learn that Urd was somwhat of a romantic, but remembering what I know of her, I'd have to say that any guy that she sets her sights on had better watch out.

I pulled the covers up over her and walked back towards my room, hopefully by tomorrow, she would be sober enough to take me up to visit heaven. I shook myself, "Heaven!", I thought, what business did *I* have visiting heaven. Shaking my head I lay down on my bed, wondering what tomorrow would be like.

Chapter 5:

I awoke refreshed, having slept dreamlessly and was surprised at how alive I felt. Shrugging off the covers I realised that there was no one else awake, it was only slightly after dawn.

Deciding that I'd help a little, I crept into the kitchen, trying not to wake anyone. Searching the around for a while I located the ingredients to the famous 'Handy Omelette'. Smiling to myself, I realised how much I had missed enjoyed mucking around in the kitchen. By the time everyone else was awake, I had breakfast finished.

"What's this?", Keiichi asked curiously, looking at the rather ugly looking breakfast.

I looked at him strangely, "It's an omelette", I replied,
finishing my own serving (I find that's the best part of cooking - eating what you make :).

Keiichi frowned at the offered food, "Are you sure?", he asked, obviously a little nervous about eating my cooking.

I shrugged, "If you don't want it..", I suggested,
looking at my own empty plate.

"Keiichi-san", Belldandy said sternly, "Brett-san has taken the time to cook it for us, it would be rude to refuse to eat it".

Keiichi steeled himself and ate a piece, surprised at the taste his eye's widened, "If Goof", he mumbled, chewing.

Belldandy and Skuld also seemed to enjoy it, "I must get the recipe", Belldandy commented.

I smiled, "Mum taught me to cook it when I was ten", I said. Then I glanced around, noticing that Urd was missing,
"Where's Urd?", I asked.

Skuld smirked, "She's feeling a little delicate this morning", she replied.

I nodded and smiled a little, "Well, I'd better take it to her before it gets cold", I replied.

Skuld looked like she was going to say something, but a Belldandy shook her head. Grabbing up various items, I placed it on a tray and headed for Urd's room, oh yes I was going to enjoy this.

Flinging open her door a little loudly, I was greeted by the site of a half-blanket covered form, stretched out in the middle of the bed. I smiled ruthlessly and threw open the curtains, letting the bright morning light stream in.

"Ohhhhh", Urd moaned.

I nudged her slightly, "Come on, wake up", I whispered.

"Go away Belldandy", she groaned, "I don't want to get up".

"Well I'm afraid we've got an appointment", I said loudly, sitting on the bottom of the bed.

Urd sat up in fright, clutching the sheets up to cover herself, then groaned with the movement and put her hand to her head.

"Oh don't worry about that", I said, indicating the clutched sheets, "I didn't undress you when I dumped you in here last night".

"What do *you* want", she said quietly, obviously in pain.

"We're going to heaven this morning", I said, bearly holding back my laughter at her condition. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was white.

"Here", I said, handing her a glass filled with water that had been mixed with antacid tablets.

She gulped it down quickly, I also passed her a couple of aspirin, "There's breakfast here, if your hungry", I said,
indicating the tray and standing up.

I walked over to the door, "We'll leave when your less likely to get us *stuck* in the TV", I commented, leaving the room.

It was a little over an hour later when Urd finally emerged, she still looked awful, but was at least standing by herself. She handed the tray to Belldandy, "Thank you for the breakfast, it was delicious", she said.

Belldandy smiled and demured, "It was Brett who provided us with breakfast this morning", she said, indicating over to me, where I was reading a book.

I smiled, "Glad you liked it", I said.

This obviously, didn't do much for Urd's mood, she grunted and sat down carefully, "So what's this about a trip to heaven?", she asked.

Belldandy sat down opposite her, "Well Brett has to learn how to travel", she explained, "And since you're his teacher,
you have to take him".

Urd groaned, and slumped her head onto the table, "I *really* don't feel up to this", she whined.

Belldandy put a hand on her shoulder, "Sister, it *is*
important that Brett finds the information he needs", she said softly.

Urd nodded wearily, "Alright, I'm as ready as I'll every be", she said.

I stood, indicating my clothes (I was wearing my standard black shirt and blue jeans), "Is this alright?", I asked.

Belldandy nodded, "Your not going to have to meet *him*",
she said, "You'll only be talking to the Head System Administrator".

I frowned, "Well how formal is this guy?", I asked

Urd shrugged, "Not terribly", she said, standing and walking over to me.

She grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the TV, "Bye Sis", she called.

I managed a half-hearted wave to Belldandy before we disappeared. This time however, the translation to our destination was instantaneous.

I must say that Heaven's computer system was impressive,
everywhere I looked there were technicians (well I assumed they were technicians) running about, looking concerned over something. Urd, who had not relinquished her grip on my arm,
pulled me over to an office, the sign on the door read "Head Administrator".

"Well if it isn't my AWOL System Administrator", came a disgruntled voice, "And where have *you* been?".

I looked across the room, to see a middle-aged man sitting behind a massive desk, that was partially covered by print-outs and schematic diagrams. He was frowning in Urd's direction.

"Uhh, well you see sir", Urd began, "I've been assigned to the Relief Goddess Office to take over for my sister".

He frowned and then noticed me, "Who is this?", he asked,
his frown deepening.

"Hello, the name's Brett", I said, smiling.

Obviously he didn't much care for smiling, "Should that mean something?", he asked, then he turned to Urd, "I've got a lot of work to do and I don't have time to be introduced to your latest conquest".

I glanced sideways at Urd, who was blushing slightly,
"It's not that sir", she said. Urd then explained exactly why we had come here.

The Administrator looked me up and down carefully, "So you used to be a mortal huh?", he asked.

I nodded in response.

"Well, come on then", he said, walking out the door.

Urd and I followed quickly, staying a few steps behind him. We passed hundreds of people, all working at keeping the computer system running. We were stopped several times, by people making requests of the Administrator, but he waved most of them away, before we could be delayed too long.

He stopped before a solid-looking door and entered a code into a keypad. "Here we are", he said, as the door slid back.

He gestured us to move inside, "Well, I haven't got all day", he muttered.

We walked into a room, literally lined from ceiling to floor, with display panels and controls. "This is the central control room", the Administrator announced. He then gestured us to sit down as he started accessing a terminal.

It was five minutes before he spoke again, "Well I've found you record", he announced quietly.

I frowned, "What's wrong?", I asked, not being able to see the terminal's screen.

He shook his head, "Oh, nothing important", he said,
"Well, getting down to business".

He stood and walked over to a panel in the wall, it opened at his touch and he pulled out a set of clothes. "Here you go", he said, dumping them in my lap.

"What's this?", I asked, looking at the strange clothing.

"That's your 'uniform'", he said, sitting back down.

I frowned, "I've gotta wear a uniform?", I protested.

He nodded, gesturing to his own clothes and then Urd's,
"The uniform is unique to each individual", he explained,
"It's mainly used when you have to interact with mortals".

I shrugged, "Well, if those are the rules".

He smiled, "Good, now that it's settled", he said,
picking up a print out he handed it to me, "This should be what you need to know".

I looked at the print-out carefully, it was in a strange language, "You don't have this in English?", I asked.

He frowned, "You can't read that?", he asked, "Strange,
you should have been taught how by your teacher...". Then he looked at Urd, "Oh, well I guess you'll learn eventually, till then Urd can translate it for you".

With that he ushered us out of the control room. "Good luck", he said to me, shaking hands, "Let me know how things turn out".

He then looked at Urd, "Oh, by the way, what happened to that "Bug Busting" sister of yours?", he asked.

Urd shrugged, "She's down on the mortal world too", she said.

He nodded, "Pity, she was good at pest control", he then disappeared back into the mass of technicians the seemed to be around constantly.

I looked at Urd, "That guy was your boss?", I asked.

She nodded in response, "That's all in the past", she said, grabbing my arm, "Let's get back home".

We arrived back at the temple quickly and sat down at the table. Belldandy and Skuld joined us from their own activities, curious as to the outcome of our trip.

I passed Urd the print-out, "Can you translate this?", I asked.

She nodded, "It might take a few minutes", she replied,
examining it carefully.

I stood and walked to my room, to try on the new clothes. Looking at myself in the mirror I was surprised by the ever-
changing patterns that seemed to cover the fabric. The uniform consisted of a loose-fitting long-sleeved shirt and matching pants. I shuddered slightly as the clothes seemed to writher as they touched my skin.

The clothes were a sky-blue colour and kept changing shape slightly, then I looked at them in the mirror. "Well at least the colour's nice", I thought to myself, turning and walking out to see how Urd was doing with the translations.

I got a strange look from the three goddesses when I emerged from my room. "What?", I asked frowning.

Belldandy smiled, "Well as they say: The clothes make the god", she said.

I smiled at Belldandy, "Thanks", I said.

Urd frowned and turned back to her translation, "I'm almost done", she announced.

I nodded and sat down beside her, "Well, here we go",
she said, passing me the translated list.

"Hmmmm", I said, reading out loud, "Brett Handy, listed as the God of Destiny?", I looked up at the three Goddesses. They shrugged, not understanding either. I continued to read,
"Current ranking, Probationary 2nd Class, 2nd Category,
limited", I looked at Urd, "What does that mean?".

Urd and Skuld looked at each other, "How did he get a ranking the same as ours?", Skuld asked, she seemed a little angry.

If Skuld was a little angry, Urd was furious, she grabbed the translation off me, "This has to be a mistake", she said.

Not getting any answer from the other two, I turned to Belldandy, "Can you explain?", I asked.

She nodded, "The class refers to the level of power that you have mastered", she said, "The category refers to your line of work, in this case the same as our's: commercial, and the limited refers to how much power you have available".

I frowned, "Why are Urd and Skuld so upset?", I asked.

Belldandy sighed, "Well, according to that, you've got the same rank as them, even though your a beginner", she explained.

I nodded, "Ahhh, right", I said.

Urd was looking at the print-out suspiciously, "What's this about precognition?", she asked me, pointing out a list of my current abilities.

I looked over her shoulder, "So that's what it is!", I said suddenly realising exactly what the grey sphere meant.

"I beg your pardon?", Belldandy asked,

I proceeded to explain about the grey sphere that I kept seeing, "I thought I was loosing it at first, but then after I managed to save Keiichi and avoid Urd and Skuld's attacks, I realised that it was something I should watch out for".

Skuld looked at me curiously, "Have you seen any other 'grey patches'", she asked.

I nodded, "Only once, when Urd was about to add an incorrect ingredient to a potion", I said.

Urd frowned, "So that's how you knew", she said.

Belldandy looked at me curiously, "Had any other strange things happen?", she asked.

I debated telling them about my strange dreams, but decided that it would only complicate matters. I glanced sideways at Urd, who was still looking through the print-out,
trying to find something wrong with it, "It would definitely complicate things", I thought.

"So, about the reason why we went there in the first place?", I asked Urd.

"Huh?", she said, looking up, "Oh, right, well they've got your travel medium listed as 'clocks'", she said

I frowned, "Clocks?, what kind of clocks, analog,
digital?", I asked.

She shrugged, "All it says here is 'clocks'", she replied.

I shook my head, that was a *really* vague description. "Anything else I should know?", I asked.

Urd frowned, "Well, the computer included a list of spells that your suppose to learn and I'm suppose to teach you to read this", she said, indicating the print-out.

I nodded, "Well, let's start with travelling", I said,
looking at my watch, "I've got to meet Megumi after lunch".

"Just relax and lean into it", Urd said softly.

She had been trying to teach me how to travel for more than an hour, it was harder than it looked. "I *am* relaxed",
I said, from behind closed eyes. My destination was the clock that we had set up in my room.

I felt a shiver begin in my fingertips, running up my hands slowly. A little concerned I opened my eyes, my hands were submerging into the clock we had borrowed from the kitchen. I felt a rising panic, as more and more of my arms were flowing into the clock.

"Good, you've finally in phase", Urd said in a satisfied voice.

I tried to settle down and flow with it, Urd seemed to be relaxed about it. I lent forwards, my head touching the clock-face. A sudden flash later, I fell onto my bed. I glanced around the room, realising that something was strange. "Oh no!", I sighed, looking around I realised that I was actually in *my* room, back in Australia.

Thankfully no one seemed to be around, I winced at the condition of my room. "Well Jan's certainly not wasted any time moving in", I thought, looking at all of her stuff.

I approached the clock, "I'd better get back", I thought,
forming the image of where I wanted to go firmly in my mind. I reached out a hand and pushed. Half a second later I was rubbing my head, having fallen a few feet to the floor. I was back in the dining room of the Temple.

"I gotta work on those landings", I groaned.

Two seconds later, a *very* concerned trio of Goddesses came barrelling into the room, "Where the hell did you get to!", Urd screamed, grabbing my by the hair and making me look her in the eye.

"*Ouch* stop that - I kind of got mixed up with my destinations", I said, removing Urd's hand.

"Where did you go?", Skuld asked, more curious than concerned.

I smiled a little wanly, "Would you believe that I just took a visit home?", I said.

Urd sighed, "Of all the stupid...", she said, "I told you that the image must be exact!".

Belldandy watched Urd rant and rave for a few more minutes at me before breaking into the conversation, "Well we are *all* glad that your alright Brett-san", said Belldandy,
glancing at Urd in particular.

"Oh sure", Urd said sarcastically, "We're just thrilled that you're back".

I stood a little dizzily, "Well I think I've got the hang of it now", I said, walking back towards my room to pick up my books and change clothes, "I've got to go and meet Megumi".

I steadied myself, grabbing onto a bench for support and glanced around. I was standing in a large hall, I had dropped about three feet when I materialised, but had been expecting it so was not too upset. No-one seemed to be around, and for that I was grateful. "I'll have to find some place private for my comings and goings", I thought to myself, making my way across the hall and out into the sunlight.

I headed across the campus towards the grassed area where I was suppose to meet Megumi. I checked my watch as I sat down and realised that I was a few minutes early. I pulled a book out of my pack and began going over the lecture notes that I'd made the previous day.

"Excuse me", came a polite voice, "Would you be Brett Handy?". I looked up to see a fellow about my age examining me closely.

I frowned, "Yes", I replied, "Who want's to know?".

He bowed politely, "Oh, my name is Aoshima", he said, "I understand that you're a friend of Keiichi-san's".

"Well news travels fast around here", I said, "Yes, I'm an exchange student staying with Keiichi".

He nodded, "Ahh, so you must have met Belldandy then?",
he asked hopefully.

I nodded, "Yes", I replied, wondering where he was going with this conversation. From his expression he was more interesting in who I knew than who I was.

"Please pass on my compliments to her when you next see her", he said, "I find her a most interesting woman".

I smiled, "I'll be sure to", I said, "But at the moment I'm trying to go over some notes".

He sat down beside me, "Oh, what lecture?", he asked.

I shrugged, "History 205", I replied.

"Oh, I know Mr Takimoda very well", he said smiling, "I'm sure that you won't have any trouble in that subject".

"Thanks", I said, "But my study partner should be here soon".

He stood, "Well, if you have any trouble, let me know",
he said persuasively, "I'm sure we can work something out".

I frowned and went back to the notes, he certainly seemed like a friendly enough fellow. "At least the people here are nice", I thought to myself.

"Brett-san", called Megumi, walking up to me smiling.

I looked at my watch and grinned, "What took you so long?", I asked smiling, we were both about ten minutes early.

She sat down beside me, "Got stuck in the auto-shop", she said, suddenly serious, "I still can't find out what's happened to Keiichi's bike".

I shook my head, "Well, I'm sure that you'll figure it out eventually", I said confidently.

She smiled brightly (and a very pleasant smile it was too), "I meant to thank you the other day for saving my brother's life", she said, placing a hand on my arm.

I smiled awkwardly, "That's alright", I mumbled.

She must have sensed that I was a little uncomfortable,
because her hand dropped away from my arm and she suddenly became business like, "Well, lets go over the fifteenth century's political changes", she began.

We sat and studied for nearly two hours, going over the lecture notes backwards, forwards and sideways. After that much time just studying I sat back and stretched, it was nice sitting out here in the sun.

"Well, I'm afraid I've got a lecture now", Megumi said,
standing.

I nodded and smiled, "Are you up for more study next week?", I asked.

"Of course", she said beaming, "Same time and place?".

"Well unless you can suggest some better scenery", I said, gesturing around at the pleasant setting.

She shrugged, "Here is fine with me", she said.

I nodded and stood, after putting all my stuff back in my pack. I got the surprise of my life when Megumi gently kissed my on the cheek, "Thanks again for saving Keiichi", she said.

I blushed slightly, "Ahh, you're welcome Megumi", I stuttered.

She turned and began to walk back across the campus, but then turned after taking a few steps, "Brett-san?", she asked.

"Yes?", I asked, still a little dazed.

"Some of my friends and I are going out tomorrow night",
she began, "I was wondering if you'd like to come with us?".

If I was stunned before I was positively shocked, "I'd love to", I said, before I could think too clearly. She smiled and continued across the courtyard.

While I was feeling quite elated at this point, there were two people watching me that had other ideas about tomorrow night. "So, he saved Keiichi-san's life", said Sayoko thoughtfully.

Aoshima nodded, "If that's the case then he must have some influence with Belldandy too", he mused.

They watched as I accepted Megumi's invitation. "Well it looks like he's going to be available tomorrow night", Sayoko said suddenly.

Aoshima frowned, "What do you mean?", he asked, "He just accepted an invitation from Keiichi's sister".

She smiled seductively, "As if that makes a difference to me", she said, "You find out where they are going and I'll arrange to have a little 'chat' with our foreign 'friend'".

Aoshima nodded, "Very well, I'll talk to one of the girl's friends", he said, walking off.

Sayoko watched me disappear into a crowded building,
"You", she thought, "You're my way to Keiichi!".
-

CHAPTER 6:

I peaked into the room carefully, "Finally!", I sighed,
stepping into my room at the temple. I had made several false starts that afternoon (I won't got into the locations I had ended up at, but one of them involved a young girl, with short hair attacking me with a large hammer, screaming all the time that I was a pervert). Dumping my pack on the floor, I slumped onto the bed, feeling bone-weary.

"Brett-san, dinner's ready!", called Keiichi, sliding open the door.

"Great", I groaned, pulling myself up off the bed.

"You look awful", he said frowning.

"Thanks!", I said sarcastically.

He grabbed my arm and looked at me closely, "I'm serious", he said, "You don't look well".

I began examining my shoes carefully, "Well I travelled quite a bit this afternoon", I mumbled.

He nodded, "Well until you get better, maybe you should get Urd or Skuld to 'give you a lift'", he suggested,
motioning me to lead the way to the dining room.

I shook my head, "I don't want to inconvenience either of them", I said, "I've gotta learn to do this myself anyway".

Keiichi shrugged, "It couldn't hurt to ask..", he added.

We both sat down with the three goddesses and ate in comfortable silence. "Ice-cream for dessert!", cried Skuld happily, as Belldandy sat down dessert.

Belldandy smiled, "Well enjoy", she said, "Its that last we've got until I shop next week".

Skuld wolfed down her ice-cream, hardly bothering to breath. As she finished I passed her my own portion, "here you go", I said smiling.

She grinned and began demolishing my offering. "Don't you like ice-cream?", asked Keiichi frowning.

I shook my head, "It's all right, Skuld looks like she'd enjoy it more anyway", I explained.

After finishing desert, Keiichi and I were designated to do the washing up. "Oh, by the way Keiichi-san", I said, as we finished, "I won't be here for dinner tomorrow night".

He raised his eyebrows, "Oh, got a date?", he asked smiling.

I shrugged, "If you call going out with Megumi and some of her friend's a date?", I replied, "Then yeah...".

He frowned slightly, "Your going you with Megumi?", he asked.

I nodded, "Yep", then I noticed his frown, "What's wrong?".

He shook his head, "Well your going to have to be careful", he said, "She's smart enough to sense when something strange is going on".

"Well, I'm not planning to do anything spectacular", I said, turning and walking from the room.

That evening I had my first full lesson with Urd since our visit to heaven. In two hours I managed to master a couple of the simpler spells such as levitation (which while it was easy to start, *really* requires a lot of concentration if you don't want to hurt yourself when landing) and the clothes-changing spell. What really helped was Urd's attitude, now that she had accepted her role as a teacher, she excelled at it.

"No, your hand movements should be vertical and *then*
horizontal", she said interrupting me from my train of thought.

"Sorry", I mumbled, focusing on the lesson more closely. I went through the complicated routine again, until it met with her satisfaction. We were working on a spell that allowed me to project images that I had seen, so that others could examine them. Urd had insisted that I learn this,
because if I had any pre-cognitive images, it would help that I could show others.

"Good", she said suddenly, "Now, form an image in your mind of the memory that you want to project".

I thought for a moment and decided on an image of that strange lady that I had seen the day Keiichi had been in the bike crash. Focusing I remembered her as I had seen her that day and then tried to add what I had seen of her in the strange dream that I had experienced last night. An image appeared in front of me, a young woman with long hair dressed primarily in black, she also had strange markings on her face.

"Marller!", Urd hissed, half standing.

Her reaction took me by surprise and I lost concentration, the image wavered and disappeared. "Where the hell did you see her!", Urd demanded loudly.

I winced at her volume, "Settle down", I said rubbing my temples, "I saw her at the race track when Keiichi had his accident".

She began to swear angrily, "And you didn't tell anyone?", she accused.

I shook my head, "Should I have?".

She frowned angrily, "Come on, we had better tell Belldandy", she said, leaving the room.

Belldandy almost lost her temper when Urd mentioned that Marller had been at the race track that day (and for Belldandy, that's saying something). "It's not Brett's fault", she said to Urd (who was still swearing under her breath), "He didn't know who or what she was".

The three Goddesses and I were sitting around a table,
all three of them seemed quite upset. "Could someone tell me who she is?", I asked.

Skuld shrugged, "She's a Demon", she said flatly.

I frowned, "A 'Demon'", I muttered, it had never occurred to me that there might be a darker side to the existence of gods and goddesses.

"Well I'll stay close to Keiichi in case she tries something else", said Belldandy.

Urd grinned, "Oh I'm sure that you'll just *hate* that,
sister", she said sarcastically.

Belldandy blushed slightly, "Well...".

"I think I need some air", I said, standing and walking from the room, I wondered outside and sat under a tree in the dark, turning things over in my mind.

"Who's going to keep an eye on him?", Skuld asked,
watching Brett walk from the room. Belldandy and Skuld exchanged a glance and then looked pointedly at Urd.

"Oh, all right!", she said exasperated, "I'll look after him".

"That's very good of you Urd", said Belldandy, smiling,
"I'd hate to see something happen to him".

Skuld smiled slightly and winked at Belldandy, "It's very nice that you'd donate so much of your time to an upstart mortal", she said to Urd

Urd frowned and looked up slightly, "He's not an upstart..", she began.

Then Urd noticed her two sisters grinning at her, "Oh shut up!", she said, suddenly she stood and stalked out of the room.

Belldandy look at Skuld, "Seriously", she began, "We really have to keep an eye on Brett, he's still only learning,
and if he makes a mistake it could be dangerous for anyone around him".

Skuld nodded, "I might be able to come up with something", she said, mecha designs already flowing through her mind.

The two sisters talked for a while before retiring to the separate rooms, each caught up in her own plans for tomorrow. Unknown to any in the household, on the wall of the dining room, there appeared a pair of eyes, blinking they moved forwards, a humanoid figure stepped from within the wall.

"So this is Nilthar's new target", he said quietly,"
Having the three Goddess spying on him could be a complication." A noise echoed from the hall, the figure quickly shimmered and he sank through the floor, disappearing.

Keiichi rubbed his eyes sleepily and looked around the room, "I could have swore I heard someone", he muttered,
turning and going back to bed.

"Look I'm sure I can get the hang of this", I said exasperated, looking at Urd angrily. She had turned up on my doorstep after I had prepared for college and offered to help me get there.

She nodded, "Oh sure, that's why there have been ghost sightings all over Japan", she said sarcastically, her voice dropping into an impression of an old lady's, "It was a strange figure that seemed to appear out of my grandfather clock".

I winced, that poor old lady had been frightened out of her wits at my appearance, "Look the more I practice the better", I said, preparing to leave.

Urd stepped in front of me blocking my approach to the clock, "Look Brett", she said seriously, "Until you can control things a little better, I don't mind helping out".

I frowned, "Oh?", I said sarcastically, "Since when?".

She shook her head, "Since we found out about your encounter with Marller", she said, looking me straight in the eye, "My sisters and I are worried that she might decide to take revenge over your saving Keiichi".

I shivered remembering my dream, "All right", I said finally, "But I think we *all* should be more cautious".

She nodded, "Belldandy's taking care of Keiichi and Skuld's in her workshop building something that she *thinks*
might help", she said.

I shrugged my pack over my shoulder, "Well, driver", I said to her smiling, "To Nekgmi Tech and don't spare the willpower".

She smiled and shook her head then grabbed my hand,
pulling me towards the dining room and the TV waiting there. A few seconds later we stepped out into an empty lecture hall,
"Thanks Sensei", I said grinning.

Urd winked and stepped back through the TV, "I'll pick you up here after your last lecture", she said, "take care".

I nodded, "You too", I replied, then watched as she vanished. Turning I walked from the room, trudging across the campus to where I spent the next few hours engrossed in study.

I was eating lunch in the cafeteria that afternoon, when Megumi and two of her friends showed up. "Hi Brett-san", said Megumi in greeting, sitting down opposite me.

"G'day Megumi", I replied with a smile, "Who are your friends?".

She introduced them as fellow engineering students, "This is Yoshimi-san", she said, indicating the girl on her left,
"and this is Takama-san".

I nodded to them, "Pleased to meet you both", I said politely.

"They'll be coming along with us tonight", Megumi explained.

I frowned, "Oh, by the way, you never told me where our destination is tonight", I said.

Megumi grinned, "Oh well we were going to see a movie and then visit one or two clubs", she replied. We chatted for a few minutes about what movies to see and eventually decided on Golden Eye (I think the main reason they wanted to see it with me there was the fact that it was subtitled into Japanese and they needed someone who spoke English to help them work out the story line).

I shrugged and stood, "Well that's fine with me", I said smiling, "But I've got a lecture in a few minutes".

Megumi nodded and stood with me, "I'll come with you",
she said, "I've got a lecture soon too".

We were walking out towards the doors, past a row of vending machines when I saw a grey patch for on the floor right in front of us, "Watch out", I said, grabbing Megumi's arm and pulling her back.

A moment later one of the larger machines crashed over right in out path, narrowly missing Megumi. "Are you all right?", I asked her quickly.

Megumi was pale and shaking, "That... I...", she began looking at the huge piece of metal that missed her by only a foot or so.

A large crowed had gathered around, all gawking at the dangerous accident. I led Megumi over to a chair and helped her sit down, "It's all right", I said, attempting to comfort her.

She shook her head, "Thank you Brett-sama", she said quietly.

I smiled, "That's OK", I said, "You just wait here for a moment".

I walked back over to the fallen machine, examining the power cables leading to the back of the machine. They had been disconnected at the wall socket (not ripped out as I would have expected). I frowned and looked around carefully but couldn't see anyone familiar in the crowd. I looked down and noticed that my hands were shaking slightly, I had almost seen a good friend squashed before my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I walked back over to Megumi, who was looking a little better.

"Feeling better?", I asked, smiling.

She nodded, "I don't think I've ever been so close to getting seriously hurt", she said.

"Don't think about it", I said, "Accidents happen".

She shivered and hugged herself, "I don't know what would have happened if you weren't here", she said quietly.

I shrugged, "Well you probably wouldn't have been walking out the door at that particular time", I said.

She nodded and stood, "I think I need a little air", she said.

"That's probably a good idea", I replied, walking with her out into the courtyard.

After the incident, a young man went over to the fallen vending machine to examine it. He was dressed conservatively with a white polo shirt and matching Khakis.

"This is very strange," he muttered. "I should have detected the activation of the spell even with only passive scanning." Looking at the vending machine he see something interesting. "This is weird, I'm detecting Nilthar's and someone else's residue here", he thought.

He concentrated for a moment, his hands making small, but distinct patterns over the fallen machine, "Marller!" the young man exclaimed suddenly.

"So this is how you avoided my detection, Nilthar. You had Marller shield you from me. Very clever, I commend you.
However, you wont be able to hide forever and when you come out of your hole, I'm going to TERMINATE you.", he thought savagely, turning and stalking out of the cafeteria.

He walked around the campus for a while, thinking things through, "I'd better start following Brett", he thought to himself, "That way I might be able to catch Nilthar in the act".

We sat for a while in the clear sunlight, just watching the people go by, it was about five minutes before Megumi spoke again, "How did you know that the vending machine was going to fall?", she asked.

I shrugged, "I noticed it looked a little unstable", I said.

She nodded and resumed watching the crowd, I sighed in relief. "Well I've got a lecture to get to", I said standing,
"Are you going to be all right?".

She nodded, "It's fine, I'll see you tonight", she said.

I smiled, "I'm looking forward to it", I said, "Bye now".

Maybe I was begin paranoid, but for the rest of the afternoon, I kept a sharp eye out for anything unusual. On the bright side one of my classmates gave me several passes to one of the more popular nightclubs, "I'm sure Megumi and her friends will be thrilled", I thought to myself looking at the half-dozen tickets.

I returned to my pick up point, to find Urd lazing in a chair, "You ready?", she asked.

I nodded, "Yeah, let's go", I replied, eager to get back to the temple.

A figure stepped out of the wall as Urd and Brett disappeared into the TV. "Impressive", he said, "Brett seems to be learning quickly".

The figure stood just under six feet, with light grey hair and a serious look in his almond shaped eyes. He slumped down in a chair, "I wish he'd quit moving around so much", he muttered tiredly, "It's getting harder and harder to keep up with him". He was dressed in a strange uniform which looked like a cross between combat fatigues and a business suit. Numerous pockets covered his clothing, which was a brilliant white, with what looked like a purple undershirt.

He sat for a few more minutes before stretching and yawning, "Well Nilthar, you've certainly taken up a challenge", he said smiling and walking towards the door, "I'm going to keep a closer eye on Brett from now on". With that he walked out of the building (through the wall).

I nervously looked around, glancing up and down the crowded street. I had arrived a few minutes early (as I *always* seem to do) at the movie theatre and was waiting rather impatiently for Megumi and her friends to arrive. Urd had seemed a little put out that I wouldn't be having a lesson tonight, but just shrugged and said she was sure that she'd find something else to do.

I leaned up against a wall across the street from the theatre, watching as the traffic flowed past. The evening had become rather chilly and I was wearing a heavy jacket tonight. "God I hate cold weather", I thought, stamping my feet to remain warm.

A taxi pulled up a moment later and Megumi and her friends piled out. Megumi began looking around for me once the taxi had disappeared, "Brett-san!", she called, waving at me from across the street. I smiled and waved back, and began to cross the road.

Unfortunately for me, a car choose just that particular moment to loose control and careered straight at me. I had a few seconds warning thanks to my precognition, and I executed a jump that would have made an Olympic high jumper jealous (of course the levitation spell that I had learnt yesterday helped). Unfortunately my landing was a little off and I fell in a heap on the ground.

"Brett-san", cried Megumi, running over to me, "Are you all right?".

I shook my head, feeling a little dizzy after the quick spell. "I'm fine", I managed, looking at the impact that the car had made in the wall that I had been leaning against. The driver was unhurt but *very* shaken.

"I'm telling you it just swerved by itself", he whined to the police officers that had arrived.

One of them nodded, "I'm sure sir, how much have you had to drink tonight?", he asked

Megumi helped me back over to her friends, my ankle was slightly twisted from the jump and I was limping badly and I sat down on the theatre's steps. "Do you still want to go to the movie?", she asked concerned, "That was a nasty fall".

"But I'd have to say it was the best jump I've ever seen", commented Takama, "Are you some kind of athlete?", she asked.

I shook my head, "Nope, it must have been the adrenaline", I said lamely.

A moment later I realised that there was an unfamiliar guy standing beside her, he had his arm around her shoulder,
"I'm sorry", I said, "I don't think we've been introduced, my name's Brett".

The fellow didn't look impressed (either at the attention I was getting from Takama or with my name), "I'm Toba", he said bluntly, "Are you gonna sit there all night, or are we going to see a movie?".

Takama elbowed him in the stomach, "Down, Toba", she said playfully, "Brett-san almost had a nasty accident".

"You mean Brett-san was almost dog meat", said another male voice.

I looked up to see another young man eyeing me strangely,
"I'm Ken", he said smiling, "Pleased to meet you", he added in perfect English.

I nodded, "Same here", I replied, still trying to recover my balance.

"If your finished showing off your linguistic talents",
Toba said sharply to Ken, "Let's get a move on".

I nodded, "The rest of you go in and I'll catch up in a moment", I said, "I just need to catch my breath".

Megumi sat down beside me, concern visible in her eyes,
"I'll wait with Brett", she said, "You all go ahead".

"Great", said Toba, "Bye!", and with that he hauled Takama towards the entrance. Ken and Yoshimi followed them after a moment, leaving me sitting with Megumi.

I shivered slightly, "That was *very* close", I said quietly.

Megumi put an arm round my shoulders, "Your OK", she said, "I survived the falling vending machine this morning and now you managed to dodge a speeding car".

I looked at her and raised my eyebrows in question, "That means were both very lucky!", she said cheerfully and with that she pulled me to my feet, this time placing my arm over *her* shoulders to provide a bit of support for my ankle (well I *think* that was the reason, but I decided not to argue the point). An unpleasant thought echoed around in my mind, we were lucky all right, but it was all bad.

About a 100 feet away from Brett, there was a young man walking along the street. Suddenly, he stoped and seemed preoccupied. He has a calm expression on his face as if he's getting ready to do something at a split second.

"Damn! Nilthar's trying something already.", he muttered,
detecting a fair gathering of power. Then saw the car coming right at Brett and tensed up, but Brett jumped using a levitation spell and managed to avoid the car.

"Good, he managed to take care of the problem himself.
Even if he lost control of the levitation spell, he sure is learning fast", he thought to himself, "Nilthar is going to have to directly confront this one soon and when he does I'll be there."

"You missed again!", hissed Nilthar angrily.

Marller shook her head, "I aimed perfectly, he avoided it", she declared.

"Damn!", Nilthar swore, "That means he's mastering his abilities".

"Did you feel the active scan?" Marller asked a moment later.

"Yeah, I traced it to Brett but it wasn't his doing,"
Nilthar replied, "It was someone else. A very *powerful*
someone else"

"It has to be one of the three Goddess. But if it's what you described than the only one who has the ability to do that would have to be a first class Goddess. And that means Belldandy." Marller thought aloud.

"That means the three Goddess are on to us and are trying to protect him." Nilthar said.

"Are you sure that it wasn't the Security Daemon that was hunting you?", Marller asked concerned, "I know Belldandy and I'm pretty sure she's not that subtle when it comes to a scan."

"Nonsense." Scoffed Nilthar," I lost the agent when I went into the deepest levels of hell. He couldn't have followed me here."

The two demons were lying flat on the roof of the theatre, watching Brett and Megumi disappear into the building. "I felt some of the power when he dodged", Marller added after a moment to change the topic.

Nilthar nodded, "Me too", he said, "We're going to have to move more quickly".

Marller frowned, "You mean a direct confrontation?", she asked worriedly.

"That's how I dealt with his predecessor", Nilthar said,
smiling evilly.

"That may have worked when you are confronting him one on one and had surprise on you side", Marller argued, "But there are three Goddesses who can support him".

Nilthar nodded, "Well, we're going to have to eliminate them then", he said.

Marller grinned, "Which do we get rid of first?", she asked eagerly.

Nilthar smiled, "His teacher, of course", he said.

"Good!", Marller declared, "I've been itching to take care of that one for a while".

The two Demons took one last look at the street before disappearing into the night, they had plans to make and Goddesses to kill.

Across the street from the two demons, a pair of Goddesses sat pondering the situation. They were sitting in a bus shelter, watching Brett and Megumi walk into the theatre. Urd had an expression of barely-suppressed anger on her face,
"What the hell's going on here", she fumed.

Skuld was looking a concerned, "I don't know", she said,
examining the device on her lap. It resembled a small pocket-TV, but it was making rather unusual noises. "The only thing I have is a active scan coming from Brett. Locating the spell. If it wasn't for the scan then I would never have known that there was a spell cast. I only got the echo from the scan but from what I could tell it was heavily shielded."

"An active scan?" Urd exclaimed,"It couldn't have been Brett's. He's no where near that level yet. I don't even think he knows what a scan is."

"Wait. Let me check", Skuld said while looking intently on the device. After a few minutes she said, "It was coming from him but he didn't cause it". They thought over the implications of what that meant.

"Maybe we'd better follow them", Urd said after a moment,
standing.

"But maybe they want to be alone", said Skuld smiling,
"You know, the way Keiichi and Belldandy do sometimes?".

Urd turned on her sister with a furious expression on her face, but after a moment she realised that Skuld hadn't said anything wrong. "Well you can wait here if you want to", she said, striding across the street.

Skuld jumped up and followed her sister, fiddling with her strange device, which kept emitting strange noises. "Slow down Sister", she said, hurrying to keep up.

The two entered the theatre, paid for their tickets and took up position a few rows back from Brett. Skuld enjoyed the movie immensely, all the gadgets and technology really appealed to her. Urd seemed more concerned with keeping an eye on Brett and Megumi.

Finally the credits rolled and everyone began to leave,
Urd pulled Skuld down behind the seat as Brett and Megumi walked past. The two Goddesses followed them out into the street, keeping a watchful eye over their friends.

Chapter 7:

I limped along, following Megumi and her friends from the theatre, it had been an enjoyable movie. Toba grumbled through it and seemed to be rather critical with just about everything from the acting to the stunt-work. "I'm telling you it looked fake", he argued with Ken.

"You're just being stubborn", Ken replied, "It was a great movie".

I sighed and limped after them as we started down the street, Megumi noticed that I was lagging behind and slowed the pace so that I could keep up, "Where are we going now?",
Toba asked.

"Brett-san has organised us some tickets to 'Skylight',
Megumi replied, smiling at me.

"Who'd you kill to get those?", Ken asked, looking up curiously.

I shrugged, "Oh some guy gave them to me after my lecture this afternoon". I replied.

After a five minute walk (during which my ankle started throbbing rather painfully), we arrived at the end of the line up. It was enormous, there had to be over a hundred people lined up waiting to get in, "Well this looks like a fun way to spend the evening", Toba said sarcastically.

We had been standing there for about five minutes (during which time the line hadn't moved), when I heard a voice call my name, "Handy-san?", asked a man wearing a three piece suit.

I nodded, "If you would follow me", he said, indicating our group.

The six of us followed the man, as he proceeded to push his way to the front of the line, the bouncer at the door bowed respectfully to the man and opened to door, ushering us inside. I was as amazed as everyone else, "Sorry about the wait Sir", he man said, "Please enjoy the evening". With that he disappeared into the crowd.

Takama looked at me curiously, "I thought you were new around here", she said.

I nodded, "I've never met that guy in my life", I replied.

"Who cares!", said Toba, dragging Takama towards the dance floor, "Bye!", she managed before they disappeared into the crowd.

Ken smiled and gestured for Yoshimi to proceed him and they both also headed off to have a dance. I offered my arm to Megumi, "Care to dance?", I asked politely.

She nodded, smiling, "Are you sure your ankle can take it?", she asked, as I led her onto the floor.

I smiled, "I should be able to manage one set", I said.

I was close, I actually managed about half the set before I had to sit down because of the pain, we found a table and Megumi ordered a drink for herself, "Something to dull the pain?", she asked smiling.

I shook my head, "Just a Coke", I said to the waiter.

He nodded and left, returning almost immediately with our drinks, "Complements of the house, sir", the waiter said,
smiling broadly.

I frowned across the table at Megumi, "Are they usually this nice to strangers here?", I asked her.

She sipped her drink thoughtfully, "No", she replied,
"You must have made an impression on somebody".

I shrugged and attempted to stretch my ankle, wincing at the sharp pain, "Do you want to get out of here?", Megumi asked, noticing my pained expression.

I smiled and shook my head, "No, it's alright", I said,
"We only just got here".

"Were are they?", Urd repeated.

"Hold still and I might be able to tell you", replied Skuld. She was standing on Urd's shoulders, peering into the nightclub. The two Goddesses had found it rather difficult to get inside, having been ejected twice by the bouncers.

"There they are", Skuld said excitedly, "Sitting together at a table".

"Have got that stupid thing working yet?", Urd complained, shifting her shoulders slightly.

"Stop moving", Skuld hissed, fiddling with her new toy,
"I can't lock on to him if you don't hold still".

Urd grumbled but stood as still as possible, "Yes!",
Skuld said triumphantly, "I've got the energy signature of whoever cast that scan-spell".

Urd nodded, "Good, now if we can...".

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE!", shouted a voice from behind them.

A startled Urd turned quickly, forgetting about her sister for a moment (a moment was all it took). Skuld hit the pavement with a muffled shriek, Urd frowned at the new visitor, "Who are you?", she asked.

"I'm with the peeping-tom society, we want to do a story on you", he replied sarcastically, "What are you doing looking into the club?".

Urd sneered at him, "What business is it of yours?", she asked.

The man stepped forward and revealed that he was wearing the uniform of a police officer, "'What business is it of yours, *Officer*", he said smiling grimly.

Urd gulped slightly, "Well you see sir...", she began.

"You stupid...", groaned Skuld, picking herself up off the ground, rubbing her sore backside.

The policeman walked forwards, "I should run you in", he said, "But I'm in a good mood tonight". He looked at Skuld's poor condition, and turned to Urd, "You'd better get your sister cleaned up", he said, indicating the mud smeared all over her.

Urd nodded quickly, "Yes sir", she said, grabbing Skuld by the arm and pulling her from the alley. She practically sprinted all the way back to the temple, hauling a complaining Skuld behind her. It was only when she finally reached home that she wondered how the policeman had known that she and Skuld were sisters.

The 'policeman' grinned at the speed with which Urd disappeared round the corner, "Ahh Urd, I could *always* fool you", he said.

Frowning for a moment he picked up the strange device that Skuld had dropped, "Ummm", he said studying the device,
"Not a bad design".

He looked around carefully to see if he was being observed, seeing no one he made a few negligent gestures with one hand and muttered a few strange words. In place of the middle-aged police officer stood a young man of about seventeen. He adjusted his white polo shirt and dusted off his khaki pants, "Another one to me", he said smiling.

"Now where were they?", he said walking over to the window, again checking the alley he concentrated intently and rose off the ground slowly. Stopping at window level he continued to watch Brett, observing and waiting.

Megumi and I sat for a while and talked, she seemed surprised that I didn't drink, "I thought that Australians were famous for the amount of beer that they could guzzle",
she said smiling.

I shook my head, "Well not *this* Australian", I replied wryly, "And you have no idea how awkward that is at parties".

She was about to respond when a young man walked up to our table, "Would you like to dance?", he asked her, smiling.

Megumi looked torn between staying with me or accepting the fellow's offer (I think the main reason was that he was a good looking, young Japanese businessman), "Go ahead", I said,
making the decision for her, "I'll be fine right here".

She still seemed a little hesitant, so I grinned at her and made a 'shooing' motion with my hands, "Enjoy yourself", I said, "I'll just watch for a while".

She nodded and followed the fellow out onto the floor,
leaving me sitting by myself. The one dance, turned into several and I was sitting for nearly half an hour before a waiter approached me, "Excuse me sir", he said politely, "But the manager wishes to speak with you upstairs".

I frowned, "What does he want?", I asked.

"I wouldn't presume to guess at his thoughts sir", he replied, "I was just instructed to ask you upstairs".

I nodded an got painfully to my feet, "Lay on McDuff", I said (I have this horrible habit of using cliches in my speech, sorry!).

It took a moment for him to realise that I had meant an affirmative, he turned and led me to an elevator, pushing the top button, before getting out.

I shifted my wait off the injured foot, leaning against the wall (have you ever gotten into an elevator after just watching a James bond movie... you keep expecting the floor to drop out from under you..). The door opened silently and I emerged into a rooftop party, there were probably about fifty people up here, some dancing, some just talking in small groups.

I spied a familiar face (or rather it jumped out in front of me), "Brett-san", called Ashoima, from across the room.

I smiled awkwardly, "Hello there Ashomia-san", I said limping over to him.

He looked at my leg with what appeared to be concern,
"Are you alright?", he asked.

I shrugged, "Just a little run in with a car", I replied.

Before I could say another word he helped my to a chair and called to a butler for some ice. "Ahh.. Thank you Ashoima-san", I said, putting the ice pack against my leg.

After a moment of painless bliss, I looked up at Ashoima,
"I was suppose to talk to the manager...".

He grinned, "Your talking to him", he said.

I must have looked shocked, because he grinned wider, "I run this place for my father", he said, "He doesn't have time to take care of it".

I nodded and we talked for about ten more minutes before he begged my forgiveness and said he had to talk to some of the other guests. I relaxed back in my chair, glad for some relief of the pain in my ankle. I look around for somewhere private, "I might be able to heal it myself", I thought, but I never got the chance.

"Brett-san", said a familiar voice, "Glad to see you came along".

A smiling Sayoko, sat down in a chair opposite me. I would like to say that I'm mostly immune to the effect of a nice-looking female (in other words I don't usually drool in the presence of gorgeous women), but I had to take a long look at Sayoko. She was wearing a low-cut, black evening dress,
that was also cut high in the thighs, the whole effect was like she had wrapped a thin roll of satin over herself.

I gulped air a little and managed a smile in response,
"Remember, she's after Keiichi, not *you*", I reminded myself.

"So", she said, "What do you think of the party?".

I (after firmly fixing my eyes back into my head) nodded,
"It's very nice", I replied, "But I hardly know why *I* of all people was invited".

"Why Brett-san", Sayoko said sweetly, "Everyone knows how you bravely saved Keiichi-san's life, think of this as a thank you".

I nodded, and politely refused the offer of champagne from the waiter, Sayoko took one and sipped it slowly, "You *must* tell me more about yourself", she said.

I'm not going to bore you with the rest of the conversation, suffice to say that after getting my life story (well an *edited* life story), she brought the conversation back to Keiichi. "You and Keiichi must be good friends", she said.

I nodded, "He's a good mate", I replied evasively.

She seemed a little confused by the term, but then continued, "I heard that he's very grateful for your assistance, and that Tamiya-san wants to make you an *honorary* member of their auto club".

"He did mention something about that", I replied,
deliberately keeping my responses short and final.

She again seemed confused, but went on with the next question, "How well do you know Belldandy?", she asked.

I grinned internally and then let fly with a glowing report on Belldandy, including how well her relationship with Keiichi was and how happy they both were. I could practically see the steam coming out of her ears as she sat through it (I must have gone on for about five minutes).

"Ahh, that's wonderful", she said, breaking into a description of one of Belldandy's breakfasts. She stood quickly, "If you would excuse me for a moment", she said,
making her way towards Ashoima.

I grinned, "I bet that ends my welcome", I thought to myself. Since my ankle was feeling better I decided to make the decision on throwing me out easy, I walked over to Ashoima and Sayoko, "I'm telling you that he's as useless as...", was what I caught before Sayoko shut her mouth.

"Brett-san!", Ashoima said loudly, attempting to cover the tail of the conversation.

I smiled and then yawned, theatrically, "Well I think I'd better hit the road", I said, "lectures to study for and all that".

Ashoima nodded, "Well, be sure and visit again", he said,
relived not to have to give up the role of 'gracious host'.

I nodded, "I'm sure", I said (putting just a hint of sarcasm in my voice). With that I turned and headed for the elevator.

"He knew exactly what we were doing!", Sayoko hissed angrily.

Ashoima nodded, also looking rather angry, "After all that effort, we get nothing", he said.

They both watched Brett's departing figure, fuming at having been deceived by someone who was *supposed* to be ignorant of their plans.

"I think we'll have to look into our 'Mr Aussie'",
Ashoima said thoughtfully.

I stepped out of the elevator into the noise of the club,
looing around for Megumi and her friends, spotting Ken and Yoshimi I walked over to them.

"Either of you seen Megumi?", I asked.

Ken nodded, "I think she left with some guy", he replied,
"Sorry".

I shrugged, "Well, I think I'm headed for home too", I said, "See you later".

I carefully made my way from the club, heading in the general direction of the Temple, "She went home with some guy hey?", I thought sadly, "Ahh well, good luck to her".

I stopped for a breather in a small park that was a few minutes walk from the temple, sitting down on the grass I looked up at the stars, "Well Brett", I said to myself,
"That's another girl lost to bad timing". My luck, of late,
had been decidedly bad in this area, mainly due to the fact that if you didn't put any effort in, you didn't get anything back.

Shrugging off the thoughts I stood and limped back to the temple, "Yo, I'm back!", I called, as I entered.

"Brett-san!", cried Keiichi coming down the stairs, "How was the evening with Megumi?".

I smiled wryly, "Well she ended up leaving with this guy...", I replied.

He frowned, "Oh I'm sorry", he said sadly.

I shook my head, "Hey, it's cool", I said, limping up the stairs towards him.

He looked concerned, "What happened?", he asked.

"I had an argument with a car as to 'right of way'", I said, "It's OK though, I only sprained it".

He grabbed one of my arms, supporting my sore ankle (we must have looked pretty ridiculous, Keiichi's shoulders barely come up to my mid-chest level). "Belldandy!", he called,
"Brett-san needs some assistance".

We entered the kitchen to find the three Goddesses sitting around the table, each of them looking at me strangely, "What?", I, said defensively.

Urd eyed me suspiciously, "When did you learn to do a 'scan'", she said.

I sat down heavily, "I don't know what a 'scan' is", I replied, confused.

Skuld looked at Urd, "I told you", she said.

"Shut up!", Urd said rudely, "I had to ask him anyway".

By this point I was confused and a little concerned,
"What are you talking about?", I demanded. Keiichi nodded,
also confused.

"A scan", Belldandy said, "Is what a God or Goddess..".

"Or Demon", interrupted Urd.

Belldandy looked at her sister and nodded, "or Demon uses to detect others who can use the same abilities".

"Sort of like a metal detector?", I asked.

She nodded, "It can also let you discover what spells they have cast, or are attempting to cast", she finished.

I thought for a moment, "So what made you think that I knew what a scan was?", I asked Urd.

"I didn't", she replied.

"But...", I said frowning.

"I don't know how much 'extra-curricular' learning you've done", she said, "You *might* have been able to work it out for yourself".

"I still don't understand why you choose this minute to ask me", I replied.

"That car that almost hit you tonight", said Skuld, "The brakes failed because someone cast a spell on it".

"How did you know about the car?", I asked, looking at Skuld.

"We followed you", Urd said.

"Why on earth would you follow me?", I asked. Urd looked a little nervous and tried several times to answer.

Belldandy came to Urd's assistance, "*I* was worried that something might happen to you and asked them to help", she said.

"Oh", I said, "Well who was it that tried to kill me?".

Skuld looked up sheepishly, "Well... I kinda lost the recorder", she said.

I sighed, "I suppose we could make an educated guess", I said.

"Marller", said Urd quietly.

I nodded, "Know any other demons that I've 'pissed off'
lately?", I asked, smiling.

Urd shook her head, "It was only luck that kept them from killing you tonight...", she said.

I frowned, "Thanks", I said sarcastically, "I think I managed to get out of the way quite nicely".

She sighed, "That was this time", she said, "What about next time?".

"I think that she's been trying to get me for a while now", I said quietly.

"WHAT!", Urd cried, "When?".

I explained about the falling vending machine that had almost crushed myself and Megumi earlier this afternoon. "And you didn't tell us?", Urd said angrily.

I sighed, "Well no", I said, "It didn't really seem important".

Belldandy sighed, "Brett-san", she said seriously, "If anything *unusual* happens, please tell us".

I nodded, "alright", I said, easing myself to my feet, "I think I'll find an icepack for this".

"Don't bother", Urd said, then she turned and walked towards my room, "Come on and I'll heal it for you".

I nodded and hobbled after her.

"What are we going to do?", asked Keiichi, moving to sit near Belldandy.

She leaned against him and he put an arm over her shoulders, "Brett-san will have to face Marller eventually",
she said, "He seems to be doing a good job of avoiding he attacks".

Skuld looked at them peevishly, "I wonder how long until she tries something more obvious", she said.

"What do you mean 'obvious'", asked Keiichi.

Belldandy sighed, "Until he's fully trained it makes him a target", she explained, "Compounding it is the fact that he ruined her attack on you. Unless he can prove capable of defending himself he's vulnerable".

"But why should he have to prove anything?", Keiichi asked, "I mean it's not as if he's going to be fighting demons every day".

Belldandy shook her head, "Of course not", she said, "But it is the one thing that all Gods and Goddesses must do to earn the title of God(dess)".

Keiichi nodded, leaning his face over kissing her lightly on the cheek, "I'm glad I've got you here to take care of us then", he said smiling.

"Can't you two wait till your alone to do that!", Skuld said exasperatedly, getting up and heading for her room.

The two just sat, comfortable in each other's arms, their cares and troubles far away.

I sat heavily down on my bed and pulled off my socks awkwardly, my foot had swollen considerably. "Geeze", she said, "You *really* need to work on those landings".

I winced as she turned my foot to examine it more closely, "Hey!", I said, "That's not detachable".

"What's the matter", she teased, "Can't take a little pain?".

I winced again as she sat on the end of the bed, shaking it slightly, "Come on", I said, "If I wanted pain I would have gone looking for Megumi and her new friend".

She grinned, "Got dumped 'eh?", she asked. She began slowly massaging my ankle, it felt wonderful.

I nodded, "Well you don't have to act so *sad* about it",
I said sarcastically.

She shrugged, "She's only a *mortal*", she replied.

I frowned, "That's not exactly a good attitude, Urd", I said seriously, "She's a nice girl".

"If she's so nice how come she dumped you?", she asked.

"That's not the point", I said.

"Oh?", she said, arching her eyebrows, "Your suppose to be a *god* now and that should be your highest priority".

I sighed, "Belldandy and Keiichi seem to be able to work things out", I pointed out.

"That's only because he made a wish", she said,
"Otherwise I'm sure they would be having trouble".

I frowned, "You make it sound like *all* mortals are worthless", I said.

"Well most of them are", she said, "there are only a few that are worth the effort".

I shook my head, "You really think *we're* that useless?", I asked.

"What's this 'we' stuff", she said, "Your not a mortal anymore".

"Oh?", I asked, "Then what am I?". Seeing her blank expression I continued, "I'm not a god yet", I said, "That leaves me as a 'lowly' mortal".

She frowned, "I don't think...", she began.

I broke in, "Well that's obvious", I said, getting angry,
"I think that's your problem".

"What the hell are you talking about?", she screamed,
standing up abruptly.

"I'm talking about *you*", I said, "You don't seem to be able to give *anyone* a chance, always judging and thinking you know best".

"I never judge without reviewing all the facts", she began heatedly, "And if I find someone lacking I tell them".

"Why you self-righteous...", I shouted and stood abruptly, intending to give her a piece of my mind, but my leg had decided to go to sleep and I plunged downwards, banging my head painfully on the floor.

"Brett!", she said cradling my head as I saw stars.

I shook my head slightly and sat up, she helped me back onto the bed, "I don't believe this", I muttered, "Everything going wrong..".

She shook her head, "Your *really* pathetic", she said,
smiling to take the sting from her words (well she almost succeeded).

I grinned rubbing my head, "I know", I said, "Just another 'stupid mortal' 'eh?".

She shook her head, "I'm sorry", she said, "I shouldn't be saying things like that..."

She broke off an placed a hand on my head, muttering a spell, a moment later I fell into a peacefully sleep.

Looking down at Brett's peaceful form Urd sighed, he was *really* pathetic sometimes. She muttered another spell,
healing his hurt ankle. "Well that should take care of it",
she said turning to leave the room.

Almost as an afterthought she tuned back and brushed his hair back examining the marking's on his forehead. "If your *not* a god", she said after examining them, "I don't know what you are".

She smiled again and kissed him lightly on the cheek,
"Sleep well, 'mortal'", she said. Turning she then left for her own room, it was tiring work to heal injuries.

As soon as Urd left a figure pulled itself from out of the floor, "I thought she'd never leave", he muttered,
standing upright.

The figure reached into one of the many pockets on his clothing, pulling out a small magnifying glass. "Now what's so important about you Brett?", he asked absently.

He examining the markings on Brett's head thoughtfully,
"Now *that's* unusual", he said, "I think you've got the potential".

Looking around he examined the room, flicking through some of the books and examining Brett's photo album. "I *really* hate this 'monkey suit'", he said, pulling at the tight collar around his neck, "I gotta ask for a new uniform".

He made a few gestures and muttered a spellword. A moment later he stretched, "That's better", he thought, much more comfortable in his usual Polo shirt and Khakis.

CHAPTER 8:

I awoke refreshed and re-vitalised, looking around I tried to remember what had happened last night. "oh yeah", I said remembering my sore ankle, I carefully stretched it, "no pain there", I muttered.

Swinging off the bed I gingerly got to my feet, my foot was fine. Smiling happily I had a quick shower, today was a Saturday and there were no classes on at NIT. So I lazed in my room for an hour or two, involved in my favourite pastimes,
reading and listening to music. I noticed one unusual thing though, most of my books had been moved around and my photo album was left open.

"Urd probably had a look around last night", I thought to myself.

"Brett-san", Keiichi said, sliding open the door, "Are you coming along?".

I turned down the music for a moment, "Huh?", I said,
"Coming were?".

He sighed, "We've got the meet this afternoon", he said.

I clicked off the CD player and put down my book, "I thought that the meet was last weekend?", I said.

He shook his head, "Well Tamiya-Sempai managed to get it postponed and located another bike, we worked on it all week",
he replied.

I noticed the racing-type uniform he was wearing, "I take it your feeling up to riding?", I asked.

He smiled, "Well it's been over two weeks, so it's alright for my arm to be better", he said, "Besides the bike's been set up for someone with my size and weight".

I nodded, "alright then I'll come along", I said, getting up and looking around for my jacket.

"Fine", he said, "I'll see you out the front in five minutes then".

I grinned, "Let's hope your ride is a little less *spectacular* this time", I said.

Keiichi chuckled and headed for the door, "Oh", he said,
as if remembering something, "Megumi's going to be meeting us there".

"Fine", I replied, not looking up, "Lets get going".

Now I've only been to a few race tracks, and I don't think I've *ever* seen quite so many people and machines. The noise was also rather deafening. Keiichi, myself and the three Goddesses walked into the Nekgmi Club's tent, and I found to my surprise that the volume was rather lower inside.

Tamiya and Ootaki were waiting for Keiichi and immediately pounced on him, dragging him over to look at the bike. I followed them over, examining the bike and it's rider carefully for any tell-tale grey areas.

"What are you doing Brett-san?", Ootaki said, noticing my examination.

Keiichi jumped in quickly, "Brett-san is thinking of joining the club and is trying to learn more about motorcycles", he said.

Tamiya laughed loudly, and clapped me on the shoulder (since I was a little big to hug), "Excellent!", he said, "I'm sure we'll have you rebuilding engines in no time".

He then proceeded to explain *ever* single detail that was visible without pulling the bike apart (and from the look in his eye I'd say he would have if it wasn't needed that afternoon). "Uhh, thank you Tamiya-san", I said, breaking into his description of the electrical systems of the bike,
"But I think that man want's to talk to you". I pointed at the man in a race official's uniform, who had been trying to attract his attention for the last five minutes.

"Oh!", he said turning, "I'll tell you about tuning the bike later", with that he practically ran over to the official.

Keiichi had been watching me from the other side of the room with a grin on his face, "Thank's awfully!", I said to him sarcastically, "Couldn't you think of any other excuse?".

He shrugged, "Not off hand", he said smiling.

"I'll get you for that!", I said, also grinning. A moment later my grin faded slightly as Megumi walked into the tent. Keiichi must have noticed because he put a hand on my shoulder, reassuringly.

Taking a deep breath I settled back into my 'unconcerned'
mode, not letting anything get to me. Unfortunately for my unconcerned pose Megumi walked straight over to me, "Good morning Brett-san", she said quietly, giving me a small smiled.

I nodded, "G'day Megumi", I replied.

Keiichi cleared his throat, "Well I'd better go and get set up then", he said. He then proceeded to leave so quickly,
that I had the passing thought that he could probably win the race without the bike.

I looked at his retreating figure, "A tower of support there", I thought sarcastically.

"About last night...", Megumi began, "I'm sorry that I left you there, but Kazuo insisted that he show me home".

I raised my eyebrows, "Oh?", I said, "Was that his name?".

She nodded, "He works for a company that designs aircraft engines", she continued excitedly (oblivious to my rather empty expression), "He's so smart, I had trouble keeping up with him, he's working in the thermal dynamics section at the moment but he hopes...".

I tuned out of the conversation, muttering an appropriate response to her babble. "Well that sounds great", I managed,
keeping a smile plastered on my face, "I'm happy you two are getting along so well".

She must have noticed something because she looked at me strangely for a moment, "Are you alright?", she asked, "How's you leg?".

I nodded, "I'm fine and my leg's much better thanks", I said, then trying to find a way out I decided to take a breath of 'fresh air', "If you'll excuse me I think I'll take a walk to get the kinks out of my ankle".

Not waiting for a response I hurried to the entrance of the tent and stepped out into the bright sunlight and noise. Noticing a large crowd I noticed a familiar name emblazoned across a large tent a little ways down from NIT's. 'ASHOIMA FORMULA' the name read proudly and in large letters. The crowd had gathered because for some reason there were a series of dancing girls all preforming in front of the tent, "Which racing club's the best?", the were all singing,
"A..S..H..O..I..M..A!".

I frowned and watched for a bit longer, before turning and walking down behind the tents across a large empty grass field. After escaping the mobs I decided to just sit down on the grass for a while and think.

Keiichi observed Brett's rather hasty departure with concern.

"What on earth is he so upset about?", Urd commented also watching.

Keiichi looked at her and frowned, "Oh you don't know?,
I thought you were the", he gestured with both hands, "Love Goddess".

Urd shook her head, "I still don't see what you mean",
she said, "I talked to Brett last night and he seemed ok".

Keiichi sighed, "Of course we wouldn't talk to *you*
about it Urd...", he began.

Suddenly Urd became rather angry and grabbed Keiichi by one collar, "Just what do you mean by that?", she asked him in a threatening voice.

"ahhh.. errr.. ummm...", Keiichi mumbled, trying to think up some kind of escape, "Ahhh, your a girl", he finally settled on.

She narrowed her eyes, "And what does that have to do with anything?", she asked.

"Well", he said, sweating heavily, "Guys don't discuss things like that with girls".

She nodded thoughtfully, "Alright", she said finally, "I *guess* that's a valid reason", and with that she turned a walked over to Belldandy and Skuld.

"Morisato!", called Tamiya, "Time for our heat!".

Keiichi nodded and picked up his helmet, "Well, wish me luck", he said turning to the Goddesses.

In response Belldandy kissed him on the cheek and placed his helmet carefully on his head, "Be careful", she said,
smiling.

I arrived just in time to see Keiichi win his heat by a huge margin, "GO KEIICHI!", I cheered as he flew past.

I ran over to him, "YES!", he enthused as he pulled off his helmet.

I clapped him on the shoulder, "Way to go mate!", I said,
"That was awesome".

He grinned, "I think this new bike is even faster than the old one", he said, looking it over.

A moment later the rest of the Nekgmi crew arrived,
cheering and clapping, Keiichi got a huge kiss from Belldandy. Tamiya hoisted him up on his shoulders, "Good work Morisato,
you qualified with the fastest time this afternoon", he said.

I'd have to say that this was the first time that I'd ever been to a race meet that I'd *really* enjoyed. having a friend involved certainly make a difference. "So who's Keiichi's opposition this afternoon?", I asked Urd, who was standing slightly apart from Keiichi's enthusiastic supporters.

She gestured to the line of dancing girls (who still hadn't stopped their singing), "Ashoima Formula came in second with the time trials", she said, "So it looks like it'll come down to us and them again".

"Again?", I asked.

She nodded, "Well Ashoima Formula and Nekgmi's auto club have a long standing tradition of competition", she explained,
"It's about the only thing they can agree on".

I frowned, "Agree?", I said, confused.

She smiled, "Yes, they both agree that their opposition are a bunch of loosers", she said.

I grinned, "Well, it looks like Keiichi's bike is a bit safer this time", I said, I tapped the side of my head for emphasis, "It looks good to me".

She nodded, "That's certinally a useful ability", she said thoughtfully.

Something in her tone made me think there was something she didn't add, "What?", I asked curiously.

"Oh..", she began, "I was wondering if your ability is limited to only the near future".

I frowned, not understanding what she meant, "Oh, I mean if it's just limited to 'early warning' or if you can actually tell the future", she explained.

I shrugged, "Well I've never really tried to use it in any other way", I replied.

She raised her eyebrows, "Well...?", she asked.

I was still confused, "What?", I replied.

"Are you going to try it?", she said.

"Now?", I said looking around, "It's a little public".

She sighed, "Look, *your* the only one going to be seeing it", she said, "So what difference does it make?".

I nodded, "Alright then", I said, "How do I get started?".

She took me over to a empty table and sat down opposite me, "Relax", she said, "Close you eyes and just relax". She kept repeating her instruction to relax and sure enough with a bit of encouragement I found myself relaxed.

"Now, open your eyes and think about the future", she said, "Where is everyone going?... What will people be doing?...".

I opened my eyes to a world filled with greyness and decay, everywhere I looked people seemed to be dieing by inches, Tamiya grew old before my eyes, his impressive figure wrinkling and shrinking, leaving an old man, stooped and feeble. It was the same everywhere, trees lost their leaves,
flowers died, motorcycles rusted into piles of metal. I saw graves lined up before my eyes, the names were familiar, all my friends and family, gone. I looked at my own hand and it withered into bone before my eyes.

I walked forward, looking for someone, anyone that was still alive, the world was a dead place, buildings toppled and fell from disuse, the sun seemed to be burning a brighter and brighter red, it began to get larger in the sky. I shuddered away from the piercing light and then watched as the earth melted from under me in the intense heat.

"NO!", I screamed, shutting my eyes tightly, "STOP!".

Clutching my head I willed the images away, "Brett, are you alright?", came Urd's concerned voice, "Come on, open your eyes, it's ok".

Taking a shuddering breath I slowly opened my eyes,
everything was normal, except for the fact that Keiichi and the three Goddesses were surrounding me looking concerned,
"You've been sitting there for almost five minutes", Urd said seeing that I'd finally opened my eyes.

I seemed to have a horrible headache and I rubbed my temples, "That was not pleasant", I said quietly.

Urd placed a hand on my shoulder, "What did you see?",
she asked.

I shrugged off the hand, "I don't really want to talk about it", I said, "Let's just say my ability functions as an early warning device and that's *IT*".

Urd looked like she was going to protest but then thought better of it, "Well, Keiichi", she said, "You'd better get ready for the race".

The rest of the afternoon was a bit of a disappointment,
Keiichi made it to the finals, but was beaten by a commercial entry from Honda. I guess the only saving grace was that the Ashoima club was knocked out in the second round. Keiichi was pretty upset about not winning, but as Tamiya pointed out, he had almost beaten a company that spends millions on research and development, with a bike that they had put together in a week.

There was a small party at the temple that evening,
everyone was a little subdued, but we all had a good time. I even managed to dance get a Megumi once or twice. My feelings were still a little bruised, but I decided that she was still my friend (even if it wasn't exactly the level of friendship that I would have liked).

A few days later I was attending some lecture on the 'historical contribution made by the teabag' or something,
when I got a tap on the shoulder.

"Huh?", I responded, in a half-snooze state.

"Could I borrow your eraser?", the guy beside me asked.

I nodded and passed it over to him, looking at the rather unusual cartoon he had drawn on the back of his notepad, "Nice artwork", I commended him quietly.

He grinned, "Thanks, I *really* get bored during these things", he whispered.

I smiled, "That's for sure", I said.

The guy's name was Okuda Korasai and I found that we had several classes together, he was a chemistry major. We chatted for what was left of the lecture in low tones, he was obviously as bored as I was and just as eager to talk. When it was finally over, we decided to grab a pizza (well he wanted sushi, but I overruled him, since I was the one paying).

I had an enjoyable lunch and we talked over many subjects. At one point he was describing in minute detail one of his more interesting chemistry projects, "I bet you'd get along great with Urd", I commented, after he had finally finished.

"Urd?", he asked, looking curious.

I nodded, and then explained, "Urd is a friend of mine,
who's quite a chemist in her own right", I said. I then proceeded to explain where I was living and who I was living with, he recognised the reference to Keiichi and Belldandy (obviously they were quite an item around here) and he seemed to know where the temple I was talking about was located.

He grinned when I mentioned that it was just Keiichi,
myself and three girls, "Oh that must be a *real* pain", he said.

I shook my head and laughed, "You've got to be kidding mate!", I said chuckling, "One of them's too young, the other's already taken and the third would eat me alive".

He frowned, "'eat you alive'?", he asked, obviously intrigued.

I nodded, "Urd's a little to much for me (or any guy I've met) to handle", I explained, "Besides the fact that I really don't think she likes me very much".

Shrugging he gulped down another piece of pizza, "Well,
you never know until you try", he said.

I frowned, "I think I'll pass on that", I said, "I've had enough problems in that area lately".

He nodded, "I know what you mean", he said with feeling,
"It's hard to find the right person".

We talked for about a half an hour longer, before I decided to make my way back to the temple. I'd have to say that I felt better than I had in a long time, finding someone who know's what your talking about really makes a difference.

"So who's this Okuda guy?", Keiichi asked curiously, over dinner that evening.

"Oh, I met him in one of my classes", I replied, "You'd like him"

We were sitting around the dinner table, delmolishing Belldandy's latest offering, I continued to describe the new friend I'd met, he was probably the first person I'd met that didn't seem to want anything or expect anything from me. "I'd like to meet him", Keiichi replied finally.

"Well enough about this new friend of yours", Urd said,
breaking into the conversation, "If your ever going to learn our language we'd better get started".

Belldandy frowned at her slightly, "Sister, your being rude", she said.

Urd stood, "Well I'm afraid that all this 'male bonding'
makes me a little sick", she said, standing, "When your ready,
I'll be in my room".

With that she left in a huff, "What's her problem?",
Keiichi asked of no one in particular.

Belldandy looked as if she wanted to answer, but changed her mind after a moment, "Keiichi-san, would you help me with dishes?", she asked instead.

Keiichi nodded absently, "Good luck Brett", he said after a moment, then he grinned, "Your going to need it".

I stood and walked quickly to Urd's room and knocked,
"Hey Urd, it's me", I said, stating the obvious.

"Well come in then", she said sarcastically.

I entered and slid the door shut behind me, she had set up a small table in the middle of the floor, a few heavy books were sitting on one side of her. Frowning I walked over and sat opposite her, "What's the problem?", I asked quietly, "I thought we were getting along better lately?".

She frowned, "What difference does that make to you?",
she asked, "I thought you were only here under sufferance". She was referring to the fact that I (with Urd's agreement)
had petitioned for Belldandy to be my teacher.

"Oh come on", I said, exasperated, "*you* were the one that didn't want to teach this 'looser who has no business learning anything from you' and were only teaching me because 'you know what will happen to you if you go against orders again'..".

She stopped and frowned, "How...", she said, confused.

I smiled thinly, "Well this 'stupid mortal' has ears you know", I replied, "I just happened to overhear a certain conversation".

She frowned, "And you didn't say anything...", she said.

I nodded, "It would only have made more trouble for you and I felt at the time that I was already causing enough".

She looked at the floor, "I'm sorry", she said quietly,
"I said that in anger, before I even knew you".

I nodded, "That's alright", I said, patting her hand, "As you said, it was in anger".

She smiled slightly, "I don't know how you can still be sitting here talking to me", she said, "If someone had called me that I'd...".

I shook my head, "Hey, I've been called worse", I replied with a grin.

She nodded, "Well I'm sure", she said with a smile.

"Hey!", I said, "None of that thanks".

She seemed to think for a moment before she stuck out her hand, "Friends?", she asked.

I nodded and took her hand, "Friends", I said, "Well let's get on and learn something, Sensei!".

Urd nodded and opened one of the huge tomes beside the desk, "Well first you have to...", she began. That night my training *really* began and I also began my second friendship of the day.

Days turned into weeks and I began to get into a comfortable routine. Morning lectures were followed by lunch usually with Okuda, with whom I had formed a strong friendship. Afternoons were either a lecture at Nekgmi or a lesson with Urd. Evenings were spent in magical study with Urd or 'tedious' study with Megumi and Okuda. Weekends were the only really relaxing time for me, I caught a movie occasionally or went out with Okuda and some other friends. My life was not a lot different than what had come before (well aside from the *God* stuff, of course). My skills improved remarkably, learning spells and the writing of the Gods became easier with each passing day. Surprisingly there were no more attempts on my life, nor on anyone else's, it seemed that the Demons had given up.

"How are you suppose to shop for a group that really doesn't need anything", I complained to Okuda one afternoon. We had decided to go shopping, since Christmas was almost here and I had yet to find suitable gifts for anyone.

I looked in the shop window at the jewellery, "I want something that says more than 'I'm expensive'", I mused.

Okuda frowned, "Why not try one at a time?", he asked,
seeing my expression he continued to explain, "OK... What would Skuld want?".

I frowned, "Well, aside from new Mecha parts...", I thought aloud.

"What?", he asked, confused.

"Oh.. err.. well she likes to build models", I quickly covered up my mistake.

He grinned, "I'll have to meet her sometime", he said.

I nodded, it was strange, but Okuda hadn't once been to the temple, saying something about it being not in his spiritual best interest, "You've gotta come over and meet everyone", I said, "How about on Christmas-eve?".

He shrugged, "Well I don't know...", he said.

"Come on, You've got to at least meet Urd", I insisted,
"I'm sure the two of you would get along great".

"I've heard enough about them all from you... I guess it's time I actually met them", he said, "Alright, Christmas eve it is".

I smiled, "Well Belldandy will be happy", I said, "she's been itching to meet you for some time now".

"What about that?", he asked suddenly, breaking into the conversation, pointing at a sign on a nearby window.

I frowned at it, "What's that got to do with...", and then I broke off and realised that it would be a perfect gift for Skuld, "Well that's one down and two to go".

We continued around the shopping area, looking in all the windows, I finally worked out a gift for Belldandy and Keiichi, after some encouragement from Okuda.

"I still can't work out why, since your so good at the romantic stuff, you haven't got a girlfriend", I said to Okuda, as we walked out of the travel agency. I patted the tickets and documents with my hand, "This will be perfect for Belldandy and Keiichi to get away from it all".

He grinned, "Thanks", he said, "I do have one likely target".

I smiled, "Good for you!", I said, "Who is it? one of the girls in our classes?".

He shook his head, "My secret", he said, "Now what are you going to get Urd?".

"I don't have a clue", I admitted, even thought Urd and I had become friends, we really didn't talk much about anything except what I was studying.

"Oh come on", Okuda said, teasing, "I'm sure you can pick out something nice for her".

"Shut up!", I replied, he had been teasing me constantly about my reluctance to consider Urd anything else but a friend. Okuda had been urging me to ask her out for about the last two weeks, "I know that you like her", he kept saying,
overriding my protests, "So why don't you tell her?".

"Tell her what?", I replied, grimacing, "I don't really think she likes me in that way...".

He nodded, "Well you might be surprised", he commented,
"So that still leave us with the problem of a gift for her?"

"She'd probably like the same thing as I got you", I said, reaching into my pack and pulling out a gift-wrapped object, "At least *your* easy to shop for".

He eyed the package curiously, "And what is that?", he asked.

I grinned at him, "You'll have to wait until Christmas day", I teased.

He groaned, "You've got to be kidding", he said, "I hate waiting for gifts".

I laughed at the expression on his face and we continued through the stores, not really buying anything, just enjoying ourselves. I'd have to say that the last few weeks had been some of the most enjoyable that I've experienced, Okuda seemed to fill in for some of the closer friends that I'd left behind in Australia.

"I wish those two would make up their minds and go home",
muttered the young man in the polo shirt and Kakis.

He had been following Brett and Okuda for almost two hours, "I don't need all this shopping", he sighed. Then noticing that he was falling behind, he hurried along,
wondering how much longer he had to keep up the 'watcher' act. "I wonder if they want company for Christmas?", he mused

"Well?", Nilthar asked hurriedly.

"No luck", Marller reported, "I can't get her alone, if Brett's not with her, her sisters are".

"Damn!", Nilthar muttered, "What about getting to Brett?".

"Nope", Marller replied, "you know that he can avoid *most* of our attacks and I don't have the power to try anything else at short notice".

Nilthar paced backwards and forwards, "Well, we're going to have a problem on our hands if we bungle this one", he said, "What about kidnapping one of their mortal friends?,
that would get them moving".

Marller sighed, "Keiichi's out", she said, "One of them is always with him...".

Nilthar stopped suddenly, "Hang on a minute, why bother kidnapping anyone?", he asked suddenly, "If we can isolate Brett from the rest of them with a shielding spell..."

Marller frowned, "But that would only cut him off from detection", she said, "And that really doesn't make much of a difference".

"Oh?", Nilthar said, "Do you know what a 'bluff' is?".

Marller grinned, "We cut him off and then tell them that we have him", she said.

Nilthar nodded, "This way we won't have to worry about him avoiding our attack, we're not actually going to be attacking him", he concluded.

"When do we want to do this?", Marller asked.

"How about Christmas-eve?", Nilthar suggested, "Leave them with a nice present from 'Santa'".

CHAPTER 9:

The days leading up to Christmas were happy ones, once Nekgmi had finished until the new year, I had plenty of free time. Most of it was spent with Okuda, we spent a lot of time just walking around, or sitting in the park talking. I'd have to say that I considered Okuda my *closest* friend since leaving home, which was pretty amazing since I hand only know him for a little over a month.

"Oh come on...", I said to Okuda, "It'll be nice and relaxing". It was two days before Christmas and I had found the perfect place to occupy some of my time, a heated pool. Perhaps I should explain Christmas in Australia, it's hot,
usually sunny and the best place to be is at the beach. I think I've been swimming every Christmas day since I was about 2 years old, my parents love the beach and I've yet to miss a Christmas there.

"Swimming?", Okuda said again, he seemed quite disturbed for some reason.

"Yeah", I said, "What... can't swim?".

He shook his head, "No.. but it's *winter*", he complained.

I shrugged, "That's why we're going to a *heated* pool",
I said grinning.

He frowned, "I'm not sure...", he began.

"That's good", I said, "Cause I am.. it's traditional to swim on Christmas". It took a little more encouragement, but he agreed to meet me at the pool.

The complex that we went to was huge, easily the biggest indoor swimming area that I'd ever seen (or read about). The heat that hit us as we walked inside was a welcome relief from the chill outside, "Come on, let's get changed", I said,
heading for the change-rooms.

He shook his head, "I changed at home, I'll wait outside", he said.

I grinned, "What?, shy?", I said, and then laughed at his expression. I shook my head, "I didn't realise how inhibited he was", I thought to myself. After a couple of minutes I got back to the edge of the big pool, walking up behind Okuda I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You *can* swim mate?", I asked again.

At his nod, I grinned, "Good!", I said, and with that I picked him up and threw him in at the deep end. Admittedly Okuda was a small guy, but I didn't expect him to be quite so light, he sailed in a lovely arc ending in a muffled scream/splash.

"BLUB... what did you do that for!", he demanded,
treading water.

I dove into the water and swam up to him (I'm a pretty good swimmer - after 18 years of swimming at Christmas - I'd either be good or fish-bait), "Hey, that's another tradition",
I said grinning.

He batted some water in my direction, "Well next time try something new", he muttered.

The rest of the afternoon went well, we used the wave pool for some very limited surfing, mucked around on the slides and finally just ended up relaxing in the big pool. "I told you this would be a good idea", I reminded him after we got out.

He nodded, "Alright, that's *one* good idea you've had",
he said.

I laughed, "Well, let's get back into our warm clothes",
I said, indicating my own board-shorts, "I don't really want to freeze off anything important".

He stopped mid step, "What's the problem?", I asked,
noticing his expression.

He seemed to want to say something, but held back. "Come on", I said, "It's not like it makes much of a difference...".

He nodded and began walking again. I dunno what his problem was, but he seemed to get over it, we bid a fond farewell to the swimming pool (well I guess it should be complex.. it was rather too impressive to be called a pool).

There was one thing that disturbed me about the afternoon, I noticed one particular guy studying us intently as we swam and then again as we left the complex. He was just under six feet tall and was wearing a white polo shirt and Khakis pants. I nudged Okuda, "See that guy?", I asked him,
indicating the fellow with a nod.

"Yeah?", he responded, still pre-occupied with something,
"what about him?".

I shrugged, "Oh.. I was just wondering why he was following us", I replied, "You don't owe *him* money do you?".

He frowned and examined the guy thoughtfully, "No, I don't think I know him", he said, "But he seems familiar".

"That's exactly the same feeling I got", I replied, then I quickened the pace of my steps, "Let's see if we can leave him behind".

Okuda hurried to keep up, "What's wrong Brett?", he asked, "Why are we leaving so quickly?".

I brushed aside his questions, "Never mind, let's just say I don't want to find out why he's following us", I explained. I took us on a round about trip back to NIT,
hurrying, knowing that if that fellow was a Demon, I would be hard pressed to defend not only myself, but Okuda.

Finally we arrived at the Men's Dorm, where Okuda was staying. "Ok, I'll see you tomorrow night at the Temple", I said in farewell.

He nodded, "Tomorrow.. bye 'mate'", he said, smiling slightly. I nodded and headed away from the dorms and for the nearest isolated clock. Hopefully a quick trip back to the Temple would throw off our pursuer.

"Damn, I lost him", Chia-Yao muttered to himself, the God of Truth was not having a good day. He straightened out his polo shirt and took a seat on a bench.

It had been several weeks since he had trailed Nilthar here and he still had yet to *see* his nemesis. He was sick and tired of this surveillance job. "Why can't I get a little action?", he thought to himself, it had been three years since he had agreed to accept a third category license and since then he had little to show for it.

"Even *Skuld* has gotten a permanent post on Earth", he grumbled, "You'd think *I* could manage to come up with something as interesting to do.. but no.. I've got to chase around a bunch of misguided demons for the rest of my days...".

He swept a hand through his thick grey hair and closed his eyes for a minute. Suddenly he felt a surge of power,
looking around quickly he pinpointed it as coming from the Dorms. He jumped to his feet, "Brett must have gone inside",
he thought to himself, but then he noticed that the spell seemed very precise and well controlled, "Well that rules Brett out then", he muttered.

Realising that he had been neglecting his duties he quickly turned and headed for the Temple, "I think we've got another player in the game", he thought to himself, "I hope whoever it is, is friendly".

Christmas eve finally arrived and I was busily wrapping up my gift to Urd. It had taken quite a bit of searching (and a quick trip back to Australia), but I finally found something nice. "I hope this goes well", I muttered as I tied a bow neatly on top.

Checking that I had everyone's gift sorted out I piled them up on the bed. I was a little depressed about not being able to spend this Christmas with my family, I planned to visit for a few days in the new year, but that wouldn't really replace Christmas. Frowning I checked my watch, "Okuda should have been here by now", I thought to myself.

I walked outside and looked around the courtyard, I spotted Urd walking towards the gate, "Hey Urd!", I called,
jumping down the steps, "Where are you going?".

She turned with a frown on her face, "I've got something *important* to do tonight", she said, "Sorry I can't meet your friend".

I shook my head, "What's so important that it means you have to miss Christmas with your family?", I asked.

She shrugged, "Look, you wouldn't understand", she said,
"If I don't do this now I don't know when I'll get the chance again".

And with that confusing comment, she walked out the gate and down the street. I looked after her, a little worried at her words. "Hey!", I called, "I got you a gift, so don't be too late".

She just continued walking around the corner. "That's weird", I thought to myself, "I wonder if Belldandy know's what going on".

I had just closed the gate and turned to walk inside,
when a knock echoed at the door. "You're back?", I asked,
flinging open the gate, expecting to see Urd.

"Ahhh.. no, I just got here", said a confused Okuda, who still had a hand raised in mid-knock.

"Sorry mate", I said, stepping back so he could walk in,
"I thought it was Urd".

"Was that the lady who stalked past me?", he asked, "She seemed in a hurry to get somewhere".

I nodded, "Yup, that was probably her".

"She's a knockout!", he said smiling.

"That's exactly what my reaction was when I first saw her", I replied, grinning.

I turned and walked back up to the main house, Okuda was looking around curiously at everything, "Nice place", he commented, looking at the gardens.

I nodded, "I've got no idea how they manage to keep it so prefect", I admitted, "But I'd love to get the number of their gardener".

Okuda grinned, "I know what you mean", he said,
"Everything I touch turns brown".

We headed inside and I took him in to introduce him to Belldandy, Skuld and he already had met Keiichi. "I'm very pleased to meet you all at last", he said, bowing politely.

Belldandy smiled, "I've heard quite a bit about you", she said, after I introduced them. Then she looked at him strangely, "Have we met before?".

Okuda smiled a little thinly, "No I think I'd remember meeting anyone as beautiful as yourself", he said charmingly.

Belldandy blushed slightly at the compliment, "Why thank you", she said smiling.

"And this is Skuld", I said, introducing the two of them.

"Oh", he said eyeing her carefully, "This is the one who likes to vanquish vicious ice-cream shops, single handedly?".

Skuld poked her tongue out at him, "Pleased to meet you too", she said sarcastically. Dinner was a little way off, so I decided to show Okuda around a little, first stop was my room and I gave him a quick tour of my library. Next we visited Keiichi's auto shop, getting a guided tour of each nut and bolt from it's owner. I decided to skip showing him my magical studies room, it might have been a little much for him to handle.

After a couple of hours Belldandy had an incredible dinner prepared and we all consumed it with gusto. I have to admit it was great, even better than Belldandy's usual dinners, I sat back contentedly.

"That was incredible", Okuda exclaimed, "I don't think I've tasted anything like that before".

I nodded, "You've outdone yourself this time, Belldandy",
I said.

"It's a pity Urd couldn't join us", Keiichi said, looking at the empty place at the table.

"Hey!", Skuld interjected, "speak for yourself... I like to get a break now and then from her".

"Why is that?", Okuda asked, frowning.

"She's such a pain, always criticising me", Skuld said,
"Nothing's ever good enough for her...".

I shook my head, "Skuld, I'm sure Urd has your best intentions at heart", I said, "It's just that she doesn't have much subtly in her".

Okuda frowned, "Not subtle?", he asked, seeming a little confused.

Skuld laughed, "Oh don't worry", she said, smiling, "I know big sister means well, it's just nice to have a break once in a while".

{ Author's Note:

... - These indicate telepathic messages}

NILTHAR!, came Marller's telepathic cry, Urd's not here

Nilthar frowned thoughtfully, Are you sure, he sent back.

OF COURSE I'M SURE, she replied, She's gone

"This complicates matters", he muttered to himself, You must locate her as soon as possible, he sent.

OH EASY FOR YOU TO SAY, she responded angrily, Find her yourself, I'm busy...

Her link was suddenly cut and Nilthar ground his teeth in frustration, "It's so hard to find *bad* help these days", he muttered. Jumping down from the tree he had hidden himself in, he began walking quietly towards the Temple that Marller was suppose to be watching, "If you want a job done *wrong*,
you've got to do it yourself", he grumbled.

It was getting late and I was starting to worry about Urd. We had spent most of the evening talking about various things, watching a little TV and just relaxing.

"I wonder where Urd is?", I said aloud, voicing my concern.

Belldandy nodded, "It's not like my Sister to miss dinner", she said, "Did she say where she was going?".

I shook my head and turned to Okuda, "Which way did she go past you?", I asked.

"Uhhh... err", he said, trying to remember, "Umm well she walked off towards Nekgmi".

I frowned, "Why on earth would she want to go there on Christmas eve", I mused, "and that's a hell of a long walk".

Okuda shrugged, "I dunno, she could have gone anywhere after she went past me", he said, and then he looked at me with an impish expression, "Have you decided to ask her out yet?", he asked.

At this Belldandy looked up curiously and smiled, "You're going to ask Urd out?", she asked.

Skuld and Keiichi also looked at me curiously, I grinned a little nervously, "Ahh yes.. I was...", I said. I grabbed hold of Okuda's arm, "Would you excuse us for a minute?", I asked everyone, not waiting for an answer I pulled him bodily from the room.

I stopped when we reached the veranda, turning, I looked him straight in the eye, "What did you have to go and tell them that for?", I asked angrily.

He looked at me wide-eyed and spread his hands defensively, "I thought they were your friends?", he said.

I nodded, starting to get a little more in control, "They are my friends", I replied, "But that doesn't mean that I share *everything* with them".

He frowned, "But I thought that you and Keiichi were good friends?", he said, "You didn't tell him that you were thinking of asking Urd out?".

I shook my head, "Keiichi and I *are* good friends, but I didn't tell him that", I explained, "I don't usually tell *everyone* what I'm planning to do".

He frowned, "But I thought that...", he began.

I placed a hand on his shoulder, "It's ok mate", I said,
"You didn't know that about me, but I'm usually a private person, not given to sharing my thoughts with everyone".

He frowned, "But you told me?", he asked seeming a little confused.

I nodded, "That's cause your a friend that I have confidence in to keep it quite", I replied, "Keiichi might have blurted it out to Urd by accident and I certinally wouldn't have told Belldandy and Skuld, I guess you could say I wouldn't feel comfortable discussing my love life (or lack there of) with a girl".

He nodded and looked at the floor, "I think I understand", he replied quietly, "I'm sorry if I've betrayed your trust".

I smiled, "Well that's alright", I said, "THIS TIME". I clapped him on the shoulder, "let's go back inside, it's almost Christmas day".

He smiled a little sadly, "Alright", he said, starting to follow me in quietly. He still seemed to be a bit upset.

"Hey!", I said, trying to lighten the mood, "Let's leave the depression thing until Urd turns me down".

He shook his head, "Sometimes I don't think Urd is good enough for you", he said, turning and walking inside.

I frowned at that statement, he had never even met her. But when we got back inside I decided to leave it be.

"Where the hell is Urd?", thought Chia-Yao, "I would have expected her to be here tonight".

He was lying face down in the roof of the temple, looking at the gathering from above. His face was phased through the wood ceiling, allowing him to observe without notice. Brett and Okuda (there was something strange about that one), had just returned from outside and had sat back down.

Chia-Yao smiled, "So Brett's looking to take out Urd?",
he thought, "Well at least he has good taste in women". Chia-
Yao had never really gotten along with Urd, she always seemed to look down on him whenever they had an argument. "And then there was the time that she used me as a test subject for one of her potions", he thought, shuddering at the memory.

He looked a Skuld thoughtfully, "Well she's come along since I last saw her", he thought, "Looks like she'll turn out to be a nice looking young woman". He grinned thinking of all the times he had called her 'bug' - she had absolutely hated that nickname. "If only I could talk to them all again", he muttered quietly.

The clock struck midnight, "Present time!", said Skuld enthusiastically, clapping her hands.

I grinned at her, "Usually *we* wait until morning", I said.

"But it's Christmas *now*, so we can open them *now*",
she pouted.

Belldandy smiled tolerantly, "Alright Skuld..", she said,
"But only just this once".

"Here you go!", I said, handing her an envelope, I also handed Belldandy and envelope, "That's for both you and Keiichi".

Skuld looked at it and frowned, "That's it?", she asked.

Belldandy frowned at her, "Skuld!", she said, "You're being rude again".

I grinned, "Open it", I insisted.

Skuld huffed and opened it carefully, revealing a card,
"Have a look on the inside", I suggested.

She opened the card and a small piece of plastic fell out, "What's this?", she asked bending and picking it up.

After a moment she finally read what was on the card and her eyes went wide, "Is this a joke?", she asked,
breathlessly.

I shook my head, "Nope, it's valid for one year", I replied, "All the ice cream you can eat".

I don't think I *ever* gotten such a reaction to a gift,
Skuld practically bounced off the walls with glee. She held the card to her chest possessively, "Thank you.. Thank you...", she repeated.

I grinned again, "If you don't like it we can always return it", I suggested.

She looked shocked and held the card closer, "Don't you dare", she said. I had just turned to Okuda when she gave me a quick peck on the cheek, "Thanks Brett", she said happily.

I nodded, "Well Okuda and I both picked it out", I replied, "Oh and speaking of Okuda...". I passed him a small gift-wrapped box, "This is for you".

He smiled and opened it quickly, what it revealed was a small computer-like device. "What is it?", he asked, turning it over in his hands.

"Well remember when you told me you keep messing up experiments cause you get the wrong measurements?", I asked,
at his nod I continued, "Well you can program that with about 200 different mixtures and it will tell you how much item to add and when".

He looked at it with respect, "I could have used this years ago", he said, "Thank you".

I nodded, "That's alright", I said smiling, "you've been such a good friend that I'm happy to give it to you".

He grinned a little sickly, "Ahh.. yeah.. well", he began.

"Brett-san!", called Keiichi from the other side of the room, "What is this?".

I walked over and examined the tickets and documents that he was holding up, "That's your Christmas present", I replied.

"But... When..", he began.

Belldandy smiled, "Thank you Brett", she said, "I'm sure we *both* will enjoy it".

I grinned, "So long as you like the beach", I replied.

Skuld was about to burst, "What are you talking about?",
she demanded, not being able to see what the tickets were for.

"Brett has organised a small trip for us", Belldandy explained.

"Where are we going?", Skuld asked, confused.

Keiichi spoke up, "I'm afraid that the tickets are only for myself and Belldandy", he explained, "and I have no idea how he afforded it".

I shrugged, "It wasn't *that* expensive", I replied, "I can drop the two of you off and that saves on air-fares".

Skuld was frowning, "Where are you two going?", she asked.

"Well the place is called 'Day Dream Island'", Belldandy said, "It sounds very nice".

I nodded, "It *is* very nice", I decided to explain,
seeing that everyone didn't know what or where 'Day Dream Island' was, "It's a smallish island in what's known as the Whitsundays, a group of islands in the Great Barrier Reef. I've been there and it's a *very* nice place".

Skuld looked a little petulant, "But why can't we all go?", she asked.

I frowned at her, "You think I could afford both the Ice-
cream pass and a trip for all of us.. it was either getting you that.. or you could go along with Belldandy and Keiichi",
I said.

She held the pass protectively in her hand, "That's alright", she said quickly, "I'm happy to stay here".

I smiled at Keiichi and Belldandy who were looking at each other carefully, when Skuld left to get her presents for us I whispered to them, "The room I ordered has two beds",
they looked a little shocked at my suggestion, I shrugged innocently, "I'm sure you can change that if you want...".

Before they had a chance to reply Skuld walked back into the room and handed me a box. "Open it", she said, smiling happily.

I frowned and pulled it open, what was inside was about the same size as a paperback book, it had a glowing dial that pointed straight ahead and a series of buttons on the bottom,
"Uhh it's great Skuld", I said, not really knowing what to think.

She frowned, "Oh here", she said, picking it up, "Since Urd seems to have forgotten to teach you to detect magic, I fixed this thing up".

I hushed her slightly, glancing over at Okuda, who seemed to caught up in his own thoughts to overhear anything. "How does it work?", I asked quietly.

She glanced at Okuda and then whispered back, "You turn this dial like this to detect active spells...", she began,
turning the indicated dial. Then she stopped and frowned at the device.

She thumped it on the side and turned the dial again,
"Something must be wrong with this", she muttered.

"What?", I asked looking at the arrow, it was turning as Skuld moved, rather like a compass. Belldandy got up and walked over, "It something wrong?", she asked.

Skuld looked around the room, "Someone's using magic nearby", she whispered to her sister, "Nothing real big.. only just noticeable".

I frowned, "Where's it coming from?", I asked, wondering if the Demons were about to attack.

Belldandy and Skuld exchanged glances and then Belldandy turned her back on Okuda and began gesturing and quietly reciting a spell. Okuda still didn't seem very happy, he was examining the little computer I had given him.

After a moment Belldandy finished her spell and looked around the room, "It's him", she hissed, point at Okuda.

By now he had realised that we were all looking at him and he stood uncomfortably, "What's wrong?", he asked nervously. Then he noticed the device Skuld had in her hand,
"NO!", he said suddenly, "You didn't give him that stupid detector of yours...".

Skuld and Belldandy stood in front of me, carefully raising their hands in preparation of a spell. I was shocked,
"Okuda.. how would you know...", I said slowly.

Belldandy looked at him sternly, "Unless you get rid of that disguise spell right now, I'm going to...", she began.

Okuda raised his hands, "No need for that", he said quietly, "I'll do it myself".

He looked at me sadly, "I'm sorry for betraying your trust Brett", he said and then began to chant and gesture.

A shimmering spread for him body, the air around him shimmered like waves of heat. As he continued to chant his voice became higher and his body became slimmer and more feminine after a few more moments he (make that *she*) stopped chanting and a silence filled the room.

I stood shocked, open mouthed and very shaken. "How could you do something like this?", I said carefully, trying to keep my emotions under control.

Another person who was not taking Okuda's transformation too well was the guest in the ceiling. "How the hell did I miss that?", he thought to himself. "I gotta get a new detection spell", he muttered, missing such an important detail would almost be enough to get him kicked out of the Security Daemons.

CHAPTER 10:

Belldandy was stunned as the form that was Okuda regained a familiar shape, "SISTER!", she exclaimed. Keiichi and Skuld were shocked into silence and just stood gaping at Urd.

Brett seemed to be shaking slightly as he turned and carefully made his way to the front door, stopping only once,
to hurl the gift he had so carefully wrapped across the room. He literally ripped the front door from it's frame and stalked out into the night.

Belldandy watched his departure sadly and then turned an angry expression on her sister, "How could you do such a thing?", she asked quietly.

Urd hung her head and sat down cross legged in the middle of the room, "I didn't mean...", she began softly.

Keiichi was red with suppressed anger, "You never seem to *mean* for these things to happen", he accused, "You've done something far worse this time than making a mistake with a love potion or ruining a dinner".

Urd nodded, "I know", she said sadly and then looked up,
"Maybe if you talked to him..."

"ME!", Keiichi shouted, getting angrier, "You think he's gonna want anything more to do with *any* of us?".

Belldandy placed a hand on Keiichi's arm, calming him slightly with a look, "Sister", she said seriously, "It's up to you to put things right and your going to have to deal with it yourself".

Skuld, who had been quite during this exchange walked over and retrieved the broken gift, from where it lay against the wall. She silently gave it to Urd and left the room without a word. Belldandy and Keiichi followed her, closing the door to the dining room.

Urd sat for a few moments looking at the gift sitting in her lap, then she violently ripped the wrapping paper off,
revealing a small wooden box. What lay inside was a smashed crystal rose, it's stem broken in several pieces and a deep crack through it's tip. She carefully placed the box on the floor and removed the envelope that lay beneath the destroyed rose. Her expression was unreadable and she carefully opened the letter and began to read.

Urd...

Ok well I've never been good with words and I find it easier to put my thoughts onto paper. I guess that it's a bit strange to give a letter to someone who lives under the same roof, but I don't want everyone to know my feelings, just you.

You've been teaching me so much in the last weeks and I've been getting more enjoyment out of our lessons than I thought possible. I enjoy the learning part well enough, but what I enjoy most is spending time with you.

I've had lots of female friends in my life, but none that I really wanted to be very close to. Our talks and studies have given me a chance to get to know you well enough that I feel comfortable enough to go a little bit further.

Well, what I really wanted to ask was if you'd like to join me this new years eve at the Auto Club's party? How about it? Aw Geeze I can't believe that I'm asking you out in a letter, well as my friend Okuda says, "Nothing ventured,
nothing gained"...

Your Friend,
Brett

PS: You've gotta meet Okuda, he's a great guy and I'm sure the two of you will get along fine..

PPS: I hope you like the rose, it took me a lot of effort to think up and find...

The letter slid out of her grasp and Urd began to cry quietly, looking at the destruction that her own curiosity and need-to-meddle had caused.

Skuld trudged back to her room, her thoughts dark. In one hand she clutched the gift Brett had given her and in the other she held her gift to him. "This is probably all my fault", she muttered. But even as she said it she realised that it was no one's fault but Urd, her sister had brought the problem down on herself.

She looked at the small magic detector, "Why did this one have to work?", she thought to herself. Frowning down at the object she noticed that it still pointed back into the house,
"That's not right", she muttered, "Urd's turned off the spell".

Fiddling with the controls for a few minutes, she concluded that there was no malfunction and someone was still using magic in the house. Turning on her heel she made her way back towards the dining room. The device beeped at her and she quickly ran back around behind the house, looking up she noticed a figure in purple, huddled on one corner of the roof. She eased her mallet out of it's holster and moved quietly towards it.

Chia-Yao shook his head slowly, "No one deserves that",
he said quietly to himself. Brett was long gone and he had to get started if he was going to be there in case of trouble. looking around he stood and walked towards the temple's outer wall.

He ducked quickly as a white blur passed within inches of his head. Diving and rolling forward, he muttered a quick spell and a shimmering sword appeared in his hand. He rolled back to his feet, just in time to block a thrust from what looked like an oversized mallet.

Ignoring that strange fact for the moment, he furiously began blocking and dodging the oncoming attacks. He began to riposte more aggressively when he saw that his opponent was beginning to tire. Pivoting back, he sliced at one of the temple's many trees, severing a branch from the main trunk.

He smiled grimly as a muffled shriek announced that his would-be attacker was caught up in the branch. Chia-Yao carefully examined the fallen branch, it wouldn't have been heavy enough to kill anyone, but he'd better check. As he was bending over to examine his opponent, Belldandy and Keiichi came running around the corner of the building.

Startled slightly, he failed to noticed the mallet speeding towards his stomach. He flew backwards a few meters and landed with a 'huff' on the ground. Quickly regaining his feet, he crouched in preparation of the renewed fight, his opponent seemed to have some skill.

Belldandy motioned for Keiichi to stay behind her and advanced on the newcomer, "Who are you?", she asked, her hands half-raised in preparation of a spell.

Chia-Yao looked at her a little nervously, "I'm Chia-Yao,
God of Truth, First Class, Third Category, unlimited", he said in explanation.

Belldandy frowned and looked at him closely, "When did you start carrying the sword?", she asked, "The last time I saw you it was right after you go in trouble for tying Skuld's pigtails in knots".

Chia-Yao blushed and grinned a little sheepishly, "Well she started it", he said smiling, "But after that the 'Boss'
decided that I might benefit from a little 'discipline', hence the Third Category licence".

"So why are you attacking my sister?", Belldandy asked,
frowning all the more.

Chia-Yao looked at the figure pulling itself from the bush strangely, "That was Bug?", he asked incredulously.

Skuld, who had managed to regain her feet, raised her mallet, "You know I HATE that name!", she said, advancing towards him.

Belldandy smiled and placed a hand lightly on Skuld's arm, "Oh come on Skuld", she said, "Aren't you happy to see your old playmate again?".

Skuld bristled, "Hey, he always picked on me", she complained, "Like I'm gonna enjoy seeing *him* again".

Nilthar watched as Brett stalked from the temple, he could feel the anger radiating and could see the fiery expression on his face. Marller, he called.

What now?, Marller called, getting an good dose of annoyance into her telepathic tone.

Why is our target so angry?, he asked, following Brett at a safe distance.

Marller quickly explained the evening's goings on,
placing particular emphasis on the appearance of Urd and Brett's reaction. Are you sure she's not on our side?,
Nilthar gloated.

He followed Brett for nearly half an hour, before they came to a darkened NIT. He watched as Brett made his way to a long seat, in the middle of a courtyard, Brett sat down and placed his head in his hands.

Nilthar!, came Marller's call, Your pursuer has shown up.

Freezing for a moment, Nilthar recalled the Security Daemon that had been following him ever since he had dealt with Brett's predecessor. He had been told by his superiors that the God of Destiny must die. After much effort and planning, the first God's destruction had been completed, but then they find this replacement. That changes nothing, he replied, be ready to give them my ultimatum.

You've got to be kidding!, Marller responded, There's no way I'm gonna reveal myself with him around.

You'll do as your told!, Nilthar shot back, Otherwise I'll have to replace you.

I looked at the clenched fists sitting on my lap,
carefully I attempted to relax myself, taking a few deep breaths I looked around. I was sitting on my favourite bench at NIT, I had spent countless hours, just sitting here over the last two months. Often I had been joined in my relaxation by Keiichi, Megumi and more recently, Okuda.

"Not Okuda", I muttered, getting angry again, "URD!". I smashed my fist into the seat beside myself, wincing at the slight pain that it started. I had never been quite this angry in my life, the sense of embarrassment was overwhelming. I had only a few friends that I had chosen to talk to about my feelings, I had left them all back home in Australia when I had come here. It had been like having a great weight lifted off my shoulders, being able to talk with Okuda... URD! - I reminded myself again.

"I wonder why I even bother", I muttered out loud, it seemed a lot easier just to not talk to anyone here about those things, perhaps it would be easier just to trust those people that I already know.

"I understand how you feel", came a voice from behind me.

Suddenly realising that I was not alone in the middle of the night didn't do a lot for my nerves. I stood quickly and turned to the sound of the voice. Standing in the shadows was a man who was looking at me with sadness in his eyes. He seemed to be only slightly shorter than myself and talked with a slightly English accent. He was wearing a deep blue set of clothing, very similar to what I wore while in uniform.

"Who the hell are you?", I retorted (still not having regained my good manners), "and what do you know about how I feel?".

He stepped forward and took a seat at the other end of the bench, "I know more about you than you realise, Brett", he said.

"You're a God?", I asked.

He nodded, "That name fits as well as any", he replied,
"But what I'm here to talk to you about is how you can go back to a normal life".

I looked at him suspiciously, "What do you mean?", I asked.

He smiled reassuringly, "Just what I said", he stated firmly, "You can go back to being just a plain guy".

I frowned, "How?", I asked.

He gestured for me to sit down, and when I complied he continued, "All you have to do is simply cancel the contract you have with the Goddess Relief Office", he explained, "And when that is terminated you'll be just plain old Brett Handy,
student and would-be author, again".

I sat shock still, "But I thought that contracts were unbreakable?", I said.

He shook his head, "That's not true", he replied, "All you have to do is ask and it will be cancelled".

I leant back to think for a moment, looking up at the stars and wondering if I *could* go back to a normal life. "Is this really you?", he asked, gesturing and chanting a spell word. My clothes changed back into the light blue uniform, that seemed to move with a will of it's own.

Glancing down I looked at the beautiful material, never feeling quite so out of place. "Maybe this isn't me", I said slowly, "But it's what I'm becoming".

He frowned, "I thought you didn't want any of this to happen", he asked.

I nodded, "In the beginning I guess that as how I felt",
I explained, "But now I don't really know how I'd feel back home".

He shook his head, "Your only saying that because you feel obligated to live out the role that's been chosen for you", he argued, getting a little angry.

"That's not true", I replied, shaking my head, "I've come to realise that there's a reason why I got this job and that *maybe* I can make a difference to the world".

He stood angrily, "Well you're wrong", he said, "You're not going to make a difference to anyone, anymore". With that he muttered the last few words of a spell and I found myself surrounded by a transparent sphere.

The man's clothing deepened to a darker shade of blue and seemed to hang around his body like a black fog, his face dropped into a sneer and he gave me a contemptuous look, "You are a fool", he said, "I would have let you go if you'd agreed to terminate the contract, but now it looks like I'm going to have to terminate you and your friends instead".

I punched at the sphere to no effect other than making my fists sore, "Who are you and why are you doing this?", I asked, desperately trying to think up a counterspell.

He laughed, "The name is Nilthar", he said, "Oh, don't bother trying to smash you way out with a spell, the bubble is unbreakable, as your predecessor found out".

I looked at him closely, now recognising him from the dream of a month back, "What do you mean, 'my predecessor'?",
I asked, testing the boundaries of the sphere.

"Oh", he said sarcastically, "Didn't anyone tell you?,
the former God of Destiny also died in a bubble, it's amazing that your early warning ability doesn't pick up the possibility of a death due to lack of oxygen".

My eye's must have widened because he laughed unpleasantly, "Well you can take heart that your going to live longer than your former teacher", he said, "I'll tell her that you said 'hi', or should that be 'G'day'?".

I think I muttered something unpleasant that this point,
I was more concerned with what a become of Urd in that dream,
"OH, don't tell me you are worried about her?", he asked,
"After all she's done you still care?". He raised one wrist to his forehead, dramatically, "I must rescue her, the woman that humiliates me continually". He snorted and turned to walk back into the darkness.

"YOU BASTARD!", I shouted, banging futilely on the sphere. I continued to pound my fists on it till they began to bleed, then feeling slightly light headed I sat down where I was. Running through my memory I tried to find a spell that would get me out of this. I noticed that it was beginning to get a little difficult to breath and I glanced at my watch, I had been in here for nearly twenty minutes. "Now what the hell am I suppose to do?", I asked of no one in particular.

Chia-Yao smiled apologetically at Skuld, "Sorry about that", he said, "I didn't know it was you".

Skuld frowned at him, "What were you doing hiding on our roof in the middle of the night?", she asked.

Belldandy and Keiichi also looked at him closely,
awaiting his response, "Ahh well you see it's kind of a long story", he began.

"Then perhaps we should go inside", said Belldandy,
shivering slightly, "There's a strange chill in the air".

Keiichi draped an arm over her shoulder as the four of the walked towards the temple. They avoided the dining room,
where Urd was still sitting quietly and chose to talk in the kitchen. Belldandy passed tea around to everyone as they sat down to listen to Chia-Yao's explanation.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, sipping on his drink,
"Well I guess you could say that this all began when my brother died", he said softly.

Belldandy smiled sadly, "We were very sad to hear of his death", she said comfortingly, "It was a great tragedy".

Chia-Yao's face transformed into one of pure rage, "There was nothing 'tragic' about it", he snarled, "He was murdered".

Belldandy and Skuld gasped, "How, by who?", Skuld asked.

Chia-Yao began pacing, "He was killed by a Demon named Nilthar", he said, practically spitting out the name, "That bastard suffocated him to death in a force-bubble".

Belldandy lowered her head onto Keiichi's shoulder for some comfort and Skuld began to sob, "Tlesta.. ", she said,
remembering the friendly young god that she had grown up with.

Keiichi looked at Chia-Yao grimly, "I thought that you were immortal", he said.

Chia-Yao shook his head, "We can be killed", he said, "It takes a bit more effort, that's all".

Keiichi tightened his arm around Belldandy, protectively,
"So what's being done about this?", he asked.

The God of Truth sat down and resumed drinking his tea,
"Well, I've been assigned to hunt Nilthar down and bring him in for trail", he said, "The murder of the God of Destiny has shifted the balance out of alignment, that needs to be corrected".

Keiichi frowned, "I thought that Brett was the God of Destiny?", he said, confused.

Chia-Yao nodded, "He was chosen as Tlesta's replacement",
he explained, "So that the balance would be corrected".

Skuld, who had recovered slightly, frowned at him, "If that's the case, why aren't you out hunting this Demon down?",
she asked.

Chia-Yao sighed, "I've been hunting him for nearly six months", he said, "I traced him here about two months ago".

Belldandy looked up at that, "You've been here for two months?", she asked, "That's almost the same amount of time Brett's been here".

Chia-Yao nodded, "It seems that Nilthar wants to eliminate the current God of Destiny too", he said.

Keiichi surged to his feet, "Why didn't you just TELL US?", he asked angrily.

"Ahhh... well I thought that if I kept an eye on Brett for a while...", Chia-Yao began nervously.

"Eventually Nilthar would make his move and you'd have the chance to get him", Urd concluded from the doorway.

Skuld narrowed her eyes at the now nervous God of Truth,
"You've been using him as bait?", she asked dangerously.

"Not really", Chia-Yao said quickly, "You could say that I've been taking care of him while you three have been busy".

Skuld was about to say more when she realised something,
"Where is Brett?", she asked.

Chia-Yao looked guilty, "Well after his sudden departure", he said, looking pointedly at Skuld, "I got a little distracted".

Urd (who now looked a little more like her old self)
walked over to Chia-Yao, "Can you find him?", she asked.

Chia-Yao nodded, "Easy", he said confidently, "I put a tracer on him the first week".

He muttered a few spellwords and gestured a few times,
then he stopped and frowned. "That should have worked", he said, repeating the procedure, "No, nothing, either my tracer has been dispelled, or...".

Belldandy finished his thought, "Something's happened to him", she concluded.

Urd motioned to Skuld, "Have you still got that detector?", she asked.

Skuld nodded, pulling it out and turning it on,
"According to this", she said, fiddling with the switches,
"Someone who's radiating magic is walking towards our front door".

Urd frowned, "I doubt that Brett would be back so soon",
she said quietly.

Skuld nodded, "Your probably right about his feelings for once", she said scathingly.

"That will do!", Belldandy said, stopping the fight that was about to break out, "Urd knows exactly what she's done and we don't need to keep reminding her of it".

Skuld sighed, "You're right Big Sister", she said, then she turned to Urd, "I'm sorry Urd".

Urd had winced visibly at Skuld's comment and for once she didn't have a ready response, she lowered her head sadly,
"I'll work things out with Brett later", she said, "For now I think we had better concentrate on keeping him alive so that I have the *chance* to talk to him".

Skuld nodded, "Well whoever that is they're just about here", she said, sliding her mallet out of its holster.

Chia-Yao spoke a few quick phrases and then nodded,
"That's NOT Brett out there", he concluded.

Belldandy pulled a piece of chalk from her pocket and drew a quick pentagram on the floor, inscribing it with a few runes, "Stay in this", she said to Keiichi, "It will keep you safe".

Keiichi looked like he wanted to argue, but she silenced him with a quick kiss, drawing him over to the circle, "Please stay here", she asked. Keiichi nodded and after another lingering kiss she withdrew from the circle and drew in the last rune, the circle flared brightly and then began glowing with a soft white light.

The other three had not been idle while Belldandy had been seeing to her mortal love, Chia-Yao now carried a pair of glowing swords and his purple uniform had been replaced with some kind of body armour. Skuld looked at it admiringly,
"Where did you get that?", she asked, liking the futuristic design.

The God of Truth grinned, "I designed it myself", he said, stretching his arms, "Want me to make you a set, Bug?".

"Thanks", Skuld said, "But I'll design some of my own later", then as an afterthought she added, "Don't call me that!".

Marller knocked nervously at the door to the temple, it was one thing to observe from a distance, but quite another to walk up to the front door and knock. Her worst fears were recognised when she saw, not only the three Goddesses, but the Security Daemon, all carrying weapons.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you", she said a little nervously, as the four began chanting a variety of nasty spells, "Not if you want to see that 'upstart' mortal again".

Belldandy broke off her spell and gestured for everyone else to do the same, "What do you mean?", she asked angrily.

Marller smiled, she had them, "Well, I'm sure you realise we have him", she said, slouching against a statue, "My partner's the only one that can release him before...".

Chia-Yao narrowed his eyes at her, "Before what?", he asked dangerously.

"Well you see", Marller began sweetly, "He's got about 30 minutes of air left".

Chia-Yao paled slightly, and then grew angrier, "You WILL TELL ME WHERE HE IS!", he said furiously, raising his sword suggestively.

Marller took a small step backwards, "*I* don't know",
she said, "You'll have to talk to Nilthar about it".

"Where is he then?", the God of Truth asked.

Marller smiled, "Oh I don't think he wants to talk to *you* about it Daemon", she said, "But he will talk to Urd about it".

Urd, who had been pre-occupied with her own thoughts,
looked up, "Why me?", she asked.

"He probably wants to congratulate you on how well your destroying Brett's self-confidence and ruining any chances he has of completing his education as a God", she concluded,
smiling.

Urd bowed her head and then nodded silently, "All right",
she said after a moment, "I'll meet with him".

Chia-Yao looked ready to split Marller in two, "They're trying to divide our strength", he said, "It *will* be a trap".

Urd nodded, "Probably", she said, moving past to follow Marller's retreating form, "But what choice do I have?".

The other three remained silent as she walked out into the cool Christmas eve. After she had disappeared Chia-Yao turned and hurried back into the temple, "By god I'm not going to let it happen again", he muttered firmly.

Belldandy and Skuld followed him into the temple, "What are you going to do", Skuld asked.

Returning to the dining room, he drew out a pentagram on the floor and sat in the middle of it, closing his eyes, "If Brett's out there, I'll find him", he declared. A moment later the circle flared with power and he rose off the floor a few inches, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Belldandy and Skuld looked at each other and sat down to keep watch, "He's certinally changed a bit in the last five years", Belldandy said, indicating Chia-Yao's silver-grey hair, "I can't believe he's only three years older than you are".

Skuld nodded and looked at him thoughtfully, "At least I won't have to worry about him tying my hair in knots", she mumbled, then she looked at him closely, "I hope", she added.

Urd followed the Demon, carefully keeping an eye out for possible danger. She still couldn't understand why she was doing this, "What is Brett to me?", she muttered under her breath.

"He's a guy that has a chance of being your equal",
Marller said over her shoulder.

Urd stopped in her tracks, "What the hell would *you*
know about it?", she said angrily.

Marller stopped too, "Oh, I see more than just comings and goings at the temple", she said, "And this is the first time I've seen you *ever* this threatened by a guy".

Urd frowned, "What do you mean 'threatened'?", she asked,
getting a little less angry.

Marller sighed, "Look", she said, "It's quite simple, how many Gods do you spend time with?".

Urd frowned, "None", she responded promptly.

Marller raised her hand, "What about Brett?", she asked.

Urd blinked, "But he's not a God yet", she replied.

"Oh come on", Marller said, "You know better than that,
would Nilthar be after him if he wasn't?".

Urd shook her head, "I still don't see what that means",
she said.

Marller put her hands on her hips and took a long look at Urd, "What do I look like", she said, "A shrink?... do I have to connect the dots for you?".

Urd flushed, "It's not like that... I like him, but...",
he began anxiously.

Marller turned and kept walking, "You like him, but this is the first time you've been faced with a relationship that you haven't had the upper hand in", she said, continuing on the way to the meeting.

Urd silently followed, her thoughts turning to what Marller had said, "Am I really that insecure?", she thought to herself. If Brett had been a regular guy she would have never even given him a second thought.

Turning her thoughts aside for a moment she hurried to follow Marller, "Sorting out my feelings can wait", she muttered. She shivered at the thought of not being able to apologise to him for the hurt she had caused.

Nilthar paced backwards and forwards in the small grove of trees that he had chosen to meet Urd. "Where the hell are they", he muttered. He doubted that the sphere would hold Brett for too long, unless he had seriously underestimated the new God of Destiny.

He wondered again, why he had been chosen to fulfil this mission, he had been quite satisfied overseeing the infiltration of the CIA, and now here he was in the backwater dealing with something that should have been worked out years ago. For some reason the Gods and Goddesses seem to come in groups of three, while Skuld, Belldandy and Urd represent the Future, Present and Past (respectively), the Gods of Destiny,
Truth and Mystery represent something more tangible.

He turned as Marller approached, followed by Urd. He grinned broadly, "This is too easy", he thought to himself,
walking forward to meet them.

"Greetings Urd", he said, smiling, "Thank you for all the help!".

Urd gave he a flat glare, "Where's Brett?", she asked bluntly.

Nilthar cocked his head to one side, "Why would you be worried about him?", he said in a sarcastic tone, "Oh.. so you care about him too, how touching".

Marller took a few steps back from Nilthar and he turned to look at her, "What leaving so soon?", he asked, "And I was going to give you the privilege of finishing the job".

Marller shook her head, "Do it yourself", she replied.

Urd, who had been silent up to this point quickly cast a defensive spell, surrounding herself with a shield. "I take it your not going to be helpful?", she asked rhetorically.

Nilthar nodded and gestured in her direction, a bolt of lightning smashed into her, throwing her backwards, despite the shield she had erected. Urd pulled herself to her feet and blasted at Nilthar with a bolt of her own, it impacted into Nilthar's own shield, staggering him slightly.

"Not bad", he said, grudgingly, "But can you beat this?".

A sudden explosion of dirt punctuated his question and Urd found herself thrown through the air, as the ground below her ripped from the earth. She jumped out of the way as the huge piece of earth flew at her head. Turning she blasted it with a quick spell, destroying it mid-air.

"I'm afraid that you're out of luck", Nilthar said, as Urd turned back to him, two bolts of lighting hit her, one from behind her and the other from in front. Urd collapsed to the ground in the scorched crater created by the force of the explosions. Marller looked at Nilthar disgustedly, "I thought you were going to take care of this yourself", she said.

Nilthar looked her straight in the eye, "No stomach for this?", he asked.

Looking at Urd's body he shook his head, "What a waste",
he muttered, "I wonder if the new God of Destiny is going to get out of my trap". He glanced at his watch, "He's just about out of air", Nilthar noted. What he failed to notice was a glow beginning around the edges of the watch.

Belldandy and Skuld were sitting quietly watching Chia-
Yao floating in the middle of the dining room. "I wonder how long until Urd get's back", Skuld thought out loud.

Belldandy was about to answer when she felt a feeling of sharp pain, followed by a wave of nausea, "URD!", she screamed, as her sister felt the impact of the twin lightning strikes.

Skuld also felt the attack and stared around aimlessly,
"What's happening to her?", she asked desperately.

Belldandy hurried to the door, "She's to the north", she said.

"BRETT!", shouted Chia-Yao suddenly, he opened his eyes and looked at Belldandy, "They're at the park, they need help".

Belldandy nodded and hurried from the temple, Skuld was two steps behind her. Chia-Yao however remained floating in his pentagram, "Brother.. hear me...", he said quietly.

CHAPTER 11:

Nilthar walked over to Urd's body and sneered. "Looks like your student could have done with some more teaching", he commented. A second later a blue light flared from Nilthar's wristwatch and a sharp snap echoed around the clearing.

Nilthar screamed in pain as his wrist was broken, he fell backward and leaned against a tree. Occupying the area where Nilthar had been standing was the *very* angry figure of Brett. He rubbed his neck, "Well that was an awkward fit", he mumbled.

Brett was minus his wrist watch, which was sitting in the middle of a force bubble over at Nekomi Tech. He looked in disbelief at Urd's body and then turned to where he knew that Nilthar had regained his feet. "You *bastard*", he swore at Nilthar, "You don't even have the guts to face me yourself".

Nilthar (who was cradling his wrist carefully) narrowed his eyes. "Oh no?", he asked, raising his good hand and sending a powerful fireball hurtling in Brett's direction.

I was at this point having second thoughts about running to the rescue. I remembered to cast the shielding spell that I'd memorised so Urd (if she was still alive) and I were protected from Nilthar's first blast.

I smiled grimly at him, "You'll have to do better than that", I taunted.

Nilthar set his jaw against the pain and raised his broken arm. "Alright then", he said through clenched teeth.

There is something to be said for keeping your mouth shut when dealing with an opponent who is obviously more powerful than you are. I forced as much power into the shield as I could, straining to hold it under his renewed attack. It was then that I had a rather unique experience.

Brother.. Hear me..., came a voice in my head.

I nodded and talked out loud, "Who the hell are you?", I replied.

Just listen, it said. What followed was a detailed explanation of the correct way of casting force-bolts.

"I already know that", I replied, straining with the effort of maintaining the shield, "Tell me something new".

OK, the voice answered, How about a little encouragement?

What I felt then was not the slow, comfortable, build-up of power that I had come to associate with spellcasting. It was more like someone had flicked a light switch, instantly filling me with raw energy. Needless to say I put it to good use. Nilthar must have noticed the sudden jump in my energy,
because he desperately threw up a shield, just in time to stop my first shot.

I smiled slight and threw another, followed by another. I must say the sensation of casting this kind of spell was something unexpected, it was exhilarating. What I failed to notice was the state of my hands and arms, with the first bolt, all the hair was vaporised along my arms. Each bolt thereafter began to burn my hands. By the fifth bolt tears were streaming from my eyes at the pain. Thankfully before I had to cast a sixth, Nilthar turned and fled after Marller,
who had already departed the scene.

I held my arms out carefully, they were red and blisters were already forming. I was also totally and utterly exhausted. Then I remember Urd, lying motionless on the ground. I hobbled over to her, turning her over carefully,
she was bleeding from a nasty cut to her lip, and didn't appear to be breathing. "No!", I said, checking her pulse, it was there, but only faintly. I quickly began running over all the healing spells that I'd learned, but none seemed to be quite enough for this situation.

Desperately I tried the only thing I could think of, Are you still there?, I thought firmly.

Brett?, came the surprised (but tired) response,
What's wrong now?

It's Urd, I replied, She's hurt badly and I don't know enough to heal her

I received what would probably be the mental equivalent of a sigh, Ok, the voice began, First you...

I carefully raised Urd's head and upper body from the ground, resting her against my shoulder. Wincing at the pain in my hands as I repeated the gestures as the voice explained them to me. Unfortunately I never got to see what the result was, since I passed out just as I concluded the spell. I've since learned that whenever you exceed your power, there is a tendency to black out.

Belldandy and Skuld ran at full speed through the park,
slowing only when they encountered the odd tree. "Come on",
Skuld said, racing ahead, "Urd's in deep trouble this time".

Belldandy huffed a quick affirmative and increased her pace, they had just entered the clearing which was the scene of the fight as Brett's final spell was cast. Skuld shielded her eyes at the white flare, "What was that?", she muttered,
raising her mallet and moving quickly over to where the unconscious forms of Brett and Urd were lying on the scorched grass.

Belldandy reach the pair first, "I'd guess that Brett was trying to heal Urd's injuries", she concluded.

Skuld looked at her sister closely, she didn't seem to have any injuries, "Well he seems to have done a good job",
she commented.

Belldandy nodded, "Your right", she replied eyeing here sister, who was snuggled up against Brett's chest, "Urd looks fine to me".

Skuld grinned, "Well perhaps we should just leave them alone", she suggested.

Belldandy smiled slightly, "I wonder what Brett's reaction would be?", she pondered, then she remember that Brett had been fighting too and gave him a quick visual inspection. She gasped at the condition of his lower arms and hands, they were bleeding and blistered, "Skuld!", she said,
pointing.

Skuld winced and quickly put her mallet back into it's holster, moving over to gently touch her sleeping sister on the shoulder, "Hey, wake up Sis!", she insisted, being careful not to disturb Brett too much.

Urd mumbled a quick, "Go 'way.." and snuggled down against Brett more comfortably. Realising that this was unusual she opened her eyes with a start, "What the...", she began loudly.

Belldandy placed a hand on her mouth, "Shhh", she said,
"*Don't* wake him". Seeing that this was probably asking too much for Urd (being quiet that is...), she quickly cast a quick sleep spell.

Urd was about to protest anyway, until she remembered the reason she had been napping, "Nilthar", she hissed, quickly rising to her feet.

Belldandy placed a hand on her shoulder, "It's alright",
she said, "Brett took care of him".

Urd looked at his unconscious form disgustedly, "Oh great", she said, "Now I've got to thank him for rescuing me".

Belldandy's face became bleak, "Look", she commanded,
point at Brett's burnt arms.

Urd followed her gesture and gasped, "He...", she began quietly.

Belldandy nodded, "Yes, I'd say he did that to himself,
casting beyond his ability", she confirmed, ripping off some cloth from her dress and carefully binding his hands. The three sisters winced as Brett whimpered unconsciously at the pain. Belldandy removed a small mirror from her pocket, "I can get him home easily", she said, "But taking you two would only make the trip harder on him".

Skuld and Urd nodded and stood back as Belldandy transported herself and Brett back to the temple. They turned and walked slowly back towards their earthly home. "Sis?",
Skuld asked.

Urd grunted in acknowledgment.

"Why did you do that to Brett?", she asked quietly, "I mean that thing about pretending to be his friend?".

Urd sighed, "I wasn't really pretending", she said.

Skuld nodded, "I didn't think you were..", she said, "But why couldn't you just be friends with him *without* resorting to a disguise spell?".

Urd smiled, "Well it seems that Brett would rather share his feelings and problems with another guy than with a girl",
she explained, "It's a real failing of him".

Skuld nodded, "I suppose so", she said, "But would you discuss all your problems with him?, I mean remember that time you...".

Urd cut her off, "WELL", she interrupted, "I guess we all have thing's we wouldn't discuss in front of a member of the opposite sex", she admitted.

"I'm sorry I ruined Christmas for everyone", Urd said quietly.

"I don't think it's *me* that you should be apologising to", Skuld said. They continued back to the temple in silence, each with their own thoughts.

Nilthar screamed as the bone in his wrist was set back in place. "You couldn't have made that more painful?", he asked sarcastically of Marller.

Marller grinned at his discomfort, "You can do this yourself", she said , "Or you can let me get on with the job".

Nilthar bit back a heated reply and steeled himself for the rest of the healing. Aside from the broken wrist, he had bad burns to his back, from where he had turned and ran from the fight, "Not one of my greatest moments", he thought to himself, "Where did he get all that power from?".

He screamed again as Marller healed the bone, it seemed that whoever designed the spells that the Demons were using had neglected to mention the fact that while healing was accelerated, you still got the pain (just all at once instead of while it healed naturally). "That should do it for your hand", she said, moving around behind him, "But this might take a bit longer".

Nilthar nodded, "Well get on with it", he growled.

Marller grinned behind his back, "Oh yes", she thought,
"I'm going to enjoy this".

Belldandy arrived back at the temple to find a *very*
worried Keiichi pacing the dining room floor. "Bell-chan!",
he said in relief seeing her materialise from the mirror. He raced over to her, and grabbed Brett's head before it could hit the floor.

"What happened?", he asked worriedly, noticing the makeshift bandages on Brett's hands and lower arms.

Belldandy smiled, "I'll explain later", she said, "For now I think it's best if we take Brett to his room".

Keiichi nodded and the two of the half-dragged and half-
carried Brett to his room. Belldandy replaced the bandages with fresh ones from a first-aid kit and then covered Brett up to let him sleep.

Keiichi looked at her curiously, "Why can't you just heal his hands?", he asked.

Belldandy sighed and sat down, leaning heavily against a table, "It has to do with how the wounds were made", she explain tiredly, "He inflicted them on himself using magic, so they have to heal naturally, all I can do is speed up the process a bit".

Keiichi smiled, "I'm glad everyone got out of this ok",
he said placing an arm around her shoulders.

Belldandy leaned against him comfortably, "Yes", she murmured. Then after a moment she sat bolt upright, "Where's Chia-Yao?", she asked.

Keiichi pointed to the kitchen, "He's in there, hasn't said a word since you got back", he replied.

Belldandy peaked into the kitchen, Chia-Yao lay snoring in the middle of his pentagram. She smiled at the position he was in, curled up in a ball, lying in the protective centre of the diagram.

"I don't think we'll have to worry about him until the morning", she said to Keiichi, smiling.

Keiichi nodded and then swept her up in a fierce embrace,
kissing her on the lips. Belldandy smiled at him as he broke their embrace, "What was that for?", she asked.

He grinned, "Merry Christmas, Bell-chan", he said, almost shyly.

She nodded and gave him an equally passionate kiss,
"Merry Christmas to you too Keiichi", she replied.

I don't know how long I was asleep, it could have been hours, or weeks (I found out later it was days). I opened one eye and glanced around my familiar room in the temple. Everything was unchanged, except for one unusual feature, Urd was sitting on a chair at the end of the bed. She had obviously fallen asleep while reading a book, because it was lying on the floor next to her.

"Well at least she's alright", I mumbled to myself. I felt something unusual on my hands and raised them so I could see (bad mistake). I hissed in pain as I moved my fingers, my whole hand felt like it was on fire. I must have disturbed Urd, because she came awake with a start, I quickly closed my eyes and returned my hands to where they had been, before she woke completely.

Keeping one eye slightly open I watched her stand,
stretch (a *very* pleasant sight indeed) and then moved over to take a look at me. Deciding that I needed a bit of revenge I began mumbling in my supposed sleep.

"Urd...", I muttered, "...how could you... Why?...".

The effect was immediate, she started crying (not *exactly* the reaction I was expecting to evoke - I thought *maybe* she would feel a *little* guilty), "Brett...", she sobbed, "I never meant to hurt you...", and then she broke off.

I began to wonder why and then realised that I had opened my eyes and was looking straight at her. I did the only thing that came into my mind, with as neutral an expression as I could manage, I muttered, "Errr, yeah, G'day...".

"You...", Urd said, looking at me with daggers in her eyes, "You...", she seemed to be stuck, "You...", and then she finally decided on a conclusion to the statement, "YOU CREEP!".

I winced and raised my hands in a gesture of surrender,
then hissed in pain again, as I jostled my hurt hands. "Hey,
go easy", I begged, "I'm an invalid at the moment".

Urd frowned at me, seeming to lose part of her anger when she noticed I was in pain. "Well if your well enough to talk then your well enough to eat", she said, leaving the room.

I looked at my hand, "Eat?", I muttered, "How the hell am I suppose to eat with my hands in this condition?".

My question was answered a few minutes later when Urd returned with a bowl of soup and a spoon, she sat down on the edge of the bed, "Open up", she said, aiming a spoonful of it in my direction.

I think I managed a "Blub.. Slurp, Glup!", in reply.

"That's good", she said, reloading the spoon for another round.

I frowned, "How long till my hands are healed?", I asked bluntly.

She grinned, "What?", she asked, "Already sick of my company?".

"Not yet", I replied and then looked at her critically,
"But your bedside manner could do with some improving".

In response she shoved another spoonful down my throat.

Chia-Yao awoke in a start, sitting up quickly, "What the?", he muttered, looking around the room.

He in an unfamiliar room, looking around he noticed plans and diagrams all over the place and a computer occupied the centre of the room. "Where...", he began and then remember,
"Oh that's right I'm at the temple".

He stood and rolled his shoulders, "I gotta make that body armour more comfortable to sleep in", he thought to himself. Muttering a quick incantation he changed his clothing (or at least he would have, if the spell had worked).

He looked at his unchanged clothes strangely, "Now why didn't that work?", he muttered uncertainly.

"Probably because you've got no power left", Skuld commented from the door.

Chia-Yao turned around to her, "What do you mean?", he asked.

"Well", Skuld said, walking into the room and sitting down at the computer, "You used up so much power on Christmas Eve that your still depleted".

Chia-Yao nodded, "Your probably right", he said, "Brett really sucked me dry with those force bolts, I don't know how he managed to channel all that".

Skuld grimaced at him, "Well he didn't come off unscathed, his hands were badly burned", she explained.

The God of Truth punched the wall in frustration, "DAMN IT!", he cursed, "I shouldn't have let him draw so much power".

Skuld placed a hand on his shoulder, "Come on, it's not your fault", she said, "You couldn't have known".

Chia-Yao shook his head, "I *should* have known", he insisted, "It was *my* responsibility to deal with Nilthar,
Brett shouldn't have had to fight him".

Skuld eyed him strangely, "You've changed since I last saw you", she commented.

Chia-Yao nodded, "More like I've *been* changed", he said with a wry grimace, then he looked at her appraisingly, "Looks like *you've* changed a bit too", he commented, "I'll probably have to start calling you 'Lady Bug'".

Skuld poked her tongue out at him, "Oh *very* funny", she said sarcastically.

Chia-Yao smiled tiredly, "Well I guess I'd better make my report", he said, "Where's the phone?".

It had been two days since Brett and Chia-Yao had awoken,
while Brett's hands were healing quickly, it would still be a few days till he was without pain. Urd had been waiting on him hand on foot, to his apparent annoyance.

"Would you *please* leave me in peace", Brett insisted.

"If that's the way you feel about it...", Urd returned.

"Yes!", Brett insisted, "Please go!".

Belldandy looked up as Urd stomped into the room,
muttering "Stupid mortal, he can't even tell when someone's sorry", she slumped down at the table where Belldandy was reading a spellbook.

"So have you actually said 'I'm sorry'?", Belldandy asked,

Urd nodded, "I'm sure he can tell...", she began.

Belldandy shook her head, "All he can see is someone hanging around waiting to be forgiven without even admitting a mistake", she explained, "I think you will have to apologise,
no bluffing or making excuses".

Urd shook her head, "What if he doesn't forgive me?", she asked quietly.

Belldandy sighed, "Well then you'll have to deal with that", she said bluntly, "But you've got to at least make a start at patching up things".

"I though he was going to punch me when he found out that I was Okuda", she admitted, "It frightened me a little to think I'd forced him that close to loosing control".

Belldandy smiled, "Well it might help to remember that he also saved you from Nilthar, at no small cost to himself", she said, "I don't think that's the act of someone who doesn't care".

When Urd remained silent Belldandy got up and walked over to where Urd had placed the presents Brett had gotten her for Christmas, she picked them both up and pushed them firmly into her sister's hands, "This is probably a good place to start",
she insisted.

I'd just finished putting on my jeans (not an easy task with your hands bandaged), when there was a knock at my door. "Come on in", I called, sitting down on the bed (I was still a bit worn out from the fight and accelerated healing that had gone on).

To my surprise Urd opened the door (surprise because she usually barges in, unannounced - a habit that had gotten several things thrown at her in the last couple of days).

"Back to torment me some more?", I asked with a grimace.

Urd sighed, "I think we've got to talk", she said,
sitting on the other end of the bed.

"About what?", I asked tiredly.

"How about these", she asked, placing two familiar objects on the bed between us.

I shook my head, "What's to discuss?", I asked, "I think you answered my letter pretty well by your actions, as for the other one, I think I'd call it a gift to a departed friend".

Urd sighed and bowed her head, "Look I might have made a mistake about pretending to be Okuda..", she began.

"*MIGHT*? YOU *MIGHT* HAVE MADE A MISTAKE?", I shouted, getting angry that she would dismiss Okuda and my friendship as a 'mistake', "You pretend to be my friend all the time laughing at me behind my back...".

Urd interrupted, "I WAS NOT *PRETENDING* TO BE YOUR FRIEND", she shouted back.

That took me by surprise, "You what?", I asked,
confused.

She shook her head, "That's just it, I wasn't pretending", she said quietly, "I never told anyone about our discussions and I never laughed at you behind your back".

I must admit that I was confused. "But why couldn't you be my friend without resorting to trickery?", I asked.

"Oh right", she said sarcastically, "Like you would confide in *me*".

I sighed and thought about it for a moment. "All right",
I said, "I think I can accept why you did it, but I'm still not happy about it".

Urd nodded, "I didn't think you would be", she said quietly, then she picked up the small box and handed it to me,
"I think you'll want this back".

I opened the box, noting the destroyed mess that was left of the rose. I looked at it and shook my head, "I should have guessed", I said quietly.

Urd frowned, "Guessed what?", she asked.

I smiled sadly, "That the first girl I give a real *romantic* gift to wouldn't like it", I explained.

Urd shook her head, "I never said I didn't like it", she returned, "I just didn't think you'd want me to have it, well,
not anymore".

I grinned at her, "You have no idea how hard it was for me to think of this", I said.

She smiled, "I *do* know how hard it was for you to find,
remember?", she replied.

I grimaced, "That's right, you would know", then I looked at the rose, "Well since it took me so much time to think of,
I wouldn't want it to go to waste".

I passed one hand over the box, reciting a spell that Belldandy had taught me, one that repairs broken objects. It was a strain and after I completed it I felt *very* weak, but Urd's reaction made it worth while. I passed her the rose,
now whole.

She smiled brilliantly (and her smile was a least as nice as Belldandy's), "Thank you", she said simply, accepting it.

I cleared my throat awkwardly, "Ahem... Well since I'm giving you the rose anyway", I said, passing her the box with the letter still inside.

She looked surprised, "You'd still like to go out with me?", she asked, bemused.

I nodded, "Well I figure that it's worth a try", I said,
"We got along fine when you were pretending to be Okuda...". But even as I said it I felt a small twinge at taking a second chance on Urd.

She smiled, "But I think if we go swimming, this time I'll use the ladies change-room", she said.

I blushed red, "Err yeah", I replied. I looked at the happy smile on her face and smiled back. "At least I can give the appearance of having forgotten all about it", I thought to myself.

CHAPTER 12:

Chia-Yao and Skuld appeared in the bathroom of the temple. They had just finished putting in a report about the incident of Christmas Eve. "Brett's not going to like this",
Chia-Yao forecast, gloomily.

Skuld nodded, "I'm sure your right", she responded.

It had taken them nearly two earth days to make their report and return, Brett had only just awoken when they'd left and he and Urd were at each other's throats.

They walked into the kitchen to find Belldandy preparing dinner, a radiant smile on her face, "Hello Skuld, Chia-Yao!",
she greeted them enthusiastically.

The pair gave each other a questioningly glance before turning back to Belldandy, "Uhh, hi Sis", Skuld returned,
looking at her questioningly.

Belldandy however seemed totally oblivious to her look and continued bustling around the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready soon", she said, "Why don't the two of you go say hello to Brett and Urd".

Skuld and Chia-Yao exchanged another bemused glance and then headed towards Brett's room. "Correct me if I'm wrong",
said Chia-Yao, "But is she *unusually* happy for some reason?".

Skuld nodded, "I can't figure out what's put her in such a good mood", she replied.

A moment later they heard laughter coming from Brett's room. "Oh sure, laugh all you like", came Urd's sarcastic reply to Brett's laughter, "But remember that *I'm* the one with the full licence *now*".

"Yes ma'am", came Brett's response, "I'll be sure to follow all of your orders and make sure do as you say.. not as you do!".

Skuld frowned and knocked on Brett's door, "Ahh, hello?,
Brett?", she said hesitantly.

"Skuld, Chia-Yao, come on in", said Brett, from his position seated beside Urd on the bed. They had a photo album in front of them and Brett was grinning at one of the pictures.

The pair entered cautiously, Skuld craning her neck to look at the page, she recognised it as the Goddesses' family album. "Oh take a look at this one", Urd said, turning the page, "This was when Skuld first discovered that she liked ice-cream". The picture was of a wrecked ice-cream shop, and a six year old Skuld covered from head to toe in a gooey mess. Brett laughed out loud at the scene it presented and Chia-Yao (who had decided to take a peek) was restraining himself with a great deal of effort.

Skuld grabbed the book from Urd's hands, "I think that's quite enough of that", she said tartly, "What possessed you to bring this out?".

Urd shrugged, "Brett wanted to know a little about our past", she replied.

Skuld looked at the two of them sitting on the bed and shook her head, "When we left the two of you were about ready to rip each other apart", she said bluntly, "What happened?".

Urd blushed slightly, "Well, let's just say we worked things out", she replied.

Brett nodded and smiled a little, "I don't think things will be quite the same", he noted, "But we're not driving each other crazy anymore".

Skuld smiled, "That's good", she said, "Since the two of you are going to have some *special* training to do".

Brett and Urd looked at her dubiously, "What kind of training?", Urd asked warily.

Chia-Yao smiled a little nervously, "Well, it's been decided that the two of you need to learn a little more about combat, so I'm going to...", he began to explain.

"YOU?", Urd exclaimed, "You're going to teach me?".

Chia-Yao nodded, "Ahhh well, I guess you could say it's more of a 'refresher course' for you", he said.

Brett tapped Urd on the shoulder, "I think perhaps it's for the best", he said reasonably, "Neither of us did too well against Nilthar", for emphasis he held up his still sore hands.

Urd thought for a moment and then nodded to Brett before turning back to Chia-Yao, "Brett's got a point", she allowed,
"I guess I *am* a little rusty".

Chia-Yao grinned a little nervously, "Alright, we'll start tomorrow afternoon", he said.

Skuld held up the book, "Well I'm going to go and lock this away somewhere", she said, "I'll see you all at dinner".

"That was great", I exclaimed, upon having wolfed down the meal Belldandy had prepared.

Urd looked at me amusedly, "At least this time I didn't have to feed it to you", she commented.

I flexed my fingers, they were still quite tender and the thin gloves that Belldandy had found tended to rub a bit awkwardly, "That was the best part of it", I replied with a straight face.

She raised one eyebrow and me, but left it at that,
continuing to eat her own meal. Looking around the table,
everyone else seemed to be a bit nervous, especially when Urd and I exchanged conversation. While Belldandy seemed happy enough, Chia-Yao, Skuld and Keiichi all seemed to hand on every word, as if expecting an explosion.

I sighed, "Alright", I demanded of them finally, "What's the problem?".

Keiichi cleared his throat, "Ahh, well...", he started,
"It's just kind of strange...".

"That I'm not still angry at Urd?", I asked.

The other four nodded, "Well to be perfectly frank", I said, "I'm still a little upset".

Urd up anxiously, "But I thought...", she began.

I nodded, "It's alright", I said, "I'm still upset and a little angry when I think about it... But I've accepted it".

Urd smiled a little, "That's good", she said, "I thought for a moment we were backsliding again".

Keiichi shook his head, "You might have accepted it", he reasoned, "But I don't think you've quite forgiven Urd yet".

Silence rained around the table and Urd gave me a piercing look, "You haven't?", she asked quietly, "Have you?".

I remained silent staring at my empty plate, I guess I finally realised that I'd been hiding the truth, I still felt betrayed and humiliated, that hadn't changed. After a moment Urd rose and left the room, walking outside.

"Why did you do that?", Skuld demanded of Keiichi angrily, "they were getting along fine".

I held up my hand, "It's alright Skuld", I said,
"Keiichi's right, I guess I'm still angry at Urd...". Then I thought for another moment, "No, not really angry, kind of nervous, I guess".

Chia-Yao frowned, "You don't act nervous", he pointed out, "You seemed to be having a good time this afternoon".

I nodded, "Oh, I enjoyed looking at the photo album and talking with Urd about unimportant things", I explained, "But if I had to talk about something serious...".

Skuld nodded, "You don't trust her anymore", she concluded.

I sighed, "I think that about sums it up", I said, "I still *like* her, but...".

Chia-Yao shook his head, "She's your *teacher*", he pointed out, "If you don't trust her, it's going to make it hard for you to advance much further with your learning".

"Well this is all very nice", I said, standing up,
"Thanks for your concern, but I think I've got to work this out by myself". With that I walked from the room, heading for the peace of my own room.

"So where do we start?", I asked Chia-Yao the next morning, we were outside in the courtyard, at the last minute Belldandy and Skuld had also asked to join in.

"Well firstly we've got to choose a weapon", he explained, indicating the sword he held in one hand (it was a Japanese Katana).

Skuld twirled her mallet around, "I think I've already got mine", she announced.

Chia-Yao grimaced, "We're not going to be attacked by any cute little furry bugs", he said to her, "Why don't you pick something a little more... well.. dangerous?".

Skuld smiled and swung her mallet at Chia-Yao's feet, the God of Truth jumped the downward swing, "Hey!", he shouted,
"What are you doing?".

Skuld leaned against her Mallet, "If it's not dangerous,
why avoid it?", she asked sarcastically.

Chia-Yao grumbled a little but finally accepted the mallet as a valid weapon. At this stage I figured it was time to start asking questions, "Why on earth are we using hand to hand weapons?", I asked, a little confused, "What happened to just casting spells at the bad guys?".

Chia-Yao nodded, "You *could* just cast spells at them",
he said, "*But* remember that you expend a lot of energy when casting a spell, especially combat spells".

I frowned, "Alright", I said, "How about something for me then".

Chia-Yao grinned, and quickly muttered a spell, a large sword appeared on the ground in front of me, it looked *heavy*.

I picked it up gingerly, "What am I suppose to do with this?", I asked, straining with the heavy blade, "Who do I look like?... Conan?".

Chia-Yao shrugged, "Well, I'm sure you'll get used to it", he encouraged.

I shook my head, "Not bloody likely", I replied, "How about an epee or a sabre?".

He scratched his head, "Why would you want something so flimsy?", he asked.

I smiled, "I've always been good with a epee and I liked using a sabre too", I said.

Seeing everyone's blank expressions I decided to explain,
"I used to do a little bit of fencing", I explained.

Chia-Yao shrugged, "Alright then", he said, casting another spell, this one transformed the huge sword into a familiar sleekness of an epee. I picked it up and twirled it around a few times, attempting get an idea of it's balance. I ran through a few routines trying to remember the correct technique.

By the time I felt comfortable with the sword, Urd and Belldandy had chosen their own weapons (a pair of short swords and a staff, respectively). "Alright", Chia-Yao said, "first we'll begin with some basic attack techniques...".

We practised for nearly two hours, everyone becoming more comfortable with their equipment. Finally Chia-Yao decided that we were ready to begin sparing amongst ourselves, I glanced over at Urd (who hadn't said a word to me all morning), "Care to duel?", I asked in a light voice.

She sighed and nodded, we stepped away from the other three, who had stopped to watch. I saluted Urd with the point of the blade and then came to the on-guard position. She raised her swords and began circling around me. Adjusting my stance I followed her with the tip of the blade, suddenly she made a quick dart forwards with one blade and I parried. We thrust back and forth for nearly ten minutes, neither of us able to get past the other's defences.

Finally during one particular exchange of attacks and counter-attacks, my sore hand decided to make itself known. I grimaced in pain and Urd took the opportunity to disarm me. I shook my head, "Damn... bloody hand", I panted, rubbing some sweat from my eyebrow I looked at the sword point resting against at my chest.

Urd, who was also breathing heavily, smiled triumphantly,
"Gotcha", she said, lowering the blade.

I raised my hands, "Alright", I said, "You win...".

She suddenly lost her smile, "Brett!", she said sternly,
"Look at your hand".

I frowned and turned my palm over, there was blood lining the cuff of my leather fencing glove. I pulled it off quickly to see that the underglove was soaked in blood. I had re-
opened some of the skin. "Damn", I muttered, "I thought that was healed".

"Oh, I'll get the first aid kit", she said, turning to head upstairs.

"Don't worry about it", I said, "I can take care of it myself".

She turned and looked at me squarely, "I'm sure you can",
she said, "But it might be nice if a *friend* helped you with it".

I sighed and nodded, "Sorry", I said, following her inside.

She remained silent and seemed to concentrate fully on my hand while she re-bandaging it, "Brett", she said finally, not looking up, "I'm sorry".

I smiled, and raised her chin with my good hand so that she was looking me in the eye, "It's alright Urd", I said, "It might take me a bit of time to start feeling normal again...
but *I* will work it out".

Urd smiled a little sadly, "*You're* going to work it out?", she asked, "all by yourself?".

I began to nod and then realised what she meant, so I stopped and smiled broadly at her, "Oh?", I asked, "do I have a friend who'd like to help me with that as well?".

She nodded, "If you think you can start to trust me again?", she asked.

In response I leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, "Come on", I said standing and giving her a hand up, "We don't want to give anyone the wrong idea".

She looked faintly disappointed, "Oh... we don't?", she asked, hanging onto my hand as we walked outside.

Marller watched the sparing form a distance, "Hmmm", she mused, "I don't think we're going to be able to take them by surprise again".

Nilthar nodded, "That damned Security Daemon", he growled, "He's the reason I couldn't beat Brett".

Marller smiled, "Are you sure that Brett's not just to much for you?", she said.

Nilthar snorted, "Just shut up and do what your told", he admonished her, "We need another plan".

Marller grinned evilly, "Oh.. I've already got a new plan", she said.

Nilthar looked at her speculatively, "And?", he asked.

Marller tried to look innocent, "Oh I'm sure you'll come up with something yourself before too long", she said, turning and walking away from their rooftop perch.

"Hold it", Nilthar said, "If you've got a plan I'd like to hear it".

Marller glared at him, "Well so long as you agree that we're partners in this thing from now on", she said.

Nilthar grudgingly nodded, "Alright, partners then", he said reluctantly.

Marller nodded and whistled loudly, "Come on out", she called.

A few seconds later the door to the rooftop opened and a young lady stepped out, "Hello there", she said in a cold voice, "I think we have something in common".

Marller smiled, "Nilthar, I'd like you to meet Sayoko,
Sayoko - this is the Demon Nilthar", she introduced them.

I spent the rest of the afternoon watching the others practice, sitting on the front steps of the temple with Keiichi. "I never thought I'd be using one of these for real", I said to Keiichi, indicating the epee sitting beside me.

He frowned, "You never mentioned that you'd trained with any weapons before", he commented.

I smiled, "When I trained it was for competition", I explained, "Twice a week for about five years I spent a couple of hours at my school's club".

He smiled, "Were you any good?", he asked.

I grinned, "Well I won the school championships three years in a row", I replied.

"So have you done anything else that might be useful?",
he asked.

I thought about it for a moment, "Well I'm a good cook",
I replied.

He smiled, "I think Belldandy can take care of that pretty well", Keiichi laughed.

I pretended shock, "Hey mate", I said, "This is the 90's,
and your relying on your girlfriend to do *all* the cooking and cleaning?".

He blushed, "Well I've never really been very good at cooking", he admitted.

I stood, casting a quick spell, banishing my sword, "Come on then and I'll give you a quick lesson", I said.

Keiichi followed me reluctantly, "Are you sure?", he asked.

"Trust me", I said, "I know what I'm doing".

Urd sniffed the air, "What's that smell?", she asked.

This made everyone pause, they all tested the air, "I don't know", said Chia-Yao, "But it smells good".

Belldandy suddenly raised her hands to her mouth, "Oh my", she exclaimed, "I forgot all about dinner".

Skuld smiled, "Well it looks like someone remembered",
she said, getting rid of her mallet she started for the temple and the delicious smells therein.

The other three smiled and followed her inside. To their amazement sitting on the table was the majority of three course meal, all prepared and set out neatly. Brett looked at them from the kitchen door, "I think you all might like to freshen up a bit", he commented, "Dinner will be ready soon".

Keiichi stepped out from behind him, "And believe me you don't want to miss it", he added.

Brett looked at him, "If your here", he said, "Who's watching the apple crumble?".

"Oh no!", Keiichi exclaimed, turning and dashing back into the kitchen.

Brett was hot on his heels, "You've got to remember to keep an eye on these things", he chided Keiichi.

The three Goddesses and one God looked at each other and shook their heads, "He's teaching Keiichi to cook?", Belldandy asked bemusedly.

Urd laughed, "Look at it this way", she said, "Maybe this will give you a bit of a rest from the kitchen".

A shout echoed from the Kitchen, "KEIICHI!", called Brett, "You let all the water boil away again!".

The Urd thought about it for a moment, "Maybe not", she added.

"That was *very* good", commented Belldandy, "Well done".

I smiled at her compliment, "Well Keiichi deserves some credit too", I said, "Without him I wouldn't have been able to make enough for everybody".

Keiichi frowned, "That's not what you said when I accidentally added chilli powder to the gravy", he pointed out.

Everyone looked at their plates suspiciously, "Hey!", I said, "Don't worry about it, I made it over from scratch".

I nodded to Keiichi, "How about that desert you made?", I asked.

He smiled and ran into the kitchen, "Coming right up!",
he called.

Chia-Yao looked nervous, "*HE* made?", he asked.

I nodded and then dropped my voice to a whisper, "It's ok", I assured them, "This is the first thing my mother teaches her students to cook, a child could get it right".

"I heard that!", came Keiichi's voice from the kitchen.

"Besides", I said grinning, "It's my favourite desert". Keiichi returned with desert, it was apple crumble and ice-
cream.

"That was very nice", Belldandy said, "I must get the recipe".

I nodded, "I'll have the proper recipe for you after I get back", I said.

"Back?", Chia-Yao asked.

I nodded, "I'm going home for a visit after New years", I explained.

Looking at their disappointed expressions I frowned,
"Look, you guys are great", I said, "But I *really* miss my family".

Standing I began to clear the table, only to have Skuld and Belldandy tell me to rest my hands. Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I nodded and walked back to my room.

I was standing in front of a vacant lot, I couldn't remember why I was here, or how I got here. I looked around,
noticing that it seemed like a familiar setting, I just couldn't put my finger on it.

I noticed that everything seemed devoid of colour, like the life had been drained out of the place, the lone cherry tree that was still standing was without leaves and looked almost dead. There was no sounds of birds singing and I couldn't see any people around.

Walking around I stumbled across a large sign announcing the construction of a new mall. Examining the sign I felt a chill as I realised where I was, this was where the temple was suppose to be.

CHAPTER 13:

It was sometime after midnight when I was suddenly startled out of sleep by the vividness of the dream. I sat up slowly and shivered, remembering the dead feel of the place and the destruction of the beautiful temple. Not really ready to try sleeping again, I stood and grabbed up my coat. I tiptoed quietly through the temple, making my way out to the silent courtyard. The chill in the air pushed away the last vestiges of sleep that I was feeling.

I glanced into the sky, marvelling at the number of stars visible tonight. I frowned thoughtfully, usually the stars would have been obscured by the glow of city lights, but here in the temple they were sharp and clear. Smiling I made a note to pick up my telescope when I visited home.

I felt another chill, this time thinking of what would happen if Nilthar decided to follow me home. I was eager to see my family and friends again, but not at the cost of exposing them to danger. I clenched my fists at the thought of Nilthar harming my parents or sister, I'd have to find a way to deal with this before I visited home.

"Why does this have to be so difficult", I whispered to myself.

A warm hand clasped mine and I turned to see Urd standing slightly behind me, "If it wasn't difficult, it wouldn't be worth it", she replied.
I shrugged, "That doesn't really make me feel any better", I replied with a smile.

Urd nodded, "It's not suppose to", she said, "But it's another of those things that you've got to deal with".

I looked out at the sky and sighed, "I wonder sometimes if it *is* worth it", I admitted softly.

She slipped an arm around my waist and gave me a quick hug, "Come on", she said, "Cheer up a bit".

I pulled slightly away from Urd and gestured to her to head back inside with me, "I think we've got to talk", I said.

She frowned as we walked back inside, "I thought we'd already...", she began.

I shook me head, "No it's not that", I replied, "I've had another one of those 'unusual' dreams".

I flicked on the light in my room and gestured for her to have a seat on the bed. Taking a seat on the floor, I began reciting the spell she had taught me for projecting images. An image began to form in front of me, showing the dark and dismal picture of the destroyed temple.

Urd gasped at the image and remained silent till I'd replayed the whole thing, "How long do you think we've got?",
she asked quietly.

I shrugged, "I've only had two others to go on", I replied thoughtfully, "One has come true already, the other looks like it might in the near future".

Urd frowned, "I thought you'd only had one of these types of dreams", she said.

"Well...", I began, "The other one is kinda private...".

Urd narrowed her eye's at me, "What do you mean private ?", she asked pointedly, "It could be important...".

I shook my head, "Nope, it's not important in that way at all, trust me on this", I said. I figured that if Urd thought that I'd been expecting to go out with her from the third night I'd stayed here it might complicate things.

She nodded, "Alright, keep it to yourself then", she said in an angry tone, "But I think tomorrow we had better talk to Belldandy about this". With that she stood and stomped out of the room and walked back to her own room.

I sighed and removed my coat, lying down I attempted to get some more sleep tonight. Running things over in my mind,
I was not happy at the prospect of going home and leaving everyone here with this new problem. I mulled it over during the night, only finding sleep in the still hours just before dawn.

The next day was new years eve and after a tasty breakfast I sat down with the three Goddesses to talk strategy. Both Skuld and Belldandy's expressions were bleak after I showed them my dream.

"What could do that to a place?", Skuld wondered out loud, indicating the dead nature of the place.

Belldandy sighed, "That would probably be the result of a large magical battle", she explained, "And from the looks of it I'd say there were some *very* powerful forces at work".

Relaxing after the spell I looked around, noticing that Chia-Yao had not turned up for the meeting. Skuld noticed my glance and shrugged, "He said he had some business to take care of", she said to my unasked question.

Urd looked around the room and shuddered, "To think that this place might soon be in ruins", she said.

I nodded, "But remember, the dreams only indicate what *could* happen if things don't change", I said, "You weren't killed the other night, so there's one thing that's been changed already".

Belldandy nodded, "Brett's right, if we all work together I'm sure that we can handle anything that happens", she said.

Urd frowned, "So we just go on like nothing's going to happen?", she asked in disbelief.

I shrugged, "What else can we do?", I asked rhetorically.

Belldandy smiled, "At least this way we have time to prepare", she said, "It's lucky that Brett is here to warn us".

"If he *wasn't* here we probably wouldn't have this problem in the first place", she pouted.

"Skuld... how can you...", Urd began.

I held up my hand, "That's alright Urd", I said, "She's right, if I left, you would probably find that Nilthar would leave you all alone", I mused.

Belldandy frowned, "But where would you go?", she asked,
"Nilthar is just as likely to follow you back to Australia...".

"Besides, at least here there are three of us that can help", Urd said, "If you left you'd be on your own".

I sighed, "Well what about when I go home for a visit", I asked, "There will be no one to help me then".

"Want a bet... mate?", came a strangely familiar voice from the hallway. The four of us turned to see a rather startling sight, it was me... well it looked exactly as I did in the mirror each morning.

My double suddenly shimmered and in his place stood Chia-
Yao, he grinned, "I'd say that might give Nilthar a bit of a start".

I nodded, "Well next time warn a guy", I said pleadingly,
"I'll let you know when my heart starts beating again".

Chia-Yao smiled broadly, "Well you mentioned last night that you were going to go for a visit home", he explained, "So I came up with this after studying that spell Urd used".

I frowned involuntarily at the mention of her deception but nodded, "That's a great idea", I enthused, "Now I won't have to worry about Nilthar interfering with my family".

Skuld looked at Chia-Yao curiously, "There's not another reason why you're doing this?", she asked.

Chia-Yao put on a innocent expression, "I don't know *what* you're talking about", he replied.

Urd looked at Skuld, "I'm sure you must be mistaken", she said, "I explained to Chia-Yao how we all felt about him using Brett as bait".

I was getting a little confused, "What do you mean 'bait'?", I asked nervously.

Chia-Yao looked at me a little uncomfortably, "No one's mentioned this to you?", he asked.

I shook my head, "No mention's been made of me being used as bait", I replied.

"Uhhh... well... you see", he began nervously.

Urd broke in on his explanation, "He's been following you for a few months, hoping that Nilthar would show up", she explained.

"That's not it at all!", Chia-Yao declared, "I was keeping an eye on Brett".

I finally realised what they'd been talking about (Geeze I'm slow sometimes) and I frowned at Chia-Yao, "You knew that the 'accidents' at NIT and my encounter with the car were a result of Nilthar and you didn't warn me?".

He gritted his teeth, "It wasn't like that.. Uhh.. Err..
", he broke off seeing my expression, "Nothing to get upset about", he assured me, "I was only doing my job".

I smiled broadly, "That's ok", I said, "I'm sure you'll make up for it in the next week or two".

He looked at me nervously, "What did you have in mind?",
he asked.

"Well...", I began ticking things off on my fingers,
"After New Years I had a few things planned, like helping Keiichi refit one of those old engines in his shop, helping Urd completely reorganise her collection of potions and Megumi asked if I was free to help her go over some history notes with her...".

He looked a little sick, "You were going to do *all* that next week?", he asked.

I nodded, "Among other things", I replied brightly, "And since you're me for the next week it looks like you're going to be the one helping out".

He sighed and nodded, "Alright", he said finally, "I guess I can do that...".

Grinning I stood, "Well I'll give you a list before I go of the other things that need doing too", I said as I left the room. It was hard to hold back a laugh at the cry of dismay that echoed from the dinning room.

Skuld was grinning as Brett walked out of the room and she leaned over to Urd, "Were you really planning to reorganise your collection of potions?", she whispered.

Urd gave her a small smile, "No... but I'm sure that they could do with a *little* work", she whispered back.

Skuld nodded, "Well don't make him work too hard", she said.

Urd attempted to look innocent, "Who me?", she asked coyly.

Chia-Yao was still looking a little uncomfortable but sat down with the three Goddesses, "So how are his powers progressing?", he asked.

Belldandy shrugged, "As well as can be expected", she replied, "The precognitive dreams seem to be getting more vivid".

"That's about right", Chia-Yao replied, "How many has he had?".

"Only two so far", Belldandy replied.

"Ahem..", Urd interrupted, "He's actually had three".

Chia-Yao frowned, "And what was the third one?", he asked.

Urd shrugged, "I don't know", she said, "He wouldn't tell me any more than it wasn't important and not to worry about it".

"I'll talk to him about it later", Chia-Yao said to Urd,
"He still might not feel comfortable talking to you about it in light of all that's happened".

Urd threw up her hands, "FINE!", she said, "If you think you can get him to talk about it, go ahead". She stormed out of the room muttering something about 'men'.

Chia-Yao frowned, "Well anyway", he said to Skuld and Belldandy, "With luck Nilthar won't notice the switch and Brett's trip home should be uneventful".

Belldandy nodded, "If you'll excuse me I've got some food to cook for lunch", she said standing, "Would the two of you mind helping?".

Skuld jumped up, "Sure thing Sis!", she said, grabbing Chia-Yao's arm, "Come on, you'll learn something".

I was fidgeting nervously while I sat with Keiichi in the lounge room. The two of us were waiting for our respective ladies to *finally* finish dressing. I looked at my watch for the fifth time in as many minutes, "The taxi is going be here soon", I muttered.

Keiichi grinned at my discomfort, "You look a little nervous", he said, pointing out the obvious.

A gave him a withering look, "Oh... thanks for that observation", I replied sarcastically.

Keiichi raised one eyebrow, "You've been on a date before haven't you?", he asked.

A gave him a strange look, "Certinally", I replied, "It's just that usually I'm not usually dating a *Goddess*, it makes me a little nervous".

Keiichi smiled, "But you're a God now", he pointed out.

I nodded, "That makes me even more nervous!", I said. It was another five minutes before the girls were ready. Looking back I hope that my jaw didn't drop too far. I must say that it was one thing to be around Urd and Belldandy when they weren't *trying* to look good, it was something totally different when they did try. I think the temperature in the room rose a few degrees and catching a quick glance a Keiichi I saw that I wasn't alone in my assessment.

Ok, to describe the dresses. Urd was wearing an emerald green evening dress that hugged her body in places that it had no right to be in. Her hair fell across her shoulders evenly,
somehow managing to look natural and sculptured at the same time. She obviously was happy at the impression she had made because she gave Belldandy a small smile before latching onto my arm and heading for the door.

Speaking of Belldandy she was wearing a dress remarkably like Urd's, only in a deep lavender colour, her hair was a marvel of engineering that seemed to flow and move with a life of it's own. Keiichi was trying in vain not to stare openly,
but failing miserably, "Come on Keiichi-san", Belldandy said,
looping her arm in his and pulling him towards the door.

The four of us strolled out to the waiting car and fifteen minutes later we arrived at a familiar club. I helped Urd from the car and turned to stare at the nightclub, "The Party is *here*?", I asked Keiichi disbelievingly.

Keiichi nodded, "Out club won a bet with Ashoima Formula a few weeks ago and the prize was the use of the private area of the club for our New Years party", he explained.

I smiled and laughed, "I bet that riled Aoshima-san quite a bit".

Keiichi nodded, "I could practically see the smoke rising from his ears", he laughed.

I smiled and offered my arm to Urd, "Shall we?", I asked graciously.

She nodded and took my arm, "Let's go", she said firmly.

We walked up to the door, walking straight passed the long line up of hopeful entrants. The bouncer looked down on Keiichi as we reached the door and he murmured, "Yes?".

Keiichi seemed a little intimidated and mumbled a quick,
"We're here for the Private Party".

"What did you say?", the man said, leaning over a flabbergasted Keiichi.

I tapped the Bouncer on the shoulder, "HE SAID WE ARE HERE FOR THE PRIVATE PARTY!", I said loud enough for the whole 200 meters of line-up to hear.

He gave me a withering glance and if I'd been shorter than him he probably would have tried to lean over me. Have you ever tried to intimidate a guy that stands taller than you? It's not an easy task and I think he found out quickly. He dropped the intimidation act and gave us a speculative look, "How do I know that you are who you say you are", he asked.

"Morisato-san! Handy-san!", called a voice from above. I looked up to see Tamiya hanging over the railing on the fifth floor where the part was being held, "Hurry up! the party's starting without you!".

I looked at the bouncer, "You wanna argue with *him*", I asked. The bouncer shook his head, "Go on up then", he said in a surly voice. Then he proceeded to turn back to the line-
up trying find someone else to annoy.

We walked into the crowded club and I must say that we caused quite a stir. Well to be fair it was Belldandy and Urd that caused heads to turn, just about every male in the place (whether he had a date or not) turned to gawk. We proceeded across to the elevators with the whole place hushed, all conversation seemed to have stopped for the moment.

The elevator arrived and we quickly walked inside, I pressed the button and the door slid shut. Keiichi and I looked at each other and burst out laughing, "That had to be the weirdest experience of my life", I exclaimed.

Keiichi nodded, "I don't think I ever seen quite that reaction before either", he agreed.

Belldandy and Urd were smiling, Urd looked at Belldandy,
"Perhaps we did overdo it a *little*", she admitted.

Belldandy nodded, "Perhaps", she agreed, "But I think the reaction was worth it".

We had composed ourselves by the time the elevator arrived at the top level. I looked around at the party speculatively, recognising a few of the people from NIT and others from the Auto Club. We were immediately pounced on by Tamiya (who looked suspiciously respectable in his formal clothing) who wanted to know why we were late and what had kept us.

I grinned, "Well the ladies wanted to look their best..",
I replied, gesturing to Urd and Belldandy at the Bar.

Tamiya's jaw dropped and his eye's bugged out, "How...
Who... Why...", he stuttered.

I stepped in front of his view, allowing him to recover before he started drooling, "But I think it was worth the wait", I finished.

Tamiya pulled himself together and smiled broadly, "Well I think this might be the time to ask Urd for a dance", he grinned, "I never knew she could look like *that*".

I frowned but made no comment and Keiichi and I watched Tamiya scoot across to where Urd was getting herself a drink. Keiichi elbowed me, "Why didn't you say something!", he demanded.

I gave him a quick smiled, "Urd can take care of herself", I replied, "Besides I don't *own* her".

He grumbled and we continued to watch as Tamiya tried to convince Urd to have a dance with him. He was gesturing all over the place and making exaggerated motions with his arms. Urd gave him a speculative look and made a comment. A moment later Tamiya returned to us, "Perhaps not", he said ruefully,
"I don't think she's quite ready to dance yet".

I shrugged and looked around, "I didn't realise that the club had so many members", I commented.

Tamiya scowled, "*our* club doesn't", he replied, "but it seems that Aoshima Formula is also using this floor for their own party".

I felt my stomach drop, "That might be trouble", I noted,
"Is 'his stuck-upped-ness' in attendance?".

Tamiya (after having deciphered my comment) nodded, "He's somewhere around here, lurking, trying to steal our members...", he began ranting.

I nodded, "He certinally seems to be persistent", I replied, "But I'm sure that everyone will remain loyal to the team".

"Very good Brett-san!", Tamiya enthused, "I was right about you!".

I frowned, "Sorry?", I asked confused.

Tamiya held up his hands, "Never mind, you'll find out when I announce details on our next meet", he replied.

Keiichi tapped my shoulder, "Don't look now but there's something else that Aoshima Formula is trying to steal", he said, indicating Urd and Belldandy with a flick of his head.

I grimaced, "Well, we'd better go and save our dates", I replied, "See you around Tamiya-san". With that the two of us strode purposefully towards out respective Goddess.

"*our* dates?", Tamiya asked to empty air.

I walked straight up to Urd, ignoring the hostile stares directed at me from the crowd of guys hanging around her,
"Would you care to dance?", I asked her politely, indicating the floor full of people all gyrating and contorting on the other side of the room.

She paused as if to think for a moment and then nodded,
accepting my offered hand, "Yes I would thank you", she replied.

She was giggling slightly as we walked towards the dance floor, "Thanks Brett", she said, "I was starting to get sick of all the marriage offers".

I grinned, "Hey", I said, "What are friends for?".

We stepped onto the floor, just as the music began playing a slow number and I paused slightly, "Ahh I just remembered that I'm not a good dancer", I admitted.

She shrugged and pulled me onto the floor anyway, "So long as you can put one foot in front of the other..", she said.

The dance went on for several minutes and I was amazed at how much I was sweating by the time it finished, it seemed that having Urd in that close a proximity... Anyway I was *almost* relieved to go back to the more 'up tempo' dancing. We danced for a while, not really paying attention to the music until finally after another long slow dance we both decided that we needed something to drink.

Moving over to the table that Keiichi and Belldandy had taken up I sat down with a sigh, "Well that was fun", I commented, wiping my brow.

Urd smiled, "You're just a bit out of shape", she teased,
"Nothing a few days training won't fix".

I smiled, "Oh? and you're not breathing hard?", I asked.

She gave me a sly look, "If I am it's for a different reason", she said archly.

I must have blushed, "Stop that!", I said.

She grinned and headed over to the bar for the drinks. I noticed that Keiichi and Belldandy were directing little self-
satisfied smiles to each other and I frowned, "What are you two so happy about?", I asked.

Keiichi looked at me, trying to keep a straight face, "Oh nothing", he said, trying to keep laughter form his voice.

I gave them a speculative look and then turned back to Urd who was returning with our drinks. I looked at the single Sake bottle with small glasses, "Where's mine?", I asked (not really thinking about how that sounded).

Urd gave me a look that could freeze water, "Oh *very*
funny", she said, sitting beside me. "You're going to try something new", she announced.

I looked at the sake speculatively, "I don't usually drink...", I replied dubiously.

She poured me out a small sample, "If you *hate* it you can have something else", she promised.

I nodded and took a small sip from the glass she offered,
it was surprisingly warm and I shrugged, "Not bad", I replied.

Urd nodded and poured herself a glass, then she looked quizzically at Belldandy. Belldandy shook her head, "None for me thanks", she said, smiling mysteriously.

"So what was this announcement that Tamiya was talking about?", I asked Keiichi.

He grinned, "It's a surprise", he explained.

I gave him a flat stare, "I've had enough surprises in the last week to last me a lifetime", I grumbled.

Keiichi nodded, "Sorry", he replied, "I can't tell you".

I swallowed the last of my cup and Urd poured me another,
glancing over towards where Aoshima and Sayoko were sitting,
"I wonder what those two are looking at", I mused.

They had been sitting watching us for the last ten minutes as we sat and talked, "Oh they're probably just hatching some plan", Urd said derisively, "Nothing to worry about".

"So when are you two going to take that vacation?", I asked Keiichi suddenly.

Keiichi and Belldandy exchanged a long look and then Keiichi shrugged, "I don't know when we'll have time", he said.

"Make time", I suggested, "Those islands are beautiful at this time of year".

Urd looked at me quizzically, "You never did tell me how you afforded those gifts", she said.

I smiled, "Well, you'll note that I'm not exactly rolling in cash at the moment", I said ruefully, "But I think it was worth it".

Keiichi looked concerned, "You spent *all* your money on those reservations?", he asked.

I shrugged, "Most of it", I said.

Belldandy frowned, "Brett-san", she said seriously, "I don't think we can really accept them then...".

I held up my hand, "Please", I interrupted, "I wouldn't have been able to get though these last few weeks without you two", I don't know why but I felt like continuing, "I mean it.. you two are just about the nicest people I've ever met".

Urd tapped my shoulder, "What about me?", she asked.

I gave her a big smile, "You're *not* a nice person", I said bluntly, then I quickly placed an arm around her shoulders, "But that's alright I like you just the way you are".

Urd looked almost offended but then smiled and went to re-fill her glass, only to find that the bottle was empty. She looked at it quizzically and then at my empty glass, "How many glasses did you have", she asked suddenly.

I shrugged and looked at the cup, "Uhhmmm, I'm not sure..
it couldn't have been more than three or four".

"Actually it was more like six", Keiichi said.

I didn't know why but Keiichi and Belldandy seemed amused at Urd's reaction, "What's the problem?", I asked.

Keiichi (who was trying not to laugh) gestured to the empty bottle, "Do you know how much alcohol there is in sake?", he asked.

I shook my head and he grinned, "Something like 20-30%",
he stated.

When he actually said the number I felt slightly giddy,
"That much?", I asked, "I'm not feeling too bad...".

Keiichi shrugged, "Well it might have been a bit weak then", he said.

I shrugged and was amazed to find that I had to think about *how* to shrug. I realised that I was going through the early stages of drunkenness, not having experienced it first-
hand it was something new.

Urd looked a little concerned, "Are you alright?", she asked.

I nodded and nearly head-butted her, "I'm fine", I managed to get out.

She frowned, "No you're not", she replied, "You're drunk".

I looked at her and smiled, "I'd already worked that out", I replied, "But that's alright, I've never been drunk before so I'll treat it as a learning experience".

She was about to respond when the room went silent and a spotlight picked out Tamiya and Ootaki up on the stage with the band. "I wonder what they're going to be singing?", I asked of no one in particular. Urd shushed me and I decided to obey her for once.

"Associates, Friends, Family and the Members of the Auto Club", he began, "I'd like to thank you all for coming tonight to this our first annual New Years party".

A scattered applause echoed around the room at his opening, buoyed on by the clapping, he continued, "Tonight is a double celebration, not only do we celebrate the beginning of a new year but the completion of our first ever *Totally*
All Terrain Vehicle, the Intrepid Mark 2!". A projected image filled the wall behind him, showing a car that looked like a cross between a helicopter, formula one racer and a speedboat.

A stunned silence resounded across the room and I muttered to Urd, "What a monstrosity", under my breath. She smiled knowingly and then resumed watching Tamiya.

"We are also announcing that the club will be entering the first ever World Completely Off Road Race, later this month", he announced.

There was a resounding cheer from the audience, cries of "For the glory of NIT!" and "We'll show them all!" echoed around the room.

Urd looked at me quizzically, noting my lack of reaction,
"Like it makes a difference to me", I said, shrugging, "Just another car race".

Tamiya was continuing after the cheering had died down enough for him to be heard, "And our intrepid driver, Keiichi Morisato will be undertaking this task!", he said.

The spotlight focused on Keiichi and he grinned shyly at the cheers this latest announcement brought, he rose and bowed to the crowd.

"And to guide our brave Driver, the club's newest member,
Brett Handy!", he said.

I think that it took a few seconds for that to reach me through the alcohol that I had drunk but then I noticed the spotlight on me. There were people clapping and smiling, so I stood and made an awkward bow. After the spotlight moved away, Tamiya went on to describe the car in minute detail and I tuned him out.

I reflected for a moment before turning to Urd, "Did I just get volunteered to be *in* that car race?", I asked her.

At her nod I smiled, "Good, I was beginning to think that the alcohol had gotten to me...", I said.

After about another half an hour I was smiling at everyone, then after an hour I almost felt like joining in with the songs that the band was signing. Thankfully before I could burst into song, the lights were dimmed and the countdown to midnight began. After remembering how to count I joined in with everyone, "3!... 2!... 1!... ", then everyone was cheering, someone set off fireworks outside and we all raced over to watch.

I was standing out on the balcony with Urd, watching as the splashes of light moved across the heavens and I smiled at her happily. She gave me a friendly hug and I frowned suddenly.

"What's wrong?", she whispered, noticing my frown.

I looked at her, she looked so beautiful in that dress (and I was feeling rather uninhibited at the time) that I leaned forward and gave her a long kiss. She pulled away and looked at me closely. Then she noticed that I was swaying slightly and had a silly looking grin on my face.

"How DARE you!", she hissed, bringing her hand around in the general direction of my face.

I think she probably connected, but unfortunately I'd have to wait and ask her later, since that sake I'd drunk choose that moment to finally overwhelm me and I drifted off to sleep (well unconsciousness anyway...).

CHAPTER 14:

A ray of sunlight streamed in through a small opening in the curtain and just happened to land right on my face. Now waking up like that is something I don't find very pleasant,
what made this worse was the fact that I had a hangover.

Never having had a hangover before I tried cataloguing the feelings. Firstly it felt like a nuclear weapon (something in the 20 to 30 megaton range) was detonating inside my skull, every seconds or so. Then there was the dry feeling in my mouth combined with a *really* bad taste. I also discovered that my eyes were a little sensitive to the light (did I say 'little', make that: 'the sunlight burnt into my eyeballs like hot needles').

Coming to terms with the varied feelings I rolled over out of the sunlight and decided to get back to sleep. I lay for a moment with my head in the pillow before a strange smell made itself known. It was pleasant and rather sweet and it took a few moments to register what it was, I sat up after suddenly recognising it as Urd's perfume.

That was a mistake, the headache redoubled and I fought down a wave of nausea, "What the?", I murmured looking around the room.

I found myself in Urd's room, wearing only a pair of shorts that I usually slept in. Now logically I remembered that memory loss was sometimes a side-effect of drinking a lot so I lay back down and went through my recent memories. Everything was slightly fuzzy, but I remembered dancing with Urd, sitting with Belldandy and Keiichi, getting roped into a car race... kissing Urd... getting slapped by her...

I then couldn't remember a thing. Glancing around the room I decided I must have missed something *really*
important. My clothes were scattered on the floor and Urd's dress was hanging in the open wardrobe. I was starting to panic and was about to get out of bed when the door suddenly opened.

"Good Morning sleepy head", Urd said in what could only be described in a sultry voice.

Now I *really* was panicking, "Nothing like *that* could possibly have happened", I thought to myself, "I was unconscious for the whole time, it's absolutely impossible". But even as I thought it there was a niggling thought in the back of my mind that it *was* possible and that maybe I just didn't remember.

She walked up the bed and sat down beside me, placing a tray full of breakfast in front of me. My stomach turned a little at the thought of eating, but I grabbed the orange juice up quickly and was soon completely through the jug. Urd stood and walked around the room, picking up my clothes, "I think we were in a bit of a hurry last night", she said slyly.

OK, I said that I was panicked before, well now I was terrified. She must have noticed because she gave me a small smile, "I must say that it was a night to remember", she murmured.

"Uhhhh... well...", I began, then I realised that I'd better be straight forward about this and admitted, "Well it's kinda hazy...".

Urd smiled, "Well after you kissed me, I brought you back here, laid you down on the bed and pulled your clothes off...", she explained.

I closed my eyes and waited for her to continue. "... and then went and slept in *your* room", she finished.

I opened my eyes and looked at her barely-restrained grin, "Oh, thanks a LOT!", I said sarcastically.

She laughed and sat down beside me again, ruffling my hair, "You were a little too far gone for anything else", she said.

By the time I'd finished the meal and dressed I had began to feel a little better. The nuclear bombs in my head had been downgraded to the 'kiloton' range and I'd lost the bad taste in my mouth. I staggered out to living room, getting a grin from Keiichi as he saw my condition.

I scowled at him, "Thanks for the warning mate", I said sarcastically.

He shrugged, "Sorry", he said in an unapologetic voice.

I huffed and sat down opposite him, noticing that he was studying a road map, "What's that?", I asked curiosity overcoming me.

He spread it out, "This is our route for the race", he explained.

I looked closely at the map and I realised why I'd been volunteered to be Keiichi's Navigator. I was looking at a map of Northern Australia, in particular it was Cape York.

{GEOGRAPHY NOTE: Alright for those that don't know Australian geography well - grab an Atlas and have a look at northern Australia... see that long pointy bit at the top? that's Cape York }

I gave Keiichi a puzzled look, "You expect me to help you navigate through Cape York in the middle of summer?", I asked in disbelief.

He frowned, "Summer?", he asked.

I nodded, "Seasons are reversed", I said shortly, "You should also realise that summer is what's known as the 'wet season' - most roads are unpassable for weeks at a time".

He frowned, "Well according to the map we won't be using roads very much", he observed. I looked closer and noticed that the routes were laid out across rivers (where there were NO bridges) and straight through what looked like several lakes.

I shook my head, "You've gotta be kidding", I sighed.

He shrugged, "Well Tamiya decided that you would be a good navigator since you lived there", he explained.

I grabbed the map turning it over to the larger map of the whole country, "Look", I said firmly, "This is where the race is", I said pointing to the top of Cape York. He nodded and I continued, "Now.. this is where *I* live", I said pointing to Brisbane.

He nodded again, "So?", he asked.

I smiled thinly, "That's nearly a 1000 miles from the area that I'm familiar with!", I stated.

"Oh...", he said, "Well we'll just have to wing it then".

I covered my face with my hands, "It's too early for this", I sighed.

Keiichi grinned, "Don't worry", he said, "I'm sure it'll work out fine".

I shrugged, "Well speaking of Australia, I was planning on leaving this morning", I said standing up, "Where are the Goddesses?".

Keiichi shrugged, "Urd's in her lab, Belldandy's out in the garden and Chia-Yao took Skuld shopping", he said, re-
examining the map. He looked up at me "Summer?", he asked,
"Wet season? Tamiya never mentioned that".

I nodded, "I *had* wondered how he convinced you", I said, walking towards my room, "But now I know...".

Leaving him with that comment I went to pack a few things for the trip. I didn't need much since most of my stuff was still at home in storage. Throwing the bag over my shoulder I went off to find Urd. She was busily mixing a potion and I was happy to see that she was using the Christmas gift I'd given her (the computer measuring thingo) ... well... anyway I was glad to see that she liked it.

"Don't make too much noise", she whispered, "This might be a little sensitive to shocks".

"What is it?", I asked whispering.

She carefully placed it in a metal container and closed the lid gently, "It's alright now", she said, "That box is pretty much sound proof".

I nodded and repeated my question, "Oh sorry", she said,
"That's a concentrated version of Nitro Glycerin".

"What on earth do you use something like that for?", I wondered.

She shrugged, "Remember those bomb-bottles I threw at you when you arrived?", she asked.

I winced, "How could I forget.. it's not every day you almost get blow to ashes...", I replied.

She smiled, "That's what I use it for", she said.

Then she looked at the bag I had over my shoulder, "Going somewhere?", she asked.

I nodded, "It's time for me to go home for a bit", I replied, "I don't really like leaving with all the problems going on at the moment... but I have some things that I need to work out with my family".

She smiled, "I understand.. when will you be back?", she asked.

"I don't know, it shouldn't be more than a couple of weeks at the most...", I explained.

She nodded, "Are you sure you don't want some company?",
she asked for about the tenth time.

I smiled, "I think It'd be better if I go alone, that'll make it easier to explain things...", I broke off noticing that she had lowered her head and was walking a long with an expression of sorrow on her face.

I placed an arm around her shoulders, "Hey, don't get depressed about it", I said comfortingly, "I'll be back before you know I'm gone".

We walked outside to where Belldandy was tending something in the garden, "I see your ready to leave", she said noticing the bag slung over my shoulder.

I smiled, "It's only for a short time, I'll be back in a couple of weeks".

She nodded, "Chia-Yao thought you'd be ready, he left this morning disguised as you and I'm happy to say that when I checked I found no one watching the temple", she explained.

I grinned, "I hope he doesn't get me into too much trouble", the I shrugged, "Well it'll be worth it to see my family again".

The three of us walked inside and I shook hands with Keiichi, "I'll see you in two weeks mate", I said, summoning up the energy to cast the transport spell.

Skuld walked into the room and noticed everyone standing around me, "You're leaving?", she asked. I nodded and she quickly ran off to her room for a moment. Skuld reappeared,
holding that infamous Christmas gift she'd made for me,
pressing it into my hand, "Take it", she said, "It'll let you know if there's anyone magical around".

"Thanks Skuld", I said, placing it in my bag and turning back to Urd.

"Well?", she asked. Then noticing my lack of reaction,
she stepped forward and kissed me on the cheek, "Take care of yourself Brett", she said into my ear.

I nodded, not trusting myself to talk. Then I completed the spell and stepped into the clock, teleporting myself to my old room and the clock above the bed.

I enjoyed the sensation that teleporting brings, letting myself flow into the clock. The first time it had terrified me, the idea of passing into something so small, but I'd gotten used to it over the last few months. Urd had insisted that I practice so much that it had become routine. A few seconds later I reappeared in what was once my room. Landing lightly on the bed I glanced around in horror.

My once neat and tidy room had become a nightmare, the sci-fi pictures on the walls had been replaced by photos of men in various states of undress (none thankfully all the way). I looked in shock at the condition of my bookshelves,
they were littered with old magazines, clothing and what looked like screwed up efforts at essay writing.

Dropping my duffle bag I jumped off the bed and saw to my amazement my computer, buried under a pile Encyclopaedias and notebooks. "Aw no", I muttered, digging it out and wiping some of the dust from the screen. It looked like it had been used as a big paper-weight for the last couple of months.

There was only one thing I could do, "JANET!", I screamed in frustration.

"Brett?", I heard a voice call from upstairs.

I grabbed the bag and walked upstairs, heading into the kitchen I saw my sister sitting amongst a pile of textbooks and paper. "You're back?", she asked in an amazed voice.

I nodded and gave her an angry frown, "What the hell have you done to my room?", I demanded.

She did a double take, "Oh...", she said in a guilty, "I meant to do something about that before you came home".

I nodded and shrugged off my jacket, it was *HOT* here. She looked me up and down, "How'd you manage to get from the airport in that?", she asked, indicating my jacket and warm clothes.

"Errr... the taxi was air conditioned", I replied.

She nodded, "Well I'd say you should get changed", she said, "All your clothes are in my old room".

I nodded, "In a minute", I replied, picking up one of the textbooks. "Common Australian Law and Changes Since Federation", I read the title of the book out loud. Giving her a strange look I examined the other titles, they all had something to do with law.

"What?", she asked defensively.

I shrugged, "You got into university then?", I asked.

Jan nodded, "Justice Studies", she replied.

I looked at her in shock, "You're going to be a *lawyer*?", I asked.

She grinned, "Yup!", she responded happily.

I grimaced, "I'll go get changed then", I said, turning around and heading for her *old* room.

"Hey Bro?", she called after me.

"Yeah?", I asked, itching to get into something cooler.

"Welcome home", she said sincerely.

I gave her a big grin, "Thanks Jan, it's nice to be back for a while", I replied. With that I headed off to change. After getting into a much cooler shirt and shorts I stepped out onto our balcony and took a deep breath. The fresh smell of the gum tree in the backyard was a pleasant change from what I'd been used to for the last few months. Looking around I noticed no great changes from when I was last here,
everything was as normal.

Jan closed a her notes with a sigh as I walked into the room, "I'll get it finished tomorrow", she announced.

"Sure Jan", I said knowingly.

She smiled, "Well *maybe* I'll finish it tomorrow", she said. She gestured for me to take a chair, "So what was life like in Japan?", she asked.

The over the next few hours I talked about what I'd experienced in Japan (it was a *highly* edited description). My parents were overjoyed (well.. at least *very* happy) to see me again and I spent most of my first night talking about my 'adventures' overseas.

I was detailing a description of one of Belldandy's meals for my mother when Dad suddenly cut in, "So you've been living with three girls?", he asked.

I nodded, "Well how's the love life?", he asked bluntly (my father's never really been shy about asking embarrassing questions), "if you've been living with three girls I'm sure you've got lots of good stories to tell".

"Err... well", I said, "It's fine".

He nodded knowingly, "I'm *sure*", he said, winking.

Mum gave him an irritated look, "You *wish*", she said smiling.

Dad gave her an injured look, "No one around here understands me", he complained.

Jan shook her head, "The problem is that we know you *too* well", she laughed.

Dad frowned and crossed his arms, "Well since your back",
he began, "We're going away for a week to the coast, did you want to come along?".

I grinned, "I'll be in that!", I replied, "Japan is sorely lacking good surfing beaches".

He smirked, "I'm sure you'll make up for it", he replied,
standing.

He gave me a hug, "Good to have you back son", he said gruffly.

I hugged him back, "Good to see you too Dad", I replied.

He smiled and headed off to bed, "Don't stay up too late talking", he replied, "Otherwise I might be tempted to join you...".

We still talked for another hour or two, I caught up on what was happening in my absence. Other than Jan getting a place at University not much new had happened. On the other hand Mum and Jan were very interested in everything I had to tell them. Finally I yawned loudly in the middle of one story and Mum gave me a smile, "Perhaps you should get some sleep",
she suggested.

I nodded, "I guess I'm in Jan's old room?", I asked.

She nodded, "All of your stuff is in there too", she added.

I grinned, "I'll be lucky to fit in the room then", I replied. Mum smiled and gave me a quick kiss goodnight, Jan grinned and ruffled my hair, "Nite Bro", she said, going downstairs.

I lay in the unfamiliar bed, not used to what had been normal to me before and stared up at the ceiling. I missed the quite and peacefulness of the temple. I also found it hard to sleep in the heat, there seemed to be no escape from it. Then I drifted into a restless sleep, not really comfortable, but so tired it didn't matter.

"What is this?", asked the first spirit.

"I recognise this one", replied another, "He left the land a few months ago".

"What is he?", the first asked in confusion.

The second spirit drifted nearer the sleeping Brett and sniffed the air. "I don't know, on occasions I've seen things like this before", it said, "But I've never really paid much attention".

The first spirit drifted nearer, "If I didn't know better", it mused, "He looks almost like a spirit himself".

The second nodded, "I'll give you that", it said, "But I've never herd of one of them becoming one of us".

The first frowned, "We must observe our 'visitors' more closely", it said, "if they can change mortals into spirits,
we must be careful".

The two spirits observed for a moment more, before darting out the window and into the moonlit night. They moved more swiftly than a plane, moving on unseen wings out into the bushlands surrounding and back to the places they called home.

I awoke the next day to find the sun already high in the sky, getting out of bed, I found a note waiting for me in the kitchen:

Brett,
I've taken the car and gone to Uni, see you tonight

-Jan

I grumbled a bit but finally realised that it'd be quicker and easier to just teleport myself around (so long as I was careful). I grabbed up the phone and began ringing friends, it didn't take long to locate one of them...

"So how did things go in Japan?", Hubert asked. We were sitting around one of the tables at my old role playing club,
it had been a long time since I'd had a chance to just sit and talk.

I smiled, "It was better than I'd expected", I replied,
"I picked up a few new tricks for handling memory allocation in C".

He nodded, "Yes, Yes", he said, brushing aside the learning element, "I want to know how things worked out with that girl... what was her name? Urd?".

"Err yes..", I replied, "Well things are going fine".

Hubert leaned forward, "And?", he asked.

I looked around a little self-consciously, seeing that we'd become something of the centre of attention in the club,
"Well, we went out on New Years", I said evasively.

Hubert grinned, "How was it?", he asked.

"Well.. aside from the fact that I got drunk...", I began.

"*YOU* got drunk?", came a familiar voice from behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder and grinned, "Long time no see", I said to Bruce as he pulled up a seat beside Hubert. Bruce had been visiting relatives in England when I'd left, so I missed the chance to say goodbye.

"So what's this I hear about you living with three girls?", he asked bluntly (and loudly).

Several gasps of disbelief echoed around the club, one from Hubert in particular, "You're living with three girls and you didn't tell *me*", Hubert complained.

"Where did you hear that from?", I asked Bruce curiously.

He shrugged, "I talked to Jan a week or two ago", he said, "So anything interesting happen in Japan?".

Have you ever had a secret that you just *want* to tell someone? Well Bruce and I have known each other for about a decade and I was sorely tempted to blurt out everything that had happened. But I found myself responding with a, "Not really", instead.

We sat and talked for several hours, various people coming in and out of the club stopped by to say hi and catch up with me. On the whole it was a very relaxing afternoon and I felt bad that I was leaving in only two weeks.

Nilthar paced backwards and forwards across the rooftop overlooking the temple, "Where the hell did he go?", he demanded of Marller angrily.

Marller shrugged, "I don't know", she said, "We were off following that Security Daemon.. remember?".

Nilthar fumed internally at having been tricked so easily, they had left the previous morning following what they'd assumed to be Brett. But Nilthar became suspicious when Brett just seemed to be hanging around NIT, not really doing anything (from observation Nilthar had concluded that Brett didn't go anywhere without a reason). Quickly casting a detection spell, he pierced the disguise and realised that they'd been duped.

They had rushed back to the temple, only to find Brett gone. "Where's that friend of yours with the information?",
Nilthar demanded impatiently.

Marller sighed, "She'll be here", she replied, "For now all we can do is wait, so I'd advise you to sit down".

A few minutes later Sayoko arrived with a folder, "Here,
this is the information you wanted", she said.

Nilthar snatched the folder away from her greedily,
"Now", he said, reading, "This should be all I need".

Sayoko nodded and gave Marller an inquisitive look, "How is the plan progressing?", she asked.

"Slowly", Marller replied, "But then Loki was never one to rush things".

"Loki?", Sayoko asked curiously.

"YES!", came an amused voice from above them, "LOKI - the God of Mischief, Deceiver of Mortals, Annoyer of Thor... and generally unpleasant doer of things of that nature...".

Sayoko looked up to see a good-looking young man with an mischievous expression on his face floating above them. "You were perhaps using my name in vain?", he asked Marller.

Marller sighed, "Can't you be serious about anything?",
she asked.

Loki landed beside them on the roof, "No", he replied bluntly.

Nilthar sighed, "And how are things coming with your project?", he asked.

Loki lost his amused expression, "Not good", he said,
"Those damned security protocols are still getting in my way,
I can't access the network except from a primary terminal".

Nilthar nodded, "I thought it'd prove too much for you",
he chided.

Loki looked at him indignantly, "Oh?", he asked, "And I'd like to see you do better... you stuck up.. ".

Marller interrupted before things could get out of hand,
"And if we could get you to a terminal?", she asked.

Loki paused, "Then I'd have the Yggdrasil System down in a few hours", he replied, "I've already worked out the perfect viral code.. I call it 'Root Rot'".

{Author's Note: If you don't understand the Pun.. go look up what Yggdrasil actually was in Norse Mythology}

Nilthar groaned at the pun, "How are *we* going to get access to a primary terminal?", he asked Marller.

Marller pointed at the temple in the distance, "There's one right in front of us", she announced.

Loki grinned, "Oh very good", he said, "I *might* just make you my next consort".

"Call me after Ragnarok", she said, "I'll see what I can do..".

Nilthar looked at the temple thoughtfully, "I will cause a distraction", he said, "Loki, you and Marller go in once their attention is diverted".

The Demons quickly headed off to break into the temple,
leaving Sayoko standing on the roof, staring off into the distance, "Sometimes I wonder if it's all worth it", she murmured to herself. Then she remembered Keiichi and how much she wanted him for herself, "It's worth it", she concluded,
walking downstairs.

Marller quickly levitated herself over the outer wall of the temple, keeping her shielding spell tightly wrapped around herself. She dropped to the ground and began to silently move towards the temple, hugging the shadows as she moved. She felt a hand on her shoulder and startled slightly, "Well done... you move very nicely", Loki complimented her in a whisper.

Marller gave him an exasperated look and gestured for him to follow her inside the temple. The two sprinted across to one of the temple entrances and silently slid open one door. They found themselves in a laboratory, vials and beakers lining the walls. Marller carefully moved over to the main workbench and recognised Urd's handwriting on some of the papers sitting there.

Loki moved to the inner door, waiting for Nilthar's signal, "What are you doing?", he whispered sharply to her.

"Just having a bit of fun", Marller replied, changing the labels on some of the containers. Then she switched some of the contents around for good measure and joined Loki at the door, "That should make things interesting around here", she whispered. Loki grinned and the two of the waited silently for Nilthar's signal.

A few seconds later they felt a surge of magical energy and a muffled cry of alarm from within the temple, "Slow down Chia-Yao", came Skuld's shouted voice from outside the room,
"Wait for the rest of us".

The two Demons waited until the presence of the Goddesses had left the area and slid open the inner door. They quickly made their way to Skuld's room and switched on the computer. Loki stretched his fingers and began typing away at the keyboard. After a few moments he pulled a small disc from one of his pocket and inserted it into Skuld's computer, "Now the system should last about an hour or so and then it'll go *down*", he said gesturing with his thumb.

Marller nodded, "Anything else I should know about?", she asked.

Loki shrugged, "Well it's also erasing every bit of information on Brett that it can find, soon as far as Yggdrasil is concerned he'll never have existed", he finished.

Marller frowned, "We'd better get out of here then", she said, turning to the door.

Loki switched off the computer with a flick, "Loki strikes again!", he giggled, "Sometimes I amaze even myself".

Marller and Loki headed out into the night, easily exiting the temple before the Goddesses returned from their unsuccessful hunt for Nilthar.

The Demons met again a short time later, "How did it go?", Nilthar asked.

Loki grinned, "Easy as stealing candy from Thor", he replied.

Nilthar shook his head at Loki's attitude, "How can you be so irresponsible?"", he asked in exasperation.

Loki's face lost it's humour and an evil glint came into his eye, "It puts my enemies off balance", he said in a cold voice, "That gives me a tactical advantage".

Nilthar nodded, "Very well then, I'm going to find Brett", he said, "I'd appreciate it if the two of you remained here and made sure that the Goddesses don't interfere". With that he stepped into the shadows and disappeared.

Loki looked at Marller, "I don't know why you continue to hang around that guy", he said, "You'd do better with one of the greater Demons".

"Such as yourself?", Marller asked sweetly.

"Now that you mention it..", Loki said.

Marller gave Loki a smile, "Perhaps if you'd tell me why *you* are helping him I might...", she replied.

Loki gave her a smile, "Nilthar is doing important work",
he replied, "Brett is a threat to our way of life... and he must be dealt with".

******
Jan Handy had just finished having a shower and was walking past her old room (now being used by her brother while he was back from Japan) when she heard a furious beeping noise emanate from within. She walked into the room and looked around, "Not the alarm clock", she noted absently. The beeping had suddenly increased in volume as she looked around the room.

She grabbed up Brett's bag and picked her way through it,
locating a strange looking object. "Must a computer gizmo he picked up in Japan", she thought, flicking a few switches. She played around with the switches and noticed that there were several blinking characters displayed on the device's small screen. Absently shutting it off she put it back in Brett's bag and closed the door to the room.

If Jan had been able to read the language of the gods,
she would have been quite upset at the message displayed,
"Warning... Recall Notice... All Gods/Goddesses/Angels and like beings are ordered to report back directly to heaven...
Repeat... Serious malfunction of the Yggdrasil System...
General Warning..".

Dave Handy picked his way through the construction site with practised ease. He'd spent twenty years of his life working on similar sites and he'd become quite familiar with the day to day operations, so familiar that he'd been promoted up to managing construction for the company. He fidgeted with his tie and wiped his forehead, "So how much longer till we can pour the concrete", he asked Michael.

The foreman checked his notebook and sighed, "At least another week", he replied.

Dave shook his head, "That's going to be cutting things pretty fine", he said, checking the job plan he'd written out months earlier.

"Sorry Dave", Michael apologised, "But we've been having trouble with the supports for the upper level... the steel came in substandard and we had to replace half the floor".

Dave sighed, "Nothing to be done about it then", he said regretfully, "I'd hoped to bring this in under time..".

Michael nodded, "I know", he said, "But we're stuck with finishing on schedule instead".

The two men turned from their inspection of the lower levels and headed back towards the site office, "I hear your son's back from Japan?", Michael asked.

Dave smiled, "That's why I'm taking next week off", he replied, "It'll be nice for the whole family to be together..
even if it is just for a week".

Michael laughed, "Well say hello to him for me", he said in farewell.

Dave nodded and headed off towards his car. He was walking past the crane when he saw a curious site. A pair of dogs were sitting in the middle of the construction area. He stopped beside them and stretched out a hand patting one on the head, "What are you doing here fellas?", he asked, "Come on and I'll take you outside, if you hang around in here you'll get hurt".

Dave led the dogs over to the gate, beside which his car was parked, "Go on... off you go", he said, "I've got to get back to the office".

Dave turned to the car and opened the door, only to have the one dog growl loudly at him and the other start barking. He turned to face them, "What's your problem?", he asked.

A moment later, one of the cables holding the newly arrived steel to the crane broke. Three tons of high-tensile building steel impacted into the driver's compartment of Dave's car. Dave staggered back from the car, looking at the twisted wreck that used to be his vehicle. Workers ran over to him and asked him if he was alright.

"What the hell caused that", Michael wondered in amazement, "I've never had one of those cables snap in my whole career".

Dave nodded, "It was just lucky that these dogs were here.. otherwise I'd have been *in* the car", he said.

"What dogs?", Michael asked, looking around.

Dave turned around, but could see no sign of the pair, he scratched his head, "You know it they actually looked more like a dingos than a domestic dogs.. now that I think about it", he observed.

"Yeah.. right Dave", Michael laughed, "A dingo in the middle of Brisbane City...".

The Bagadjimbiri brothers looked at the confused builders below them, "Tell me again why we had to save him?", one asked the other.

"Call it pride", the other responded, "We can't let a foreign spirit make a mess of our land..".

"I suppose you're right", the first allowed, "But why don't we simply rip it's throat out?".

The second sighed, "Do you have any idea how messy that would be?", he asked.

The first smiled and nodded, "But it'd be fun", he complained.

"Tough.. if we kill this one.. more might come... ", the second said, "It's better to study an enemy first.. remember what happened the last time we let out appearances startle us?".

The first brother shuddered at the thought of their encounter with Ngariman, the brothers had been a little insensitive towards their fellow spirit's looks. It had resulted in the two brothers being killed by an angry Ngariman and only the intervention of Dilga (the earth Goddess) had saved them.

"Alright", the first agreed, "We'll just watch for now..
but if he tries to kill any more mortals... I'm gonna rip out his throat and be done with it..".

Nilthar heard the whispered conversation between the Dingo Brothers and waited silently for them to leave. "This is something I hadn't considered", he mused out loud.

Every god new that the spirits of Australia were suppose to be sleeping, to find them awake and active was a shock to say the least. Nilthar made his way from the building site,
cloaked in magic. He took a glance back at Brett's father,
who was shaken but unharmed, "I might try something less spectacular next time", he thought to himself, "Something more subtle might be in order".

Nilthar had already decided on his next victim, following Brett around for a day or so had allowed him to pick out likely targets and while he was now unlikely to kill any of them... things might start going wrong.

Hubert Santos wiped his brow and hastily pulled together his customer's order. Grabbing everything up he hurried back to the table, "There you go Sir", he said, "Enjoy your meal".

He cleared another table on the way back to the kitchen,
lugging the plates over to the dishwasher. As the dishes were cleaned he took a moment to relax, the restaurant was packed with people today. He walked over to grab himself a drink of cool water when he spied a familiar figure standing in the crowd, it was his girlfriend, Lisa.

Hubert stuck his head around the corner of the building to give her a shout and a wave, when the call died in his throat. Lisa was suddenly hanging all over another guy, she was laughing happily and kissing the newcomer furiously. Hubert felt his anger rise, "What the hell is she doing?",
he thought to himself. He and Lisa had been together for months and had been virtually inseparable.

Hubert pulled off his name-tag and dumped his waiter's tray. He ignored a questioning look from one of his workmates and muttered a quick, "Cover for me", as he walked outside.

As he drew nearer Hubert stopped in shock as he realised who the guy was, "BRETT!", he hissed in disbelief. Hubert went numb in amazement, Brett was stealing his girl. Clenching his fists Hubert began to walk towards them purposefully. The couple suddenly turned and walked in the opposite direction, through the crowded mall. Increasing his pace, Hubert began shouldering people out of the way. He saw them turn off the main walkway and darted around the corner a few steps behind them.

"ALRIGHT...", he began angrily as he turned the corner,
"WHAT THE HELL?". The alleyway was empty, not a person in sight. Hubert shook his head in confusion, something was screwy. He returned to work quickly, shrugging off a dark glance from his supervisor and resolved to talk to Lisa about it tonight at the small get-together they were having for Brett.

Lisa was having a hectic day, all morning the coffee shop had been busy and now the afternoon rush was starting. She had just about finished making up the last order when she noticed Hubert standing across the street outside. Smiling slightly she wondered what he'd brought her this time. Hubert had the annoying (but welcome) habit of turning up while she was a work with flowers for her. She raised her arm and waved at him, only to get no reaction. Frowning she walked over to the window and gaped in astonishment as an unfamiliar girl walked up and KISSED Hubert.

Lisa watched as the two continued to kiss and then walked off hand in hand down the street. She ground her teeth in frustration, not being able to leave the shop unattended, "I think Hubert and I will be having a little talk tonight", she said to herself. Several of the customers looked at her a little nervously and she realised that she'd been twisting a spoon that she'd been holding into unusual patterns.

I was having a good afternoon, it was sunny and hot.. and I was lazing in a pool. I had swum a few lengths of the pool earlier, but decided that it was more fun just to laze around on a day like this. I was still surprised at how fast this new pool had gone up, it was quite a big complex (tho it was much smaller than the one I'd visited in Japan). I relaxed against the side and just enjoyed the heat of the sun on my face.

An object suddenly obscured my sunlight and I looked up to see an amused Bruce looking down at me from the side of the pool, "Hey... no sleeping in the pool", he ordered. Bruce was wearing a yellow shirt with 'Lifeguard' emblazoned across it in red.

I raised my hand in mock salute, "Yes Sir.. Mr Lifeguard Sir!", I said.

Bruce grinned and sat on the edge of the pool beside me,
"So how did you get this job again?", I asked him.

Bruce shrugged, "I spent most of my time for the last couple of years earning Lifesaving certificates", he said,
"Unlike some people, who just lazy about in the sun".

"So sue me", I replied, "I associate swimming with fun..
not work".

"Aww.. come on", Bruce said, "If you'd be bothered to let me teach you, I might be able to get you a job here".

I sighed, "Bruce... If I was staying here I'd probably say yes", I said, "But the fact is that after next week I'll be back to Japan".

"Why Japan of all places?", Bruce asked, "I mean if you can get a place there, why not try for the US or the UK?".

"Let's say that Japan has something unique for someone studying what I am", I replied.

Bruce slowly smiled, "That girl?", he asked, "Urd isn't it?".

I shrugged, "Maybe", I said, "But I'd rather just enjoy myself here than argue with you for the rest of my holiday".

Bruce nodded and stood, "Well once I'm off-shift, we're going to meet Hubert, Lisa and a couple of the guys for dinner", he said, "So I'll see you...". Bruce was suddenly cut off as one of his feet slipped out from under him and caught on a guard-rail. He screamed in pain as I heard a distinct *crack*.

I jumped out of the pool and rushed to his side, he was swearing his head off and moving his leg carefully. Several of his fellow lifeguards rushed over to us and helped me carry Bruce over to a chair without hurting his leg too much. Looking at the unnatural bulge in his leg there was no doubt that it was broken, "Did you want us to call for an ambulance?", one of the asked Bruce.

Bruce shook his head, "It's not *that* serious", he said slowly, "Just splint it and someone drive me to the hospital".

I nodded, "I'll get changed and grab my keys", I replied,
heading for the change room. Something made me turn and look over to the other side of the pool, a strange man was watching us intently. He seemed familiar and I suddenly got a horrible suspicion. Rushing into the change rooms I muttered a quick spellword and emerged a moment later fully clothed.

Bruce looked at me in amazement, "That was fast", he noted. We carried Bruce out to my car and made him as comfortable as possible, "Don't worry about your shifts", one of the lifeguards said, "We'll cover for you till you can talk to the boss".

I slipped into the driver's seat and drove out of the parking lot, carefully avoiding as many bumps as possible for Bruce's sake. Glancing in the review mirror, I caught another glance of the strange figure and I accelerated away quickly.

"Hey... slow down!", Bruce protested, "It's not that much of an emergency".

I nodded and slowed down, but if what I suspected was true, it *was* an emergency, quite a serious one indeed.

I dropped Bruce off at his place after getting him fixed up at the hospital, according to the doctors he'd be off work for a month at least. Pulling into the driveway, I noticed the absence of Dad and Mum's cars, "Isn't anyone home yet?", I called up to Jan.

"We're here", came Dad's reply.

"Well what happened to your car?", I asked in confusion,
"And where's mum's?".

"It's been a bad day", Mum confirmed.

Now usually I'm not a suspicious person, but things seemed to be a little strange. Firstly Dad's car had been crushed at work and Mum's car was stolen from the school where she taught. Hell, suspicious, I was *sure* that things were going wrong.

I confirmed my suspicions when Jan arrived home, "I just got suspended", she informed us.

"What happened?", I asked.

Jan informed me that somehow her department was missing nearly ten thousand dollars from it's books and unfortunately *she* was the one in charge. I shook my head and walked up to my room, "Someone's trying to ruin my family", I said to myself, "Now I *wonder* who that could be?".

John Collins was closing up DreamLink for the night when he noticed an unfamiliar figure standing at the top of the steps, "Can I help you?", John asked politely.

The man turned to face John and smiled, "No thank you",
he replied, "I was just looking around".

"Well I'm afraid I've got to close for the evening, I've got to meet a few friends", he said, turning to switch out the lights.

"Right", the man replied smiling slightly, "Tell Brett that Nilthar says hello".

John turned around quickly, but the man was gone,
checking things over carefully, he finished turning things off and locked up the doors. Unfortunately, John failed to notice a spark leap across to the curtains and begin to smoulder.

Bruce and I were sitting waiting for everyone else to arrive at the restaurant. I'd picked him up after he insisted that he not be left out of the little get together. I was telling him about the Auto Club when Hubert walked into the restaurant, I raised my hand and waved him over.

Now I've always been a pretty good judge of people's moods and I'd say Hubert looked *angry*. I've never in my friendship with him *ever* seen him angry before, not once. "What's up?", I asked as he reached the table.

Hubert sat down opposite me, "Did you have a nice afternoon?", he asked in a cold voice.

I frowned and exchanged a confused look with Bruce, "Not really", I replied, "Bruce here broke his leg and I had to take him over to the hospital".

Hubert frowned, "You weren't in the city?", he asked.

I shook my head, "Nope.. why?", I replied.

Hubert shook his head, "Never mind.. How's Bruce?", he asked. We talked for a few more minutes until John turned up,
Hubert forgot his angry mood and we were all enjoying ourselves.

"So *here* you are", came Lisa's voice. We turned to see her standing over Hubert with her hands on her hips, obviously furious.

"Where else would I be?", Hubert asked blankly.

Lisa gave him a look that could freeze water, "Don't give me that.. I *saw* you this afternoon.. with some floozy...".

Hubert raised his hands, "What are you talking about?",
he asked, "I was working all afternoon".

Lisa nodded, "Oh sure", she said, "Except for that break you took, walking out without telling anyone where you were going".

Hubert frowned, "How did you know about that?", he asked.

"My sister works on your shift.. remember?", Lisa replied, "As far as I'm concerned I don't ever want to see you again...".

We were interrupted a second later, by a fire engine rushing past outside, followed by another a moment later. At that point a out of breath Robert (who was late) turned up,
"DreamLink...", he rasped, "It's burning down...".

I jumped up and ran outside, to see the building DreamLink was in, engulfed in flames, "No!", John cried from beside me, "I checked everything before I left!".

I placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sure it's not your fault", I said confidently.

He nodded sadly, "Well at least that friend of yours can vouch that I'd turned everything off", he said.

"Friend of mine?", I asked, confused.

John nodded, "Oh.. sorry.. this guy named Nilthar was there when I close up.. he asked me to say hello to you for him", he explained.

I froze for a moment, "You did say 'Nilthar' didn't you?", I asked.

John nodded, "He said he was a friend of yours", he replied.

I turned to watch Lisa storming off down the street,
followed by an apologising Hubert, then I looked over at Bruce, leaning against the wall. "This is because of me", I thought to myself.

"Could two help Bruce?", I asked John and Robert, "I'm gonna go and catch those two, meet us back at the cars".

They nodded and I took off in pursuit of the arguing couple. Catching them quickly I stood in front of them, "Hold it you two", I said, "Something unusual is going on around here.. and I think I can explain".

Lisa turned her 'freeze' gaze on me, "Start explaining then", she ordered.

I looked around the crowded street, "How about I tell you in private", I said, "Meet me at my place in an hour".

Lisa gave me a long look, "Alright, I'll listen", she said, "But it had better be a damn good explanation".

An hour later everyone was assembled at my house,
including my sister who just happened to be at home. I'd been trying to decide on the best way to tell everyone what was going on, but it was going to be difficult, "OK!", I started a little nervously, "This is going to be difficult for you all to believe...".

"What's got you so on edge?", Jan asked.

I sighed, "I just don't know if you all are going to be able to accept it", I replied, "But these 'accidents' that have been happening lately are no accident".

Everyone frowned, "What are you talking about?", Robert asked. I filled them all in on the unusual (and unfortunate)
events that had followed my return from Japan.

"All that's happened since you came back?", Robert asked in disbelief.

I sighed, "Actually it's all happened today", I replied.

"So how is DreamLink's fire, Bruce's broken leg, your father's close call, your mother's car being stolen, your sister getting suspended from work and me seeing Hubert with another woman connected?", Lisa asked out of breath.

I pointed at my chest, "Me", I replied simply, "The only connection between them all is *my* presence".

John shook his head, "How could you be the cause of all that?", he asked.

"It looks rather co-incidental..", Jan mused.

Lisa stood, "I don't see where this is getting us... I'll be leaving now", she said standing.

I carefully spoke a few spellwords under my breath and concentrated on projecting an image of Hubert beside me. The echoed gasps around the room confirmed that my spell had worked and Lisa sat back in her chair with a thump,
"How...?", she began.

I banished the image and looked around the room at the faces of my friends, "It's a *very* long story...", I began. It took me nearly an hour to explain everything that had happened to me after I'd left home last year.

"So you're a god?", Jan scoffed, "You've gotta be joking".

I shook my head, "No Sis", I said to her, "It's not a joke.. it took me a while to come to terms with it myself".

"So how'd you do that image projecting thing?", Robert asked.

I wiggled my fingers at him, "Magic", I replied.

Bruce, who had remained silent during my explanation spoke up, "Brett", he said seriously, "If this is all true...
how come you didn't tell any of us before?".

I smiled in apology, "I didn't think I was suppose to tell *anyone* about it", I replied.

"But you're telling us now?", Hubert asked.

"Well...", I began, "It's gotten a bit more complicated".

I then proceeded to tell them about Nilthar and how he was trying to eliminate me, "And I now know that he's followed me back here", I finished.

Everyone was silent, until John broke the mood, "So not only are there Gods... but there are Demons too?", he asked.

I nodded and everyone was again silent for a time, "If he wants you, why is he attacking everyone except you?", Robert asked.

"Because if he attacked me I'd be able to fight back", I replied, "The last fight we had, he came off second best".

Bruce groaned a moment later, "Sorry", he said, "The pain-killers are wearing off".

"I can fix that if you like", I said to him.

Bruce frowned, "You can?", he asked hopefully.

I began casting one of the more powerful healing spells that I'd learned, the room was lit by a huge burst of white light as it was completed. Bruce winced in reflex as the spell finished, but then he grinned broadly, "The pain's gone", he said, standing up, "If it wasn't for this damn cast I'm sure I'd be able to walk properly".

I sunk down into a chair to catch my breath and Robert gave me a frown, "What's wrong?", he asked.

I gave him a grimace, "I'm not very good at this", I replied, "It takes a lot out of you".

Lisa had sat down beside Hubert, "I'm sorry", she said quietly.

Hubert gave her a smile and a kiss, "That's alright", he said.

I shook off the after effects of the spellcasting. "Now everyone has to be careful", I said seriously, "I don't know why Nilthar is trying this 'attack' the friends and family thing, but I'm sure that it'll get more serious before I finally leave".

Jan looked around nervously, "So how do we know he's not hanging around here listening to our every word?", she asked.

I smiled, "Do you hear anything?", I asked, seeing everyone's blank expressions I explained, "I've got a little device in my bag, it'll go off beeping if anything magical is around".

Jan blanched, "Is that what it was?", she blurted, "I turned that off..".

I jumped up and ran into where I'd put my bag, rummaging around I grabbed Skuld's detector out and flicked it on, to my relief there were no detected magical beings around. I walked back out to where everyone was waiting expectantly, "No problem", I said, "No one here but me".

There was a general sigh of relief at my announcement,
"Where'd you get that?", John asked.

I passed it to him, "It was a Christmas gift from one of the Goddesses", I replied.

Hubert grinned at me, "So you've been living with three *Goddesses*?", he asked.

At my nod he continued, "So how are things going with Urd?", he asked.

I blushed slightly as everyone looked at me, "Hey!", I said, "Some things are private!".

Everyone laughed and after a few more minutes of discussion Hubert and Lisa stood, "We're getting out of here,
bye all", Lisa said, dragging Hubert along behind here (not that he was complaining.. in fact he was grinning like an idiot).

Robert nodded to John and they picked up Bruce (who was complaining that he could walk fine on his own) and headed off. Leaving me sitting with my sister, "I thought you'd go places", she said to me smiling, "Just never quite this far".

The next few days where uneventful, no more unusual things happened, nothing was amiss. That in itself told me that something was going on, Nilthar didn't seem like the type to give up easily. I also had the strange feeling that I was being watched, it was never anything specific, just a shadow on the edge of my vision. There was nothing unfriendly about this shadow, it was just there. I was sitting on the bed in my room when I finally got tired of being watched.

"You might as well come out!", I called out, "I know something's in the room with me".

"You're very perceptive", replied a voice from under the bed.

I looked over the side of the bed to see a small snake slithering across the floor, towards the window, "I'm usually not discovered so quickly", the snake said.

I examined the snake closely, it shimmered in the morning light, "What are you?", I asked.

The snake grinned (not a pleasant sight actually), "My name is Yurlunyur", it replied, "Or perhaps you would recognise my title? 'The Rainbow Serpent'?".

"Somehow I expected something more impressive", I said,
looking at the tiny creature in front of me.

The snake nodded, "Yes, I'd expect you would... but I didn't want to delmolish half the city getting here", it replied.

I nodded a little nervously, "Probably a wise choice", I replied.

We exchanged a long glance, "So what do you want with me?", I asked it finally.

Yurlunyur began pacing back and forth across the windowsill, "You are something unusual", it said, "You look like a man... but you smell like a spirit".

"I 'smell' like a spirit?", I asked.

The snake nodded, "And it disturbs us to think that a man may become a spirit", it finished.

"Us?", I asked.

The snake slithered off the windowsill and onto the bed,
"Us... the Spirits of Alchera... what you would call the Dreamtime", it said.

I sat silently for a moment, "And what are you planning to do about it?", I asked quietly.

The snake's eyes flashed, "We haven't decided yet", it said carefully, "You and the other one are quite different".

"Other one?", I asked, "You mean Nilthar?".

"That is what he calls himself, he's the one that has been attacking the members of your family", it said.

"I've come to realise that", I replied.

The snake slithered back to the window, "One of us will be watching you", it said in farewell, "We will also watch after you're family".

"Why?", I asked, "I mean why are you helping me?".

The snake turned to face me, "We do not allow other spirits to harm the people", it said. With that it went out the window and was lost in the light of the sun.

To say I was amazed would have been an understatement,
I'd never actually figured the Aboriginal Dreamtime into my new view on a universe populated by Gods and Demons. I tried to remember what I'd learnt at school I went over what I'd be told. Alchera (or the Dreamtime) was the Aboriginal's explanation for the creation of the earth. Spirits roamed the land, creating people and animals and shaping the countryside. The stories that I'd heard were almost frightening in a way,
to think that there was something so powerful that it changed the very features of the country.

I picked up the device Skuld had given me from the bedside table, it wasn't registering anything magical in the area (except me). It hadn't even registered the Rainbow Serpent's departure, "I've gotta get Skuld to upgrade this thing when I get back", I muttered to myself.

"BRETT!", Bruce said, nudging my arm, "Come on, it's your turn".

I shook myself out of the half-doze I was in and refocussed on the game being played, "Err.. right... what was happening again?", I asked.

The rest of the players groaned, "Come on Brett, what's wrong with you tonight?", Kevin asked, "This is the fifth time you've lost track".

I gave the GM a weak smile, "Sorry Kevin", I said, "I'm a bit distracted tonight".

I was sitting around a table playing a game of Star Wars,
with about eight of my friends. Unfortunately my mind was elsewhere, "Sorry guys..", I said standing, "But I don't think I'm gonna be much good tonight".

"What's the problem?", Aaron asked, "You've been distracted all night".

I smiled, "Oh.. this evil Demon wants to kill me and I'm just pondering what to do about it", I replied blandly. My friends responded with a groan (except for Bruce and Robert,
they paled and then laughed a little nervously).

"Funny Brett", Colin said, "But this is Star Wars, not AD&D".

"Well.. sorry but I'm gonna head for home", I said,
grabbing up my keys.

I trudged out to the car and got in with a sigh, "This being watched thing is getting annoying!", I said loudly.

"Well... get used to it", came a growling voice from the back seat.

"Yeah.. we're suppose to keep an eye on you", agreed another.

I glanced over my should to see two dingos strapped into the back seat, "The Bagadjimbri Brothers?", I asked.

One of the dogs nodded, "I see you put that trip to the library to good use", it said.

I started the car and nodded, "I did familiarise myself with a few of the more well-known spirits", I replied.

One of the dingos unstrapped itself and hopped into the front seat, "We're well know?", it asked eagerly.

I gave it a quick glance as I was driving along, "Well",
I replied, "From what I read you're amongst the better know spirits.. if only for that fight with the cat man".

From the back seat I heard a growl and the dingo in the front seat bared it's teeth, "Don't remind us about that", it advised, "It's not something we like remembering... being killed is never fun".

I drove silently for a while, until one of the brother spoke up, "Why do you do this?", it asked, tapping the dashboard with a paw.

"Drive?", I asked, "to get from place to place".

It shook it's head, "No... why don't you simply transport yourself through your watch?", it asked.

I shrugged, "Why don't you go about in human form?", I asked.

The dingo in the back seat made a sound that I took to mean laughter, "It would frighten the people", it said.

I smiled, "That's why I don't go teleporting in and out of places, it would scare people", I said.

The two dingos looked at each other, "The other one is not like this", one said.

The other nodded, "I don't think I want to rip this one's throat out", it agreed.

I frowned at the comment, but took it as a compliment,
"So can I drop you anywhere?", I asked.

The Dingo in the front seat lolled it's tongue out, "If you could leave us near the park on your way home it would be appreciated", it said, grinning.

I gave it a small smile, "So long as you don't leave any dog-hair on the seats", I replied.

Nilthar sat on the top of a water tower, the view it afforded of Brisbane was spectacular to say the least. But Nilthar had no interest in the flickering lights of the city,
he was intently staring at Brett's home.

He had tried again and again to get close enough to listen in on conversations, but something kept foiling him. The last time had been when a flock of Galahs decided to join him in the gumtree in Brett's backyard and start squawking. He was still having trouble hearing anything in one ear.

"Damn these spirits", he muttered to himself, "This is taking too long, I should have finished him before this".

He glared at the house and tried to think up something suitably devious to do to those that dwelled there. Unfortunately for Nilthar, he failed to notice a pair of large lizards, crawling up one side of the tower. The two iguanas moved silently up behind the distracted Demon. One was a pale white and the other a jet black.

"You will please come with us", said Kurukadi, the white iguana.

"Come..", echoed Mumba, the black iguana.

Nilthar turned around sharply, his hands moving quickly as he called out a quick defensive spell.

The two iguana's blinked as a shimmering shield suddenly covered the foreign spirit, they looked at each other in confusion, "What is it that you do?", Mumba asked Nilthar curiously.

Nilthar, who hadn't lowered his hands frowned, "Isn't it obvious", he asked sarcastically, "I'm defending myself from you".

"Defending himself?", Kurukadi mused, "How does that light protect you from spears?".

"Spears?", Nilthar asked.

Kirukadi gestured with his tail to the other side of the water tower, there stood a tall Aboriginal warrior, he held a spear in one hand. What made this a bit more intimidating to Nilthar was the fact that the spear seemed to buzz with raw magical energy.

"You should come with us before you make Kapoo angry",
Mumba said, "It's not a pretty sight when he uses that spear".

Kapoo gave a broad grin and hefted the spear into a throwing position, "Are you coming with us or not?", he rumbled.

Nilthar sneered, "You think that I'm intimidated by that spear?", he asked.

"*I* am", Kurukadi muttered, hurrying out of the way of the impending fight.

His companion Mumba joined him, "This is the last time we let that damned Rainbow Serpent talk us into anything", he muttered.

Nilthar concentrated, pushing all of his energy into the front of his shield, "Give it your best shot!", he snarled.

Kapoo shrugged and in a swift motion flung the spear at Nilthar. It impacted with the shield in a shower of sparks and a deafening roar. The two iguanas clung to each other as the water tower shook with the force of the blast.

When the light faded, Nilthar was standing, laughing loudly, "I told you it wouldn't work!", he scorned.

A short whistling was all the warning Nilthar got before a Boomerang hit the back of his head. He crumpled to the ground without a sound, unconscious.

Kapoo walked over to the fallen Demon and picked up the Boomerang, "Alright Bobbi", he snapped, "Come out where I can see you".

A rustling in a tree a short distance from the tower produced a smiling figure, "I told you to let me do this in the first place", Bobbi-Bobbi announced.

Kapoo looked disgusted, "Well, hurry up and help me,
we've gotta meet the others at Mirrimina soon", he ordered.

Bobbi-Bobbi leaped over to the tower and retrieved his Boomerang, "I hope you'll remember this next time you start going on about how wonderful that spear of yours is", he teased.

I was lying in my bed, trying to sleep after yet another uneventful day. Things had been going well, tomorrow was suppose to be the first day of our week at the beach. Something still wasn't right though, it was just a feeling but I felt like something had to be settled before I could enjoy my holiday.

A scratching at the window snapped me out of the half-
doze I was in and I opened the window slowly, a young man was hanging onto the windowsill. "What are you doing?", I asked in confusion, the young man was Aboriginal and dressed in only a loincloth.

He silenced me with a gesture, "You must come with me",
he said, "There is to be a meeting and you are invited".

I frowned, "A meeting of what?", I asked.

He gave me an exasperated look, "Of the spirits!", he snapped, "Now come on or I'll have to take you by force".

My frown deepened, "Why do the spirits want me at their meeting", I asked.

"Because you are some kind of spirit yourself", he explained, "And if you are going to remain here we must explain the rules to you".

"Very well then", I said, "I guess I'm going with you...
where are we going by the way and who are you?".

He stuck out a hand, "I'm Ulanji", he said, "And we're going to Mirrimina".

I shook his hand a bit weakly, "What does the Rainbow Serpent want with me this time", I asked (recognising the name of the legendary resting place of the Serpent).

"I don't know", Ulanji replied, "But when he asks *this*
snake for a favour, I help him".

A rustling of wings overhead drew out attention and I noticed a large flock of flying-foxes (fruit-bats) outlined in the sky above us, I also saw to my discomfort that Ulanji was licking his lips as he observed the flock. He shook his head and then looked at me regretfully, "No time for dinner", he said, "Follow me". With that he walked *into* the gum tree in my backyard.

I cautiously approached the big tree and gingerly pressed a finger to it. My finger disappeared into the tree and I quickly pulled it back, verifying that it was still attached. Taking a deep breath I jumped into the tree, closing my eyes.

Yurlunyur was observing the prone figure lying in front of his waterhole, "So he was taken by surprise easily?", he asked.

Bobbi-Bobbi nodded, "I took him down with one of my lesser Boomerangs", he replied.

"That's only cause I weakened his shield with my spear!",
interjected Kapoo.

Yurlunyur let his two friends argue, he slithered around,
trying to find a more comfortable position, it was difficult to be comfortable when using his natural form (let's face it,
you'd be cramped too if you were 40ft long).

"I thought Ulanji was suppose to be bringing the other one", said one of the Bagadjimbri Brothers, "That snake is never reliable, he probably stopped to eat a few flying foxes".

"I'm here", called Ulanji, "And I brought the other one".

Yurlunyur watched as the Brett moved slowly towards him,
he could sense that it was nervous, "We wish to determine if you are a threat to the people", he announced, setting out the reason for the meeting.

Brett nodded, "I can understand that", he replied, "But I'm no threat, I've live here most of my life..".

Yurlunyur flicked his tongue out, "*YOU* have not lived here.. you are nothing like the one that left the land several months ago", he replied, "*YOU* have power".

"I can accept that I'm different in that I've got power now", Brett conceded, "But I'm still the same person underneath".

There was a groan from Nilthar and he slowly pulled himself to his feet, "You'll pay for this insult!", he said as he shakily got to his feet.

Nilthar looked around and noticed that he was standing a few feet from Brett, "YOU!", he shouted, "You sicked these spirits onto me!".

Brett shook his head, "I was asked here the same as you",
he replied.

Nilthar raised his hands, "Well come on then", he said,
"Let's go!".

Brett refused to move, "You think you're in a position to have a brawl here?", he asked.

Yurlunyur thought for a moment, "Let's see which is more powerful", he said, "You may fight, but take care not to damage my waterhole".

Brett was speechless, "But...", he began.

Nilthar smiled and began chanting, Brett reluctantly raised his hands and muttered a quick shielding spell. Yurlunyur and the other spirits watched silently as the two strange spirits cast bolts of energy at each other.

"DAMN!", I shouted, deflecting yet another energy bolt from Nilthar. So far all I'd been able to do was defend myself, he hadn't given me a chance to attack. I muttered a spellword and summoned my epee, raising it into the en-guard position.

Nilthar's eye's narrowed and he summoned a sword of his own, it was a wicked-looking scimitar, "Come on then!", he said, jumping forward.

Once again I found myself on the defensive, blocking and parrying, trying to keep my footing. Slowly I began to counterattack, slicing at Nilthar and opening several cuts on his arms and legs. But the more I fought the more angry he became, throwing away caution and attacking furiously. Now this would probably have been a good thing if it was the beginning of the fight, but I was starting to get tired and it was becoming harder and harder to block his blows.

Then lady luck decided to shine on me, Nilthar tripped over a small branch, falling to the ground. Taking the opportunity, I stabbed him in his sword hand, he dropped the scimitar with a curse and I kicked it away.

"Now.. are you going to give up?", I asked him, the point of my sword resting against his chest.

Nilthar then did something that I didn't expect, his probing hands had wrapped around a large tree branch, and he suddenly swung it at my face, knocking the sword away and smashing me to the ground.

I groaned and tried to regain my feet, only to have him it me again with the heavy branch. Again and again he hit me with that branch, until a voice stopped him, "Enough!", called Yurlunyur, "You have beaten him".

Nilthar however had other ideas and blows continued to rain down on my back and shoulders. A pair of growling dingos bowled into Nilthar, knocking him away from me, "Stop it!",
one of the Bagadjimbri brothers ordered.

I slowly hauled myself to my feet, I hurt all over. Nilthar was standing in the middle of a circle of spirits, "I WON!", he shouted, "I'm the more powerful one!".

Yurlunyur nodded, "That is what we suspected, you may leave now", he said.

Nilthar made an attempt to dust himself off, "I'll see you back at your place", he said to me dangerously.

"NO!", announced Yurlunyur, "Leave the land!".

Nilthar stopped, "What?", he asked.

Bobbi-Bobbi (who was testing the edge of one of his boomerangs) spoke up, "You are dangerous", he said, "You must leave the land".

Nilthar was shaking with rage, "But what about him?",
he asked, point to me.

"Obviously he cannot defend himself or his family from you", said Yurlunyur.

Nilthar smiled evilly, "Once you leave him alone I'll have him", he concluded.

"Then we won't leave him alone", said Kapoo, who was leaning against his spear, "You have until sunrise to leave..
after than we will begin a hunt...".

Nilthar turned to look at me, "Now you've just made things worse!", he announced, "I'm not just going to kill you.. I'm going to take away everything you are and use it against those you care about!". A moment later he disappeared in a flash of light and noise.

I sat down heavily on the grass, "What's going to happen to me now?", I asked tiredly.

A wet nose touched my cheek, "You will heal and life will move on", said a Bagadjimbri brother to me softly.

I absently patted it's head, "But what about when I leave.. my family? what happens to them?", I asked.

Yurlunyur hissed his laughter, "We don't let other spirits harm the people", he said, "That includes your family.. but it also includes you".

"Me?", I asked, confused.

"You are still one of the people, even with your power",
he continued, "So we will help you if you require it".

I smiled, "Thank you", I said simply.

"So you worked out a deal with the Dreamtime Spirits?",
Jan asked in disbelief.

I grinned, "It's a good idea, this way I don't have to worry about you all when I got back to Japan", I continued.

"But..", she said.

"And lets not forget that I also fixed the problem with your company's computer system.. on Monday they'll find the glitch in the system that got you suspended", I explained,
"I'm sure you'll get a phone call Monday to confirm it".

"But..", she said again.

"And I visited DreamLink the other morning... and fixed most of the damage that the fire caused with a repair spell,
there's no problem there", I continued.

"But...", she said a third time.

"Mum's car was found and Dad's was covered by insurance..
so that should be fixed up soon...", I was saying as she suddenly stepped on my foot, "OW!.. what's that for?".

Jan grinned, "That's so I can get a word in", she said,
"Now.. as I was about to say: 'What about the vacation to the beach'?".

I frowned, "Well until the police are finished with Mum's car it looks like the vacation is off for a while", I said sadly.

She grinned, "What do you think Mum and Dad would think about travelling through those clocks of yours?", she asked.

I nodded, "I guess this job does have some nice fringe benefits", I concluded.

I jumped down into the living room with a swing in my step. Things had gone well at home and I was happy that'd I'd managed to explain things in terms that my family could understand. I still laughed remembering the expression on my sister's face as I had appeared at home on that first day.

"Jan's given me enough shocks over the years", I thought to myself, "But I think I made up for most of them". Smiling,
I looked around the room, no one appeared to be at home. Grabbing up my bags I walked down the hall and into my room. Chia-Yao had left the room in quite a mess, but I fixed everything up quickly and chucked my bags on the bed.

I was glad that I'd remembered to wear warm clothing,
after the last week of high temperatures, it was positively freezing here. Rubbing my hands to keep warm, I decided to make myself something to eat. Noticing that it was much colder than usual I checked the heating system, only to find that it had been shut off. Frowning I checked the kitchen,
there was rotting food in the fridge and it looked like nothing had been touched for a while.

I cautiously walked towards the front veranda. Catching a grey patch out of the corner of my eye, I was horrified to see it expand quickly towards me, down the corridor. I looked around for an area that wasn't covered by that tell-tale grey haze, spotting a clear space near one wall I sprinted over to it and hunched down.

A moment later a huge wrecking ball smashed straight into the temple, cutting a swath of destruction down it's length. The ceiling collapsed and wood fragments rained over me from the impact, the ball continued out through the back wall and then came through for a second run, doubling the damage.

I remained safe in my small area, somehow the ceiling above me fell over and gave me some cover from the flying glass, plaster and wood fragments. However I was still cut in several places and I quickly muttered a spell, placing a sphere of force around me. It was none too soon as the ceiling choose that moment to fall straight towards me. The spell held and I sighed in relief as the wrecking ball failed to come back.

Gingerly I released the spell, the ceiling had cracked and crumbled to the ground so I was in no danger of being hit by it again. I stood and dusted myself off, wincing at the cuts covering my face and hands. Then I heard a shout from what used to be outside.

"There's someone in there!", came the hoarse voice, "Stop the crane!".

I squinted through the haze of dust and saw several workmen running over to me, "You crazy fool!", one shouted,
"You trying to get yourself killed?".

I shrugged off the helping hands and looked around, the Temple was in ruins, Keiichi's garage and Urd's lab were completely gone and the main temple was now crushed. I ignored the stares of the workers as I picked my way over to where my room used to be, grabbed up my bags and walked out.

"Hey, just a minute", said a guy wearing a hard hat, "How did you get in here? what were you doing in there?". I simply walked past him and out into the street, glancing to my left I saw a familiar sign announcing the construction of a mall. I looked at the hated sign and stopped for a moment to think, "Where would they go?", I thought to myself.

Noticing the stares I was getting from passers by I picked up my stuff and walked off in the general direction of NIT, someone there would be able to tell me what was going on. I walked as quickly as I could with the heavy load and arrived there in about a half-hour. The college was closed for the moment, but I was sure that Tamiya and Ootaki would still be in the Motor Club's garage, working on that thing they called a 'car'.

Picking up the pace I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me. I finally reached NIT and strode towards the autoshop, noticing that the place seemed nearly deserted. Suddenly I stopped and looked at doors, they were covered in a series of runes and mystic-type symbols. Racking my memory I tried to come up with what the pattern had been designed to do.

"It's a warding circle", came a voice from behind me.

I spun to see Marller standing calmly watching me, "It's designed to keep demons out", she explained.

I backed up a step or two and put my bags on the ground,
freeing my hands in case a spell was required, "What are you doing here?", I asked bluntly.

Marller shrugged, "Just visiting", she said, "And I wanted to congratulate you on how you kept Nilthar away from your family".

I nodded, "Now tell me the truth", I said.

She sighed, "Why do people *always* suspect my motives",
she asked of the world in general. Then she focused on me again, "Dreamtime spirits may work in Australia", she said,
"But I don't expect they'd have much influence here".

I shrugged, "They were nice enough to take care of my family for me", I replied, "But I'd have to admit that they seem to be rather attached to one place".

Marller suddenly snapped her fingers, "Oh!", she said (as if remembering something), "How did the 'remodelling' of the temple go?", she asked sweetly.

"So *you* were behind that?", I asked.

She tried (and failed) to look innocent, "ME?", she asked, "Oh no, I've got no influence with the government".

I smiled, "Thanks for the information then", I said,
turning my back on her, I picked up my bags and walked towards the ward-covered door.

"What makes you think I'm gonna let you just walk in there?", she asked in an amused tone.

I shrugged, "If you were going to do anything to me you'd have tried already", I replied, "Now if you don't mind I need to talk to Keiichi".

I closed the door behind me and breathed a sigh of relief, "That was close", I said to myself. Looking around I spotted a light at one end of the building and carefully sat down my bags. Moving quietly I hugged the shadows and peered through the open doorway. To my relief Keiichi was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room, trying to fix a gearbox.

I stepped into the room, "I go away for two weeks..", I began, "And everything goes to pieces".

Keiichi turned around and a grin split his face, "Brett-
san!", he greeted me happily it's a relief to see you".

I nodded, "Good to see you too mate", I replied, "But how about filling me in on what the hell's happened?".

He rubbed the back of his head, "Well there's a lot to explain", he said apologetically.

I shrugged and sat down in front of him, "That's alright,
I'm not going anywhere for a while..", I said.

"Well..", Keiichi began, "It started two days after you left, things started going wrong".

"What kind of things?", I asked, getting a bad feeling.

"Well for a start Urd blew up her lab one night", he said.

I looked at him in shock, "Is she alright?", I asked,
looking around for her.

He nodded, "She was a little singed, but was alright last time I saw her", he said.

"But Urd making that kind of mistake is rather unusual",
I mused out loud.

He shrugged, "Everyone makes mistakes", he replied.

"Urd's always careful with her potions (well the destructive ones...)", I reasoned, "So that would make me believe that something else had to be effecting her".

Keiichi nodded, "We didn't know at the time, but it turns out that Marller managed to swap a few components around in their containers", he said.

I frowned, "How is that possible? I mean the Goddesses should have been able to detect her if she visited the temple", I said.

He shrugged, "So they made a mistake", he said.

I looked at him carefully, "According to what Urd taught me, *those* kind of mistakes *DON'T* happen", I said, "The Yggdrasil System is suppose to take care of problems like that".

"Your absolutely right", he said, "Unfortunately it went off-line just about the same time as you went to visit your family".

"WHAT!", I exclaimed, "That system is what keeps the Gods and Goddesses functioning properly.. without it... it'd be like...".

"Exactly", he said, "That's what the problem is, without the system, there are no safeguards or control over the universe".

I looked at the ceiling for a moment, "No wonder the spirits were doing backflips", I said out loud.

"Spirits?", Keiichi asked.

I nodded, "I found some help when I visited home in the form of the Spirits of the Dreamtime", seeing his blank expression I explained, "To put it simply the Dreamtime is the rough translation of the Australian Aboriginals'creation story".

He frowned, "And you were able to talk with them?", he asked amazed.

I nodded, "Yeah, they were quite helpful and friendly", I said, "They're keeping an eye on my family while I'm busy".

Keiichi smiled, "That *was* nice of them", he said, "So Nilthar found you 'eh?".

I smiled sourly, "I guess it had something to do with the system going down", I said.

Keiichi nodded, "Probably", he said in a depressed tone.

I looked around the room again, "Where are the Goddesses?", I asked, "I mean I can see you moving out of the temple, but I can't imagine them leaving you alone for this long".

Keiichi looked miserable, "They're gone", he said in a dead voice.

"What do you mean *gone*", I asked quickly.

"Back to where they came from", he said point up, "Heaven I suppose".

I reeled back, "You mean they've *all* gone?", I asked amazed.

He nodded, "Just before she left, Belldandy brought me here, set up the wards and explained that *ALL* Gods and Goddesses were being recalled to heaven for the emergency", he said.

I scratched my head, "Well I guess that answers my argument with Urd about if I'm a God or not", I said to myself.

Keiichi looked worriedly at me, "Your probably in more trouble than me", he said, "Marller want's to do unpleasant things to me... but I don't really think she'd *KILL* me out of hand.. but...".

"But Nilthar wants to hang my guts from a flagpole", I concluded for him.

He nodded, "So I think you'd better get yourself to heaven quicksmart", he said.

I looked at him quizzically, "Could you point the way?",
I asked, "Urd never told me how to travel there".

We both sat looking at each other in silence, before Keiichi stood sharply, "I think we've got some planning to do", he said, gesturing for me to pick up my bags, "There's a spare room upstairs, I'll make us some dinner".

I nodded, and headed upstairs. I found a place for my things and then returned to find Keiichi pulling two steaming bowls of noodles out of a microwave, "It's not up to Bell-
Chan's standards", he said, "But it'll keep you going".

Two figures crept towards the construction of the new shopping mall, "Are you sure no one will recognise us?", one whispered in a quite voice.

"Come on mate", replied the other, "No problem there, the spell is active".

The guard at the gate failed to notice the figures dart across the ruins of the temple and hide amongst some of the larger piles of debree. "So where was Urd's library again?",
Keiichi asked quickly, looking around at the destruction.

"She kept most of the important books under her bed",
Brett whispered back.

"That sounds like Urd", Keiichi replied.

The two searched for several minutes before finding the remnants of Urd's room. The after a bit more frantic searching Keiichi came up with a large leather-bound book,
"That's what we're looking for!", Brett said happily.

Keiichi passed it over to him and picked up something lying beside it, "I think you'd probably want this too", he said, holding up a small crystal rose.

Brett smiled, "I'm amazed it survived", he said, taking it and examining it carefully. It was intact and looked in good shape. Brett placed the rose in his top pocket and gestured to Keiichi to get moving, "The spell won't last much longer", he whispered.

The two hurried back past the guard and out into the street, Brett looked back at the destroyed temple and sighed,
"It wasn't any magical battle that drained the life out of the place", he observed, "It was taking away the people who lived there".

Keiichi nodded, "Well let's get this mess sorted out so that life can get back to the way it was", he said.

Brett nodded and stopped under a lamp light, opening the book and quickly leafing through it, "According to this,
Heaven is guarded against intruders by an impenetrable barrier against teleportation", he read, "Only those invited or authorised are permitted to transport through".

Keiichi frowned, "So how do we get ourselves invited?",
he mused.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that", came a sarcastic voice, "You two won't be going anywhere".

Brett and Keiichi spun around to see Aoshima and several men wearing guard's uniforms standing in the middle of the footpath. Aoshima had a victorious expression on his face,
"Now how will this look, two NIT students stealing from a construction site?", he said slyly, "I'm sure that the police would be interested too".

Then a voice echoed from the other direction, "And let's not forget the immigration people", came Sayoko's voice, "I'm sure that they'd be *very* interested in someone that can travel internationally without stopping at customs".

She was standing flanked by Nilthar and Marller, "So good to see you again", Nilthar said, "I was quite put out when you had those spirits kick me out".

Keiichi and Brett looked at each other, "I think we're in trouble", Brett observed.

Keiichi nodded, "You could probably say that", he agreed.

CHAPTER 15:

Keiichi gulped nervously and glanced around for a possible escape route, "Err... I hope you've got a plan", he whispered to Brett.

Brett scratched his head, "Not really, but I'm sure I can work out something", he replied.

Aoshima smiled viciously and waved his security guards forward, "Take them", he ordered.

Brett pressed a small object into Keiichi's hand, "As soon as they get close enough, touch one of them with it", he ordered.

Keiichi nodded and tightened his grip on the little device. The guards advanced and several of them pulled out nightsticks, "I don't want Keiichi hurt", Sayoko called loudly.

Aoshima grumbled, "Very well, don't harm the smaller one", he ordered.

Brett gave Keiichi a tight grin, "Do it!", he said.

Keiichi reached out his palm and touched the small watch to the arm of one of the guards. The startled man disappeared with a shriek into the watch. A moment later another guard (who was within Brett's reach) also vanished.

Brett smiled at the guards (who where now backing off nervously), "Those guy's just took a trip to Big Ben, in England", he explained, "Now, anyone want to try for Times Square?".

Aoshima shoved one guard forward, "Use your nightsticks",
he commanded, "Don't get within reach of them".

The guards nodded and began advancing, Keiichi looked at Brett nervously, "What do we do now?", he asked.

Brett shrugged, "I don't know, I'm making this up as I go along", he replied.

Keiichi sighed, "How about getting *us* out of here", he suggested.

Brett frowned, "I don't know mate", he replied, "I'm still not sure exactly where heaven is...".

Keiichi grabbed his arm, "It's not like we have much of a choice", he pointed out. Brett nodded and began casting another travel spell.

Nilthar stepped forward, "I don't think you'll be going anywhere", he said, snapping his fingers.

The watch in Keiichi's hand shattered and there were several similar small explosions in Brett's clothing, "Damn",
Brett shouted, over the building hum of energy, "I've never tried teleporting in a damaged watch before".

The guards surged forward and Brett was left without a choice, he completed the spell and closed his eyes to wait for the consequences.

Olympus

I opened my eyes carefully and looked around, I was laying in the middle of a large open field. It was a beautiful day and there were no guards in sight. I glanced over and breathed a sigh of relief, "You ok?", I asked Keiichi.

Keiichi nodded and looked around, "Is this heaven?", he asked.

"Mate, this could be Hell for all I know", I replied,
"I've got no idea where we are".

The two of us stood and looked around the field, flowers were scattered across it and a cool breeze was blowing that seemed to have the tang of sea air. The sun was in the middle of the sky and a few wispy clouds floated overhead.

"Well I don't think Hell would look like this", he commented, "What do we do now?".

I pulled several broken watches out from inside my clothes. "Somehow I don't think we want to try that again", I pointed out, "and unless you're carrying another one that Nilthar somehow missed, I think we're stuck here... wherever that is..".

"Well", Keiichi said, "Pick a direction".

We walked off in the direction that the breeze was coming from, hoping that we might reach the sea shore or a river we could follow. Nearly an hour passed before Keiichi sighed in frustration.

I glanced at him, "What's wrong?", I asked.

He pointed up at the sun, "It hasn't moved", he pronounced.

"I was afraid of that", I replied, "Well I guess we're not in Japan any more Keiichi".

He nodded and the two of us continued our trek for several more hours, stopping occasionally to rest and check the progress of the sun. I estimated that we had been walking for three hours before we met our first person, "Hello there strangers!", he greeted us happily, "A fine day for a walk!".

I smiled and examined him closely, he wore a loose-
fitting garment that resembled a Toga he also carried a large staff, "Where do you go on this fine day?", he asked. He look about my age and walked with a spring in his step.

Keiichi looked at me blankly and I realised that the man wasn't speaking Japanese, "Do you understand him?", Keiichi asked.

I gave Keiichi a quick node and turned to the fellow, "We are travellers from afar", I replied.

He nodded, "I could tell that from your clothing", he said, "From where have you come?".

"It's a place far away...", I replied, "Called 'Japan'".

He nodded, "That is far indeed", he said, "I'm surprised though that you are arriving from the north, the Isle of Japan is far to the west, my father has spoken of it occasionally".

I nodded, "As I said, we are a bit lost", I replied, "But could you perhaps tell us where we are?".

"Certinally", the man said, "You are in the kingdom of Ithaca".

"Ithaca?", I said blankly.

He nodded, "You *must* be lost if you fail to recognise it", he replied, "Follow me.. my father Odysseus should be able to help you".

With that he turned and began walking in the direction we had been heading. I nodded to Keiichi and we followed the young man across the plains till we reached a paved road.

"So where are we going?", Keiichi asked.

"To see someone called Odysseus", I replied.

"Odysseus... ", Keiichi muttered, "That name is familiar somehow...".

Travelling for another hour or so we came to a walled city, it was something out of ancient Greece. A palace adorned the hill in the centre of the city, huge columns of marble and granite supported a sculptured roof, that was obviously ancient in design. "Follow me", the man said again as we approached the gates.

The two guards (wearing leather armour and carrying short swords) saluted as we walked past, "Welcome home Prince Telemachus", one said.

Telemachus nodded to him and we continued into the bustling city. The city itself had a light, airy quality to it, totally different than what I'd expected out of a ancient Greek city. Telemachus greeted several people as we made our way to the palace and we were hard pressed to keep up with his quick pace.

"Here we are", he said as we walked up the stairs to the palace, "Home at last".

I glanced at Keiichi and he seemed equally bemused by our surroundings, I had the horrible feeling that I'd brought us back in time. "But that doesn't explain the sun", I reminded myself. I straightened my clothes as we walked down the hall,
if I was going to meet a king then I'd better look my best.

Telemachus led us to a huge throne-room, "Father!", he called to the man sitting on the throne, "These are travellers from Japan".

The older man sat up, "From Japan you say?", he asked.

I nodded, "I'm Brett and this is Keiichi", I replied.

A guard at the end of the room gave me an angry look,
"Our king did not speak to you foreigner", he said, "Speak when you are spoken to".

I shrugged and waited to be addressed directly, "How did you get here from Japan?", the King asked me.

I gave the guard a sour look, "Can I answer now?", I asked.

He placed his hand on his sword hilt, "Don't be impertinent dog!", he growled.

Keiichi nudged me, "What are you telling them", he asked nervously.

I gave Keiichi a reassuring look, "Don't worry mate..
trust me", I replied.

I turned back to the king, "I guess you could say our arrival here was an accident", I said, "My friend and I are just interested in returning home".

"And how will you do that?", the King asked curiously,
"You don't appear to have much in the way of travelling gear..".

"Oh... I'm sure we'll work out something", I replied.

The King nodded, "Improvisation is a good way to travel",
he said with an air of knowledge.

Suddenly a gust of wind filled the chamber and a bright light caused me to cover my eyes. A moment later, standing between myself and the King was a tall stranger, he had red hair and seemed to be uncomfortable at standing still.

The guards in the room jumped to their feet and surged forward to the intruder. I grabbed Keiichi and pulled him out of the way as the guards ran past. The man who had just appeared seemed not to notice the wall of steel surrounding him, "Where is he?", the man asked.

The King stood, "Back you fools", he ordered the guards,
"Don't you know one of the Gods when you see one?".

The guards fell back nervously, sheathing their swords,
"Why have you come here to Ithaca, Hermes?", the King asked.

Hermes gave him a broken grin, "Why else?", he asked,
"I've got a message for Brett, Apollo wants to see him right away".

I jumped at the sound of my name, "Me?", I asked.

Hermes looked at me curiously, "Yes, you're the one that Apollo wanted to talk to", he said, walking over to me.

I examined him closely, noticing the aura of power that seemed to surround him, "I'll take you to Mount Olympus", he said, extending his hand to me.

I nodded and turned to the King, "Thank you for your hospitality King Odysseus", I said, "I appreciate it".

The King nodded, "Farewell traveller, I hope our paths cross again", he replied.

I grabbed Keiichi's arm and then clasped wrists with Hermes. A flash of light blinded me for a moment and then we stood in a huge palace.

Hermes nodded with satisfaction and gestured for us to follow him, "So how did you manage to arrive there of all places?", he asked conversationally. He seemed much more relaxed and friendly than when he had appeared in the throne room.

"It has to do with my transport medium being damaged", I replied, "Where exactly am I?".

He laughed, "You have to ask?", he laughed.

I shrugged, "Humour me", I said, "I'm still a little new at this".

"I'd heard that..", he replied, "Well, you're in Olympus".

"The Greek version of heaven?", I asked.

He nodded, "You got it!", he said, "Nice to see someone still reads Greek legends".

Keiichi snapped his fingers, "That's where I'd heard Odysseus before", he said.

I looked at him curiously, "The English translation of the name is Ulysses", he explained, "I remember reading about him at high school".

My own memory caught up at that point and I remembered the tale of Ulysses and his travels. I looked at our guide,
"That makes you the Gods' messenger", I said.

Hermes gave me a sour look, "I want to know who started that rumour", he said, "I just don't mind doing favours for my family if they need it".

We continued through the temple, I marvelled at the construction of the place, "It's very nice", I complimented Hermes.

He snorted, "Try it for a few thousand years", he suggested, "You get pretty sick of marble".

"WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS DOING HERE!", bellowed a rather large fellow from behind us. I turned to see a muscled figure approaching, he was carrying a trident and his face was like a thundercloud.

Hermes sighed, "Poseidon", he said, "This is none of your business".

"It becomes my business when you bring mortal refuse into my home", he said angrily.

"Oh stop it", he said, "None rule here, this is as much my house as it is yours".

Poseidon growled and twirled his trident suggestively,
"Oh it is?", he asked dangerously.

The light strumming of a Lyre stopped the argument before it started, "I think you should settle down brother", said a quite voice, "You know the rules about fighting here".

Poseidon gave me a withering glance and stomped back the way he came, muttering something about 'interfering sissy'. I glanced at the middle-aged young man sitting against one of the large pillars, he stood and walked towards me, extending his hand, "I'm Apollo", he said, "I'm pleased to meet the latest addition to the family".

I returned the handshake numbly, "Thanks", I said somewhat confused.

He smiled, "Don't let Poseidon get to you", he said. Then he lowered his voice, "He's really a nice guy once you get to know him".

A rumble shook the temple, "NO I'M NOT!", came Poseidon's angry retort.

I winced at the volume, but Apollo just laughed it off,
"Come on and we can talk in my rooms", he said.

Keiichi grabbed my arm, "Careful", he said, "If I remember my Greek Mythology right.. this guy is the equivalent of a lawyer..".

A burst of laughter greeted his whispered warning, Apollo turned around and gave Keiichi an amused look, "Actually", he said, "It's closer to a Judge".

Keiichi smiled weakly and followed us along to Apollo's rooms. To my surprise we stepped into a modern set of apartments, complete with TV and personal computer in one corner. Apollo shrugged apologetically, "So I like to be a bit more comfortable than the the average Greek God", he said.

I nodded and took a seat, "What did you want to talk to me about?", I asked, cutting to the heart of the matter.

"Well for a start how did you come to be in Olympus?", he asked.

I explained about how Keiichi and I had escaped from the Demons and the resultant mishap with my transport spell. He smiled at my discomfort, "Don't get upset about it", he said,
"We all make mistakes for a while".

"If Nilthar hadn't interfered I'm sure that it would have worked correctly", I said.

He nodded, "It's been a while since I've had an argument with Charon or the Furies, but I remember how much trouble Demons can be", he said sympathetically.

Keiichi spoke up then, "We're trying to reach Belldandy and her sisters", he said, "Can you help us?".

Apollo gave Keiichi a small smile, "So you're the one that's stolen Belldandy's heart", he said, "There are about three dozen Gods that would like to talk to you about that".

Keiichi gulped nervously and Apollo grinned, "Don't worry", he said, "I'm sure that none of them would try anything.. risking Belldandy's wrath is not a good thing..
for man or God".

Keiichi sighed in relief and lent back in his chair. "So can you help us reach Belldandy?", I asked.

Apollo nodded, "I can help you", he said, "But firstly you should know a few things". I gave him my full attention and he continued, "Strange things have been happening in Heaven, Gods and Goddesses are forbidden to return to earth until the next sitting of the Congress".

I frowned, "The Congress?", I asked.

"It's a meeting of all Gods and Goddesses", he explained,
"It's only convened in extreme emergencies or in the event of an unprecedented happening".

"So why is it being called this time?", Keiichi asked.

Apollo sighed, "Brett is the reason", he said.

I rocked back in my seat, "Why me?", I asked.

"Because you represent something totally new", he said,
"A mortal that has attained Godhood through nothing but a ill-
timed statement".

I thought about it for a moment, he was right, it was just luck that had gotten me this power, "So what is going to go on at the Congress?", I asked.

Apollo stood and walked over to look out a window,
"There's going to be a vote on weather you should remain a god or not", he said.

"But...", Keiichi began, "I thought that if someone makes a wish there was nothing that could interfere with it?".

Apollo nodded, "That would be true, but in this case I'm afraid that the Yggdrasil system made an error", he admitted.

I frowned, "What kind of error?", I asked.

Apollo rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Err... I'd rather not say", he replied, "But it has to do with your wish".

"So do I get a say in any of this?", I asked.

Apollo shook his head, "I'm afraid not", he said, "This is vote wouldn't include you".

"Great", I said, "That makes this so much better".

He spread his hands, "There are those in heaven that believe mortals should serve us", he explained, "Now to have one walk amongst us as an equal? that goes against everything they believe in".

"So what you're saying is that I might get reduced to a normal guy again?", I asked.

Apollo nodded, "Of course you'd have the protection of the Gods for the rest of your life, you wouldn't have to worry about these Demons that keep bothering you", he said.

I shrugged that off, "I'd be safe at home", I replied,
"But I can't understand why the mistake wasn't found until now".

"That's got me worried too", Apollo said, "But what's even more worrying is the fact that a mistake could happen in the first place".

I stood, "Thanks for you're help", I said, "but do you think you could tell me how to get to Belldandy and her sisters?".

Apollo nodded, "I'll send you to Asgard, someone there can tell you where the three sisters are", he said.

I extended my hand to the ancient god, "Thank you, I hope to see you again", I said.

He shook it firmly, "I'm glad to meet you God of Destiny", he replied. Then with a wave of his hand,
everything dissolved into white light.

Asgard

Apollo's spell placed us down at the edge of a huge bridge, it sparked with a brilliant light, looking like a rainbow spread across between two cliffs. Keiichi and I started across the bridge and were astounded to see a tall figure blocking the middle of the bridge. On his belt hung a sword and a large horn. "Halt, who seeks to enter the domain of the Asgard?", he bellowed loudly, "You must first pass Heimdal".

I eyed the sword a little nervously and stepped in front of Keiichi, "I do", I replied, "I am the God of Destiny".

Heimdal looked me up and down, "You don't look much like a god", he pointed out in less aggressive voice.

I nodded, "You don't either", I replied, "But I assume you are too".

He smiled slightly through his beard, "I've always preferred practicality over looks", he admitted, "But my position is a bit less formal than most".

I looked around at the huge bridge, "Must get boring guarding this thing all the time", I commented.

"Oh.. it's not too bad", Heimdal said, "The Valkyries usually stop by to talk and occasionally bring me an ale..".

"That still sounds a little boring", Keiichi pointed out.

Heimdal smiled, "You've obviously never had a Valkyrie stop in to 'talk' to you", he said with a grin, "The 'conversations' are most interesting".

"Ahem", I said interrupting Heimdal, before he could get more specific, "Do you know where we can find the Norns?".

Heimdal nodded, "Follow the path straight to the end,
you'll see a hall made out of shields and spears (that's Valhalla, but you don't want to go in there), turn right and you should be standing in front of a huge tree", he explained,
"Behind the tree and to the left is the Norn's Fountain, their house is just beside it".

"Thank's Heimdal", I said, "Nice to meet you".

"Come back anytime", Heimdal replied waving as we walked away, "I don't mind company".

Keiichi and I walked across the bridge and into Asgard. Now I'll say one thing, Asgard was certinally a different kind of city, modern cars vied with chariots for space on the streets, Valkyries stood talking to ancient warriors and modern soldiers alike. I watched as a tank rolled past on the street, "What is this?", Keiichi asked, "This is nothing like I expected".

"I have to agree with you there", I replied, "I expected it to be similar to Olympus..".

"You'll find nothing here is like Olympus, we are a much more progressive and diverse society", said a voice from behind us.

I turned around to see a pair of rather tall and beautiful women wearing armour and holding large spears standing close behind us, "You two look lost", one said,
"Perhaps we could be of some assistance...".

I shook my head, "That's alright ladies", I said smiling,
"We're just looking for some friends...".

One of the Valkyries grabbed my arm, "Well you've found some friends", she said huskily, "Why don't you just come with us?".

The other had placed an arm around Keiichi's shoulders and was leading him off in another direction, "I'm afraid I'll have to decline", I said, firmly removing her hand from my arm, "And so must my my friend".

Keiichi was doing his best to untangle himself from the Valkyrie that had glomped onto him and was carrying him away,
"Help", he mouthed to me silently.

I tapped the Valkyrie's shoulder and she turned to me,
"I'll get around to you in a minute", she said, "I'm busy right now".

"No.. you're not", I said firmly, disengaging her hold on my friend.

The two Valkyries looked at us angrily, "I've never met a dead warrior who's refused me", one commented.

The other looked at her, "You know I've never had *anyone* refuse me before", she replied.

"That's because we're not dead", Keiichi pointed out.

The two Valkyries suddenly raised their spears, "Then how did you get into Asgard?", one asked dangerously.

Keiichi nudged me, "Do you're 'god thing'", he suggested.

"God thing?", I asked, "Since when did it get reduced to a 'God thing'?".

Keiichi looked at the approaching Valkyries, "Just shut up and do it", he suggested nervously.

I stretched my fingers and muttered the appropriate spellword to replace my regular clothes with my uniform. The Valkyries (who had now grown in number to about a dozen)
looked at me strangely, "Where did you get that from?", one asked suspiciously.

"It's mine", I replied, "It comes with the job".

"Job?", another asked nervously.

"I'm the God of Destiny", I replied (trying to make it sound impressive).

I didn't get the exact response I'd planned on. The Valkyries huddled up in a circle and began muttering amongst themselves, "So he's the one everyone's been talking about", I heard one say.

Keiichi and I looked at each other in confusion, "Is that mortal with you called Keiichi?", one asked.

I nodded blankly and the hushed discussion intensified. A few minutes later the Valkyries finished talking and the two that had approached us earlier walked forward, "Please follow us Lord", one said respectfully to me.

"What was all that about?", I asked curiously as we started down the street.

The lead Valkyrie shrugged, "The others were interested in finding out about the mortal that had snagged Belldandy's heart", she replied.

Keiichi blushed to the tips of his hair, "What's so interesting?", he complained.

The Valkyrie gave him an appraising glance, "They figure you must be something special since Belldandy has always been impossible for any of the Gods to catch", she explained.

I smiled at Keiichi's discomfort, until I noticed to my own discomfort, a large fellow sitting watching us from further up the street. He was slightly taller than me and had an angry expression on his face, on his belt lay a folded iron glove and a *very* large hammer. "HO mortals!", he bellowed as we drew near. He was sitting against the steps of a large hall.

The two Valkyries stopped nervously and one leaned forward to whisper a quick warning in my ear, "Be careful my Lord", she insisted, "He's been drinking quite a bit lately".

I gave the giant a forced smile, "Good day", I said in a pleasant voice.

"IS IT?", the fellow bellowed, "How can it be a good day when *two* mortals walk the streets of Asgard?".

"*one* mortal", I said, "and one *God*".

"HA!", he snorted derisively, "You no more deserve that title than that trickster Loki".

I didn't remember a lot of Norse mythology, but I knew an insult when I heard one, "Listen mate, I don't have any arguments with you", I replied, "Now leave me alone and let me pass".

With that I gestured for Keiichi to resume walking. A large war hammer was extended across in front of us, "I don't think I like the tone of your voice, *mortal*", said the giant, now standing in our road.

"I don't want any trouble, giant", I replied, "But...".

I broke off as the air around be suddenly turned grey. Pushing Keiichi backwards, I jumped out of the way as a huge lightning bolt scorched the ground where I had stood,
"GIANT!", he bellowed, "YOU DARE TO CALL THE MIGHTY THOR A *GIANT*?".

One of the Valkyries that had been escorting us disappeared quickly down the street, while the other helped Keiichi move out of the way. "Come on mortal", Thor said confidently, "Let me see if you are worthy of the title of 'God'".

Not really seeing any other way out I summoned my Epee,
hopefully my sixth sense would be enough to avoid Thor's blows (because I wasn't even going to try to parry his hammer). I raised my blade and saluted, "En Guard!", I said out of habit.

Thor's expression was one of amazement, "You're going to fight me with a knitting needle?", he laughed.

I stepped forward and gave a quick slash of the blade,
cutting a slice from his hide armour, "Yup!", I said.

He growled and swung a huge overhanded blow (which I'm sure would have splattered me all over the road), I moved back out of range before he had even begun the swing. Luckily for me I did, because the paved road shattered under the force of the swing. Not being one to let an opportunity slip by I slashed him lightly across the shoulders.

Thor bellowed in rage and swung a series of quick blows at me, not overbalancing himself again. I barely had a chance to dodge them, let alone counterattack. I was forced backward across the street till I felt a wall behind me block my retreat. Deciding that since I couldn't retreat I'd better attack, I went through a series of darting blows at Thor's eyes, forcing him to block or retreat. He backed slowly away and I managed to nick him a few more times on the arms and give him one or two scratches on the face.

The he did something I didn't expect from an ancient god,
he deflected my blade with the shaft of his axe and ducked low to sweep my feet from under me. I didn't pick the move till the last moment and staggered as his huge leg caught my knee. Thor bellowed in triumph and hit me in the shoulder, hard. I think I must have flown several meters, before landing in a heap in the middle of the street. Somehow I managed to hang onto my sword and I regained my feet. My shoulder was burning and I think that I must have cracked a couple of ribs, "Come on then", I growled, focusing on the anger rather than the pain.

Thor was leaning on his Hammer, "Face it", he said,
"You're overmatched, give it up and go back where you came from".

"Maybe", I said through clenched teeth, "But I'll be damned if I give into a blowhard like you".

Thor scratched his red beard, "Very well then mortal, I'm sure that My Lord Odin will enjoy your company in his hall",
he said. To my dismay he raised his hammer and sent it spinning right at my head (somehow my sixth sense missed it and I had no warning of danger).

I will admit I'd faced the possibility of dying when I fought Nilthar, but dying at the hand of another 'good' God seemed somehow laughable. As the hammer came closer I smiled grimly at my opponent, "Farewell then", I muttered.

"THOR! What are you doing?", came a familiar voice from further down the street.

The hammer hung about a foot from my head, still spinning quickly. Thor sighed and snapped his fingers, the hammer leaped back to his belt, "Just testing him", Thor replied pleasantly.

I glanced over to see Urd and Belldandy standing in the middle of the street, "That seemed like a little final to be just a test", Urd said angrily.

Thor shrugged, "I wouldn't have hurt him... seriously",
he replied, sitting back on the steps of the hall, wincing at some of the cuts I'd given him.

I let out my breath slowly and banished my sword, then I felt myself crushed into a hug (which would have been very pleasant if I'd been whole). I shoved Urd away hurriedly and leant back against the wall.

Urd looked offended, "What's wrong?", she asked in a hurt voice.

Keiichi spoke up from across the street, "He took a hit from that hammer", he said, before Belldandy hugged him into silence.

Urd gave me an understanding look, "I'm sorry", she said,
"I should have checked first".

I smiled at her weakly, "That's alright, you can hug me all you want once I get this healed", I replied.

"Promise?", Urd teased.

I laughed and then hissed at the pain, "Ow.. please..
don't make me laugh", I begged.

Urd began to cast a healing spell and I felt a warmth rush over me, banishing the pain and soreness. I gingerly rolled my shoulder and nodded in satisfaction, "That worked quickly", I noted out loud.

Urd smiled, "Our powers are much stronger here", she explained, "You'll find that your own powers are also enhanced".

I nodded, "I'll take your word for it", I replied.

"If you no longer need us my Lord?", asked one of the Valkyries.

I smiled, "Thank you for all your help", I said.

"If you ever need *anything* just let me know", she said sweetly.

Urd gave her a dark glance and the Valkyrie quickly headed off down the street with her companion. "So how did you get here?", Urd asked curiously, "I hadn't gotten around to teaching you that yet".

"Call it luck", I said, "Apollo actually put us on the right track".

Belldandy and Keiichi came over to us, "Apollo is a nice God", Belldandy said, "I'm glad you were able to make it in time".

"In time for what?", I asked.

Belldandy and Urd exchanged a glance and Urd grabbed my arm, "Come on and we'll explain everything once we get home",
she said.

Not knowing what else to do I let myself be led down the street until we came to a huge tree. It was immense, it's branches blotting out the sun and it's trunk seemed to be the size of a skyscraper. "That's Yggdrasil, the world-tree", Urd said proudly.

I looked at it amazement, "It's incredible", I said.

Urd gave my arm a little hug and to my surprise kissed me on the cheek. Behind the tree sat a magnificent fountain,
it's waters were such a deep blue that they looked almost black. A small robot sat beside the tree, sucking up water. I watched as it trundled off towards the tree and another took it's place. "Skuld developed these a few years ago",
Belldandy said, "They help us tend the tree and give us time to devote ourselves to other things".

I looked across the fountain to see a small house, it looked rustic and was covered in flowers and vines, "Is that your home?", I asked.

Urd nodded and the four of us walked inside. Like Apollo's quarters, it was obvious the Goddesses didn't lack for modern convinces. Keiichi and I took a seat on one of the couches as the two Goddesses went to find something for us to eat. I nudged him, "Do they seem different to you?", I asked him curiously.

He frowned, "Not really, what do you mean?", he replied.

I frowned, "I can't put my finger on it, but there's something that seems to be worrying Urd", I replied, "She's never been quite that affectionate towards me before".

"And you're complaining?", Keiichi asked laughing.

I shook my head, "No.. not really... it's just that..", I broke off as Urd and Belldandy returned empty handed.

"I'm sorry", Belldandy said, "We don't actually have anything ready at the moment, it might take a little while to prepare".

"When was the last time you ate", Urd asked.

I paused and thought about it for a moment, "I don't know", I finally admitted, "Time seems to run together in this place, I'd guess we spent at least twelve hours in Olympus...
and another hour or so here before you found us".

"Did you meet many other gods?", Belldandy asked.

I nodded, "Apollo talked to us about a few things before he sent us here... what's this 'vote' thing that's going on?",
I asked.

Urd dismissed it with a shake of her head, "It's a bunch of bigots that are stuck in the past trying to halt progress",
she said.

Belldandy smiled, "They're just afraid of what you represent", she explained.

"The fact that I'm a mortal that's gotten to be a god?",
I asked.

Urd sat down beside me, "Don't worry about it Brett", she said reassuringly.

I frowned at her, "I *am* worried about it Urd", I replied, "I can't see how the Yggdrasil System could have made a mistake".

Belldandy smiled, "It just proves that nothing's perfect", she said.

"So what was the mistake?", I asked curiously.

Belldandy took Keiichi's arm and led him from the room,
"Come on Keiichi", she said, "I think they should talk about this alone".

I watched them leave with a sense of foreboding, "So how bad is it?", I asked Urd.

Urd gave me a kiss on the cheek, "Brett, it seems that I made a mistake giving you a wish", she admitted softly.

"You what?", I asked in disbelief.

"The Yggdrasil System made a mistake in the selection process", she said.

I glanced down at my feet, "You mean that I didn't qualify as a good person?", I asked.

Urd sat down beside me with a sigh, "I'm afraid so", she said, "But that doesn't mean you can't still be a God".

I shook off her arm, "Of course it means I can't be a God", I said angrily, "I'm using up the wish of someone who *deserves* it".

Urd was still looking like she wanted to argue and I cut her off with a sharp gesture, "I thought there had to be some mistake when you first gave me the wish", I continued, "It looks like I was right".

I glanced out the window, which overlooked the Norn's fountain and further over I could see Valhalla. "You know I'm glad that I at least had the chance to see Heaven", I observed, "Are the other areas just as nice?".

Urd nodded, coming up and placing an arm around my waist,
"They are all beautiful and I would have shown them all to you if we had the time", she said.

"What do you mean?", I asked.

"The vote is in half an hour", Urd informed me.

I nodded, "Well where are we suppose to go?", I asked

Urd motioned me over to the TV that occupied the north wall of the room, "Come with me", she said.

"I think we should wait for Keiichi and Belldandy", I replied.

She nodded and the two of us waited for a few minutes until Keiichi and Belldandy reappeared, Keiichi was looking a bit bewildered and Belldandy looked almost angry. She dragged Keiichi towards a mirror and the two of them disappeared,
"Happy now?", Urd asked.

Not really knowing what to make of things I followed her into the mirror, stepping into a huge hall. Have you ever seen pictures of the General Assembly at the United Nations? That's what this hall looked like. Everywhere I saw gods from every nation and religion, Aztec gods chatted with the gods of ancient Egypt, huge serpents sat and debated with the Angels of Christianity. All around the room were the representations of every religion, no matter how old or widespread.

To say I was overwhelmed would have been an understatement, I just stood and stared until Urd grabbed my arm and pulled me across to a seat that had my title sitting on the nameplate in front of it. She somewhat absently kissed me on the cheek and then walked off to talk with some of the other assembled Gods and Goddesses.

I was left feeling rather alone and intimidated until I felt a hand tap me on the shoulder, it was Keiichi. He pulled up a chair beside me and sat down.

"What was with Belldandy earlier?", I asked.

Keiichi blushed, "Well she took me outside to look at the fountain... and... err... well", he stuttered awkwardly, "And anyway, we were interrupted by a messenger that said we were expected to attend the congress".

I frowned, "Did you notice anything strange about Belldandy?", I asked.

He nodded absently, "She's never really been quite so aggressive towards me before... I mean in the 'affection' area ", he said.

I looked around curiously, there seemed to be a lot of power built up in this room, but it had a dark overtone, "Try to stay close to me", I replied, "No matter what happens".

Keiichi nodded and moved his chair slightly closer to mine. A few minutes later, as if some unseen signal had sounded, all the Gods and Goddesses found their seats and quietened down. A familiar figure took the dais at one end of the great hall, it was Apollo.

"Fellow divine beings", Apollo began, "We are called here today to make a decision that will radically effect our own futures as well as the future of one mortal".

I felt a number of eyes on me, but I continued to look straight ahead, "According to the System Administrator the Yggdrasil Computer System has made a mistake... and unthinkable event as you can all appreciate", he continued. There was a murmur of agreement with a dark undertone to it.

"So it therefore falls to us to decide, should this mortal remain a god... or should he be reduced to normal status again?", he asked.

"Get rid of him", came a shout from one of the back rows.

"We don't need a *mortal's* help", agreed another.

Apollo raised his hands to indicate silence again,
"Indicate your opinions in the usual manner", Apollo ordered.

A huge bar graph lit up behind him, tallying votes for and against. It didn't look like I was getting very many votes, the bar indicating a 'yes - Brett should remain a god'
hadn't moved an inch.

I watched in dismay as it failed to register even one vote! I looked over to where Belldandy, Urd and Skuld were sitting and they simply ignored me. Finally it was over and I sat shocked by the outcome, to loose was fine, but to loose in such an overwhelming way...

Keiichi placed a hand on my arm, "I'm sorry", he said sadly.

I shook off the arm and stood angrily, stomping over to where the three Goddesses were sitting. "I thought you were my friends?", I asked them.

Skuld looked at me with a pitiful expression, "Oh grow up!", she said, "You think we're going to let someone like *you* become a god if we can prevent it?".

Belldandy nodded, "You were never the right choice", she said.

I looked at them in disbelief, "You too Urd?", I asked quietly.

Urd gave me a sneer, "You think I'd want to have anything to do with a *looser* like you?", she asked bluntly.

I winced and staggered back a step or two, "What the hell's going on around here?", I thought to myself, the Goddesses had never acted like this before.

I felt a hand grasp my arm, it was Thor, grinning through his beard at me, "So now... you go back to what you always were, a lowly mortal", he said.

My other arm was grabbed by Chia-Yao (who had appeared beside me), "Yes come on, let's deal with you", he said savagely.

I was dragged over to a chair that looked like something out of a Frankenstein movie, they strapped me into it and stood to either side of me. I noticed that Keiichi had been grabbed by an older female goddess, she had similar markings to Belldandy and the other Goddesses. He seemed to know her and she moved him across to one side of the hall.

I tried to move my arms, but failed, "What's going to happen?", I asked Thor.

Thor smiled evilly, "We're going to drain off your life energy", he said, "Then we'll divide it up amongst ourselves".

"But won't that kill me?", I asked desperately.

"It certinally will", Thor replied, "But then I'm afraid you were dead the minute you appeared back at the temple".

I looked in disbelief as Thor's features shimmered and reformed into the familiar (and disliked) face of Nilthar. He looked at me triumphantly, "This time you're not going anywhere, no one escapes from the seventh level of hell!", he pronounced.

I watched as around the room, the gods of goodness and light, melted away to reveal their exact opposites. Apollo's features disintegrated into the features of an evil looking demon that laughed in triumph, "HAHAHAHAHAHA... I always like impersonating that stuck-up prude", he laughed.

"Enough Loki!", Nilthar ordered, "Get rid of the rest of the illusions too".

The hall disappeared to be replaced by a filthy looking dungeon, Nilthar looked at me appraising, "Now how about lunch?", he asked.

Asgard (for real this time)

Urd sighed, she was resting against the Norn's fountain,
trying to enjoy the magical feel of the place. Unfortunately she was having trouble staying still, she wanted to be doing something, "Stupid computer.. things worked better when it was just the tree", she observed.

A small robot trundled past, intent on it's duty to care for the great world tree. Urd hardly spared it a glance and remained resting against the fountain for the better part of an hour before Belldandy found her, "What are you doing?",
Belldandy asked curiously.

Urd shrugged, "Nothing", she responded shortly, closing her eyes, "Just thinking".

"About what?', Belldandy asked, sitting down beside her troubled sister.

Urd sighed, "I'm just wondering what Brett's doing at the moment", she said quietly

Belldandy smiled, "I'm sure he's alright", she said reassuringly.

Urd sighed, "No.. it's not that", she said.

"Well, what is it then?", Belldandy asked gently.

Urd rested her arms on her knees and hugged herself slightly, "I'm trying to work out why I'm not feeling happy to be home again", she replied.

Belldandy glanced around the pleasant scene that heaven represented, "It's probably because there are some important things missing at the moment", she said softly, "two that I can think of".

"But there's never been anything important missing before now", Urd replied.

Belldandy smiled, "So now you know what you've been missing", she said.

"HELLO LADIES!", came a call, breaking the silence and startling the two Goddesses.

Urd grimaced and Belldandy sighed quietly, "What is it Thor?", Belldandy asked.

Thor approached the two Goddesses, grinning broadly, "I just dropped by to see how the two of you are getting along",
he answered, "And provide a bit of male company".

"When does the *man* get here?", Urd asked sarcastically.

Thor laughed long and loud, "Ahh.. that's my girl", he said expansively, "I thought you might have lost your touch,
living with the mortals so long!".

Urd gave him an exasperated look, "So what are you *really* doing here?", she asked suspiciously.

Thor rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Err... well I thought you might like to know that the system is back on line", he said sheepishly.

Belldandy and Urd were standing immediately, "Let's get going!", Urd said, pulling her sister towards the computer complex.

Thor struggled to keep up, "Hey.. slow down", he said,
"There's something else you should know...". He broke off as the two almost flew towards the computer centre in the distance. He shrugged to himself, "Well.. I guess they'll find out for themselves", he said to himself.

Skuld frowned angrily, "What are you talking about!", she argued with the computer, "There has to be records of him!".

My apologies, the computer replied, There are no records of such a person on file.

Skuld huffed to herself and began backtracking the problem, she glanced around, "Urd's the System Administrator..
not me".

A moment later Urd bustled into the room, "Come on, let's find out where Brett and Keiichi are", she ordered the computer.

There is no records of a Brett Handy in my database,
the computer replied, Keiichi Morisato's whereabouts are currently unknown.

Belldandy blanched, "What do you mean 'Unknown' - I thought you could scan the whole universe", she exclaimed.

"I've been arguing with it since it came back online",
Skuld commented, "It refuses to tell me where Keiichi is and it has never heard about Brett at all".

Urd sat down at the terminal, "What about in the mortal records?", she asked, scanning a list. After a few minutes it was obvious that Brett's name was missing from them as well.

"What's going on here", Urd fumed, "It's like he's been erased"

"What about Keiichi?", asked Belldandy desperately,
"What's happened to him?".

Keiichi Morisato cannot be located, the computer answered.

"So why can't you locate him?", Skuld asked.

Two possibilities, the computer explained, First he may have been totally and utterly destroyed, beyond my ability to detect. Belldandy paled and Skuld gave her hand an encouraging squeeze, or, the computer continued, He is in a portion of the universe that I am unable to scan.

Skuld frowned, "And where can't you scan?", she asked.

The region known as 'Hell', it replied.

Urd blinked, "So Keiichi is either dead or in hell?", she asked.

Correct, the computer confirmed.

"Neither of those sounds very appealing to me", said Chia-Yao from behind the three Goddesses as he walked into the room.

Belldandy sat down in a chair heavily, "My Keiichi...",
she said quietly to herself.

Skuld patted her shoulder, "Come on sis", she said,
"We'll find him".

Urd nodded, "And I don't think Brett would let Keiichi go to hell on his own", she stated firmly, "When we find Keiichi,
we'll find Brett".

Chia-Yao nodded, "So does anyone have any ideas about how we're gonna go to hell?", he asked.

"Ahem!", came a voice from the doorway, "May I make a suggestion?". Thor was leaning up against the doorframe,
smiling through his beard.

"So what makes you think that *he'll* help us?", Urd asked. The three Goddesses and two Gods were climbing up a large mountain, each struggling with the climb.

Thor, who was in the lead gave Urd a peeved look, "I told you, he's misunderstood", he explained.

"How do you know him so well", panted Chia-Yao, who was struggling over a particularly tricky outcropping of rock.

Thor mumbled something unintelligible, "What?", Chia-Yao asked.

"Errr.. well some of us get together occasionally to discuss certain godly things..", he began.

"Such as?", Skuld asked curiously.

"Oh.. nothing you'd be interested in", Thor said, "How about we just climb for a bit and stop all these questions?".

Urd stopped climbing and gave him a stare, "Not till you explain", she said.

Thor sighed, "Alright... I know him from our weekly poker games", he said resignedly.

"Poker games?", Chia-Yao said in amazement.

"So... he's one of your drinking buddies?", Urd asked.

Thor blushed, "Well.. not really... we don't drink *that*
much...", he stammered.

"You play poker with other gods?", Chia-Yao asked in shock.

Thor nodded, "Yeah... it helps pass the time", he replied defensively.

Chia-Yao gave him a hurt look, "And you never invited me?", he accused.

Thor gave him a smile, "Sorry kid.. it's limited to those that have been major gods for longer than a thousand years..
nothing personal", he replied.

The conversation ceased for a while as the five resumed climbing, finally they reached the top of the mountain and they all collapsed in exhaustion, "Why did we have to climb?",
Skuld complained.

Thor pulled himself to his feet, "It's some stupid ritual, anyone uninvited to Olympus has to climb... or I guess we could have flown...", he mused.

"Now he tell's us!", Urd sighed.

"Welcome!", called a tall figure, "Welcome to the home of the Gods!".

"I prefer Asgard!", Chia-Yao noted absently.

Thor grinned and shook hands with their host, "Nice to see you again, Apollo!", he said heartily.

"Don't tell me you're in on this poker game thing too?",
Urd asked.

Apollo grinned and nodded, "A fabulous way to spend your time", he replied knowingly, "And a good way to collect all kinds of new things". He glanced at Thor's hammer and grinned broadly.

"Oh no you don't! I already told you I'm not putting up my hammer!", Thor growled.

"Ahh well", Apollo shrugged, "Can't blame a god for trying".

Thor lost his smiled and became serious, "So have you had a chance to talk to your brother yet?", he asked.

Apollo nodded, "He's agreed to talk to you all, but I can't promise he'll be willing to help", he explained. The group walked into the huge temple of Olympus, moving swiftly to where the meeting room was.

Belldandy was looking rather depressed as they sat down at the marble table and Apollo gave her an encouraging smile.
"Don't worry Belldandy", he reassured her, "I'm sure that Hades will help us".

"Us?", Urd asked, "When did you join our little group?".

Apollo shrugged, "Well... since I figured that you'll need all the help you can get... I didn't think you'd mind some assistance", he stated.

"And you really don't have anything else to do at the moment?", Chia-Yao guessed.

Apollo nodded, "I'm afraid that all of the Greek gods are fading from people's minds.. and with less demand.. it means more free time..", he broke off as Hades entered the room.

Hades was an impressive looking fellow, he looked superficially like Apollo, but carried himself with a more arrogant stride. "What's so important that you had to drag me up this bloody mountain again?", he grumbled.

"Nice to see you again brother", Apollo said sarcastically, "A pleasure as always".

Hades frowned and cocked an eyebrow, "So?", he asked bluntly.

Apollo explained that the Norse Goddesses were searching for some friends, who might be in hell. "And what do you want me to do about it?", Hades asked.

"How about helping us arrange a search?", Urd asked.

Hades shook his head, "I can't let a bunch of Gods into hell.. what would the Demons say?", he replied, "I've got enough problems running that place without a general rebellion going on!".

"So how about searching it yourself?", Chia-Yao asked,
"You're the 'Master of the Underworld' don't you even keep a track of what's going on down there?".

Hades surged to his feet, "You think I *want* to rule Hell?", he said indignantly, "When I got stuck with this job I never wanted it.. I would have preferred to rule over just about anything else!". He then began to angrily tell everyone in earshot how unfair life was in general and how unfair everyone had been to him in particular

A quiet voice broke into Hades epitaph, "Please..",
Belldandy said desperately, "Please... we need your help".

Hades stopped ranting and looked at the miserable Goddess sitting in front of him, he sighed, "I'm gonna get in trouble for this", he said after a moment.

"Alright!", growled Peorth, "What are you up to this time?".

Urd tried to look innocent (and failed miserably), "Me?
nothing at all.. why do you ask?", she replied.

Peorth sighed, "Look!", she said, "So far you've requested more descriptions and print-outs on various Demons and their abilities than the last *class* of Security Daemons!",

Urd shrugged, "Nothing serious", she said, "Just brushing up on my knowledge of Demons".

"And since when are you interested in Demons?", Peorth retorted, "I would have thought you'd be back on Earth by now.. since the restriction's been lifted".

"No time", Urd replied bluntly.

Peorth watched Urd leave the computer complex and head back towards the Norn's home. "Something unusual is going on", she mused, "I know that Belldandy doesn't like to be separated from Keiichi for too long... and she's still here too".

Peorth thought for a moment or two longer and then followed Urd across towards the Yggdrasil tree. She noticed a number of people hanging around outside the house waiting for Urd, then they all went inside together.

Sneaking up to one window Peorth peered inside. She saw something that astounded her, inside was all manner of Gods and Goddesses. Thor stood talking to several large figures that all seemed to be carrying various dangerous weapons. Urd was sitting going over what looked like a large map, trading comments with Chia-Yao and a pair of Security Daemons that were looking a little nervous.

"What the hell's going on here", she said to herself quietly.

"Funny you should put it that way", came a voice from behind her.

She turned around to see Heimdal grinning at her, "Why don't you just go in and ask?", he suggested.

Peorth stood and brushed herself off, "There's no sneaking up on *you* is there?", she asked.

Heimdal smiled broadly, "Well actually.. no there isn't",
he said, "That's why I guard Bifrost...".

"Peorth!", Skuld said in amazement, "Have you come to join our little adventure?".

"What adventure?", Peorth replied numbly.

"Why a quick trip to hell and back", said Thor jauntily.

"Hell?", she said blankly.

"Well.. we're ready to go!", Urd called, "These young fellows have agreed to run interference for us". She indicated the two young Security Daemons with a flick of her wrist.

They grinned and nodded, "Anything to get a chance to face some Demons on their home turf", one pronounced grandly.

There was a muffled laughter from the other gods in the room at this, but everyone recognised how serious things were getting. "But you can't!", Peorth complained, "Hell has been forbidden to us for as long as I can remember!".

Urd stood, "Well.. I'm afraid that the Demons have taken something rather important to us", she said.

"Such as?", Peorth asked.

"Keiichi for one thing", Belldandy said quietly.

Peorth looked shocked, "WHAT!", she asked amazed.

"And they've also got the new God of Destiny", Chia-Yao added.

Peorth was silent for a while and then stood, "Well what are we waiting for?", she asked. There was a moment of silence and then a deafening roar as the Gods and Goddesses went to retrieve what had been stolen.

Hell

Hades nodded to the groups as they materialised in his home, "Glad to see that the spell works right", he said.

"There was a chance that it wouldn't?", Chia-Yao asked nervously. The God of Truth shivered as he felt the evil of this place, "How can you stand this?", he asked Hades.

Hades shrugged, "You get used to it after a century or so", he said, "Now if you want to follow me... I'll take you to where you're friends are being held".

The two Security Daemons grinned and disappeared to await the signal to create the diversion and the rest of the group followed Hades. "How do you know where they're being held?",
Belldandy asked.

"It wasn't hard to find out.. it's the biggest thing to happen in hell since the invention of fire", he said grimly.

Hades led them to a room that looked nothing like a place out of hell, in fact it looked identical to the great hall of meeting in heaven.

"What is this place?", Skuld asked, bemused.

"It's an illusion", Hades replied, "Loki's been working overtime".

Thor growled and tested the head of his hammer with a finger, "Loki hey? well... he's mine", he said flatly.

Hades gave him a sever glance, "There will be more than enough to go around", he said, "In about twenty minutes this place will begin filling with the worst Demons in Hell".

"What's going to happen?", Urd asked nervously.

"According to what I've been told... they're going to publicly execute a god", Hades said grimly.

The three Goddesses went pale, "I don't think we have to ask who", Chia-Yao noted angrily.

"According to plan.. every Demon is suppose to come cloaked in illusion to make them appear as their opposites",
Hades explained, "It's a plan to throw the God of Destiny off balance...".

"I don't understand", Skuld said, "How could being surrounded by Good Gods throw him off balance?".

"When those Gods and Goddesses suddenly reject him?",
Hades asked, "How would you feel if all your friends suddenly turned on you?".

Apollo's face was a mask of rage, "How dare they treat anyone like that!", he spat angrily.

Chia-Yao brought a fist down on a table, shattering it,
"They'll pay for this outrage!", he swore.

"Quiet!", ordered Hades, "We'll move up the back of the room and stay out of sight, then whichever of you don't see copies of yourself... move around amongst them and try to get close enough to help".

"Are you sure that the shielding spells you cast are strong enough to keep them from detecting our presence?",
Chia-Yao asked.

"You're not discovered yet are you?", Hades asked, "If the spells weren't working... you'd have already been found".

The Gods and Goddesses waited patiently for the Demons to arrive, then one by one they began to enter the room, taking places to await the arrival of their intended prey. After several uncomfortable minutes, a flash announced the arrival of Loki, he was standing near the presider's chair.

"Welcome!", he greeted the assembled Demons, "The fun is about to commence!".

"So hurry it up already", called a Demon from closer to the front, "Where's this feast you promised us?".

"Patience", Loki said, "You're going to enjoy this.. not only a human soul to take.. but a God's!".

There was a stir around the room and Chia-Yao noticed to his discomfort that several of the Demons near him were licking their lips. Loki cast another spell, cloaking himself in the guise of Apollo, "And now for the main event!", he called loudly.

Apollo gritted his teeth and turned to Thor, "Are you *sure* you want him?", he asked, "I could let you have him when I'm done".

Thor thought for a moment, "I tell you what.. if I let you have him then I want Nilthar", he said, "That's only fair".

Urd interrupted them, "Sorry boys... Nilthar is mine!",
she growled.

The two gods looked at each other and shrugged, "Flip a coin?", Thor suggested, pulling one out of thin air.

Apollo smiled, "Not with *your* coin", he said.

Thor scratched his beard, "Rock, paper, scissors?", he asked.

Apollo nodded and the two engaged in a quick game, Thor coming out the victor, "Maybe I'll leave something for you",
he whispered.

"SHHH!", admonished Hades angrily, "Do you want to be discovered?".

A moment later there was a flash and Brett appeared at one end of the hall, along with Keiichi. Several figures surrounded them, looking suspiciously like the three sisters.

Urd hissed angrily as her double placed Brett in a chair and kissed him on the cheek familiarly, "That bitch!", she fumed.

Belldandy placed a hand on her shoulder, "If it makes you feel better, remember he thinks that's *you* kissing him", she reminded.

Urd frowned, but remained silent. After a moment Loki (in the guise of Apollo) began a long speech that had something to do with the Yggdrasil system malfunctioning and Brett not deserving a wish.

"Have you worked out which of us is missing?", Apollo asked Thor quietly.

"Only two that I can see", he said, "Chia-Yao and Peorth".

Peorth looked startled, "So what can I do?", she asked.

Chia-Yao nodded to the far end of the room, "I'm gonna get closer to Brett.. you take Keiichi and try to get him out of here as quickly as you can", he said.

Belldandy gave Peorth a searching look, "I hope you realise how serious this is...", she began.

Peorth nodded slowly, "Don't worry Belldandy", she replied quickly, "We may both want Keiichi, but neither of use want to see him dead!".
Peorth stood, she and Chia-Yao walked along one wall,
keeping as out of sight as possible. The speech went on,
sighting several examples of Brett not being capable of handling his position. Then several voices shouted out,
condemning Brett as not worthy and a 'mortal'. The fake Apollo called a vote and of course Brett didn't get a vote.

"I thought you were my friends!", Brett shouted at the three fake Goddesses.

Skuld winced as her double responded with a short insulting remark, as did Belldandy's opposite. Urd closed her eyes as Brett turned to her double, "You too Urd?", he asked in a broken voice.

"You think I'd want to have anything to do with a *looser* like you?", her double spat. Urd winced as the insult cut close to home, mirroring a previous comment she had made.

Brett seemed to crumble with that last statement and stumbled back a step or two. A Demon made to appear like Thor grabbed one of Brett's arms and Chia-Yao (who had gotten to Brett just in time) grabbed the other arm, playing along for the moment.

Brett was dragged over to a chair with runes and symbols inscribed all over it and strapped down. Brett questioned what they were doing to him and Thor responded with, "We're going to drain off your life energy and divide it amongst ourselves".

Urd began to stand and Thor clamped a hand on her shoulder, "Wait till Keiichi is out of the way!", he hissed.

Peorth grabbed Keiichi and took him to one side, she quickly intoned a spell that Hades had instructed her in and disappeared with him. Loki began to break down the illusion,
returning the place to it's dank nature.

"Here we go!", Apollo grinned. Hades muttered something about keeping the devils from interfering and disappeared.

"Now how about lunch", Nilthar said as he advanced towards Brett.

A sudden crack of thunder broke the air, and Loki (who was still sitting on a stone dais) dodged quickly to one side. The throne shattered into a million pieces and the Demons watched as the War Hammer known simply as 'The Destroyer'
returned to it's owner's hand.

"Mind if we gate crash this party?", Thor asked politely, before blasting his hammer straight through the chest of a many-armed Demon that was advancing on him.

Loki turned to Nilthar, "FINISH THE SPELL!", he screamed.

Nilthar completed two spell-words before he was blasted to the ground by a lightning bolt, Urd charged forward swinging her swords right and left. Unfortunately, as Nilthar completed the two words, a pair of runes glowed on the chair and Brett lost consciousness.

Loki dodged another of Thor's blasts and threw a blot of black energy in return. The God of Thunder parried with his hammer and the two began to exchange more and more powerful blasts, scattering lesser Demons left and right.

Urd and her sisters managed to make it to where Chia-Yao was struggling to get Brett out of the rune-covered chair, "It won't let him go!", Chia-Yao shouted.

Belldandy looked closely at the runes, "I'll have to cast a counter-spell", she said, her hands already gesturing.

Nilthar stood up, his eyes blazing, he shouted out two words and Brett's body suddenly shuddered. Nilthar's eye's glowed with an unholy light, "Too late I'm afraid", he said as they pulled Brett from the chair. He fell limply to the floor.

Chia-Yao snapped his fingers and a pair of glowing swords appeared in his hands, "Let's go you Bastard!", he shouted,
running towards him, swords raised.

Nilthar gave him a glance, a pair of blazing beams hit Chia-Yao's chest, searing his body armour and throwing him to the ground unconscious. Thor noticed this and directed his next blast in Nilthar's direction, the great hammer bounced off of a shield, not effecting it in the least, "FOOLS!",
Nilthar screamed, "I've now got the power of a God and the power of a Demon, none of you can stand against me!".

Urd looked up from where she was cradling Brett's head in her lap, his sightless stare was enough to confirm that his consciousness was gone, even if his body was still alive. Urd gently placed Brett's head on the ground and stood, her swords extended in front of her. Her two sisters stood beside her,
each raising a weapon. The three began advancing towards the Demon-God.

Apollo chased the last of the lesser Demons out of the room and joined his three friends, he held a long staff and had a grim expression. Nilthar made a gesture and the four of them suddenly found that they couldn't move, "You think you can beat me *here*?", he asked scornfully, "You come to the very heart of my power and expect to win?".

Loki and Thor continued to fight, ignoring everything else expect their sworn enemy. "I think I'll start with you",
Nilthar said, point at Urd.

Urd felt herself suddenly freed of the holding spell and she stumbled slightly in her advance, "I think you'll look a lot better with a large hole in your chest", he said, eyes glowing again.

Urd braced herself, she hadn't the armoured protection that Chia-Yao had and fully expected to feel searing heat. She frowned as Nilthar looked at her thoughtfully, "On second thoughts it would be more interesting to keep you around for a while", he mused. Then he flicked a hand at her and she felt herself frozen into immobility again.

Thor finally managed to get a good blast in and Loki was thrown across the room. Nilthar turned to the God of Thunder and blasted him with a bolt of lightning, "Somehow fitting",
Nilthar murmured as Thor fell to the ground.

Loki stood, "Nilthar!", he said, "You were suppose to share the energy amongst us.. it might be dangerous for you to absorb so much energy!".

Nilthar sneered at Loki, "Oh.. sure... that's right I'm going to give up this power.. not likely!", he replied.

Thor struggled to his feet, "Oh stop it!", Nilthar said,
gesturing at Thor. Thor managed to get one or two more steps forward but then ground to a halt.

"Now what should we do with these trespassers?", Loki mused.

Marller walked into the room, "So I take it that all went well?", she asked.

Farnath nudged his partner in the shoulder, "So when are we suppose to start this diversion?", he asked.

Noranth shrugged, "Hades will let us know", he replied.

The two were cloaked in invisibility, watching the occasional Demon walk, slither or fly past. They had been waiting nearly half an hour when a huge concussion jolted them slightly and a shock-wave passed by them.

"What on earth?", Farnath mumbled.

From the direction their friends had left, a hoard of Demons came fleeing down the corridor. The two Security Daemons grinned at each other and dropped their cloaking spells. The fleeing Demons suddenly stopped as the two Gods appeared in front of them.

"More of them!", a slime covered monstrosity screamed,
pointing with a tentacle.

The front row of Demons extended all manner of claws and teeth and began advancing on the two young Gods. "You've had it!", cried a skeletal Demon that was leading the way with a bone sword.

Farnath and Noranth exchanged a glance and reached into their clothing, each pulled out a small metallic object. The two small spheres clattered and clinked down the corridor,
rolling two a stop in front of the lead Demon. The Skeletal warrior had time for a startled yelp before the grenades exploded.

Slime and bone filled the air as the enchanted weapons tore into the Demons. Farnath unlimbered his shotgun, while Noranth pulled a out a pair of pearl handled pistols.

The Demons began to back up as the two Security Demons advanced. Farnath shrugged at the startled looks on the Demons faces, "Hey, we're modern Gods", he said as he unloaded his shotgun into the massed Demons.

Hades frantically cast every locking spell he knew, "Next time I've gotta try not to let them talk me into this", he muttered.

The gate he had been locking shuddered and a roar echoed through the caverns. Hades watched in horror as the spell-
wall he'd erected shimmered and folded under the onslaught. He'd just managed to reach this gate before the fighting had begun. Behind it lay all of Hell's Devils. Now usually they were quite content to stay amongst themselves... planning the downfall of mankind and stuff that Devils do. But the aura of the gods had awoken them and they were eager to fight the Gods on their home turf.

Hades backed away from the door and began running back towards where the two Security Daemons were suppose to be waiting for him. A few minutes later he reached the meeting point, only to find the destroyed remains of about two Dozen lesser Demons. "Well!", he exclaimed, "I guess the population *was* getting a little high anyway...".

He followed the echo of gunfire and after a few more minutes he caught up to the two Security Daemons, "What are you doing?", he demanded.

Farnath shrugged as he reloaded his shotgun, "Hey, I think we've got their attention", he pointed out, gesturing to the corpses littering the room.

Hades nearly jumped up and down in frustration, "You two were suppose to wait for me!", he roared. Another roar from behind him caused him to freeze and he felt his protective wall give way.

"We've got to get moving", he urged, "The Devils are on their way!".

Noranth shrugged, "Bring 'em on!", he grinned.

Hades shuddered, "You don't know what you're saying,
these things make Demons look like little puppies", he said,
"I'm sure you've heard of Cuthulu or Gozer...".

Farnath paled slightly and looked at Noranth, "What do you think?", he asked, "I *am* running a little low on ammo".

Noranth (who had also paled slightly) nodded, "Alright,
let's get our friends and get out of here", he said.

Nilthar nodded to Marller, "Everything went perfectly",
he said grinning.

"You're happy", Marller noted, surprised, "I don't think I've ever seen you grin quite like that".

Nilthar nodded, "I've just eliminated an enemy and captured six others!", he said, "I deserve to be happy!".

"So what are we going to do with them?", Loki asked again, "We'd better decide something soon... otherwise others may come looking for them".

"So let 'em come", Nilthar said confidently, "No worries!".

Marller shrugged, "Alright", she said, "What do *you*
want to do with them?".

Nilthar frowned, "Me?", he asked, "Kill them I spoze".

Loki looked at him closely, "You 'spoze'?", he asked.

"Hey mate", Nilthar replied, "Take it easy...".

Marller stared in shock, "What did you say?", she demanded.

"I said: 'Hey Loki - take it easy", Nilthar said carefully.

Loki walked over and examined Nilthar's face, "No you didn't", he said, "You said 'mate'!".

Nilthar lost his smile, "What?", he asked, "That's not possible!".

Chia-Yao slowly regained consciousness, he almost winced with the pain in his chest, but he kept his expression blank,
until he could open one eye carefully.

He was lying face down on the ground, the smell of burnt kevlar was quite pronounced, "Boy I'm glad that I brought this stuff along", he thought to himself.

"You've gotta do something!", Nilthar said frantically from across the room.

Chia-Yao slowly glanced around, Nilthar was pacing backwards and forwards in the middle of the room, while Loki and Marller were examining several large books. "You got me into this mess.. now you'd better bloody well get me out of it!", Nilthar bellowed at Loki.

Chia-Yao noticed the pronounced Australian accent that Nilthar now had and smiled slightly, "Got more than he bargained for", Chia-Yao mused silently. Then he noticed Brett's body lying a few meters away, it was still breathing and the eyes blinked occasionally.

*Brett!*, Chia-Yao thought at it, *Get up!*.

The body twitched for a moment and then crawled to it's feet, *Come here!*, he ordered.

With a jerky step, the body walked forward and stopped in front of Chia-Yao, *Pick up that sword*, he said.

Brett's body picked up the sword and looked at it,
*Attack Marller*, he thought quickly. Chia-Yao muttered a spell and disappeared from sight with his other sword.

The body turned and moved towards it's target, "Look out!", Loki shouted, as Brett's body moved up behind Marller.

Marller turned just in time to block a downward swipe with her arm. A crack echoed through the room and Marller howled in agony as the flat of the blade snapped her arm.

"How?", Nilthar said, backing up from the body. A sharp blow from the hilt of Chia-Yao's sword reduced Nilthar to unconsciousness.

Loki glanced once at the six gods that were now freed from Nilthar's holding spell and fled the room, dragging Marller behind him.

"Brett!", Urd shouted, running after the unsteadily walking figure, she turned him around and was shocked to see a blank expression on his face. He pushed her out of the way and continued to walk in the direction Marller had gone.

*Stop*, Chia-Yao said (both verbally and mentally),
*Drop the sword*.

Brett's body responded and stopped moving, dropping the Katana on the floor. "What are you doing?", Urd demanded.

"Saving us all!", Chia-Yao replied, lifting Nilthar's prone body into the rune covered chair, "Help me!".

The Apollo and Thor guarded the door, while the others prepared the same spell that Nilthar had used, "I hope you remember the words", Skuld said nervously, "It wouldn't do to make a mistake...".

"I know!", Urd snapped. She spoke each word that Nilthar had used in turn, directing the energy into Brett's body.

Nilthar's body convulsed and Brett's shell echoed it,
finally the spell was complete and Brett's body collapsed unconscious to the ground. "Is that it?", Thor asked impatiently.

Urd nodded, "I left the same amount of energy in each of them", she replied.

"But... Nilthar was a 1st-Class Demon", Chia-Yao said,
"So that means...".

"There's no way to be sure how much power each of them had originally!", Urd said, "So this is the best I can do!".

A moment later Hades rushed into the room, followed by the two Security Daemons, "I think we'd better get out of here!", Hades warned, throwing up a protective screen over the door. Everyone noticed the dark figures pressing against Hades' spell.

Chia-Yao picked up Brett's prone form, "Well, let's go!",
he insisted.

HEAVEN

I awoke slowly, with a splitting headache. I was reminded of the hangover that I'd had a few weeks back, only this seemed to be worse if anything. Carefully I opened my eyes and looked around, I was in an unfamiliar room. I sat bolt upright, remembering where I'd been: Nilthar called out of some spell-words.. and then nothing. Surprisingly sitting upright made me feel a little better. Every second the pain was disappearing, until I was left feeling great.

I felt really alive, taking a deep breath I stood up,
"Not bad", I said carefully. My voice sounded a little shaky but everything else was ok, I didn't seem to be wounded or anything.

I walked over to the window and looked out on the most magnificent tree I've ever seen. "Yggdrasil!", I said in awe. It was massive, bigger than anything I'd even dreamed about,
it certainly put that illusion to shame. Then I stopped and remembered the illusions that the Demons had cast.

"I could still be in an illusion", I thought to myself,
"This might be another trick".

Resolving to find out, I walked over to the door to the room and opened it. Outside was a hallway, with what looked like a staircase at one end. "OW! how about you being a little more careful?", came Chia-Yao's voice from downstairs.

I crept over to the staircase and moved down far enough to see him, he was lying on his back, with Skuld applying something to his chest, "I can't believe you're stupid enough to take on Nilthar without help!", she scolded him.

He nodded and picked up the armour plate that had covered his chest, it was nearly melted through, "You know.. I hate to say it... but you're right", he said, "I need to have my head examined".

Skuld looked at him in surprise, "Oh.. so something's finally gotten through that think skull of your's?", she asked.

I pulled my head back around the corner and leaned against the wall, "I guess he got hurt rescuing me", I mused.

"Peorth will be here with Keiichi soon", said Urd from outside, "Don't worry about it Sis!".

"I hope you've got a lot of healing salve", said a voice that I recognised as Apollo.

I heard the door open and close and several of what sounded like groans of relief, "I don't think I've been this tired since I fought that last tribe of giants", said Thor.

"I'm just going to check on Brett", said Urd from below and I heard footsteps on the stairs. I quickly crept back to the room I'd woken up in and hid behind the door, ready in case of another trick.

Urd walked into the room three paces and then stopped,
looking at the empty bed, "What?", she said in shock.

I slammed the door shut behind her and stood between her and the door, "Alright!", I said, "What the hell's going on?".

Urd turned around and her eyes opened in amazement,
"Brett?", she asked, stepping towards me, arms outstretched.

I raised my hands, a spell ready, "Don't come any closer", I said to her bluntly.

Urd stopped, "What's wrong?", she asked in a concerned voice.

"Where exactly am I?", I asked.

Urd dropped her arms, "You're in Heaven", she said, "In our house".

"How do I know this isn't another Illusion?", I asked bluntly.

"It's real Brett!", Urd insisted, "You're really here,
I'm really Urd!".

I nodded, "Of course it seems real", I replied, "But I'm afraid that I can't take that chance at the moment". I didn't trust my senses after the last time, until there was some way I could verify that this wasn't some other trick I didn't want to let my guard down.

"Please explain how I managed to get here from hell", I asked carefully.

Urd nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed, "Well..
it started when we discovered that you and Keiichi were missing...", over the next few minutes Urd explained what had happened. I nodded as she continued the tale, finishing with her walking through the door of this room.

I lowered my hands, "What you're saying has the sound of the truth about it", I allowed, "But I hope you don't mind if I seem a bit sceptical about all this".

Urd smiled sadly, "I think I understand", she said,
"After what you've been through I expected you to be out for days".

I nodded, "Well I feel fine, not a bruise on me", I replied.

Urd stood, "Come on and we'll explain it to the others",
she said.

I gestured for her to proceed me through the door and followed her downstairs. "Brett!", Skuld said happily as we entered the room, "How come you're awake?".

"Any reason I shouldn't be?", I asked her tersely.

She lost her smile and turned back to where she was tying a bandage around Chia-Yao's wound. "I'm glad to see that you're alright", Belldandy said, a little hesitantly.

I nodded and sat down on a chair, frowning. Something was strange, I felt fine, but I *never* snap at people like that. Urd explained to everyone my concerns about the illusions that Loki had cast, to make me believe I was in heaven.

I felt everyone look at me compassionately and for some reason it made me angry, "I'm going for a walk!", I said,
standing up suddenly.

"I'll go with you", Urd offered at once.

"I think I'd prefer to be alone if you don't mind", I snapped at her. I noticed that she seemed rather upset and I felt a little guilty (but only a little bit). Stalking from the house I walked past the fountain and down into Asgard,
looking around carefully.

I was walking down towards Bifrost when someone tapped me on the shoulder, I spun around, "What do you want?", I practically growled.

It was a Valkyrie, "Still angry at the world I see", she said sympathetically.

I turned away from her and continued down the street,
"Wait", she said, "Please let me comfort you... poor soul...".

I turned back and looked at her, she was particularly beautiful, "Come with me and I'll make you forget your cares",
she continued.

You know what? I was tempted to follow her. That made me realised that there was something seriously wrong with me. I've never been one to want to forget before, and I'd not looked twice at the last Valkyrie I'd met (even if that was in an illusion). I drew a shuddering breath and firmly shook my head, "No", I said.

The Valkyrie nodded, "If you change your mind, I'll still be here", she said.

I walked out of Asgard and stopped at the edge of the rainbow bridge, it's shifting colours were magnificent. Sitting on a rock beside the road, I just stared at it for a while, trying to work out why I was suddenly so angry at everything.

"I thought you might be here", came a voice from behind me.

I turned around to see Urd standing a few meters behind me, "Pull up a rock", I said, gesturing to one of several that were scattered around the area.

Urd sat on one beside me, "I thought you wanted to be alone?", she asked.

"I did", I replied, "But... now I don't know".

"You don't know what?", Urd asked.

"I don't know... me", I replied.

She was silent and I took that as a sign to explain,
"Something's different about me now", I said, "It's like I have a huge store of anger inside me.. that's trying to get out..".

Urd reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder, "It's alright", she said, "You have a right to be angry about everything that's happened to you".

I shook my head, "No.. it goes deeper than that", I replied, "It's like... I don't know.. I can't work it out myself.. so I can't explain it to you".

She moved to sit closer to me, "There's nothing wrong with being angry", she said, "So long as you control the anger and it doesn't control you".

I nodded, "I'm keeping it in check", I replied, "But it's difficult".

She gave my shoulder a squeeze, "Then let you're friends help", she said.

I patted her hand, "Thank you", I said simply.

Urd smiled and nodded, "Come on", she said, standing,
"The other's are wondering where we've gotten to".

"Oh.. can't have that, can we?", I said sarcastically,
then stopped myself. I gave her a weak smile, "Sorry", I apologised.

Urd took my hand and led me back into Asgard. We talked quietly as we walked through the streets. "So how was your vacation anyway?", Urd asked curiously.

I laughed, "It was unusual to say the least", I replied,
"Dreamtime spirits make for some unusual company".

"Dreamtime Spirits?", Urd asked. I detailed my 'vacation' to her and she looked amused that Nilthar had been forced to retreat from a couple of Dogs and a Snake (even if the snake happened to be 40ft long). I'd just finished telling her about the relaxing week I'd spent with my family (after getting rid of Nilthar), when we arrived back at the house.

We walked inside and were greeted with the sight of Belldandy kissing a bemused Keiichi, I smiled at the cute picture the two of them made. "She get's kisses.. I get threats", Urd mumbled under her breath.

I squeezed her hand and then clapped Keiichi on the shoulder, "Good to see you mate!", I greeted him.

Keiichi grinned, "I'm glad to see that you're back in one piece", he said.

"Well.. don't let me interrupt", I said, stepping back and motioned at Belldandy, "Keep greeting your girlfriend!".

Belldandy blushed and smiled, "We might continue that later", she said, "In private!".

Everyone laughed (except for Keiichi, who grinned a little sheepishly). I thanked Thor and Apollo, who both demurred, saying that they were happy with any opportunity to stick it to the Demons. Everyone seemed to be quite tired, so it was decided that any celebrating would have to wait till tomorrow.

It took nearly a week for us to get back to the temple and when we finally did, it was in even worse condition than when I'd left. Nothing was standing, the ground had been churned over by heavy machinery, it was a horrible sight.

Belldandy sighed as she looked around, Keiichi placed an arm around her shoulders, "Don't worry", he said, "We'll find somewhere else to live".

I kicked a small piece of tile that was laying on the ground, it clattered and crashed over the ground, until it hit a wooden box. I walked over carefully and dusted off the top of the box, it was the Christmas gift I'd given Urd. Opening it gingerly, I saw to my amazement that the crystal rose was still intact.

Smiling I turned to the others, "Why go anywhere else?",
I asked, "Can't we fix this up here?".

Belldandy lowered her head, "I'm afraid that I'm not powerful enough to restore *this* much damage", she said sadly.

I nodded, "That's right", I said, "But what if the three of us help?".

Belldandy looked up and smiled, "That might be enough...", she mused.

"Well", Urd said firmly, "Let's give it a go!".

Skuld nodded, "Come on Big Sister... let's try!".

I held out my hand to her and she took it, Urd took my other hand and Skuld joined the three of us, completing the circle. We all began repeating the words to the restoration spell. A blinding glow covered the temple, pieces of stone flew back to the walls from which they'd fallen, timbers became whole. The amount of energy we had to generate was incredible, but after several minutes the Temple was just as it had been when I'd left a little over three weeks ago.

Keiichi was looking around in amazement, "That's incredible!", he said.

I smiled at the Goddesses, "Yeah... you'd think it was magic or something", I said grinning. The inside was still a bit messed up, but that was quickly fixed with a bit of 'elbow work'.

Evening came and I found myself on my favourite step,
looking up at the stars (as usual). I heard a step behind me and shifted over to let Urd sit beside me, she looked up at the stars for a while with me.

"So what are you going to do now?", she asked quietly.

I smiled at her, "I don't know", I replied, "Any suggestions?".

"Well", she said, "you're safe now if you want to go home... you don't need us to protect you anymore".

I nodded, "I'd thought about that", I said.

Urd looked over at me, "And?", she asked.

"It'd mean abandoning all my new friends", I replied,
"and one friend in particular".

She smiled, "And you don't want to leave this 'special friend'?", she asked.

"I mean, Keiichi and I are good mates now", I said blandly.

Urd punched me in the shoulder, hard, "Hey!", I said, "I was just kidding!".

She shrugged, "Well you deserved it", she said.

I gave her a hug, "I know, I can be a real pain sometimes", I said.

She hugged me back and smiled, "Well remember that you originally wished to have a job like mine", she reminded me.

"So... granting wishes huh?", I mused, "Sounds like fun..".

Author's Notes:

Well, this is the compiled verson of OMGod.. so it includes all parts (including the side story I wrote, dealing with Australia...) - so what do you think... here's the stats for the whole story:

219 pages in WordPerfect 81,000 words 520K in size

Geeze... that's big... I didn't know I'd written so much :)

-Brett