The rain had been coming down in a great ferocity for quite some time that day. It was already four in the afternoon and the rain had started around six in the morning. Keiichi sat on edge of the porch of the temple and thought about everything that had happened recently in the past few days, especially with Skuld. When Keiichi allowed Belldandy to wash the pains of the day from him, he expected Skuld to bomb him now, but instead she left with Urd to allow Keiichi and Belldandy to their own devices. However, as expected, he was greeted with a great surprise that night when he tried to sleep on a bed of timed bombs with a picture of Skuld insulting him in her own imaginative way.

Yet things had changed greatly from that night to this moment in time. Keiichi noticed that he had more and more time alone with Belldandy than usually. It seemed that Skuld and Urd had taken on a mission in Heaven. When they left, Keiichi did not find any potions, spells, hexes, bombs, or traps to speak of. Everything had been quite for those two days that they were gone; he and Belldandy had grown closer together than they had in the past few years.

They had taken longer walks around the park, spent hours talking together into the night with not interference from anyone, and even spent a night together curled together. The very thought of that night made Keiichi shiver. He could not believe that Belldandy and fallen asleep in his arms like that. He could not move her because she might wake up and she was so warm in his arms that when he finally opened his eyes it was morning and Belldandy was still there. He made sure that he did not wake her when he got up to make her breakfast. It was not as good as her cooking, but she enjoyed it nonetheless. Keiichi was hoping to take her out for another stroll today, but it seemed the weather had different ideas of what was going to happen today.

"I wonder what were going to do today. I better just let Belldandy be by herself for today now that I think about it. We have been spending every minute together for days now and I'm sure that she would just like to be by her herself for awhile. Oh well, guess I had better get to working on that homework for school. Man that professor really laid it down thick for us today. Now's a time when I wish I had Urd here to make some kind of potion that would keep me motivated to working on it, but I'm sure she would have me motivated on working on something else…:sigh:"

Keiichi entered back into the home and looked around at everything that was before him. He passed by Urds room and stopped outside of the room's door. Even with the door shut to him, Keiichi could still see inside of the room. He could picture the red velvet curtains right behind the door and behind those curtains the soft red glow of the room. He did not know why the room glowed that color, but he knew it had something to do with the other contents that she kept in the room. Some of the contents, that he could remember, were a shelf that covered an entire room filled with different types of medicine and ingredients that were not made from this earth and quite possibly heaven also. Then there were those spells and curses that she kept on the walls and those kept out of sight to prevent people from getting to her. To bad those spells could not keep Skuld from getting into her room and causing trouble and mischief for him throughout these days.

Quietly he left Urds room and passed by Skulds room. Her room was dark right now but it was because she was in heaven, at the moment. Usually her room was quite bright during the days and nights when she was busy working on some new contraption to help Belldandy. He always worried about fires and the electrical bill when he heard her laughing insanely in her room, but somehow she was able to escape both problems somehow. He always wanted to ask her about that, but sometimes it is best not to know the answer to the things that are not broken. For a moment, Keiichi felt sad at the thought that Urd and Skuld were not here. There was something about having them around that made them complete.

Thinking about Skuld and Urd made him wonder were Belldandy had wondered off too. Come to think about it, he had not seen her since breakfast. As he left the two bedrooms he passed by the kitchen and the dinning room. Both were empty and silent, yet he could still feel Belldandy's warmth and love that she always left behind in every room. As he ventured from room to room, he was getting more and more curious as to where she was and what she was doing. The only room that was left was her room. As he made his way back to her bedroom, he noticed that the light was on. He gently tapped on the door before he entered.

As he opened the door, Belldandy quickly pulled her dress over her body covering her bra and panties that Keiichi could still see in his mind.

"Belldandy I'm sorry. I did not mean to barge in like this. I am sorry. Please don't be mad."

"Oh, Keiichi don't worry," Belldandy whispered to him as she moved his hands from his eyes. To his surprise, she was still just in her underwear and was not ashamed to show him. "I was wondering if you could help to zip up my dress for me. I usually ask Urd to help me with this dress but she's gone right now. Do you mind?"

"Um….no. Not at all." Belldandy turned at pulled the dress over her body. Keiichi couldn't help but notice how smooth her bare skin was. The curve of her back all the way to the back of her neck. He felt her body calling out to him and he wanted to answer to her, but he just did not have the courage to do it.

"Keiichi. Keiichi. Keiichi is something wrong?"

The sound of her voice snapped him out of his dreams and back to reality. Belldandy's blue eyes were watching him as he felt his face turn a bright red.

"No. Nothings wrong. I'm just thinking to myself."

Keiichi did his best to keep his eyes averted as he zipped up her dress. The harder part was keeping his hands from wandering, as they wanted to. "Why am I thinking this way even if I can not even kiss her," Keiichi wondered as he turned his head to look at the ground while Belldandy brought her hair back.

"Thank you Keiichi. If you do not mind, I am going to go to the seidō to clean the Buddha. I will have dinner prepared shortly after for you."

"Thanks Belldandy. You don't have to worry about me. Take your time. I am actually going to do some work that the professor gave me and it's going to take me awhile. So you do what you need to do and I will wait for you when you're ready."

"Thank you, Keiichi-chan."

Keiichi was surprised by her calling him that, but was more surprised when quickly kissed his cheek before she left him standing there. Keiichi could not help but to feel embarrassed. First, he was thinking of fondling Belldandy and then she calls him by a different name with a kiss. Maybe it was time that he made a move on her while Skuld and Urd were away, but how was he going to do that. He lacked the courage to something so daring and risqué.

"Hopefully I'll find the courage someday to tell her how much I love her with more than words."

Even as Keiichi said that, that very same thought crossed through Belldandy's mind. As she walked towards the seidō she stopped to wonder what had gotten into herself. She had never been so bold as to do something such as that. In the end it was because it was out of fear. She had to reaffirm herself that Keiichi still loved her after all these years and that they were willing to make a major step in their relationship. If they were now was the time and she knew she had to act fast, but the question was how.

While these two lovers continued down the same path unaware of each other, another person was soon about to cross paths with them. The Almighty knew that what was about to enter into their lives would change much of the young Goddess perspective on life and love; however, there must be challenges in every relationship. That also included Belldandy and Keiichi. If they could survive this test and make it through, the rest of their time together would be no problem.

"Wake up and begin your path. You have much to do in a short period. Remember what I have told you and do not fail, for their love is the hope for the world and for you."

The sound of the Almighty's voice in his head beat like a gong within a temple. Slowly he opened his eyes to see the darkness of the seidō around him. This stranger could not remember what just happened, but that he had to leave immediately and find the person who called out to him in his sleep.

"Fear not my goddess, for I am on my way. Soon you shall know what true love is and I shall be the one to show it to you, my lovely Belldandy."