Chapter 1

A Goddess and Mancunian Rain

The spring sun shone down gently upon the Tarikihongan Temple, its rays bringing warmth to the ancient building. Keiichi sat quietly on the step, looking out at the garden as birds flitted through the boughs of the old plum-tree, its branches heavy with blossom. Belldandy's voice drifted through the air, softly singing as she hung out washing, lightening Keiichi's heart with its music.

"A perfect day" he thought to himself and then sighed, knowing the peace wouldn't last. It would only be so long before either Skuld or Urd started one of their incessant arguments and he knew it would probably end with him either being Skuld-bombed or struck by Urd's lightning bolts. Then again, those were the hazards that came with living with three goddesses for any length of time. Keiichi sighed again and leaned back, closing his eyes in thought. It had been nearly four years since Belldandy and the others had come into his life, shattering his peaceful life with all the force of a well-aimed brick. And he wouldn't have given it up for anything. Especially Belldandy. Since passing through the Judgement Gate, they had both grown closer and now, with little care left they were finally able to enjoy a relatively peaceful life together. Little did he expect that today would spark what would come to be known as "the Oldest Storm".

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Thousands of miles away, a man stepped out of his home into the rain, nodding briefly to old Alex, the security guard. England. Manchester. Rain. He smiled. The rain was a constant friend, especially in this city. Rain was good. It kept the bastards indoors. Just what you needed on a Saturday evening in a dangerous city and Manchester was about as bad as they came. Not that he felt fear. He was nineteen but looked nearer twenty-five. A student at Manchester Metropolitan. Six foot tall. Three hundred pounds. In his own words; built like a brick shit-house. Beneath the layer of fat that covered his hulking frame, were muscles that could lift a grown man with one hand, muscles toned more from hard work rather than from gyms. His well-worn clothes concealed his strength. Battered blue jeans with a worn leather belt. A faded green t-shirt with the words "You can go fast, I can go anywhere" embossed below picture of a Land Rover. A second-hand leather jacket, black with white shoulders and sleeves, the word "Dwayne" printed across the right arm, just above the elbow. Only his boots were new. Size twelve. Sturdy. Strong enough to kick the shit out of the hardest Mancunian. Or to kick a hole through a brick wall. His hair was a mop of long, tightly curled brown locks, some six inches long and so tightly coiled that any comb that ventured near would be instantly without teeth. A short, wiry beard, the same colour as the hair on his head, covered his chin and upper lip. A hard man by anyone's standards. But it was his eyes that gave away his character. A deep brown-green with a sparkle of mischief. And the smile. It was a smile of both friendliness and warning. One that people knew that if it disappeared, they would not live long enough to wonder why. It was the smile of someone who had seen the joke of life, realised that it was on him and had thought that this was funny. A man who would help those he could, when he could. A man who would gladly crush an enemy but who also knew how to forgive.

Old beyond his years. Sad and lonely but with a heart that cared. He scratched his head, smiling and stepped out into the dark and rain. It was going to be a long night and he needed a drink. He couldn't stand the other students. Obnoxious, noisy, messy and cruel, none of them understood the simple pleasures of life. Like the rain. The rain was a friend. So was the dark. It allowed this big man to move almost unseen and unheard through the city streets, with no hassle. Those that did see him sat alone and silent or left quickly, in search of easier prey. His smiled, his eyes seeing them all, weighing them all against his own strength, confident in his size and strength, against theirs. He grinned.

"Just try it" he thought. He knew he was tough. He wasn't hard but he didn't need to be. His aura spoke it. So those in the dark just stood and watched. He was untouchable to all in this city. Him and his wicked sense of humour, coupled with his rapier wit. Well, almost untouchable. Even this man needs heavenly help.

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A darkened room in another plane. Two figures sat across from each other, both shrouded in darkness. The only light seemed to come from nowhere an illuminated a small table between the two seated figures, on which sat bottle of wine and two half-filled glasses. One of the figures spoke, a man's voice, deep and gruff.

"The plan is ready then my Lady? The trap is set?"

"Yes, my Lord" the woman replied, "THEY will fall, HE will rise and our forces will move as soon as their defences are removed".

"What of the Jötunns? Will they honour our pact?"

"They have agreed to move as soon as our forces are in position, my Lord. Both the Niflguard and the Valkyries will be crushed with ease, once their power is drained. Even the mighty Lind will fall before the combined strength of our forces!" She paused and reached for her glass, taking a sip before continuing. "However, there is a problem" she said.

"What problem, my Lady?" the man asked, reaching for his own glass, "What could any of them do against us now?"

"I have received some information from one of our spies in Heaven. One of your soldiers suspects something, one of your own Praetorian Guard in fact, a captain". She took another sip. "I fear that she may attempt to warn THEM about our plan".

"A traitor eh?" said the man with a grin. "Which is it? Höðr? Tyr? Weth?"

"The Arch my lord" the woman said, matching the man's grin with a smirk of her own. The man sat quietly for a second. Then he spoke, all traces of the grin gone.

"The Arch? What a pity. She would have been useful, especially against those pesky Norn's. No matter. She will be dealt with".

"How will you do it?" the woman asked.

"How do you think?" the man replied, shattering his glass in his hand.

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Back in Nekomi, Keiichi's prediction about the lack of peace had come true. Urd and Skuld had had another of their falling outs and were currently duking it out in a battle royal across the centre courtyard, Urd with her lightning bolts, Skuld with her latest Banpei combat upgrade. At the moment, it looked like the fight could go either way.

"Take this you big meanie!" shouted Urd as Banpei unleashed another salvo of rockets at Urd, "I'll teach you to break my new Banpei-EX2 rocket!" Urd calmly dodged and lined up for her own attack.

"That was punishment for filling my underwear draw with itching powder, you little brat! Now, I summon lightning!" She fired off the bolt only to have Banpei step in front of Skuld and extend a rod from the top of its head. The lightning struck the rod and was instantly redirected into the ground through the robots legs.

"Hah! My Banpei's new lightning rod attachment and extra-conductive-earthing-armour mean your lightning attacks are useless! Now take this!" Skuld yelled and another salvo of rockets shot towards Urd. Keiichi sighed and stood watching the two sisters as they alternately tried to blow each other into the next century, nursing his head from a Skuld bomb attack earlier that day.

"Why can't these two just get along?" he thought "It's not like there aren't better things that they could be doing with their powers. Ah well". It was then that something strange happened. The air began to crackle with energy and the ground began to glow, forming a circle roughly where the two sisters were fighting. The two broke off and quickly fled to where Keiichi was standing, at which point Belldandy emerged from the house, almost colliding with the three of them as she came running past. Close behind came Eir and Saga, the synchronised goddess twins who had recently taken up residence at the temple.

"What is it Bell?" asked Keiichi as a pillar of light erupted from the circle "What's going on?"

"A goddess is descending, one I don't recognise" replied Belldandy.

"Whoever she is, she is incredibly powerful" said Saga.

"I agree" said Eir "She's stronger than Lind, that's for sure".

"What!?" Shouted Keiichi "Whoever this is, is stronger than Lind?!"

"That's right" said Belldandy, her faced turned upwards "In fact, someone with this much power must be-" and she gasped; "It's an Arch!"

"An Arch!" cried Skuld.

"What the hell is that?" asked Keiichi, his face turning grey as a small descending speck in the pillar of light slowly began to grow until it resemble a person.

"An Arch is-" Belldandy began but was cut off as a dark shape suddenly appeared from nowhere and started to streak towards the descending goddess. Whatever it was, it was traveling fast and there was no time to react as it struck the goddess with incredible force. The circle and pillar instantly evaporated as did the dark shape and the goddess, although the loud sonic boom seemed to indicate the fate of the latter.

"What the hell was that!" shouted Keiichi as the portal disappeared, "and what happened to the goddess?"

"I- I'm not sure" came Belldandy's reply "I think what happened was that someone or something was determined to prevent her from reaching us and so she was attacked". Belldandy place her hand on her heart and said "I'm going to do a wide area scan to see if I can detect her. I need your help Holybell" and called forth her graceful angel. The pair began to glow and emit a soft hum as they began their scan.

"Well?" asked Urd after a few minutes.

"We found her" said Belldandy "She appears to have crashed several thousand miles from here, although we can't pinpoint her exact location. There's something else though".

"What? What is it?" said Urd.

"Her energy seems to be very weak. She must either be being jammed or-" and Belldandy gasped, tears trickling down her face.

"Or what?" asked Keiichi. Belldandy turned to him.

"She's dying!"

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Manchester. Rain. Dark.

"Perfect" the man thought as he quietly made his way home, a bottle of vodka and lime tucked securely within his jacket pocket. He took the back roads home, not wanting to be bothered by anyone. Not that he was worried. He just didn't want anyone he knew spotting him and shouting "Hey Wolf!" from across the street. Wolf. He had never understood how he had ended up with a nickname like that. He would have preferred something clever or at least a name that meant something, not some random, spur of the moment thing. Like his name. Jago. Cornish. Meaning "Holder of the Heel", or "Follower of God". A good name. He smiled. Could be worse though. He looked up, letting the rain slowly trickle down his face and sighed.

"So this is my life is it? Mum and siblings in a foreign country with an alphabet which looks like all the buttons you never press on a calculator. Dad god knows where. And me. The mad man with a good heart and a rough sense of humour. No mates, a university I can't stand and precious little chance of a job. Just me and a bottle of vodka". He smiled "And the rain, always the rain". He kept walking, not wanting to attract the attention of some tramp or crack-addict, looking to scrounge some coins to fuel their addictions. He looked up again and snorted, his usual short snuffle of amusement. "Could be worse I suppose. Everything is worse with wolves". He chuckled. "Huh, that's right, everything is worse with me!" It was then that it happened. There was no warning. No time to react. Just a loud whoosh and then an explosion of rock and debris, less than ten foot in front of him. The blast was strong enough that he was lifted from his feet and thrown six foot before slamming painfully into the floor. "Ow" was all he could say, as he slowly pulled himself back to his feet. It was then he saw the crater. It was nearly six foot deep and the ten foot across. Whatever had caused it must have traveling at one hell of a speed. And it was then that the hand appeared. It was a woman's hand, rising out of the crater, followed by a groan. There was someone in their! Jago dashed over and lowered himself into the crater, his boots landing in the thick mud beside the woman and he stooped in order to get a better look. She was tall, almost as tall as he was but slim and dressed in the remains of a skin-tight leather suit, which resembled something he had seen in an anime or manga somewhere. Her face was partly obscured by her long, black hair but she seemed young, about his age and with something tattooed on her face. She then opened her eyes and looked at him, pain obvious on her face.

"Please" she said, in a voice barely above a whisper, "help me". It was then that he saw the wound. A long, deep gash that ran across her torso, from her left hip to her chest. Jago didn't waste any time. He stooped and lifted her easily and heaved her out of the crater. He then climbed out himself and stooped to examine the wound. It was bad, deep and gushing with blood, the edges blackened as if whatever had caused the gash had also burned her while it happened.

"Sweet Jesus!" he swore. "I need to get you to a doctor!" She pushed him off her and tried to stand.

"No! There's no time! I have to warn them!" she said but collapsed before she could get to her feet. He caught her and held her close.

"You can't move, you're too weak. You've lost too much blood! Just stay still and let me call a doctor".

"There's no time! I have to warn them about HIM! I have to warn them about Kronos!" she gasped, trying again to push him off her again, but this time much more feebly.

"You're not going anywhere! If you try to move, you will die!" She stopped struggling and smiled.

"You are wise for a human. But it's too late now, I'm beyond medicine." She smiled again and then groaned. "I am happy to see that there are still some who care for others on this surface world. I thank you" she said.

"Don't you dare die on me! I know your type, you're a goddess! More than that, you're a Valkyrie! You're as hard as nails and as tough as old boots!" She looked at him quizzically.

"How do you know this?"

"You've clearly never read your own manga" he said with a sad smile.

"In any case, I want to repay you" she said. "I have little power left and you have a tarnished heart but you tried to save me and I thank you for this. For this I shall grant you one wish. My first and last".

"Please don't" he said, a tear coming to his eye as he felt her strength wane. "Please, I want to save you. Don't waste your power on the likes of this old sinner".

"There isn't enough left of me to save. Even my soul is crippled. So take what I offer and my live with my thanks". He sat quietly for a second staring at her. He found her beautiful. Why did beauty have to die? Then it hit him.

"You have a crippled soul?" he asked.

"Yes" she replied.

"Then I know wish. As I cannot save you all. I wish that I could save and protect you soul!"

She smiled at this; a weak, tearful smile as her forehead flashed and a beam was sent to heaven. She looked back at him and pulled him closer.

"Your wish has been accepted" she said. Then she punched him in the stomach. He gasped and fell forwards, almost on top of her as something passed from her outstretched hand and entered his body. "Stay still" she said. "Feel her power. Let it grow. Let it fill you". She then removed her hand and leaned closer. "I thank you. Protect her. Love her. And beware the Longest Storm" she kissed him gently on the cheek and then leaned back. "Father, I'm coming home" was the last thing she said. Then she died. Quietly. Without a sound. He held her, devastated. A bear of a man, weeping in the rain and the dark, holding the body of a woman he barely knew. But it was not over. A soft light gently emanated from within her and she began to change. Her body slowly changed to many tiny flowers. Forget-me-nots. Blue forget-me-nots. And she gently blew away, leaving him alone in the dark and the rain, feeling sad and confused. And then a voice spoke to him.

"Come Master. Let us go home".

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Ten minutes later, Jago staggered through the door of the apartment block. He was out of breath, sweating and feeling faint. All since that voice. It had been quiet since then but he knew it was there. Alex, the old security guard looked up from his desk and peered over his glasses.

"Alright Jago mate? You look beat".

"Yeah, I'm alright" Jago replied with a tired smile. "Shattered but nothing new. See you tomorrow mate". He headed for the lift and took it to the third floor, then used his security key to make his way up to the fifth. As he stood unlocking his door, he glanced across at the communal kitchen where twenty drunken students were attempting to drink themselves to death while playing their stupid rave music.

"Hey Wolf, come on!" one of them shouted, waving to him.

"Get stuffed" he replied and pushed his door open, locking it behind him. The room was tiny. A six by ten foot box with barley enough room to move. A built in wardrobe and sink occupied one wall while to the left was a desk and a set of draws, the surface covered in pots, pans and paperwork. Above that was a notice board with a calendar, a few timetables, some coupons and a string of dried chilli's hanging from it. Next to that was an overstuffed bookcase, full of DVDs and books, on every subject imaginable: from fiction, to biology, to industrial archaeology. The rest of the room was occupied by a narrow bed, just big enough for one person, a bedside table which had been fashioned out of cardboard boxes and an easy chair which was buried under a mound of dirty clothes. Jacob staggered over to the bed and flopped down, kicking off his boots as he did so.

"Uh" he said with a sigh. "I'm cream-crackered". He pulled the bottle of vodka from his jacket, unscrewed the cap with his teeth and took a long pull at the harsh spirit. It was then that the voice spoke again.

"Are you ok Master?" it said. Jago groaned.

"Right" he said, "I have a voice in my head. I knew I had problems but this is taking the biscuit".

"Am I a problem Master? And I haven't had any biscuits" said the voice. It was a soft voice. Feminine. Very different from his own. It spoke with a warmth and concern that seemed to fill Jagos's tired bones with strength.

"Fair enough" he said. "Although I'm not sure if having voices in my head is such a good thing".

"If you want Master, I could come out and speak to you". He thought about this for a second.

"I don't know how you're going to do it but if you can get out voice, then that would be fine".

"Very well Master, but please roll over first". Jago did this, rolling on to his stomach and then felt a gentle tingling coming from his shoulders. When the tingling stopped, the voice spoke again. Only this time, it was outside his head.

"Hello Master" it said.

Jago turned over and sat up, almost banging his head on that of the being that now sat in front of him. He gave a yelp of surprise and retreated as far back up the bed as he could. For there before him sat an angel. She was tall and slim. Her long legs were hidden behind the cloth wrapping that was common to most angels. It was similarly bound around her ample bosom, while leaving her shoulders and midriff seductively exposed. Behind her, a pair of beautiful, pure white wings grew from her shoulders, although in the confines of such a small room, it was impossible to tell their true size. What struck him most though was her face. She was truly beautiful, in a way that the glossy shots of plastic skinned models from the magazines could only hope to be. Her lips held a small smile, as if she had just seen something she had thought was funny, but not enough to laugh about. Her hair was shoulder length and tightly coiled, like that of a new-born lamb but was jet black in colour. It was her eyes that held him though. They were bright and smiling, with a spark of mischief and a deep shade of turquoise, with amber flecks across each iris. Eyes so deep, Jago thought he would drown in them. She sat their quietly facing him, her hands clasped across her waist, her eyes staring at him with a near frightening intensity. For several minutes, they stared at one-another, taking each other in. At last she broke the silence.

"Master?" she said. Jago shook his head, as if to clear his mind.

"I was staring wasn't I" he said, with a guilty expression.

"Yes Master" she said, "but I understand. This is probably the first time you have met an angel".

"You got me there" he said, his trademark grin spreading across his face. "So where exactly did you come from then?" he asked. The angel unfolded her arms and pointed at his chest.

"I came from you Master. I am now your angel".