Facets
PART I: Desire I.
Great Hall, Heaven
Her steps echoed in the great hall. She forced herself to lighten her step, but each time her foot brushed the cold marble floor, she felt a resounding thump. Or was that the beating of her own heart, pounding steadily in her head?
Fear, excitement, anticipation.what was she supposed to feel? The resulting headache was what really was bothering her at the moment. Then there was that blessed numbness inside of her, that made her walk almost mechanically towards her destination.
She could feel the eyes on her. Thousands upon thousands of eyes stared intently upon her. Angels floated behind their respective goddesses like misty reflections, humming softly.
She stopped a few feet away from the goddess, Peorth. Younger goddesses glided around them, the light from their hands creating the intricate markings needed for the ceremony. Peorth herself began preparing for the ritual, already compiling the data in her head. Eyes closed, her lips moved soundlessly. She floated a bit, yellow-white light outlining her features, spreading over her body as the hands of the goddesses met, closing the markings, thereby closing the seal. The hum of the angels was stronger now.
She felt cold and clammy. Sweat trickled down the sides of her face. Blood pounded in her head. She felt so dizzy, like she wanted to give up everything and simply collapse on the ground in soft, sweet slumber. A myriad of images flashed in her mind then.
Belldandy, Urd, Keichi, and Sentaro.
Her vision cleared. She stared at Peorth. At the same time, Peorth's eyes opened and their gazes met. Peorth shouted the words to begin the installation program.
Skuld gasped as she, too, floated in the air, much higher than Peorth. Unable to help herself, she tilted her head upwards, seeking and finding grace from the Almighty. Light traveled from Peorth to Him, and He, in turn, turned a brighter white beam towards Skuld.
There was no pain, just an intense heat, and the added weight of responsibility. Such a heavy burden, is this what Belldandy lived with everyday?
The light engulfed her completely. Slowly, it dimmed, revealing her crumpled form, lying amidst the now burnt markings.
Peorth smiled, nodding at the two figures waiting anxiously at a corner. Belldandy and Urd stepped forward then, draping holy robes on their beloved sister.
"Behold," Peorth said clearly. "The newest member of the Goddess Helpline."
Angels sand their praises, their voices mingling with the cheers of the other goddesses.
Bokuto District
He felt the sudden rush of excitement as the finish line came into view. He went past one rider, two.only one was ahead of him now. The urge to step on the gas pedal was weighing down on him. He kept his cool, though, ignoring the subtle twitching of his foot.
Sure enough, they passed an unforeseen obstruction near the end, several small roadblocks meant to catch a reckless rider off-guard. The one ahead of him swerved towards the sidelines.
He was in the clear. The roar of the crowd was deafening. He threw his helmet down and marched towards the stage to claim his trophy. Many reached out to shake his hand, but his attention was centered on one particular figure, watching him with tear-filled eyes. He took hold of her hand and pulled her up beside him.
"KISS! KISS! KISS!"
With the crowd cheering him on, he leaned forward, more than willing to bestow a kiss upon his lady love.
"KOBAYAKAWA!!" He gasped out. He had opened his eyes to find her face so close to his. He twisted, jerked, and toppled over with his seat.
"Nakajima-kun!" Miyuki exclaimed, kneeling down beside him. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
"Oh! Ah.er.think nothing of it. I'm all right now." He struggled to pull himself and the chair upright, managing to complicate the simple process. He ended up sanding with a chair held quite irregularly in his hands.
It took several more moments for him to entangle himself. She bent down to pick up the scrap of paper he had dropped.
"Ah! Is Zapper sponsoring this.motorcycle race?"
"Yes, well, it was my dad's idea. Sena wanted a car race, but dad got his way. And well, it is good for publicity and all."
"So you're thinking of joining?" She asked, smiling as she handed the flyer back to him.
His hand shook a little as his fingers closed over the paper.
"Well, I was thinking about it. It's a free-for-all, anyone riding a motorcycle can pretty much join in and well, I'd be really confident about joining if, um, that is.if."
. if you were there, by my side.
"IF YOU WERE - "
Her eyes widened then. Awareness spread over her features. Oddly, it wasn't a sudden noise that unsettled her, but the glaringly obvious silence that reigned on them. She peered around the room to see the eager faces of all the other officers of the Bokuto Traffic Department watching them intently.
Miyuki flushed. "Um.er.c'mon, Natsumi. It's time for our rounds."
"What?" Natsumi mumbled as she munched on a pack of manju. "But we just finished our rounds!"
"Oh, Right. Well, then, I should get started on my reports."
"You already passed your reports today," The chief stated without looking up from the paperwork he was going through.
"Ah.er.right.Well.then.um, I ah, ahem.going to um.the bathroom!" Miyuki turned quickly and left.
As she closed the door behind her, the din resumed.
"WAAAAHHH!! Natsumi ate all the manju!!"
"What'll we do for midday snacks now?"
"Chief! Such behavior is inappropriate for any police station at such an early point in the day!!!"
The rustle of a newspaper, followed by a heavy sigh.
Miyuki echoed that sigh as she closed the door behind her.
"Oh, hello, Miyuki," Aoi said cheerfully. "Goodness, what's all the uproar about?"
"Apparently, Natsumi ate all the manju for the midday snacks."
"I see," Aoi frowned. "Oh, dear, and Yoriko was looking forward to all that manju."
"Maybe I should go and buy some.?"
"No, that's all right. I bought them from the local bakery at the corner. They were so thrilled at the large order, I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I called in for an emergency delivery." Aoi smiled reassuringly. "You go ahead and get some rest. You look kind of flushed."
Miyuki nodded stiffly and marched towards the girl's locker room.
Aoi turned towards a nearby vacant office and gently placed the tray of tea on the dusty desk. She picked up the phone. Feeling quite pleased as she heard the dial tone, she punched in the number, humming softly as she waited for someone to pick up.
"Hello--"
"Ah, hello, this is Aoi Futaba from the traffic department at Bokuto Station, I was just."
"---thank you for calling the Goddess Helpline. We will be sending you our representative very shortly."
"Oh, no, wait, I'm sorry. I must've dialed the wrong."
"We hope to hear from you again on your next life. Have a good one!"
"What? Hey.!!"
Beep, beep
"That was so weird. I.YEEEEEEEEKKKK!!!!"
Bright light flashed from one of the teacups. It rattled violently, rocking from side to side. A darker shade of light shot out.
Oh, God, it wasn't light.it was blurry.but it had a definite shape.it was a.hand??
Aoi scrambled backwards, pressing himself against the wall. His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.
The teacup fell forward. The hand grasped the edge of the table. A head popped out of the teacup. Its face was scrunched up in pain. Another hand shot out to grasp the table.
"Ouch. Ugh. Ungh.I knew.I.grunt.shouldn't have eaten so much of Belldandy's celebration cake last night," The stranger squeaked out. "Couldn't you have had something bigger? Like maybe the actual teapot?" She complained.
With one last push, the girl fell out of the cup, tumbling to the floor in a careless heap.
"Oh, geez, so much for my entrance!"
"Who.WHAT are you?" Aoi demanded shakily.
The girl stood up, brushed herself a few times, then spun around, amidst flashes of lights and firecrackers. She ended with a wide sweep of her arm, bowing low before Aoi.
"Good day to you. I am Skuld, 2nd class goddess (limited).at your service."
Aoi pushed himself away from the wall then, glaring at the remnants of firecrackers. "Goddess, huh?" She nudged the debris on the floor. "You sure went through a lot of trouble for this childish prank. I'll let you get off easy if you promise to clean this up and never do this again. All right?"
"Childish prank?!" The girl's face turned a vivid shade of red. After a few calming breaths, she produced a small, white card with a flourish.
SKULD 2ND CLASS, LIMITED GODDESS TECHNICAL HELPLINE
"I am here to grant you any wish. Or, more clearly put, I am here to grant you your heart's desire. Fate has chosen you, Aoi Futaba, to partake of this great gift. It means you are good of heart." Skuld smiled. "I look forward to processing your request."
Aoi shook his head. "Why are you doing this, little one? Don't you have school today? Clean up your act and leave before I turn you to the juvenile department."
"I-AM-NOT-A-KID!" Skuld snapped, unable to help herself. "And I am not leaving until you've been granted your heart's desire! You're my first task. I will not fail on this!"
"All right, that's it. Who put you up to this? This nonsense has to stop and you need to get back to your normal course of life. Besides," He added caustically as the stranger began to open her mouth again. "I have no great desire. I am quite happy with my life."
So saying, Aoi turned and walked towards the open doorway.
"I find it hard to believe that a man who walks around, hiding under woman's skirts, has no great desire for anything."
Aoi paused then. He turned back, his knees not quite steady. He spared a quick glance at his clothing to check if his boxer shorts were peeking out of the long skirt he was wearing.
His angry stare turned to the little girl before him, who stood quite calmly.
"No one put me up to this," She said gently. "You have been blessed, Aoi Futaba, for your kind heart and gentle spirit."
She took a step closer then, reaching for Aoi's hand.
"I am a goddess, sent from heaven to reward you. Let me grant your wish."
Aoi looked from their joined hands to the large, innocent eyes. He saw truth then.
.heart's desire?
.can it be? Can it really be that simple?
Several emotions swirled in Aoi's eyes. Trembling, he wrenched his hand away and ran down the corridor, the tea forgotten.
Skuld tucked a wet tendril of hair behind her ear and sighed.
"You can't run away forever Aoi Futaba. I will accomplish this task." The corner of her eye shone brightly. "Because I am a GENIUS!!"
PART I: Desire I.
Great Hall, Heaven
Her steps echoed in the great hall. She forced herself to lighten her step, but each time her foot brushed the cold marble floor, she felt a resounding thump. Or was that the beating of her own heart, pounding steadily in her head?
Fear, excitement, anticipation.what was she supposed to feel? The resulting headache was what really was bothering her at the moment. Then there was that blessed numbness inside of her, that made her walk almost mechanically towards her destination.
She could feel the eyes on her. Thousands upon thousands of eyes stared intently upon her. Angels floated behind their respective goddesses like misty reflections, humming softly.
She stopped a few feet away from the goddess, Peorth. Younger goddesses glided around them, the light from their hands creating the intricate markings needed for the ceremony. Peorth herself began preparing for the ritual, already compiling the data in her head. Eyes closed, her lips moved soundlessly. She floated a bit, yellow-white light outlining her features, spreading over her body as the hands of the goddesses met, closing the markings, thereby closing the seal. The hum of the angels was stronger now.
She felt cold and clammy. Sweat trickled down the sides of her face. Blood pounded in her head. She felt so dizzy, like she wanted to give up everything and simply collapse on the ground in soft, sweet slumber. A myriad of images flashed in her mind then.
Belldandy, Urd, Keichi, and Sentaro.
Her vision cleared. She stared at Peorth. At the same time, Peorth's eyes opened and their gazes met. Peorth shouted the words to begin the installation program.
Skuld gasped as she, too, floated in the air, much higher than Peorth. Unable to help herself, she tilted her head upwards, seeking and finding grace from the Almighty. Light traveled from Peorth to Him, and He, in turn, turned a brighter white beam towards Skuld.
There was no pain, just an intense heat, and the added weight of responsibility. Such a heavy burden, is this what Belldandy lived with everyday?
The light engulfed her completely. Slowly, it dimmed, revealing her crumpled form, lying amidst the now burnt markings.
Peorth smiled, nodding at the two figures waiting anxiously at a corner. Belldandy and Urd stepped forward then, draping holy robes on their beloved sister.
"Behold," Peorth said clearly. "The newest member of the Goddess Helpline."
Angels sand their praises, their voices mingling with the cheers of the other goddesses.
Bokuto District
He felt the sudden rush of excitement as the finish line came into view. He went past one rider, two.only one was ahead of him now. The urge to step on the gas pedal was weighing down on him. He kept his cool, though, ignoring the subtle twitching of his foot.
Sure enough, they passed an unforeseen obstruction near the end, several small roadblocks meant to catch a reckless rider off-guard. The one ahead of him swerved towards the sidelines.
He was in the clear. The roar of the crowd was deafening. He threw his helmet down and marched towards the stage to claim his trophy. Many reached out to shake his hand, but his attention was centered on one particular figure, watching him with tear-filled eyes. He took hold of her hand and pulled her up beside him.
"KISS! KISS! KISS!"
With the crowd cheering him on, he leaned forward, more than willing to bestow a kiss upon his lady love.
"KOBAYAKAWA!!" He gasped out. He had opened his eyes to find her face so close to his. He twisted, jerked, and toppled over with his seat.
"Nakajima-kun!" Miyuki exclaimed, kneeling down beside him. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
"Oh! Ah.er.think nothing of it. I'm all right now." He struggled to pull himself and the chair upright, managing to complicate the simple process. He ended up sanding with a chair held quite irregularly in his hands.
It took several more moments for him to entangle himself. She bent down to pick up the scrap of paper he had dropped.
"Ah! Is Zapper sponsoring this.motorcycle race?"
"Yes, well, it was my dad's idea. Sena wanted a car race, but dad got his way. And well, it is good for publicity and all."
"So you're thinking of joining?" She asked, smiling as she handed the flyer back to him.
His hand shook a little as his fingers closed over the paper.
"Well, I was thinking about it. It's a free-for-all, anyone riding a motorcycle can pretty much join in and well, I'd be really confident about joining if, um, that is.if."
. if you were there, by my side.
"IF YOU WERE - "
Her eyes widened then. Awareness spread over her features. Oddly, it wasn't a sudden noise that unsettled her, but the glaringly obvious silence that reigned on them. She peered around the room to see the eager faces of all the other officers of the Bokuto Traffic Department watching them intently.
Miyuki flushed. "Um.er.c'mon, Natsumi. It's time for our rounds."
"What?" Natsumi mumbled as she munched on a pack of manju. "But we just finished our rounds!"
"Oh, Right. Well, then, I should get started on my reports."
"You already passed your reports today," The chief stated without looking up from the paperwork he was going through.
"Ah.er.right.Well.then.um, I ah, ahem.going to um.the bathroom!" Miyuki turned quickly and left.
As she closed the door behind her, the din resumed.
"WAAAAHHH!! Natsumi ate all the manju!!"
"What'll we do for midday snacks now?"
"Chief! Such behavior is inappropriate for any police station at such an early point in the day!!!"
The rustle of a newspaper, followed by a heavy sigh.
Miyuki echoed that sigh as she closed the door behind her.
"Oh, hello, Miyuki," Aoi said cheerfully. "Goodness, what's all the uproar about?"
"Apparently, Natsumi ate all the manju for the midday snacks."
"I see," Aoi frowned. "Oh, dear, and Yoriko was looking forward to all that manju."
"Maybe I should go and buy some.?"
"No, that's all right. I bought them from the local bakery at the corner. They were so thrilled at the large order, I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I called in for an emergency delivery." Aoi smiled reassuringly. "You go ahead and get some rest. You look kind of flushed."
Miyuki nodded stiffly and marched towards the girl's locker room.
Aoi turned towards a nearby vacant office and gently placed the tray of tea on the dusty desk. She picked up the phone. Feeling quite pleased as she heard the dial tone, she punched in the number, humming softly as she waited for someone to pick up.
"Hello--"
"Ah, hello, this is Aoi Futaba from the traffic department at Bokuto Station, I was just."
"---thank you for calling the Goddess Helpline. We will be sending you our representative very shortly."
"Oh, no, wait, I'm sorry. I must've dialed the wrong."
"We hope to hear from you again on your next life. Have a good one!"
"What? Hey.!!"
Beep, beep
"That was so weird. I.YEEEEEEEEKKKK!!!!"
Bright light flashed from one of the teacups. It rattled violently, rocking from side to side. A darker shade of light shot out.
Oh, God, it wasn't light.it was blurry.but it had a definite shape.it was a.hand??
Aoi scrambled backwards, pressing himself against the wall. His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.
The teacup fell forward. The hand grasped the edge of the table. A head popped out of the teacup. Its face was scrunched up in pain. Another hand shot out to grasp the table.
"Ouch. Ugh. Ungh.I knew.I.grunt.shouldn't have eaten so much of Belldandy's celebration cake last night," The stranger squeaked out. "Couldn't you have had something bigger? Like maybe the actual teapot?" She complained.
With one last push, the girl fell out of the cup, tumbling to the floor in a careless heap.
"Oh, geez, so much for my entrance!"
"Who.WHAT are you?" Aoi demanded shakily.
The girl stood up, brushed herself a few times, then spun around, amidst flashes of lights and firecrackers. She ended with a wide sweep of her arm, bowing low before Aoi.
"Good day to you. I am Skuld, 2nd class goddess (limited).at your service."
Aoi pushed himself away from the wall then, glaring at the remnants of firecrackers. "Goddess, huh?" She nudged the debris on the floor. "You sure went through a lot of trouble for this childish prank. I'll let you get off easy if you promise to clean this up and never do this again. All right?"
"Childish prank?!" The girl's face turned a vivid shade of red. After a few calming breaths, she produced a small, white card with a flourish.
SKULD 2ND CLASS, LIMITED GODDESS TECHNICAL HELPLINE
"I am here to grant you any wish. Or, more clearly put, I am here to grant you your heart's desire. Fate has chosen you, Aoi Futaba, to partake of this great gift. It means you are good of heart." Skuld smiled. "I look forward to processing your request."
Aoi shook his head. "Why are you doing this, little one? Don't you have school today? Clean up your act and leave before I turn you to the juvenile department."
"I-AM-NOT-A-KID!" Skuld snapped, unable to help herself. "And I am not leaving until you've been granted your heart's desire! You're my first task. I will not fail on this!"
"All right, that's it. Who put you up to this? This nonsense has to stop and you need to get back to your normal course of life. Besides," He added caustically as the stranger began to open her mouth again. "I have no great desire. I am quite happy with my life."
So saying, Aoi turned and walked towards the open doorway.
"I find it hard to believe that a man who walks around, hiding under woman's skirts, has no great desire for anything."
Aoi paused then. He turned back, his knees not quite steady. He spared a quick glance at his clothing to check if his boxer shorts were peeking out of the long skirt he was wearing.
His angry stare turned to the little girl before him, who stood quite calmly.
"No one put me up to this," She said gently. "You have been blessed, Aoi Futaba, for your kind heart and gentle spirit."
She took a step closer then, reaching for Aoi's hand.
"I am a goddess, sent from heaven to reward you. Let me grant your wish."
Aoi looked from their joined hands to the large, innocent eyes. He saw truth then.
.heart's desire?
.can it be? Can it really be that simple?
Several emotions swirled in Aoi's eyes. Trembling, he wrenched his hand away and ran down the corridor, the tea forgotten.
Skuld tucked a wet tendril of hair behind her ear and sighed.
"You can't run away forever Aoi Futaba. I will accomplish this task." The corner of her eye shone brightly. "Because I am a GENIUS!!"
