You know the drill. AMG is the property of Kosuke Fujishima.

Yeah, I patterned Satsu after Akuma ((c) Capcom).

Note: This takes place prior to the introduction of Noble Scarlet.

Note 2: The use of present tense is purposeful in the future sections (Surrounded by (((Triple parentheses)))), indicating events that haven't happened yet, but are being observed.

(Music from the previews)

Keiichi: The System Force has detected something off in the world...

Belldandy: ...and seeks out the events gone horribly wrong.

Keiichi: But what fate awaits the mortal and the goddess?

Belldandy: Coming up: Ah! The Discontinuity in Fate?

Keiichi: Whoa, I don't like the look of that guy...

Ah! The Discontinuity in Fate?

Part 1

Heaven – Discontinuity -3 days

Deep within Yggdrasil, the celestial supercomputer that maintained reality, a program ran. It was known as the System Force. This program's responsibility was the maintenance of wish contracts until their completion. In particular, the single wish with a completion estimate of indefinite.

That wish, made impulsively but sincerely, had inextricably bound the fates of Belldandy, Norn of the Present, and one Keiichi Morisato. Because the wish, ("I wish for a goddess like you, to stay by my side forever.") had been registered as legitimate, the System Force maintained it against anyone who tried to part the two.

Such a wish was completely without precedent, but there it was, and the System Force enforced it without care for the oddity. But now, a sense of impending wrongness loomed in relation to that particular process, tickling at the edges of the System Force's "awareness". It wasn't something happening as yet, but something yet to come.

Yggdrasil stretched its "vision" forward into time, tapping into its link with the Norn of the Future, searching for the wrongness. First, it followed the branching paths of the mortal Keiichi's lifeline. There, in the frame a few days ahead of the "current" time, it found the first seeds of wrongness.

Nekomi Institute – Discontinuity -4 hours

((( Keiichi Morisato has had to stay late at Nekomi Institute to complete a lab assignment. He asks Belldandy, the goddess and his one true love, to go ahead home without him. He doesn't want to force her to wait around for him.

"Oh, but I don't mind at all, Keiichi." She says, smiling in the way that always makes his heart beat like a bass drum.

"I know, Belldandy, but it's okay." He replies, smiling back at her. "I know you don't mind, but I don't know how long this'll take, and someone needs to keep an eye on Urd and Skuld, or they'll destroy the place."

Belldandy giggles slightly at that. "Very well then. If you'll call before you return, I'll have something ready for you!"

"Thanks, Belldandy." That settled, the goddess looks around to see that they aren't being observed, and floats gracefully through the mirror over one of the lab's sinks, leaving Keiichi gazing lovestruck after her. )))

Hmm, "thinks" Yggdrasil. This provides context, but does not explain the discontinuity. Further observation is required. Since Morisato is alone in the lab, and unlikely to meet mischief there, Yggdrasil switched its perceptions to the goddess sisters.

((( "I told you, Urd, I feel something strange in the back of my mind!" the youngest Norn is shouting at the eldest, who affects a bored look.

"I imagine anything feels straaange in your mind, Skuld."

Skuld's face reddens and her volume rises. "That's not funny! I can feel something odd!"

"Maybe it's the feel of two neurons firing."

"Why you...! Skuld bomb away!" She whips a black sphere out of her pocket when the voice of their middle sister rings out through their temple home.

"Hello, everyone, I'm back!" Belldandy calls out from the mirror in the kitchen as she emerges and settles gracefully to the floor.

The fight forgotten, Skuld puts away the bomb and runs into the kitchen to hug "Big Sis". Urd ambles nonchalantly in behind her. "Hello, Belldandy. Say, where's Keiichi?"

"That big jerk made her come home all alone!" Skuld hollers. "Probably up to no good. I told you he wasn't worthy of Big Sis."

"That's not it at all, Skuld," Belldandy corrects her gently. "He had schoolwork to attend to, and was merely looking out for my convenience." She begins to pull out ingredients for supper... ))) as Yggdrasil withdraws its presence.

More context, but not the discontinuity. Yggdrasil thought, The discontinuity was nearby, but it had not...quite...hit...there! Back in Morisato's lifeline, the discontinuity approached like an oncoming train.

Hell – Discontinuity -3 days

A demon strode the corridors of the underworld. But this was no ordinary demon. An air of abject menace followed him like a personal aura, sending other underworld dwellers, no matter their class, scrambling away, desperate not to fall under his gaze.

His feet were bare, the skin dark bronze, and he wore simple black pants with a black tunic. On the back of the tunic was emblazoned the kanji metsu, or "destruction" in a red like fresh-spilled blood. A musculature like an ogre's added to his stature, but it was his face that inspired terror in demons, and could cause mortals to simply drop on the spot of a heart attack.

Beneath flame-red hair, tied in a topknot, was a visage that had never known a positive emotion, or anything but hate and rage. Blazing red eyes cast about, as if looking for something, anything, to kill.

This was Satsu, patron Demon of Murder, whose name was Murder, and he had a plan.

The coast road – Discontinuity -10 minutes

((( Keiichi rides home in a great mood. His project is done. He has called home, and Belldandy is going to pull off another culinary masterpiece. It didn't get much better. As he pulls up to a red light, he wonders what he had done to deserve such good fortune. Sure his life could be screwy, but the presence of Belldandy in his life overrides all other things.

Behind the happy college student are two cars, carrying men of a significantly darker stripe. They are career thugs, but today they had planned to take it easy. They had picked up enough from their various illegal activities to relax a while.

But they are just the sort of creatures Satsu likes to use.

Casting his power over the two cars, Satsu growls, "I summon Murderous Intent!" fanning the flames of hatred in the men's hearts, pushing them into his bidding. It might have been more direct to incite the young Morisato personally, but he cannot. The boy's heart is so full of love it makes Satsu want to vomit. So, he's settled on his favored method of violence by proxy. )))

If there had been a need for klaxons within Yggdrasil's inner "mind", they would have been blaring like an air raid was underway. Here, here it is! thought Yggdrasil, the fate discontinuity is starting! Peering into the future scene like a doctor trying to diagnose a disease, Yggdrasil watched, and waited.

((( One of the cars pulls around to block Keiichi's motorcycle.

"Hey! What the..."

The four men exit the cars and surround the bike. Keiichi is trapped. "What are you guys..." His breath stops in his throat and a spike of fear rips through him as the largest of the men produces a .45 caliber pistol, highly illegal in Japan.

"Your cash, and the cycle." The leader snarls. )))

Toriki Hongan – Discontinuity in progress

((( Belldandy is merrily working on her Keiichi's late supper when the most horrible feeling pierces her heart. The spoon she is using to taste the soup falls from suddenly numb fingers. It is fear, Keiichi's fear, carried to her by the bond of their hearts. "Keiichi!" she cries as she dives into the mirror like an Olympian. )))

The coast road – Discontinuity in progress

((( Keiichi slowly removes his wallet from his pocket and the keys from the bike's ignition. The gun barrel looms huge in his vision. All he can think about is surviving this to get home to his Belldandy. One of the leader's cohorts snatches the items from him.

If Keiichi could have read auras like the goddesses, he would see the red metsu kanji floating around them like some hideous advertisement. He would also have seen Satsu standing nearby with an expression of bemusement on his hellish features.

The lead thug smiles thinly at him. "Thanks," he says flatly.

And fires.

Keiichi topples to the ground like a felled tree. Satsu gives his tools one final instruction, retreat. They jump into their cars and speed away, leaving a bleeding Keiichi lying on the pavement.

Moments later, a terrified Belldandy bursts forth from the motorcycle's rearview mirror. "Keiichi?!" She looks around her. "KEIICHI!!"

"Bell...dan...dy..."

She falls to her knees beside him, shock and horror written across her features. "Keiichi! Please hold on!" She lays her hands on the ghastly wound to heal him, but there is really nothing to save. The combination of the projectile and hydrostatic shock has basically disintegrated his heart. Only sheer force of will has kept him from instant death, but his life is to be measured in seconds now. With his last remaining strength, Keiichi wraps a hand around her wrist and puts his whole life, his whole truth, into his final words.

"I...love...you..."

The hand falls away.

"Keiichi?!" She shrieks, the tears flowing copious and free now. "KEIICHI!!"

But there is nothing. No breath. No movement.

No life.

Belldandy screams, a wordless wail carrying a universe of sorrow, a bottomless well of desolation, as her heart crumbles to dust inside her.

Back at the temple, the psychic shockwave slams into the two other Norns, causing Urd's mouth to drop open and her eyes to fill, and Skuld to drop her tools and clap her hands to her mouth.

"Big Sis...!"

Back at the road, Satsu grins an evil smirk at the grieving goddess, and vanishes, the first part of his plan complete. )))

(Music from the previews, slower and minor key)

Urd: A terrible fate has befallen the mortal...

Belldandy: ...and shattered the heart of the goddess!

Urd: What future awaits a goddess without love?

Belldandy: Coming up: Ah! How Will I Go On?!

Belldandy: How can I live without you, Keiichi?