A/N: As I've said before, I've wanted to explore more into the AMG universe, and while I'll focus on Belldandy and the other Norns more in depth, I also want to explore Keiichi, and his possible futures…namely if he were a god, or if he were a demon…there is also the possible future of Belldandy becoming human too…and I think Divinity's Prayer opened the catalyst to explore all three possibilities.
That being said, I will (eventually) explore all three, with Divinity's Prayer acting as the branching path, so to speak. As the name implies, this fiction takes place directly after Divinity's Prayer, so read that first, if you haven't. As the name implies, this looked into the life of what a demonic Keiichi might be like.
I don't own Ah, My Goddess! Oh, My Goddess! However you want to say it…
Chapter 1
"Keiichi..." She breathed, leaning in to kiss him atop his forehead. "I'm sorry I'm not a mortal woman...but, in spite of that, I wish that you could be a god."
Belldandy's words echoed, and boomed like thunder when it reached the ears of the listener. It crashed like a wave, and everyone, in both Heaven and Hell heard the plea. Most goddesses expelled a random wish or two, so, it normally went ignored by the greater world in which they lived. It was easier that way. It was also unquestionably more dangerous to meddle in the affairs of the Norns, who were by nature a force never to defy.
Many were not brazen enough to try, knowing well, foul play to any of them would be grounds for instantaneous, and grueling punishment. The man who governed the heavens was a very stern god, and though he was forgiving towards his offspring, he was also very odd, and hard to understand. He was renowned for his peculiar ways, and his actions were so odd that even the mortals questioned him. Often he would snicker to himself when a mere mortal dared to question him, though, he would never admit it outwardly.
Still, it went without saying that most in heaven didn't know him well. They would assume he would favor Belldandy's wish, given just how strong the request was. They would assume he was a giving man, willing to do anything for a goddess that might have earned that right…oh, and had Belldandy ever, at least, that's what most of those in heaven had thought.
In making such an assumption based on mere conjecture, they would be poorly mistaken. Oh, the Almighty heard alright his daughter just fine, as it echoed though his head the loudest. However, he closed his eyes, and willed away the sound of his child's voice. No, he would not answer. This was a time that he would turn a blind eye, and a deaf ear. He would not bless, nor grant her wish.
There was one, however, who sat atop her throne contemplating the sound, and from just who the plea came from. How very odd. Hild, the ruler deep in the bowels of hell thought, perching her chin in the palm of her hand. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. She is his daughter, after all. A goddess's fondest wish shouldn't have ever reached her ears, but it had, and so too had it spurred the queen of domination herself, to consider that fact. Well, a contract is a contract. She smirked, snapping her fingers. It doesn't particularly matter, as long as she summons me.
…
It seemed like any normal morning. A bright sun, bickering at the table, and even the occasional offhanded explosion or two. There was a slight chill in the air due to the spring breeze, but Keiichi was the only one who seemed to notice, dressing a little warmer than he might otherwise. Even then, due to hailing from a cooler climate in his youth, he found the weather pleasant. He dragged himself out of bed, chipper and ready to start the day, and that's when the trouble started.
He'd heard the faint, but very distinct pop that a light bulb makes when it shatters. With only a momentary glance down the hall, he concluded it was nothing to worry about. Going about his morning as usual, he only went to the common area once he was sure he found himself presentable to the females in the house. While it was true that Urd and Skuld had seen him in less, and it was no question that Belldandy wouldn't mind him loafing about in his underwear, he had always felt uncomfortable with the notion of greeting the day without at least a pair of jeans and a cleanly shaven face. Thankfully, he didn't grow much hair in the first place.
"Great…" He groused, looking at the destruction of his yard for the first time that morning. "Who set the yard on fire!" He yelled up at the sky.
"Guilty!" Urd shouted back. "We'll fix it later."
He shook his head, plopping down on the wood floor. At least it was fixable, he knew. "Aw man, how do they have all that energy." The door opened behind him, and he looked up to see Belldandy looking down at him.
"Oh! You're awake." Armed with a tray of breakfast, Belldandy met the mortal with a smile. "I hope you slept well."
"Oh, I did. I could have slept in a little bit longer though, but I need some more time to study." He nodded, scratching the back of his head a bit nervously when he noticed that Belldandy was only in nighttime robes. "What about you?"
"I'm afraid not." Even as she said this, she seemed not at all bothered by the thought. "They've been at it since last night you see, and even though they started well above the atmosphere, somehow they migrated back down here." She gestured to her personal room, or lack of it…and the kitchen, or what was left of it. "They've been playing a little rough."
Now that Keiichi looked a little closer, he could see that Belldandy had in fact been hit with a magical spell in her sleep, caught unaware. "A little?" The house, and yard around them spoke otherwise, at least in his mind. "I'm surprised you haven't rendered them to a crisp yet…"
"Why would I do that?" Her smile was filled with humor, as if Belldandy had in fact terrorized her sisters as soon as she had been rudely awakened. He gave her a look, and she met it with protest. "They could have hurt you." She replied with a blush coloring her face deeply. "I put the room back together, but even so, I wanted them to understand the severity of the situation."
"Belldandy…" He muttered, knowing he must have slept through it. The only way that could have happened, is if she put a spell on him. He looked around, and then back at her. "They didn't see anything, did they?" He asked.
Belldandy shook her head. "They know better that to peep. Besides, they were too busy trying to fly away." Her smile remained in place, the picture of innocence. "They truly don't mean any harm, I promise." As she said this, another bolt sent the nearby wall crashing into a pile of rubble.
As they enjoyed breakfast, they watched the two above them. The eldest and youngest of the household slung their barbs with blunted, sisterly force. Though, if that were the only thing happening, life would have continued on without question. After all, blowing up a kitchen was a daily occurrence, the sisters ran amok often enough. Belldandy merely smiled, watching her siblings at play. That's all it really was, destructive though it seemed. Earth was not yet equipped to deal with divine magic, so each scar in the earth would need to be healed later…but that was inconsequential to the sisters high in the sky.
Even to Belldandy, it mattered not. To and fro, Urd and Skuld would glide through the air, casting their powers at one another.
"I hat it when they do that." Keiichi sighed as he stuffed some food into his mouth to avoid gawking at the now ruined place he called home. He knew it would be fixed eventually, but even that didn't keep him from sighing. "One day, someone's going to catch wind of this, and they aren't going to like it." One of Urd's bolts hit the street. "Provided they could even come up with an explanation." He amended dryly.
He was quite used to the sounds of Skuld shouting across the yard, and even found Urd's cackling to be little more than an annoyance, one easily ignored…Still, even he lamented at the sight of homework that had been torn to tiny pieces. It was his last year in the university, after all, and he had to make it a good one. "On that note, what should I tell my professor about that?" He nodded to his homework, which was a pile of ash.
"Here, let me fix that for you." Belldandy easily put the notebook back together with a snap of her fingers. "There, good as new." She beamed a smile at him.
"Thanks Belldandy." He said truly thankful, stuffing it into his backpack to try to protect it. It was at that moment another stream of magic came their way, and Belldandy quickly deflected it. He watched as Belldandy slapped at the little orb of magic, obliterating it without a second thought. It was as if she'd batted at a fly, instead of Urd's powerful spell. "They really need to watch where they're throwing those things." He said as he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Urd, be careful." Belldandy called out. In her usual fashion, she warned them not to get overzealous. In truth, she was merely amused with their antics, though, she would be fibbing if she didn't admit some concern. "Keiichi still hasn't gone to school, and I would appreciate it if he could leave unscathed."
"You got it." The eldest Norn shouted, sending another charge flying, forcing Skuld to move away from above the ruins of the shrine where the young goddess had taken refuge.
At that, Belldandy turned to the frazzled man, smiling at him. "Skuld needs to learn how to control her magic, even if all she can really do right now is deflect oncoming attacks. Fighting with Urd gives her those important skills." Though, she wasn't exactly fond of the puddle that was flowing all over the house due to a broken water pipe, she allowed the ruckus to be what it was. "If she would go back to heaven, she would be fighting with other children her own age...just as Urd and I used to do."
"You used to fight with Urd?" Somehow, that didn't seem to fit, and he merely awaited an answer. "No way..."
"Well, we did fight, though I can't say it was instigated." Her words were delivered with a far away gaze, and she sipped on some tea to recall the long ago past. "In my youth, I fought often with my classmates. It was the given instruction of our tutors. Goddesses of any license and category should learn some measure of self-defense." At that, she merely frowned, her happiness dampening a little bit in regards to the youngest sibling. "Skuld doesn't have anyone to teach her that sort of thing. Urd may not seem like it, but she cares a lot about Skuld's welfare...even if it seems like they're just ripping into each other with explosives, there's more going on than that."
"If you say so." The man replied lamely. A day of classes would have kept Keiichi busy for any length of time. Today however, was not one of those days. Even so, he still chose to go to the community library, at Urd's behest. "I'm going to head out, but I'll be back later, okay?" He didn't know why the eldest Norn wanted him out of the house, but, he simply assumed it had to do with this training of Skuld's. "Make sure they don't kill each other."
"You shouldn't worry, Keiichi." She told him with a smile. "I promise you, they won't hurt each other. I'll even have the house put together before you arrive home, I promise." Obediently, Belldandy agreed, seeing him off. Keiichi got onto his bike after that, zooming away at a moderate speed, his mind on the studying that would greet him when he arrived, instead of the mess he had left behind. He had complete confidence in Belldandy, and that alone was enough for him.
