Disclaimer: AMG is not mine.

Ah! My Goddess!

Haloes

Chapter 2

Stuck on You

Belldandy watched her sister sit down across from her, but the elder Norn wouldn't meet her eyes. Instead, she gazed off to the side, her expression sad.

"I didn't contact you, Neesan," Belldandy told her. "I don't know who you were talking to in that dream, but it wasn't me."

For the first time since she began her story, Urd smiled. "I know. And he knew too." She looked up and met her sister's eyes. "I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Not until the next morning when the System Force made it clear."

"The System Force?" Belldandy asked.

"The contract was uploaded and sealed during the night," Urd explained. "And it seemed to us that the System Force, after what happened to you, wasn't going to take any chances."

Ten years ago...

Urd opened her eyes and let out a soft groan. She'd slept awfully, and that dream...

She sighed. She should have expected Belldandy to react that way. Her younger sister was right, after all. Who was she to think she could hold a candle to Belldandy?

It doesn't matter, she told herself. A few weeks, tops.

It was as she was reassuring herself of this that she looked up and saw a familiar, pajama-clad figure lying not far away.

"Keiichi?" she asked. She supposed the lady-like thing to do at this point would be to cover herself and screech, wearing only a black camisole, but the Norn's philosophy had always been "if you don't want men to see it, cover it up."

She crawled over to him and shook his shoulder.

"Oi," she called. "Wake up."

The boy's eyes fluttered open and caught sight of her. This act somehow propelled him across the room into a corner.

"Urd! Jeez! I didn't mean to... um..."

She grinned slyly. "Oh? You sneak into my room in the dead of night to... what, exactly?"

The embarrassed expression evaporated, leaving only mirthless ire. "Jeez, Urd," he muttered.

"Relax, Keiichi," she said, rising to her feet. "But just so I know what to tell Belldandy when she gets back..." She smiled for his benefit. "Maybe you could tell me what did bring you here?"

The boy rubbed his eyes and stood up. "I heard you tossing and turning last night. I came to check on you, and the... symbol... thingie... on your head was glowing."

She blinked. "It was?"

"Yeah," he replied with a nod. "Then there was a flash and the next thing I know you're waking me up."

She put her finger to her lip in thought. "Sounds like they amended the contract and downloaded it." The goddess sighed. "Well, sounds like it's official, then. That should keep the goddess squad off our backs. All we have to do is get Belldandy back."

Relaxing a little, Keiichi took a breath. "Yeah. No sweat, right?"

"But before then and while you're making breakfast, I'd like to get dressed," she hinted with a smile.

His eyebrow twitched. "Coco Puffs it is," he sighed, starting for the door.

As he walked past, Urd went to her dresser. She turned back a moment later at the sound of metallic clicks behind her. Keiichi was pulling at the door with no effect.

"I think your lock's broken," he said.

"You might have to jiggle it a little," she said, stepping toward him. Just as she came up alongside him, the door suddenly slid open.

"Got it," he said.

She turned and started for her dresser. As Keiichi took a step into the hall, there was a sudden crash, and he cried out.

"Keiichi!" she cried, turning to the sound.

The mortal boy stood just inside the room. Out in the hall, a ceiling support had fallen diagonally across the door, blocking it.

"That... was... close," he breathed. "That storm must have been bad."

She stepped toward him to help him push the support out of the way, but as she came abreast of him, the beam suddenly fell the rest of the way to the floor, clearing the path.

They both stood there a moment, blinking.

"Okay, that was a little weird," he noted. He started for the door, but Urd put a hand on his shoulder.

"Just a sec," she said. "Stand perfectly still." With that warning, she stepped across the room away from him and started waving to him. "Bye bye, Keiichi!" she cried.

At that moment, the rest of the ceiling just outside the door collapsed in, blocking the door with a pile of wood and drywall.

Keiichi stood there, shaking. If he had taken a step out...

He turned and found Urd glaring accusingly at the doorway. "Well, this complicates matters," she muttered.

"What is it?" he demanded.

"It's the System Force," she said. "It's trying to keep us in the same room."

"Taking it a little far, don't you think?" he asked. "I mean, it was pretty annoying for me and Belldandy at first, but it never tried to kill us."

"I don't think that's what it's doing now," she told him. "But it's definitely taken a sharp lurch toward the aggressive."

"Why?" he asked, puzzled. "I mean... if it wasn't like this for Belldandy, then why..."

"The System Force is tricky, Keiichi," she said, opening her dresser and taking out a pair of panties and a bra. Seeing her do this, Keiichi cleared his throat and turned away, giving her some privacy as she explained her theory. "It was supposed to keep you and Belldandy together, but it failed. It may be taking things a bit more seriously now."

He stared at the debris as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. "Are you saying the System Force feels bad about Belldandy getting sealed so it's overreacting now?"

"Maybe," she allowed with a sigh as she put on a purple blouse and buttoned it up. "Or maybe the Almighty One instructed it to be this way. Who knows? Well... maybe Freya knows, but for us that's the same thing..."

"Great," he muttered. "So what do we do? We can't stay in the same room all the time. I mean... well... eventually things are going to get awkward..."

"We'll figure something out," she replied, placing a hand on his shoulder and letting him know it was okay to turn around. "Come on. Let's go to your room so you can get dressed and then get some Coco Puffs."

As they both approached the door, some of the debris slid aside, giving them a small hole to move through. The two walked down the hall toward Keiichi's room, making sure that they didn't allow more than a foot of space between them. Once there, Keiichi dressed while Urd stared out the window.

Finally ready to face the day, Keiichi led Urd toward the kitchen, giving a mournful sigh as he passed the living room. In the two weeks Belldandy had been gone, the usually immaculate sitting room had become disheveled. He vowed to clean it up today. He didn't want Belldandy coming home to a filthy house.

They found Skuld already at the table, munching on the last of the cereal.

"You could have saved some," Urd told her.

"Sure could have," Skuld sullenly quipped as she ate another spoonful, not even bothering to look at her sister or Keiichi.

Keiichi bit the inside of his cheek at the exchange. Skuld had seemed off lately, more withdrawn. At first, she had vowed to find Belldandy and release her from her seal, working on some invention in her lab, but as the days went by without even a word on how to even get to Hild, her enthusiasm had ebbed. He added talking to her to his list of things to do today.

If Urd had noticed Skuld's change in behavior, she made no sign. The older goddess was rooting through the cabinets, trying to find something that could pass as breakfast. Finally, the Norn gave up and closed the cabinets.

"Great," she muttered. "We're out of everything. Even that moldy cheese Gan chan's been eating is long gone."

"Belldandy handled the shopping," Keiichi sighed.

Urd clenched her fist. "One more good reason to get her back as soon as possible." She sighed again. "I guess we're going to have to go shopping."

"Is that a good idea?" Keiichi asked. "Going out, I mean? With the System Force and all?"

Skuld looked up and blinked at him. "What's the System Force got against you?"

Keiichi gave her a brief rundown on the events of the previous day and Urd's theory about the System Force.

The young goddess's expression went from mildly interested to disapprovingly suspicious. "I see," she said. "How convenient..."

"Convenient?" Keiichi asked.

Skuld turned her angry visage away from him. "Oneesama is sealed away and you go and get yourself a brand new goddess to take her place, huh? It must be nice..."

"What are you talking about?!" Keiichi demanded angrily. "We didn't have a choice! It was this or some other goddess!"

"Yeah, but at least Karisuma could cook," Skuld noted pointedly.

Urd turned to her, annoyed by her sister's comments. "Do we have a problem, Skuld?!"

Skuld glared at her. "I guess not. Have fun together." She stood up and started for the hall. "I'm going back to my lab."

The older goddess glared at her, but Keiichi decided to try to break the tension. "What are you building in there, anyway?" he asked.

The raven-haired girl stopped short, but didn't turn to them. "A machine," she said. "Something to save Oneesama with. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to it."

Without another word to them, she stalked down the hall.

"What in the name of Hild's left tit is her problem?!" Urd cried.

Keiichi continued to look sadly down the hall. "The same problem we all have," he told her quietly. "Belldandy's gone."

888

Keiichi grabbed his jacket and his keys and led Urd toward the front door.

"No choice," he said. "We're going to have to brave the supermarket."

"That's the big place with the food, right?" Urd asked.

Not one hundred percent sure she was joking, Keiichi sighed. "Yes, Urd. That's the big place with the food."

"Great, I wrote a list," she said, handing him a torn envelope.

He read over it. "This is just a list of liquor brands," he pointed out.

"Yes," she replied with a nod. "Yes, it is."

The boy sighed again. "We kind of have a cash situation, Urd," he said. "You're going to have to cut back..."

"Woah, woah, woah!" she responded, holding her hands up. "That wasn't part of the deal, Morisato!"

He pulled the door open. "Yeah, well..." He broke off as he turned and saw Megumi standing there, her hand poised to knock. "Megumi!"

"Hey, big brother," she said. "Just wanted to drop by and turn you onto something." The girl stepped inside and shrugged her jacket off. "You guys heading out?"

"Just to the store," Urd told her.

"Okay, check this out," Megumi said, looking quickly down the hall.

"What are you looking for?" Urd asked.

"Belldandy," she replied. "This would be an awesome way to surprise her. I have tickets to one of those midnight harbor dinner cruises. You need to totally ask Be..."

Keiichi bit his lip and turned sad. For the past two weeks, they had been telling people that Belldandy was out on errands. Now...

"Megumi..."

"No, it's cool. I fixed old man Mizuhara's tow truck for them, and it's not like I have a boyfriend or..."

"Belldandy's gone," he interrupted.

She looked at him in puzzlement. As if someone had just told her elves were responsible for making the cookies she liked. "Huh?"

"She's gone," he repeated. "I don't know when she's going to be back."

"You mean she's out of town? That's cool. These tickets are good for six months..."

"Megumi..."

"Where is she, anyway?" Megumi asked.

Keiichi took a breath, his chest constricting as he tried to come up with a lie that was believable enough to work without getting emotional about the truth. "She's... um..."

"She's overseas," Urd butted in. "It's... well... it's complicated. She might be going to a foreign school."

"Like an exchange program?" Megumi asked.

"Exactly," Urd lied her ass off.

"Well... that's cool. You say she might be going?"

"Yeah," Urd went on as Keiichi turned away for a moment to compose himself. The goddess threw him a quick look to check on him before addressing Megumi again. "She has to take the entrance exams and do an interview."

"Wow," Megumi said without the kind of enthusiasm one might expect. "Where?"

"Amsterdam," Urd said at the exact same moment Keiichi said, "California."

Megumi arched an eyebrow.

"Amsterdam, California!" Urd recovered quickly. "It's north of... um... Chicago..."

"Ah," Megumi said. She eyed her brother warily. "So... does that mean you're moving too?" she asked tentatively.

"No," he said, forcing a smile. "No, I'm going to be staying."

"Oh, Kei chan, I'm so sorry," Megumi told him, reaching out and squeezing his arm.

"Yeah, but she'll be back," Urd said, trying to put a happy spin on things.

Megumi gave her a knowing look, and the goddess knew what she wanted to say. A long distance relationship? Please...

"So when would she leave?" Megumi asked aloud instead.

Keiichi decided to just take the lie and run with it. "She wouldn't be back if they accept her," he said simply.

"Well," Megumi said sympathetically, "I know this sounds wrong to say, but I really hope she fails."

"Somehow, I don't think she will," Keiichi told her.

"In that case," she said, "Do you still want these tickets? I can't think of anyone else who might want them..."

"No," he said tiredly. "Sorry, Megumi, but I can't think of anyone. Maybe Otaki senpai..."

She nodded. "Okay, I'll give him a shot."

Feeling the awkwardness level in the room go up, Megumi told her brother to hang in there and then excused herself. Keiichi stood at the door for several minutes, looking at the doorhandle.

"You okay?" Urd asked.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "Yeah, I'm good." He gave her a quick glance. "Nice save on that college thing."

She shrugged. "What can I say? Lying comes naturally to me."

He sighed but smiled just a little. "At least you're using your super powers for good instead of evil."

She grinned. "Most of the time, Keiichi." The goddess winked. "Most of the time."

888

"Okay," Keiichi said, grabbing a basket at the entrance of the supermarket. "Just the essen..." He broke off as he heard the clinking of glass and felt the basket get heavier. Looking down, he found two bottles of sake and a pint of tequila sitting in the red basket. "These aren't essentials," he noted dryly.

"According to who?" Urd asked, checking off items on her list.

"Look, Urd, I don't get paid until the end of the week, and I can't go to work today because of this whole System Force thing, so humor me, okay?"

"Okay, okay," she said, taking out the bottle of tequila. "Only what's needed to survive. How's that?"

He sighed.

"C'mon, Keiichi," she said, with a smile. "I'll even share it with you."

"Whipee," he commented without a touch of enthusiasm.

The two wandered down the aisles, repeating the process entailing Urd putting something in the basket and Keiichi taking it out again, but it was all done in silence. After awhile, the hush started to make Urd uncomfortable.

"Ne," she said. "What is it?"

Keiichi paused. "I'm just worried about her, you know?" he replied. His hand came to rest on a box of noodles. "Urd... does it hurt when you're sealed? I mean... is she... is she in any pain?"

"Well," she said quietly, "In that, at least, you can rest easy. It's kind of like getting knocked out. When she is released, she'll be a little dizzy and disoriented and then go right back to being herself."

He regarded her carefully. "You sound like you speak from experience," he said.

The goddess shrugged and smiled sardonically. "I once did a nickel in an oil lamp," she said. "It's not bad. It's... It's like falling asleep when you don't mean to and waking up knowing you forgot to do something. It's the losing time that sucks the worst."

Keiichi looked down at the floor. "But it's easier for you in a way," he said. "I mean... you don't really age, do you?"

She bit her lip. "Yeah, I guess you and her are a special case," she allowed. "We do 'age,' it's just not as obvious. It's changes in your perspective, your bearing. You can kind of see it in a goddess's eyes.

"Do you dream?" he asked.

The vision, the conversation she had with her sister the night before came screaming back to her.

"Sometimes," she said quietly. She saw the look in his eyes and decided to try to put his mind at ease. "When I was in that lamp, I had this dream where I was sitting on a beach where the sun was always setting. And you know what was really weird?"

He shook his head.

"It was weird because I should have gotten bored five minutes into it and started looking for something to do, but instead, I just sat there and watched it for five years." She chuckled. "There wasn't even any sake."

"So... you think that's where Belldandy is?" he asked. "Sitting on a beach somewhere?"

"Probably not," she replied with a shrug. "She's probably having some kind of Belldandy-ish dream where she's waiting for the dryer to buzz."

"Yeah, I guess so," he allowed. He decided to change the subject. "You mentioned a lead..."

"Yeah," she said, remembering their conversation from yesterday. "Here's the trick, we have to actually get Hild to come here. I think I know a way to summon her without her realizing it's us, but before we do that, we have another problem."

"Which is?"

"What are we going to do when she gets here?" she asked. "Right now it's just you, me and Skuld. We need some muscle or she's just going to laugh at us and take off again."

He sighed. "Maybe Skuld was right," the boy admitted quietly. "Maybe we should have kept Karisuma around."

Urd rolled her eyes. "Keiichi, Karisuma wasn't here to help us get Belldandy back. Trust me, we're better off without her. But we are going to need help."

"Peorth?"

He saw her face pinch and gave her a questioning look.

"Look, I've got nothing against Peorth," she began, "But we might only get one shot at this. I'd prefer someone who isn't quite so... flaky."

"Lind?"

She shook her head. "Lind can't do freelance work. She only works for the Almighty."

"Then who?"

"I don't know yet," she said, biting her lip. "Give me a little time to work on it. It probably will be Peorth. All the same... let's just wait and see."

888

As the two entered the house, their arms laden with bags, Keiichi could hear the sound of the TV on in the next room. Resting the bags on the kitchen counter, he stepped toward the doorframe and found Skuld sitting in front of the television, a bowl of ice cream in her hand.

"Hey," he said casually. He wasn't sure how to deal with Skuld. She was obviously taking Belldandy's disappearance very hard, and unfortunately her preconceived hostility toward him didn't give him much room to work in with her. "Taking a break?"

Her eyes shot to him. "Break?"

"Yeah," he said. "From your invention. The machine to rescue Belldandy," he prompted.

She shot to her feet, leaving the bowl of ice cream on the floor. "Jeez, I'm working on it, okay!?" she said.

"I didn't mean it like that," he said cautiously. "I know you're working hard..."

"Butt out, Keiichi!" she said as she stormed back to her room.

He sighed. Urd came up behind him. "Is she still being a pill?" the goddess asked.

"Yeah," he said.

Urd checked her watch. "Okay, you're not going to like this..."

"What?" he asked, blinking.

"I need to take a bath," she said.

He turned red. "So skip it," he told her.

She sighed. "I can't. A goddess has to purify once a day."

He blinked, and his face pinched. She was right. Belldandy had told him as much when she had accidentally gotten their hands stuck together.

"Well, look... I mean..."

The goddess sighed again and pointed a glare in his direction. "Okay, Keiichi, look, if this is going to continue, we're going to have to have a few ground rules."

"You are advocating ground rules?" he asked, his arms folded over his chest.

"Yes," she said. "Look, under the circumstances, we're going to have to admit that things can't go on as they did before, right?"

He nodded. "I'll buy that."

"Okay, so let's start with this: You're not a pervert, and I'm not a voyeuristic tramp. I don't tease you about peeking and you don't assume I'm putting on a show. How about that for Rule Number One?"

The boy gulped. "Um... okay..."

She grinned. "Good."

"Rule Two," he said suddenly. "We're both going to have to take over some of the things Belldandy did. That means one of us is going to have to cook, and the other is going to have to clean. I'll let you pick."

"Then I pick the third option: watch TV and drink," she responded darkly.

"That's not an option."

"Then it's not a rule," she said. "Remember, I'm doing this for you. That doesn't mean I become a live-in maid."

The two stared at one another, neither willing to give ground on this.

"It's not like that," he argued.

"Oh, I bet it's not," she said, starting for the bathroom. Keiichi stepped up to follow her. "You got used to having a domestic goddess around the house, cooking and cleaning your clothes."

"And so did you," he said, watching her twitch. "I don't recall ever seeing you turn down a meal Belldandy made."

She grumbled.

"It has nothing to do with the wish," he said. "It's a matter of everyone in this house pitching in a little."

"And what's Skuld going to pitch in?" she asked petulantly.

He rubbed his temples. "We need someone to throw bombs at me and build weapons of mass destruction," he snarked.

"Fine! I'll do that, and she can clean!"

He stopped walking, and it took Urd a moment to realize it. Turning, she blinked. "Well?" she asked.

"Well what?" he replied.

"Oh, I see how this is going to be," she said, folding her arms over her chest. "You're going to hold my bath hostage, huh?"

"Don't see why I shouldn't," he said. "After all, it looks like I'm the one who's going to have to wash the bathroom."

She growled.

Suddenly, the door between them opened, and Skuld poked her head out. "Hey! Veronica and Jughead! Shut up! I'm trying to work in here!" She turned to Urd. "You get off your butt and do some chores! And you..." She turned to Keiichi. "Just let the woman take her bath!"

The door slammed shut.

The two were silent for a moment.

"Wisdom from the mouths of babes, huh?" Urd quipped with a sigh.

The door shot open again. "And don't call me a kid!"

It shut again.

888

He sat down on the bathroom floor, his back to the tub as he heard the water moving to accept Urd's presence. The boy studied the wood panel wall as the goddess soaked behind him.

They sat in silence, and Keiichi mulled on their earlier conversation. Finally, he worked up some nerve and spoke up.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Maybe being with Belldandy has spoiled me a little..."

He heard the water stop moving. "No," Urd said with a hint of a grumble. "We've all been spoiled. And I guess..." She trailed off and said nothing.

"What?" he pressed, holding back the urge to look over his shoulder to try to divine her expression.

The water splashed a bit. "I guess... Look, Keiichi, I'm never going to be Belldandy. I'm nothing like my sister. I don't want you thinking you got a raw deal just because I'm different."

He stifled a chuckle. "Trust me, Urd, I'd never dare think of you as anything like Belldandy."

The water went still. "What do you mean?"

There was something in the tone, the way the question was asked.

The boy cleared his throat. "Nothing, it's just that... well... you're nothing like her..."

Silence.

Keiichi started to turn but caught himself. "What is it?" he asked in concern.

"It's nothing," she said.

He sighed. It took him two years to begin to understand Belldandy. He wondered how long it would take to figure out Urd. He decided to change the subject.

"How long do you think the System Force is going to take this so personally?" he asked.

Again he felt like he had said something wrong. "What?" he asked. "What is it?"

He heard the water moving. "I think I know why it's being this way," she said.

"Oh?" he said, determined to move very carefully through the verbal minefield from here on out.

"Yeah," she said carefully. "It's me."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"It doesn't have any faith in me," she said sadly. "It thinks I'm going to run."

"What?" he cried, incredulous.

He could almost see her nod. "Freya said she was concerned about whether or not I could do this for the long haul, and last night..." She broke off again.

"Last night?"

She took a breath. "Last night... I talked to Belldandy."

"What?!" he gasped. "How!? Where?!"

"She came to me in a dream," she said. "She asked about you, and I told her I was taking over the contract."

He said nothing, too shocked to speak.

"She... was less than enthused about the idea," Urd went on. "She suggested I might just up and abandon you if things got tough."

Keiichi felt his heartbeat slow a little. He smiled sadly and spoke.

"You didn't talk to Belldandy," he said simply.

The water splashed in indignation. "I think I would know, Keiichi."

"So would I, but you didn't speak to Belldandy last night," he repeated. "I know Belldandy. And Belldandy wouldn't say anything like that. No, scratch that," he suddenly said. "She wouldn't even think anything like that."

The water was still as Keiichi went on.

"Look, I admit, in the past you've done things that make people think you're less than dependable, but you know who's always defended you? Belldandy. If she really knew what you had done, taking over her contract for her, she'd be relieved... I think she'd be proud of you."

"Keiichi..."

"She has faith in you, Urd," he said solemnly. "And so do I."

He heard her clear her throat. "Um... thanks, Keiichi," she said quietly.

"You know what I think?" he asked. "I think the System Force is picking up on your thoughts on this. Maybe if you just accept what Belldandy and I think on this, it'll back off. So you're just going to have to accept it, okay?"

She let out a chuckle.

"Oh," he added. "And you have to do some of the chores," he added.

She let out a laugh. "Okay! You win!"

He heard the water splash as she stood up. "Come on. It's your turn."

888

Keiichi sat up and yawned, looking over at the digital alarm clock near the futon. In the futon on the other side of the room, Urd was snoring. It was three-thirty in the morning. Scratching himself absently, the drowsy mortal opened the bedroom door and stepped outside.

He was halfway to the bathroom when he finally woke up enough to realize what he had done. Keiichi cried out and quickly dived to the floor, his hands over his head in anticipation of the System Force's revenge.

Nothing.

Opening one eye, he cautiously looked out to find nothing. He rose to his knees, still unsure.

"Keiichi?"

Turning, he saw Urd poking her head out of his room.

"What is it?" she asked.

"The house is intact," he said with an air of incredulity.

Urd looked warily up at the ceiling. "Huh," she noted. "Maybe you were onto something after all."

He looked back at her and blinked. "What?"

She smiled at him. "I think we're going to be okay." The goddess started down the hall. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to my room for a proper night's sleep." She waved. "I'll see you tomorrow around... oh... two or three..."

Keiichi watched her go and smiled. "Yeah," he called back. He grinned. "Just don't forget to clean the bathroom."

"Not funny!" she called back.

He heard the door close, and he took a breath. "We're going to be okay."