Reckless Heart
An Ahh! Megami-sama Fanfiction
By Underlord Backlash
Disclaimer: I do not own the AMS series. Kosuke Fujishima created it.
(Foreword for Part 1: Many ancient beliefs hold that Gods speak two distinct languages; one that is used for conversing with other Gods, and another that is understandable by any human. The human would hear this language in the language most easily understandable to them. Gods are naturally able to speak any human language. This is my basis for the English to Japanese language barrier between the characters.)
Part 1
Keiichi, Urd, and Skuld all stood up instantly. Where had Belldandy just gone; and where did she get this boy? Belldandy was holding the boy like a mother would, trying to calm him down. This had about zero success. The boy was hysterical, screaming in English, through which Urd and Skuld could make out something about "They're all dead!" Keiichi however, could not make out anything. Trusting their sister, the two other Goddesses ushered Keiichi out of the room.
Belldandy continued to hold the boy. He did not stop screaming and crying for more than an hour, at which he finally passed out from exhaustion. He had been crying so much, that his tears had washed his face clean of the blood. Skuld stepped into the room. "O-- Onee-chan… Who is he?"
Belldandy looked at her sister. "Seventeen years ago I granted a mother's wish. It was for someone just like me to watch over her son if he was ever left alone in the world. His family has just been killed." Belldandy's face was pained, since the nature of the wish had left her, quite literally, feeling the boy's pain. She touched a hand to his forehead, and light washed over his skin and clothes like liquid. The blood disappeared from him. "Have Urd… no, better make that have Keiichi, get the guest room ready. The boy needs to be let sleep."
"Sure thing Onee-chan." Skuld turned to leave but glanced around before she did. "Ano…what's his name?"
Belldandy thought for a moment. "His name is Terence. Terence McCarron."
***
Two hours later, Terence woke up. He looked around. This was definitely not where he had been when everyone died. He froze. Now that he had calmed down, the full horror of what had happened hit him.
He had been at his family reunion. Everyone had been so happy, and his greatest worry was what cousin to give a piggyback ride to next. Then the door to the rest of the hotel burst open. Some madman rushed in and started firing everywhere. He saw everyone else dying, even as he tried to get the little kids to safety. They were gunned down from behind, yet… the bullets never touched him. Every one of them swerved when it got close, as though it was going crazy. He had felt his four-year-old cousin die in his arms, and had seen the others crumple like paper dolls around him. The last two things he saw before being whisked off by something were the madman shooting his mother, then himself. All he remembered after that had been someone holding him, and his crying.
He spoke in a whisper. "How in God's name am I alive?" He heard voices outside the room. He got up and slid the door open, peering carefully down the hall. The voices were coming from down a flight of stairs. He creeped down them, and looked into the room. There were four people sitting around a table. Three of them were the most beautiful women he had ever seen. The oldest looking was tanned with platinum blonde hair, and had an almost predatory aura around her. Terence did not like her at all. The middle one seemed to emit all things warm, happy, and otherwise nice. He felt he knew her from a long time ago. The third looked about his age in appearance. Her figure was flawless, like the other two. She appeared to have a childish disposition, very playful, but her eyes…they revealed a genius unlike any he had seen before. The man sitting at the table seemed normal, if a bit short for the age he seemed to be. For the sake of non-confusion, he mentally labeled them each as Hunter, Big Sister, Slyph, and Shrimp, respectively. He listened intently to what they were saying.
Big Sister seemed to be undergoing a light interrogation from Hunter and Slyph. Shrimp was apparently just listening to what was going on. "So how long is he going to stay with us?" asked Slyph to Big Sister.
"As long as he needs to, " replied Big Sister. "He has no family anymore, and he needs to at least complete high school and college." At this long-term implication, Shrimp seemed to object. 'Seem' because he was not speaking in a language that Terence could understand. The woman seemed to understand clearly enough, though. She put on a smile like the one Terence's ex-girlfriend always used to get him to agree to something. Terence saw that the smile had the same affect on Shrimp, since he seemed to consent to the idea with a limp nod.
'Well, they can stop worrying about that, no way I'm staying here. I need to get home.' He turned to get back upstairs and maybe out through a window. He glanced at his clothes and hands. He could've sworn he had been covered in blood last he saw anything. He was so surprised that he forgot to stay quiet. "What the?" His eyes bulged and he clamped his hands over his mouth. Too late.
The Goddesses and Keiichi all looked in the direction of the noise. The boy had woken up. Urd floated over to the boy, lying level in the air with his head. She tapped him on the shoulder. "Well, are you going to turn around and let us see what you look like cleaned up?" She placed a finger on his neck and ran it upwards, flicking his ponytail.
Terence suddenly found himself covered in goose bumps. With his head shaking, he turned around to face the voice. The one he had called Hunter was floating in midair. Terence froze. The silence and stillness lasted about a minute. Hunter blinked, Terence screamed. "What the hell?!" He attempted to scramble up the stairs, but failed to notice that he was currently facing half each way. He tripped and rolled down the stairs. He hit the floor...hard. He attempted to scramble to his feet, but Hunter stepped on his ponytail, pinning it to the floor, and keeping him where he was. Since it was the only option left open to him, he started screaming again. "Letmego!Letmego!Letmego!"
Keiichi turned to Belldandy. "Is there someway you can make him speak Japanese?"
Belldandy thought for a moment, "Well…there is a universal language and understanding spell; but the way it's cast…" She started to blush. She looked at Urd. "Urd, would you?"
Urd raised one eyebrow and gave her usual alluring/evil smile. "No problem sis, he's pretty cute anyway." She picked up Terence and blew softly into his ear, causing him to turn beet red. She then kissed him on the lips. "Bless ears and tongue with understanding and knowledge." She then dropped him rather ungracefully. "Done." Terence probably would have protested to being dropped, if he could've stopped blushing and babbling like an idiot.
Terence was furious on the inside. Hunter, or Urd as Big Sister had called her, had made him fall down the stairs, pinned him to the floor, humiliated him, then just dropped him like a bad habit. He finally shook off the blushing and curled up his face into his nastiest scowl and directed it at Urd, "Back off witch." He promptly flipped her the bird. He was not what one would call gracious for his new ability with languages.
Urd would have been all too glad to blast Terence into tiny pieces, but since Belldandy was supposed to be taking care of him, she would probably be angry about that. So, she took a page out of Skuld's book, and branded 'BRAT' across his face. To her disappointment, he looked as though he couldn't care less. Having everyone in your family killed before your eyes can have that affect on a person. "Is this supposed to bother me? You're going to have to do better than that to annoy a dead man."
Belldandy's expression turned to concern, "What do you mean 'dead'?" She was certain the boy was alive, not a ghost or anything like that.
Terence looked as though it couldn't be more obvious. "My whole family's dead, what have I got left to live for?" He looked at them all. "Could any of you do me a favor and just kill me?"
Everyone was somewhat taken aback by Terence. Why in God's name would he want to die? Skuld was looking at him like he had something weird crawling on him, which, upon putting on her glasses, she noticed he actually did. It was a bug. She pulled out her hammer, plucked the bug off, and squashed it. "Onee-chan, I think that bug was the reason Terence survived."
Belldandy's eyes widened slightly, "What do you mean?"
Skuld sat back down and sighed, "Well, when you played back his memory, you said that he saw the bullets swerving away from him, right?" Belldandy nodded and Skuld continued. "Well, the glitch caused by that particular bug was repelling stuff away from it. So technically, Terence's survival was an accident."
Terence sat up and snorted. "I don't know what kind of 'bugs' you're talking about or anything, but if it was an accident that I survived, go ahead and finish me off. Or just give me a knife or a gun and I'll do it myself." He started tapping his foot, wondering what was taking any of them so long. After about twenty seconds his patience was exhausted and he stood up. "Che, forget this. I've got some stuff to take care of at home before I die anyway. Excuse me, but am I still in Westchester?"
Urd, Skuld, and Keiichi all responded in one voice. "Westchester?" They all turned to Belldandy.
Belldandy gave her usual eyes-lit-up-along-with-a-smile expression. "That's where he's from, in America."
The phone rang and Belldandy picked it up. "Hello, this is Belldandy speaking. May I ask who's calling, please?" She paused as her eyes widened slightly, "Oh, good morning almighty one. Is there a problem?………Mmhmm……..I understand……of course almighty one. Good day." She hung up the phone and turned to the others. "That was the almighty, he said Terence has to stay with us until he finishes high school, and most likely college as well." She looked at him more directly. "All your stuff from your old room will arrive here in about an hour; all your family's assets are being transferred to your bank account, which will then be transferred to a local account; and a paper declaring me your legal guardian should also arrive in the mail soon. A lot of work for granting one wish, don't you think?"
Terence blinked. Had…Belldandy was it?…just said granting a wish? What in the world was she talking about, and where was he? "Umm, whoever said they're sending my stuff here, you better just call them back and tell them to forget it. I'm going home--" He cut off abruptly. Had she said 'in America'? Where was he? "Err, excuse me, but, what country am I in?"
The Goddesses and Keiichi answered in one voice. "Japan."
Terence's eyes shot open. "Japan? How the hell did I get here?" He rubbed his arms and neck, checking to see if he had been drugged or something, a needle would have left a mark. He knew he must have passed out, but there was no way he could have slept for what would have to have been a fifteen hour flight. It had to be a lie. "No possible way is that true."
Belldandy tilted her head. "Goddesses are incapable of lying. Well, they're supposed to be." She glanced at Urd, who turned her head and snorted. "You're here because just after you were born, I granted a wish of your mother's that someone just like me would take care of you if you were ever left alone in the world. Since God has decreed that no two beings be exactly alike, it means I have to take care of you. My sisters and I are Goddesses. I am Belldandy, this is my older sister Urd, my younger sister Skuld, and my husband, Keiichi Morisato. You might as well start to think of us as family, since you have to stay with us."
"No offense ma'am, but that has no chance in hell of happening. I am no one's charity case. I appreciate the offer and everything, but no thanks. If you really want to help me, just tell whoever was on the phone to forget everything except transferring my family's accounts to mine. I'm not staying here." He breathed out heavily, and started for the door, muttering to himself, "I need some air." However, upon sliding open the front door, he walked right into a bookcase, one that appeared identical to the one in his room at home. In fact, just behind the bookcase, was what looked like the entire contents of his room, including his entire collection of manga and anime. His jaw dropped and he sputtered. "This is… not possible." His eye twitched violently.
Belldandy noticed the pile of furniture outside the door. "Oh my, the delivery was quicker than they said it would be."
All this was too much for Terence to deal with at the time. He dealt with the overabundant weirdness the best way he could think of. He fainted. The last thing he heard was Belldandy's concerned voice. "Oh dear, we'd better put him back in bed."