The Eye of Heaven

by pierre15208

Belldandy's hiding a secret from Keiichi. What could it be? And why is a senior official from Heaven visiting Hild? And Lind finally takes a vacation...at Tarikihongan Temple. Another Goddess running amok in Nekomi City!

2. Part 2

Chapter 4

The moment Baldur mentioned the Eye of Heaven, he knew that he had put one over on the two demons. Their blank stares told him everything he needed to know. After all, he himself had only found out about the Eye a short time ago. The fact that he had knowledge that they'd probably kill to receive made him feel very self confident.

Heaven held many secrets. So many that even a God as highly placed as he couldn't possibly know them all. But Baldur knew that to get what he wanted, Hild and Marller were the key. Of course, upon the mention of the Eye, The Damaikaicho and her number one assistant were also thinking the same thing. Both sides set to work trying to figure out how to exploit the other while making them think that THEY were in control.

Baldur brushed another imaginary piece of lint from his robes and continued, "I see that I have you at a loss. Please let me enlighten you. The Eye of Heaven is a jewel. It looks like an ordinary ruby, very deep red. Nothing to get excited about, appearance-wise. There are stones in Heaven and even on Earth that are much more beautiful and precious looking. But any similarity between the Eye and an ordinary jewel ends there. It is the product of very old and powerful magic, dating back tens of thousands of years.

"As to what the Eye does, very little is known. There are rumors that it was the source of power that created Yggdrasil. There are those who believe that possession of the Eye gives the holder power that rivals Kami-sama's himself. But these are only rumors. There are only three individuals in Heaven other than Kami-sama who know about the true function of the Eye. They are the Norns of Time. Belldandy, Urd and Skuld. It is said that they and they alone have the knowledge that can unlock the secrets of the Eye of Heaven.

"But therein lies the rub. If anyone were to ask the goddesses about the Eye, they would not be able to tell them about it because those secrets were sealed under a topic of Special Significance. The secrets of the Eye of Heaven were locked away in each of the goddess's minds by a powerful blocking spell. The goddesses don't even know that they possess such memories. The unbinding spell to open the Eye was divided into three parts, and each goddess has access to only one of those parts. Without the other two, the spell is useless. The only way to activate the Eye is to have all three goddesses present and in contact with the jewel. Only then, will the parts of the unbinding be made known to them."

Hild said, "Well that's a captivating story, but frankly, I fail to see what this has to do with Marller and I."

Baldur replied indignantly, "It should be painfully clear what this has to do with you. I need your help in securing the Eye."

Hild cast an annoyed glance at Baldur and continued, "And how, pray tell, are we supposed to help you secure the Eye, I assume that the Eye is located in Heaven, which, the last time I checked, is closed off to demons. Although I was able to get one of my minions up there to hack into the energy subsystem to shut off energy to Keiichi and Belldandy, but that took a lot of power and some pretty high level magic. I do not intend to spend that much time and effort to attempt another infiltration without some consideration in return.

"You see, your goddesses can run around signing no-strings-attached contracts with humans all they want, but us demons? That's not how we do things. If we're asked to do something, we expect compensation in return. So if you want our help, you have to make it worth our while." Hild said definitively.

"I intend to make it worth your while indeed." said Baldur. "I'm not so stupid as to approach the head of the demonic realm and her chief assistant for help without knowing the price. If the Eye does what I think it does, I will use it to usurp Kami-sama from his position of authority and take over Heaven. Once that is done, I will give you access to Heaven's workings and we will form an alliance to control Heaven and Earth. We can divide up Earth 50-50 and run the universe the way that we want. We can completely put these humans under our domain and make them our thralls. How does that sound?"

Hild stroked her chin and said, "Well, the possibility of such an alliance could be beneficial to both sides. It would make our job easier in that we could increase our share of humans accepting contracts with demons, and I do so love to play with humans. They are so much fun to manipulate. But how do I know that you won't try to double cross us?"

Baldur cut in saying, "I could say the same. After all, you are demons. And demons are embodiment of evil itself."

Hild immediately stopped Baldur with a unmistakably offended look. Her voice took on an edge sharper than the finest kitana. "Baldur, I will say this once and you make damn sure you listen because I will not repeat it again. Demons are the embodiment of evil, that is true. But know this, if a demon enters into a contract, they will fulfill all of the terms of that contract to the best of their ability. Or they will answer to me. And I give no quarter nor mercy to a demon that violates the terms of a contract. And if I enter into a contract, you can be assured that I will not try any funny business. However, can you make the same assurance?"

Of course, Hild was correct when she said that all demons will fulfill the terms of any contract they bind themselves to, but she didn't say that demons are given wide latitude to insure that such terms are fulfilled in a way as to benefit the demon more than the human.

In his mind, Baldur was taken aback by the force of Hild's statement. He knew that she meant every word of it, but he could not let her see that she intimidated him. Hild would pounce on a show of weakness as soon as she perceived it. Skillfully gathering himself together with no outwards sign of having done so, he said with hastily added bravado, "Hild, my dear. I am putting my career and even my life on the line just by meeting with you right now. If word of this were to make it back to Heaven, at the very least, I would have my license suspended for the maximum sentence. And that was if Kami-Sama was feeling especially generous. But most likely, I'd end up paying the ultimate punishment for a God or Goddess, and that would be isolation and disconnection from Yggdrasil." Inwardly, he shuddered at the mere mention of the punishment. He continued, "No God or goddess would risk that level of damnation unless he or she was firmly committed to the rightness of their cause. So you can be assured that I will keep up my end of the bargain."

Hild said, "Well, now that we've assured each other of the horrible price that would be paid should either of us try to screw over the other, how do you propose that we secure the Goddesses' assistance in helping us to get the Eye? If what you say is true, they don't have a clue about the Eye of Heaven or what it does. And we certainly can't go up to that blasted temple and ask them nicely, 'Oh Belldandy, Urd, and Skuld, we need your help in finding an ancient artifact that we want to use to take over Heaven and make your lives a living Hell.'" Hild parroted in an dramatically cute voice. "Somehow, that approach will not end well."

Baldur sensed that Hild wasn't taking him seriously, but resisted the urge to challenge her. "Normally, I'd tell you that getting the Goddesses would be your problem. After all, you have more experience with fighting them than I do, and I can't be seen to be involved in a plot to capture them. And from what I've heard, your record of success against the Goddesses leaves much to be desired." Baldur paused for effect and to relish the increasingly angry look that crept into the faces of Marller and Hild. "But, fear not, I have provided a solution for our problem." He reached into his robe and pulled out a strange looking disk. It was colored deep bronze, polished to a high shine and was covered in runes from a long forgotten language. Marller, who had been silent the whole time, said, "What the hell is that thing?"

Baldur looked at her with thinly veiled disgust. "This 'thing' is called the Mjolnir Device. It is an emergency recall beacon. I 'borrowed' it from Kami-Sama's throne room while he was away. The doddering old fool keeps all of his most powerful magical artifacts laying around so that anyone can steal them. He probably won't miss it anytime soon because it's been thousands of years since he's used it."

Hild whirled her hands in a quick spinning motion. "Baldur, if you haven't noticed, we have a rather large and complicated enterprise running here, and left to its devices, it tends to go all pear-shaped in a big hurry. We don't have a lot of time to engage in idle chit-chat about the impending senility of Kami-Sama. Marller and I have given you an audience that we don't even reserve for our most senior demon lieutenants. What I'm trying to say is 'GET TO THE POINT!'"

Now it was Baldur's turn to look visibly offended. He said with a giant huff, "I've never been spoken to in that manner by a God or Demon in all my thousands of years...and I must say that I rather enjoyed it. Back to the point at hand, the Mjolnir Device is designed to be used in an emergency that requires the activation of the Eye of Heaven. Once activated, it sends a high priority override signal through the Goddesses connections to Yggdrasil. It will cause the Goddesses to drop whatever they are doing at the time, immediately return to Heaven and report to the chamber where the Eye is held. Once there, the blocking spell that sealed away the activation sequence for the Eye will be removed and the Goddesses will then recite that sequence. At that point, I will be standing by to take control of the Eye and put our plan into motion."

Hearing this plan sent Hild to the end of her patience. "This plan, while fairly sound in its content, still begs the question, and I ask again, what does this have to do with us?

It looks like you have this whole thing under control. I do not see where our involvement is needed in this venture.

"You have wasted too much of our time here, Baldur. I am showing you much more tolerance and patience than you and your plan rate. If you do not tell us what our role in this little affair is, not only will I have you bodily thrown out of this chamber, by the biggest and meanest of our demonic security but," She produced a disk of her own, "I will make sure that the recording of our conversation will somehow find a way to a Valkyrie outpost. I am very sure that your superiors would love to hear your treasonous plans revealed. I am told that isolation is the equivalent of a living death to a God or Goddess. Let's find out how bad it truly is." Hild grinned evilly at Baldur.

If it were possible to turn even paler than he already was, Baldur had done it. "You wouldn't dare..." he said through clinched teeth.

Hild snarled, "Oh yes, I would. Remember my dear Baldur, you are on my turf. You are the one who is risking your life as a God by coming here with your idiotic plan. Did you think that I would not be recording this meeting just in case you decided to pull something over on us? Give me some credit, Baldur. I didn't become the Daimaikaicho by being a goody two-shoes. Don't let my stunning good looks and easygoing and playful manner fool you. I am ruthless, merciless and will trample over anyone who gets in my way, and I won't feel the least bit guilty in doing it to you. Now. For the last time. Why are you here and how can we help you?"

Chapter 5

Keiichi could not have picked a better day to take Lind sightseeing. The sun was out, a nice breeze was blowing, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and even more unusual, there was very little traffic on the road leading to Nekomi Tech. If he hadn't known better, he could have sworn that Belldandy might have had something to do with the superb weather and riding conditions. Then again, maybe she did. Despite being with Belldandy for over four years, Keiichi had to concede that there was still much to learn about his goddess girlfriend.

Keiichi and Lind were speeding down a winding road along the river and the Nekomi business district was just coming into view. Kei looked down at Lind to see how she was faring. What he saw surprised him. Lind was taking in the sights and sounds, mouth and eyes wide open and full of wonder. She looked like a little kid taking her first ride in the family car. Gone was the steely and cold demeanor of the legendary demon hunter. It was replaced by an intense curiosity and desire to see all that this human world had to offer.

Lind caught Keiichi looking at her, and tried to return to the detached and serious facade, but Keiichi had her dead to rights. She stammered, "I was just, uh, checking out potential trouble spots and assessing the current tactical situation.", knowing somewhat that her excuse would cut no ice with Keiichi.

Keiichi said, "Sure you were. If your eyes were any more wide open, they'd be the size of dinner plates. It's okay to be curious and admit that you're enjoying yourself, Lind. It's a beautiful day to be out riding."

Lind recovered, "That it is. I am surprised that I can enjoy the scenery so well. I wouldn't see half of this if we were flying. I suppose there is something good about this motorcycle thing."

Kei said, "That's why Belldandy loves to ride in the sidecar so much. She never gets tired of seeing and experiencing new things. Every day brings new things to do and sights to see. She really loves it here on Earth."

Lind asked, "How much further do we have to go?"

"Just a couple more miles to the campus."

"If you don't mind, Keiichi, you can take your time. I want to enjoy this day as much as possible."

"Your wish is my command."

"Keiichi, I didn't make a wish and you have no authority to grant them."

"Never mind, Lind."

A few minutes later, the two arrived at Nekomi Tech. Lucky for Keiichi, his parking permit was still good despite being out of school for a year. They found a convenient spot close to the campus, and Kei helped Lind out of the sidecar. She climbed out of the sidecar, smoothed out her clothes and stood in front of Keiichi awaiting his next move. He steered her towards the main common area of the campus.

Nekomi Tech was a large sprawling campus located just outside the business district. It was originally built on an old Japanese World War II airbase and still used some of the old hangers for storage facilities. The school would not have looked out of place in an American college town. NIT was considered one of the better colleges in Japan and had a quite a reputation as indicated by the very high entrance exam requirements. It attracted it's share of jocks, nerds, brainiacs and slackers.

Keiichi noticed that the campus was busier than usual. People were running from place to place and there was a definite buzz in the air that was normally not present. He had an idea of what was going on and if it was what he thought it was, it would be the last place he wanted to take Lind. She was just starting to get used to Earth and he didn't want to subject her to anything that would freak her out. What he saw when he rounded the corner of the Computer Science building confirmed his suspicions.

Mostly terrible karaoke being sung at ear-splitting volume. Garish costumes in colors that had no business whatsoever being put together by anyone with two working brain cells. Crazy signs written in extra large and equally unreadable print. Guys running around dressed in happi coats and kamikaze headbands, or posing as samurai, giant robots, and rejects from a Godzilla convention screaming unintelligible rants. Girls wearing all manner of clothing from kimonos to furry animal suits, maid uniforms to bathing suits to bikinis and in some cases even less than that. Booths of all sorts with anything from stuffed animals to weird food to the latest science projects cooked up by the biology and chemistry geeks. It was Spring Carnival time at NIT.

The annual week-long function was the major celebration of the arrival of spring to the campus, as well as the prime opportunity for the many student clubs to put on their recruiting drives to attract new members. Each club was represented with a booth that was decorated with signs and pictures showing recent club activities, and club officers and members were busy working the crowd shaking hands, buttonholing bewildered freshmen and preaching loudly about the virtues and benefits of signing up with their particular outfit to, or in some cases, at anyone who would stand still long enough.

Everything was promised from guaranteed jobs with the best companies upon graduation to invites to the best parties to finally nabbing that dream guy or girl to getting the top grades in your hardest professors class. Each club was keen to get the most members, and anyone who showed the slightest bit of interest in one club would soon be surrounded by half a dozen members from other clubs, each pitching their club's successes. The whole scene was loud, surreal in some places, outright disturbing in others, and in Keiichi's opinion, the absolute last place on earth to take a skittish warrior goddess who was trying to make sense of a new world and still very much on the defensive.

Keiichi said, "I had a feeling this was going to happen. Lind, maybe this is not the best place for you to be right now. Let's go sightseeing inste..." he turned to hustle Lind off campus when she put her hand on his shoulder and none too gently, whirled him around. He faced a goddess who had an Arctic ice look on her face. He felt the temperature around him descend as her slate-gray eyes bored into him. Her hands were on her hips and she leaned in close to Keiichi's face.

"Who said that I was ready to leave?", Lind growled. "I understand that I'm new to this world and that you feel an obligation to protect me and show me a good time. Maybe that's why Belldandy is in love with you. I understand and appreciate your caution. But Keiichi, I'm a big girl. You don't have to protect me. If anything, it's more the other way around. I am more than capable of taking care of myself. This place is...unusual, I will admit. I've never seen anything like it before and we certainly don't have anything like it in Heaven. But wasn't it you and Belldandy that kept telling me that it's good to see new things, meet new people, and so on?"

Keiichi shrank back from Lind's penetrating glance and stammered, "Well yeah, but..."

"But what?"

"I just thought we'd gradually ease into this with something quieter."

"You didn't know this was going to happen?"

"No, Lind. I haven't been on campus in a year and I forgot that the Spring Carnival was on."

"So it's not your fault. Everything will be all right. Let's go and have some fun."

"Okay."

Keiichi and Lind turned back around and headed into the carnival midway. Above the campus hiding in the rooftop corner of a building, Belldandy watched the two as they walked away. A look of concern with a touch of dismay in her eye. She wasn't jealous, but she still harbored that secret that she was keeping from Keiichi. It pained her greatly to hide things from him. She never wanted to do such a thing, and their relationship was based on mutual trust and openness with each other, but she was something she had no choice about. She had sworn to protect Keiichi at all costs including her own life. And part of that compact was holding this secret. After a few moments of contemplation, she shrank back down to her miniature form and stayed close to Keiichi and Lind.

The further along that Keiichi and Lind walked into the carnival atmosphere, the weirder it got. The Biology Club was showing off its latest attempts to create a new life form from the algae in the campus fountain, but whatever the creature was supposed to be, it just sat there like a clump of algae. The Photography Club showed off its latest gallery of photos taken from the previous semester, but all the pictures were random shots of people's thumbs, the ground, strange faces looking into the camera lens and awkward pictures of the sky. The shutterbugs insisted that the pictures were taken intentionally, and tried to explain their motivation as the randomness of human existence, but no one was buying that argument.

The Karaoke Club was putting on its annual show and each singer that mounted the stage was even worse than the one before it. All sorts of songs from mournful enka ballads to the latest pop and rock singles were being mangled, folded, spindled and mutilated in ways that their original songwriters never intended. The strange thing was that more and more people stood by to watch the trainwreck, mesmerized at the wanton destruction of what would have normally been pretty good music. It didn't hurt that the Karaoke Club was providing cheap alcohol to potential singers to summon up the liquid courage required to make an absolute fool of themselves in front of thousands. But then again, the same booze was being sold to the audience so it all evened itself out in a way that only college students could understand.

Keiichi looked around at all the craziness surrounding him and said to Lind, "Boy, it seems that Spring Carnival gets wilder and wilder every year. It wasn't this bad when I was going to school." He ducked in time to evade a model rocket that uncontrollably zipped by his head.

Lind was captivated by the whole scene. Transfixed by the inane displays, she was overwhelmed by the sights, sounds, and smells of the unfolding carnival. "You humans are a strange lot indeed." she finally concurred.

"Understand, Lind that this is a college campus and the way students act is not the same as the rest of society. This is the last chance many of these kids will have to let loose and have fun before they graduate and go to work." Keiichi reminded her.

Lind said, "We're not like this in Heaven. Heaven is a serene and quiet place, free from stress and care. Unlike this "carnival", there's no chaos, or wild goings-on. It's beautiful, peaceful, and in some cases, a trifle boring. Something like this would never work up there. Although I wouldn't mind bringing a few of our more uptight deities down here just to see their reaction." Lind chuckled.

"So you're enjoying yourself, Lind?"

"Yes, very much so. I'm glad you and Belldandy convinced me to do this." Lind seemed to becoming much more comfortable in these surroundings.

They reached the end of the Carnival midway and were turning the corner to head back up the other side of the walkway where more booths were waiting when they came across a familiar scene that put Keiichi on edge.

The Motor Club booth.

As tacky and insulting to the senses as some of the other club booths were, none could hold a candle to the aural and visual abomination that was the Motor Club hangout. The shriek of four cylinder engines tuned to within an inch of their lives blaring through loudspeakers at volume eleven. The booth looked like it was painted by a classroom of six year olds amped up on chocolate and soda pop. Assorted Motor Club projects in varying levels of assembly littered the booth floor. Go Karts, motorcycles, old cars, and the gas powered unicycle that Ootaki and Tamiya tried to dragoon Keiichi into riding were scattered around the floor. There was no attempt at organizing the mess and truth be told, it looked like a bomb went off in a car factory and if the mechanical madness wasn't enough to insure that the Motor Club would come in dead last in terms of booth aesthetics, the appearance of the current crop of members would seal the deal.

Ootaki was dressed in a full set of Arthurian era knight's armor down to the rather prominent codpiece. He was brandishing a four foot long broadsword and swinging it madly about while pinning a terrified sophomore in the corner of the booth trying to get him to join the club. And by the look of things, not having much success. Meanwhile, his partner in crime, Tamiya was zipping around the carnival grounds on a micro minibike that looked like it was shrunk in the dryer. His massive body could barely stay on the tiny machine as it strained to carry its huge load at anything above a slow walk. He was passing out leaflets to anyone who would accept them and shoving them into the hands of those who resisted. But as sorry as the two ringleaders looked in their vain attempt to rustle up potential members, the current club president took the cake.

Somehow, Tamiya and Ootaki either persuaded, or most likely bullied Sora Hasegawa into wearing a scanty race queen outfit that was designed to maximize the wearer's most prominent assets. However, in the case of poor Hasegawa, she had little in the way of prominent assets to maximize. Sora always had issues with her appearance which usually got her confused with a high school girl. She had no boobs, no hips, no butt and legs like a songbird. And with the scanty halter top and very short shorts on, what was supposed to maximize her most prominent assets actually served to maximize her lack of such.

She had a pained look on her face as she held up a sign that begged someone, anyone to sign up to join the Motor Club. It was as if she wanted the earth to swallow her up whole. Guys would walk by the Motor Club booth, take one look at Ootaki The Brave and Sora the Sexy and collapse into roaring fits of laughter which ended up just upsetting her even more. But give Hasegawa credit, she would do whatever it took to make the Motor Club succeed, even though it always looked like any plans she had would be sabotaged by the two lummoxes that towered over her.

Keiichi saw the whole sordid mess, shook his head gravely, and debated with himself whether he should subject Lind to witnessing this spectacle. Then he remembered how she told him in no uncertain terms that she didn't need protection or patronizing for that matter. Trying to put the best face he could on it, he said "Lind, here's the club I used to belong to when I went to Nekomi Tech. The Motor Club. A real fun buncha guys."

Hasegawa saw Keiichi and Lind approach, turned white as a sheet, and tried desperately to find someplace to hide. Finding none, she frantically pulled the sign down over her outfit, and silently wished that Kei and Lind would pass by without saying hello. But Sora's luck was not with her.

"Hey Hasegawa." Keiichi said as he looked around the booth. Lind stood there with a bemused look on her face.

"Oh, it's you Keiichi." Hasegawa replied in mock surprise. "Wasn't expecting to see you here." as she said to herself 'Move along Keiichi, nothing to see here!'

"It was such a nice day to be out riding and I wanted to take my friend Lind here, for a day out."

"Your friend? What happened to Belldandy? You two aren't..."

"No, Hasegawa. Belldandy and I have never been better. Lind is, um, Belldandy's other sister."

Lind tried to speak "No, I'm not Belldan..." before she was pulled brusquely aside by Keiichi. "What are you doing, Keiichi?" she rumbled with a touch of anger.

"Lind, ixnay, on the oddessgay!"

"What are you talking about?"

"She doesn't know that Belldandy, Urd and Skuld are Goddesses. She thinks that Bell is an exchange student from another country and Urd and Skuld are her sisters." Keiichi whispered fiercely. "They don't need to know that you are also a Goddess, and that I am now a God. That'll make a lot of problems for everybody. So while you're here, if anyone asks you, you're Belldandy's sister. Understand?"

Lind nodded her head, although she still didn't see what the problem was. "Okay, I understand, but it's not in my nature to deceive people. Why shouldn't everybody know about Gods and Goddesses walking among them?"

"Lind, believe me you don't want to know. Just humor me on this one."

"All right." Lind said with resignation.

They turned back around to face Hasegawa, who had hastily thrown on a pair of pants and jacket to cover up the race queen garb. She took one look at Lind and muttered to herself, 'Yet another example of a real woman. Something that I'll never be.' as she took in the goddess's trim figure and smart outfit. Keiichi asked, "So Hasegawa, how's the Carnival going for you guys? Sign up any new members?"

She silently held up the sign-up sheet which had ten signatures on it, and each one of them was crossed out, some so violently that the paper was torn in several places.

"We sign up new people because they show some interest in building cars and bikes, but then they get one look at Ootaki and Tamiya and they change their minds. We even tried to give away free beer, but those two drank it all, and there was none left to give out to people. They told me to put on this outfit..." Hasegawa said as she opened her jacket to show her halter top, "But, you see how that's going."

"Keiichi, I wonder sometimes why I do this. Every idea I come up with, Ootaki and Tamiya keep screwing it up, and the few ideas that do work, they take all the credit and leave me with all the blame. Nobody wants to be director because they don't want to deal with Ootaki and Tamiya's meddling." Sora said with mounting frustration.

Keiichi said, "Wait a minute. Those two should have been out of school by now. Why are they still here?"

Hasegawa responded, " Because they took advantage of that stupid rule Chihiro cooked up when she was founder that said that even alumni and graduate students of Nekomi Tech retain club membership with all benefits. So they still stay around taking meaningless graduate courses, just so they can keep student status and stay in charge of the club. Half the time, they don't even go to class, they just hang around the clubhouse and drive everyone crazy. Would you hire either of them to work for you, Keiichi?" a bitter Hasegawa moaned.

Keiichi had to admit that she had a good point. No sane employer would want those two nutcases in their shop. He had seen the chaos that occurred the last time Chihiro had those two mind her shop when she went on vacation. The place was a disaster area and it took three days to get it back to something resembling normal.

He looked at the back of the booth where Ootaki was still in his knight's armor and had cornered yet another terrified student who had the bad luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The freshman looked as if he was cornered by a hungry lion, pure agony across his face. He looked at Keiichi hoping that he could save him, but Keiichi just shrugged his shoulders with a 'No can do, pal. You're on your own' look. He knew what that student was experiencing. He himself was on the receiving end of more of Ootaki and Tamiya's threats and schemes than he cared to remember. Belldandy had intervened on his behalf the last time they tried to bully him into one of their stunts. He was grateful for Bell standing up to the two creeps, but a part of him was mad at himself because he let them run over him yet again, and that he had to rely on his goddess to stand up to them when he couldn't.

Keiichi felt sorry for poor flustered Hasegawa. He and Belldandy maintained a certain fondness for the girl. They knew that she was a tireless worker who preferred to let others shine while she worked in the shadows. They tried to get her out of her shell once before when Ootaki and Tamiya signed her up for a go-kart race for women. She was scared to death of the kart and constantly doubted her ability. Eventually, with hard work and a lot of encouraging words from Belldandy, she entered the race, and while she didn't win, she placed in the top six, which in the mind of Sora and her supporters was just as good as a victory. That success helped her to become a little more self confident, but it still wasn't enough to help her to bear up under the relentless hassling by the two graduates.

Keiichi said, "Sora, I don't know what to tell you, other than you have to try and stand up to those two." He had just gotten those words out of his mouth when she rushed towards him, threw her arms around him and held him in a desperate hug. "I know that Belldandy is your girlfriend, Keiichi. And I hope that she understands, but right now, I really need support from someone I care about." Hasegawa said as she clung to Keiichi. Tears began to run down her face as she started to cry silently. Keiichi said nothing as he held his friend, and let her embrace him. Through the Sacred Coupling, he could hear Belldandy's voice whisper assurance that she understood and that it was perfectly all right to comfort his friend. He held Hasegawa for as long as she wanted. She continued to sob gently as Belldandy through Keiichi sent waves of energy intended to revive Sora's spirit and strengthen her weak confidence. Lind stood by and watched the exchange between the two friends and gradually she began to understand why Belldandy fell so hard for Keiichi. She saw how much Kei cared for his friends. How he was willing to put himself in danger to protect Belldandy, and how he hard he worked to make sure that the Temple was a suitable home for Bell and her sisters.

"Well, isn't this a touching scene." a voice that reeked of haughty pretentiousness called out. "A loser ex-Motor Club Director hugging the loser current director. How sad." Keiichi and Hasegawa broke their embrace and faced the direction of the intruder.

The voice belonged to Toshiyuki Aoshima. Dressed in the latest designer suit that cost more than Keiichi's entire wardrobe. Shoes that cost at least 30,000 yen. The aviator sunglasses alone clocked in at 25,000 yen. Aoshima was the resident player on campus. He was Nekomi Tech's biggest womanizer and never went anywhere without a gaggle of co-eds following him around, vying for his affections.

He went through girlfriends like a tornado through a trailer park, capturing their attention, loving them and leaving them whenever someone cuter and shallower came along. It was said that the longest that Aoshima kept a girlfriend was three weeks. He left a trail of broken hearts behind him, but still the girls kept following him around, each hoping that she would be the one who would be the exception to the rule.

A lot of Aoshima's appeal with the ladies came from the fact that he was insanely rich. The son of the founder of the Aoshima Conglomerate, a huge corporation that had its hand in most of the entertainment industry in Japan, Toshiyuki drove the newest cars, had the coolest clothes, and dated the hottest girls on campus and was quick to let everyone know.

Lastly, Aoshima was the founder and president of the Four Wheels Club, a campus organization set up as a rival group to the Motor Club. The Four Wheels Club was the exact opposite of the Motor Club in all forms. Where the Motor Club was building cars and bikes and other vehicles from parts they scrounged together from the junkyard, The Four Wheels Club merely bought the cars they wanted fresh off the showroom floor. The Motor Club members would drive their own vehicles in competition, while the Four Wheels Club hired professional drivers to race for them while they hung out in the paddock hosting lavish socials. Motor Club parties were drunken bashes with bad karaoke and a lot of grab-assing, while Four Wheels Club functions were more like exclusive high society soirées held at the trendiest clubs with the finest booze, celebrity chefs cooking their signature dishes, a bevy of curvy models draped over luxury supercars, and invitations were almost impossible to come by for anyone who wasn't a member or who didn't pass muster with Aoshima.

Aoshima created the Four Wheels Club for the express purpose of stealing potential members away from the Motor Club and driving them out of existence. But despite having much more money, more members, and a much cooler booth that took up an entire parking lot, the Four Wheels Club could never vanquish the Motor Club from the campus. The Four Wheelers tried shaming and insults, sabotage, and outright cheating to defeat the Motor Club, but the snazzy newcomers hadn't counted on the resiliency of Keiichi, Belldandy and Hasegawa. They refused to back down and rallied the other members of the club to work that much harder to compete against their wealthier neighbors. And that irritated Aoshima to no end. Add to the fact that he tried on multiple occasions to steal Belldandy away from Keiichi with no success, only made the rivalry between the two clubs that much more bitter.

Aoshima sauntered up to the Motor Club booth, his entourage in tow, looked disdainfully at the tribute to tackiness, and said with a posh accent, "Well isn't this pitiful? This is what we have to compete against? A lunatic in a knight's costume and a high school girl trying to look like a race queen? Don't make me laugh. For the life of me, I don't know why the administration still keeps this club of misfits on campus."

Keiichi said, "Hello, Aoshima. Still being your usual charming self, I see. It's good to see that some things haven't changed. You're still a pompous idiot and your Four Wheels Club still can't beat the Motor Club on the racetrack. What brings you to the other side of the tracks today? Slumming, are we? Coming over to see people who actually work on and drive their cars instead of hiring others to do it for them?"

Aoshima sniffed, "Morisato. I should have known you'd be here. What's the matter, Keiichi? Miss the old times? Can't tear yourself away from this dreary little campus and this dreary little club? Lemme guess. Hasegawa here called you to help her bring in some new members." Aoshima walked over to the sign in sheet at the booth, and held it up to Keiichi and Hasegawa. "Every person who signed this sheet, crossed their names off here and joined the Four Wheels Club. Kitagawa, Oiichi, Kusanagi, Morimoto, all of them are now members of our Club. We're going to take all your members and leave you with nothing, Morisato. No members, no club. There will be only one motor vehicle club on this campus and that will be the Four Wheels Club. Got that?"

Keiichi looked Aoshima in the eye and calmly said. "The difference between the Four Wheels Club and the Motor Club is that we have no problems getting our hands dirty. We work on our own cars and bikes here. Does anyone in your club even know how to change a tire? Does anyone there know how to change the oil, or do they hire someone to do it for them? You may have more members than us, but we have more fun. We put our hearts and souls into our cars and treat them with respect, not put them on pedestals and treat them like pieces of art to be looked at and not touched. The people you signed up would never cut it in the Motor Club. We want people who love cars and bikes and will put their sweat and blood into them. Not a bunch of posers who sit around trying to look cool."

Aoshima had heard enough. "Morisato, the Motor Club's going down. Expect no mercy." He turned around and was about to storm off when he was stopped in his tracks by Lind who was watching the whole exchange and not liking it one bit. She froze him with her grey eyes as she turned on her Valkyrie charm.

"Who are you?" Aoshima said.

"My name is Lind. I am Keiichi's friend." Frost hanging on her every word.

"His friend, huh? Does this mean that he and Belldandy are finished, and that he has a new girlfriend? I hope so. I've been trying to steal Belldandy from that little wimp for the longest time. I don't know what she sees in him. He's not cool, he has no money, he lives in a ratty old temple. That lousy excuse for a motorcycle he rides is about to fall apart. She'd be much better off with someone like me, who would treat her in the way she deserves to be treated. There's no way a goddess like Belldandy belongs with a worthless geek like Keiichi."

Lind continued to stare down Aoshima. "Keiichi and Belldandy are still very much together. And there is nothing that you can offer her or do for her that will drive her from his side. Belldandy doesn't care about your money or your possessions. What she has in Keiichi is worth more than all the money in the world. You, of all people, will never buy Belldandy's love. It's not for sale at any price."

Aoshima realized that trying to bully Lind wasn't going to work, so he tried to charm her instead. "Lind, is it? I'm so sorry. We must have gotten off on the wrong foot. Please forgive me for being so gauche. I didn't even introduce myself. My name is Toshiyuki Aoshima. I am the son of the founder of the Aoshima Conglomerate, and I like your style. Direct, no nonsense. I like that in a woman. I think that you and I have a lot in common. How about we go out to one of my father's restaurants for a five-star dinner. Leave Keiichi boy here with his little friends, and see the town with a real man."

Aoshima moved to put his arm around Lind and steer her away when he grimaced in pain as Lind grabbed his wayward arm, and bent it behind his back like a chicken wing.

"No." Lind said calmly with a grim smile. " I'm spending the day with Keiichi. He promised me he would show me the town and that's what he's going to do. I have no interest in being with petty little men like you who think that they can wave their money around and expect the world to bow at their feet. Keiichi is more of a man than you'll ever be. He cares for Belldandy in ways that would make your hair stand on end, if I were to tell you. So do us all a favor. Go back to your little friends, drink your champagne, look down your noses at each other and don't bother Keiichi and his Motor Club anymore." Lind spun Aoshima around, fixed him with her eyes and whispered, "Or you'll have me to deal with. And trust me, you don't want me as an enemy." She manifested just enough of her Valkyrie personage to let Aoshima know that she meant business and that he wasn't dealing with one of his ditzy co-eds. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, clapped him firmly on the shoulder twice and let him go. Aoshima staggered away not saying a word and nursing his sore arm, his retinue trailing behind like baby ducks following their mother.

Keiichi stepped up to Lind and said. "Wow, you really scared Aoshima, what did you say to him?

"I just told him that I had other plans and I wasn't interested in going out with him. I don't think that you'll be having any more trouble with him and his club. Come, Keiichi, there's much more that I want to see." Lind strode off purposefully.

Keiichi said goodbye to Hasegawa and headed off after Lind. Sora, who was watching the whole Aoshima episode unfold said to herself. "I wish I had her confidence." The hug from Keiichi raised her spirits and made her feel much better, although she was still at a loss trying to figure out how to get more people to join her club.

Chapter 6

"So, Baldur. We're waiting."

If a God could sweat, Baldur was doing so in buckets. He had found out the hard way that Hild played to win and he had no doubt that she would release the disc containing their conversation to the Valkyries. That act would seal his fate for good.

Consorting with demons even in casual conversation was frowned upon in Heavenly circles in the best of times, and planning to commit treason was definitely not something that would be well received by the Heavenly Council or Kami-sama, for that matter.

At best, he would have his license suspended for an extremely long time, he would lose his lofty positions on the Council and as head of the Department of Examinations and would be held up to ridicule and scorn. At the worst, he'd be placed into isolation for the maximum penalty and emerge irreparably damaged in body and soul. Neither option seemed good to him.

But he was intent on changing the order of things in Heaven and such change comes at a very high price. Baldur felt that if he could get control of the Eye of Heaven, and use whatever powers it had to unseat Kami-sama, and put himself on the throne, it was worth the consequences.

But all his plans would be for naught if he could not get Hild to buy in to his scheme. Baldur couldn't let her know that she scared him to death. Fortunately for him, he was very good at masking his true feelings. Or so he thought.

Hild was continuing to stare daggers at Baldur, as he tried to compose himself. She was partially concerned that the pompous official wasn't all that he purported to be and that she was wasting her precious time dealing with a poseur who acted like he had power, but was really all hat and no cattle.

As one skilled in the art of deception, Hild should have figured Baldur as a fake from the moment he first approached her. His line did seem to be a little too polished, but in a moment of weakness, after being humiliated by Keiichi in the demonic attack on the temple, she was looking for any opportunity to strike back at her enemies. And if using the rules of heaven against it would net the desired result, who could blame her for pulling that string?

So she welcomed him into her confidence. Appealing to Baldur's vanity and lust for power, it was a snap to convince him to change the rules of the examination protocol to allow her to pose Keiichi's first challenge. She had the perfect plan. Ensnare Keiichi into a situation from which he could not escape. Capture Belldandy, and force Kei into giving up his Godhood to get her back knowing that the only way they could stay together again was if Keiichi had forged another contract with her. But Heaven's wish servers were fixed so as to not allow wishes like the one that brought the God and Goddess together in the first place to be recorded. So Belldandy would have no choice but to return to Heaven with Urd and Skuld following, leaving a devastated Keiichi behind without his Godhood or his Goddess.

But even with a plan that watertight, Keiichi still found a way to free Belldandy and keep his divinity intact. By using Hild's power against her and taking advantage of Belldandy's biggest weakness, he was able to achieve what Hild thought was impossible.

While this latest defeat stung Hild, she figured that she still had Baldur in her back pocket and that he was still of some use. But after hearing his rambling diatribe about some mysterious Eye of Heaven, Kami-sama getting senile, and a Mjolnir Device that looked more like an elaborate dinner plate than an true object of Power, she was wondering whether keeping this clown around was worth the effort. Her hand was hovering dangerously close to the button on her desk that would summon her crack security team. No doubt they would want to have a little fun with Baldur before throwing him out on his ear, and Hild had no problem in letting them do so.

"Okay Hild. Here's where you come in." Baldur said confidently. "What I need you to do is to get a squad of demons together and create a distraction at one of the Valkyrie outposts near the Gate. One that is big enough to convince the guards that a demon invasion is inevitable. I will leak information through Valkyrie Intelligence saying that the Palace is under threat. Hearing this, the Valkyries will call for the Mjolnir Device to be activated which will bring the goddesses running to its defense."

"Hold on, hold on, wait a damn minute!" said Hild irritably. "Two questions. First, how am I supposed to get a force of demons through the Gate? And, second, how will the Device be activated from Heaven if you're holding it right here?"

"Did you really think that I'd bring the real Mjolnir Device into Niflheim?" said Baldur with a laugh. He held the disc up and waved it around. "If I did that, you'd hear the alarms and general mayhem from here. I may have delusions of grandeur, but I'm not that stupid. This, is a fake. A replica. I brought it here to show you what it looked like. The real Device is safely in my custody, in a secure place where only I can find it. It takes a special act by the Heavenly Council affirmed by Kami-sama to activate it. As I am a senior member of the Council, I can get the votes required to act with no problem. And that old fool will pretty much rubber stamp anything the Council does these days.

"As for getting an invasion through the Gate. I can use my access privileges to send them through. One of the advantages of being on Council is that my gate access codes leave no traces on the Valkyries' access logs. I can just spoof the logs so that it looks like a big group of field goddesses are coming back to Heaven all at once to check in of f their latest assignments. It happens all the time. Besides, all I need your demons to do is just make lots of noise, stomp around a bit, and, generally scare the Valkyrie guards into thinking that they are going to attack. They don't really have to invade Heaven."

"Okay." Hild said. "Sounds like a very good plan. I just can't wait to put it into action. It's the stuff of genius. And I really hate to cut this meeting short, but I just remembered that I have some serious demon type stuff to do that just cannot wait any longer." saying this in a rapidfire tone. As she spoke, her hand punched the security call button and instantly, two very large, and utterly unpleasant looking guards appeared.

"B-b-b-b-ut, Hild, we haven't discussed the finer..." Baldur said as the guards drew to either side of the official and picked him up under each arm so his feet dangled helplessly off the floor.

"Oh yes we have. Don't worry, Baldur, I know ex-actly what to do." Hild chortled. "Guards, please escort our guest out and don't rough him up too much. Bye-bye Baldur." She blew him a kiss and waved sweetly as the guards hauled the sputtering God out of the boardroom.

Once he was gone, Hild shook her head, slumped her shoulders, and said, "My God, that man loves to hear himself talk. Heaven doesn't have to worry about getting too cold with all that hot air floating about. Right, Marller...Marller?...Marller!"

Hild looked at the video screen and saw her chief assistant fast asleep, her head down at her chest, and her long blond hair covering her face.

Angry that even her most loyal soldier had left her to fend for herself, Hild directed a savage lightning bolt at the screen. The energy barreled through the circuitry and shot through the other end jolting Marller from her slumber.

"YAAAAAAAAA!" Marller cried as the lightning pounded through her head.

"I'm awake! Who! Wha! Where! I heard everything you said, Lady Hild!" The cowering Demon First Class stammered as she struggled to regain her faculties.

But for once, Hild wasn't in the mood to punish Marller. In a rare show of forgiveness, Hild said, "Well, I can't blame you too much for zoning out. If I had the chance to, I would have done the exact same thing. But don't let it happen again."

"Yes, Lady Hild. You are too merciful and kind to me, a lowly footsoldier in your vast empire..." Marller pleaded as she prostrated herself before the image of her boss on the screen.

"Shut up, Marller." Hild said.

"Yes, Lady Hild."

"So, Baldur thinks that I'm just going to go through all the time and expense to muster a demon force, send it through the Gate and just have it 'stomp around a bit, and make a lot of noise?' " Hild said while making air quotes with her hands. "I don't think so. If he's going to offer us access to Heaven with his clearance, I'm going to make sure that I take full advantage of it. Not only are we going to stomp around and make some noise, we're going to break a few things too, and we'll make sure that Baldur's left holding the bag when it's all said and done." Hild said with an evil lilt in her voice. "We'll teach him the cost of wasting our time with his ridiculous half-assed plan."

Chapter 7.

After seeing the rest of the Spring Carnival as well as touring the Nekomi Tech campus, Keiichi and Lind hopped on the motorcycle and headed towards the business district. They had lunch in one of the local eateries, and Keiichi treated Lind to a dish of ice cream. "What is this?" Lind asked as she turned the bowl over and over in her hands and inspected it most carefully.

"It's ice cream." Keiichi said. "There isn't ice cream in Heaven?"

"No, there's nothing like this in Heaven. Remember, as Gods and Goddesses, we don't need to eat food in our Heavenly state. Why is it brown?"

"It's chocolate."

"And chocolate is..."

"It's a flavor. It describes how the ice cream tastes." Keiichi said patiently

"Okay, I'll give it a try." Lind said as she took a cautious nibble. A few seconds later, the happiest look came over Lind's face as she exclaimed, "This is delicious! I love it!. She dug into her bowl and was soon taking great spoonfuls and shoveling it into her mouth. She bounced up and down in her chair as waves of contentment came over her.

"Slow down, Lind!" Keiichi laughed. "If I hadn't known better, I'd swear I was on a date with Skuld!"

Lind froze in mid-swallow and glared, "And what does that mean?"

"It means that Skuld loves ice cream as much as you do."

"Oh. But I can see why. This is wonderful. I wish we had such things like this in Heaven." She pointed to Keiichi's bowl and asked, "Are you going to eat yours?"

Keiichi shrugged his shoulders and handed over his ice cream. "I have to admit, Lind. I have never seen you like this before. This is the first time I have ever seen you smile much less wolf down a bowl of ice cream."

Lind stopped eating, looked down at her ice cream, then at Keiichi and said, "Maybe I needed this time off more than I expected. I've been so dedicated and driven to be the best demon hunter and fighter in Heaven that I have forgotten how to slow down and enjoy life. I've lived most of my life on the edge, ready to strike at a moment's notice to defend Heaven. I've missed out on so much because of my calling to be a Valkyrie. I don't get to do the things that other goddesses do. They can socialize and have fun, and even enter into relationships. My Valkyries and I don't have that luxury. We have to stay on the watch constantly. We are wound so tightly. So when the time comes to relax and take it easy, we don't know how to do that. So it's very hard for us to loosen up and enjoy ourselves. When we finally do it, we go a little overboard. I'm sorry."

Keiichi reached over and grabbed Lind's hand. She flinched as if shocked, but didn't let go. Keiichi continued. "Don't worry, Lind. You have nothing to apologize for. This is an unfamiliar situation for you to be in. But don't forget, you're among friends, and friends put up with each other because they care about each other. You're my friend Lind, and I care about you and respect you as much as I care about the other goddesses. But there is a special place in my heart reserved for Belldandy. And I love and care for her most of all. But that's why we're here on this date. So we can become better friends and you can enjoy yourself and forget about being a Valkyrie for a while."

Lind said, "Now I know why Belldandy is head over heels about you. You have accepted her for what she is. The good, the bad, and the unpredictable. You've given up so much in your life to take care of her. And you put up with so much from Urd and Skuld and all the other goddesses you've met just to have Belldandy stay in your life. And now you have to deal with me, the crazy warrior goddess who's trying to figure out how to lay down her sword and become just an ordinary goddess for a change. Thank you, Keiichi."

Lind paused thoughtfully. "You should know that to be befriended by a Valkyrie is a very great honor. We don't make friends easily. Because of the nature of our work, trust is not something we bestow easily. It has to be earned side by side in battle, with lives on the line. But once we make a friend, they are ours for life." Lind flashed a big toothy smile at Keiichi.

Keiichi blushed and said, "Maybe it's time for us to head back to the temple. Belldandy's probably waiting up for us, and I'd like to get home and take it easy for a while."

"Okay." Lind said after finishing her second bowl of ice cream. "I can use another workout. Maybe my advanced routine this time."

"But you worked out this morning."

"And your point is..."

"Okay, well, whatever floats your boat, Lind."

"What do boats have to do with my working out?"

"Never mind, Lind."

It was only a matter of minutes when Keiichi and Lind returned to the temple. Keiichi helped Lind out of the sidecar and put the bike away. Lind waited and walked with Keiichi to the front door. They stopped at the threshold and Lind turned to Keiichi, looked deep into his eyes and said, "Thank you for the date. I had a lot of fun. Maybe we can do it again sometime. I'll be doing my advanced workout in an hour or so, if you're interested in watching. I will see you later."

And before Keiichi could respond, Lind pulled him close and kissed him deeply on the lips. A whirl of emotions roared through Keiichi's head. First of which was mortal fear of what would happen if Belldandy witnessed this spectacle.

Second was an immense pleasure because for a Valkyrie that had no time for relationships, Lind was a surprisingly good kisser. Keiichi tried to pull away, but found that he couldn't. Part of him was scared to death at what Belldandy would do if she caught wind of this, and part of him just wanted to ride it out and damn the consequences.

In the end, the latter won out and he surrendered to Lind's hold. After a few seconds, Lind released him, tipped him a wink and went into the temple, with an ever so slight sway to her narrow hips.

Keiichi stood motionless for a few moments as he tried to come up with a story that would placate Belldandy, when he turned to enter the temple and was faced with the love of his life staring at him. She didn't look like she was angry, but sometimes you could never tell with Belldandy. She asked in a perfectly normal tone of voice,

"Did you and Lind have a good time?"

Keiichi tried to play it as cool as possible knowing that tactic would cut no ice with Bell because she could read his mind and also feel his emotions through the Sacred Coupling connection they both shared. "You saw that didn't you?" Keiichi asked timidly. "Yes, I did." said Belldandy. "And you're probably wondering whether I am going to be jealous over that kiss."

Belldandy reached out and pulled Keiichi to her, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and Keiichi could feel the heat of her body against his. She stroked the back of his head lovingly.

"Back when you were still human, and you had trouble declaring your love to me, I would have been insanely jealous of Lind's actions. I was insecure, and had doubts about your feelings towards me." Belldandy said, comforting her man. "But now, because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you truly love me, and want to spend the rest of your days with me, I'm not jealous."

Belldandy continued, "You have a certain way about you that makes women want to be with you. They feel comfortable and secure with you. You may have wondered back when we first met what it was that caused me to be attracted to you in the first place. Beyond the contract, it was because I felt safe in your care. That I was wanted, and cherished and loved even though you could never say the words.

"But I'm a girl, and girls still need to hear the words 'I love you' from the lips of the men they love. And now I know. You have given me what I have searched for my whole life. And as I once told you, I know who your heart belongs to. And I will never give it up." She kissed Keiichi.

Keiichi said, "And I too, will never give my heart to another."

Belldandy nodded, "Besides, you'll make it up to me. Don't think that you'll get away with kissing Lind without some consequences."

Keiichi knew that whenever Belldandy mentioned the phrase, 'you'll make it up to me', that usually meant him and her, naked, on a futon in his room making mad, passionate love. And considering that the last time that they had tried to get frisky, was when Skuld walked in on them a couple weeks ago, he knew they were due for a little fun. "So when do I start making it up to you, Belldandy?" he asked, knowing the answer.

"Right now!" She grabbed Keiichi by the hand and half pulled, half dragged him to his room, Keiichi putting up only token resistance.