Chapter 2

This bound edict, born of our three souls, may very well seem like sacrilege. Still, it must continue to exist out of necessity brought on by creation, and all of its forms. This is only one such compendium found within the very heart and soul of the greater universe, but, it is ours to protect. As the Norn of the past, I must withhold the secrets that should not be seen. Occasionally however, fortune shines upon a soul gifted enough, blessed enough, chosen enough, to see the murmurs of we three keepers of the world tree.

You must be so gifted, to see such a thing.

This one passage, however, is without a shadow of a doubt, ironic. Why does this book speak to me now? Why does it beg my heart to share what ought not to be shared? Could it be because I am an embodiment of the world tree? Maybe because I am the Norn of the past? Is that is enough of a reason, truly, to appeal to the call? It's funny that I even care at all about such things.

Normally, I wouldn't give a damn, but, Belldandy calls to me, so I shall release this book to the winds who bespeak my name.

- Urd, protector of the well.

Belldandy was beautiful, in her own, unique way. She was not exotic like her sister Urd, and not at all considered a prodigy like Skuld. Still, her gentle smile was enough to melt the hearts of many, and her devotion was something that went unquestioned by those who knew her. She was not quick to anger, nor to judge those who might have deserved it. Although she was stern, and sometimes quite cross in the face of adversity, she was not an unkind opponent.

Many gods and goddesses described her as the perfect little woman. The title was befitting of the heavens, and so even mortals were quite taken by her abilities, of which she had many. It was not an uncommon dream to become like her, or, to attain her...and yet, her hear belong to a mere mortal man.

She made meals, cleaned the shrine, and acted with a sense of feminine duty along with obedience. She also seemed to be the perfect mother. She cared for Skuld, had an endless sense of calm. Her bright outlook on nearly every topic, not to mention her intellect, made her very personable as well. If all of that was not enough to attract a man, she was a very beautiful woman. Conservative, and a little shy. Soft-spoken, and yet, not a pushover. She could sing and dance with the best of them, and those were the things that made the first class goddess, Belldandy, coveted by most men she came across.

Unless those men were otherwise inclined, or occupied, of course.

Perhaps that was why, in the early morning just before dawn broke through the sky, she was a sight to behold. Resting, completely at ease as the songbirds welcomed a new day. A man like Keiichi would be rendered breathless in a moment. There was once a time when the mortal feared to dishevel this woman, but now, as he brushed a thick strand of fawn hair behind her ear, he refused to untangle himself from her embrace.

Instead, he pulled the covers more tightly around himself, and the woman that he so loved. He took everything with a sense of calm now, enjoying to feel her at his side during hard times, in his arms during the happy times, and quivering heatedly at his touch in the night. It was what he desired most when he'd made the wish, and it was what Belldandy offered to him without a second thought.

After they'd been given the blessing from the judgment gate, his libido had been unlocked. With it, came a deluge of overwhelming desire that he could not keep nestled away any longer. They deepened their relationship to a point that left even him totally speechless. Yet, not everything was blissful, and the world around them still turned, even if at that moment, they both wished that it wouldn't.

A loud blast, punctuated by shouting made Belldandy sigh, and she rolled over, hoping that would make the ruckus go away. "We really should greet the day." Belldandy yawned, unhappy about dragging herself out of bed when she knew her sisters were already running amok. She could already hear the fighting getting worse. "You know how they get when we sleep in." Another loud boom shook the house.

"Think it'll be some sort of magic charge, or one of Skuld's bombs that hit me?" Keiichi grumbled as he kept his eyes shut. As long as he didn't open them, he could always pretend that the morning hadn't come.

"It'll be both if we leave them alone for too long." Belldandy told the man she loved. "Skuld's still trying to adjust to the fact that we're sharing a bedroom." She pulled herself from his embrace, knowing that if she didn't, he'd be contented to just lay there until one of her sisters got bored enough to start trouble. "If she caught sight of this, I think I would be forced to explain a few things that I'm just not ready to."

Keiichi nodded and looked around. Their clothing from last night littered the floor around the futon. "Yeah, I don't want to have to explain that either." It made him smirk happily, and he stretched out, unwilling to leave the warm blankets. Yet, he couldn't just laze about naked either, it was already eight in the morning. "It's the first Saturday in a month that our club isn't getting together." Keiichi grumbled, his voice just a little lower than usual as he rubbed the sleepy haze from his eyes. "What do we need to do today?"

"Keep the house from falling apart?" Belldandy laughed, rummaging around for something to wear. "I know for a fact that I need to go to the store today. We're nearly out of rice, and it couldn't hurt to buy Urd and Skuld some more of their regenerative supplies."

"Skuld's out of ice cream again, isn't she?" Keiichi said, resigning himself to the long day ahead. When Belldandy nodded, he scratched his head, and frowned. There was more to do than he first realized, since his final term paper was also due in the coming weeks. "Well, alright then."

"Did you have anything in mind?" Belldandy asked then, as they dressed for the day ahead.

"I need to go put a few tiles on the roof, and clean the gutters out. I should probably finish the first draft of my term paper too." He replied, fishing around for a shirt that he didn't mind messing up. "Never a dull moment is there?" The yard work ahead was bound to be a messy task.

She forwent answering him with her usual pep, and instead considered the fact that his gut was beginning to rumble. "Is there anything you'd like for breakfast?" She asked him, slipping on one of the floral sundresses she liked most.

"Whatever you feel like making, Bell." He shrugged, tugging on a pair of boxers and jeans. "You know I love your cooking."

"Well, alright then." She said with a cheerful smile. "I'll see what I can come up with."

To the outside observer, they seemed like a normal, of not oddly perfect couple. Keiichi and Belldandy were so right for each other. Mundane things found a new light when shared between them. It was because of that gleaming hope that dwelled within the eyes of the lovers, that the heavens partook amusement from their day to day nothingness.

It was perhaps the simplicity that so attracted onlookers to the tiny shrine in the grand universe. That of course, was a mixed blessing, because while the heavens normally sang in joy, the demons howled in despair. One such demon was loitering around watching the television with Urd, as the two bickered about the latest episode of Winter Storm. Belldandy didn't think anything negative of it, and she made the mental note to add one more place setting to the breakfast table.

...

"I just don't get it…" Keiichi said as he pulled weeds out from the grass. "They usually fight like cats and dogs."

"Even goddesses and demons need a break every now and then." Belldandy smiled, glancing up to the two poker players perched atop the roof on the sunny afternoon. "Mara's not exactly the worst demon out there. Besides, those two share a special kind of relationship."

"They were friends in the past, right?" Skuld asked from her place, as she inspected the now broken lawnmower.

"Yes, Skuld. Before Urd chose her path as a goddess, she lived with Hild down in the bowels of Niflheim. Urd and Mara spent quite a bit of time together back then." Belldandy said with a soft nod. "I still believe that they will always maintain that friendship, even if it is through bickering and rivalry." That was the only way she knew of, that would allow Urd to spend so much time with Mara recreationally here on earth.

"Well, as long as it makes her happy…" Keiichi muttered offhandedly. "And that nothing gets blown up."

"Oh Keiichi, please don't worry about something like that." Belldandy told him as she set her broom off to the side. "It isn't worth it for them to fight right now, or else, Mara wouldn't be here playing cards." It was almost time for afternoon tea, and a snack would do wonders for keeping the peace. "Skuld, would you like to help me in the kitchen?"

"Yeah, sure sis!" Skuld nodded excitedly. "Let me just finish with this, and then I'll be right in."

Keiichi gave one last glance up at the roof, and shook his head, going back to pulling weeds by hand. He followed the path along the flowerbeds that Belldandy so enjoyed to take care of as a hobby of hers. It was a nice day. Too nice, and that's what had Keiichi on edge. A day like this, one so perfect that even the few clouds seemed bright and fluffy, did very little to ease his mind. Still, Belldandy seemed to have faith that the fighting would be kept to a minimum, and Keiichi took faith in Belldandy.

He figured, somehow, everything would work out.

"That's a full house!" Urd whooped as she sat atop the shrine, her latest victory had just cleaned Mara out. She enjoyed five card stud with the best of them. "Better pay up." She took a swig of sake to commemorate her latest win, and then poured another round, lifting her glass to do a toast.

"Yeah, yeah laugh it up." Mara muttered, she lifted her glass anyway, downing the sake without delay. "Screw you too." She pulled some more money out of her pocket, letting one of her short, sharp fangs dig into her lip unhappily. "One more round." After pulling out the last wad of bills, Mara realized it was a good thing she would be getting paid at her part time, earth realm job, the next day. "If I lose this hand, I'll need you to advance me."

"Sure thing." Urd said, not thinking twice as she dealt the cards. "I've got your tab running high."

"Don't remind me." Mara grumbled, looking at the hand, and feeling the loss already. A pair of twos did little to ease her spirit.

"Who cares about the money anyway?" Urd said with a shrug, though ironically enough, she didn't offer to give any of it back. "I just like doing this because I'm bored. It kills time, and I have plenty of it."

"That's because it's my money." Mara gazed up at the sky. She knew she was being watched, and she shifted uncomfortably. "So, uh…what's the word with your pals up there?" She asked in a low enough voice not to be heard by unwanted eavesdroppers.

"What?" Urd looked up, realization dawning clearly on her face. "Oh, Peorth and Lind, you mean." At Mara's nod, Urd looked down at the cards in her hand. "I don't really know. They've been scouting the house for about a week now. I'm just letting them float around stupidly. If they want to stay in hiding, that's their own fault."

"Why don't they just crash here like everyone else?" Mara asked, thinking it to be a legitimate question. "Knowing your sister, she would treat them like honored guests."

"Must be some reason." Perplexed, but also dismissive, Urd continued to eye her cards with the same scrutiny as a starving pit viper after prey. "I don't go around bothering them, as long as they stay out of my way. That's a fair trade, I think." With a bit of luck, she'd win this round too, and that made her grin evilly.

There were indeed two goddesses hiding away in the clouds like refugees. It was another warm, and entirely lazy afternoon, and Lind was getting bored. After seven days of monitoring the household, she was ready to just give up and go back to heaven. Still, Peorth insisted that Lind should be dragged all over creation on her very whim, and Tyr allowed it.

Lind couldn't fathom why, and, she was also quite disinterested in trivialities. She was missing out on training because of this, and as far as she was concerned, her unit needed her. "Why am I here?" The combat goddess yawned, scratching at her exposed belly. There was no point to wear her combat garb when there wasn't any threat, so she took to normal white robes instead.

"I need you here, that's why." Peorth hissed in a heated whisper. "Look, there's a demon down there."

"Demon?" Lind grunted, peaking over the misty whisps of white that she claimed as her perch. In a scowl, she became on high alert, until she realized just who the demon was. "That's Mara." Lind assessed with a raised eyebrow. "She's hardly a threat. On her own she's more like a kitten than a demon." She rolled back over, and stretched out. "Did I agreed to be your backup just because Urd has a gambling hobby on the weekends?"

"For moral support among friends!" Peorth protested, giving Lind a stern look. "Can't you understand that Belldandy's suffering?"

The goddess of combat merely sighed and shook her head, deciding it best to close her eyes and take a nap. Just as she had decided upon her next course of action, Peorth started to grumble audibly again. "Belldandy will be fine, Peorth." Lind murmured. "Just give them some space."

"How can you say that?" Peorth retorted, almost losing her concentration and falling off of the cloud upon which they'd been hiding. "She's suffering, I can feel it within my heart."

"I say it, because it's true." Lind deadpanned. "Keiichi's there." She figured that would be enough, but one sideways glance told her that it wasn't.

Dumbfounded, Peorth cocked her head. "So?"

As a goddess in the special operations division, Lind didn't take kindly to demons. However, she wasn't particularly threatened by them, so long as they weren't making havoc. She could feel the uneasy atmosphere that seemed to cloak over the shrine, but it wasn't as if there was anything to be done about it. Mara wasn't to blame. "So, it's exactly as I said before, Peorth." Lind replied pointedly. "Keiichi's there." The woman of silver tresses shrugged. "That's all I need to know. Belldandy will be fine, so long as she's with him."

"You put too much faith in that mortal." Peorth groaned. "More faith than I would."

"What you fail to understand, is that he isn't just any mortal." Lind let her stoic gaze drift back to the shrine, and she nodded to herself. "It's the mortal she made the conscious choice to fall in love with." In hopes to drown out the sun, she took her long strands of hair and covered her eyes. "Keiichi's strong, he can take care of her on his own. It doesn't matter if she's a goddess or a mortal."

Peorth crossed her arms over her ample bosom, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "And that line of reasoning, Lind, is precisely why you aren't a goddess of love."

…

It was because of Belldandy's often perfect way of life, that even the tiniest mishap was something astonishing. It wasn't that Belldandy couldn't make a mistake, but that she often took a great deal of effort to make sure things in her life ran smoothly. It was because she was a goddess, that more often than not, her efforts were rewarded. That's why little tells were so important.

A little bit of burnt food, broken objects, or unworldly oddities spoke of something on the horizon. Even if it couldn't be seen, the occupants of the house knew when something was horribly amiss. Although Belldandy was normally a shy, quiet goddess, who often didn't raise her voice, she was a woman after all. That was entirely the underlying problem, though the goddess in question refused to admit that, not even to her own, slowly decaying heart.

As womanly as she was, she was also a goddess, and the uneasy storm was brewing within the depths of her soul. It wasn't any mystery, and they could all sense it. Feel it sending a cold chill, like an icy breeze.

So, as Urd slung around her magic, playfully taunting Skuld, she also kept half an eye on the middle Norn. There would always be a lingering sense of hesitancy between Belldandy and Keiichi, but Urd sighed. It bothered her. She couldn't stand watching her younger, and easily addled sibling. Muddling through being in love was not an easy thing. It was even more complicated when one considered the nature of Belldandy's relationship.

"Come on Skuld! Come at me with more force." Urd shouted over a loud boom of thunder. Skuld needed all the practice she could get, and Belldandy didn't need to know the truth. Urd knew they were being watched, but she didn't dare speak a word of that. "Is that all you've got?" Urd shouted, egging the youngest Norn on with even more handfuls of magic.

"You're going to pay, Urd!" At that, Skuld was on the offensive again, and expertly, Urd dodged most of the oncoming missiles from one of Skuld's latest inventions. "Get back here!"

"Check mate!" Urd shouted, as she sent one final blast Skuld's way. It may have seemed harsh, but it really was a way for gods and goddesses to play. A way to learn, a way to grow. In that, it might have seemed a little mean to send her youngest sister spiraling into a tree, but, Urd was also more than just a goddess. She wouldn't hold back from properly attaining victory.

With another round of fighting over and done with, she landed deftly to the ground. Belldandy seemed withdrawn recently. There were times when goddess needed to talk. "Need a hand?" Urd asked as she snapped her fingers, watching as another part of the house went back to the way it had been before. Her fight with Skuld had nearly turned the house into dust.

"No, it's alright." Belldandy shook her head. "You've used enough magic by helping Skuld, you shouldn't use more just to put the house back together."

"You could do it in one swipe of your hand." Urd said then. "Why aren't you?"

"I simply don't see the need to use more magic than required, one bit at a time." Belldandy replied as she began to inspect the newly repaired living room. "Besides, I think it would be best if I don't lose sight of things." She went on to say with a smile, as she dusted off the low table that sat in the main living area of the home they shared. "Magic is very limited, I've begun to understand that." Beginning to sweep up debris, she didn't catch the scowl on Urd's face, and merely prattled on. "Things that can be done by hand, should be done by hand, with the care expected."

Urd frowned, crossing her arms. "If that's the way it is, then so be it." It wasn't what she had expected to hear, but she took the words for what they were. "I suppose someone like you would think of things that way. It won't help much."

"Huh?" Belldandy asked.

"I'm only saying that I see your point, Bell." Urd shrugged it off.

Over the time that Belldandy had spent on earth, she began to lose touch with a more heavenly outlook, in favor perhaps, of a more human heart. One that wished...one that dreamed...and within that, a new enlightenment began to find a purchase within her soul. A very powerful one, not only of love, but of a truth that remained unfulfilled.

"Well, you've never been blind." Belldandy said, trying to offer a smile. "I should thank you Urd, if it hadn't been for you, I doubt I ever would have found the confidence to lead a more human life." Her cheeks tinged pink. "Mortal women are more aggressive than goddesses, I believe."

"I resent that." Urd groused, trying her best not to take the offensive statement to heart. "There are plenty of aggressive goddesses, you just aren't one of them." Urd regretted her tone, and sighed. "Just like I was telling you, romance is all well and good to think about, but thinking without action solves nothing."

"That is true." Belldandy nodded sadly. "Isn't it?"

"I wouldn't lie about something like that." Urd said, feeling a wave of distress come from the very air around her. "You and Keiichi still having problems?"

Belldandy shook her head to indicate the negative. "It's new." Belldandy afforded with a blush on her cheeks. "Very different than what I expected, but I think because of that, it's made us stronger." Then she nipped at her lower lip and sighed. "I only fear this will open doors to discussions between the two of us that I simply can't say...bedding a mortal is quite problematic in its own ways, isn't it?"

As long as her heart continued to seek solace, as goddess she would continue to feel incomplete. Belldandy was caught between desire, and solidarity. Floating haphazardly, between the duties of a woman, and the requirements of a goddess. Urd could only pity her sister, and that wasn't an easy thing to do. Urd had always looked up to her younger sister, as odd as many might have thought that was.

"Yes Belldandy, it is." Urd forced herself to say. Looking down on the first class goddess seemed wrong. Urd had no idea how to cope with that truth. The eldest goddess snapped her fingers a few more times, and then chanted an incantation, putting the entire house back where it belonged. She needed a distraction, and thought back to the power she could coax from her fingertips. "I don't see how it magic is limited, only that goddesses restrain themselves. That's just how we are…well, most of us." As she expected, Belldandy gave her a frown. "What?"

"Magic is a convenience, and in heaven it is common place. Here on earth, there is far more to be gained without magic. Due to the nature of the life forms found here, magic can almost be considered obsolete." With a gentle bow, she went about going inside to do her normal household cleaning. She didn't make it very far before another light bulb shattered from above. "That too, is due to magic." She sighed, pointing up to the ceiling.

"Magic huh?" Urd muttered. The eldest Norn was able to make the connection. "Doesn't look like magic to me…looks like emotional distress."

"I'm afraid it's a matter a both." The newest voice cut in. "Hey guys, it's been a while." Peorth had seen enough, and decided to make herself known.

"What do you want this time?" Urd muttered on the offensive, Peorth was leaning comfortingly in the doorway, and that set Urd on edge.

"Urd!" Frankly, Belldandy agreed, but she offered a smile. "It's good to see you, Peorth. What brings you here?"

"Orders from the council. The big men upstairs, your father most of all, wanted me to come down." Peorth surveyed the area. She could tell something was amiss, and she let a small, saddened smile slip across her face. It was just as he said, Belldandy was suffering, even if she wouldn't admit the true nature of it. "Trouble in paradise, Bell?"

Belldandy looked up at the broken light bulb above her head and simply sighed. "You know, Peorth, you could say that." The bits of glass shattered into dust underfoot.

"Alright, dish." Peorth said, and clutched the little microchip she had hidden in her gloved palm just a little tighter. "What's been going on?"

Belldandy didn't know where to begin. "Things have been difficult, I suppose."

"Storms are brewing." Urd interrupted, giving Peorth a knowing look.

"They are not!" Belldandy scolded with a shake of her head. "The broken bulb was due to magic." Belldandy said again. "Humans don't do that simply by passing under them. They don't have the capacity for their emotions to get the better of them like that. This isn't a storm…not exactly." Belldandy said then. "I'm just…coming to terms with a few things."

"I wonder if the system is under bug attack again." Urd said in offhandedly, only to hear another regretful sigh from her sister.

"It isn't anything to do with Yggdrasil." Belldandy said sadly. "I don't know why, but I'm sure of it."

"You are?" Urd protested. "It wouldn't be the first time that system screwed itself up."

Peorth shook her head, she knew Belldandy was right. "I already checked that, everything's as it should be." Peorth explained, putting a hand over her heart as if that somehow would quell the two sisters. "This is something else…the system is fine. Whatever seems to be wrong, it simply must be coming from Belldandy's soul."

"I was afraid of that. Poor Keiichi won't be very happy when I tell him what's been going on lately." Belldandy lamented with a quiet sigh. It spoke volumes, and along with it, a nearby vase met its demise, shattering to bits. "This is beginning to get out of hand."

"See what I mean?" Peorth said with a shake of her head. "If she so much as thinks about that boy, she blows something up."

"Oh, I see alright." Urd smirked.

Peorth couldn't share in the humor at all. It was depressing, having to watch another first class goddess, her rival, have to endure such a thing. "These storms, while not of jealously, are brought on by a very distinct, yet subtle desire, that had yet to be fully realized." Peorth said by way of an explanation. "You and Keiichi are simply incompatible as it is, and, it's taking a toll. It's as simple as that."

"It isn't so simple." Belldandy shot back. "This is entirely too complicated."

"I think this is a conversation best left to me, Peorth." Urd replied, holding her hand up to stop a rebuke. "I know you've been sent here, but I'm a systems admin too." She knew a program when she felt one lingering in the area. "Let me talk to her first."

"What is this about?" Belldandy asked, tears beginning to come to her eyes.

"I think, I'll go pay Skuld a little visit." Peorth said slowly, nodding to Urd, understanding how difficult this would be. She left the sisters to their devices, and gave a silent prayer that all would be well. She didn't want to look at anything so disheartening again.

...

"Urd…" Belldandy begged, looking to the tanned goddess. "Please, help me." The middle Norn replied, lost for words. "I don't know what I should do."

"Look on the bright side, number one." Urd said, trying to sound at ease and calm. "Number two, don't worry. We'll figure it out." At least, Urd hoped they would. This was a thorny situation. Sure, Keiichi loved Belldandy, there was no doubt of that. The two of them would be inseparable, and, it wasn't merely because of a heavenly contract. Still, as Urd began to sweep up the pieces of yet another broken item, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the young woman.

As much as Urd normally pushed Keiichi, this was not something he could solve on his own. Respectful though he was, in recent years he had become a man worthy of proving such deep love...it was time he settled down, and started a family of his own flesh and blood. Surely, Belldandy knew that, but she remained unable to do such a thing. That was part of the problem.

"Belldandy, if you had to take a guess, how many eons old are you?" Urd had meant it to be a simple statement, but, she knew the truth. Their age was easily as fluid as time itself.

"That's a silly question. It's hard to measure." Belldandy laughed, goddesses had an everlasting lifespan that never really ended. If a goddess died, eventually, they would be reborn. It was how the heavens worked...the devils, or more appropriately called demons, had a similar way of life. "I've been around so long now, age has sort of slipped my mind." Belldandy bit her lower lip. "Let me see, an eon is roughly half a billion years or so."

Seeing Belldandy struggle, Urd sighed, trying to push her little sister along. "Oh, come on, take a guess. If it helps you, I'm nearly four. I'm going to be an old hag soon." Then Urd blinked and cursed. "You know what they say about a goddess who's reached the fourth eon without getting married." With a shiver, she shook her head, not wanting to think about it. "Well, that's just a bit unsettling, now isn't it?"

"Oh please, it's just a number Urd." Belldandy retorted. "Besides, you know eons are just a drop in the bucket. It's when you start counting your life in exaseconds that you need to start worrying about age." That thought made Belldandy roll her eyes before a pang settled into her heart. With a sigh, she tried to think of an answer for Urd's question. "I've no idea...Skuld is only one eon, so I couldn't possibly be older than three." Belldandy paused, she was still quite young, at least by a heavenly standard. "I've never really thought about it, to be honest. Why do you ask?"

"Because I think your powers are starting to get the better of you." Urd replied, unsure just how much her sister wanted her prying into this particular subject. "Think about it, goddesses are only subject to random mood swings when two things happen. The first happens before the first few thousand years, when a goddess attains her magical powers, and matures to adulthood entirely."

Belldandy closed her eyes, nodding in understanding. She knew all of that already. "A goddess's powers are attained by feeling love, and thus strengthen by love. As a first class goddess, that demand for power is much higher, even with a limiter. Goddesses of a first class, unlimited license, will often have strong urges to meet the demands of her powers." Belldandy quoted old passages. "The second time only happens when the feelings of the goddess in question aren't fully realized. Such as the reproduction of offspring, or the lack of a spiritual bond with someone." Belldandy nodded. "I know all of that already."

Urd merely leaned on the wall nearby. "It happens to everyone eventually, but first class, unlimited goddesses, tend to run into power demands much faster than others. Since it's our version of a biological clock, and it'll get strong and stronger, until it slowly becomes problematic." She decided to conjure up some tea in hopes of "You're not a teenager anymore, Belldandy. It's time to put out, and get knocked up."

"Urd!" At that, a nearby chair turned into a stuffed animal, and Belldandy rolled her eyes, changing it back quickly. "That's…that's just…" Belldandy sighed with a shake of her head.

"Normal." Urd supplied, taking her sister by the shoulders. "You're reaching that age, Bell. It's normal, trust me."

The middle Norn blushed deeply. She knew her older sister was right, but, it made her uncomfortable to think about it. "I guess, I never had the need to think about this, and, I assumed that with my contract in place, I'd be okay, at least for Keiichi's lifetime." Still, Belldandy knew she wasn't an adolescent anymore. She was a young woman, a young goddess, who had to ponder about fulfilling her own desires. "I'm plenty old enough, I guess." She said then, unsure about it.

"You've been old enough for a while now." Urd replied dryly. "Most goddesses start young...after a few thousand years they find a strapping young god and settle down...but you've been waiting around."

"I know, I know." Belldandy sighed. "I just didn't feel that I was ready." Her intended reason for existing was not only part of the world tree, but also something far more delicate. "You know that once a goddess such as myself starts to have children, we've often time for little else. We usually settle down, and when we get married, we do as our husbands say."

"Don't let Anzasu hear that." Urd said then, a little humor behind her words.

"She's a rare alteration to the rule, Urd." Belldandy protested, not wanting to accept what she knew was pure fact. "Her idea of obedience is sticking her tongue out at someone, and shooing them off respectively." Belldandy shook her head. "Father knows that, and besides, he finds difficult women amusing. Most other gods require obedience, and I'm not so willing to be that type of person so easily."

Urd didn't bother to mention that the three of them could also be considered difficult, and instead clicked her tongue. Belldandy would defy the demands of the men in her life all the time, she was just a bit more respectful about it. That couldn't be the real issue, but, Urd couldn't figure out what was. "I sense hesitancy…" Urd told her younger sister dryly. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Not right now." Belldandy said, a sadness deeply cloaking her voice. "Maybe someday, just, not now."

Urd cursed under her breath. She knew someday would be much sooner rather than later. She could feel it swirling in the pit of her gut, and the mere thought made her uncomfortable. She let her sister slip from her grasp, and stifled the oncoming retort that she wanted to say. She would be forced to spectate this horrible atrocity. Try though Urd might, she wondered if she could accept Belldandy's words.

"Someday, huh?" There was no one around to hear the words, but, she felt that was all the more reason to give them a voice. "You don't have the luxury." Urd told Belldandy's retreating form with a pitying smile.