A Goddess' Dreams
Part 1: The Dream
Chapter 1
One month later.
Keiichi opened his eyes as his alarm clock continued to announce the morning. With a groan, he sat up on his futon and slapped the alarm off. He glanced at the window to confirm that it was indeed morning. He rose to his feet and, after pausing at his dresser, opened the door to his room and stepped out into the hall, heading towards the bathroom.
As he walked down the hall, he could just make out the sound of humming coming from the kitchen. Belldandy was already up and about, just like she had been the first one up every other morning previously.
'Well,' he thought, 'Not every morning.'
He briefly remembered back just weeks ago, when a rogue God named Celestine had tried to remake the Earth into his vision of 'paradise'. That it would have wiped out all the mortals didn't matter to him. All that mattered was his perfect world, and Belldandy. During one of his attempts to get at Belldandy, she had completely exhausted all her magic, causing her to fall asleep. Keiichi had awoken the next morning to find Belldandy asleep next to him.
Keiichi entered the bathroom and quickly bathed before changing into his work clothes. He exited the bathroom and headed down the hall towards the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, the sound of snores could be heard from Urd's room as the elder goddess slept off a night of drinking. The eldest of the sisters was a bit of a lush. True it was her secondary power source, but she drank even when she didn't need to. The odd thing was that he couldn't remember Urd picking up a bottle in recent memory.
Entering the dining area, Keiichi found Skuld already sitting at the table, fiddling with some device. She glanced up as he sat down.
"Morning."
"Morning Skuld." Keiichi replied. He and Skuld had been getting along better since Celestine. But he was curious to exactly what had changed in Skuld's mind. As far as he knew he was still treating her the same as when he had met her. Given her disdain at being referred to as 'a kid', he'd treated her as an adult. There was also the large amount of explosives that she tended to carry to consider.
Belldandy entered the dining room with his breakfast.
"Morning Keiichi." She said warmly as she set the food down before him.
Keiichi gently grabbed her hand in his.
"Morning Bell." He replied as he gazed up at her. Something had changed in Belldandy since Celestine. Keiichi wasn't exactly sure what, but she seemed different from how she had been before him. Of course, she had recovered a part of her memory that had been sealed off, much like his had been of their first encounter. He knew from sharing his body with Celestine exactly how the God had manipulated his Goddess girlfriend. The result had been Belldandy taking out several Yggdrasil Guardians assigned to capture Celestine. Realizing what she had done, Belldandy had gone catatonic shortly thereafter. With the memory sealed away, and a careful lie, Belldandy had been able to recover.
Belldandy smiled right back at him, then slowly pulled her hand from his to return to the kitchen. Keiichi watched her until she had vanished, then turned back to the table.
Skuld was looking at him.
Keiichi immediately paled. He'd forgotten all about her when Belldandy had entered. The youngest of the sisters normally exploded at Keiichi for even thinking about touching Belldandy.
Instead, she stared at him a moment longer, then turned her gaze back to the device in her hand.
Things had changed indeed.
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Keiichi had just finished his breakfast when Urd finally stumbled out of bed.
"Good Morning." Keiichi said as Urd sat down.
"Don't use such disgusting words around me." Urd mumbled.
"Eh?"
"There is nothing 'good' about this 'morning'." Urd replied before her head hit the table top with a thud.
"Maybe if you wouldn't drink so much…." Skuld began.
"I get enough of that from Bell," Urd's muffled voice came from the table. "I don't need to hear it from you brat."
Skuld's eyes narrowed. For a brief moment, Keiichi wondered if he would be better off somewhere else. Then Skuld abruptly stood up and stormed out of the room past Belldandy as she entered with Urd's breakfast.
"What did you do now Urd?" Belldandy asked with a sigh.
"The usual." Came Urd's muffled reply.
Belldandy shook her head as she set Urd's breakfast on the table. She then turned to Keiichi.
"I'll go change and be out in a moment." She said before heading down the hall to her room.
Keiichi started to rise from the table.
"She's not sleeping you know."
Keiichi stopped and looked over at Urd. The eldest sister had lifted her head and was looking in the direction Belldandy had vanished.
"What?"
Urd turned to Keiichi.
"Come on K-boy! I know you've noticed the changes."
Keiichi sat back down.
"Yeah," he said, "I know."
"You're not the only one." Urd said, "Skuld came to me a day after……you know."
"Yeah."
"She hasn't sleep more then a few hours at night." Urd said, "Then she's up and outside. Skuld told me about it. Since then, I've been keeping watch on her."
Keiichi raised an eyebrow at this.
"You?" he asked, "When did you become……responsible?"
"Ooo don't use that word. You'll ruin my rep." Urd said with a smile, "You really think I was drinking late into the night?"
"You were watching her." Keiichi said.
"Yeah." Urd said with a sigh, "And you know Bell, she hides her bad feelings, puts on a smiling face and she claims everything's fine."
"Yeah," Keiichi said, "That's Belldandy alright. So what do we do?"
"'We'?" Urd repeated, "You mean you."
"Me?" Keiichi asked skeptically.
"Look K," Urd said, "She loves you. You love her. You're also the only one in either Heaven or Earth she'll listen to besides Kami-sama. If you ask her to talk to you, she will."
"Somehow I doubt I have that kind of power over a Goddess." Keiichi said.
"You'd be surprised K."
"Are you ready?"
Keiichi turned to see Belldandy now in her work clothes.
"Yeah." Keiichi said rising to his feet.
The two exited the house. Soon Urd heard the sound of the motorcycle starting up. The sound then faded as it drove away.
"They're gone?" Skuld asked as she reentered the dining room.
"Yeah." Urd replied. She turned and looked at her breakfast. "Ughh…..Maybe I shouldn't have had those drinks last night."
Skuld frowned. "I thought you stopped."
"I did." Urd muttered, "But seeing her so…….unhappy, I needed a pick me up."
Skuld's eyes narrowed.
"You need the pick me up? What about Onee-sama?!"
"I told Keiichi." Urd said.
"We're her FAMILY Urd!" Skuld snapped back, "Doesn't that word mean anything to you?"
"And Keiichi is the love of her life or have you forgotten?"
Skuld straightened.
"I haven't forgotten that." She growled.
"Good." Urd turned and left the room, leaving a slightly peeved young Goddess in her wake.
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The Whirlwind cycle shop.
"You know Morisato," Chihiro Fujimi said as she watched him work on a motorcycle, "You really baffle me."
"Eh?" Keiichi turned and looked at his boss.
"Actually," she said, " you and Belldandy baffle me."
"What do you mean?"
"Well let's take your girlfriend for a moment." Chihiro pointed through the window that separated the work area from the rest of the shop. Belldandy could be seen sweeping the floor.
"That girl has the body of a supermodel." Chihiro stated, "And can sing like no one I've ever heard before." She looked at Keiichi. "Now why on earth would she of all people want to get an Engineering degree?"
"Uhhh……" Keiichi stuttered.
"What's more…." Chihiro continued, "Is that you and she have the most unusual luck. You and she were the only ones on this campus to sort out Otaki and Tamiya's 'treasure' map and find these rings." She held up the two rings that Otaki and Tamiya had bought when they had asked Chihiro to marry them (of course not at the same time….geez…), and she now carried as 'trophy's of war'. "She also says the oddest things at times."
"Uhh well..I…."
"And then there's your reaction right now." Chihiro said pointing at Keiichi. "Whenever anyone starts digging into Belldandy and your's past, you get all flustered. Your own sister even agrees with me."
"You talked to Megumi?" Keiichi asked, his eyes widening.
"I've talked to everyone in the entire Motor Club." Chihiro replied, "Otaki and Tamiya even had a very interesting story about the night they met her."
"Oh."
"Sneaking her into the Boy's dorm?"
"I didn't….."
"Keiichi," Chihiro said, cutting him off, "Just what are you two hiding?"
"I……." Keiichi began, "I can't explain."
"Can't?" Chihiro asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's not my secret to tell." Keiichi replied looking down at the wrench in his hands. "It's……complicated."
"Right." Chihiro turned and started to leave the work area. She paused at the door. "Keiichi, it's not that we don't trust you, or her. Everyone agrees that you two make a great couple and that Belldandy is the sweetest person we've ever met." She turned and looked back at him. "But we just have so many questions."
"I know." Keiichi replied, "Maybe someday………they can be answered."
Chihiro smiled.
"I'll hold you to that."
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That night on the way home from the Whirlwind, Keiichi deviated the motorcycle from the usual path. Belldandy looked up at him from the sidecar, confusion on her face. She knew something was troubling him, she'd felt it when she'd gone into the work area to sweep.
"Keiichi?" she asked.
He glanced at her slightly, before returning his gaze to the road.
"Just a little side trip." He said.
Belldandy accepted that for the moment. She settled back in her seat and waited.
Keiichi finally brought the motorcycle to a stop on a little outlook on the side of a hill. From there, the two had an unimpeded view of Nekomi. They could even make out the temple complex.
Keiichi climbed off the motorcycle, then set his helmet on the seat. He then walked a short distance to the edge of the overlook. Belldandy followed him a moment later.
"What is it?" she asked softly, "Did Chihiro say something to you?"
"In a way." Keiichi replied, " She….she asked about you."
"Me?" Belldandy was surprised.
"About……..things." Keiichi said, "About why you're here and……" He sighed and turned to face her. "She asked about things that are hard to answer, without telling her what you are."
Belldandy nodded in understanding.
"Without telling her I'm a Goddess."
"I hate keeping it from them." Keiichi said, "Especially my parents and Megumi. It feels like…….I don't trust them."
"I know." Belldandy hated it too, "But if we told them………"
"I know." Keiichi replied, "It would affect their beliefs, their faith."
"I'm sorry Keiichi." Belldandy whispered, "I know it's a burden…."
"It's not your fault." Keiichi said, putting an arm around her and pulling her close. "And I hardly see you and your sisters as burdens."
Belldandy smiled and wrapped her arms around him.
"Thank you Keiichi."
They stood there a moment, watching the sun move beyond the hills.
"Bell?"
"Yes Keiichi?"
"Are you alright?"
Belldandy frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You don't seem yourself." Keiichi replied, "Ever since……..Celestine."
Belldandy stiffened. Keiichi felt her do it and gently turned her so that he was looking into her face.
"It's what happened with those Guardians isn't it?" he asked.
Belldandy's lip began to quiver slightly as she stared at him.
"It's ok Bell." Keiichi said softly, taking her face in his hands, "It wasn't your fault."
"But it was!" she exclaimed as tears began to run down her cheeks "I……I….."
"I know." Keiichi said softly, "When Celestine was with me, I saw what happened."
Belldandy's eyes went wide.
"You…. You….saw?"
Keiichi nodded.
"You must hate me!" Belldandy tried to turn away, but Keiichi refused to let her.
"I don't hate you Bell." Keiichi said, "I never could. And you shouldn't bottle it up inside, it will only make it worse."
Belldandy finally gave up struggling and simply sagged into Keiichi's arms.
"I know it's painful." Keiichi continued, his voice still soft and caring, "But I'm here for you."
Belldandy slowly lifted her arms and hugged herself tightly to Keiichi.
"Thank you." She whispered softly.
Keiichi smiled and held her tightly in his arms.
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"I want you to accompany me." Celestine said as he stood on the platform overlooking Heaven. A young Belldandy stood beside him, looking up at her teacher. "With your help Belldandy, I know the wishes of the weak are sure to be fulfilled at long last."
Belldandy stared at him, still in shock from watching him destroy the Judgment Gate just moments earlier.
"All people will be treated equally." Celestine continued, "I want to offer as much assistance I can to those who are suffering."
Before Belldandy could reply, a strange sound filled the air. She and Celestine turned to see five Yggdrasil Guardians appearing. They five turned and faced Celestine, pointing their staffs towards the God. Blue lightning flashed out, trapping Celestine.
Belldandy watched in horror as Celestine twisted and cried out in pain.
"No…….. NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" she screamed as she sent her Angel, Blessed Bell, forth.
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Belldandy sat up in a cold sweat. She held her head in her hands a moment, breathing heavily. After several minutes, she lifted her head and looked around. She was on her futon, in her bedroom. The small alarm clock beside her bed claimed it was only two in the morning.
"Just like the other nights." She murmured. She grabbed her robe as she rose to her feet and pulled it on as she headed out into the hall.
The house was quiet, but for the soft snores coming from the other bedrooms.
She walked down the hall and stepped outside. Banpei and Sigel, Skuld's robots, both looked in her direction a moment, before resuming their nightly patrol. The Goddess walked out into the middle of the yard and looked up into the star filled sky.
"Are you still praying for my happiness Celestine?" she asked the stars. "Even with my Keiichi, I don't feel happy. Not with knowing what I have done."
"You out here again?"
Belldandy looked behind her.
"Down here!"
The Goddess looked down to find a gray rat sitting before her.
"Hello Gan-chan." Belldandy said softly.
"Hello Gan-chan" the rat mimicked, "Is that all you can say after you let that cat in here?"
"Welsper?" "Belldandy asked, "She hasn't chased after you has she?"
"Nah." Gan-chan replied, "She leaves us alone. But still…a demon cat?"
Belldandy smiled slightly, "She needed a place to stay."
"Right." Gan-chan replied, "So what are you doing out here?"
Belldandy looked back to the stars.
"Seeking answers." She replied.
"But you're a Goddess!"
"That doesn't mean I have all the answers Gan."
"Well," the rat said, "What was the question?"
"I did a horrible thing long ago." Belldandy whispered, "I was kept from remembering it, but after my old mentor returned……I remembered."
"It couldn't have been that bad." Gan-chan said.
"It was." Belldandy said, her voice barely a whisper now, "I'm a horrid person."
"You are not!" Gan-chan shouted, bouncing slightly, "You're the sweetest person I know! You wouldn't harm a fly! Besides, college boy doesn't seem to think you're horrid."
"No." The Goddess replied, "He doesn't."
"He does know, right?"
"He knows."
"So why are you out here in the middle of the night talking to a rat?! Go to him!"
Belldandy allowed herself to smile.
"When did you get so smart Gan-chan?"
"Me smart?!?" Gan-chan rolled his eyes. "Hardly!"
"Arigato Gan." Belldandy said before reentering the house.
Gan-chan let out a sigh.
"You did good rat."
Gan-chan looked over his shoulder to see the black cat with a white star on it's forehead approaching.
"You said exactly what she needed to hear." The cat continued.
"Think they'll get married?" Gan asked.
Welsper stared at the house silently, a faraway look on her face.
"I don't know." She replied softly. She then turned to the rat.
"She's happy with him." Welsper said, "Far happier then she'd be without him." The cat then turned and padded off into the darkness.
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Keiichi slowly began to wake as he heard his door slide open. He turned his head and opened his eyes just in time to see Belldandy step in and closed his door.
"Bell?" he said softly, "What is it?"
Belldandy walked over beside him and knelt down.
"I'm sorry I woke you." She said softly, "But I……I had a bad dream."
Keiichi sat up and looked into Belldandy's eyes. He could tell she was upset at what she had dreamed. Given his recent conversation with her, he knew exactly what it was she had dreamed.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.
Belldandy shook her head.
"No. I just……." In the dim light, he thought he saw her cheeks darken slightly, "I was wondering if I could………You still need sleep and……." Suddenly she was standing up again. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have bothered you." She started to leave.
"Do you……want to sleep here?" Keiichi asked, feeling his cheeks redden.
Belldandy turned back to look at him, her face even redder then before.
"I don't want to be a bother."
Keiichi smiled. "You aren't a bother Bell." He moved over on the futon, leaving a space for her to lay down, then flipped open the covers.
Belldandy didn't hesitate. She walked over and laid down beside Keiichi. He quickly placed the covers over her, then lay back down. As he got comfortable, he felt Belldandy's arms go around him and a weight on his chest. Glancing down, he saw she had moved her head onto his chest, using it as a pillow. He brought his hand up and slowly began to rub her back.
"Thank you Keiichi." She said softly.
"Good night Bell." Keiichi said softly.
"Good…….night…" Belldandy replied as she slowly drifted off.
Keiichi lay for a moment, listening to her soft snores as he continued to rub her back.
Sometime later, Keiichi too fell asleep.
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With a yawn, Skuld stepped out of her room and shuffled down the hall to the dining room, her eyes barely open. She sat down at the table and mumbled a good morning.
Silence met her ears.
She lifted her head, opened her eyes, and peered around.
Nothing.
No one else was up. Not even Belldandy.
Skuld turned and looked at the clock. A frown appeared on her face. Eight o'clock. Sure, it was the weekend, but someone was usually awake by now. Almost always it was Belldandy.
Skuld stood up and walked to the door. She peered outside towards the shed that Keiichi stored his motorcycle in.
The BMW was still there.
Skuld frowned, then noticed Banpei and Sigel standing nearby.
"Hey." She called out to the robots.
Bleep?
"Yes Mistress Skuld?"
Skuld winced at Sigel's greeting.
"I thought I told you to knock off the Mistress stuff?" the Goddess said.
Sigel blinked, "But you are my creator."
"Yeah but…" Skuld shook her head. "Nevermind that. Have you seen Onee-sama or Keiichi?"
"We last saw her at 2:04:36 this morning," Sigel replied.
Skuld blinked. "She was up again? Why didn't you get me?"
"We were about to, but you said to wake you if she was alone."
"Who was she with?"
"A rat."
"Gan-chan." Skuld muttered.
Sigel nodded. "She then went back inside."
"Thanks." Skuld said. She turned and reentered the house. She stood in the dining room a moment, then headed down the hall to the room marked 'Everyone's Tearoom'. Carefully sliding open the door, she peered inside.
Belldandy's futon still lay on the floor, the covers in disarray. But no Goddess. Skuld frowned.
'She didn't return to bed.' She thought. 'And she wasn't in my room. I doubt she'd go to Urd's……. Maybe she….." Skuld shook her head. "Nah she couldn't have……. He wouldn't……"
She turned and hurried across the hall to Keiichi's room. She hurriedly opened the door and entered. She paused just a step inside the room, her eyes wide in shock.
There was Belldandy, laying curled up in Keiichi's arms under the sheets. Skuld's first instinct was to pull out a Skuld Bomb and blow Keiichi sky-high. Her bomb had just cleared her shirt when she noticed it.
Belldandy was smiling in her sleep.
Tossing the bomb aside, Skuld silently moved across the floor, knelt beside the bed, and stared at the two. Belldandy, still in her robe, had her arms wrapped around Keiichi, using his chest as a pillow. If Keiichi was in any discomfort, it didn't show on his face. Both seemed quite happy and peaceful.
Skuld stared at the two for a moment longer, then rose to her feet and left the room, closing the door behind her.
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Urd floated out into the dining room, let out a yawn as she landed at the table. Skuld was already sitting there poking at a plate of eggs. Urd glanced in the kitchen, but saw no sign of the middle sister. Nor was there any sign of Keiichi.
"Hey brat!" Urd said, "Where's Bell and K?"
Skuld pushed her eggs around the plate with her fork, as if they doing laps.
"Not here." She replied.
Urd frowned. As a Goddess, she could tell when someone was telling the truth and when they were lying. Of course, Goddesses themselves must tell the truth, at least the First Class ones. Technically, Second Class Goddesses could lie…….but it was frowned on and tended to hinder anyone trying to move up a rank.
Skuld seemed to be telling the truth, but Urd felt something was off. She couldn't quite place the feeling though. Perhaps it was a quirk of her being half-demon. She decided to let it slide.
"So where's breakfast?" Urd asked.
Skuld shrugged.
"Well you got scrambled eggs somehow." Urd growled.
Skuld rolled her eyes up and glared at Urd.
"I made them!" Skuld snapped, "So if you want anything you'll have to make it yourself!"
Urd stood up and slammed her hands on the table.
"You expect me to do domestic work?!?!" she exclaimed, "Are you crazy?!"
"Belldandy does it!" Skuld said.
"Well I'm not Belldandy!" Urd snapped back. She turned and headed towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Skuld called out.
"Out to find food!" Urd headed down the path and out into the street, leaving Skuld alone in the dining room.
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Keiichi's eyes flickered as the morning sun hit them through the window. He slowly turned his head to look at the alarm clock.
9:00am.
Keiichi's eyes widened in surprise. He'd slept in! He started to rise, but something was weighing him down. He looked at his chest to find a pile of honey brown hair there. He stared blankly at it a moment before his fogged memory of last night became clear.
'That's right.' He thought, 'Belldandy had a nightmare.'
He lifted a hand and gently moved her hair out of her face. Belldandy was still asleep, and looked very peaceful and happy. He felt guilty that he was going to have to wake her up.
Nature was calling.
"Bell." He said softly.
Seeing no response, he began to slowly rub her back before saying her name again. This time the Goddess stirred slightly, before her arms tightened their grip around Keiichi and she buried her face into Keiichi's chest. She also mumbled something, but Keiichi couldn't quite make it out.
"Bell." Keiichi said again, his hand still rubbing her back.
This time Belldandy lifted her head up. Sleep filled blue eyes met Keiichi's brown ones. Keiichi smiled at her. She offered one of her own in return. That's when he noticed it. Since Celestine, he had seen the hurt in Belldandy's eyes over what had happened. Now that hurt seemed lessened.
"Good morning Bell." He said, gently sliding a hand through her hair.
"Good morning Keiichi." Belldandy replied, "What time is it?"
"Nine."
Belldandy's eyes went wide.
"Oh my! I overslept!" She rose to her feet and started towards the door.
Keiichi sat up and looked down at his lap. Before he could do anything else, her arms pulled him into a hug from behind.
"Thank you for last night." She whispered.
Keiichi reached up and placed his hand on hers.
"I'm here for you Bell." He said, "You don't have to hide anything from me."
Belldandy moved her head onto his shoulder.
"I know you're here." She said, "But sometimes it's hard for me to………"
"I know Bell." Keiichi replied, turning his head to face her. "I know you'd rather hide your negative feelings from everyone. But you're only hurting yourself."
"But I'm….."
"You're not only a Goddess First Class to me." Keiichi whispered, "You're also the woman I love. She doesn't have to hide anything from me, even if it hurts."
The room was completely silent. Belldandy had closed her eyes, tears slowly running down her cheeks.
"Arigato Keiichi." She whispered before moving forward and meeting his lips with hers.
They held the kiss for a moment, then broke it.
"I'll go make breakfast." Belldandy said before standing up and leaving the room. Keiichi smirked as he watched her practically float out. He then stretched his arms.
"Well Keiichi," he said top himself, "It looks like it's going to be a great day!"
He rose to his feet and went to his dresser to find clothes for the day. On his way there, his foot slammed into an object.
"OW!" he shouted, grabbing his foot. He sat down on the floor and rubbed his foot. Then he looked around for what he'd hit.
"What was…." His eyes widened as he spotted the object in question. Something that hadn't been in his room the night before.
A Skuld Bomb.
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Belldandy entered the dinging room and found Skuld seated at the table, her face buried in some technical magazine.
"Good Morning Skuld." She said cheerfully.
Skuld's eyes appeared just over the magazine.
"Morning Onee-sama." She replied.
"I'm sorry I overslept." Belldandy continued as she moved into the kitchen, "I'll make you something extra special to make up for……"
"I already ate."
Belldandy paused and looked at her youngest sister.
"You did?" she asked, surprised.
"Yeah."
"Oh." Belldandy looked at the counter a moment. "Did Urd……?"
"I made it." Skuld said, her face back in the magazine. "Urd's out."
"I see." Belldandy seemed lost for a moment. "Well then I'll just make some for Keiichi and myself."
As she began to prepare breakfast for herself and Keiichi, her mortal love entered the dining room.
Keiichi paused just inside the dining room. He could hear Belldandy in the kitchen, already humming as she worked. But he didn't look that way. His eyes were fixed on the person currently giving him a glare. The Technical Magazine now lay discarded on the table as the twelve-year old goddess devoted her attention to him. Keiichi shifted nervously under her gaze.
"We need to talk." Skuld said in a tone that said 'no' was an unacceptable answer.