Reckless Heart
An Ahh! Megami-sama
Fanfiction
By Underlord Backlash
Disclaimer: I do not own the AMS series. Kosuke Fujishima created it.
Note for Part 2: As of this point on, the hell with it, this is an almost verbatim SI fic.
Part 2
"YEEEEE-IIIIIIIIIGH!!" One of Terence's patented nerve-wrenching
screams tore through the house.
"Again?"
Skuld sighed and set down her latest creation as she left her lab for Terence's
room. She found him on the floor, a
twitching, and slightly singed mess. Mini-Banpei was marching diligently across the doorway to "Terence's
Sanctuary." She sighed. "Again? Isn't getting fried twice in as many days for trying to run away
enough?"
Terence
snorted and glared at Mini-Banpei. "First chance I get I'm turning that glorified wind-up toy into a can
opener." He looked up at Skuld. "I wasn't trying to run away; I was just
trying to leave my room to use the toilet without being assaulted by an action
figure with delusions of grandeur." He
raised an eyebrow at Skuld as he stood up.
"Sorry. Go ahead, Terence." Skuld pulled out a remote and switched off
Mini-Banpei.
Terence stepped over it on
the way out, although he was severely tempted to squash his 'prison guard', as
he called it, flat on the way.
As
Terence stalked off towards the bathroom, Skuld took a look around 'Terence's
Sanctuary.' (Author's Note: In the tradition of Keiichi Studios, Skuld Labs,
and Castle Urd.) "Hmm, at least he's
settled in after two weeks of trying to run away. Maybe in another week or two he'll be ready to start school
again." Her eyes roamed around the
room, flitting from object to object. The DBGT bedspread, the Vash the Stampede mini-bust on his nightstand,
the 'Body-Glove' wall scroll of Ranma-chan, the Gundam kits on his dresser, the
Monev the Gale figure (still in the package) on the wall, the bookcase of
manga, anime videos and DVD's that went from floor to ceiling and took up a
quarter of a wall; they were all signs that under normal circumstances, he
would have been thrilled to be living in Tokyo. Of course, these were hardly normal circumstances. She noticed that his computer was still on,
and took a closer look at what he had been working on. "Gundanium Underpants? What kind of immature person would be amused
by this?"
"Close
to two hundred immature people actually."
Skuld
squeaked as she spun around and ran straight into Terence, sending them both to
the floor, Terence's head slamming into it. "Owwwwch. Do you always pry into
other people's work, or am I a special case? Trying to analyze it for signs of pre-homicidal depression?" He stood up, brushed himself off, then took
Skuld's hand and pulled her to her feet.
"Biiii-da!"
Skuld pulled her cheeks out and blew a raspberry at Terence. "I was just curious is all. What's it to you?"
Terence
looked like he had a retort ready, but then his face dropped and he
sighed. "Nothing, nothing at all. Nothing matters anymore." He sat down and started typing again, not
even concerned about whether or not Skuld left.
Skuld's
expression became a little concerned. 'Aww,
he's getting all moody again.' She
glanced around the room and then noticed a picture left out on his bed. She picked it up and saw that it was Terence
with a boy who must have been his little brother, judging by the resemblance,
on his shoulders, giving a 'V' sign to the camera. They both had on grins from ear to ear. She looked over at Terence, who had his back to her. 'You must have really loved being a big
brother.' She cleared her throat and
spoke to him. "I think I liked you
better when you kept trying to run away. At least you weren't boring then."
"Buzz
off, would you?"
"Hey,
how'd you like to go into town for some ice cream? Getting some air once in a while would probably do you some
good."
"Why
should I even bother?"
"JUST
SHUT UP AND GO, STUPID!" Urd's face
appeared on the computer screen and yelled at Terence.
"Kyaaaaah!" Terence fell backwards in his chair and
toppled to the floor, hitting his head again. He jumped up and grabbed the monitor. "Get out of my computer, you stupid witch!"
"Who're
you calling a witch, you worthless brat?!" Urd screamed back at him.
"Wrinkled
old cow!"
"Waste
of flesh and hair!"
"Lousy
bitch!"
"Little
bastard!"
"Worthless
slut!"
"THAT
DOES IT!" The screen suddenly turned
bright white, and then something could be heard popping inside of it, followed
by an acrid smell and a column of smoke rising out of the monitor's vents.
Terence
scowled and breathed out sharply, flapping his lips. "Well, now I have to go into town to buy a new monitor anyway."
Skuld
grimaced. "Umm, you're not going to
tell Belldandy-oneechan about this, are you?"
"What
good would that do? I don't need any
help to deal with that bleached bimbo. C'mon, let's go." He grabbed his
wallet and jacket and headed outside.
***
Elsewhere, in a dark room on the highest floor of a tower somewhere in Tokyo, Terence's current state of health was being commented on. The speaker was most displeased by it. "This is very unfortunate. You failed in your mission." The speaker reclined in a chair behind his desk. The windows were sealed and the room was in total darkness, save for a ceiling light above the desk, and one over the center of the room. The one in the center shone down on a man in blue jeans and a leather jacket. His appearance was unruly, and he was sweating profusely. He was kneeling before the man at the desk.
"Please, forgive me Master. The bug prevented a quick elimination of the boy, and my host somehow managed to resist enough to end his own life. He had somehow become aware of his actions. I would have attended to the boy myself at that point, but the Goddess appeared and took him away." The man trembled, aware that his fate rested in the decision of his master; and his master was renowned for passing harsh judgment.
"You….were beaten….by a human's will? A worthless, normal human; one that you picked up off the street to serve you. You are a disgrace." The man stood up, now clearly visible in the light. His icy blue eyes and shimmering blonde hair seemed to pierce the darkness. Their significant appearance, combined with his black suit and gloves, gave the illusion of him being nothing but a head floating in mid-air. He had intended to appear thus; no matter what form he took, it was always one that implied a position of power, and filled those who saw it with fear. "You know the penalty for failure…"
The man looked up, panic-stricken. "Master, I have served you long, faithfully, and wisely!"
"Yes, which was the reason I rewarded you with an assignment that would have garnered you much praise from Our Father Below… Had you completed it successfully that is; but your failure erases all merit you have ever had. Your usefulness to me has ended Kellian…"
"MASTER! PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU!" Kellian stood up; sweat droplets flying off his brow.
"Enough… Let whoever has taken over my former position decide your punishment." He snapped his fingers, and his eyes glowed red. Energy rushed up from underneath Kellian and he vanished, screaming in pain as he did so. By the time his sweat hit the floor, there was no trace of him.
"Not to criticize you, Azrael, but that's what you get for sending a scout on an assignment that should have been given to an assassin." A small flame appeared in the room, illuminating a face framed by silver hair, with green eyes that glowed in rhythm with the flame that came from the woman's index finger. "I expect Olivier will have Kellian reduced to a side dish for the next Arch-Daemons' feast. No great delicacy there, although I imagine Headmaster Screwtape will think it complements the wine of Hitler's blood." The woman chuckled to herself.
Azrael sat back down, and his eyes focused on his visitor. "Olivier? Is that who they have passing judgment in my absence? He always had all three of his eyes on the job. But tell me Darkihm, what brings one of the Kingdom's finest torturers to Earth?"
Darkihm walked towards Azrael's desk, shrugging as she did so. "Although I haven't been told all the details, in a nutshell, I'm here to assist in the hunt for the boy. I also…reprimanded Mara and," she laughed, "let's just I say I sent her to her room."
Azrael's eyes narrowed. "Damned bitch was nothing but a source of amusement for the Master anyway; and on whose authority have you come to assist me?"
Darkihm smiled. "His." Noting the shock that Azrael could not keep from his face, she sat on his desk and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Not to worry, the Master's not displeased with your progress. You've done splendidly, bringing the humans ever closer to the end of their pathetic civilization, one corporate takeover at a time. I'm just here since the situation with the boy has recently improved in the enemy's favor. The boy is now in the protection of two Goddesses First Class."
"Actually, one of them is a Second Class, Limited."
"Yes, but do you believe that the Enemy will hesitate to reinstate her to full power if necessary to protect the boy?"
Azrael leaned back, brought his fingertips together, and then ground his teeth slightly.
Darkihm swung her legs up onto the desk, pulled them up to her chest, and then lightly placed a finger under Azrael's chin. "Relax, my dear Azrael. There is a bit of hope for the situation. According to my sources, the boy is currently entertaining thoughts of suicide. I assume you remember what the results of that would be…" She moved closer to Azrael's face.
Azrael smiled, and then grabbed Darkihm's hand. He squeezed it enough the she winced and pulled back a bit. "Thank you for the information Darkihm. But I'm not one of your little toys, and I never will be. If you need some enjoyment, I suggest you go find your friend Morrigan; she comes to this plane every once in a while." He took his other hand and shoved her off the desk, scattering a few papers in the process.
Darkihm hit the floor, and rubbed her sore hand. She looked up at Azrael and smiled. "Well, you shouldn't choose such a… delectable human form, then. Poor Azrael, all work and no play has really made you a dull boy. Well, I've got to be going, but call me if you need me… for anything. Ciao." She faded into the shadows.
As Darkihm left, Azrael waited a moment, then spun his chair around to face the window, and then pressed a button on the armrest. The window lost its opacity and became clear. The sun shone down brightly on Tokyo. He stood up and walked over to the window. He stared out upon the city for a moment. "You're out there somewhere, and I'm going to find you. Then the final battle for this miserable world can begin." His eyes flashed red again.
***
Terence looked around. He'd felt something weird just a second ago. Now something was hurting his head. He raised a hand to it as his expression turned to confusion.
Skuld looked away from her waffle-cone to Terence. "What's the matter? Eat too fast?"
Terence dropped his hand and shrugged. "Yeah, must be. Probably from trying to keep up with the rate you eat at." He laughed and stuffed the remainder of his cone into his mouth.
"Hey, was that an insult?" She scowled.
He stood up and wiped his face with a napkin. "Maybe." He tossed the napkin, and it bounce off of Skuld's head into a garbage can. "Well, let's go. I still need to get a new monitor.
Skuld ground her teeth together. "Has anyone ever told you you're annoying?" She almost stomped past him.
Terence tried to look like he was thinking hard. "Let's see…" He began counting on his fingers, "Your sister, my mom, my brother, my sister, my dad… Pretty much everyone who's ever met me. Ah well, can't please everyone in life."
"So you settle for just pleasing yourself?" Skuld raised her eyebrows.
"Well, the way you say it makes it sound bad." He put his hands behind his head and kept walking.
