Chapter 15

"Does this happen to him often?"

"Yeah, any time we do a magical working, he passes out. I think it's just a ruse to get Belldandy to coddle him. She's such a patsy when it comes to Keiichi."

"I can see why. As soon as he hit the floor, Belldandy was on top of him."

" You really want to see something funny? Watch this."

K-Z-Z-Z-Z-A-A-AK!

"KEIICHI!"

"YAAAAAAGH Wha-wha-wha!"

Eyes snap open, Belldandy's face filling his vision. "Hi, Keiichi!"

"ARRRRRGH!"

Frigga and Urd doubled over in roaring laughter. Belldandy kneeling on the floor Keiichi's head in her lap. Keiichi shot up out his slumber as if hit with a lightning bolt, which in fact, was what happened to him. The first thing he saw was Belldandy looking down at him with a big smile on her face, but in the first few seconds after being jolted awake his brain was still half asleep and very much open to surprise. The shock of being zapped by Urd plus the sight of a very healthy, happy, and heavenly enhanced Belldandy overloaded Keiichi's senses and caused him to freak out. He fell over on his back as he took deep heaving breaths to calm his racing heart.

"Urd, why do you keep doing that to me, you're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days." Keiichi moaned while still trying to recover from the double shocks.

"Have you forgotten Keiichi?, You're a God now, you can't have heart attacks." Urd said while still chuckling at her latest prank.

"Oh, Yeah."

"Keiichi?"

"Yes, Belldandy?"

"Are you all right?"

"I should be asking you the same question."

" I'm fine. I've never felt better."

The treatment was a complete success. Belldandy was back to normal. Her powers restored. There was no sign that she was the victim of a savage attack by the Daimaikaicho. Frigga checked the mysterious device she always carried with her and said, "Belldandy is cleared to leave. She's in tip-top form."

Bell said in response. "Thank you everybody for seeing me through this time. I appreciate the sacrifices each and every one of you have made to make sure I was taken care of. When we get home, I'm going to prepare a great feast for everyone to

celebrate."

Urd responded happily "Oh yeah, there's a bottle of sake in the liquor cabinet with my name on it. And I'm not sharing it with anybody." She sauntered up to Keiichi and Belldandy, put her arms around the shoulders of both of them and slyly whispered "Keiichi, you and Belldandy may need to spend some time alone when we get home. Just to make sure that everything's all right with your goddess, if you know what I mean." She tipped Keiichi a wink. " I can arrange for Skuld to be, shall we say, occupied doing some much needed maintenance work on Yggdrasil. I know for a fact that the energy transfer subsystem that was hacked needs to be patched. Just give me the word and she'll be chasing bugs for days!"

Keiichi caught Urd's drift and while he was looking forward to some alone time with Belldandy, he didn't want to appear too eager.

"I think, I can trust Frigga's expertise in this matter, although one can never be too sure." He looked at Belldandy with a hint of lust, while she merely giggled like a giddy schoolgirl. "But I think that I want to take up Bell's offer of a little sightseeing. I want to see some of her favorite places."

Belldandy could barely contain her excitement when she said "I'd love to show you the places I love the most. And there's no better way to experience those places than with the one you love the most, right Keiichi?"

"I learned a long time ago to never argue with a Goddess." The deities rendered thanks and goodbyes to Frigga and went their separate ways.

While Urd and Skuld headed back to Earth, Keiichi and his goddess left the treatment center to do some sightseeing. They decided to walk instead of teleport because it allowed them to take their time and also Keiichi had very little confidence in his teleportation abilities after the last episode.

Walking down the street, he still couldn't believe how beautiful and perfect Heaven was. Even passing those sights a second time around, they always brought about a sense of wonder and awe. He was always seeing something new that wasn't there before. Hand in hand, Belldandy pointed out various places that were important to her. The building where she took her goddess training. The groves and forests where she used to play as a child. They stopped in front of a large impossibly tall crystal building. Belldandy said with much pride, "Keiichi, this is where I work. The Goddess Assistance Agency." As she was talking, goddesses were streaming into and out of the building constantly.

"Who are all these goddesses and where are they going?" Keiichi asked.

"They are all responding to wishes made by people such as yourself." Belldandy answered. "The ones leaving are heading out to grant wishes, the ones coming back have fulfilled their contracts and are checking back in for another assignment."

Keiichi asked, "How many contracts have you completed?"

Belldandy looked up into the sky, closed her eyes, put her finger to the side of her mouth, and said, "Honestly, I don't quite know. I've never kept track of how many contracts I've done. I'm sure that Yggdrasil has the figure somewhere, but it's never occurred to me to actually keep count. I know some goddesses who do that, but I'm not one of them. I base the performance of my job not on the number of contracts I've completed, but on well I complete them. How happy people are with the service I provided. We can get rewards and special insignia to wear based on the number of contracts completed and the percentage of how many were completed with high marks, but I've never accepted them. I don't need them."

"So, are you still able to make and fulfill contracts while you're with me?"

"Yes, Keiichi. When we still had a contract, I was able to continue my work here granting wishes for other clients as long as they didn't interfere with my contract with you. Your contract had priority over all others. You may have noticed that there were days that I wasn't in the temple and hadn't gone shopping? Those were the times that I was here in Heaven fulfilling contracts. I also granted a lot of wishes at night while you were asleep."

"They must have been short-term contracts."

"The majority of contracts us Goddesses deal with can be fulfilled in a matter of hours up to a few days. Most of us have one long-term contract and a number of short-term contracts that we handle at any given time."

" I'm glad that you were still able to do your job while still maintaining your commitment to me. I would have felt guilty if you weren't able to do what you love to do."

"Well. I'm glad that I was contracted to someone who was so understanding. I have been so fortunate to have the two things I love the most, You and my calling as a Goddess."

"And as long as you need me, I'll always be here."

"Thanks, Keiichi."

Before long, they were standing at the top of a ridge overlooking the main city of Heaven. The sight was magnificent. Unlike Earth, where the constructs of man fought and prevailed over the flora and fauna of nature, in Heaven the buildings and other structures existed in perfect harmony with nature's creation. The whole of the landscape simply flowed together in a flawless mix. It flourished in some kind of an order that dictated that both the artificial and the natural would coexist side by side peacefully. Only in Heaven could such a thing exist. It was truly a spectacular scene.

Keiichi and Belldandy simply stood at the top of that ridge and took in the sights and sounds. They didn't say a word to each other, they just let themselves be immersed in the world around them. The sky had turned a kaleidoscope of colors, some recognizable by human eyes, others seen only in Heaven. The wind was alive, singing its own melodious song, one that Belldandy picked up and followed along. Her angelic voice combined with the wind to produce a complex tapestry of sound, multi-layered harmonies so precise that not a sour note could be heard. Nearby birds also joined in, adding their voices to the goddess and the wind. The combination lifted Keiichi's spirits to even higher heights. He felt himself being carried away on the combined voices of the wind and its goddess. He was rendered speechless. His senses overwhelmed. But one desire stood out from the others. He wanted Belldandy. And he could sense through the portion of his life force in her that she was thinking the same thing.

The wind shifted direction and then eventually died away. Belldandy finished her song at the same time, allowing her voice to die away in perfect time with the wind and the birds. She looked at Keiichi as if to gain approval. Keiichi said nothing but held his arms out to Belldandy. She needed no further prompting and rushed into them.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him into her, holding him tightly. He looked into her deep blue eyes and kissed her fully on the lips. She responded in kind, her lips meeting his as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Their hearts beating in perfect time.

She pushed Keiichi back until they both fell to the ground still entwined in each others arms. Belldandy landed on top of Keiichi and continued to kiss him deeply. A mere thought caused her robes to disappear leaving her naked, her perfect body given over to the one she loved.

Keiichi witnessed the unveiling of his goddess and submitted to Belldandy's beauty and allure. Not a word was spoken. Their hearts and bodies did all the talking as they slowly and tenderly made love atop that ridge. No one could see them and even if they could, Keiichi and Belldandy were too far along in their pleasure to care. Their only goal, their only objective was for each to please the other.

Their passion generated a powerful wave of energy that resonated throughout the area. They explored each others bodies, finding those points that released the most intense feelings of desire. Both God and Goddess became one in purpose and spirit. They craved each other, wanted each other, and finally fulfilled each other.

Their love-making was pure and innocent, the product of a deep, abiding love. Born out of a contract, strengthened by the sharing of two lives together. The joys, sorrows, pain, and pleasure. Victories, defeats, lessons learned and taught. Finalized by a song sung by thousands of goddesses united in one purpose.

After what seemed like hours, they were spent. The energy dissipated. Bell still laying on top of Keiichi, a look of pure contentment on her face. Keiichi said "That was incredible. Better than any of our previous sessions." Belldandy kissed Keiichi again, ran her finger along Keiichi's cheek and said "We've just experienced the highest form of pleasure. A God and Goddess making love in Heaven. It does not get much better than this." She then laid her head on his chest and listened to his beating heart.

"We won't, uh...get in any trouble, will we?"

"No, Keiichi. We're fine."

They stayed wrapped in each others arms for the rest of the day. Holding, caressing, touching, loving. As night fell, they got to their feet, dressed and made their way back to the gate to for the trip back to the temple. When they finally arrived at the temple, Urd was there to meet them. She was sitting in the Tea Room with a bottle of sake. She poured out two cups for Kei and Bell. One look at their faces told her all she needed to know, and for once she didn't make any snarky remarks. One could almost see the slightest hint of jealousy cross Urd's face.

Chapter 16

"So, lemme guess." Urd quipped. "You two went up to Windsong Ridge."

Belldandy could hardly believe it. "How did you know?"

"Bell, do you think you two were the only ones to ever do it on Windsong Ridge?" Urd said. "That place is Heaven's answer to Lover's Lane here on Earth. Damn near every couple I know including Troubadour and I ended up there sometime in their relationship. Too bad Ol' Troubie was a terrible lover. Couldn't get a rise out of me to save his life. Oh well, even bad sex is good."

Keiichi said victoriously, "I think that we did extremely well."

Urd swigged her shot of sake and said "Too bad you didn't tell me you were heading up there. I could have given you some tips that would have really gotten Belldandy off."

"Believe me, Urd." Keiichi said confidently. "I had no problem taking care of Belldandy's needs."

"Hmm, so going from a geek who couldn't get a cow like Sayoko to go to the museum with him to being a big-time Romeo who could make a Norn squeal like a schoolgirl. My, how we've advanced since becoming divine. By the way, I'd burn that blazer if I were you. It's horrid. No wonder Sayoko turned you down."

Urd was referring to the blazer that Keiichi had owned for the longest time. It had vertical purple and multi- shaded green stripes, lapels wide enough to land a plane on, and while Keiichi was proud of that blazer, the truth was, it was very tacky. The first day Keiichi arrived on campus as a freshman, he tried to impress the Mishima Group CEO's daughter by inviting her to the local museum while wearing that same jacket. What she did to his ego would be the equivalent of a steamroller facing off against a squirrel. In short, she smashed it flat. Not only that, he was ridiculed by every student on campus, not only for being destroyed by Sayoko, but for having the gall to wear that blazer. Still, despite that day, he held onto that jacket, although he hadn't worn it for at least a year.

"Hmph!" An indignant Keiichi said. "I will not burn that blazer. It took me two months of part-time jobs to pay for it. And besides, I bet that Belldandy thinks it looks nice on me."

Urd laughed and said. "Put your money where your mouth is. What do you want to bet?"

Keiichi said "I'll bet a bottle of that sake you're drinking against you washing my bike for the next three weeks."

Urd said "You do know that this bottle cost 4500 yen. You're willing to put up that much money? You're either very confident or very foolish. I'll take that bet."

The two shook on it. Urd said. "Okay Belldandy. What say you?"

Belldandy looked at both of them with a pained look on her face. Her conscience was fighting a war with itself. As a First Class Goddess, she was forbidden to lie, but she also tried as hard as she could to protect Keiichi's feelings as much as possible. She wished she could find a way to say something to allow both of them to save face, but there was no way out.

"Keiichi" Bell said reluctantly. "You know that no matter what you wear, I'll always love you and I would be proud to appear in public with you however you decide to dress, but, that blazer does not look good on you. I'm sorry."

"YES!" Urd crowed. She did a fist pump and danced around the room. "I'm getting another bottle of sake!" while Keiichi groaned and Belldandy tried her best to console him. "I'm sorry, Keiichi. I wanted to say something to support you, but I couldn't lie."

"Don't worry, Bell. You were telling the truth as you saw it. I would not expect anything less from you. The truth sometimes hurts both the person who tells it as well as the person who hears it. If it were easy to tell the truth, even Urd would do it." Keiichi said getting a subtle dig at his nemesis.

Urd stopped dancing and glared at Keiichi. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Even such an insult as that can't distract me from my victory. But say it again, and see what happens." Urd winked at Keiichi, finished the bottle and headed off to her lab.

Belldandy and Keiichi were left alone. Belldandy started to clear the table off to prepare dinner.

Keiichi stretched his arms and yawned. "Boy, I'm glad to finally be back to normal around here. Even though we've only been away for three days, It feels like three months."

Belldandy said "That's because this is the first time in over two weeks that I've been able to cook and keep house and do all those things that make this place a home. Hope you're plenty hungry. I'm going to cook a really special meal to celebrate our return to the temple."

"So tomorrow, I want to start preparing for the First Class exam. About how long do you think I should practice before taking it?"

Belldandy said "I would say that you should practice for at least a week or so."

"There's no way, you can give me a clue about what the exam will consist of, is there?" Keiichi asked, knowing Bell's answer, but any advantage he could get couldn't hurt.

Bell said "No. I can't tell you what the exam will consist of because the three challenges are decided solely by your proctor. And as your proctor, I haven't determined what I will be asking you to do yet. The only thing I can tell you is that the challenges will not be easy, but they will be within your abilities. Also, remember that to be a First Class deity not only means having a lot of power at your disposal, but also having the control needed to use it wisely, or whether it's best to use it at all. I can't tell you any more than that. I'm going to start dinner now, Okay?" She left the room and headed to the kitchen. Keiichi sat there and thought about what Belldandy had said. He remembered the time that Urd had sat for the First Class Exam. Belldandy and Peorth acted as her proctors. As he remembered it, the first challenge was to make a glass of water boil without using a Fire spell. Urd succeeded by enclosing the glass in a mini tornado which lowered the atmospheric pressure within the vortex, thereby lowering the boiling point of the water to the point where it could boil at ambient temperature. So he figured that at least one of the challenges would require him to use an element that he wasn't completely familiar with. So that meant he'd have to get in some practice with Fire/Electricity and Water spells.

The second of Urd's challenges required her to trace her Goddess symbol onto the pavement using a high powered First Class level Lightning spell. The precision required to trace that highly complicated symbol using such a strong spell within her discipline required Urd to exercise supreme control over the destructive powers of that spell. It took tremendous concentration, but she managed to pass that second challenge. So it would be safe to say that Belldandy will issue a challenge requiring fine control of his most devastating spell.

The third challenge was one that only Peorth could come up with. She pinned a badge onto Keiichi that showed Keiichi's mood at any given time. Urd was given 24 hours to make that badge and the wearer happy. Of course, Urd being Urd, she tried for the quick, cheap win by appealing to Keiichi's carnal side by using the wind to flip Belldandy's skirt, giving him an eyeful of his Goddess's undies. But surprisingly, that approach didn't work nearly as well as she expected. While the sight of a pair of lace panties on a body as shapely as Belldandy's provided a very nice diversion, it wasn't enough to foster complete happiness.

Urd ultimately passed the challenge by making it rain while Kei and Bell were out on the town, forcing them to share an umbrella together. And once the couple were nice and happy, she topped it off by stopping the rain and creating a rainbow. The combination of Kei being with the woman he loved plus seeing that wondrous rainbow in the sky was enough to cause the badge to show the required amount of happiness and thereby insuring that Urd passed the test.

But that didn't give Keiichi enough to go on as he tried to figure out what Belldandy had in store for him. After racking his brains for a while, he figured that it was best to just cross that bridge when he came to it. So he started practicing with the idea of at least mastering the first two challenges of the test.

Day after day, he practiced for hours trying to do Fire, Electricity and Water spells. He worked hard attempting to create electricity spheres like before, and he was finally able to generate a decent enough charge that he could zap one of the statues in the courtyard. But he doubted that doing something that simple would be enough to pass the First Class exam. He noticed that while the effort required was still very taxing and caused no small number of headaches and frustration, he was actually able to generate electricity quicker and easier when he was practicing alone instead of with Belldandy and Urd watching him. In his mind, maybe that was due to the two goddesses providing an unintended diversion that he couldn't overcome, or just maybe, he was so bent on winning Belldandy's approval that he was trying too hard and letting the pressure get to him.

Why did he need Bell's approval after all? He had already earned it a long time ago. Bell would still love and support him even if he couldn't do any kind of magic. Just like when he was a human trying to figure out which end was up. Belldandy was the kind of goddess who didn't care about Keiichi's faults and shortcomings. She loved him the way he was and celebrated his wins and stood by him in defeat. And while Belldandy's desire to compete and win was every bit as strong as Keiichi's, she appreciated a strong effort and hard work even if it resulted in a loss. So it was pointless to try and win something that he already had.

He pushed out all thoughts of Belldandy. And concentrated solely on the task at hand. It wasn't easy to do because he thought about Bell all the time. But in his mind he created a box and shoved those thoughts into it and locked them away. And when he tried to bring the electricity this time, the image of the fireball came immediately, the code compiled with nearly the same amount of ease as if he was casting a Rock spell and within seconds he had a perfect sphere of electricity floating inches above his hands.

This new development caused him immense joy that he finally got over this seemingly insurmountable hurdle. He wanted to celebrate in the worst way, but he beat that thought back into the mental box he made, and continued to maintain his focus on manipulating that sphere. He made it as large as a basketball, and then shrunk it down to the size of a marble. He made it float up to the height of the temple roof and brought it back down to his fingers. He made it brighter and dimmer. He fired it at one of the trees in the courtyard and stopped it just inches away from impact.

Now because Electricity was not his natural element, it took more effort to get the sphere to do what he wanted to do. He could manipulate rocks and the earth with the ease of just throwing a switch. But he actually had to think about what he was doing when playing with Electricity. He created two spheres, then three, then four. With each sphere he made, his confidence rose, but the difficulty of keeping track of all of them eventually caught up to Keiichi, and in a momentary lapse, all but one of the spheres disappeared, the original still remaining, and to remind him to show proper respect, that sphere gave Keiichi a nice healthy shock before blinking out with a loud 'POP'.

The shock wasn't life threatening in any way, but it was enough to let Keiichi know that even though he made a major leap forward in his magical development, he still had quite a ways to go. It taught him that this kind of magic demanded respect and constant concentration and it had its ways of getting it from those who failed to show it. But either way, he counted it as a victory and called it a day.

Meanwhile, Belldandy was standing in the doorway of the temple leading out into the courtyard watching Keiichi intently as he practiced. She didn't say anything and dared not interfere with Kei. She knew what he was doing, and she knew that he had to put his feelings for her into that mental box for him to succeed. And she had no problem with that. If anything, she said to herself, "Now he's finally getting it."

Chapter 17

While Keiichi continued to practice for his upcoming exam. Urd pulled Belldandy aside and asked her to come into her lab to talk.

"So Belldandy, how's our student coming along?" Urd asked.

"He seems to have figured out how to control Fire and Water spells." Belldandy responded. "He's doing quite well as far as I can see."

Urd started straightening out her potions cabinet. "Have you given any thought as to why all of a sudden he's being given a chance to sit for the First Class Exam? Doesn't it seem odd that someone who's only been a God for barely a month is already taking an exam that Gods and Goddesses who have been doing this for eons may never have an opportunity to pursue? Something about this smells funny. Keiichi has been coming along well in his training, but Belldandy, you know as well as I do that he is not ready to take up First Class powers. He has you to teach him and to help him along, but he hasn't begun to explore the limits of his powers."

Belldandy pursed her lips and said "Urd, I am at a loss about what is going on here. It is strange that Keiichi has been singled out for this distinction. I know of no other God or Goddess who was offered the exam so quickly after coming into their power. I can only assume that either Kami-sama or the Heavenly Council has authorized this action to go through. You've seen the examination notice. It is legitimate."

"I don't know about that, Belldandy. I'd like to take a closer look at that notice. Can you go and get Keiichi's message cube and bring it to me? I want to verify the codes in that notice to make sure that it really is official."

"Urd, I can't go into Keiichi's personal things. Until we started sleeping together, I've never spent more than a few minutes in his room, and never without him knowing. To take something out of there without his permission would be a serious breach of trust."

Urd sighed loudly. "I know that you don't want to rummage through Keiichi's stuff. I'm not asking you to go through his dirty magazines, although why he still has them when he has you is completely beyond me. All I want is that cube. I have a feeling that there's more to it than meets the eye. Belldandy, please humor me."

Bell hesitated than answered, "Okay, I'll do it, but I have to let Keiichi know after we're done."

"Fine, no problem. Just get me the cube."

Bell got up and headed to Keiichi's room. But her conscience got the better of her. She walked into the courtyard and stopped next to Keiichi as he was working on his Water spells. "Keiiichi, I'm very proud of you. You're coming along very well. At this rate, you'll be ready for the exam in no time. Speaking of which, may I go into your room and take the message cube? Urd wants to take a look at it."

Keiichi stopped his spellwork, turned to Belldandy, and said, "Of course, Belldandy. You can go into my room anytime."

Belldandy asked, "You don't have a problem with that?"

"Of course not. I trust you completely. Why do you ask?"

"I didn't want to go through your things without asking you."

Keiichi put his hands on Belldandy's shoulders and said, "There's nothing in my room that you haven't seen before. I'm not hiding anything. Go ahead and get what you need. I'll see you later."

"Thanks, Keiichi."

"No problem, Belldandy." He kissed her and went back to practicing his spells.

She went into Kei's room and found the message cube next to the picture of herself standing in front of the temple bell. She was wearing the wide brimmed straw hat with the flower in the hatband, and she was dressed in that short white sundress with the sunflowers printed on it. Keiichi always liked that dress. She looked closely at the picture and could make out the prints of Keiichi's lips left after all the years of kissing that picture every morning when he awoke and every night before he retired. Of course now he kisses the real thing instead of the picture, but looking at that it warmed Belldandy's heart and reminded her of how lucky she truly was. She smiled and gave a smaill sigh. She then grabbed the cube and headed back to Urd's lab.

"Well now, let's see what we have here." Urd clucked as she looked over the cube. "Standard Type 2 Message Cube with full ten-dimensional quantum encryption. Piece of cake."

Belldandy asked, "Can you open it. Urd?"

Urd looked at Belldandy as if she was an idiot and responded, "Bell, you seem to forget I'm a System Administrator? Who do you think came up with the encryption scheme used in these things? I know that Peorth claims to have done it, but her version was cracked in one day. I ought to know, I cracked it. As long as they didn't change the default passphrase, I'm in."

With Belldandy looking on, Urd put the cube down on her lab table. She gazed at the crystal die with intense concentration. She intoned a long complicated stream of seemingly random syllables that made absolutely no sense to the uninitiated ear. Her forehead mark glowed bright white as she continued to utter the passphrase. The cube started to turn red, then blue, and then finally green before it finally opened up into the confirmation message for the exam. Urd continued to chant the phrase as menu after menu popped up and opened into deeper and deeper branches. Eventually, after countless menus, she finally came to the figures she was looking for. As she looked into the cube, a stream of letters, numbers and otherworldly runes flew past the surface of the cube too fast for anyone to understand except one trained as Urd.

After looking at the flying symbols for a while, she concluded "Well, the verification codes check out. This is a valid notice from the Department of Examinations. Other than the fact that they seriously need to change their passphrases, there's nothing here that indicates something amiss."

Bell looked at the symbols on the cube, decided that she couldn't make heads or tails of any of it, and then said, "Do you think that there's some kind of foul play involved here?

Urd picked up the cube, closed it and placed it back on the table. "Could be. It's remote, but not impossible. Are you thinking...?

"Yes I am. This could be part of a much bigger plan."

"What do you suggest we do?"

"Nothing for right now. Let's let this play out. And be on our guard for any little thing that doesn't make sense."

"Belldandy, this whole situation doesn't make sense. But I have to agree, the best we can do is to just roll with this and see where it ends up."