Disclaimer: I don't own AMG, please don't sue me.
Chapter 7
Hild, Peorth, Mara and Urd. Names that have become very important in my life, only a few months ago we could only be considered acquaintances, now I'm sharing living space and my bed with them. Love potion aside, it'd be hard to control myself in the presence of so many lovely ladies, all of whom have the ability to read my mind and know every perverse and lecherous thought that crosses my mind; but is that really my fault when they have to show off so much skin?!
Peorth I already sort of knew, when I first saw her I thought Keiichi was renting his home out to supermodels, who I assumed were friends of Belldandy's. The way she traipsed around this place she was like queen of the world, she certainly acts like it still, but now that I know she is a literal goddess I guess that kind of attitude shouldn't be so surprising, though neither Belldandy nor Urd put on such airs. From what she told me she ranks rather high on the hierarchy of goddesses, a first class unlimited license sounds like an impressive position, Urd told me Belldandy holds the same and those who wield it are given nigh unlimited powers, so to hold that position a goddess must be held to high standards of behaviour, like never lying.
Mara is a strange woman, I swear I've seen her before but can't really recall, Urd told me to be careful around her, that even though under orders not to harm me, she was a demon first class, that meant that she was dangerous. There was a heavy sadness I could see in her, I didn't need to read her mind or sense her aura to see past her blonde locks and red eyes to find pain in her soul. I couldn't understand why but she seemed to have a grudge against me, she tried to hide it but I could tell when I approached her that she had something against me, was it something to do with Urd? She told me that she and Mara were childhood friends; could they have been sweethearts too? The last thing I need is to have a spurned lover after me too.
And then there was Hild, Urd's mother and mistress of the underworld, to say she's intimidating is the ultimate in understatement. When I first met her and her sisters even back then I mused on how beautiful and kind a mother would have to be to produce an offspring like Belldandy, but Urd's mother seemed to represent the very worst aspects of Urd, the part of her that bullies and teases and embraces cruelties, I guess it's not that surprising she's the queen of hell. Then again I probably shouldn't judge her too harshly, I get the feeling she really does love Urd a lot, though Urd seems get awfully prickly if I bring up the subject, I guess she'll tell me when she's ready.
And now Urd who shared her bed with me, Urd who got me kicked out of my first apartment, Urd who held me in her arms and embraced me to her bosom, as I looked into her violet eyes I saw my one true love, as corny as that sounds. Old dear friend, drinking buddy, surrogate big sister and now lesbian lover, as I look into her eyes I sometimes wonder if she reads my mind or tries to hypnotize me, it's a bit of a silly thought to have but as I look into her eyes I see she doesn't break contact; I wonder is trying to see into my soul?
"Hey, how come you're not asleep?" She asks with warm concern.
"How come you're not asleep?"
"Because I'm enraptured by how cute your eyes are."
"Flatterer."
"I'm serious, your cute little kittenie eyes, with your cute little kittenie face, you're a cute little kitten."
"You sure know how to sweet talk a girl." I say with a mild undercurrent of sarcasm.
And with that she pressed her lips upon mine, a sweet gentle kiss and then goes on to nuzzle my neck, giving me a big face full of her luscious hair. Wrapping me in satin sheets and her own silken skin, every night this feels like being in heaven, like laying upon a cloud and being embraced by a goddess.
She continued to kiss me, making a trail down my neck and onto my breasts, taking special care to plant kissed upon my nipples. Her lips, her mouth, her tongue felt like a little bit of heaven enclosing around me, sucking and licking like the embodiment of ecstasy. She kept her pace up, moving her lips down to my stomach where she toyed with my navel, slipping her tongue in to tickle me.
She made her way down to womanhood and began to pleasure me in an "oh so divine" kind of way, pressing her lips upon my labia and using her tongue to probe and encircle my clitoris. She sucked and licked and spun tongue round and round, it felt like I was starting to see stars, I grabbed the bed sheets with such force that I think I might've torn it. My toes curled and my back arched and I barely managed to choke out a moan or cry, trying to prevent myself from waking the others behind these paper thin walls.
My pleasure reached its crescendo and my juices were swallowed hungrily by my succubus of a goddess, I lay on my back covered in my own sweat and embraced by the now equally sweaty Urd who laid her head between my breasts, pushing her own breasts into my belly. As her silken hair and silken skin sank into my own, I felt my body fall asleep bit by bit I had enough consciousness left to say "I love you."
"I know."
I remember when we used to do that, we were younger back then, teenagers really, she was still uncertain about her future, uncertain about whether or not she wanted to be a goddess. We were lovers once, young and foolish lovers who were joined by the heart and the hip, we had passion and love for each other, I sometimes wonder if our time together was the reason I was drawn to serving her mother. The force of personality, the physical beauty, the propensity for sadism, she and her mother are more alike than she likes to admit, I wish I could have them both if I could, I wouldn't mind the idea of mother and daughter taking turns to punish me.
And she took them away from me, what do these mortals have that attracts goddesses to them? I thought Urd and I had a chance, had a future together, since the incident with Hagall Urd had made an effort to get closer to Hild, faced with the possibility of her mother's death she re-examined their relationship and realized that she wanted to be with her. And then they made that contract and I thought maybe we finally had a chance to be together, but the more she grew closer to Hild the farther away she drifted from me, treating me like I was some kind of leper.
Hild saw my sadness, she understood me, she knows the pain of rejection and rewards those who show her loyalty. She hasn't taken the route I have yet because she doesn't see the girl as a threat, more like a pet that Urd's gotten too attached to than an actual lover who could equal her on an intellectual or physical level. So she'll keep her around as a pet, I can live with that, as long as Urd sees things my way.
She'll see things my way, they both will, they might not see it or even realize it but I can see that such an uneven relationship cannot last long. Belldandy and Keiichi are different in that they are both love and care for each other in a deep and pure way, like two lovers in a fairy tale they get their happy ending because they truly were made for each other, as if true fate, not the Ultimate System Force, deigned their love from the beginning. Urd and Megumi aren't the same, they may have started out the same but their relationship isn't nearly as strong, their love is carnal and wild, based more on lust than on true love, they may try to hide it behind their little games but deep down their love has to overcome their issues and neuroses before they can pass through the judgement gate.
I guess that makes them more interesting than Keiichi and Belldandy, knowing now that their love could overcome any test made it rather dull as there was no real threat to their love. They have potential to become as close, as connected, maybe not as pure, but certainly as legendary as the love between Keiichi and Belldandy. But the problem lies deeper in Urd's psyche; demons can't feel true love like mortals or goddesses, the closest thing they have is domination and subservience, as such Megumi and Urd's relationship could only ever exist in such a context.
Urd has always been in such a context with her lovers, fools and peons like Troubadour who could never equal her, who even when they hurt her did it for foolish reasons. Not that she had picked them for reasons like a demon does, she doesn't manipulate or play cruel games in the same manner as a demon does, but she always picks those who are in one way or another weaker than her. If I don't intervene and show Urd that Megumi is a strong and capable person in her own right their relationship is doomed to stagnation, poisonous and eventually will fall apart.
My first attempt to even the playing field was admittedly a half-baked idea, silly and cartoonish; I must've come off as futile as Urd and her attempts to bring Belldandy and Keiichi closer. No, lust is something that neither are lacking, even if Urd could stand to trade roles once in a while, Megumi must be elevated to Urd's level in some rudimentary way, some way to impress upon Urd that Megumi isn't some damsel in distress to be saved. But then that begs the question what exactly does Megumi Morisato have that Urd isn't better at, both can be sporty and physical, Megumi might be an engineering student but Urd administrates the computer system that controls the universe, Megumi may be queen of the motorcycles but Urd can cross dimensions as easily she can cross the street.
Ugh, this isn't going to be easy, but such is the life of a first class goddess; surely I'll be able to find something Megumi is good at.
She'll see things my way, it's only a matter of time, like mother like daughter after all, and Urd is too much like me to not be drawn to my world, the vices and the darkness. Megumi Morisato, her name means blessing, I guess in a way she could prove to be just that, a blessing for I and Urd to finally be reunited, a blessing for Urd to find some comfort from the loneliness she's endured. I won't deny she certainly is adorable, with a darker streak in her than her brother; I can work with that, she'll make a very nice pet once Urd is mine again.
Oh Urd if only you knew what the future held for you, what I hold in mind for you, your true potential fulfilled, your true love found, your proper seat in hell prepared for you, and all done with love, my love. Our contract is one symbol of such love, a contract that allows us to be together, allows you to call me mother and still have your pride as a goddess, forsaking any plans I had for Belldandy and Keiichi was a modest price to pay to get so much in return. It still brings a happy thought to me to remember how this contract first started, when you realized I wouldn't be around forever, that in some ways our lifespans was almost as limited as those of mortals; it was that sudden shock of mortality that made her come to terms with her feelings for me, the fact that no matter how she tried to bury it, she loved her dear mother.
Mara, my loyal servant, I know I might not always treat you that way but you really are like a daughter to me, your loyalty has served me well and I intend to repay it. Urd will see your love for her the way I do, as the one she was meant to be with for no one else will love her like you do. You will love her and serve her as you have served me, and we shall all be one big, happy family.
And Megumi Morisato, I'm not sure if I should consider you lucky or not, but one thing is certain that when I am done with you your life will become legend.
Morning arrived like an unwelcome guest, it should be noted that at this point Megumi still has one week left of mid-term break from university, very little of that has gone into actually studying or preparing for assignments I know she has a backlog of. Belldandy would do her best to encourage her, helping her study and provide all the encouragement and support she could, while I by comparison do nothing but distract her with sex and booze and more sex and more booze. Why couldn't she study chemistry or computers or something fun like that, that I could handle, that I could help with, engineering is such a bore, never really had much purpose for machines besides computers, I mean if I want to go fast I fly, if I want something done I use magic.
I guess I shouldn't be too hard on them though, they do pretty well despite having no aptitude for magic, they've created a pretty comfortable way of life despite their limitations, when you consider how hard this world is and how unforgiving it is, that things could be as good and as peaceful as they are now it's nothing short of amazing. When I was younger I never really thought about this world or its people, maybe I occasionally took the time to play pranks and have some fun and get branded as a goddess of mischief in the process, this world never used to hold anything of real meaning for me; I was always more interested in my own problems, and as a result always had more of an in depth understanding of the inner workings of hell. Was that why I stayed friends with Mara, as a way to stayed connected to my mother and my roots, was I just using her and her emotions or did we really have an intimate connection?
My old lover and my new lover both under one roof, I guess the universe has a sense of humour if not a little contrived, and my mother and a would-be matchmaker to boot, this feels like the premise of a bad comedy. I'm still not sure how I feel about Mara staying here with us, I'm not sure she'd fully commit to mother's wishes about not harming Megumi, what if by allowing them in here I just let a pair of wolves into my hen house. Maybe this is a blessing though, after all Hild has given her word that neither she or Mara will hurt Megumi and that's hardly something they back out of, this could be an opportunity to finally hash things out with her.
Peorth as always is hiding something, I honestly hope she doesn't think she's hiding her motives from me because her performance is insulting, it takes a liar to know a liar and she's not very good, then again if she was she wouldn't be a first class goddess. Last time she was here it was to test me to see if I was ready to advance to a first class license, was she here to administer this test again? Or maybe she's really just here to help our relationship along; maybe this is her good deed to a fellow goddess trying to help spread true love or whatever she claimed she was trying to do for Belldandy and Keiichi.
But honestly it doesn't really matter that much what she does or doesn't do, I'm honestly sick of dealing with her meddling, if she tries something stupid like what she did yesterday then she's out on her ass. Our relationship has always been a bit complicated, it's not really fair to say I dislike her or that we're not friends, we are friends but we just have a certain level of distance, I wouldn't call her a sister but I would count on her in a crisis like a megalomaniacal demon on the loose, aside from a Valkyrie or my own sisters there's no one else I'd trust to have my back. And it's not true to say I don't respect her, like Belldandy I see her as a strong and capable woman, one who lives by a set of ethics and morals that keeps on the straight and narrow, someone who strongly believes and follows through on truth, compassion, love and friendship, being a first class goddess might not be for me but that doesn't mean I don't respect those who achieve the rank.
And Hild, I don't know if I should care whether or not she approves of my relationship or if I should feel more suspicious that she's so willing to give me space to actually be in a relationship without her approval. It's been a couple years since we signed that contract and I feel comfortable with calling her mother, I feel at peace with myself for the first time in my life, not having to feel ashamed of myself or my heritage, not having to deny myself my feelings for my mother, not having to guard myself against feelings of pride. I can't say I regret it, it's probably the healthiest things I've done in relation to my mother since ever, I guess the realization that she wouldn't be around forever made me realize how pointless and self-destructive trying to cut her out of my life was, I guess this must be how mortals feel.
The contract between us isn't that special, it was actually pretty informally made, while Belldandy and Keiichi were off on their spirit quest Hild saw how upset I was when I thought she would die and offered me simple terms, she promised to stop hounding Belldandy and Keiichi or anyone else I cared about and in return we would be on speaking terms. It started small at first, we'd meet at neutral locations, usually at cafes around Nekomi and have tea or coffee, she'd ask me if I was seeing anyone and I'd ask how she even had time to do this while being the CEO of hell; her answer was good time management. From there it progressively got more and more involved; we went out to dinners and films, shared intimate secrets, telling me why she left me and my father, how she wished to be there for me when I grew up, and I admitted to her how even after she left part of me still wanted to be like her, that my contempt and fear of my demon side was mixed with a lustful admiration of the freedom and power it and she represented.
Calling her mother is now just more a matter of getting into than the habit than anything else, and I've got to say it's actually sweet of her to take an interest in my life without threatening to turn me into a demon or anything, but that still doesn't give her the right to baby me. When I told Megumi about my demonic heritage I was afraid she'd freak out or think less of me, but honestly I think her reaction is more out of ignorance than open mindedness, she's very innocent in that she has no idea what our world is really like, what I'm really like, after all I think I might've wanted to try to take over or conquer the universe at least twice when I turned to my demon side. Would Megumi still love me if she saw that side of me, what would I do if I turned again, would I still treat her with love and compassion or would I turn into a monster that only wants to rape and torture my loved ones; what would my mother do in such a case, would she have respected my wishes and intent as I am now or encourage me to become a monster?
But that's neither here nor there; focusing on what could be is an issue but shouldn't always be on my mind, I need to spend time thinking about more immediate issues like exactly am I going to do to break the news to Megumi's parents. I know they haven't announced plans to visit or anything like that but it's inevitable that they'll come into Megumi's life at some point, even if I don't have to tell them about the supernatural I do have to at least be the one to break the news that their daughter is a lesbian. I doubt they'd be very understand, not to say they're bad people by any measure, they were a nice and loving couple when we met them but honestly I don't think that amount of love would extend to finding out their daughter is in a relationship with their daughter-in-law. For some reason my mind suddenly has to imagine what exactly would happen if our mothers got together, a meeting between Takano, Hild and Anzus, I do wonder what kind of a meeting that will be, would they play mah-jong?
I don't want to go back to university, I don't want the break to end, I'm not ready for my exams, my assignments I wish I could just throw in the trash, my essays are crap and my prac is garbage. I don't want to face my parents or Keiichi, I don't want to face my friends or my followers, I don't want to face myself. Is this the reason I love Urd, is this the reason I made that wish, not because of love or friendship but fear? This world, Urd's world, a world of fantasy and beauty, world of goddesses and demons, a world I want to get lost in.
I love you Urd, grant my wish and take me away from this world.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
A/N: Please r/r, hey everyone sorry for the relatively short and actionless chapter, but as you can probably tell this is an interlude of sorts that gives a preview of future events and character arcs, every thought and theme covered here will be given its own chapter to flesh it out in the future with the next one being Peorth's attempts to give Urd and Megumi a more equal and loving relationship.
Other than that am I the only one who thinks the idea of Takano, Hild and Anzus meeting together is just adorable?