Author notes.
I have a quite a few things to say.
First off, as mentioned from the warning at the start of the chapter. The war scene in this chapter from Lind's past was actually a challenge from one of the readers to show the harsh realities to war from a view point in the AMG series. I had not originally had planned to write that part so if it seems a bit out of story line that's cause it is. I hope I meet your standards on the challenge all the same though without degrading the story quality. Also to serve as a warning, if this might upset you then feel free to skip this chapter or that section. This will not offend me in the least and I want this to remain enjoyable for the readers as well as myself.
I got a third and for now last beta. Another Duck has joined my little merry band of proofreaders so be sure to give him thanks along with my other two betas mjnousak and Bob. Again for those who don't know, don't ask Bob's author name he values his privacy and has asked me not give his name out.
Lastly, I got a few messages wondering if this is the end of my story, well sigh with relief cause this is far from over. This particular arc with the Dreamweaver is over; however I still have lots of material for other arcs in the main plot of the story planned. This is not even involving my version of the canon chapters from the AMG manga, Lind being Keiichi's love interest that I intent to write every once in a while.
The sun had begun to set as the girl walked out the front door. She was wearing a blue shirt with matching jeans pants and jacket; her hair brown hair matched her eyes and fell just past her shoulders. In her hands was a rather large box which made walking difficult, being forced to look to the side to see where she was going. Her somewhat short figure just made her seem adorable to a few of the male populous, turning to watch as she set her box down then sat next to it on the bench looking exhausted. She looked at the watch on her wrist. "It is nearly an hour late. Some great service they provide here." She thought while exhaling in a rather exaggerated manner. She removed her ticket from her back pocket and read it to pass the time while a few people sat beside her on the bench. She continued to this until she heard the train pulling up to the sound of screeching brakes. "It could use some maintenance." She noted as the train in front of her came to a complete stop. The people next to her formed a line at the doors while she picked up her box.
"Next stop is at Nekomi," a man in a blue uniform called out while moving down the walkway while ringing a bell. More passengers began to stand and prepared to get off as he continued down the train. When the doors had opened she found a seat by a window so she could still see the door. She watched as a family of three entered the train, holding their son by his hands as they led him on. She smiled, remembering her own family. The doors shut and the train shook to life as it began to leave the station. She was happy that she would get to see her brother soon. That she would also be attending NIT with him. "I just can't wait to see the look of surprise. He won't know what hit him." She thought, twitching with the anticipation of getting to torment him again. "Just you wait Kei-chan, I'll be there soon," she laughed to herself as the train picked up speed. Several people stared at her for this breach of etiquette. All of them were ignoring the fact that they themselves had been staring. The man sitting beside her quickly stood at her laugh and made his was to another carriage. A few mothers had to quiet their children from questioning the unusual behavior. The girl was oblivious to all of this as she thought of Kei-chan.
Xxxxx
From within everyone's tea room at the temple Belldandy sat in front of a table, she was looking intently at the map of Nekomi in front of her with a blinking dot traveling across. It had stopped moving when it reached what was marked as a large apartment building. It remained there for nearly twenty minutes before it left the city limits rather hastily. Watching as it left caused Belldandy to feel ill. She knew another person had been attacked; another forced to face this creature. As the dot disappeared off the edge of the map Hild entered the room. "Has it attacked again?" Hild asked as she sat down besides Belldandy. Belldandy nodded and looked down shamefully at her cold, untouched cup of tea. "Let's go out for a while." Belldandy looked at Hild confused. She smiled back, trying to be as sympathetic as she could, for a demon that is. "You look like you need to have some fun. I know a few night clubs that we can go to pass the time.
"What about Lind?" Belldandy asked while being led outside by Hild. "We can't just leave her alone when she's feeling this way."
Hild giggled a bit. "She's welcome to join us," Hild shouted so Lind would be sure to hear. "She needs this more than all of us." Hild made a mockingly fake serious face. "All work and no play makes for a boring goddess." Hild sat down on Keiichi's bike and it started up without the key. "This will be great; we never had a girl's night out before. I'm sure we'll meet lots of interesting people."
"It wouldn't be right without Lind to join us," Belldandy told Hild in a firm manner as she stopped besides the side car.
"That's true. But forcing her is even worse. She needs to sort this out for herself; if she needs us she knows where to find us," Hild said while indicating the seat in the side car for Belldandy. Reluctantly, Belldandy grabbed the helmet in the car and climbed in while putting it on. "That's more like it!" Hild cheered as she twisted the throttle and sped off wildly.
Xxxxx
Lind heard Keiichi's motorcycle start up. She looked down beside her and saw him still laying there. Seeing him still there she lost all interest why the bike was starting up, or who was using it. Not wanting to hear that sound anymore she cast a barrier to block out sounds with a wave of her hands then sat beside him, placing his head in her lap and fell asleep.
Xxxxx
As they got into the road Hild went speeding into the wrong lane. Startled by the wild movements, Belldandy hung on tightly to the side car while Hild played chicken with an oncoming bus. At the last possible moment Hild veered away while the terrified bus driver blared at them with the horn. Hild laughed at the stopped bus while Belldandy looked on with sympathy at the scared and confused passengers. Hild then stood up on the seat of the motorcycle. "Come join me, Bell-chan! This is great!" Hild said offering to help Belldandy up. All the while the motorcycle seemed to turn as if it had a mind of its own. Lights enveloped the two as another car approached. Hild looked on childishly as the motorcycle turned on its own to avoid. "See, nothing to worry about."
"May I ask you something Hild?" Belldandy asked looking up at Hild who was still standing and ignoring the road in front of the two.
"Sure, go on," Hild said while lowering the hand she had been offering up till now.
Belldandy giggled at Hild. "How did you manage to obtain a drivers license for operating a motorcycle when you drive this erratically?" Belldandy asked playfully with a smile.
Hild smirked at the goddess below her. Knowing full well this was Belldandy's way of accepting Hild's attempts to cheer her up while adding some of her own character to the fun. Hild sat back down and swerved to avoid another car, Belldandy nearly falling out of the sidecar again. Hild gasped and held her wrist to her head at Belldandy's comment. "You wound me Bell-chan." She began to cry a bit too much considering everything. "I don't need some silly license." Belldandy smiled as Hild suddenly laughed and pressed the machine to go even faster, shouting happily at the passing cars and occasionally posing provocatively for the few others who shared the road, causing them to rubberneck and nearly crash. This earned Hild a few hard; unapproving stares from Belldandy. While she appreciated the attempts to cheer her up, Hild was getting too far out of hand. Eventually the two arrived at their destination. In the wake of the path they took were dozens of horrified and or traumatized people. Hild just walked in as if she ran the place. Belldandy followed looking around worried as she followed. She was not sure what to do, having never been to a club before.
Xxxxx
As a group of Valkyries, Lind included, flew through a smoke cloud they were greeted by battle spells. Caught by surprise, the barrage caused the Valkyries to scatter in an attempt to evade. To her this evasion pattern seemed completely random and thought up at the spur of the moment. Groups of demons then met the disorganized Valkyries, flying between the scattered maidens to disrupt them further. Soon the two sides began to chase after one another. The scene became chaotic. Because of her lack of training Lind could not divine the rhythm of the battle. Looking around, she could only see what was happening in front of her. Some Valkyries fought a demon one on one. Others were forced to fly evasively from two or more demons due to the superior numbers the demons had over the Valkyries in this battle. She hesitated from this confusion, vainly looking for someone she could assist. With each passing second the fight continued to become increasing complicated to Lind as she watched the battle unfold. She hovered still in the air frozen by the chaos. A rainbow of spells flew all around, lighting up the sky in a variety of colors.
Lind continued looking around, desperately trying to find a target for herself when she heard a cry of pain not far from her. Immediately she turned to the source of the sound and to her horror and dismay saw a demon had stabbed a fellow Valkyrie. When the demon removed his weapon with a kick, Lind watched as the girl, who looked to be much younger than Lind, began to fall toward the ground. She made no attempt to fly and Lind just watched in shock as the girl became just a mere white dot to her eyes that disappeared beyond the tops of burning trees. Lind covered her mouth, feeling she was going to be sick. With such a serious wound, she knew even the toughest of Valkyries would have trouble surviving a fall from this height.It struck her like a ton of bricks that she had just seen a goddess die in front of her for the first time. Time seemed to slow for Lind and her hearing became muffled like something was covering her ears as the fighting raged on around her. The demon that killed her comrade smiled. Lind's vision was fixated on this evil smile of his as he began to fly off then stopped himself, looking at her.
Acting on instinct, she raised her poleaxe close to herself as the demon closed in. When the two opposing weapons clashed together, Lind's senses returned and the battle recorded in her memory normally normal as any other scene would."You're angry; I can feel it. It comes off of your aura in waves. Who was she to you? A friend? Did you know her long?" The demon asked as the two held their weapons together in a stalemate, neither able to overpower the other. "Don't pity her; you along with all your companions will join her in a similar fate on this day."
Lind said nothing as she became more and more infuriated with each of the demons comments, she could feel the adrenaline surging through her giving her extra strength but it wasn't enough to defeat him. Slowly her poleaxe was pushed back towards her the blade was now closing towards her neck; he was too strong for her.
"Why are you struggling it's over and you're just about to die" the demon was enjoying the fear rolling off Lind and making it last as long as he could.
Lind looked into the demons eyes and everything changed again, the poleaxe stopped its relentless progression towards her neck. She could see every detail as if it was magnified, feel every tremor in his body and smell his acrid scent mixed with the purer smell of the Valkyrie's blood. She smiled and saw fear in his eyes, it gave her no satisfaction but she knew at that point she'd won. She seemed to jump back to the side and the demon staggered forwards off balance her right hand came back to her shoulder as the left flashed forwards. The end of her staff caught the demon under the chin and lifted his head and her hands reversed, the edge of the blade touched his throat and his head fell towards the ground below, the body followed a fraction later. Looking below her she noticed an enemy encampment and began to fly to the surface to attack it, totally disregarding tactics and orders being shouted toward her.
Celveria noticed Lind flying towards the ground, behind the demon she was currently fighting with. She noticed several demons turn around to give chase, while others set up to surround Lind. In a sense of urgency and risk to herself, Celveria ended the fight with a single attack. With a quick glance she noticed two available Valkyries who were currently moving to another area of the fight. "Tanith, Sanaki. On me! We're to escort Lind. Keep any pursuers off her. Keep an escape route open for her!" Celveria ordered and the two nodded forming up around her, the three chased after Lind's pursuers. As Celveria closed in the demons noticed the added help and a few split off to deal with her team. Tanith and Sanaki flew ahead and began to fight the group. This allowed Celveria to continue onwards unopposed towards Lind.
Soon Celveria sensed two demons chasing after her as well. "Lind! I am ordering you to return! You're in too deep; we can't keep this up!" she shouted. She turned around and cast a wind spell. Her chasers become disorientated and unable to fly in a straight line because they were spun around wildly. Once free, Celveria continued onwards toward Lind.
To Lind, Celveria's orders along with the other sounds of battle became white noise. Lind pressed on blindly towards the encampment below. By sheer luck, she had somehow managed to take the encampment by surprise. As she touched down on the ground she cut down a few unsuspecting demons. The others demons caught by the surprise attack were only able to set up a feeble defense that Lind broke through with little resistance. She felt an air of invincibility in herself as she systematically began to wipe out the inhabitants of the structure. Either by magic or might, Lind continued with her systematic slaying of demons. One by one they fell to her along with any that met her in an attempt to bring her down.
Once they realized they had no chance of winning the few remaining demons flew away in terror completely ignoring Celveria as she landed in the encampment. She noticed a demon crawling across the ground on his stomach agonizing in pain. Across his back was a huge gash that she knew was fatal but would take several minutes to bleed out. In a show of cold mercy Celveria sighed, then stabbed the demon through the heart to end his suffering. As Celveria moved further into the camp the bodies of fallen demons became increasingly frequent. In the center of the camp she found Lind. She was watching a building burning, with her back to Celveria. In heaps around Lind were scores of demons; this was where Lind had made a stand and let her foes approach her. "What is the matter with you, apprentice!" Celveria shouted furiously as she ran towards Lind. While running toward her a spell exploded over head. On instinct Celveria stopped running and got low to the ground. When she was convinced the threat had passed she stood back up. She noticed Lind had not even flinched, she just continued to watch the building burn as the roof now collapsed in on itself having succumbed to the heat. "Lind?" Celveria asked as she reached out to touch Lind's shoulder. She stopped and gasped in surprise, as Lind turned to face her.
Lind turned around to reveal her golden eyes. The front of her uniform was painted red. Blood dripped from the tip of her weapon's blade from the demons she had slain in the close quarter fighting. Celveria also noted the red areas on Lind's cheeks. But the most disturbing of it all to Celveria was the emotionless look Lind gave to her. It seemed like this was nothing to Lind. Lind walked towards Celveria, who stepped back. She stood still as Lind just moved past her. Fearful of looking back at Lind, Celveria watched as the burning building collapsed completely. The sounds of the wreckage snapped her out of her daze and thoughts.
She followed Lind silently out of the camp. The two walked in silence through a burning forest. Although Celveria was unsure where Lind was going, she obediently followed her apprentice without saying a word. From the sky another spell had exploded, it shook the ground beneath the pair as they continued on. Shortly after this explosion cheerful shouts could be heard from Valkyrie overhead. This was all the confirmation Celveria needed that the battle ended in favor of the silver wings. Feeling relieved by this she walked besides the still stoic Lind.
When Lind came to a halt Celveria turned to her confused, then looked ahead to where Lind's eyes were anchored. Suddenly all of her questions were answered in a single glance. In front of Lind and Celveria was the young Valkyrie Lind saw fall from the sky, lying motionless. Celveria knelt in front of the girl. In the most respectful manner possible Celveria evened out her body, placed her hands over her chest, then fixed uniform by removing any abnormalities that went against Valkyrie dress codes. Lastly she gently closed the girl's eyes before standing back up.
"This was the first time you saw a goddess perish," Celveria said, not asking a question but explaining it to herself. Although Celveria knew this, she was given a nod from Lind to confirm. Celveria looked down, disappointed that both of them had to experience that without the proper psychological training, if such a thing existed. When she looked to Lind again, Celveria spoke softly and as if she had ice water in her veins. "War is an ugly thing and this is not some bedtime story where the good guys win because good guys win. This war is a harsh reminder of that truth on the lessons about the coldness of reality. In reality good guys are going to die; there is no avoiding that. She may have been the first sister silver wing you see give up her life in this forsaken war and as tragic as it is for me to say and you to hear, she will not be the last."
Lind took in the information, still appearing very stoic as she also stood beside the fallen maiden and looked upon her. At least now she looked as though she were sleeping, though the reddened hole in the stomach section of the young Valkyries uniform was the bitter reminder otherwise. "Mistress." Celveria turned her head to Lind and waited for her to speak again. "What was her name? I never got to meet her," Lind asked in a monotone manner, not daring to look away from her fallen sister.
Celveria got a good look at the girl. "Her name is Leilynn. She is an apprentice Valkyrie, one of our younger recruits." Celveria looked away from the girl. "What a waste," she thought to herself.
"It's nice to meet you Leilynn." Lind smiled sadly. While she spoke, her eyes returned to their natural blue color.
Celveria smiled proudly at her Lind. "Well said, Lind. I am sure she would have been overjoyed to befriend you. Your words will no doubt aid her in her passing."
"I feel, I feel like I'm going to explode. Feelings of sadness and pain are colliding within me. How do I stop this pain of loss I have?" Lind asked Celveria with a hint of desperation.
"The answer to that is an enigma to all Valkyries. I wish I had an answer for you. That terrible feeling you have, I share it," Celveria said while gripping Lind's shoulder. Lind dropped her poleaxe and fell to her knees. Celveria followed and embraced her in a hug. She wrapped one arm around Lind's waist, pulling Lind close, her other hand resting upon the top of Lind's head. She hugged Lind like a mother would a daughter in distress. "I have learned that having friends to cry with helps though," Celveria whispered. Lind buried her face in her mistress' uniform, and followed the advice given to her. Celveria lowered her head over Lind's and also had shed her own tears in memory of Leilynn. Above the cheerful shouts from the surviving Valkyries continued, caught in the moment and so blissfully ignorant of the aftermath from the battle below them.
Xxxxx
Lind woke up and glanced once at Keiichi before leaving his room. She looked around the temple, discovering Hild and Belldandy both had fallen asleep in their respective rooms. "It's good to see you about again Lind," Belldandy said warmly from a sleeping position as Lind began to close the door to her room.
Lind entered the room and closed the door behind her while Belldandy sat up. Lind sat down in front of Belldandy, not sure what to say to her friend. "I-I'm not really good at apologizing." Lind looked away from Belldandy, finding interest in the plainly painted walls surrounding the two. Before when I lashed out at you I-"
"Lind," Belldandy interrupted in a gentle manner. When Lind looked back to Belldandy she continued. "Keiichi is a precious friend to me. Curing Keiichi, it's important to me. I understand why you acted how you did." Belldandy smiled and tilted her head cutely. "There is nothing for me to forgive."
Lind remembered her times with Celveria as Belldandy said this. "It's a shame mistress Celveria never got to meet you. The two of you could have become great friends."
"Sometime then, we can speak of her. I can learn of her through you Lind," Belldandy said to Lind. "She isn't completely gone you know. She lives on in the memories of you and the others blessed to know and call her friend."
Lind stared at Belldandy in shock for a moment as if she just discovered something but quickly returned to her calm, neutral facial expression. "She lives on through my memories… I wonder if that's what they are after."
Belldandy looked confused as Lind spoke to herself. "Please share your thoughts."
"As we know the Dreamweaver has been taking only select fragments from people in this realm. Could it be the ones responsible are trying to recreate a god or goddess by gathering the memories of the one they intend to revive? Even if his or her appearance is changed by being given a new body, if the memories are added to this new appearance wouldn't it still be that person? If the one doing this believes memories are the defining factors in making a person who they are then it stands to reason that the one responsible is gathering memories to revive someone. The question is who?" Lind said while thinking hard about this.
"There is one problem with that theory though Lind. A person from this realm is unlikely to have high enough quality memories of a god or goddess for a successful revival of this type. There is still another piece to this puzzle we are missing. Once we learn this last missing piece, then we can understand the reasons behind what has been happening," Belldandy explained. The two sat for a while, recalling all they had learned to try and discover this last clue that continued to elude them.
Xxxxx
The girl with the jean jacket and pants stepped out of the train station with Nekomi Station labeled on the stain glass of its doors. She walked to the curb, set down her box of possessions and waved for a taxi. She entered, shoving her box into the other passenger seat. "To Nekomi Institute of Technology please," She requested rather cheerfully as she closed the door.
"You got it missy." He pulled away once she was buckled into her seat. "So you're going to be in town long?" The driver asked looking at her from his mirror.
"Moving here actually, I enrolled into NIT and will be attending classes at the beginning of the next semester. Also I'm going to visit family while I am at it." The girl smiled mischievously.
The driver chuckled at her expression. "Sounds like you will keep things lively for the folks at home."
"Absolutely," she told with thumbs up.
"Well good for you. People need some excitement in their lives from time to time. NIT is a great place to study at. I have a daughter myself who is attending. She writes to me from time to time, says nothing but good things. Especially lately, since the current campus queen has found some competition. Apparently the attention of the school has begun to shift to favor two others."
"Is that so?" The girl said trying to act interested, though the tone of her voice spoke otherwise. "Perhaps I will run into your daughter sometime also then." The driver went into his wallet when they stopped at a red light and handed his passenger a picture. "She's pretty. You must be proud." She said leaning over to hand the picture back.
"Oh yeah I am. And smart too. She was blessed twice some would say." The drive was quiet after wards, until they arrived at NIT. After paying her tab and giving the man a decent tip, she grabbed her box and looked on at the NIT campus.
"It's larger then I had thought. Hope I can find the motor club quickly," she thought to herself as she passed the front gate and began her explorations of the campus grounds.
Xxxxx
"Was that Lind I heard in there?" Hild asked playfully as she opened the door to Belldandy's room, not even bothering to knock first. Inside Hild saw the two goddess; they were still thinking about the taken memories. "Way to kill the mood you two," Hild scolded as she sat down with them. Belldandy poured Hild a cup of tea. "Well, no matter. This is still great. We can proceed with our plans now."
"Our plan? I didn't remember it that way," Lind said to Hild sharply.
"Lind…" Belldandy whispered. The last thing she wanted was for another fight between the two to break out.
"Insignificant details," Hild quickly said to try and cover Lind's hostile words while smiling. Though the idea of a second fight with Lind could prove amusing, she knew they had more important matters to attend to for the time being. She couldn't afford to waste any more time the way the gate was now. "We can fight to our hearts contents after this is over. For now let's continue on, alright?" Hild offered a hand in truce.
Lind stared at Hild with contempt. "Belldandy informed me of the plans about tracking the Dreamweaver down and about the plan to attack the mines where it has decided to hide out." Hild put her hand down, knowing Lind had no intention to shake on the agreement. "Before we go though there is another we should add to our team. Both Hild and Belldandy looked at Lind intrigued.
"Who do you have in mind and what can this person do for us?" Hild asked flatly, feeling annoyed for having her truce ignored blatantly by Lind.
Lind smirked; glad she had decided to make a second wish here. "Sayoko Mishima. She is a citizen of Nekomi with a vast amount of influence in the area along with personal resources. She can provide support as well as deal with the other people living around the mine while we go about this attack."
Hild nodded approvingly. "Fair enough, you've made your point." Belldandy smiled, agreeing with the idea. She knew Sayoko was a good person at heart, even if her methods needed improving. She considered this to be the influences from Sayoko's cousin, someone she had little respect for. With Sayoko on the team it helped to put Belldandy's mind at ease. She could count on Sayoko to keep the people innocent in this safe while they fought.
"Don't try anything funny with Sayoko." Lind warned. "She is under my protection."
Hild raised her hands up. "I'll be a good girl for you Lind I promise. Sayoko and I will be the best of friends." Hild smiled and giggled mischievously.
Lind huffed at Hild's blatantly playful voice that just shouted it was one big lie. She decided it was best to leave before she lost control of herself and attacked Hild again. While Keiichi was in this state, she was in no mood for jokes or silliness more than usual.
Xxxxx
In front of an open fireplace Sayoko sat in a reclining chair while reading one of her NIT text books. Outside the clouds darkened some and the wind picked up. Sayoko got up to shut the door to the balcony. As she was close it a bolt of lightning streaked past her, startling her. "Hello!" Hild shouted in an obnoxiously loud voice. Sayoko turned to see Lind, Belldandy, and Hild in a group together.
"Normal people would have knocked you know," Sayoko scolded as she set her book down.
"Normal is boring," Hild said as she wandered off, inspecting the various items and furniture in the room.
Meanwhile Belldandy and Lind approached Sayoko. "Sorry for the sudden intrusion," Belldandy apologized sincerely, giving a bow to back these words up.
"Lind, Belldandy. What a pleasant surprise. Don't worry about it. I had planned to replace this rug soon anyways," Sayoko said, noting the burn mark from the group's flashy entrance. Sayoko sat down and the goddesses followed. "So what can I do for you three? Considering your serious faces it's obviously not for a social visit."
Hild whistled loudly as she inspected the door to a cabinet. She ran her finger over the designs on the elegant looking hardwood. "These are some classy pieces. I assume all handmade?" Sayoko nodded to her. "I respect your tastes, even if you do look boring with that uptight suit."
Sayoko choked at the rude, carefree remark Hild made. "So who's your friend?" She asked, sounding less than amused.
"Please forgive her; Hild is a rather direct person at times," Belldandy explained to Sayoko. "She just does what she wants, how she wants. It's best you do not be cross with her." A lesson Belldandy had learned bitterly.
"We need your help Sayoko." Lind interrupted, wanting to get to the reason of the visit. "As I had mentioned before about when we made our agreement I made you aware of something otherworldly attacking people."
Sayoko nodded. "I have been covering it for you as best I can, as per our agreement."
"We have new information on this matter. We discovered the one responsible and have found it has been making a nest in an abandoned mining site not far from Nekomi. However when we go to it, things may get noisy, if you understand what I mean," Lind said. "Any assistance on this you can give could give would be appreciated, though we are on a schedule."
"So you need this done as swiftly as possible. Having time would be too easy I suppose," Sayoko complained. Lind and Belldandy looked away shamefully while Sayoko thought about it and looked at the clocks. She noted it was 09:32 "Give me ten hours to arrange things. When I am ready I shall contact you." Lind stood up with Belldandy.
"Thank you for your help Sayoko, you're a good friend," Belldandy said to her warmly.
At about the same time Hild entered the sitting room holding fancy looking black underwear. Sayoko turned and blushed furiously as she walked over to Hild. "I take back what I said about you being boring if you actually are bold enough to wear things like these." Hild laughed at the look on Sayoko's face. Sayoko tried to grab the clothing while Hild them over her head. With her height advantage over Sayoko she was unable to reach her clothing, even when jumping.
Belldandy floated up towards Hild and took the clothing back and gave it to Sayoko while giving Hild a disappointed look. "Sometimes I find it hard to believe you're the ruler of demons." Lind said flatly while Sayoko went into her bedroom.
"These people are so weird it's frustrating." Sayoko placed the clothing back in her dresser and re-entered the sitting room, closing the door to her bedroom behind her. Looking around she noticed her company had left already. She sighed as she went to her phone. "Might as well get started with their request…"
Xxxxx
With nothing to do but prepare for tonight each prepared in a way of their way. Belldandy was practicing the notes to her singing magic. As she sang, wildlife fell asleep at the sound. At the other end of the courtyard Hild created low intensity bolts of lightning and flicked them at Lind who tried to deflect them with her weapon. All the while she tried to fight off the effects from Belldandy's singing. This was proving quite the challenge but she welcomed the exercise. It took her mind off what had happened with Keiichi while she brushed up on her fighting technique. For Hild there was not much to be gained by this being the most capable fighter of the three. She just amused herself, trying to zap Lind in embarrassing places. First by trying to cause Lind's hairs to stand on end, then she began aiming for sensitive spots on the body.
The exercises were brought to a halt when the front door bell rang. "Well now is as good of a time to stop this I suppose," Hild said as she floated to the ground.
"I'll prepare us lunch. We will need our strength when we go," Belldandy informed the others as she walked back inside.
"I will remain here until then. I wish to practice some more," Lind said. She was determined to be at her best for Keiichi when they went after the Dreamweaver.
"I guess that means I get to welcome the guest then." Hild smiled as she began to walk inside.
"Maybe I spoke too soon," Lind thought as she began to perform a kata with her weapon, wondering what Hild might do to the unsuspecting soul at the door.
As Hild approached the front door the bell rang again. "Show some patience will you!" She shouted irritated as she opened the door.
In front of her was the girl in the jean jacket and pants with her box of items. She was taken back a bit by Hild's clothing and the revealing nature of it. "Is that any way to talk to a welcomed guest?" She snapped back.
"You have spunk, I'll give you that but what makes you think your welcome?" Hild asked leaning over the girl, clearly showing the difference in height and authority between the two.
"It's my brother's house, of course I'm welcome. Who are you?" The girl demanded. "I didn't know Kei-chan liked older girls. He probably got suckered in by her appearance."
"I'm visiting for a few days. I was allowed to stay until my trip in Nekomi is done with," Hild lied while observing the box on the floor beside her. Hild discretely used her magic to look through the box and noticed a variety of non perishable foods in it. "And who are you?"
"Glad you asked. I'm Megumi Morisato! Keiichi's little sister," She explained proudly and made thumbs up motion at Hild while smiling.
"Is that so?" Hild stood up and hid her hands behind her. With a flick of her wrist the room where Keiichi and the others attacked by the Dreamweaver were was shut and locked from the inside. "Well Megumi, what can I do for you?" Hild asked, all the while smiling as if nothing was wrong.
"I was hoping to stay here for a while until I find a place of my own. I'm going to enroll in NIT this fall with Keiichi you see." Megumi explained as she opened the box beside her and showed the contents to Hild. "I bring offerings," she added.
Hild stepped aside to allow Megumi in, who closed the door behind herself. "Keiichi is out for a few days, but I doubt he would have any objection to you staying here for a while," Hild said while the two walked past the door to the room Hild had locked not long ago.
Hild took Megumi to the kitchen where Belldandy was preparing some food. "Welcome," Belldandy greeted in her usual brown dress with an apron over it.
At the same time Lind entered the kitchen in her Valkyrie uniform. This earned Lind an odd glance from Megumi. "I don't know if I should be happy, angry or worried for Keiichi. He has so many pretty girls for roommates, though they have odd tastes in clothing."
"Who is she?" Lind asked to anyone in the room quick enough to answer.
"I'm Megumi; I'll be staying here for a few days. Maybe longer, depending on how long it takes to find an apartment. It's nice to meet you all." She bowed to the other girls.
Lind looked at her confused. "She is Keiichi's younger sister," Hild clarified.
Megumi watched in surprise as the joy in the room seemed to have faded as Lind and Belldandy looked at her. "Did I do something wrong?" Megumi thought as the smiles from Belldandy and Lind vanished and both became unusually quiet. Suddenly Belldandy turned around and began chopping again. Lind went to her room without another word. Neither goddess was able to bring themselves to look at her since what had happened to Keiichi. The guilt they had felt just renewed itself in both of them knowing now he has a sister.
"Don't mind them. They just miss Keiichi," Hild said as she stood up. "Come on, I'll show your around the temple grounds," Hild offered as she waited at the door.
"Sounds great!" Megumi got up and followed Hild out of the room. When Megumi left Belldandy stopped chopping and Holy Bell came out and tried her best to console Belldandy. Both had tears in their eyes, now having just one more reason to feel guilty and sorry for what happened to Keiichi. The worst of it was that Belldandy knew she should apologize to Megumi but that would reveal to Megumi who Hild, Lind, and she really were. The last thing they needed was this information becoming public.
Lind entered her room and shut the door behind her. She looked at the swimsuit she had worn at the swimsuit contest. Memories of the contest went through her mind. Thinking back on it she realized now she actually had fun then for the first time in quite a while. She remembered the shy look Keiichi gave her when she posed for him on the stage. This brought some color to her cheeks as well as a happy grin. These thoughts were broken when the phone in her room rang. She stood to listen into it. "You're ready Sayoko? That's excellent news. We will be there shortly." Lind listened in and rolled her eyes. "No we won't damage any property this time when we arrive." Lind hung up and left to go to the kitchen. "Sorry to interrupt but we need to go see Sayoko again. She has everything set up for us." Belldandy nodded and followed Lind to the gates as the goddesses passed Megumi and Hild.
Lind rubbed the edge of her noise with her thumb. Hild nodded, understanding the message as the goddesses went to Keiichi's bike. "I need to go now. I trust you can find your way back to your room," Hild said then walked away to meet the goddesses. Belldandy held onto a hand from Lind and Hild and changed into her GRO clothing. The three then disappeared into a mirror on Keiichi's bike. Megumi began to go back inside when she noticed a flash of light appear around the corner where Hild had just gone to. She did not see Hild there, just Keiichi's bike. "Went out huh... Since when does he go anywhere without his bike?" Megumi thought suspiciously. She went back inside and noticed the shut door she passed when she entered the temple for the first time. She tried to open it only to find it locked. When she put her ear to the door she heard nothing. She tried even harder this time to pull the door open, to the point where she began to strain herself. Even with this effort the doors still did not budge. Figuring it was locked from the inside, she went to the room Hild said she could stay in. She had some questions to ask the girls when they returned.
Xxxxx
"Here is a map of the interior of the mines. I have marked the entrances, both on the sides of the mines as well as any holes in the ceiling of the structure," Sayoko said as she and the higher powers stood around the table with the map on it.
Hild touched the map and it glowed a reddish color. When that faded a blinking dot appeared in an open section of the map. It was away from the main area of the mines and far in the back of it. They noticed there was no exit in that chamber. Also there was no other ways out of the area except the tunnel that connected that chamber with the rest of the mine. "It's not surprising the Dreamweaver is in the far end of the mines. It the easiest to defend, however there is nowhere to escape either. It will be easy to capture."
Lind looked at the rest of the mine. She marked three positions on the map with her finger. Blue blinking areas appeared on the map. "If you're right about the one behind this is a Valkyrie, then chances are she will be in one of those positions."
Belldandy smiled happily at seeing Lind taking charge like usual. Things were almost back to normal for her. All she needed now was Keiichi back and everything would be happy again.
Hild looked at the spots Lind marked. "Alright then, we should each pick one spot to investigate."
"I will enter this entrance from the ceiling of the mines and head to the third spot," Lind said. Sayoko and Hild nodded, not questioning it.
Belldandy however looked more concerned. She noticed the area Lind would be at within the mines were the closest to where the Dreamweaver slept. "Lind… Please don't do anything bad to the Dreamweaver. It was only doing what it was told by the one truly responsible."
Lind stared hard at the map ignoring Belldandy. Sayoko looked across the table at Lind. "It attacked Morisato, didn't it?" Lind looked back at her, and then looked away. "I see. Do what you feel you must then, Lind. I just hope you don't come to regret your actions later." Belldandy looked at Sayoko unbelievingly. It made no sense to her why Lind and Sayoko were okay with hurting the creature, even if this creature had been responsible for the attack on Keiichi.
Belldandy took the next closest spot to the Dreamweaver. If her area where the Valkyrie might be was empty she was determined to stop Lind from hurting the creature. That left Hild for the remaining spot closest to the entrance.
"Belldandy and I will enter together at this entrance. We will branch out at this tunnel. After your area has been cleared make your way to Belldandy's designated spot and I will do the same. That way we will close up any unsearched areas if none of us locate the Valkyrie in the designated spots," Hild said to the group as she pointed at the tunnels connecting the various chambers.
"This looks like it could work. While you three are in the mines I have hired a crew to settle around the area and have created the cover story that there may be a new vein of gold that has been discovered and we're looking into it. If it gets noisy from your magic in there then I can tell the people of the nearby village it is just my people using dynamite to expand the mines quickly. It should be enough to quell any suspicions," Sayoko said. She stood up and led them to the fire escape. "If you'll follow me, I have a ride waiting for us."
The four went up to the roof to find a helicopter waiting. Belldandy smiled and held her hands together. She gasped happily at the surprise and the excitement for being able allowed to fly in it. "This will be so much fun, don't you think Hild?"
She nodded back at Belldandy. "I am interested in how it operates," Hild said as they stepped in and sat down in the passenger seats.
Sayoko put on a pair of headphones that were identical to the ones the pilot wore. "We're ready to go. Take us up." The pilot nodded and the rotor blades above began to spin. Once they were at the correct speed Sayoko buckled herself into her seat. Lind and Belldandy followed her lead. Hild was too busy looking around to care. Not that she would put her seat belt on had she noticed.
The vehicle lifted off and Hild looked out the open door to see the people below. She grabbed onto a bar attached to the roof of the helicopter close to the door and stepped out onto the landing gear. "This feels great!" Hild shouted as her hair and the freely hanging fabrics on her clothing billowed in the wind as they flew. "Hello everybody!" She shouted below and waved at the few people who looked up to see the helicopter.
"We will be there in about fifteen minutes," Sayoko shouted to inform the group. Belldandy watched out the window while Lind thought about nothing more than repaying the Dreamweaver for its hostile acts on Keiichi. The rest of the ride continued on in silence except from Hild who spent the entire time hanging out the door.
"There are the mines, set us down nearby." Sayoko spoke into the headphone microphone. The pilot found an open field not far from the mines and touched down there. When it set down the four got out. "Wait for us here. We will return soon." The pilot acknowledged Sayoko by shutting down the engines and the rotors above slowly came to a halt. "I will meet you three in town when you are ready to return to Nekomi." Hild, Lind and Belldandy nodded. "Good luck everyone."
"Thank you, Sayoko." Belldandy hugged Sayoko then went to catch up to Hild while Lind went a different direction towards her entrance.
Xxxxx
Belldandy and Hild enter the mines together as planned. "Do you really believe Lind will harm the Dreamweaver?" Belldandy asked as they walked together.
"It would seem so. Can you blame her? It doesn't take a mind reader to know she likes, possibly loves Keiichi. It brought harm to someone she cares for. This moment of revenge she's determined to bring to it could give her some peace of mind."
"Even still, it seems wrong." Belldandy said sadly.
"Perhaps you might think differently if someone you cared for were harmed by another," Hild said to her. "Would you sell out a friend for personal gain, probably not. Would you harm another to save a friend, maybe. Would you do a terrible thing to stop your own grief or despair? No one can truly know the answer to that until faced with the question personally. It's no different with Lind."
Belldandy walked on with Hild, thinking in silence. She found herself questioning herself now. Wondering what she would do if she were in Lind's position. It's true she admired Keiichi for his personality but did she care for him enough to go this far like Lind.
The two entered the chamber at the end of the tunnel they were in to find two Valkyries fighting. One had a spear for a weapon, the other had a broadsword. The two were fighting up close with their weapons, occasionally trying to get in a cheap shot with a quick spell. Hild noticed the Valkyrie with the sword also had an orb attached to her uniform. That orb had the exact same marking as the one found on the open field. Hild knew that was the orb keeping the gate to Niflheim. The other had held numerous pyramid like objects around the waist section of her uniform. The pyramid items looked as if they broken in half at the base. "Well this is a surprise; here I was only expecting one naughty Valkyrie Bell-chan."
Both Valkyries looked at Belldandy and Hild. "Hild! How?" The Valkyrie with the spear and pyramid objects asked. The second Valkyrie flew away immediately hearing that name, with the spear wielder not far behind.
"Naughty little girls. Bell-chan, those pyramid objects are the memory fragments you want, but they have been cut in half. They should have been in diamond shapes. Chase that Valkyrie holding them, the other is mine." Belldandy nodded and the two flew off in different directions after leaving through an exit in the roof. Hild flew after her target towards the East while Belldandy went to the north.
Xxxxx
Lind flew up onto the top of the mines. She looked down into the entrance, convinced the area was clear she spawned her poleaxe in front of her and grabbed it when it became a solid item. As she was about to jump down into the mine she noticed two Valkyries fly out. A few seconds behind them Hild and Belldandy appeared, each chasing after one of the Valkyries. Lind held her curiosity as to why there were two Valkyries fleeing, for now she had more pressing matters on her agenda. Lind's eyes changed to a golden color and she leapt down in the hole before her. She then went straight toward the chamber where the Dreamweaver slept.
Xxxxx
Belldandy flew low to the ground while after the Valkyrie she pursued. "You're not too bad for someone from the GRO, I didn't think you lot could fly this fast." The Valkyrie complimented noting Belldandy's clothing. "Still no match for me however." The Valkyrie pointed the tip of her spear above Belldandy and cast a water based spell. Waves seemed to fall from the sky and crashed down on Belldandy. The Valkyrie smiled and began to fly at a more relaxed pace. "Nothing personal."
A few seconds later a shadowy silhouette of a human figure fled ahead of her and Belldandy appeared in front of the Valkyrie. Holy Bell joined the pursuit and the two began to sing together. The song's effect was felt by the Valkyrie. Her flight speed fell as she felt herself losing energy, as if her energy was being siphoned out of her. The Valkyrie changed course, trying to get away, but now Belldandy was easily able to keep up. "Please surrender, I do not wish to harm you," Belldandy begged her while Holy Bell continued to sing in the direction of the Valkyrie.
"N-Not an option. There's so much you don't understand. Too much mystery behind those who support Yggdrasil," The Valkyrie wearily said. She began to falter, she began drop closer to the ground.
"Surrender and explain it to us, please we are both goddesses. We should not fight like this," Belldandy pleaded, as she closed in on her target.
"You serve Yggdrasil and have ties to the silver wings, you cannot be trusted." The Valkyrie said, as she caught herself from falling asleep for a third time she went to use one of the boosters on her uniform to move out of Belldandy's singing range. Seeing the Valkyrie trying to touch the yellow stripe on her uniform Belldandy cast a shield around the boosters on both sides of the uniform. This prevented use of them. "Not bad…" The Valkyrie said as her spear disappeared and she fell asleep in midair.
"Oh no!" Belldandy shouted, pushing herself to fly as fast as possible. Catching the Valkyrie as she fell. Belldandy winced in pain as from being knocked off her feet saving the Valkyrie to have her land on top of her. Belldandy rolled her off her and on the ground. She stood up besides to Holy Bell. The two held hands. "Thank you for your help." Holy Bell smiled and disappeared back inside of Belldandy. Belldandy used her magic to levitate the Valkyrie beside her and she flew the two of them back to the mines.
When she returned to the spot they had agreed to meet within the mines Belldandy discovered Hild sitting on top of a tied up Valkyrie. "Bell-chan! I see you were successful with your prey. Nicely done."
Belldandy smiled and the Valkyrie beneath Hild tried to struggle free. She ended this by electrocuting the uncooperative Valkyrie, putting an end to any further resistance. Belldandy looked angrily at Hild, who just shrugged. "Relax, she is only unconscious. I obey the doublet system rules."
Belldandy's expression softened some but was still a bit saddened by the display of violence.
Footsteps were heard; both Hild and Belldandy looked towards the source as Lind stepped out of the shadows. She looked peaceful for the first time since Keiichi had been attacked. "The Dreamweaver, has it been dealt with?" Hild asked in all seriousness.
Lind nodded. "Phantom beasts are not protected by the doublet system." Hild nodded at the outcome while Belldandy looked dismayed at Lind. She just lost a huge amount of respect for her fellow goddess for acting in such a manner. "Also I discovered these in its nest." Lind opened her hand and revealed several yellow pyramid shaped objects.
"This Valkyrie I chased had identical items. However the ones she had are blue in color," Belldandy explained taking the pyramids away from the sleeping Valkyrie and showing them to Lind.
Lind looked at the Valkyrie Belldandy chased. "I know her," Lind said.
"Let me escort you to our mistress' Celveria's study madam Valkyrie," A female voice called from behind Lind. She had unusually dark orange hair and matching eyes.
"She used to work within Celveria's mansion as a maid there. After Celveria passed away I lost touch with her. I had no idea what had happened to her, I was unaware she even had become a Valkyrie." Lind explained.
Hild smiled hearing the story; she had discovered why all of a sudden the Valkyrie was gathering memory fragments. She decided to give them a push in the right direction then let Belldandy and Lind discover the rest for themselves. "Bell-chan! The blue fragments they are memories that belong to a god or goddess. The yellow ones, they are memories that belong to a human."
"Why would a Valkyrie want to divide the two?" Belldandy asked Hild who just shrugged. Lind squinted, she could tell Hild knew more but refused to tell them.
"Well, since we all got what we wanted lets help each other one last time, shall we?" Hild asked sweetly, resting her head on her hands.
"What do you need from us now, this better not be another trick." Lind told firmly to Hild.
Hild spun the blue orb she had gotten from the Valkyrie she had chased on the tip of her finger. "This annoying thing is what has sealed off the gate to my realm. Unfortunately only a person from heaven can release the gate now. So, I will restore the memories to your precious Keiichi along with the other victims, and in exchange you unlock the gate for me. Deal?"
Belldandy smiled at Hild, though weary of her tricks now. "Very well Hild, I promise to open the gate once you restore the memories of the others." Hild nodded, trusting Belldandy knowing she could not lie. She tossed the orb to Belldandy.
"We should get going now, Sayoko is waiting for us." Lind said while pocketing both halves of the memory fragment pieces. Hild and Belldandy agreed. Lind picked up the two incapacitated Valkyries and the three walked out of the mines together.
Xxxxx
"Okay she's gone," Lind said. They watched as Megumi left the temple and drove down the street on Keiichi's motorcycle. "Let's make this quick, she will return shortly." After Hild unlocked the door to where the Dreamweaver's victims were kept Lind handed over each yellow memory fragment.
Hild and Lind entered first, with Belldandy behind. Hild used her magic to draw arcane circles around the room and chanted in her realm's language. Belldandy and Lind watched as one by one the yellow fragments disappeared. When the last one disappeared so did the circles on the walls. One by one the victims woke up, none of them remembering what happened. Belldandy and Lind escorted them all out of the temple where a bus was waiting to take them back to Nekomi, thanks to Sayoko.
"Now it's Keiichi's turn," Lind told Hild eagerly. Hild repeated the chanting. The fragment that belonged to Keiichi disappeared. She and Belldandy left the room leaving Lind alone with Keiichi as he began to stir awake.
"I fulfilled my end of the bargain, now it's your turn." Belldandy nodded and Holy Bell appeared for the third time in a single day. The two sang together, while doing so the orb began to crack, then shattered in front of the two of them. The magic that held the gate to Hild's realm shut had been broken.
"It's done. You're free to return," Belldandy informed Hild.
The marking on Hild's face glowed and a gateway opened in front of her. "It's been a blast playing with you silly goddesses. Let's do this again sometime." Belldandy smiled as Hild began to walk towards the gate. She stopped in front of the portal. "Oh and tell Urd I said hello for me the next time you see her will you Bell-chan."
"I promise," Belldandy said warmly and waved as Hild walked through the gate. It closed and disappeared after Hild stepped in it.
Xxxxx
Keiichi's eyes open and he looked around to see Lind sitting beside him. She looked as if she were about to break down and start crying right there. "Lind, what's wrong." Keiichi nearly panicked, wondering if she was going to hit him.
She sniffled and hugged him tightly. "Nothing's wrong Keiichi-kun. I just missed you was all," she whispered to him. Keiichi smiled and closed his eyes and returned her hug. Once again that warm feeling Keiichi gave Lind when they touched, the same she began to love in the short time she knew him had once again found its way to her.
"Not that I mind this but has something happened I should know about?" Keiichi asked, slowly pulling away from the hug to look at her to her disappointment.
Lind's fingers twitched nervously as she set her hands in her lap. "Keiichi, I…" She whispered. Keiichi moved closer to hear her; this made her even more nervous. Within her gloves her palms broke into a cold sweat. She became nervous about what she was about to ask, or more likely the answer she thought, she knew would follow. "I failed you. I let that thing get to you." Lind stopped, tempted to just read his mind for the answer. Ultimately she couldn't bring herself to get her answer in this way. He had every right to tell this to her personally. "Are you angry with me for this? I'll understand if you even hate me. Who could blame you if you did, you have every right too." Lind said sadly while looking at him.
"How can I? I was the one who agreed to this, against your better judgment." Lind started to smile at him hearing this. "I know you tried your best to do so. I like you very much for it. I know under your rough and tough personality you really do care what happens."
Lind sat for a moment to let that register in her mind. She then smiled brightly and knocked him over with another hug. When she noticed he was aware of what happened she kissed him lightly over his lips, catching him complete off guard and speechless. Lind got up feeling happy with herself after that personal moment, leaving Keiichi's mind to catch up to what she had done.
Xxxxx
Author Thanks.
Thanks to the following for your reviews and ideas.
dbfox007, Kaiser969, Juseifudo, Another Duck, CodelyokoFan23, BrazeRancor, KTWizard, bleach540, Chargone, The Mad shoe1.
For those who liked my story enough to put it on alert.
KTWizard, Mr Thanatos, Chargone.
For the one man who added added my story to alert list
Protodermis.
For those kind enough to favorite my story.
mythix, Angelboy1989.
Here's to those who added me to favorite author list.
dbfox007, Another Duck.
Those Awesome enough to add me to author alert
dbfox007, BladeRy.
And to the lot who help me along this story journey.
mjnousak, Bob, Another Duck.
