Arc II: Chapter 01

I'll be Home for Christmas

The rain pattered lightly across southern Japan. The December air held a rather cold nip, hovering just above freezing. The gray clouds slowly shifted and swirled above, lazily moving about as they let their contents fall to the scarred Earth.

Small plants were struggling to fill in the scorched landscape, but it was too cold for much of anything to grow. Thus the landscape remained fairly barren, with most trees and grass blown away by the impacts or burnt to ash by the accompanying flames. Only periodically did one find places that the destruction didn't seem complete.

On a long stretch of highway between Hiroshima and Tokyo, not a soul could be seen. The falling water formed puddles in the craters pockmarking the roadway. A few brown swallows were standing in one of these pools, using it as their personal birdbath. The sound of water could be heard rapping on the roof of a burned out sedan, its driver still in his seat, little more than blackened bones.

After a time, a new sound could be heard above the gentle din of the rain. The sound of footsteps, hundreds of boots striking the asphalt. As the minutes wore on, a group of men came by the car, most barely giving the remains within a second glance.

They marched in two columns, over a hundred men long. They were covered in large camouflage ponchos, with large green packs strapped securely to their backs. The Kevlar helmets they wore kept the drops of rain from their heads. Black gloved hands were poised on the M-16 rifles that hung across their chests. None of their fingers were far from the trigger, and all kept a wary eye toward the woods near the highway.

At the head of the formation, a man marched a few paces ahead of the right column. His rifle was slung to the side, and he instead carried a tall wooden staff. At the top, near the silver spear-shaped tip, flew a red banner, edged with gold. Some yellow text, written in English, filled the top left and bottom right corners. In the center was an emblem, a golden silhouette of the Earth, an anchor behind it. Atop the Earth sat an eagle, it's wings outstretched.

"Gunny Taff," the man at the head of the left column spoke, his breath visible in the air. "How far to Nekomi?"

The man directly behind the banner man looked at his pace counter, which was a piece of nylon cord with some knots and beads. After a moment, he looked back across the ten foot gap between the two columns. "At the rate we're goin, we ought to be there in about two more hours, sir."

Captain Rojas frowned as he looked at the long, curving stretch of highway before him. "We've been going for almost two hours already, Gunny. You think we should give the men a few minutes to rest?"

"Don't worry about us, sir!" Another man, several places behind Rojas spoke up emphatically. "We can go for another two hours, no problem! Ooh-rah!" The rest of the men echoed with their own 'ooh-rah' as he slowed and moved between the ranks. Once he was near the center of the formation, he began to sing out. "You can keep your Army khakis!" As before, the men of the formation echoed his words with gusto.

You can keep your Navy blues!

Cause I've got someone here,

to introduce to you!

His uniform is different,

unlike you've ever seen!

The Germans called him 'Devil Dog',

his real name is Marine!

Rojas smiled proudly at his men. Looking back across the space between them, he yelled to be heard over the cadence. "I suppose we're going to keep going, Gunny."

Taff smirked. "Looks thatta way, sir."

The Captain again looked at the unit banner guiding them onward. It was the banner of his own unit, but most of these men hadn't been under him until less than a month before. It was odd to see such a huge group of riflemen marching behind the flag of an air traffic control detachment, but for some reason it just made Rojas feel little swell of pride. He was still grinning when the cadence ended.

...and when he gets to Heaven,

Saint Peter he will tell,

'One more Marine reporting, sir!

I've served my time in hell.'

"If you keep pushing yourself like this you're going to die!" Urd yelled, the anger apparent on her face. "Do you understand me? Dead! After that last fight Keos practically had to carry you back."

Sephiroth looked up at the Goddess, who had bent down to complain directly into his ear as he tried to rest. "Your concern is unwarranted. My condition is not nearly as dire as you make it out to be."

She stood up straight, crossing her arms. "The hell it's not! You haven't given yourself more than a day or two of recuperation time in the last month. Every time you jump into battle that wound on your back opens up again. You may be able to fool your little Templar cronies out there with your little tough guy act, but you aren't fooling me." He closed his eyes as he turned his head forward, leaning it back against the wall as he had before she came into the room. She realized that he wasn't listening to her rant, so she tried to temper her irritation before she spoke again. "You need time to heal, and you won't get it as long as you rush out there every time there's word of a raid on the outskirts. There's a gate back to Heaven opening in half an hour..."

"No!" His eyes flashed back to her again, his voice resolute. "I will not return to Heaven while there is a war here on Earth. I will not leave my men."

Urd bent down again, her eyes just as unyielding. "You are returning, Sephiroth, and you are going to stay there until you have healed at least a few of your wounds!" She pointed her finger a centimeter from his nose to accentuate her point. "You're too important to us. I won't let you throw your life away!"

For the first time since she had met him, Urd saw surprise on the man's face. Their eyes remained locked like that for several seconds before she realized what she had said. Clearing her throat a little, she stood and turned away from him. 'I won't let you throw your life away?' 'You're too important to us?' What was that, Urd? He's going to get the wrong idea if you say stuff like that. For a few moments, the only sound was that of the cold rain falling on the yard just outside the thin wall.

The Templar groaned slightly as he got to his feet behind her. As he slowly walked past her, he didn't bother to look at her as he spoke. "I suppose a week or two won't make that much of a difference."

Urd thought that his voice sounded a little different than usual, but she couldn't decide how exactly. She was too busy trying to wrap her mind around what was happening. He actually listened to me? I can't believe this.

Just before he reached the door, he paused, drawing Urd from her disbelief. Looking back over his shoulder, his eyes dwelled on her for several seconds. He looked as if he were trying to make a decision.

What the heck is he staring at? Cocking her hips slightly, and crossing her arms below her breasts, she gave him a playful grin. "So are you going to say something, or are you just going to stand there and ogle me all day?"

He seemed to stand up a little straighter, if that were possible. Clearing his throat, he moved back over to the Goddess, who was watching him curiously. Not quite sure what was happening, she looked up at him as he stopped right in front of her.

"Here." His simple statement threw her off guard, and her confusion just grew worse when she looked down. The Masamune, the extraordinarily long sword he carried with him, was sitting in its glossy black sheath across his open palm.

"I don't understand," she said truthfully. "Why give it to me? You're the only one who can use it, right?"

"Masamune allows itself to be wielded only by those it deems worthy to hold it," he explained. "However, that doesn't mean that only one person can be capable of wielding it at any one time."

Arching an eyebrow at him, she wondered just what had brought on this strange turn of events. Why would he think that I could use it? She sighed, still unsure. "But why pick me, of all people? Just because they made me a First Class Goddess again doesn't mean that I'm some master warrior or something."

He seemed to ponder this for a moment before answering simply, "It's a hunch."

She studied him for a few seconds, trying to figure out what was wrong with him, but could find nothing. A hunch? I didn't know guys like him even got hunches. Realizing that he was not going to retract his offer, she shook her head. "Well, if you say so."

As she placed her hands on the smooth, cool sheath, she felt a gentle warmth radiate through her. Lifting the weapon out of the Templar's open hand, Urd was amazed at how light it felt. It was comparable to holding a broom handle.

As she marveled at its physical characteristics, a light tingle touched her fingers, leading her to smile at the weapon. She could hear no words, no thoughts, but somehow she knew that Masamune was saying hello to her.

"I think it will do more good in your hands here on Earth than it would in Heaven with me." Sephiroth's voice drew her mind away from the sword. Urd couldn't believe her eyes when she looked up at him and saw the slightest upward curl at the corners of his mouth. Is he actually smiling? "You will be it's guardian until I return."

"You don't have to worry, Sephiroth," she spoke reassuringly, holding the Masamune protectively to her. "I think we can manage without you for a couple weeks. Just relax and take it easy. Masamune and I will be here when you get back, safe and sound."

"That is," the hint of a smile remained as he paused briefly, "good to know." Turning, he left the room, striding out into the rain.

Urd watched him as he disappeared around the corner of the temple house. "Well, I guess it's just you and me for a while, eh?" She turned her eyes on the long, curved sword that she held. Feeling it tingle her fingers again, she laughed suddenly. "No, of course not! Why would you think that?"

She paused as the holy weapon communicated with her again. Her expression softened, her voice following suit. "Well, yeah, I guess he can be alright when he wants to be. Most of the time he's just a big jerk, though!"

"I know you've been here for eight hours already, but the patrol ran long and I'm giving them an extra hour to rest."

"C'mon, Keos," the Templar's shoulders slumped, "It's not my fault they're so slow! Why do I have to stand guard at the temple for another hour cause of them?"

Keos shook his head in frustration. "Listen to you. This is one of the easiest jobs in the city. What are you so eager to go do?"

"Well, you know how the saying goes," the other God smiled slyly and nudged Keos with his elbow, "Earth girls are easy!" He gave a chuckle at his own joke, but Keos was not amused.

"Watch yourself, Ergaddas." His voice was so harsh, the other Templar stopped his laugh rather abruptly. "You know the rules about that sort of thing. Taking advantage of the women on Earth is strictly prohibited! If I hear you say something like that again, you'll be guarding the construction crews for ten hours!"

"Whoa, easy there, Keos!" Ergaddas held his hands up defensively, a little indignant at being chewed out. "You used to be cool, man. I was just kidding."

Rubbing a hand over his face, Keos sighed as he nodded. "I know, Erg. They're just running me a little ragged, that's all. I've been doing crap like this sixteen hours a day since Lady Peorth left."

Ergaddas chuckled again, patting him roughly on the shoulder. "Sounds like you need a vacation, Mr. Second-in-command. It seems like dealing with Lord Sephiroth alone would be enough to string someone out."

"You don't know the half of it."

"So why'd the patrol run so late? Did they find anything?" He asked, looking at Keos.

This garnered an amused huff as he briefly shook his head. "As a matter of fact, they didn't find anything. Not a single enemy."

"I guess we shouldn't complain, but that's kinda weird."

"Yeah, it is," Keos responded, running a hand through his long black hair, which was still wet from the rain. "We usually find something, thin out their numbers a little before they hit us with another raid. Maybe they're adapting to our tactics or our patrol patterns. I'll have to talk with Lord Sephiroth about changing things up a little."

"Well, I guess since ya asked so nicely, I'll go ahead and stand duty for another hour." Ergaddas gave his superior a wink. "It's only cause it's you, though. I expect to be taken out on a proper date when we get back home."

Keos replied with deadly seriousness. "I don't date co-workers." The two burst into laughter at once. Holding his side, it felt good to finally have a reason to laugh. It seemed like it had been forever since he had been able to joke around with the guys. Catching his breath, Keos squeezed the other God's shoulder. "Your relief will be here before you know it. I'll see you later."

Floating away from the makeshift guard post on top of the temple wall corner, he took his time making his way to the main house. He was already thoroughly soaked from flying all over the city for several hours, so the light rain provided little incentive to get a move on. He had used his power to fend off the chill, but the droplets had still made his fingers nearly numb.

It was definitely tiring, being the senior Templar. Except for Sephiroth, Keos was the God in charge. Everyone else who had been above him on Earth had been on the disastrous attack on the Cruel Angel, which left him in the difficult position of keeping things in order among the remaining deployed Templars.

It was certainly tiring, and had left almost no time at all for him to maintain his warrior skills. Keos had always set his sense of humor as one of his most redeeming qualities, but he had always been a natural when it came to combat. Though he hadn't said anything to his friends, he had actually been considering trying to attain a Special Class qualification, something that was reserved for only the most talented First Class Templars, like Lord Sephiroth. Of course, since I've barely practiced at all since I came to Earth, I'd probably just make an idiot out of myself.

Still, being in charge of so much wasn't all bad. It gave him an excuse to talk to his favorite idol Goddess. Keos, like most other Templars, was a fan of one of the three Norn sisters. Many liked Belldandy for her kind smile and beautiful smile. Some had begun to take notice of Skuld as she grew into a lovely young lady, full of youthful energy. For many years Keos had secretly harbored a predilection for the eldest of the three.

As the weeks on Earth wore on, Keos had been convinced that the nervousness that accompanied speaking with Lady Urd would fade. Somehow, it had actually become worse. Every time they talked about the Humans, or defenses, or whatever happened to be pressing at the moment, he was sure that she would finally see through him and realize what he was thinking. So far his secret had remained hidden to everyone, though, something he was indescribably thankful for.

The exhausted Templar reached the temple, sitting heavily on the edge of the porch, barely noticing he wasn't being rained on anymore. Sighing audibly, he rested his elbows on his knees, rubbing his eyes and temples. Good grief, look at me. I'm supposed to be keeping the military operations in this whole freaking city running smoothly, and all I can think about is her. It would be so much easier for me if I didn't get to see her so often.

"Keos." The voice of his commander surprised him, his body almost leaping to its feet before he knew it. "What are you doing?"

He blinked the water out of his eyes, automatically running the situation through his mind to make sure he wasn't doing anything wrong. "Well, I just finished my rounds, sir. I was just taking a few minutes to rest before I made my report."

The taller God simply nodded, then looked up at the overcast sky. "I will be returning to Heaven for a few weeks. You are officially in charge of the Templars here until I get back."

Again Keos found himself a bit off balance. "Sir? You're putting me in charge of our forces?"

"That is correct," he answered. "Lady Urd is still in overall command of Nekomi, but you are responsible for the safety and success of the Templars here." He paused for a moment, then continued. "Lady Urd, as you know, is somewhat impulsive. I have confidence that she can take care of herself, however, the Templars are the defenders of Heaven and all who dwell there. I trust you will take the needed precautions to ensure her safety."

"Uh, yes, sir. I won't let you down." He could manage to think of little else to say.

"Good." He said nothing else as he crossed the yard to wait for the gate back to Heaven. Keos was simply dumbfounded, staring at nothing in particular.

I wanted to stay away from Lady Urd so I could relax a little, and now I get to spend even more time with her? How the hell am I going to survive all this?

Keiichi wore a confused look as he stood in the hallway, staring into the room Urd was in. He had been on his way back from the kitchen with a tea tray when he noticed the Goddess standing there, talking to what appeared to be no one. Well, this is Urd we're talking about here. Satisfied with his own pseudo-explanation, he shrugged and continued on to his room.

"What took you so long, Kei?" Megumi looked up from an old photo album. He could see pictures of Belldandy and himself from around four years before, not long after she had first arrived on Earth.

Things were so much easier back then. Nothing to do but spend our time together, making each other happy. "Well, Urd was in the other room, talking to herself. I guess my curiosity got the better of me."

Of course, while these pictures made Keiichi feel quite nostalgic, Megumi had a different reason for sifting through his collection of Belldandy pictures. She shrugged at his answer, looking back at the photos. "You know, Kei, I still can't believe you didn't tell me."

He groaned as he sat the tray down. "Don't start this again, Megumi. We've had this conversation a hundred times." He couldn't say that he was surprised that she said something, he had been waiting for it from the moment he saw the album.

"But we're family! Siblings!" She pretended to be deeply hurt, holding the back of her hand dramatically over her eyes. "You could have at least told me that I was going to have a Goddess for a sister-in-law!"

"S-Sister-in-law? Whatever, I'm only going to say this one more time. I couldn't tell anyone because…" His voice trailed off as the phone began to ring in the hall. "I'll be right back."

Sliding back the door to his room, he walked a few paces down the hallway to the phone. Urd peeked her head around the corner further down the hall, then smiled and disappeared as he motioned that he would answer it. Bringing the receiver up to his ear, he spoke. "Hello?"

"Keiichi?"

The young man's eyes widened in surprise at the voice he heard. "Belldandy? Bell is that really you?"

"Keiichi, I'm so sorry I couldn't call you before now." Even though he could only hear her, he could tell by her voice that tears were forming in her eyes. "Technically, I'm not supposed to be using this line, but Ceres insisted."

"I'm just glad to hear your voice again, Bell." He couldn't help wearing a wide smile as he thought of her up there, wishing as much as he was that they could reach through the phone and touch each other. "Be sure to tell Ceres thanks for me."

"I will, dear," she replied. He could hear a tiny sniffle before she continued. "So how are things down there? Is Urd doing alright?"

"She's been really busy since they promoted her," he told her. "After Peorth went back to Heaven, Urd has pretty much been in charge of the civilian population. She's been working with Lord Sephiroth a lot, too, trying to help coordinate the city's defenses. I don't know how she can keep up with it."

"Oh my. Well, Urd has always been at her best when presented with a challenging situation." Bell was worried about her sister, but plainly believed in her, as well. "I hope she won't have too much trouble taking care of everything until next week."

"What do you mean?" She had his curiosity piqued. "What happens next week?"

"Oh, that's why I called," her voice practically overflowed with cheer. "The Healers said I'm almost ready to get the spirit modification. I'll be coming back to Earth on Tuesday!"

Keiichi could barely contain his own joy at the news. "That's great, Bell! Just in time for Christmas! It'll be really good to see you again. I've missed you."

"I miss you too, Keiichi." He could feel the emotion in her voice. "I miss you so very much. It's going to be difficult to wait, even if it is just a few days away."

He suddenly wondered if his reunion with Bell would be more complicated than he first thought. "Will Skuld be coming with you?"

"No decision has been made yet," she told him, "but I'm going to do my best to make sure she gets to come back, even if it is just for a little while. She'll never admit it, but she misses you and Urd." She laughed for a few seconds. "Besides, I heard that you promised her ice cream when she gets back."

He couldn't help but chuckle as well. I forgot about that. "Don't worry, I'll scrounge up as much as I can find before she gets back."

"Oh dear." Her voice saddened as she spoke again, "I have to get off the line. I'll see you next week!"

"I'll be here," he replied.

"I love you, Keiichi."

"I love you, too, Belldandy." With that, the line disconnected. He stood there, receiver to his ear, for almost a minute.

Peorth had told him almost three weeks ago that Bell would make a full recovery. However, he hadn't had any contact with his love since that fateful day that the voices came. He remembered those moments in terrifying clarity. Belldandy's pained screams, Skuld crying like a child, and finding Urd to frightened to even move. That day was the last time he had seen Bell and Skuld. It was the better part of two weeks before he even knew that they would be okay.

Now, after what had seemed like forever, he had been able to hear her voice. It was like someone who had been wandering the desert for days being given a cool glass of water. Still, he suspected what he felt right then was far sweeter than that.

"Less than a week," he said to himself. It felt even farther away than the month he had already waited. "No! I can deal with this. Just a matter of days, now. I can deal with this." Clenching his fists before him, he looked up at the ceiling. "Yes! I would wait forever if I had to! I'll be here waiting for you, Belldandy!"

He froze when he heard a quiet giggle from the end of the hall. "He's cute when he gets that 'warrior of love' look to him." His cheeks felt quite hot as he slowly turned. Urd was again looking around the corner at him, the hilt of a large sword visible just below her, as if it were peeking into the hall as well. She suddenly laughed again, "Yeah, he's a good guy. Perfect for Belldandy."

"Uh, Urd," he smiled weakly, "who are you talking to?"

The white haired Goddess merely pointed at the sword, as if it were obvious.

Quickly moving over to her, he grabbed her free wrist and pulled her floating form back toward his room. "I think the pressure is starting to get to you, Urd. Megumi and I are having some tea in my room. Why don't you come and have a hot cup? I think it'll be good for you to relax for a while."

AN:

Arc II begins! Well, quite a bit has happened over the month (in the story) since the events at the end of the first arc. Obviously there are still a few more characters we need to catch up with, but we'll see some of them next chapter.

Please note that when I first wrote this chapter, it was December of 2002 (I think), so that's why the Christmas thing is in the story (a little out of season, now…hehe).

I'm glad you guys have stuck with me this far, and I hope to keep you all the way to the end (and really finish this time!). These chapters will be a little more complicated and generally longer than in the first arc, so I'm going to scale back to one chapter per week for now. Hopefully that will be a more realistic schedule for me.

To (): Holy crap, I can't believe you're back! I remember you were with me almost from the beginning of this story the first time. I'm glad you're back. Surprising you've been hanging around ff net for so long and still don't have a log in. Or maybe you do, and you just use () when you don't want to sign in?

Again, thanks for reading, and double thanks to the reviewers! See you next chapter.

Katamari Damacy