-49-

When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

-The Tyger, William Blake

XXX

Where Urd's hair was silver shading to white, Belldandy's hair was now silver shading to platinum. As she stood and turned towards the demon, it became apparent that her hair wasn't the only thing that had changed. Her now familiar sigils, the thin diamond on her forehead and the triangles on her cheeks had completely changed. She now sported a more ornate diamond above her eyes that consisted of two triangles with curved bases around a circle. The triangles were pointed up and down, mimicking the shape of the original. On her cheeks were more circles, with single triangles similar to the ones on her forehead that both pointed towards her nose.

Her clothes had changed as well. Gone was the casual outfit she was wearing previously, replaced by a white, skin tight body suit with the seams trimmed in blue. Over this she wore a blue vest trimmed in golden triangles. Two sets of what looked like leather wings hung down her back to complete the outfit.

As a first-class goddess and daughter of two of the most powerful beings in existence, Belldandy had inherited an incredible reserve of power, something she never had told Keiichi (nor did he ask). So much so that she could erase the existence of the planet she was standing on, as well as the solar system that contained it, with but a mere thought. In truth, only her sisters rivaled her in pure, raw, power potential. They were only held back by their status as second-class goddesses.

In order to prevent anything happening accidentally due to the nature of what they could do, goddesses' powers were routinely sealed. The power to destroy a planet was simply not needed when it came to nearly all aspects of a goddess's life. For Belldandy, her seals were in the form of the ornate earrings that she always wore. On her left side was a hoop with two chains attached that looped around and hooked into the back of her ear. On the other was a larger hoop with all manner of dangling jewelry coming from it. Both were now missing.

Thrymr roughly cleared her throat, then spat. The wad that splattered on the ground was thick and red with blood. She wiped away a small line of pink drool as she faced Belldandy. In spite of her injury, it was apparent that the demon was recovering quite quickly from Keiichi's gunshots. The wounds in her chest were already closed, leaving nothing but three bloody holes in her shirt. A smile formed on her face as she took a step closer to the goddess, whose aura danced around her like white fire. This time, Belldandy did not back away. "Enchanted bullets, eh?" asked the demon rhetorically as she absentmindedly fingered one of the holes in her shirt. "Should'a expected that. Pretty much the only way yer monkey-boy could even touch me."

"Your fight is with me, demon," announced Belldandy as she dropped into a fighting stance. "You will leave them alone."

"Oh, I will," replied Thrymr. "So long as they don't present any type of challenge to me. I thrive on challenge. Live for it. It's what makes me strong." That smile formed on her face again, and a weird, almost crazed look came to her, so much that Belldandy worried that the demon's eyes might pop out of their sockets. "Now that you have released your seal, the real fight can start."

The goddess shook her head. "So much talk."

To those observing, it was as if Belldandy had simply disappeared, only to reappear next to Thrymr. The demon similarly had little time to react as the goddess's left fist smashed into her cheekbone, causing her whole body to shudder. At once the demon was flying towards the far wall of the makeshift gym, only to be intercepted by Belldandy before impact. She buried her knee into the Demon's gut. More blood and spit burst forth from Thrymr's mouth as Belldandy brought both her fists up above her head, then brought them down on the back of the blonde's skull, sending her crashing to the floor with such force that when her face hit the concrete beneath, it caused a crater to form, spraying rock shrapnel around the area.

Belldandy stood over the demon, who lay inert at her feet. The power of her aura was still coming off her in waves as she stood over her opponent. She was about to reach down and make a closer inspection of the demon when she heard her name. "Belldandy! I think Keiichi is going into shock!" yelled Debra desperately from the far side of the gym. In truth, Belldandy had only had enough time to stop the bleeding and alleviate Keiichi's pain before she had to confront Thrymr again. Now that the threat was neutralized, she could go back and heal him properly.

"I am on my-"

Thrymr grabbed hold of Belldandy's white boot. "We ain't done yet," she slurred. With that, the demon, who had already gotten halfway to her feet, lifted Belldandy up and flipped her. The goddess quickly regained control of her body in midflight, landing deftly on her feet some twenty feet away. The two stared at each other for a moment before Thrymr started to laugh. "Oh boy-" she started before she gagged on something. Her brow furrowed for a moment as she worked her lower jaw for a moment.

She then spat again.

Instead of another wad of phlegm as before, a whole tooth and fragments of one or two more clattered onto the concrete. A throaty chuckle came from the demon as she ran the back of her hand against her lower lips and smiled. Belldandy could see the blood coagulating on the teeth that were exposed by her grin. "Wow, that was AWESOME!" Thrymr cheered. "I mean..." She paused a moment to use her tongue to inspect what the goddess assumed was the empty space on the right side of her mouth where the teeth had been. "I mean, no one's ever hit me that hard before! I'm totally geeking out over it!" The blonde shifted, and her expression grew more serious. "But I going to have to ruin your ride here. If you think that's enough to stop me, you've got another thing coming. I'm the immovable object, baby! You got nothing that can-"

Once again, Belldandy simply appeared next to Thrymr, this time on her left, the goddess's right fist already in the air.

Thrymr caught the blow in her left and winked. "Not this time, babe. I catch on pret-"

With her fist caught, Belldandy used the demon's own strength as leverage to jump up and kick her in the chin. The blow loosened the blonde's grip on her fist so that she could wrench it out. The goddess flipped in the air, and as soon as her feet hit the ground, she whipped her leg around and again smashed the demon on the side of her head with a spinning kick that sent Thrymr flying through the gym again. Belldandy allowed her to smash into the wall before following up, flying in and planting both of her fists into the demon's stomach, doubling her over. Belldandy then grabbed hold of the blonde's hair, jerked her head up, and again smashed her left fist into the demon's cheek.

Thrymr crumpled over and fell to the ground. Belldandy reached down and jerked her head up, and not seeing any signs of consciousness, let it fall back with a thud. She left the demon and sped across to where the two mortals were. The dark-haired man looked ashen, and she could literally hear his heart starting to slow down.

"Belldandy, please," pleaded Debra as she cradled him in her arms. Her shirt was stained red from the blood that had again started to seep from the wound.

"Hold him still," coached the goddess as she knelt down next to them. She leaned in and placed her hand over the hole in Keiichi's chest. She then looked at Debra. "Do you still love him?"

The blonde mortal was taken aback. Of all the times to ask something like that, how could now be a good time? "Belldandy, I-"

"Do you still love him?!" Demanded the goddess more forcefully this time.

"Yes!" Exclaimed Debra. "Of course I do! I don't think I will ever stop loving him!" She almost looked angry. "But he has made his choice, and I have decided I can live with that."

Belldandy nodded, then reached up with her free hand and took Debra's in her own. She then guided it over to where the goddess's other hand covered the wound and pressed it down on top. "Good, then we can both heal him, together."

"Together?!" yelped Debra, but even before the word was out of her mouth, Belldandy had begun to speak in a language that was almost completely alien to the mortal woman. The tempo rose and fell, almost as if the goddess were singing, and it mesmerized the detective. A golden glow began to emanate from under where her hand covered Belldandy's. It started to spread up the goddess's arm, and much to Debra's surprise, hers as well. When it reached her chest, a sudden feeling of warmth overtook her. All of the anxiety over Keiichi's condition, all of the fear from the predicament they were in, all of the worry about what Belldandy might do when they finally caught up with Hagall, disappeared in an instant. In its place was nothing but a feeling of warmth and love. It reminded her of the time when her father took her fishing as a girl in Minnesota.

It reminded her of sleepovers where sleep was never an option.

It reminded her of weekends spent at her grandparents' house and the kindness they always showed her.

It reminded her of the love she had for all of the Morisatos, with their heterophobic father, eccentric mother, three children whom she considered her brothers and sisters, and the fourth who was her former husband.

As these feelings flowed through her, she could see the bloody stains on Keiichi's shirt begin to shrink. Blood that had pooled on the ground rose up and floated back to its owner where it reentered Keiichi through whatever orifice or pore was available. He suddenly took in a deep breath, then settled into a more normal rhythm where before his breathing had become shallow and uneven, a clear sign of shock. The color of his skin turned back to a much healthier shade as well.

And then the glow subsided. Fortunately, the feelings they imparted on Debra lingered. She looked at Belldandy, who had removed her hand from Keiichi's chest, sitting back on her haunches. The hole from where the rebar had punctured his skin from the back side was now gone. There was barely even a mark, just a slightly discolored area where the injury used to be. "What did you do?" asked Debra shakily after taking a moment to recompose herself.

"I used the power of our love to heal him," replied the goddess, and to Debra, it seemed as if she were speaking of such mundane things as doing the dishes or taking out the trash.

"You've done this before, haven't you?"

Belldandy lovingly stroked Keiichi's hair. "Yes, but never on this scale before."

"But someone else has done it on this scale before, haven't they?" asked Debra, remembering what Keiichi had said earlier. "Was it Urd?"

The goddess swallowed, and nodded, but she did not elaborate. "One day, Debra. One day, I may speak to you of the horrors that I went through at the hands of mortals. Horrors that still haunt me to this day. Horrors that have, up until recently, put him and those around me in peril. It's a wonder that my faith in humanity never failed." She looked down at Keiichi, who showed no signs of the pain he was in previously. Instead, it simply looked like he was asleep. "It was because of him. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I always felt that he would come and save me from..." Belldandy choked back a sob.

Debra furrowed her brows in confusion. "You mean that someone like him would come?" she asked.

"No," replied the goddess with conviction as she turned her head to look at the woman. "Him." She gestured to Keiichi. "He was always the one." When Debra's confusion did not subside, Belldandy smiled. "That is also something I may speak of later."

"So, how was Hagall involved in all this?" the mortal asked.

"She was the one that was ultimately responsible for what happened to me," the goddess replied. "Keiichi became involved when Urd and my younger sister Skuld reached out to him. They sent him to save me, but Hagall found him before he could find me and she captured him in a very powerful glamor. You see, Hagall has the power to cause powerful visions in her captive's mind. Normally, she uses them to incapacitate someone in order to perform whatever deed she desires. However, if she does not release them, it can drive them insane." The goddess paused and sighed as she recalled the ordeal. "She captured him in one that even now he will not tell me about. Yet somehow, someway, he was able to break free from it in order to free me." A tear rolled down her cheek. "My black knight came to save me."

"'Tis but a flesh wound," said Debra as half smile formed on her face.

Belldandy laughed. "Such a stupid, funny show. Yet that is how Keiichi fought back." She turned her head to look at Debra, a smile on her face. "By thinking about Monty Python. Somehow, it caused some sort of feedback loop in Hagall. She became so engrossed in it that she could not focus to maintain her hold on him. And if what we saw earlier before we left..." She choked a little on the words, then cleared her throat. "If what we saw of her earlier was any indication, then it affected her more deeply than even I imagined."

Before Debra could respond, both women heard something. It sounded like someone was whispering. They both turned their attention to Keiichi, whose eyes were open about half way. He looked exhausted. "What was that, dear?" asked Belldandy as she leaned in towards him in order to hear him better.

"Behind you."

Belldandy turned around just in time to see and dodge a wicked haymaker from Thrymr. Debra yelped and started to drag Keiichi away as the goddess rolled to her feet, ready to reengage the demon that just wouldn't stay down.

"Is your little boy toy all better now?" asked Thrymr as she circled the goddess, ready for another attack. "Doesn't matter. There's no way you can beat me."

"I seem to have done a good enough job of it so far," replied Belldandy.

Thrymr raised a finger and wagged it at her opponent. "Battles, honey. Not the war." She then straightened out of her fighting stance and began to casually walk as she continued to circle Belldandy. The goddess had to move so that the mortals did not end up between her and her opponent. They were completely exposed at this point, but there was nothing she could do about it.

"You don't know how long I have been waiting for this day," said Thrymr. "All of those demons in Hagall's little troop? None of them compare to me. None of them can give me a challenge. But you, Belldandy-girl..." She wagged a finger at the goddess again. "You have challenged me like none other. I thought I had you last time, but man, you sure showed me!"

"Great, then we can end this farce now," suggested Belldandy as she was continuing to keep the demon from getting a clear path to Keiichi and Debra just in case she felt so inclined to harm them.

Thrymr chuckled at that suggestion. "No, I don't think so. As I said before, I live for challenges. They make me stronger. Fuck Hagall and her little vendetta. You are the only reason I came in the first place, and I intend to make good on you being here."

In truth, Belldandy was starting to tire of this. AIko was still out there, and she needed to get to her. They were close, she could feel it. If she could end this now, all the better. "Then I refuse to fight," she stated and relaxed herself. If the demon only wanted to fight, then she would do the opposite. "I admit defeat, Thrymr."

The demon paused and gave Belldandy a queer look. "What?"

"I feel that there is no chance of winning," replied the goddess as she turned and knelt down to help Keiichi to his feet. "I have attacked you twice now, and I have failed to defeat you. Me, an unsealed goddess first class have failed to best you. Congratulations."

Thrymr could only stand and stare in dumbfounded silence as Belldandy guided Keiichi's arm over her shoulder. Debra gave the goddess a similar look after glancing back at the demon, but kept her silence and played along. Belldandy scanned the area and identified a door on the opposite side of the area that looked promising. "May you overcome all of the challenges that your life brings to you." With that, the trio began to slowly make their way to what they hoped was the exit.

The demon stood rooted in place for a moment, not exactly comprehending what had just happened. However, after a moment's reflection, she laughed. Belldandy did not bother to look back.

Thrymr appeared in front of them, stopping the group up short. "No, I don't think so. This is my arena, and only I say when anyone can leave."

Belldandy sighed. "But you have defeated me, so I do not see how I can continue to be a challenge to you any more than I have." The goddess desperately hoped that the demon would agree, even if that hope was fleeting. She did not want to fight if it meant further delays.

"Oh, but we must continue!" replied the demon. "Only after I have bested you will I be happy. All the work I did! I mean, I forged blades with my bare hands! I literally pulled light out of a black hole! I've done everything except defeat a first class goddess."

"But I have conceded defeat, so surely that goal has been obtained?" asked Belldandy as she tried to reason with Thrymr.

"No, that's not how this works," replied Thrymr as she pounded her fist into her other hand. "You will be defeated only when you lie broken and bleeding at my feet."

"I refuse," said Belldandy simply. She tried to get her group moving again, only to be stopped again.

"Then your little monkey-boy will die," said the demon menacingly.

The goddess did not flinch, did not even move. The only tell on her that what Thrymr said affected her was a double blink. Internally, it was as if bomb had been set off as red flashes crossed her vision. Slowly, deliberately, she took hold of Keiichi's arm and slid it off her shoulder. "Hold on to him, Debra," said the goddess. Free of her burden, she squared up on the demon and took a step forward. "You're going to regret that," she said.

Thrymr slammed her right fist into the palm of her left hand. That maniacal smile reformed on her face. "No, I don't think I will," she said.

The demon and the goddess stared each other down for a moment, giving Debra a chance to help Keiichi get back. Fortunately, his condition had improved enough to where he was more ambulatory than before. Together, they moved away from the impending restart of the fight as quickly as possible. Their target was a section of concrete that looked like it had fallen from the ceiling above. The hole in the ceiling indicated that two floors had collapsed down, so there appeared to be enough cover.

They barely made it in time.

With mighty yells, Belldandy and Thrymr both launched themselves at each other, both leading with haymaker punches aimed at their opponent's faces. Instead, their fists met in the middle. The resulting explosion and shockwave washed over the mortals' shielded position and toppled over all of the makeshift gym equipment Thrymr had constructed all around them.

The combatants jumped back, then flung themselves at each other again, causing another shockwave to roll over them again. "Holy Jesus!" screamed Debra as a third screamed past. She was laying on top of Keiichi, trying to shield him from the carnage that was happening not far away. When a forth shockwave failed to materialize, she peaked over the concrete slab and found the goddess and the demon locked in a frantic duel. Punch after punch, kick after kick they traded, but none reached their mark. The fists and feet were flying almost too fast for the mortal woman to follow. They were also seemingly bouncing to and fro as they danced around each other, each trying to gain the upper hand.

One of them finally did.

Debra watched in horror as Belldandy went flying past, having taken a right cross to the chin. "Yeah baby! How do you like that!" screamed Thrymr as she flexed the impressive musculature of her arms. "I'm telling you Belldandy-girl, the longer this goes, the stron-"

The mortal woman didn't even see it coming, and neither did Thrymr, apparently. Belldandy jetted past and caught the boasting demon in mid-sentence with a left hook, rocking her back. The goddess immediately followed that with a wicked uppercut and embedded the demon into the ceiling. However, Thrymr extricated herself before Belldandy could take advantage, catching the goddess with a kick to the face that sent her reeling.

When Belldandy got up, Thrymr was waiting, almost catching her with a devastating punch. Instead, the fist hit the ground, carving out another crater. Belldandy retaliated, and again the dance commenced.

Beside her, Debra felt Keiichi pull himself up so that he could see the action as well. "Where is my rifle?" he asked. His voice still sounded weak.

"What do you think you are going to do?" asked Debra incredulously.

"I don't know," replied the dark haired man. "But I have to do something!"

"You are in no condition to do anything right now!"

Keiichi glared at her. "I may not be able to do much, but I can at least be a distraction!"

XXX

Faster and faster they went. Belldandy punching and kicking. Thrymr blocking and then retaliating. Belldandy blocking and dodging, then rolling into a counter which in turn was countered. Each one probing the other for an opening. Each one looking for that small advantage that would end this fight. Belldandy had to admit that the demon was not presenting any openings for her to exploit in spite of her constantly increasing the speed and ferocity of her attacks. For every instant she exerted more speed, more force, more power, the demon would respond in kind.

"Haha!" trumpeted the demon. "What's wrong, Girl, having trouble keeping up with my fists?"

In fact, Belldandy was having very little trouble at the time. But worry was starting to seep in as she could tell that the demon, as had been predicted, was seemingly starting to get stronger. We aren't making any progress, Holy Bell chimed in, trying to coach Belldandy as the Norn ducked a haymaker.

I know, replied the goddess as she blocked a punch and then sent a kick towards her opponent's head. Do you have any suggestions? The kick was blocked.

Maybe, but you won't like it. Another punch came her way, this time Belldandy dodged it and sent one of her own towards the demon's midsection.

She grumbled to herself as her strike was batted away. The demon then lowered her guard for a brief moment, but Belldandy did not strike. She had almost been caught trying to take advantage of that opening once before. Fortunately, with her powers and abilities unsealed, she was able to avoid what would have been a catastrophic blow to her face. "He-he, smart girl," said the demon as she sent another attack towards the goddess. "But this will only end one way. Once I catch you, it will be all over."

Although the demon's banter was starting to get on her nerves, Belldandy did not let it affect her as she batted away an overhand right and shot a jab out in return. I'm all ears, at this point, she sent to her angel.

You can call me out so that we can use Wind Arrow, was the reply.

Holy Bell was right, Belldandy did not like that prospect. I do not think you have sufficiently recovered to be able to call that attack. She slipped under a haymaker and tried a left, which was blocked.

I think you're just embarrassed, challenged the angel. And she was not wrong. While Holy Bell's appearance was much improved, she still only barely had feathers on her wings. But that was only part of it. She was still weak compared to what she was before Aoshima, and Belldandy could feel that weakness in herself. Even though she was unsealed, she was still not fighting at her full strength.

I'm not sure you are strong enough,replied Belldandy.

The demon whooped with glee. "This is great! But watch out, I'm going to finish this here in just a few."

The goddess rolled her eyes. I really wish she would shut up.

I can make her shut up if you let me! replied Holy Bell. I need this, for Urd and Elegance.

That was a low blow, but it hit its mark. As Belldandy ducked under another blow meant to take her head off, she made her decision. Fine, but this needs to work. I can feel my power draining.

"It's over!" screamed the demon as she led in with a right cross. Belldandy went to block it, but it was only a feint. An overhand left came in seemingly from the opposite direction. However, Belldandy surprised the demon by quickly adjusting and blocking the blow. This time, the demon was open for real, having over extended herself in her zeal to land the finishing blow. Belldandy came up underneath and landed a vicious uppercut right under Thrymr's chin, sending her reeling back. Instead of following that up, though, Belldandy jumped back a few feet and spread her arms wide.

"Come forth, Holy-!"

The sound of a gunshot interrupted the goddess. She flinched as a second report reverberated through the room. Wincing, her eyes locked with Thrymr's, where a look of shock spread across the demon's face as her gaze drifted down to her chest. Two holes had torn through her vest, and blood was already seeping out and intermingling with what had been spilt already where Keiichi had first shot her. Slowly, the demon turned her head to look behind her. Belldandy's gaze followed, and found Debra standing about twenty feet behind Thrymr. Her feet planted and arms raised, she stood holding Keiichi's Colt, the sights leveled on the demon. "That monkey-bitch!" exclaimed the demon, her voice weak. She fell to one knee.

"Whatever you're going to do, do it fast!" screamed Debra.

Knowing that the demon was really only going to be stunned, Belldandy screamed back to Debra. "Give me something, anything!"

"What do you mean?!" replied the mortal as she started to inch away from the demon. "It's not like I brought my purse or anything!"

"Your watch!" screamed Keiichi from his place of concealment. "Take your watch off and throw it near Muscle-bitch!"

Debra looked at the demon and paled as Thrymr started to stand back up. It was obvious that she was regaining her strength faster than she had before when Keiichi had initially shot her. How or why, when the demon had already lost so much blood and energy, was a mystery that would have to be saved for another day. Quickly, she unlatched the pink Momentum stainless steel diving watch that had been a birthday gift from Keima and Takano about a year before she and Keiichi divorced. She had kept it because of its practicality. Tossing it on the ground, she then ducked away towards where Keiichi was holed up.

Belldandy began moving her arms in ever expanding and increasingly intricate circles. Thrymr groaned as she took a step towards the goddess, but it was apparent she had not regained her strength yet. The goddess closed her eyes and began chanting in a language only she knew. It sounded more like she was singing than anything else. In front of her, a ball of ethereal energy began to form. Blue and gold lightning danced across its surface as it grew from a mere pinprick.

"Vandr taka hǫndum!" screamed the goddess as she pointed to her opponent.

The energy ball flew at Thrymr and struck her in the chest. It began to twirl around the demon, forming a vortex that grew and eventually enveloped its victim entirely. "No!" screamed the demon as she was picked up into the air. The whirlwind began to move across the ground towards Debra's watch. "No! I won't let it end like this!" she yelled.

Her body was completely distorted by the energy surrounding her, twisting her into almost unrecognizable forms. As Belldandy held her hands out in order to maintain control of her sealing spell and move it to where it needed to go, she could see the demon frantically moving her arms in rapid succession. She started to see wisps of energy start to bleed off the vortex, in some cases clearing things up enough for the goddess to see the demon's fist.

Belldandy redoubled her efforts and was relieved when the energy vortex and its victim finally made contact with the watch. It vibrated for a moment, then lifted off the ground, the face turning upwards and ready to accept its new resident.

She then gasped in horror as Thrymr's arm broke free. It was so fast, Belldandy had no time to adjust her spell to recapture it. The demon punched down, her fist impacting with the watch.

A bright flash of light nearly blinded Belldandy. She turned away as she threw her arms up to shield her eyes. The shockwave from the uncontrolled energy release hit her just as she did, sending her to her knees. Forcefully shutting her eyes, she waited for the blast to pass before tentatively opening her eyes and looking behind her. The spell had taken a lot out of her, and she was visibly panting as she finally located Thrymr. The demon was lying on her back some twenty feet away, having been thrown aside when Belldandy's spell exploded.

The goddess dared to hope that the demon had been finally incapacitated, but her hopes were dashed when the blonde stirred. She turned to her side and slowly began to lift herself up. Belldandy did the same and both, unsteadily, got to their feet at the same time. Whatever she had done to break free and destroy the spell had taken a very large toll on the demon. But the goddess was in no position to take advantage of this.

So both combatants stared at each other for several moments, sizing each other up.

Thrymr shook her head. "You almost had me," she said with a smirk. "But these fists, they have never let me down." To emphasize this, she kissed each one on the knuckles before dropping back down into her fighting stance.

Belldandy could feel the fatigue permeating her body. She let out a sigh, then dug deep and readied herself. This fight needed to end quickly, as she was going to be unable to continue for much longer. Fortunately, she could tell Thrymr was in just as bad a shape as she was. The demon looked drained in spite of the smug smile on her face. The spell had seemingly taken more out of her than it had Belldandy, for that she was thankful.

The pair glared at each other for a short while before Thrymr launched herself at the goddess with a roar. Belldandy did the same.

This time, when they came together, instead of trying to strike at her opponent, Belldandy slipped under the fist aimed at her head. Lunging forward, she hooked her leg around Thrymr's, which was extended forward in an effort to put more power into the blow. The goddess put her shoulder into the demon's hips and then pushed. The move unbalanced the demon, and she toppled over backwards. Belldandy wasted no time, pushing herself up the demon's body until she was straddling her chest. Using her hands, she pushed Thrymr's arms down the ground, holding them there and trapping the demon underneath.

Her head came down and smashed into Thrymr's nose.

I…" She head-butted the demon again.

"Have had…" Again.

Enough…" Again.

"Of you!"

One final blow, then she pushed herself off. Thrymr groaned at her feet as she took a step back. Once again, Belldandy started chanting. As she waved her arms in geometric shapes, runes began to form in the air in front of her. "Akepia annarr!" she cried as she came down on one knee and slammed her fist into the demon's chest. She then jerked her arm back.

A crimson mass came out when she did that. As Belldandy staggered backwards, the object fell at her feet and began to uncurl. Arms and legs immediately began to emerge from the unspeakable mass at the goddess's feet. She stepped back further as it continued to grow and take shape, eventually taking on a form similar to the demon that was starting to moan and get to her feet.

As she did, so did the mass, which now looked almost exactly like Thrymr.

Debra screamed from her hiding place. "What the fuck did you just do?!"

"I know what I am doing," snapped the goddess back.

The former mass stretched its arms. It was vaguely female in the same way that Thrymr was. Muscles rippled over every inch of her body. Still, there were many differences. Her skin was much darker than the other demon's, and her hair was black instead blonde.

Thrymr put her thumb against the side of her nose, closing the nostril, then blew hard. A bloody booger splatted on the ground. She then took hold of her nose and wrenched it back to its normal position, causing it to let out a sickening crunch. She then looked at Belldandy and that smug smile returned. It looked like she was going to say something when she noticed the new presence standing next to her. "What the hell?" she exclaimed.

"The name's Rmyrht," replied the other demon. She smacked one of her fists into the palm of the other hand. "I'll take it from here," she said hungrily as she eyed Belldandy.

"Like hell you will!" exclaimed Thrymr as she reached up and grabbed hold of Rmyrht's shirt, pushing her back.

The second demon stared at the blonde incredulously. "What the fuck you gonna do? She been beatin' yo' ass like you a red-headed step-child. It's time you tapped out and let me take care of her proper-like."

"Me and these fists are going to beat your ass, is what we gonna do!" exclaimed Thrymr as she dropped down into her fighting stance.

Rmyrht followed suit. "We will break you," she replied as she brought her massive fists up to the ready.

"Fuck me." Keiichi whispered, his eyes wide from where he watched with Debra. "It's the goddamned Water Temple all over again!"

Belldandy did not know who threw the first punch, nor did she really care. In fact, she barely registered that the demons had begun fighting because she was chanting another spell. As the duplicates traded blows, it was finished. She reached down and picked up a small box that had appeared at her feet. It was a blueish gold color and had mandalas covered in runes adorning all of its faces. Calmly, she flipped open the lid of the box, then walked over to where the demons were facing each other locked hand in hand, trying to gain the upper hand through sheer strength with each failing to make any headway.

Thrymr had her back to the goddess as she approached. But she was too preoccupied to notice. Nor did she feel it when Belldandy slammed the open box into her back. In a brilliant flash of light, both demons were gone.

XXX

As Keiichi and Debra approached, they found the goddess sitting on her knees on the ground. The small box sat there in front of her. The lid was closed and a small latch and padlock had appeared, sealing the box shut.

The mortal woman stooped down and examined the box. "So, both of them are in there?" she asked.

"Yes," replied the goddess. "They will continue to fight in there for as long as the seal lasts."

"How long will that be?"

"They won't be released any time during your lifetime," replied Belldandy without even looking. She continued to stare at the box. Both mortals could tell she was exhausted. "In fact," started Belldandy after a long pause. "They won't see the light of day while any of your descendants hold a recognizable piece of you in them."

Debra stepped over and leaned down, putting a hand on Belldandy's back. "Are you going to be able to continue?"

The goddess nodded wearily. "For Aiko, I must." She then reached down and grabbed the box. As she stood, she held it out in front of her and blew on it. It disappeared from her palm. She then stood and faced the mortals. "I am ready."

"What just happened?" asked Keiichi. "Those two vanished like a pair of cenobites in the lament configuration."

"I sent them somewhere safe," replied Belldandy.

XXX

"You made it."

They'd found her.

After losing their own and fighting through two nightmarish opponents, they'd finally found her.

Hagall.

Where is Aiko though? Belldandy wondered, and though her attention was focused on the demon who was making her way towards them, her senses were spreading out, out, out, spreading, filling, searching the room for signs of another, signs of a weaker aura, a hidden breath, hell at this point even a body that might be Aiko's. Yet the room was empty aside from Hagall. Small and empty and somehow disappointing with its bland walls and lone desk and chair. A small lamp illuminated the desk, coupled with the gentle light from a computer that had been rigged by either technological or magical means. It was from this desk, from this chair, that Hagall stood as the group of three came barging in. It looked almost as if they caught her in the midst of writing a report, and as the trio entered the room, Hagall looked at them with a mixed bundle of expressions: surprise, dismay, disappointment, and even some wariness. "Surprising. I wasn't expecting you to get past Halval and Thrymr. The two of them together should have been enough to take out even a Valkyrie at full strength."

Her words were unexpected. Belldandy had expected her to come out gloating, to be standing on a pedestal or a throne, waiting, laughing, mocking them over Urd's fall, over her victory over the fallen Norn. Perhaps taunt Belldandy, or Keiichi, who'd spurned her, or the absent Lind, for no other reason than that she was a Valkyrie. Not... this. It felt like they'd barged into someone's office looking for a fight, like they were somehow the villains here: violators of the peace coming to ransack a building regardless of its occupants, instigating fights with white collar workers who'd stood up to them and were now going for the boss so they could lynch her from a tree.

It's because of her that Urd is dead, Holy Bell reminded, and Belldandy felt what was becoming a familiar pulse of anger- the only thing keeping her going it felt like- surge through her body. Her elder sister, who heckled her every morning into waking up at the ass-crack of dawn, who pestered and prodded her when she wanted to be left alone, who fought with her in the basement when Keiichi wasn't around to watch in order to teach her new techniques... who'd gone out of her way to stay with Belldandy when she'd been most vulnerable, who'd stayed awake at her side when she'd suffered nightmares, who'd taken up chores and tasks that Belldandy would have otherwise done in order to allow her to relax... Urd, who'd worked so hard for her, who'd sacrificed her own happiness to help Belldandy, who'd stood in shock as Belldandy had left her in anger because this bitch—

She could feel her throat tighten at the thought of her sister, felt a wave of misery wash over her like a wave, filled to the brim with guilt that tasted like bile and anger that was nothing but heat. She felt it fill her, that anger, that rage, flushing her out like water down a drain and filling her body from her toes straight up into the roots of her hair. The fatigue from her duel with Thrymr vanished- for the moment. Oh, she was on fire right now. She was burning up, the embodiment of flames, the borrowed owner of Urd's favored element when plasma was too dangerous. She'd bring the heat in Urd's stead, and Almighty stop her, she'd burn everything to the ground if Hagall spurned her again.

The goddess sucked in a long, deep breath, and stared at the demon across from her. She internalized that heat, put a chain of cold, hard, will on that beast, and brought it to heel. And she delivered her ultimatum.

"You have one chance, Hagall," Belldandy said. "Return Aiko to us, and you may yet leave this chamber." She wouldn't kill her. Oh no. Debra's ranting and raving had done its job and ended that bit of madness before it could consume her entirely. But she would make this woman hurt, would leave her begging, would leave her crying, would leave her screaming for an end of what was to come. She wouldn't stop until Hagall started howling for death, and it was only then, she decided, that Belldandy would stop. Only when Hagall was begging for death would Belldandy end the fight, and the Norn would leave her bloodied and broken here in this chamber. She would leave and retrieve the blind demon, but Hagall she would let stay. Let her rot here. Let her succumb to her injuries. Let her wounds become infected. Let the mold and the insects and the earth she'd surrounded herself with end her wretched existence. It would still be more than what she'd afforded Urd. But she'd give Hagall a chance to lessen the pain.

One. Chance.

Return Aiko.

Perhaps Hagall, a demon, sensed some of the vicious intent radiating from Belldandy. Demons were sensitive to bloodlust, given how easy and how often it was for their vicious nature to consume them in battle. The demon paused, opened her mouth, and then closed it and pursed her lips, staring at the Norn thoughtfully. Belldandy watched her with keen eyes, feeling like an owl hovering over a mouse, a tiger about to pounce on a deer, all coiled muscle and energy waiting to explode at the most trivial of opportunities. The woman watched her warily, her eyes locked on Belldandy without a single glance to so much as acknowledge the two mortals who'd come to stand on either side of her.

The three of them together must have been quite the sight to Hagall: A man who stood clutching a weapon, his shirt down to his pants drenched in blood with a murderous expression on his face as he stared her down. A man she knew. A mortal she'd failed to defeat in Japan and who now stood before her again, this time armed with a weapon that could wound, that could harm, that could kill with a good eye and a steady hand. On the other side of Belldandy, a woman, a stranger, a wildcard who by all rights should not be standing at the side of the goddess. A person who should have gone mad in the darkness and been struck down by violence, and who wore the wounds of her battles in the form of baleful eyes and the reek of used gunpowder and magic.

And of course, Belldandy herself. A goddess who'd already suffered a decade under the demon's hand, and had now lost a sister to Hagall as well. A goddess who'd gone through great lengths to reach her, had defeated the monsters that rose in Darkness and sealed the impenetrable will of Force to face Hagall in her terrain.

"Urd isn't with you." It was only with this comment that Hagall broke eye contact, observing the room and the door the trio had entered through as though expecting the woman in question to appear at any moment.

"No," Belldandy said, and a piece of her was amazed at how calm her voice was, "She's not." The words sounded somehow unimaginably large in their simplicity. An admission. A defeat.

A victory.

Hagall sucked in a breath through her nose. "Then it's been done," she said.

Belldandy said nothing.

Hagall nodded, unsurprised. "They'll come for me then, I suppose... Halval and Thrymr weren't meant for you." She laughed, and it was a pitiful sound. "They were my only line of defense against those who'll hunt me down for what I did." She sighed deeply and rubbed her eyes, for a moment looking not like some wretched, arrogant demon but like a woman who'd been trapped and cornered by her own foolhardiness and was recognizing what would be her inevitable end. "I regret none of it." Her hand dropped, and the demon's eyes were hard. "I say this to you, now, Din'Gir Belldandy. While my mind and body are still sane and whole. I regret nothing, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat if it was for Niflheim."

"You took my sister from me, Hagall."

"I did."

"You left me at the mercy of a sick and depraved man for ten long, painful years in order to get to her, Hagall."

"I did."

Belldandy gritted her teeth, glaring at the woman, whose disposition still remained calm and collected: a doomed woman who'd come to accept her fate. The Norn's hands clenched at her sides. "Where is Aiko, Hagall?"

"She is the mortal, correct?" Hagall asked, and her sudden need for clarification irked Belldandy for reasons she could not fully explain.

"She is," Keiichi rumbled beside Belldandy, sounding very much like the Navy SEAL that he was. "Return her now, Hagall."

"Or what?" Hagall looked at them as a group, amused. "You'll kill me? Child, with the ones who are coming for me right now, that would be a mercy."

"Answer the question, Hagall."

"She's not here."

"She's not-" Keiichi took a step towards the demon, his rifle swinging up towards Hagall's chest. "Don't fuck with me, Hagall. Where's my sister?"

"Not here." Hagall shrugged, and a small smirk twitched at the corner of her mouth; a sign of the arrogant Hagall that Belldandy had come to know and hate. "She was never here. I don't even know where that idea came from."

"Bullshit-" Keiichi began.

Hagall interrupted him. "No more than the words you're spewing," she said. "The rabishu was the one who took her, not me. We never saw where it took her and it is too simple-minded to communicate with us."

"Are you serious?!" Debra stared at the demon in disbelief. "That-that thing we left with Urd and her friend? That is what took her? And you don't even know where?!"

"It is of no concern to me where the rabishu makes its nest," Hagall replied. "Only that it comes when we whistle and screams where we point."

"You...bitch..." Debra breathed, and for once Belldandy found herself agreeing with the woman. "We came all this way... we fought past your guards... and for nothing?! Because Aiko isn't even here?!"

"The presence of a mortal on a Ley Line where both demons and gods combat would bring down authorities higher than any of us on our heads," Hagall retorted. "Mortals cannot stay on Ley Lines for long periods of time with tenth-dimensional beings. In their words, their definition of reality becomes... screwy, for lack of a more imaginative phrase." She eyed the two mortals on either side of Belldandy with scorn. "Though it would seem there is leniency with children of a Lugal residing on a lesser plane. Typical," she scoffed. "Child of a Damkianna or child of a Lugal, it does not matter. They all have no discipline, no respect for the laws of the lower planes, and so wave their power around without care."

Belldandy twitched.

"Hagall, by the time we're through with you, you're going to wish you'd paid closer attention to your monster." There was a dangerous edge in Keiichi's voice now. A tremble in his tone. One of rage filled to the brim and about to spill over the edge, and the look on Keiichi's face only reaffirmed that reality.

"You'll have to beat me first." Hagall said. "And let me share a secret with you, Boy. While you have your numbers on your side, while you have your goddess on your side, with her strength and with her rage and with her power, you will be in for a long fight." The demon sucked in one final, long breath, and her eyes fell once more upon Belldandy. "Because there is nothing more dangerous than a cornered demon, and let me tell you something: With the Damkianna's zibanitum gone, I am being hunted, and it is by monsters that make that rabishu look like the weak shell of the woman it hides itself within. You stand before a speaking corpse, and I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. So come at me, Children of Man. Come at me Din'Gir Belldandy. Come at me so that I might fight. Come at me so that I might die." An aura of such power that even Keiichi could see it exploded out from the woman, filling the room and everything inside it before condensing back around Hagall. The demon's eyes began to glow crimson as she fell into her bloodrage, and she roared at trio. "Come at me!"

If ever there was an invitation for battle it was in that moment. Belldandy flew towards the demon with a savage scream. She was met by Hagall mid-way, who slipped under the kick aimed at her chest and came up into Belldandy's guard, her fingers, curved into wicked talons that glowed the same red as her aura, raking the Norn's inner thigh. Blood seeped from the wound, yet Belldandy felt none of it, too intent on causing her own damage to the demon that had spurred her wrath. Her left knee came up and planted itself firmly in Hagall's exposed belly, where the goddess had just enough time to register the snarl of pain before Hagall grabbed her shoulders. Pain exploded behind Belldandy's eyes as magic sliced through her shirt and into her skin, yet her body worked through it, acting on auto-pilot as her arms moved to break-grip, wrenching Hagall's hands away from her shoulders and seeing blood and cloth go with it. Free and with Hagall thrown off balance, the Norn lunged at the demon, hooking her fingers into Hagall's shirt and crossing a leg behind the demon's left knee. She displaced her weight, forcing it back on Hagall, and together goddess and demon fell to the ground.

They fought on the ground, Belldandy atop of Hagall, fighting for leverage as Belldandy attempted to grapple Hagall into submission, avoiding the demon's deadly talons which sliced into cloth, skin, even tile like it was paper. Hagall was fast for her size-made fast and powerful by her bloodlust, but she lacked the technique that had been drilled into Belldandy's head through her practice with Urd. Yet all the training in the world did not prepare her for Hagall's wild and unpredictable attacks. They did nothing to prepare her for the demon's bites, filled with their own style of viciousness that was different from the damage rendered by her claws.

The attacks were enough to instill caution in the goddess, preventing her from getting a good enough hold of the demon to fully pin her. And she was losing blood; a lot of it. The injuries weren't particularly deep, but they were numerous and Belldandy's heart was racing. Get her away from you! Holy Bell screamed. You need a new tactic-this isn't working and Keiichi can't shoot her this close to you.

She listened to her angel's advice, drawing on her magic reserves and flinging Hagall away from her in a gale of wind. The demon flew off her with a snarl and a shriek, teeth flashing in the mage light as Belldandy flung her into the ceiling. The ceiling crumbled upon impact, and Hagall vanished into the inky blackness of the floor above. The Norn crawled to her feet, panting, and wiped both blood and sweat from her brow. She glared at the hole, but didn't pursue the demon, knowing that in her bloodrage Hagall would come back swinging, empowered by her own rage, pain, and desperation.

She'd learned that the hard way in her earlier childhood with Urd, before her sister had gained a better control over that same ability. Back then, Urd had done everything from break bones to shred not only her clothes but limbs as well; one incident in particular, this one by far the worst, had been when Ansuz herself had gotten involved in an attempt to end the fighting. It'd left Ansuz's left arm, from the elbow down, in ribbons. Ansuz had seen the fight break out from a distance and had raced without thought into the melee, suffering talons and fangs as she'd attempted to stop Urd -back then not even ten years old- without actually harming her. Belldandy had managed to break Urd's collarbone before the bloodrage had taken over, and the wild intensity with which her sister had fought back then had been terrifying.

They'd needed a special Tic for Ansuz after Urd had expended so much energy that she'd lost her madness, and even after the injuries had healed Ansuz never fully recovered; her left arm remained weak, and Ansuz had trouble holding things in that hand after the tendons within her forearm had been mangled. Rumors claimed it was an issue that had led to her retirement as a Valkyrie, though when asked, Ansuz had always denied it.

Urd had never fallen into a bloodrage again, after that. She, and indeed even Belldandy, had never forgiven themselves for the injuries sustained on that day.

But that was a long time ago. Hagall was not Urd, a half-demon who'd been sent to their father against Ansuz's will. Not a nine-year old child who'd yet to master the berserker fury that came with the bloodrage technique inherent in all demons. Hagall was a grown, full-blooded demon who showed both mastery and intent of using the technique, and that made her much more dangerous that any child, even one born of both the Daimakaicho and Daitenkaicho. "When she comes through the hole, shoot her," Belldandy announced, keeping her eyes glued to the black depths of the floor above. Hagall had fallen silent, and that made Belldandy wary.

"Even if it kills her?" Debra asked.

"It won't kill her," Belldandy replied. "Not as she is now. It will take nothing short of ripping her to pieces to kill her in this state. She will keep going even if her body is filled with bullets."

"Great, so she's Hulking out like Thrymr on crack," Keiichi muttered. "Wonderful. If I knew I'd be re-enacting scenes from the Avengers I'd have stolen a Tesseract."

Belldandy ignored him. Hagall had yet to emerge from the room above, and the Norn was not foolhardy enough to rush off into the darkness after her. Demons could see in the dark. Belldandy could not, and she was not about to waste magic on additional mage lights for herself nor leave Keiichi and Debra alone in the dark to be struck down. She strained her ears, yet heard nothing from the hole, though she was certain the floor would have been rotted through enough to groan beneath Hagall's weight.

"Where is she?" Debra sounded nervous behind her, and Belldandy could hear the woman shift her weight from one foot to another. Keiichi, like Belldandy herself, did not so much as twitch.

"Be still," Belldandy warned her. "Be silent." Was that scraping she was hearing above her? Pounding feet from a presence above moving about?

Behind her Debra's movements stopped, and the room in its entirety fell into silence. Where is she though? Belldandy wondered, unconsciously reflecting Debra's own line of thought. She wants to fight. She made that clear. She wouldn't have run. So where is she? Keeping her steps quiet, Belldandy approached the hole, her nerves on edge and ready to spring to safety at the first indication of attack. She squinted up into the darkness in search of any kind of glow that would give away Hagall's eyes- one of the disadvantages held by demons, they couldn't hide the glow of their eyes- and was perturbed when she neither saw nor heard anything.

She's up there. I know it. But what is she doing? She narrowed her eyes, expanding all her senses as much as she could, yet came up with nothing. The room was too filled with the standard aura of 'demon' to pinpoint Hagall's location, and her nose had never been strong enough to track by mere scent alone. Come out you wretch, Belldandy thought. You harlot, you scoundrel, you cre-

A chunk of ceiling, not directly over her head or the mortals' heads but to the left of her, exploded in a hail of dust, mold, plaster, and asbestos. She looked to the source, startled, and was too slow to react before Hagall collided into her. A rain of gunfire greeted her descent as Keiichi opened up on the demon, yet her descent was too fast for Keiichi's aim to keep up, and the man let up on the trigger just before the barrage could touch Belldandy.

Hagall hit Belldandy with enough force to send both of them flying, and Belldandy felt her feet leave the floor as she was propelled backwards. She watched with startled eyes as behind Hagall, Keiichi and Debra zoomed away from her, Keiichi holding his weapon steady but his finger off the trigger, unwilling to risk injuring Belldandy.

The two of them hit the far wall hard enough to push the air out of the Norn's lungs, and winded, the goddess gasped in a painful breath. Her head snapped forward like a cracked whip. Her chin crashed into Hagall's head. Stars exploded behind her eyelids, and pain soared up her body as her lower back impacted something hard and protruding.

"Look at me, Belldandy." Hagall's voice was so gravelly it was hard to recognize. "Open your eyes. Look at me. Look upon my face and know that I am dead. Look at me."

Grimacing, Belldandy pried one eye open, intent on getting the demon off of her and instead making the very mistake Keiichi had made in his first meeting with Hagall. In that moment, pinned against a wall by a demon whose power increased ten-fold in the heat of bloodlust, Belldandy and Hagall locked eyes. Hagall smiled then, with her eyes still glowing their ominous red, and around Belldandy the world began to disintegrate, began to fall into an inky blackness that felt somehow alien and strange to her mind as it reached for her, and whose tendrils were long and oily, seeping into the cracks of her consciousness as Hagall's trap worked itself up around the goddess.

In their first encounter, Hagall had made the mistake of engaging with a goddess lost in her own semblance of bloodlust: a state of berserker fury that all the Aesir, the warrior gods of Asgard, shared amongst themselves. In that moment Belldandy had been blind. She'd seen not Hagall as her target but instead The Demon. The Demon had been her target, featureless and blank, for the mind erased what it did not want to see, and it was easier to attack a person when one could not comprehend the expressions on their face. When Hagall had met the Norn's eyes in another lifetime, there had been no connection between their gaze. Belldandy saw but had not seen Hagall. Yet the Belldandy of the past was a much different person from the Belldandy of the present, and with an angel present to soothe that berserker fury from taking over, that disconnect was not present.

And so it was, Belldandy looked into Hagall's eyes, and went limp.

XXX

Keiichi watched the two combatants with wary eyes, wanting desperately to fire on Hagall but afraid of what a ricochet or a bad shot might do to Belldandy if the Norn was hit instead. Keiichi didn't know if the rounds would necessarily affect the goddess, however he had no desire to test the possibility now.

"Come on Bell, get out of the way!" Keiichi ground out, his impatience increased by his own anxiety as he watched the Norn struggle against Hagall. It was like watching a pair of wildcats fight with the level of savagery they demonstrated, and though the SEAL was grateful Belldandy had healed his injuries from Thrymr, the larger part of him was now concerned. How much energy did it take to heal a man, a mortal, such as himself? Belldandy wasn't a Tic. He didn't even think healing was something she specialized in. So how much of her own power had she wasted on him? Power- magic or energy or chi or whatever gods wanted to call it- that could have given her the upper hand in this fight?

"Get out of the way, Bell!" he growled, and though he peered down red dot sight, placing the pinprick on Hagall's form, he could not find the will to pull the trigger. It'll misfire, he thought. Hagall will move at the last moment, or Belldandy will flip them, and I'll shoot Bell instead of Hagall. "God damn it, move!" he urged, yet Belldandy didn't move. In fact, Belldandy stopped moving, stopped fighting, and oooh shit and shinola Hagall was standing up, and Belldandy wasn't stopping her. The demon's back was turned towards the two mortals, staring down at the goddess before her, and reflexively Keiichi stepped past Debra, placing himself as a barrier between his ex-wife and Hagall in case the demon suddenly decided to strike.

"Deb, this is bad," he breathed.

"Kei, don't tell me things like that." Debra sounded like he felt. "What is it? What did she do to Bell?"

"I don't know," Keiichi said, and after a long pause, "...I think she might have hypnotized her. Hagall did the same to me back when I first fought her. Another moment of hesitation. "It's like a mind trap. Don't-don't look into her eyes, Deb, understand? That's how she traps you."

Debra swore under her breath. "Of all the dumb-fuck ways to..."

Hagall, her eyes still glowing, turned to acknowledge the two mortals behind her.

"Oh shit."

With a burst of daunting speed, the demon propelled herself towards the duo, a snarl on her face that twisted the entirety of her visage into something malicious and inhuman. The image presented to the two mortals: one of a woman bathed in an angry aura that was visible to a man who was spiritually dead, with glowing red eyes and an expression of murderous intent as she flew, literally flew towards them, was enough to instigate fire from them both. Throwing curses in the air, Debra planted her feet, aimed down her sights, and fired. As soon as the report announced the bullet's emergence Hagall ducked right, and was met once more with bullets as Keiichi unleased a small and contained burst of gunfire from his own weapon. This time Hagall bounded to the ceiling, as though gravity was a myth kept only by mortal men, and Keiichi fired again, his panic mounting when no evidence of a single bullet touched her person.

Again, Hagall propelled herself away, this time to the wall to the left of the mortal, where Debra made a second attempt at ending the madness. "Oh my god get off of the fucking wall you cunt!" she exclaimed. "This isn't fucking Silent Hill!" Another report, and Hagall was on the ground again, shrieking now with a scream that could not be defined as human. It hurt Keiichi's ears, it made Debra scream, and with a roar of his own he fired a third burst at her.

Once more he missed his target.

"Bell! You dumbass! Snap out of it you stupid god or you're going to be sorry," Debra screamed, and for a moment, Keiichi took the time to pause and look over at his ex-wife, staring at her in open bewilderment. "Maybe I'll fucking die because of you, but you know what? Keiichi's going to die with me!" she screamed. "I'll steal him away, and you won't be able to stop me, and you know why? It's because you got your ass hypnotized." She fired off another futile shot at Hagall, who dodged it once more, still unharmed, still whole. "How could someone so strong and so powerful get hypnotized like a little bitch? Huh?"

"Deb, now's not the time!" he screamed, blasting off another three rounds of ammunition towards Hagall, who dodged it like some kind of Hollywood monster, propelling herself from one wall to the next as she attempted to get close enough to rip his, hell, both of their heads off.

Debra ignored him, still continuing her rant. "Face if Bell, the real person you're in love with here isn't Keiichi, its Hagall! Why else would you let yourself get hypnotized? 'Oh Hagall, I love you Hagall, give Belldandy a big sloppy kiss, Hagall!'" The detective taunted.

"Deb, I don't think she can hear you!"

"Yeah? Well I think she does!" the detective retorted, firing another shot that almost hit the demon. "Prove me wrong Belldandy, I fucking dare you!" Debra screamed. "Prove me fucking wrong! Pull your head out of your goddamned ass and start fucking helping us!"

The air exploded.

Keiichi couldn't explain it any other way. The air around Hagall literally exploded, like an over-pressurized soda can that had finally ruptured. He felt the barest hint of a sharp breeze, felt a shift in pressure that made his ears pop, and then Hagall was flung away from them with a scream that sounded more painful than angry. Where she landed, Belldandy appeared, an expression that could only be described as 'wrathful' on her face. The goddess planted a foot in the demon's gut and drove Hagall to the floor, spurring another painful cry from the demon, before directing that look of rage onto Debra.

She pointed at the woman. "You!" she growled. "I will deal with you after I finish with her."

"Then look down!" Debra cried, and Belldandy did so reflexively, right in time for Hagall to finish grabbing the goddess by the ankles and yanking her feet out from under her. With a strength that defied her small frame, Hagall lifted the goddess off her with a snarl, and then brought her down with a roar, where Belldandy's shoulder blades took the brunt of the impact. The ground cratered around the goddess, and Hagall rolled to her feet, this time paying the goddess not so much as a parting glance as she glared at the two mortals.

"You two," she growled, "are starting to piss me off."

Keiichi shot her, and this time the shot didn't miss.

This time, with Belldandy out of the way (by Hagall's hands, no less) Keiichi's aim was straight and true. The demon's head snapped back as it was struck, and in that moment the SEAL thought he'd brought a quick and sudden end to the demon.

It was a foolish hope, of course. The hope of young boys gathering their courage to face the monsters of their life, both real and imagined. And as Keiichi watched, Hagall's head came forward again, the aura around her blazing now, and leveled her heated red eyes on him.

She'd caught the bullets with her teeth.

And even as he watched, the bullets began to melt. Not in a method applied by heat but instead by some other means. The bullets began to melt into a shiny, silver mess, a line of liquid metal trickling down her lips and off her chin as her teeth closed down on them, forming a snarl of nightmarish proportions that left Keiichi cold and afraid.

Debra stepped back, her eyes wide. "Oh god, Keiichi, the wall... look at the wall!" The SEAL tore his eyes off the demon, looking at the wall nearest Hagall and watched as its mold-riddled surface began to smoke. The smoke was thick and gray, and the smell the permeated the quarters was noxious. The plaster began to melt from the walls, exposing the steel skeleton beneath, and then that too began to melt, the rusted steel flaking away like red dust. The shards hovered in the air, pulsing around Hagall like a heartbeat, dancing to and fro around her in a visible rhythm. Above her head, the ceiling began to melt, and a hole opened up above the demon's head. Dust and plaster rained down on top of her and disintegrated before touching the demon, and their smoking ash joined the rust shards, pulsing to and fro back and forth, up and down as Hagall's rage grew.

At once an image popped into Keiichi's mind, uncalled for yet demanding his attention with such force that for a brief moment it covered Hagall completely. It was one of the signs from the fence that covered the perimeter of the place, this hell hole, this demons den. An old, rectangular sign, laminated and held against the fence line with zip ties. A sign in yellow, with a big, thick nuclear hazard symbol on it, and for a moment, Keiichi was certain that was what Hagall was. She's radioactive, he thought, and fresh, ugly fear, ancient and demanding, raised its head. Oh lord, she'll kill us if it's the last thing she does.

He thought he could feel the temperature of the room rising and wondered if it was real or imagined. Men weren't supposed to feel radiation on its own, but Hagall wasn't exactly Fat Man or Little Boy. But she was making the walls melt around her, god damn it, and they weren't bursting into flame but they sure as hell were smoking, and if she started directing that attention his way he was sure his eyes would start smoking too. Your eyes'll be the last thing you'll need to worry about at this rate, the SEAL in him spoke, and he looked at Debra, a mortal, like him, who wouldn't last a second if Hagall decided to go critical like some kind of human atom bomb.

"Deb, get out of here!" he cried, and when Debra looked back at him it was with a defiant mixture of confusion and stubborn will. "I don't know what she's going to do but it's liable to kill us at least. Get the fuck out of here!" He bolted towards her, keeping one eye on Hagall as he reached out and grabbed his ex-wife by the arm. "Get going, Deb. Now." There was no room for argument in her voice, and the man pushed her back towards where they'd come from.

"What?!" Debra looked at him in frightened bafflement. "Are you-what about you and Belldandy?"

"Bell can survive radiation," Keiichi grunted. "Or whatever this... thing is. I don't think we can."

"Oh, so you're just going to go and fucking martyr yourself-"

"Someone needs to find Aiko, Deb!" Keiichi snapped. "She's not here, remember? If we both die here, if Bell can't stop Hagall, then what the fuck is going to happen to Aiko?" He risked one final glance back at the woman. "Find her."

He saw Debra's eyes widen as the words sank in, and as she turned away Keiichi returned his focus to Hagall. That's right, bitch. Stay on me, he thought to himself. Don't mind Belldandy crawling to her feet, don't mind Debra running out the door, just keep them big ol' mind-rapey eyes on me. He fired another burst of gunfire at her and missed as Hagall leapt at him.

At that point, all thoughts of combat abandoned him, and Keiichi turned and ran. He felt... something sneaking up behind him, running him down, something huge and hot and radiating... god, he didn't know. Power maybe. Radiation, perhaps. Death, he was certain. He could feel the shirt on his back begin to heat, begin to grow uncomfortable as the fibers began to singe his skin, and felt the flesh beneath heat up, sweat, and break out, not in a rash but in blisters. She's coming for me. Oh god, she's coming for me. His back began to burn, the pain like the scorching heat of a fire, and he pressed himself harder, willing his legs to move faster even as something reached out and grabbed his collar—

"Don't touch him!" The roar echoed the ferocity of a tiger, and for a moment that was what Keiichi saw: a great and magnificent tiger, twice as large as a Siberian and with fur so white it glowed. And then the tiger was Belldandy, knocking Hagall off her feet and sending the two of them flying into a wall. Somewhere near the door Debra released a peal of shrieks, yet it all sounded distant and far off in the wake of Belldandy's rage. An explosion of dust and debris met their collision, and the two vanished from sight. When the dust began to settle, Keiichi made out Belldandy, fury incarnate, blood streaming from her nose, her right hand wrapped deep within Hagall's hair as she slammed the demon's face into the ground.

With a scream that was almost feral Belldandy jerked Hagal's head up by the roots of her hair, only to smash it back down into the floor, this time with such intensity that shards of broken porcelain danced around them. Hagall clawed at the goddess, yet Belldandy ignored her, though the demon's nails tore numerous cuts along her arms. Again she smashed the demon's face into the floor, and this time when she jerked Hagall's head back there was blood flowing from her nose, the proud, sharp point that had once adorned the blonde's face a crushed stump of red gore. Hagall shrieked, and Belldandy answered it by once again smashing the woman's face into the floor. Over and over and over again, the goddess repeated the motion, and with each blow, Hagall's attacks weakened, her fingers, curled into such claws as to be called 'talons', losing their tension as they stopped clawing and instead began grasping. They pried at the hand that brought so much abuse, struggling against a vice grip that held no give and clutching weakly at an arm that contained no mercy.

And then even that fell away, and Hagall ceased moving at all.

It was only then that Belldandy ceased her assault. Heaving, the Norn stared down at her fallen opponent, her hand still buried in Hagall's hair. When the demon still didn't move, the goddess released her, lurching to her feet with an almost drunken gait as she swiped at her own bloodied nose with her left hand. It left a long, red smear across the Norn's right cheek, and Belldandy hawked and spat, as if to add one final insult to her defeated enemy.

For a moment, no one moved. All eyes rested on Hagall, waiting to see if the demon might yet have any strength left in her bones. A tense silence befell the area, and with it came a voice, a whimper, low and broken in the quiet of the room.

"D..die..."

Belldandy stiffened, staring down at the demon with an expression of both rage and disbelief. Her lips pulled back in a snarl, and the woman raised her right foot over Hagall's head. "You do not understand the definition of 'defeat', do you?" she rumbled.

"Die..." Hagall rasped.

And as Belldandy brought her foot down upon the demon's head, something slammed into her from behind. The goddess was flung forward, rolling on the broken ground before coming to rest ten feet away from Hagall. Where Belldandy once stood was a man of average height, dressed in a black suit and a green tie. "Whazza say?" he spoke with a thick accent, one that was similar to Urd's accent whenever she got off the phone with her mysterious friend. "Playah' three has entered thah game!"

"Who the fuck are you?!" Keiichi roared, leveling his rifle on the newcomer.

The man smiled, Belldandy's magelight casting odd shadows across his face that made the stranger look less like a man and more like a monster; a beastly creature of scales and fur and fangs. "Juz ya frien'ly monster, Cunt!" Around him, where the shadows were still thick, new people, more 'monsters' began to emerge, and Keiichi saw with growing apprehension that not all of them looked as human as they should have been.

"Durah, on Hagall." The rasping voice that arose was feminine and commanding, and Keiichi centered his weapon next on the blonde woman who owned it, perhaps the one of the ten newcomers who appeared the most human. "Tidnum, Midun, the Norn." From behind her two of the shadows, none of which looked human, darted forward, one with the wedge-shaped head of a bat with a jaw like a hyena, the other with what appeared to be some kind of fleshy cape that hid the majority of its body. "Edakua, Kili, the man. Akal, Am Rimu, the woman. Alad, the computer." More monsters split from the group, and Keiichi retreated as two of the monstrosities came towards him, two more breaking off towards Debra, who'd gone against Keiichi's orders to leave and instead hung by the door, staring at them all with wide-eyed terror.

"Back the fuck up!" Keiichi cried, yet the two monsters, the two demons, ignored him, advancing on the man as if that was all he was-a man, a mortal, with a little toy that would do nothing to harm them.

"Boy, if you have any sense in that noggen a' yours, you'll lay down your weapon," the woman advised, and without a second glance moved to kneel down at Hagall's side. Grabbing a fist-full of hair, the woman pulled Hagall's head back, manipulating it to face her. Though her back was turned, there was no denying the pleasure in her voice. "Well howdy-do, Hagall-girl. Long time no see, little lady."

And there was no denying the whimper that emerged from Hagall's throat either. It was a weak noise. Sad and despairing, and something in its tone left Keiichi more alarmed than ever. These people were not Hagall's allies. "Who are you?!" Keiichi roared once more, and found the two monsters who'd come to his side-Edakua and Kili, one with an extra pair of arms like scythes, the other with no visible eyes but a muzzle like a wolf- snarling in warning.

"We ain't no one you need to worry your sweet little head over," the woman responded, letting Hagall's head drop to the floor as she rocked and rose to her feet. "You'll keep that toy a' yours off my men though." There was a definite warning in her voice now, one that Keiichi refused to acknowledge as he turned the rifle on her. The woman didn't so much as look his way, instead approaching Belldandy, who was once more attempting to pick herself up off the ground.

"Don't go near her!" Keiichi cried, and took a step towards the duo.

"Keiichi, stop-" Debra began, and she screamed as he was knocked off his feet, and the back of the SEAL's head hit the ground first, sending bright stars of red agony dancing across his vision. He moaned in pain, and for a moment heard nothing but the heavy rush of his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Something curled around his arms, and when his vision cleared he saw a taloned foot- like an eagle's foot, with five talons instead of four, wrapped around his right arm, his left arm caged entirely in the jaws of another. The two demons held him down, their grip firm but not painful; not yet. Instead they stood poised and ready to either bite down or tear him in half.

"Kei, don't move!" Debra cried once more. "Just-just stay where you are, okay? Don't antagonize them!"

"Keiichi!" That was Belldandy this time, and he glanced back at the woman, watching as the Norn stumbled to her feet and took a step towards him, only for the blonde woman to block her path. Belldandy's face contorted in rage. "Get your men away from him, you bitch!"

"Belldandy, stop!" Debra cried. "Just do what she says for now, all right?" Her words were ignored.

"You're in no place to make demands out of me, little Din'gir," the blonde replied. "Now how about you sit down and cool your heels a bit?" Belldandy lunged at her, and the newcomer, dressed in a matching suit of black and green like the rest of the more humanoid demons, stepped to the side, allowing the two monstrosities hounding the goddess to knock Belldandy to the ground. "That's your only warning, Norn," the woman warned. "Where's Urd?"

"Fuck off, Demon." Belldandy growled.

"Wrong answer," said the blonde. "How about this: Where's Thrymr?"

Without warning Belldandy launched herself up towards the stranger, and this time was met head- on by the blonde. A fist drove itself into Belldandy's gut, and as the goddess staggered the woman spun, using the momentum produced to drive a hammer fist down on the back of the Norn's head. Belldandy crumpled to the ground like a sack of bricks, and this time, did not move from where she fell.

Keiichi moaned in distress.

The blonde straightened, then addressed the two demons. "Watch her." Hisses and growls met her departure, and the woman made her way to Debra, who stared at the woman with a solemn expression. Her hands were raised, Keiichi's revolver dangling from her thumb by the trigger guard.

"You," the woman said. "Do you know who I am?"

Debra licked her lips. "You're... you're Urd's backup."

The woman nodded. "I am Di'kur Mara of the Kalbisharur zi Agu'Rimanis," she introduced. "Do you know what that is, Child of Man?"

Debra's eyes darted to the two demons on either side of her. "No," she admitted. "I don't know what that means."

"It means I am like you," Mara continued. "Do you understand?"

"You're like me..." Debra trailed off, staring at the blonde in confusion. "You're like..." Her eyes widened. "Like a detective?!"

The demon grunted. "Will you cooperate now?"

Debra stared at the woman in shock, then at the two monstrous entities who stood guard on either side of her. "Then these guys..."

"Are part of my team, yes." Mara nodded. "We are here for Hagall. No one else. You cooperate, we leave you in peace, and Gashan Hagall will face justice for the crimes she has committed."

Debra stared at the woman, rendered mute by the explanation before finally nodding her head. "Yeah..." she mumbled. "Yeah, okay, I understand. You're law enforcement. Alright. Fine. From one cop to another, I'll cooperate."

Mara's face broke into a smile, and Debra shuddered at the woman's visible fangs. "Good," she said, "Where is the demon called Thrymr?"

"Gone," Debra replied. "Not dead but... I don't know. Belldandy did some kind of magic and she just sort of... vanished." In a lower voice she muttered. "The two of them weren't exactly skipping rope together."

Mara grunted, then looked over her shoulder back at the fallen goddess. "Fuckhead," she muttered. "There goes one of our biggest intelligence sources down the drain... swear to Nidhogg, if she's fucking sealed..." The demon trailed off, then seemed to remember herself and sucked in a deep, cleansing breath. It was surprising, coming from a demon, given that all the other monstrosities Debra had fought had seemed of the type to lose all sense of reason at a moment's notice. This was almost... human. The demon looked back at the detective. "I'll deal with that later. And Urd?"

At that Debra fell quiet. She stared at the blonde, and watched as the woman's face hardened in the silence. "She's... not here," Debra said, her words cautious in light of the new entities, the new organization, that surrounded them. "The last I saw her was at a storage unit complex. We split up there- Urd and another woman and then myself, the man, Keiichi, and the goddess, Belldandy." She paused there before continuing. "Belldandy is convinced she is... gone."

"Explain." The woman didn't jump her like Debra half-expected. The most expression the detective caught on the blonde's face was her eyes narrowing, and that was all. Some part of her was grateful for that.

"We pulled into a gas station," Debra continued. "And Belldandy did a search for her sister. She couldn't... couldn't find her." She paused there, before adding, "Keiichi said she was facing down some kind of 'destruction program'. He tried calling her cellphone too, but... she never picked up."

A deep and rumbling growl emerged from the demon on Debra's left, and the detective jumped, stumbling away from the creature as it bared fangs the length of her hand.

"Akal." Mara's voice raised in warning, and with a snort the beastly creature stepped back, leaving Debra in peace. The blonde stepped closer to the detective, then, and in a lower voice rumbled, "You are certain of this?"

"Not in the slightest," Debra replied in an equally quiet voice. "I'm only saying what I think I know. Keiichi and Belldandy will say the same."

"They will say less," the demon on Debra's right growled, its voice deep and grating like tumbling rocks. "They will not cooperate with demons like us." The creature turned its massive head towards Mara, regarding the woman it with one large, watery, brown eye. "Your instructions, Daku?"

Mara crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips, her eyes growing distant and contemplative. Debra shifted uncomfortably on her feet, then glanced past Mara and to where Keiichi lay, watching her with wild eyes. "Wait," she mouthed, and hoped he would listen. It looked very possible that the demon holding him down might rip his arm off if he struggled, and right now Debra was fearing more for his safety than her own.

"We will take Gashan Hagall and investigate Urd's last known location," Mara announced, and then looked down at Debra. It took the detective a moment to realize the demon stood a full head taller than her. She was tall. Tall like Urd. "You have been a boon to us." The blonde considered the mortal for a long moment, and then held her hand out in offering. "You have our thanks. Your aid shall not be forgotten, Detective."

Hesitantly, Debra reached out and shook the offered hand. It felt awkward; Mara had offered her left hand to shake instead of her right, and as a result Debra's grip was clumsy and weak. Her arm broke out into goosebumps when the demon's hand wrapped around her own as well. It wasn't human flesh she felt but something else entirely. Something rough like a large callous, but surrounded in short, bristly fur at the same time. It took all of Debra's will not to yank her hand back when Mara released her.

Mara turned away, her business with Debra done. "Alad, wrap it up!" she instructed, and as she left Debra the two demons who'd moved to guard the mortal fell into step behind her, lumbering off towards the rest of the group that surrounded Hagall. "The rest of you, rally up." Those demons near Belldandy and Keiichi joined Mara's gathering as she passed, and trembling, Keiichi sat up, rubbing his freed arm and looking visibly shaken. Debra ran to join him, wrapping her arms around him and helping the SEAL climb to his feet.

Together, the two mortals observed the gathering of demons, Keiichi breathing hard against Debra as Mara and her team gathered around Hagall. One of them, the demon that had knocked Belldandy away from Hagall, knelt down next to the fallen demon. While those gathered blocked their view, there was no denying the sound that arose around them- the sound of tearing flesh and breaking cartilage, and the accompanying moan that came with it. The man straightened and passed something to Mara, who once again parted from her team in order to approach the two mortals.

"A great wrong has been done here today due to a demon's meddling," she said as the demon drew near. "You, Boy. Keiichi, is that right?"

"I'm a man, thank you ever so fucking kindly." Keiichi wheezed.

Mara snorted. "Your woman is unconscious and we do not have time to dawdle," she said. "Give me your hand."

"Why?" Keiichi demanded.

"Kei, for the love of god, just do it," Debra breathed.

"Listen to the Di'kur, Soldier-boy," said Mara.

"Fuck you, I'm a SEAL."

"Then give me your hand, Seal-boy."

"Keiichi... please just do what she says."

Scowling, Keiichi held out his right hand, and without warning Mara grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him close. "Now listen closely, Mortal. Imma nustei, Imma shan." She caught and held Keiichi's eyes, and Keiichi found himself unable to look away. Something dwelt within those red orbs. Something clouded, something hidden, something that played at the very edges of his vision, like the long claws of something horrible; an eldritch being that he had no desire to see and so left him imprisoned in pits of the demon's eyes.

"You will open your hand and I will give you a gift." The demon's voice was rough, like a sandstorm in Iraq, rough and grating as it tore paint off sheet metal and sandblasted armored vehicles. "You will take that gift knowing it is not for you, but for the goddess Belldandy. And when we Kalbisharur zi Agu'Rimanis depart, when your goddess awakens, you will give her this gift. You will not look at it. You will not fondle it. You will not keep it for yourself nor toss it away," Mara continued. "You will give it to Belldandy, and you will deliver to her these words." What next she spoke neither Keiichi nor Debra understood, for they were in a language heard only once or twice before, and that was the strange, sing-song language that Belldandy and Urd had spoken in a bathroom in another world above ground.

"Imma nustei, Imma shan, do you understand?"

And Keiichi found himself nodding, the action strange and automatic and somehow unhinged, as though a pair of hands held him by the chin and forehead and forced his head up and down in compliance. Mara smiled, and Keiichi felt something slip into the palm of his hand. His fingers curled around it as Mara released him, stepping back once more.

Keiichi blinked and shook his head, as if throwing off the last remnants of sleep from his shoulders. He grimaced and rubbed his eyes with the back of his right hand (the hand holding the gift) and then let it drop to his side, never once acknowledging Mara's strange gift.

Still smiling, Mara turned and walked off, leaving the two mortals to regard her back. Without pause she called over her shoulder, "When next you see Skuld, tell her Mara sends the little Sag'kal her regards."

The demon returned to her team, and in the same manner they appeared, so too did they disappear, Hagall, blood streaming down the side of her head, held under one arm by the first of Mara's team to greet them. He and Hagall were the first to vanish, disappearing into the darkness where they seemed to merge with it, and the others were quick to follow. Mara was the last, and she looked over her shoulder at the two mortals. "We'll be in touch." And then she too was gone, dissolving into the shadows as swiftly as she'd emerged.

For a long moment neither of the mortals moved. They stared at the area the demons had vanished into with wary eyes, half-expecting another monster, another beast, another demon to emerge from the shadows in a final act of terror. Yet nothing of the sort occurred, and the duo were left with only each other for company in the silence of the room.

It was Keiichi who finally broke the silence, braving the quiet stillness of the room in favor of action. "We should check on Belldandy."

Debra jumped against him, though Keiichi's voice had been soft. Her eyes lingered in the area where Mara had vanished. "Yeah..."

Together, the duo moved to the fallen goddess, and in the lull, it seemed neither mortal remembered their weapons; they seemed of little importance now that the battle, and all its danger, had passed.

Belldandy was out cold. Nothing they did seemed to rouse the goddess, though there was little either of the mortals dared attempt without knowing the full extent of the Norn's injuries. Yet there were no signs of broken bones or open wounds that might be cause for concern, and for that they counted themselves lucky.

"We still need to find Aiko." Debra rested on her haunches, observing the fallen woman in distress.

"We need to get out of here first," Keiichi replied.

"You don't think she's here?" Debra looked at him.

Keiichi shook his head. "I don't think so," he muttered. "Otherwise Hagall would have used it to spit in our faces."

"Belldandy was about to kill her, you know."

"I know," Keiichi agreed. "And then that demon came and knocked her out." The man sighed, checking the unconscious woman's neck where Mara had struck her. "She tried to give Hagall a chance but..."

"That's no excuse, Keiichi."

The man frowned. "I know, but..."

Debra stared at him, then rolled to her feet. "I'm going to check that computer Hagall was on. See if that group of demons left us anything we can use."

Keiichi watched her leave, and then sighed, rubbing his brow. His hand dropped, and he stared down at Belldandy. The lines that had been etched into her face over the course of their journey to Hagall had faded, and for the first time since they'd started their pursuit of Aiko, the goddess looked peaceful. "I wonder if that demon was aware of the irony behind her saving a goddess from killing another demon," he muttered. Though he would not say it aloud, part of Keiichi was grateful for the interruption by Mara and her team. First-hand experience had shown him what killing could do to another person, and Belldandy already had enough trauma on her shoulders to work through. She did not need the addition of another person's death on top of everything else. Not with Urd's death to work through as well.

He winced at the thought, and Urd's face flashed across his vision. His heart hurt thinking about the elder Norn; she was a new wound, still raw and bleeding, and the SEAL feared there would not be time to morn her passing for a good while yet. Not with Aiko still missing.

As if in reflex he dug into his jeans back right pocket, pulling out his cellphone and unlocking it. A part of him marveled that the phone was still unharmed after his romp with Thrymr, but the larger portion of him was disappointed. There was still nothing from Aiko herself, just more messages from his parents asking where he'd run off too. They had been sent over an hour ago, and from this deep underground, he could expect more messages once they returned to the surface and within signal range.

The thought of having to carry Belldandy up three flights of moldy stairs and back to the car made him wince.

He scrolled through his phone, searching aimlessly for something that his conscious mind seemed unaware of, his thumb scrolling through the various apps in his library before finally selecting one at what felt like random. He stared at it as the app's title screen opened up, trying to figure out why he had it on his phone. TRAKMI.

Why was this app on his phone again?

WHO DO YOU WANT TO FIND? popped up as the title screen fell away, and below it was a list of names:

CHEEBS

BENGAL

OLD FART

PUZZLES

Experimentally he touched the word BENGAL, watching as the screen changed once more.

CANNOT LOCATE THIS PERSON AT THIS TIME. PLEASE CHECK THAT YOUR CELLULAR SERVICE IS ON OR CONNECTED TO A WIRELESS NETWORK

Keiichi's eyes boggled. "Motherfucker..." he breathed, staring at the screen in disbelief.

He had a tracking app on his phone.

He had a tracking app on his fucking phone.

Of course you do, dumbass! Some small piece of him screamed. You get one with all your phones as soon as they started developing apps for it, remember? All of you did! In case something happened to someone and you needed to locate them fast!

And he'd forgotten about it. In his fear over the forces of evil kidnapping his baby sister, he'd forgotten the fucking phone app specifically designed to locate other people.

Jank, you dense motherfucker! Urd's voice rang in his ear. We could have avoided all of this shit if you'd stopped and thought things through! For a moment he imagined the Norn smacking him on the back of the skull, and winced reflexively.

I am not a smart man. Keiichi thought.

"I can't find anything on the computer." Deb sighed as she returned to Keiichi and Belldandy's side. "I can't even get the stupid thing to turn on. I think those demons fried it before leaving."

Keiichi looked up at her. "Um, Deb?"

"What?"

"You know how in the past I've had little moments where I forget the obvious?"

Debra paused and looked at him, staring at the SEAL with narrowed eyes. "Keiichi, you better not say another fucking word," she warned.

"Uh..."

"Kei, I swear to god-"

"The thing is-"

"Don't say it Keiichi Morisato!"

Keiichi cringed. "Um..."

"Keiichi, I swear to god, if you're about to throw me some goddamned curve ball over where Aiko is, I will shoot you and leave you here to die."

"I... have a tracking app for Aiko..." Keiichi replied. "It, um... needs signal."

An awkward silence fell upon the duo, staring at each other with an unconscious goddess laying between them both.

"This is why I divorced you," Debra announced, and squeezed the bridge of her nose. "It wasn't the fights, it wasn't you almost killing me, it wasn't you not seeking help, it was this. You motherfucking, shit-for-brains, jump-to-conclusions dumbass." Her hand dropped, and the detective sucked in a deep breath. "We could have avoided everything!"

"I deserve that," Keiichi muttered.

Debra growled and tossed her hands up in the air. "This is why we can't get back together. And here I thought it was because of a crazy goddess who's trying to jump your bones. Nope! It's because of my ex-husband's inattention to detail," she ranted. "That's it. I'm out." With a huff, she turned and stomped back the way she came, leaving Keiichi in her dust.

Keiichi stared after her with fresh concern, then gathered Belldandy in his arms. "Hey, wait a second!" he cried. "Wait for me, Deb! We still need to find Aiko!"

And through it all, nestled against Keiichi's chest, Belldandy slept. She murmured only a single word; a name perhaps more wept than spoken, and that was of her sister, now gone but far from forgotten.

"Urd..."


A/N: Was pretty stuck on this fight for a while, hence the delay in getting it out. We shall find out what happened to Aiko in the next chapter, so stay tuned.