When Urd opened her eyes, it was too an alien ceiling that whispered unspoken memories in her ear. Thin sheets of a material lighter than silk lay draped upon her in loose layers, and blinking bleary eyes the woman rolled to one side. Her body throbbed at the motion, yet not enough to give cause for distress.
Listlessly, her mind strangely cloudy, the woman stared at the adjacent wall. Weapons murals of all types decorated it, ranging everywhere from quick, light daggers and stilettos arranged in a gruesome smile to crossed spears and swords decorated with long, black feathers. They held a strange aura to them; something so prominent that even through the haze of sleep and…drugs, she'd been drugged-Urd could still catch a hint of the dark energy emanating from them.
Those weapons aren't merely for show…a voice whispered in her mind. Violet eyes caught and stayed on one particular piece directly across from her. A long, bronze sickle sword, it held a strange, coppery rust towards the center of the blade's dip. That's not rust. The voice whispered again, and as though by some strange signal a burst of crippling pain erupted from Urd's head. The haze in her brain vanished immediately, seared away by sharp needles of agony as her last known memories resurfaced.
Hild. Danger. Hild. Fear. Rage. Hild. Attack. Hild. Threat. Attack Hild. ATTACK! THREAT! HILD! THREAT! ATTACKATTACKATTACK!
Her head throbbed as the words echoed through her mind in a red blur of emotion and instinct, causing the hair on the nape of her neck to rise in alarm. Hild…oh, Yggdrasil, Hild had not been gentle either. She could remember…Hild's smiling face, and pain, and…had she actually injured the Demon Lord? Urd grimaced and brought a hand to her head, feeling gauze and bandages covering hair and flesh.
Violet eyes widened, and immediately Urd bolted straight up, only for her back to unleash an unholy pain like none other up her spine and into the back of her skull. The demon screamed; tried to scream, though no sound emerged from her throat aside from a pained gasp.
The woman crumpled in the bed, desperate to ease needles that burrowed into her spine and finding little relief as she curled in on herself. What was this?! What was this sheer agony?! Swallowing deep gulps of air, Urd stared at the wall, her vision wavering as sweat dampened her brow. A whimper escaped her throat, and gritting her teeth the woman closed her eyes, desperately praying that the pain would pass.
A weight settled on the other side of the bed, and through the agony Urd felt something cool glide down her bare back. The pain diminished slightly, and next she became aware of a warm palm resting against her forehead. "Let it pass, Dearheart." A voice, soothing and familiar, murmured in her ear. "I know it hurts, but you need to let it continue its course. Let it pass, Little One…" Someone was stroking her head now, and with it came a strange sense of peace that pierced through her distress. "Let it pass…"
A sudden, fresh wave of drowsiness overcame her, and it was as the pain slowly faded that so too did she begin to drift off. Her last memories were of a comforting touch, a gentle voice, and a vague sense of familiar security that touched her most basic core.
Hild carefully read over the reports resting on her desk for the third time in a row, this time paying close attention to the comments scrawled out in pen off in the paper's margin. The demon narrowed her eyes, brows furrowing together in concentration as she took a moment to digest the information. The woman pursed her lips and then looked up to the woman across from her.
"You look like something dear Nidhogg vomited up, Sweetie."
Across from her, Ardat Lilitu grimaced and sipped lightly at the tea Hild had called in for them both an hour prior. The demon was paler than Hild remembered from last they spoke, her face gaunt and visible rings under her eyes. She said nothing in her defense.
It had only been two days since the woman had sent up her initial report of resulting debrief for Skuld and the Goetia who'd rescued her. In that time, Hild had been delighted to discover that the debriefer had fallen ill due to ingesting ambrosia, a little-known toxic substance amongst demons. Both she and Goetia Valu had been lucky they'd only had a spoonful, and one that was quickly disposed of as well; had they ingested more, Belldandy would have found herself dealing with a pair of corpses rather than two heavily ill demons.
Now the woman had summoned Lilitu to her private chambers in order to get a better brief from the woman. That as well as to see the full extent of damage the ambrosia had worked on the demon herself. The Daimakaicho was happy to say that she wasn't disappointed.
Hild shook her head. "To think, of all people it'd be Belldandy who got the better of you. I'd have thought you'd know better, Child."
"She was very…insistent, Ma'am." Lilitu replied. "And I am a demon of political and military events, not poisons." She muttered under her breath. In a louder voice she said, "Had I known Ambrosia was poisonous to demons, neither Goetia Valu nor myself would have touched it."
Smirking, Hild eyed the woman from the corner of one eye. "Amon knew."
She watched the Ardat-class demon grind her teeth as she bit back a retort. Instead Lilitu continued sipping her tea.
Raising a silver brow in amusement, Hild leaned back in her chair. I'll never let Belldandy live this one down. She thought gleefully. Goddess First-Class, Unrestricted License, Belldandy. Norn of the Present and feared Poisoner of Demons. This gives the old saying of 'kill them with kindness' a whole new meaning. The woman pursed her lips, drumming her fingers on the polished wood of her desk thoughtfully. I should have Belial work on that as a side project while Urd's sisters are here. I'm sure it'd be easy for one of his agents to find an avenue into Asgard and spread that juicy tidbit of information like wildfire.
Or perhaps she could simply drop it as a conversation piece when next she spoke with Ansuz. The chaos that would generate could be equally, if not doubly amusing. Ah, decisions…
The Daimakaicho smiled, and across from her Lilitu visibly leaned back in her chair, eyeing the woman warily. Hild noticed. "Oh relax, it has nothing to do with you." She scoffed. "Now back to these reports. Do we have any indications of how many Chakra were killed in Valu's fire?" She asked.
Lilitu shook her head. "Unfortunately no. While DEMONIT reports gave us a pretty good number of who all was within the fort; names, numbers, structure, there's nothing to account for how many were within the base when either the tulpa took over or when Dragonrider Valu lit the place up. Our source—before he…passed, stated that Mada was among the higher leadership in the area, however it's uncertain what became of her, as she seemingly vanished around the time Goddess Skuld made her escape."
"To note however; after debriefing Goddess Skuld, she revealed that she'd been discovered by three demons upon her initial escape from the cell; the one in which she was aided by the Morrigan tulpa. One of them was a woman matching Mada's description. From what Skuld told me, the woman was inevitably consumed by the—" Lilitu paused, staring at Hild with uncertainty. "Ah…what should I call it, Ma'am? The um, the thing from the report."
Hild rolled her eyes. "Say it for what it is, Child. Everyone who's read that report is aware of what it is. There's no need to call a dinosaur a chicken."
"As you say, Ma'am…" Warily, Lilitu continued. "A woman matching Mada's description was, um…eaten by, uh, the Daimakaicho tulpa from the report, right around the time that Goddess Skuld managed to set off the improvised explosive devices she'd fashioned from the old weapons in the armory."
Hild smiled. "I hope that tulpa found Mada delicious." She murmured. The demon had become a vast pain in her ass since she'd reappeared once more with the Karmaic Chakras as the acting media consultant; it was her efforts that had led to the organizations popularity in some of the more desolate areas of Niflheim and the surrounding territories. Recordings displaying attacks on everything from military bases to government-owned facilities, propaganda against the Daimakaicho and the 'atrocities' performed by acting government officials. Pamphlets and magazines on how to produce everything from poison to homemade explosive devices to recruiting attempts and inspiration for lone wolf attacks.
Yes…after dealing with Mada for many a century, it was good to hear that her tulpa counterpart had eaten her. And then been blown up on top of that. "And kudos for Little Skuld as well. I'm sure our EOD team would have a field day with her as a guest speaker."
Lilitu stared at her in disbelief, and Hild chuckled. "A joke, Sweetie." Everyone knew the EOD branch of Niflheim's military wasn't quite…right in the head. Something about all the explosions and explosive chemicals affecting them to the point where they were down-right twitchy led many demons to avoid them as much as possible. To have someone as volatile as Skuld thrown amongst their midst, and with her own trigger-happy tendencies…
There came a crash from the adjacent room, and Lilitu started in her seat.
"Oh calm down," Hild huffed, "It's only Urd."
As if hearing her name, a voice, loud but muffled, exclaimed, "What the fuck!"
"Good morning Urd!" Hild sang, "How are you feeling?"
"Hild?" There came another thump, followed by a second curse.
Hild turned back to Lilitu. "She's still recovering from her initial transformation." She explained, a furtive smile on her face. "I'm sure you remember how…challenging such a process can be."
Lilitu visibly shuddered. "I couldn't return my wings inside of my body." She whispered. "Nor the tail, and I couldn't figure out how to control either properly. I was afraid to leave the house for three weeks afterwards because my wings would smash into other demons or knock items off of shelves. And my tail…" The demon flushed a deep red and quickly downed what remained of her tea, quickly pouring herself another.
The Daimakaicho nodded sagely, and another crash emanated for the adjacent room, causing Lilitu to wince.
"Motherfucker!"
Hild paused, leaning back in her chair and looking over her shoulder towards where her daughter had no doubt once more kissed the ground. "You're father's not here right now, Dear. Call for someone else."
"God damn it Hild!"
With a smile Hild retorted, "Sweetie, that happened a long time ago!"
More curses escalated from the other room, and wearing a broad smile Hild returned her attention to the demon before her.
The woman tried hard not to grimace in the Daimakaicho's presence. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" She said after a moment's hesitation, her voice soft and low to avoid the attention of Hild's irate daughter.
The Daimakaicho's smile did not falter. "I've not had my daughter in my home for many a century," she reminded, "I've got a lot of Mom to make up for. I'm enjoying this immensely."
There came another resounding crash from the adjacent room, this time accompanied by the sound of something heavy breaking. "That sounded like the dresser." A shattering of glass, "there goes the mirror." and a resounding shriek that seemed less human and more raptor.
Lilitu visibly squirmed. "Ah…Ma'am, should I leave?" She asked. "I…don't want to be in the way of any…family reunions."
Hild eyed her and smiled. "What? Nonsense! Though it seems you'll have to hold off on the rest of your report until Urd has been read in and cleared for the proper security levels before continuing." She paused, and the two woman looked over to the door as stomping pounded into the wood next to them. "How's that coming, by the way?"
A door flew open, saving Lilitu from responding as an enraged Urd surged forth.
…Well it was really more of a stumble, one that ungracefully ended with the demon on the ground.
The two women stared down at the ex-Norn, one in empathy for her current plight, the other in utter amusement. Releasing a deep-throated growl that still sounded a bit more beastly than normal, Urd picked herself up, resting irritably on her haunches as she sent a violet glare towards Hild. A tail, half of its original length and speckled with grey feathers, whipped behind her angrily.
Hild smiled. "Still have the tail, I see."
Urd twitched, then bristled. The fur that engulfed her from the waist down stood on edge, and the woman bared teeth more fit for a carnivore. "This isn't funny Hild."
The Daimakaicho raised a silver brow. "No one's laughing Hon, and it's good to see you on your feet once more."
Urd grimaced and brushed a hand through her hair, fingers grazing the wrappings. "Says the woman who almost caved my head in."
Lilitu looked abruptly to Hild, a look of alarm on her face as she slowly backed away from the two woman, muttering softly under her breath.
"Oh?" Hild's smile was losing its warmth. "That's odd, as I seem to recall a troublesome daughter being the cause of that fight." She murmured coolly, "And it's 'Mother' now, by the way."
Urd glowered, and for a tense moment it seemed that once more the two relations would come to blows. And then, to Hild's surprise, her daughter relented. "Fine, just…fine, whatever you want."
"Oh thank Nidhogg." Lilitu whispered.
For a brief moment Hild stared at her daughter in surprise, then leaned back with a long, languid smile. It seemed that Urd's venture after Skuld had done more than simply grant her a demon's strength. Her child really had grown, both in terms of power and in maturity. Had she still been a goddess, had the Chakra never attached her home and kidnapped her loved ones, their conversation would be little more than another brawl, one quickly ended once more with Urd sprawled unconscious on the floor.
Yet time had changed her. Battle had changed her, though her fights were far from those of even Hild's most inexperienced demons. She could see it in the younger woman's eyes; a spark of defiance still held deeply within the violet pools, buried so far beneath the surface that had she not actively sought it out, had the Daimakaicho not known what the spark looked like, then surely it would have escaped her notice.
But of course. Was Urd not her own daughter?
Yes…Hild pursed her lips as she examined Urd in a new light, causing the ex-Norn to squirm self-consciously. Right now she was like brittle steel in the form of a weapon: one that held the shape of what it was destined to become, yet still needed refining, to taste the heat of the flames of war and the icy cool water of loss, to grant her the proper strength and solid edge she'd need here in Niflheim.
"Well!" Hild clapped her hands together, startling the two women around her. "I do believe it's time for us to go over some things!" The woman rose from her chair with all the slow, subtle ease of a panther. "Ardat Lilitu, please return to your shop. Keep me posted for any new information regarding Chakra movement, especially in the city. I want to know how they'll react to the recent loss of one of their Higher Headquarters and if they're planning any sort of retaliatory attack against us."
The demon in question did not so much as nod in her eagerness to leave, producing a hasty bow even as she retreated from the room. As soon as the door closed behind her Hild spun to face her daughter once more. "Remember her face," The Daimakaicho advised, "you'll be seeing Ardat Lilitu quite a bit."
Urd frowned in dismay. "Why is that?" She asked grudgingly.
"Ardat Lilitu is the Vice Commander of the Angel Biter intelligence sect, that's why." Hild responded cheerfully. "On top of that, I love having her brief me due to the fact that she's very good at her job."
Urd raised an eyebrow, staring at the woman flatly.
"…and she absolutely hates it. Can't stand being in the spotlight or being the center of attention. Doesn't like formalities and hates interacting with people in general. It often leaves her in an absolutely wretched mood, and one of my favorite games is to see just what it takes to egg her on to the point where she is lividly cursing throughout her entire presentation."
Urd's expression didn't change. "…That sounds more like you." She sighed and rubbed her temples, only for the young demon to yank her hand from her brow and stare down at her hand with a scowl. She glared down at her palms. "I can't stand this!" the woman suddenly declared. "I—why am I still like this? Why haven't I returned to normal?"
Hild frowned. "Let me see." Reluctantly Urd extended her hand, and gently Hild took it in her own, examining it with critical eyes. The flesh around the fingertips and outer palms held an off-yellow coloration to them, and when she prodded them with a finger of her own, she found the skin rough and calloused. "Bah, this is nothing but residual flesh from your initial shift." The Daimakaicho looked up, meeting her daughter's eyes. "It will fade in time. You need to realize that this was your first use of the Rimanis. Its form is still alien to you, and not something you fully understand or appreciate. Your own lack of experience makes it difficult for your body to return to its base form, as it has never experienced feathers or fur before." She explained. "You need to be patient. Your body is still trying to figure out what to do with all these new additions and how to properly dispose of them in a manner that doesn't injure you."
Hild released Urd's palm, watching as the woman drew it to her chest and clutched it with the other hand, rubbing the calloused areas with her thumb. "Furcas said I had to fully change in order to return to normal."
The Daimakaicho nodded. "He was correct." She agreed. "He also told you not to fight it, which you also did."
The ex-Norn opened her mouth to protest, but Hild cut her off before she could get a word out. "I speak with all my men personally. Ardat Lilitu debriefs them all as soon as they return from a mission. There are few things I do not know about."
Urd glowered at her, and in her eyes Hild saw the old familiar distrust rear its ugly head once more. Drat, she thought sullenly, and here I thought we were actually making progress. The woman released a frustrated sigh, rubbing her temples before sending her daughter an exasperated look. "Nidhogg's fangs Urd, you can stop with the bullshit already!" She snapped, and Urd recoiled, staring at her mother in shock. "You've become a demon on your own volition and willingly returned to Niflheim when you could have just as easily run away. Your sisters are safe and alive and are being treated as honored guests while Keiichi is being treated for his injuries. Now what is it you fear so much from me? What misgivings do you have while in my presence that inspires such suspicion? My only goal concerning you in the past has been to reawaken you to the heritage you've so strongly denied yourself and bring you back to my side, and in case you've not had a chance to look around, daughter of mine, you've accomplished that much on your own."
The younger woman bristled at her words, the remaining fur that covered her body rising like that of am angry cat losing its coat to malnutrition. "I can't trust you." She seethed. "I've never been able to trust you; you've never spoken the full intent of your goals, never revealed the full effects of your plans. Every time we've met, there's always, always been some sort of ulterior motive from you. It doesn't matter if it's a simple 'visit' to see me or if all of a sudden you've been ousted from your throne! There's always more to the situation, more that you aren't telling! How can I trust someone who won't even trust me with something as simple as an honest reason? How do you expect me to trust you when even something like a 'visit', a gift from you could lead to a sister locked away in a seal?" The ex-Norn ran both her hands through her hair, and in that moment Hild saw the true extent of deep-sated anger Urd viewed her with.
Was it really this bad? When, how had their relationship soured so much? Oh, you know. Her mind whispered. It sounded like…His. You're the one who let your daughter go, remember? And as she grew distant you started to regret it. You wanted her back, and so you decided one day that you'd take her back, despite whatever or whoever stood in your way. Even if it was Urd herself.
The thought made Hild wince. He'd never lied to her, after all, and His own morals had imprinted on her somewhat in the short time they'd been together. But while she'd made it a point to never lie to a person, just as He did, so too did that extend to just how much of her own true intentions would have to remain hidden from sight.
In hindsight, lying would have almost been the more preferable option.
But His morals had become her morals, so deep-set within the core of her being, that even if she tried, Hild doubted she could lie. The demon was almost tempted to say she didn't know how to lie anymore; only to reveal pieces of truths from goals otherwise hidden from sight.
It was a troubling revelation.
The Daimakaicho chewed the inside of her cheek, holding Urd's smoldering glare with her own. She knew from experience her eyes held a level of fire like those of her daughter; heated and bright, almost feverish if not for the clarity buried deep within those amethyst pools. She pursed her lips, and Urd's eyes flashed, daring her to make an excuse, to prove her words wrong, to justify her reasoning for subterfuge and secrets, half-truths and false-intentions.
She breathed. "Honesty." She said, her voice just above a whisper. "That is what you want from me?"
Urd's expression was pensive, yet none the less she nodded. "All of it. I'm tired of you pulling the wool over my eyes."
"You realize you owe me a debt of fealty now, do you not?"
"What does that have to do with anything!?" Urd snarled. "I became a demon for my sisters, I came to Niflheim for my sisters! My actions have nothing to do with you, and despite what you may think of me, Hild, I have no problem with the thought of turning myself in to that old Crow we left on the Assiah and Lind!"
Hild narrowed her eyes. "You realize you'd be imprisoned if you did that? Sealed with the worst of creatures from all the Nine Worlds?" She leaned forward, yet Urd did not flinch, did not give ground in a demon's submission, but held it in challenge, her gaze never faltering from the Daimakaicho's.
"I know." She rumbled. "I know all too well. But you know what?" Now Urd leaned forward, leaned forward enough that her bangs grazed her own, that she could feel her daughter's aura radiating from her flesh. "I would do it happily," She whispered, "if it meant fucking you over like you're trying to with me right now."
The Daimakaicho studied the ex-Norn carefully, examining her face for any signs of weakness. "If sealment is what you want, I could grant you that now, if you so wish."
"Is that your wish?" Urd countered. "Are you so desperate to have me in Niflheim you'd lock me up for it?" She grinned recklessly, yet her eyes were hard, hard like diamonds, hard like Hild's own. "Then do it."
For a long moment the duo beheld each other in silence. Had a demon walked in on the two of them, he would have commented on the similarities between mother and daughter, for in that moment the two appeared so similar that it was almost as though they were looking into a mirror. And then Hild sighed, closing her eyes and leaning back, doing the impossible and submitting to Urd.
It was unexpected. It caught Urd off guard, and put her off balance. Hild did not submit to anything, and to see her mother reclining from her-
Hild suddenly lurched forward, smashing her forehead against Urd's hard enough that the Daimakaicho saw stars.
Urd dropped like a sack of bricks, fresh blood staining the bandages around her head.
The woman sucked in a deep breath, releasing it meditatively as she stared down at Urd, once more lost to unconsciousness. "Stubborn, rebellious little shit." She murmured affectionately, dropping to one knee and brushing the woman's hair to one side, peering at the pinking bandage around her head. "Had you not held my face, I'd have sworn I was arguing with your father!"
Groaning, she picked the younger woman up, pausing a moment as the blood rushed to her head. That blow had hurt; she'd not meant to allow so much of her own temper to get away from her like that. "We'll talk more when you awaken again." She said idly. "Perhaps when your body is more to your liking and I've had some time to chew over your words…it seems I'll have to be more up front with you if I want you to take anything else I say to heart."
Wouldn't that be the challenge of the millennium.
And of course, it was at this time that the dark, mahogany desk and its matching chairs that she'd used in her conference was Ardat Lilitu suddenly came to life, sprouting into saplings. Hild jumped at the sudden burst of life, staring at it dumbly as all around her, flowers suddenly popped into existence. On the floor, on the walls, on the furniture…
She stared, unblinking as suddenly the saplings burst into a growth spurt, cracking and groaning as they suddenly grew upwards. The Daimakaicho craned her head back to watch the young trees' progression, flinching only when they suddenly erupted through the ceiling in a mass of tile and stone.
"Well that was unexpec-"
A tree suddenly burst forth from under her, propelling her and Urd up at a speed that baffled Hild, and it was only quick thinking that prevented both her and her daughter from chocking on a mouthful of tile. A burst of magic, and Hild held her daughter close, sheltering Urd from the raining stone with her own body. It didn't hurt, but she did find it rather annoying and troublesome. Trees were not supposed to suddenly sprout from dead wood. Especially dead wood that had been repurposed into furniture.
When the tree's growth spurt finally ceased, Hild took a moment to recollect her thoughts. "Well…at least the view is nice." Her quarters were in one of the higher portions of the palace, and the tree had brought her up past the highest of spires, providing a lovely view of the encroaching blue of Jotunhiem's winter. It painted the distant sky a vicious violet across the horizon, and nestled as she and her daughter were within the tree's branches, Hild shrugged and leaned back. The demoness glanced over at her daughter. "Well, I don't feel like dealing with this right now, so I supposed I'll take a nap too. Who knows, maybe when we both wake up we can converse like a couple of adults."
"Who am I?" A voice, sexless and hissing traveled throughout his mind, and in the foggy landscape of his mindscape he looked around, searching for its owner.
"Tulpa?" He asked, yet the fog was too dense, and he could see nothing past his nose. His words sounded damp and muffled even to his own ears, and as the voice repeated he turned, circling his immediate area but unsuccessful in his search.
"Who am I?" The voice repeated once more, and Keiichi realized it was pleading, desperate for an answer.
"I don't know." He admitted, still circling his area. Mara's blade poked into the small of his back, and one hand moved to grip it tightly, comfortingly, and he could feel the dead magic trapped within nip at his fingers hungrily.
I am here, it seemed to say. Let them come, for I am here, and my hunger is mighty.
He rubbed it's irregular surface with his thumb, working it up and down the metal as he kept on circling, kept and walking, waiting for the voice's owner or the tulpa or perhaps some other sort of nightmare to manifest before him. Perhaps he got his wish, or perchance his mind was playing games with him; shadows, almost nonexistent in the fog, were drifting around him, circling as he himself was, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.
He waited, tense, eyes darting back and forth for any signs of hostility. Yet nothing but that voiceless whisper answered his ears. "Who am I?" It mourned, "I don't know anymore, who am I?"
Something emerged from the fog behind him, and relying on instinct and reflex he spun, Mara's blade in his hand and lunging forward as though with a life all its own. It plunged into Hild's chest with a fleshy jerk, and Keiichi's eyes widened in horror as black ichor emerged from her lips. And then she was melting, disintegrating into an inky pool of oil that left him paralyzed.
It's not her it's not her it's not Hild it's the tulpa! His mind screamed, and before him the puddle seeped into the white earth, leaving his heart pounding against his ribs and his breath ragged. "Tulpa!" He called once more, his voice breaking like a pubescent boy. 'What are you doing? Stop it!"
Yet the creature had no words for him, continuing its strange mourning song. "Who am I? What is to become of me?"
Something approached from his left, and before he had time to think instinct took over, this time driving the blade into Mara's neck and leaving a deep, jagged gash in its wake. He screamed, his stomach rolling as once more black ichor poured from the wound as Mara snarled at him. "You took me from my domain! What am I without my world?!" The tulpa spoke with Mara's voice, only to degenerate into a voiceless scream once more. "You have me now, my strength, my power, and yet you do nothing!
The tulpa vanished once more, and from this mists this time Hild emerged, her face mad and raving like that of a rabid beast. "I am here, yet you ignore me! You subjugated me, and I am dying because of it! I cannot feed, I cannot thirst, I cannot exist because of you!
Belldandy lashed out, her arm from the elbow up a black, cruel blade of shadow, and he dropped, tucking and rolling as the blade came down on his head. Keiichi felt the wind of its passing mere inches from his ear, and then he was up again, his arm alive with the life of the blade, a tool for a weapon that wanted nothing more than to destroy. He slashed her arm, and it bled its black blood, oozing to the ground in thick, heavy streams. Yet Belldandy did not relent; the tulpa did not relent, and continued onwards despite her debilitating injury. "Who am I to you?" She raged, screaming not with Belldandy's voice, but with a thousand voices, male and female and familiar and alien. "What am I to you, that you would torture me so!?"
With a downwards sweep she struck out, and this time Keiichi was not fast enough to dodge it in its entirety. Fire erupted in his right bicep, yet he did not look to it; didn't dare, for fear of what he might see. Quickly he retreated, clutching his injured arm with his left even as Belldandy advanced, her pace the slow, deliberate pace of a beast that knew its prey was doomed, that its meal was soon coming and would only need a final attack to break his neck.
"Stop it tulpa!" He screamed shrilly, yet Belldandy merely smiled a predator's smile at him, the teeth within the triangular, serrated teeth of a shark. He retreated, unwilling to strike at the creature wearing his beloved's face. "Stop it now! Don't make me hurt you!"
"Then give me purpose!" It roared with Belldandy's voice, a horrible sound he'd never heard before, filled with hate and revulsion of such potency he recoiled, momentarily mistaking it for reality. "I tire of your games, Mortal! You wished for my strength and proved your will against me! Yet when it comes time to wield it, you balk like a craven cur!" She shrieked, thrusting out towards him. Mara's blade reacted with a life of its own, and where the blade should have chopped his head off instead it was parried, knocked away from him with a single blow that left his arm numb and the bones within singing with vibrations. "I exist, but I have no purpose! All my intentions are refabricated within your mind because you want nothing to do with them! You deny me my one reason to exist!"
He stumbled against something he couldn't see, found himself flailing for balance as he went down hard on his injured arm. A pained cry pierced the air, and then Belldandy was above him, her eyes the inky blackness of the tulpa's as ichor poured from her severed limb. "Give me a reason to live, damn you!" The blade came down on him, and-
Keiichi awoke with a gasp and a jerk, fighting against the covers pinning him to the bed. Panting, he looked around, his blood rushing in his ears as he sought out his surroundings. Nothing was familiar, though he dimly recognized it as a bedroom of some type. Swallowing large gulps of air he took a moment to examine himself, checking himself over for any of the wounds inflicted upon him by the tulpa. To his relief he found none, though his left arm still clutched his right tight enough to dig cresent-shaped furrows into his flesh. His back was sore, and his ribs throbbed from when he'd suddenly sat up, but beyond that the searing pain he vaguely recalled from the cell was absent, the heat of fever broken with what he could only hope was some kind of magic or medicine, possibly both, in what lay within the wrappings across his torso..
Urd said I'd go to sleep. He recalled, slowly leaning back down against the pillows. The material was strange; smooth against his cheek like silk, only somehow finer. It was cool, too; the whole bed was cool, now that he thought about it, and as the heat of the room settled against his skin, he decided to count it as the small blessing it was. The man was naked aside from the bandages, and momentarily he wondered who'd been the one to strip him of his clothes before deciding it didn't matter. The wrappings alone covered most of his body, from his feet all the way to his head and neck. They smelled of a bitter strong herb that made his head throb. So I get to live after all. The man thought idly, fevered pieces of a cell, of monsters, of demons and an Urd-that-was-not flitting through his mind in pieces. How much of that was fever versus reality? And then even more hesitantly, are you there, tulpa?
He received no response from within his mind, and frowning Keiichi fought to get comfortable, eyes staring but not really taking in the modest bedroom he found himself in. It was impossible to tell what was real and what was not right now, he decided. Perhaps whoever had patched him up would be able to answer some of his questions, but right now it was too hazy; reality and fever had merged into one since his time in the shrine, and right now he found himself simply happy to be awake.
Something pressed against his left arm, and Keiichi froze.
I'm not alone. He thought to himself, and his eyes widened in dawning terror. I'm naked and in a stranger's bed, and I'm not alone. What had happened while he was asleep? Who was sleeping next to him? Slowly, his eyes darted around, searching for something he could use as a weapon if the threat was great. Yet the room was surprisingly barren of furniture, save for a couple of paintings he could not make out in the dark and a lamp on the small table beside him. The man's eyes centered on it, and the hair on his arms rose in alarm as the body at his side pressed into his own, as an arm slipped around his waist, as a shadowy figure rested its weight on his shoulder.
The man's eyes bulged, and with ice in his gullet he groped for the lamp with his right arm, too fearful of moving whoever-whatever was snuggling against his bare body. His fingers grazed against something cool and metallic, and with the desperation of the mad he grabbed it, wrenching it hard towards him and hearing the click click that came with the lamp turning on. His jerk was strong enough to knock the lamp over, but not before the resulting light illuminated the room.
Not before the lamp displayed Belldandy's sleeping, peaceful form tucked within the crook of his arm.
The lamp thudded to the ground, creating a small glow that lightened the room just enough to make out Belldandy's features. Keiichi stared, his heart in his throat and cold despite the warmth of the room. I almost brained Belldandy with a lamp. Was his first coherent thought, which was immediately followed with, I'm buck-ass naked in a bed with Belldandy.
The thought brought forth undesired images, and with great effort he pushed them aside, tossing his head as though the physical action might aid him in his plight. His breath came in quick gasps now, his body trembling with a self-control so strong it hurt. Is this real? Am I dreaming again? The mechanic remembered a Belldandy from the cell; one who was transparent, who went to war with the tulpa on its own territory of imagination, her figure warping with each blow received to better accommodate her injuries. Is this real though? Was that real? Or just a fever dream? Keiichi ached, but he'd also ached within the cell, an ache so great it hurt to move, to breath, to think, and he wasn't entirely convinced that hadn't been a fever dream as well.
Hesitantly he reached out, afraid that his fingers might go through her, that she was a tulpa, a thoughtform, like in his fever dreams, like in his nightmares, and that at any minute he might awaken once more to a cold floor and a burning body, a terrified Skuld and a Mara that might or might not be dead. Please be real. He thought, his throat tightening painfully. He didn't want to go back, he didn't' want to awaken once more to that cold black cell that reeked of his own death and fear.
His fingers brushed Belldandy's head, and he felt warm flesh beneath the tips. Keiichi released a shuddering breath. "Thank Kami." His voice trembled pitifully. "Thank Kami your real." Without a thought, he drew the woman close, burying his face within the sleeping Norn's hair and inhaling deeply. She smelled like Spring; like blossoming flowers and dew-crested grass, of wet pine needles and cherry blossoms and…and…
Goddesses, he was sobbing like a newborn.
"When you awaken Belldandy will be at your side." That was what Urd had said before he'd fallen asleep, right? By the Norns, he'd thought that'd been a fever dream as well.
Beneath him Belldandy stirred, roused by Keiichi's movements. "Wha…" She blinked sleepily, and Keiichi released her, sitting up so as to better be illuminated by the lamp on the ground.
And suddenly she was awake. Awake and alert like Keiichi, her eyes the bright blue eyes of disbelief, like those of Keiichi's not a moment before her own awakening. "K-Keiichi?" Her voice was soft, though slightly harsher than he remembered. There was a slight rasping quality to it not unlike one stricken with a sore throat. "I-You're here?" Her voice was a whisper, one that spoke of such intense disbelief that Keiichi found himself wanting nothing more than to wrap his arms around Belldandy and hold her close. He withheld though. Barely.
Instead Keiichi nodded, not trusting his voice. A tentative hand reached out to him, and the man didn't move, not until it came to gently rest upon his cheek, where he in turn engulfed it in his larger hand. "Yo-you're back." He could see tears welling in her eyes now, enticing fresh twin streams form his own eyes. "You're here!" And then Belldandy collided into with enough force to jolt the both of them, her arms wrapping tightly, desperately around his waist. His back screamed in pain, yet at that moment the pain seemed distant, muffled, fake even.
All that mattered was the sobbing woman in his arms.
No words were said. No words needed to be spoken between the two, would have done nothing but shatter the tender moment between the both, something they knew on an equal, almost instinctive basis. And so instead they held each other, rocking to and from in each others arms, fearful the other might vanish should the embrace end. The only sound that emerged from either was a chocked sob here, a slight sniffle there, and the tears that wetted the other's skin.
It wasn't known how much time passed in that moment. Time was nonexistent as they were there, merely a concept invented by mortals that could touch neither of them, the Dead Man Risen and the Goddess within the Hells.
When they finally dared to part, it was as one, with Keiichi holding Belldandy at arms-length. "I thought I lost you." He breathed, and Belldandy broke into a fresh wave of tears, pulling him close as she buried her face in his chest. Her shoulders shook with emotion, and he held her close, resting his chin on her head as he rubbed her back with one hand. Was this real? Was this real?
If it isn't, I don't want to wake up.
Beneath him Belldandy calmed enough to draw away. Her eyes were red and puffy, and he could see a line of snot from her nose to her lip. The goddess looked both afraid and relieved all at once, and never before could Keiichi recall seeing such a strong reaction to the emotions that danced across her face.
She looks human.
And in that moment, Keiichi Morisato fell in love with the Goddess Belldandy all over again. For it was in that instant, that Keiichi saw her not as the goddess that he'd summoned through a phone a lifetime ago, not the divinity he'd pledged his life to, but Belldandy, the woman who'd fallen in love with him despite his own shortcomings as a mortal, as a man. The woman who enjoyed making tea and cooking food, who loved singing in the forest and yet somehow still found joy in his own hobbies as a mechanic. The woman who'd expected nothing from him, who'd accepted him for who and what he was with no expectations and no desires beyond staying at his side.
"I love you." He told her, and then drew her close and kissed her deeply.
And Belldandy, her own thoughts running on a course similar to his, returned it full force. It was a desperate kiss, one that spoke of suppressed longing and unhinged terrors and it stole his breath away. On the floor around the bed, an ocean of flowers suddenly sprang to life, and when they parted it was only for Keiichi to draw a fresh breath.
Belldandy held back for only a moment. "Don't you ever leave me like that again." Was all she said, and before Keiichi could promise not to, her lips were on his again, arms snaking around his torso as she rolled over on top of him.
Keiichi had one final thought, Oh, Belldandy's naked too, and then all other thoughts ceased to be.
In the room on the far end of the hallway away from Belldandy's room, Skuld awoke to a soft swoosh. Immediately she was awake and alert, looking around her room for the source and instead hearing the soft hiss of Amon's tail wagging. The snake-wolf, lying at the foot of her bed, raised his large head and huffed softly. My Child?"
"I heard something." Skuld whispered, throwing the covers off her body and crawling over to the great beast. Amon did not move, and she leaned into his massive frame, finding comfort in the heat his body provided. Like Mara. She thought, Like when we were captured after I escaped. Only…furrier. It was a silly thought, one that made her choke back a giggle. Amon's ears perked towards her, and then the great creature leaned towards her, licking her face with a forked tongue.
"Stop it Amon, I'm serious, I heard something!" She whispered hotly, uncertain as to why she was whispering as she lightly swatted the wolf.
Amon responded with another lick. Tis nothing but budding flowers in the morning dew. He claimed, Rest, nothing shall harm you while I remain vigil.
She swatted him again, this time leaning back in an effort to escape the tongue. "You were sleeping too, don't lie." She accused, watching as the snake-wolf panted with laughter.
One may remain vigil while resting if one knows how, My Child.
Skuld grunted, apparently still in disbelief. Then she gathered the throe that rested on the bed's head board and wrapped it around herself. With a sigh she propped herself up against Amon's side, causing the wolf to lean back with a grunt. "Well, I'm not sleepy now, so I guess I'll just have to 'remain vigil' since your too busy sleeping.
If that is what you so desire, My Child. The avatar's tail hissed in a manner she'd come to recognize as amusement, then fell silent as the creature grew comfortable once more and lapsed into sleep.
And so it was Skuld stayed awake, resting against a hot body that reminded her of Mara in a room that's darkness reminded her of the cell. Despite that though, she could feel the heat making her drowsy. Just like Mara. She reminded herself. Like the heat of an explosion of from a nearby fire. Warmer than a human but not scalding hot.
For a moment, just for a brief, minuscule instant, she thought she saw a pair of familiar red eyes looking down at her. "You did good, Skuld." Was that Mara talking or her mind playing tricks on her? Had she really covered her shoulders with a blanket, or was it an arm keeping her safe? "Is safe. Sleep now. Try later."
Whatever you say, Mara. Her eyes were drooping. Just don't fall asleep like Amon did.
Something brushed through her hair, and for an instant Skuld's tired mind perceived a laugh; rough and harsh and without kindness. Mara's laugh.
It made her smile, though the smile was slight. And so it was deep within the guest residence of the Daimakaicho's palace, on a queen-sized bed with a wolf-demon twice her size Skuld slept, surrounded by an ocean of flowers.
Comments of a Madwoman: Chapter's a bit shorter than normal, but I felt any more would draw it out too much, so here we are, with a happy reunion and ghosts that aren't dead speaking to people who shouldn't hear them. Updates are going to continue at their slow pace due to a lot of stuff happening in my life right now, but they are continuing.
