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-37-

When Keiichi awoke again, his clock read 08:13 AM. This time someone was knocking on his door, and deciding he'd probably slept in late enough, the man once more rolled out of bed and moved to open it.

He was surprised to find Peorth on the other side of the door. He'd expected Urd. Maybe even Belldandy or Aiko, though Aiko admittedly would have just barged in and woken him up since they were sleeping in the same room.

"May I speak with you?" Peorth asked. She sounded nervous.

"Yeah?" Keiichi stared at her in suspicion, his past interactions with the woman making him suspicious.

"In... private?" Peorth asked again.

Keiichi raised an eyebrow, then stuck his head out of the bedroom. The large gathering of gods from earlier in the morning was gone, leaving only Peorth for company. "Hallway's empty enough," he grunted. "Looks private enough to me. What do you want?"

The goddess flinched at his tone and squirmed restlessly. "In light of recent... events this morning, Nebo has come to the conclusion that Holy Bell has recovered to the point where she no longer requires outside aid," she revealed. "She is no longer in a... critical state, we shall say, and has been allowed to return to Belldandy. For... for both their sakes." She stopped there and bit her lip, looking more anxious now than before.

Keiichi, his mind still muddled with sleep, rubbed his eyes. "That's cool," he said. "Good to hear her angel's better." He yawned again. Don't see what's so private about that, he thought, Aiko's been hearing about angels all of yesterday from Nebo. Ain't nothing new to her.

"Yes..." Peorth murmured, and yawned herself, a large groaning yawn that spoke of her own exhaustion and reminded Keiichi that it'd been Peorth who'd been aiding Holy Bell's recovery. "A relief. It has been an exhausting trial for me." She paused. "And it brings to light another issue that must be resolved before I am allowed to take my leave. I must know your heart's desire, Keiichi Morisato."

Oh.

Oh god damn it, he'd forgotten about that fucking thing.

"Are you serious?" Keiichi grumbled. "You're going to bring that shit up now of all times?"

"Yes," Peorth said firmly. "Because I have been here long enough, and I grow tired of Midgard and its residents. This is no land for gods, as I have seen, and I would take my leave of this place quickly if not for the fact that I am still bound here, Monsieur."

The man sighed. "For fuck's sake... first thing in the morning and you're going to harass me about this?" he demanded. "What are you going to do, try and seduce me again?"

"No." Peorth's voice was almost a growl. "I believe we are well past any romantic notions at this point. Yet it does not change the fact that you have yet to speak on what your heart truly wants, Keiichi Morisato, and until you have spoken that truth to me, I cannot leave your residence and be done with this accursed place any more than you can be done with me."

Keiichi groaned. "Fucking hell, Peorth! We've gone over this before! I have tried repeatedly to give you a fucking wish that will get you out of here, yet every time I throw out a suggestion, you shoot it down! What more do you want me to say?!"

Peorth scowled, her own temper short after a night of surrogacy for Holy Bell and a miserable stay in the Morisato household. Her patience had an end, and it seemed that Keiichi's words had breached her limit. "All of your wishes were crass and thoughtless, spoken on a dime without thought nor desire," Peorth snapped. Her aura flared and the mortal stepped back from the goddess as she seemed to grow taller before his very eyes.

The rose goddess continued, unabated. "You have not once shown any inclination to pause and meditate over the very thing I am asking of you, nor shown any desire to speak what your heart is begging of you even now! And let me tell you something, Keiichi Morisato, it has not changed from the moment I have descended. Not since I have arrived, not since I have argued, not since I have fought, and not since you have died by the hands of another goddess. I see your heart's desire, and its shade has not changed its hue in the slightest despite what you have gone through, and so I instruct you, nay Boy, I order you to stop and think, as it seems such a hassle for one such as you: What does your heart desire?"

Keiichi opened his mouth to shoot off the first insult that came to his mind and then paused, recognizing the futility of such a crass act. Peorth had admitted straight to his face that she wanted to leave, and soon, and that he was the only thing barring her path. So what did he want? What had he wanted from the very start? What supposed desire that had allowed Peorth to descend in the first place?

I don't want anything, he told himself. I'm already content with life as is.

Except he wasn't. He wasn't and he knew it, because since his alleged 'death' by Belldandy, all anybody had been asking him was what he wanted, and the truth was...

The truth was what?

What the fuck did he want in his life? A gold plated toilet seat? To sleep with a goddess? Deb?

No. If he was honest with himself, he didn't want any of that stuff. He wanted-

Belldandy appeared in his mind's eye. Not the Belldandy downstairs but the Belldandy as he'd first seen her; the photo of a kind, gentle soul who smiled at the world with all the warmth of the sun. His mind traveled back to the night of the wish, the night of Belldandy's rescue, of seeing her face and feeling her lips against his, and feeling her arms around his body and feeling complete. Complete in a way he'd not felt since Deb had left him. Complete as if he'd found the missing piece of himself that'd been torn from his heart in his ex-wife's absence. His mind traveled to that first night on the couch, laughing over Monty Python and stupid commercials and silly games and then further still to his first date with her, feeling her pressed into his back like a bundle of warmth and sharing a shy kiss under the streetlight of a Mom and Pop restaurant.

"Bell," he said finally. "I just-" His voice abandoned him as a wave of sadness overcame him, and more memories surged forth. Belldandy blowing Urd through the back door and into the porch. Belldandy and her nightmares and the horrible magic that had almost driven him mad. Belldandy breaking Aiko's nose and breaking his hand, and threating Peorth as she chased the goddess around the house with a knife. "I just want-" He thought of the discussion they'd shared, on how they'd both wanted to expand their relationship, and how it had all come crashing down like Humpty Dumpty on a fucking wall when he'd taken it too far and Belldandy had wrapped her hands around his throat.

"Christ..." He sucked in a deep breath, running his hands through his hair. "I just wish Belldandy would get better so that we can live a normal life together." He sighed. "I mean, is that too much to ask for? I don't want anything for myself, just... she deserves happiness. And that's what I really want for her. I want her to get over this, this shit that happened to her so that she can move on and be happy again. No more flashbacks, no more sick angels, no more panic attacks! Just...Bell. Belldandy. Happy and healthy and... and just... herself."

He paused, realizing what he'd just said and stared at Peorth with wide eyes. "Wait, was that-"

And Peorth smiled as she seemed to return to normal size. It was perhaps the kindest and warmest smile he'd ever seen the goddess wear since meeting her. "You did," she assured. "And you did marvelously. Thank you, Keiichi."

The man tensed, waiting for her sigils to glow as Belldandy's once had, yet after a full minute with nothing happening, Keiichi looked around before staring at her. "Well?"

"Well what?" Peorth asked.

"I was expecting more of a light show." The man's eyes darted to the sigil on Peorth's brow. "Last time I went through this, Belldandy was shooting laser beams into the sky."

Peorth chewed her lip in thought. "Well... now I have a confession to make," she admitted. "We have skirted around this issue for the past couple of days. You almost pinned me down a couple of times, especially when I brought you lunch at work. Yes, your file is still open. But there was no wish."

Keiichi stared at the goddess in disbelief. "You're shitting me, right?"

"No," Peorth replied. "You should know by now after being around Belldandy. As a first-class goddess, I cannot lie."

No. Oh fuck no. All this fucking time-all that fucking stress-there was no wish?! Keiichi's eyes widened and he gripped his scalp in agitation. "Son of a bitch!" he exclaimed. "You mean all this time you've been fucking with me?"

Peorth's eyes widened. "No, I had a mission to complete."

"On whose authority?!" Keiichi demanded, angry now. "On whose fucking authority did you have to come down here and fuck with my life just for shits and giggles?!"

Peorth flinched. "It wasn't for 'shits and giggles', Keiichi, I assure you. But I cannot say who sent me."

"Bullshit you 'can't say'," Keiichi snarled. "You fucking won't, and I want to know who the fuck this asshole is. You tell me right the fuck now or you can escort your ass directly out the front fucking door myself, do you hear me?"

"Keiichi, I am telling you, I can't-"

"And why the fuck not?!" Keiichi roared. "All you're doing is making excuses for yourself! What the fuck are you hiding, Peorth?!"

By now Keiichi's yelling had drawn the attention of the other residents in the household, and with a thunder of footsteps, Belldandy and Urd appeared, shadowed closely by Skuld and Aiko. "Whoa, what the hell is going on?" Urd demanded.

"Peorth was fucking with us!" Keiichi exclaimed. "All this time- All this fucking week! There was no wish! She was here for something else!"

"Wait, what?!" Urd's eyes widened, and she looked and Peorth in accusation. "The fuck is he talking about, Peorth?"

"I'm here on the orders of another!" Peorth exclaimed. "Please, can we-"

"Who?" Belldandy demanded. "Who would give you orders to come down here? What possible reason would anyone have to send you down here, Peorth?!"

"I can't say!" Peorth exclaimed. "As I told Monsieur Morisato, I cannot speak of it!"

"Bullshit!" Urd snarled. "A week of drama and tension because someone told you to harass Belldandy? Are you fucking serious right now?"

"Yes!" Peorth sounded desperate. She began edging down the hallway as Urd pushed past Belldandy, advancing on the goddess like an angry wolf on a doe. "It was not intentional though! I was charged to obtain the heart's desire of Keiichi Morisato through any means necessary!"

"Who was it?" Urd snapped. "And why would you, a goddess first-class, even bother to listen to them?"

"I told you-"

"Oh, bitch, try me." Urd's voice dropped to a low, cold octave that made the hair on Keiichi's arms raise. "A week of hell because someone told you to come down here?" she continued. "Oh, you better start throwing out names, 'cause let me tell you, after the shit I've seen these past couple a' days, I'm feeling pretty rowdy, and Girl, I tell you I am just looking for an excuse to go hog-fucking-wild right now."

Peorth went as white as a sheet, and without thinking both Keiichi and Belldandy sprung into action, Keiichi grabbing hold of Urd in one of the easier BJJ moves that'd been drilled into his head while Belldandy slipped past Urd and in front of Peorth, creating a barrier between the two women. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Belldandy cried. "Urd, calm down! No fighting! There's been enough violence in this house to re-enact the final days of Ragnarok!"

Urd struggled against Keiichi's grip. "Yeah!" the SEAL agreed. "Thrashing Peorth won't solve anything, Urd!"

"Fuck you it won't!" Urd snarled. "You think I'm just gonna sit idly by while this motherfucker walks? Let me go Jank, cause I'mma haul her ass to motherfucking Australia and drown her in box jellyfish, and unless you wanna fucking join her you better let me the fuck go!"

"I'm not trying to walk!" Peorth wailed, almost hiding behind Belldandy. "I'm trying to speak the truth!"

Urd bared her teeth at the goddess and growled. From Keiichi's proximity to the woman, it sounded low and guttural and completely inhuman, and for a moment Keiichi was tempted to release the Norn if only to get away from her. Yet his training as a SEAL kept his grip steady even as his mind tried to flee, and with good reason. The woman's squirming stopped for a brief moment, and then without warning she surged forward, her strength alone almost enough for Keiichi to lose his hold on her.

"Urd, will you stop?!" Belldandy demanded. "Just for one moment? Please?"

The silver haired goddess blinked as if she were suddenly coming back to reality. She turned her head and gaped at Belldandy as she stopped struggling. For a tense moment, it seemed that she might redirect her anger towards her sister, then thought better of it as she began to relax. Eventually, Keiichi felt safe enough to let her go, but kept a hand on her shoulder as a reminder.

Belldandy nodded her thanks to her sister and turned to Peorth. "Now, please, can you tell us who it was that sent you?"

"I told you, I can-"

"Try," interrupted Belldandy in a pleading voice.

The rose goddess narrowed her eyes at her fellow first class goddess, then spoke. "It was-" Peorth gagged, then brought her hand up to her throat as if choking. She coughed and then tried again. "It was-" She tried again with similar results.

Urd brushed Keiichi's hand off her shoulder. "I fucking can't believe this," she said as she turned and brushed past him. She walked past Aiko and Skuld, who were standing further back in the hallway, shaking her head as she turned and headed down the staircase.

"What can't you believe?" asked Keiichi as he watched her go. He turned to Belldandy. "What's going on?"

"Someone placed a block on Peorth, she is physically being prevented from revealing who it was that sent her by the System Force," was Belldandy's reply.

"Bullshit. You both are first class goddesses, with unlimited licenses or whatever you call it," he said as he crossed his arms across his chest. "Seems like you are pretty high up in the food chain for someone to pull that kind of shit on you."

"Keiichi, what is your rank?" asked Belldandy.

"Special Warfare Operator, First Class," replied the SEAL.

"And as a First Class, are there not people of higher rank than yourself?"

Keiichi furrowed his brow as it dawned on him. "Yeah. So First Class is not the highest rank?"

Belldandy sighed. "No, it is not. The details I can explain to you later. Just know that there are higher ranked deities than us." She paused and glanced at Peorth, then back to Keiichi. "And if they decide that certain information is, what term would you use… classified? Yes, classified. If that were the case, they can impose a seal on that information. No matter what she does, the System Force will enforce that ban."

"You're joking." Keiichi's voice came out flat. Belldandy shook her head, and the man massaged his temples, releasing a frustrated growl. "Can't you give us any hints?" he demanded. "A letter, a gender, a position, where this motherfucker works?"

Belldandy shook her head. "Any attempts will be blocked," she explained, and behind her Peorth rubbed her throat as though it pained her. "Any attempts to get around the blockade will grow hazardous to the individual imposed under the seal, and further attempts may endanger the deity in question. Peorth literally cannot speak on the subject, if not for the seal than for her own safety, and coercion will only endanger her, Keiichi."

"The System Force does not play games," Peorth rasped. Her voice sounded as if she'd just spent the past hour screaming. "It makes demands and it creates contracts. It seals deals and acts as the enforcer, and when those under contract do not hold true to their end of the deal, it forcefully ensures those terms are fulfilled."

"Wonderful." Keiichi ran his fingers through his hair. "Fucking wonderful. The gods have their own fucking gag order that they can enact at any time on their own people," he growled. "Fucking shit, it's like trying to find out what you want, Belldandy!"

The comment blindsided Belldandy, and for a moment she stared at the man in a mixture of shock and confusion. "What I want?! How is that relevant to anything at the moment?" she demanded.

"How is it relevant..." Keiichi laughed. "Bell, how is it not?" he retorted. "This whole thing has been about you, don't you see? Don't you get that? It's always been about you! Peorth came here to grant a fucking wish, but it was a wish for your sake. That fucker downstairs came to help your angel, everyone is staying here because of you!"

"Oh, so now it's all about me, is it?" Belldandy planted her hands on her hips. "It has nothing to do with you, though in the past forty-eight hours I was the one who killed you? Nothing about you, though it took the combined efforts of my sisters to bring you back and stop me from putting you back in a hole? Nothing about you, though we have all become guests in your house under your roof?" She gestured behind her towards Aiko and Skuld, who watched the two argue with wide eyes like a pair of children witnessing their parents fight. "When even your sister, whom you mean the world to, comes to see that you are safe, that you are unharmed, that you are alive and well and who even now stands behind you, this has nothing to do with you? Nothing to do with your happiness? With your desires?"

"What I want doesn't fucking matter!" Keiichi cried. "What I want is to know what you want! Shit fire, Belldandy, will you PLEASE tell me what you want?"

The woman, already irate from the events of the morning, scowled. "Keiichi, if you ask me that one more fucking time…"

"Or what?" Keiichi snapped. "You'll choke me again!?"

The goddess bristled. "No, you inconsiderate jerk," she growled, "Or I'll tell you what I want, and that's not relevant! It's not about me! It's about you!"

"Well, I know what I want, but I told you, I want to hear what you want!" Keiichi's voice was starting to rise. "I will remind you that I am NOT Aoshima! You are not bound to me! As soon as you start thinking 'Man, that guy's a dick, I don't want to be with him anymore,' then you better by god get the fuck out! I don't want you to stay because you feel like you have to."

Belldandy splayed her hands out in front of her. "Well, the same goes for you too!" she snapped back at him, her tone rising to match his. "If you don't feel safe around me, then you need to tell me! Say 'Belldandy, you fucking killed me and I can't deal with that! Get out!'"

Keiichi flinched, wounded. "Jesus fucking Christ, Belldandy, is that what you want me to say?!"

"Fuck no, I don't want you to say that!" Belldandy replied. "Is it what you want to say?"

"Absolutely not!"

"THEN WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Belldandy screamed, and all those around them, sans Keiichi, winced at the shrill note in her voice.

"THAT'S NOT RELEVANT!" Keiichi roared back, finally losing his own temper with Belldandy. "WHAT I WANT IS NOT EVEN A CONSIDERATION FOR ME! IT'S YOU! I WANT YOU TO MAKE THE DECISION BECAUSE YOU ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN ME!"

"AND THAT'S BULLSHIT!" Belldandy screamed back. "HOW CAN YOU PLACE SO LITTLE VALUE ON YOUR OWN LIFE WHEN SO MANY PEOPLE CARE ABOUT YOU AS WELL? YOU'RE MORTAL, YOU MORON! YOU'RE DELICATE, YOU IMBICILE, AND AS SUCH IT IS YOU WHO IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ME!"

Keiichi grabbed his hair, tugging it hard as he stared at the ludicrous woman before him. "WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!" he demanded, and in his voice was a hint of desperation as he sought to understand what the woman before him was saying.

Belldandy moaned loudly. "IT MEANS I WANT TO STAY, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"

"WELL THAT'S JUST PERFECTLY FINE AS FUCK WITH ME!" Keiichi snarled. "I FUCKING WANT YOU TO STAY AS WELL!"

"WELL FINE!" Belldandy exclaimed. "THAT'S WHAT I WILL DO!"

"YOU FUCKING BETTER!"

"FINE!" Belldandy snapped.

"FINE!" Keiichi snapped.

The mortal and to goddess glared daggers at each for a long moment.

Then, as one, the two turned and marched off to their respective rooms. Peorth backed off towards the end of the hallway to avoid Belldandy, and as they vanished into their bedrooms the doors slammed shut in a moment of synchronicity.

Skuld stared at the now-empty hallway with wide eyes. "What just happened?" She looked like an alarmed cat.

Aiko's expression mirrored Skuld's. "I might be mistaken, but I think they agreed to stay together."

"Ah, fuck," Skuld swore.

"Oh thank Yggdrasil," Peorth breathed. "I'm getting out of this place before someone finds another reason for me to stay."

XXX

It was amazing how quickly things de-escalated from there.

Peorth was ready to leave less than an hour later. Skuld, Aiko, Urd, Lind, and Nebo were there to see her off in the backyard, away from the road where anyone driving up might come across them. "Apologize to Belldandy for me, if you would," she asked Skuld. "But, well... my presence has become less and less desirable the longer I stay here, and I believe we can all agree that at this point, I have overstayed my welcome." Her smile was strained, and after the argument in the hallway upstairs Aiko didn't blame her. She looked at Urd, and her smile became a grimace. "Forgive me for the trouble I have caused your family," she said. "I... was only doing what I thought was right. And what I was told."

Urd grunted and said nothing, her arms folded across her chest as she glowered at the goddess.

Peorth caught the hint. "Perhaps another time," she said, and a brilliant light began to engulf her. Aiko brought a hand to her eyes, squinting through the glare and to the goddess within and wondering if this was what happened to people who always claimed they were abducted by aliens. Maybe there was something to those crazy Farmer Joe stories after all.

As the light grew too bright for Aiko to peer into, she heard Peorth's final parting words, and was discomfited by them. "I pity you, Urd. You've set yourself upon a hard path to walk." The college student wondered what the words meant. Yet as the light cleared and the field was empty, Aiko lost her chance to ask, as Nebo was already pulling Urd aside for another conversation.

"I need to depart here as well," the man announced, and his voice was thick with exhaustion and a bone-deep weariness that invoked strange and heartbreaking emotions within Aiko. It was difficult to describe. The weariness was of... a man past his prime. A child who'd witnessed war. A doctor unable to save his patient. Perhaps, and this was the strangest thing that came to mind, but perhaps even a mother who'd lost her child. "I have done myself and the choir no favors this morning." He shook his head in disappointment, and Aiko flinched as he cast his eyes her way, no longer looking like the middle-aged 'Cheech' she'd first been introduced to but a tired, ageless old man instead, and one who hurt on top of that. "Moony is hurt and anxious and needs to rest, and so do I, lest I wind up hurting someone here."

He looked down as though in shame, and despite the scare she'd suffered at his hands earlier that morning she felt a strong admiration for the man. It took a lot to admit his own faults, and recognizing a prolonged stay might only injure the people he was trying to help was praiseworthy. With it came regret; regret on her part, for the role she'd played in causing such a large amount of distress in both the man and the angel-or Ssaratu, as she later learned it was called (Hey hey, boys and girls, Cthulhu's coming to play).

"You will be staying here though, won't you, Kyz?" The man asked Urd, and at her nod Nebo smiled in relief. "Good. That's real good, Urd. I got something I want you to do for me, okay? A favor. A huge favor, from a Tic to a Tic's acolyte, amaru?"

All of a sudden Urd looked nervous. Really nervous. "What do you mean?" she demanded. "What kind of favor are you asking, Nebo?"

Nebo ignored her questions. "You ain't on duty to Yggdrasil down here, right?" he asked. "'Cause you suspended from your position while banished from Asgard, yeah?"

"Yeah but-"

"Quiet." There was a note of authority to Nebo's voice that was new to Aiko's ears. Apparently it was new to Urd, too, as the goddess instantly fell silent, staring at the short man before her with wide eyes.

Nebo continued, "I want you to take over my duties to Holy Bell in my absence." The man pursed his lips, looking Urd up and down with a critical gaze. "So I gotta request for ya'. I, First-class, Third-Category Unlimited Din'gir Nebo maru'ilu Marduk, request that you, Second-class, Omega-Category, temporary, Urd Ni'Tahazu Tyrsdottor, serve in my absence here on Midgard, acting in the role as a Third-Category acolyte to the patient First Class, Second-Category Belldandy Tyrsdottor."

Urd's jaw dropped, but no sound came forth. Aiko, who had the unique gift of ignorance at this particular time, chose that moment to judge the reactions of the others, and came to the conclusion that Nebo's proposal must have been out of the ordinary and something that had taken everyone by surprise. Skuld looked stunned. Lind looked shocked. Not a single goddess spoke, yet all eyes rested on the man before them, staring at the god as if he'd either lost his mind or announced plans to adopt Urd right then and there.

Urd's jaw worked for a full minute as her mind tried and failed to come up with a response, before finally saying, "I-I'm already under a Tic." It sounded like a weak excuse. A reluctant excuse.

Nebo smiled. It was a large, cheerful smile. One filled with teeth and brimming with joy. "Already spoke with her," he said. "Lind's mention got me thinking, and, well, after some a' what I seen from you regarding your professionalism with potions and the close bond between you and your angel, I reached out to your ol' mentor. She says she's willing to release you to me if you up to it, Kyz." He paused and thought a moment. "Also wanted me to pass on that the higher ups are a bunch a... what's the word she used... 'chixo'? Nah, that ain't it..."

"Chxo'?" Urd asked.

"That's it!" Nebo snapped his fingers. "She wanted me to pass on the message that the Powers That Be fucked you over and they a bunch a chxo'."

Urd laughed and covered her eyes. "Oh Yggdrasil... that sounds like Nana all right," she murmured. "She really-" Her hand dropped from her face, and Nebo nodded, still smiling. The Norn laughed again. "Of all the..." She shook her head in disbelief, then looked over at Lind. "Were you in on this?" she demanded.

Lind raised her hands. "No," she proclaimed. "I had no idea."

Urd's eyes moved to Skuld, who quickly shook her head. "Don't look at me," she said. "This shit's waaay beyond my understanding."

Her gaze even moved to Aiko, who shrugged and shook her head, recognizing that she herself was little more than an observer to the whole strange affair. The goddess returned her attention to Nebo. "Nana really said it was okay?" she asked again.

"Yep. Even gave her blessings. Said she always wanted you to get back on the path to a Tic," Nebo replied.

Urd ran her hands through her hair and blew air past her lips. "Hooo-boy," she said. "I don't- yes. Yes Nebo, if Nana has given you her blessings, then yes. It'd be an honor to serve under you as an acolyte down here."

"Wonderful!" Nebo whooped, delighted. "Then I got some details I need to cover with you before I head out." He moved off towards the tree line, speaking in a softer voice now, and Urd walked beside him, moving out of range of hearing.

Aiko came to stand beside Skuld. "So I take it this is a good thing?" She asked.

"For Urd?" Skuld replied. "It's fucking phenomenal."

XXX

Lind ended up leaving with Nebo after lunch that day. Lind, being the stoic individual she was, made it very difficult to tell if she was happy to leave or not. Urd seemed a little disappointed to see her go though, and for that reason alone maybe Lind had similar feelings that weren't immediately obvious to Skuld. She knew that a door had been opened between the two after they'd returned from... wherever Lind had dragged Urd off to, but then, the same could be said for how much more relaxed Lind seemed overall since initially coming down for a quick checkup a couple of days ago.

This time, both Belldandy and Keiichi came to join Urd, Aiko, and Skuld herself in seeing the two deities off. Nebo approached Belldandy. "I spoke with Urd on some things to help with Holy Bell," he told her. "Biggest thing is this: Be patient. You can't rush a healing wound, just promote a healthy healing environment for it, got it?"

"I understand." Belldandy nodded with some reluctance. "You are certain you can't stay longer?" she asked. "Holy Bell has only just lost her status as critical. For you to leave so soon..."

"I know." Nebo looked up at her with a frown. "I wanted to stay longer, but, well... Moony had other plans, and I don't control her any more than she controls me. We both got hurt 'cause she got scared, and if I try and stay longer without letting her recover a bit, it could lead to unprecedented consequences further down the road. Holy Bell don't need that shit." He brightened. "On the positive side, you got a good support structure down here, and I gave Urd a list a things she can do to help Holy Bell out. Biggest thing you can do for her though? Sing. Singing is the true language a' the soul, and if you sing and if you let her sing, I can guarantee you she'll recover twice as fast than before."

"Sing?" Belldandy stared at the man in surprise. "You want me to- but I don't know if I-"

"Urd'll do it with ya," Nebo reassured.

Belldandy's eyes boggled. "Urd?" she cried. "But Urd hates singing!"

Nebo nodded. "I spoke with her. She's willing if it's for Holy Bell's sake. World of Elegance'll help out too. They a good pair, Belldandy. Listen to Urd's advice and sing songs with her-even if she don't like it World of Elegance does, and Holy Bell will appreciate it too. It'll give her a chance to stretch her wings and free those bits a' her you been keeping under lock and key the past decade, all right?"

"I-I suppose..." Belldandy glanced towards her sister in disbelief, watching as she clapped a hand down on Lind's shoulder a fair distance away and passed a note to the Valkyrie. The Valkyrie opened it and sent a shrewd look to the elder Norn, who laughed and said something that escaped Belldandy's hearing. "If she's- I'll do it if I have someone to sing with," she decided. "The past decade... I haven't mustered the courage to sing in years, Nebo."

"Then it'll be a good experience for both a' your angels," Nebo professed. "I'll come back down to check on your progress once Mooney's healed," he continued. "How long that may take is up for debate right now though- could be a week, could be a month. Mooney and me are a couple of old ninnies nowadays. Takes us longer to heal up than you kids. But Urd will be making progress reports for me, and I'mma be disappointed if you ain't singing with Holy Bell, you hear me?"

Belldandy sighed and smiled. "I understand," she said. "Thank you for coming to help Holy Bell, Tic Nebo."

"Think nothing of it," Nebo replied. "Mooney would have murdered me in my sleep had I ignored Lind's call for aid. She ain't about to let nothing happen to her babies."

"Still..." Belldandy trailed off. "I know we've caused you some undue stress down here... you and your-your Ssaratu both."

"Goes both ways," Nebo said, and he turned his attention to Keiichi, who stood a fair bit off with his arms crossed as he observed the partings taking place. The man approached him. "Lum-Morisato."

"Nebo." The greeting was cool, but not outright cold.

"You okay for a lum, all things considered," Nebo grunted. "You watch out for these ladies, hear?"

Keiichi held his silence, and Nebo nodded. "Don't peek on no more angels, Lum. It ain't good for your mind, and you surrounded by folks who ain't good for you," the god continued. "You got a kind heart though, even if you bull-headed at times. Keep that kind heart, Boy. It's what gods like the Norns here take strength in. As soon as you lose it, you lose them, got it?"

Keiichi grunted, and when he still said nothing, Nebo nodded. "I think you get it. So I'mma take my leave as well. Watch out for these girls, Morisato. Both of them, not just Belldandy." He turned away from Keiichi and moved towards Lind.

"You about ready to go, Kyz?"

"Just a minute..." Lind trailed off, shooting another suspicious look to Urd as the Norn sent her a smug look. Her gaze turned to Keiichi instead. "Morisato, what's the last four digits of your phone?" She asked, catching not just Keiichi, but Belldandy and Skuld off guard as well.

"The fuck..." Keiichi trailed off. "Two-five-six-five!" he shouted to her, and Lind looked back down at the little post-it note Urd handed her.

"This isn't his number Urd," she said, and narrowed her eyes. "It's not your number, either, and I've already got that in my phone. Whose number is it?!"

Urd looked at her with a smug look. "You'll have to find out for yourself," she said.

"Urd, I swear to Yggdrasil, if I call and hear fucking Falken on the other end..."

Urd did nothing other than laugh and move away from the Valkyrie, dodging a half-hearted swing from the woman as Lind scowled at her before pocketing the yellow slip of paper. "Call it when you're bored!" the Norn cried. "I promise you won't be disappointed!"

"That's what I'm afraid of." Lind muttered.

"And don't forget that other thing I mentioned as well," said Urd with a smirk.

"THAT, I can handle," replied the Valkyrie with a smile of her own.

And then they too were gone in a flash of light.

"I guess that means I'm next, huh?" Skuld looked between her two sisters with an unreadable expression. "I was expecting a simple visit when I initially came down here, you know... I had no idea things would go this crazy."

"I don't think any of us did," Belldandy said gently. She stepped forward and embraced Skuld, who returned it with a tight hug of her own. "Thank you for all your help, Skuld," she murmured. "I don't know what I'd have done if not for you and Urd."

"It was nothing," Skuld replied. They parted, and Skuld's lips twisted into a disheartened frown, saddened over the fact that once again she'd have to leave in the midst of a chaotic event. Sighing, she dug into her pocket and removed her cellphone, then handed it to Belldandy. "I'm tired of stuff like this happening," she said. "I want you to hold on to this for me. Urd's got her own phone, but there might be a time when she's not available. So I want to make sure you have a way to reach me or mom or pop back home, okay?"

Belldandy stared at the small device in surprise. "Skuld, are you sure?"

"Positive," Skuld said sharply. "Take it, Bell, I can always make another." She bit her lip. "And... do me a favor, okay?"

With tentative hands Belldandy took the cell phone from her sister, cradling it with both hands as she stared at her younger sister. "What is it?"

Skuld took a deep breath, fidgeting uncomfortably. "I know this is going to sound weird but... just trust me on this. When the time comes, don't let him pull the trigger."

"I'm sorry?" Belldandy stared at her sibling in confusion. "Skuld, what do you mean?"

Yet Skuld shook her head. "Nothing," she said. "Just... keep it in mind, all right? Think of it as payment for my phone. Don't forget."

"Okay..." Belldandy stared at her sister dubiously, wondering if it was wise to press for more information before deciding against it. It was unwise to read a future not yet set in stone, after all. "Will you do one more favor for me then?" she asked. "When you get home, visit Mother for me." For a brief moment the confrontation between the angels and Lunacy came to mind, and the goddess bit her lip. "Give her my love, won't you?" A wave of homesickness washed over her. "Tell her I miss her but that I am doing well."

Skuld nodded. "I can do that," she said.

She moved to say her goodbyes to Urd, and then, like the others before her, was gone in a flash of light from a Gate.

Aiko blinked the spots out of her eyes. "If I watch that too many more times, I might go blind," she quipped. Her comment elicited a snort of amusement from Urd. Keiichi just smirked and shook his head while Belldandy gave her a worried look.

"I can always heal you if you are experiencing any discomfort," replied the almond haired goddess.

Aiko just stared at Belldandy for a moment, contemplating if she was serious or not. She then shook off the comment and approached the goddess. "Does that mean I am forgiven?" she asked while giving her best puppy dog look. It worked on Keima sometimes, so what the heck could she lose?

"No."

Aiko's face fell. She almost apologized again, but stopped short after her previous conversation at the table. Belldandy smiled.

"I will say, though," started the goddess. "Whatever you did with Holy Bell has helped more than anything else. While it's still not completely clear, I can at least hear her trying to communicate with me." She smiled at the younger Morisato as she reached forward and took hold of both of Aiko's hands. "I am pretty sure she is telling me to say 'thank you' right now."

The mortal stared at the goddess for a moment. "That's… good, right?"

Belldandy smiled. "Yes," she said as she drew Aiko into a hug. "Thank you so much."

As the two embraced, Aiko looked over at her brother and noticed a hint of a smile on his face. It was that moment where she knew. Things may not be 'normal' in the Morisato household for some time. It would be a long haul, but at least now there was a path back from the abyss.

For whatever reason, the lyrics of Bob Marley came to the blue haired mortal.

"Don't worry about a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be alright!"


Comments of a Madwoman: Thanks for everyone's patience with this arc. There was a lot to cover, and it was never our intention to allow it to go on for so long. We hope that, despite the short time period that was covered, the material presented didn't bore anyone. A lot of buildup, a lot of resolution, and with the end of this arc we've also reached the end of Part 1 of Scarred Survivors. Part 2 will pick up after a brief interlude, and I hope you all are ready, cause shit's 'bout to get real. Quick note on something brought up to me by the Beta: Urd's last name isn't Hildborn. That was the title she introduced herself as to McGuinness to hide the fact that she and Bell were related. Ni'Tahazu Tyrsdottor is her full last name, with 'Ni'Tahazu' roughly translating to Hildborn in Falken. She's the only member in the family with two last names.


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Peorth's walk down the ornate, marble hallway was slow and deliberate. Her shoulders drooped in weariness, causing her leather 'wings' to drag on the floor behind her. Getting called to appear before the Daitenkaicho was never a fun experience, regardless of how joyful the event might be. How am I to explain how I nearly caused his daughter to kill her paramour? If only she had not pushed them so hard, things could have progressed in a more natural way. Eventually, Belldandy would have gotten over the abuse that she was subjected to. Then Keiichi and Belldandy could move forward with their relationship as it had been intended.

She envied Belldandy and Urd for that. Both goddesses loved the man in their own ways, and that love ran deep. Yet she feared that her actions had driven a wedge between Belldandy and Keiichi. She knew that Urd was not the type to take advantage of such an occurrence, and pitied the woman for it. The silver haired goddess had been actively promoting their relationship in her own ways in spite of her own feelings, and from what Peorth had borne witness to it was starting to tear her apart. Peorth knew love, probably better than all but Aphrodite herself. It was like the flowing waters, unstopping and persistent. It could move even the mightiest boulders and invade even the smallest of cracks. Despite Urd's own morals, the goddess worried that any weakness in Belldandy's relationship with Keiichi could be exploited, and Peorth feared that Urd's feelings for the man may eventually get the better of her.

So caught up by her thoughts was Peorth, she nearly failed to stop in front of the imposing door that led to the Daitenkaicho's chambers. It was only when one of the guards cleared his throat that she was broken from her reverie, and saved from the embarrassment of running head first into the door.

There were two guards, one on either side of the entrance. They stood in silence, as did Peorth. There was no need to speak, because He knew she was there. It was just a matter of waiting until He deemed it appropriate for her to enter. There had been stories of gods and goddesses standing outside for days waiting on Him. But there was no other choice but to do so; The Daitenkaicho was a busy god, and He would see her when the time was right.

The minutes ticked by. Peorth tried not to fidget. Lind had cornered her after she had returned to Asgard and had let it be known in certain non-vocal means what the Valkyrie and Urd thought about her trip to Midgard, and there was a large piece of her that still throbbed and pulsed in pain. She resisted the urge to favor the sore spot, knowing the guards before her were watching her carefully. There were eyes everywhere in the hallway, and that to rub her butt even for a second was liable to be perceived in the wrong light by the last people she wanted calling judgment on her person.

An hour passed. Peorth wished she'd worn more comfortable shoes. Or at least consumed a potion for her sore extremities.

"You may enter," came a voice without any source. The doors opened.

As Peorth stepped inside, she noted the differences between the ornate marble hallway with its statues of famous gods and goddesses of past and present, along with the ornately carved doors said to have been taken from the Life Tree itself, and the office area within. It was rather plain in contrast, with an unremarkable wooden desk on one side along with several chairs, with a plant or two sitting around the room for decoration. Absent were any self-aggrandizing aspects such as pictures of Himself or walls of awards. This Daitenkaicho was one of the more humble deities who'd come to grace this room. In place of such images, a single picture hung on the wall, an oil painting not of the Daitenkaicho, but of his wife and three daughters.

The Norns looked different from the women in Midgard. Younger. Kinder. Perhaps even... brighter. Skuld was still a child here, smiling with childhood innocence to the painter. Belldandy stood off to her left, her face holding a gentleness that was absent from the woman Peorth had spoken with a few hours before. Even Urd appeared somehow kinder in the picture frame, standing beside and slightly behind Belldandy, where she held a level of joy Peorth had never witnessed in her stay at the Morisato household.

Peorth turned to more fully observe the painting, taking note of their mother, Ansuz, who sat in a chair on Skuld's right. No... strangely enough, the Norns on Midgard- all the Norns, though if Peorth had to pick it would be Belldandy most of all- held a hardness to them that was more akin to Ansuz. The artist had done a fantastic job of softening her face for the painting, yet even that person had been unable to take the sharp edge off Ansuz's eyes. Though the goddess smiled sweetly for the painter, her eyes held a level of rigid steel in them which was almost unnerving to behold, even in the painting. A result of her years as a Valkyrie, so it was said, and though motherhood had warmed her approach over the years, that sharp edge still remained.

It seems Belldandy is becoming more like her mother than she'd have expected. Peorth mused.

She heard a sound behind her and she turned to it. The rose goddess saw a man, and at first did not recognize him. He appeared to be of Japanese descent wearing a sun-bleached white, bowl shaped hat made of rice straw, a loose fitting tunic, and what at first she mistook as a dress. She corrected herself after recalling that it was called a hakama. She cringed slightly at not recognizing it earlier, since she had granted the wishes of a number of samurai in the distant past.

The man was stepping gracefully through a series of sweeps and thrusts with a katana. As he brought his blade down in a mighty slash, his aura flared and it was then that she recognized who it was. Tyr had a number of proclivities. One was that more often than not, he would show himself to others in disguise. There were a number of rumors as to why, and it was considered a great honor for him to show his true form. Today, he took on the guise of a humble samurai warrior.

A mask of concentration, the Daitenkaicho paused as his gaze shifted to Peorth. She watched as he stood up and sheathed the sword, using his fingers to guide the blade into its sheath. He then turned and stepped to the rear wall. It was also rumored that one of the Daitenkaicho's other proclivities was collecting all manner of weapons, swords being his favorite. While the office was rather plain itself, a display of an incredible number of blades of all shapes and sizes dominated the wall opposite his desk. Both of Tyr's character traits were clearly on display.

After placing the sword in its place on the wall, a light illuminated the area around him. It was bright enough that the rose goddess needed to shield her eyes. When it finally subsided, Tyr's appearance had changed. He was now wearing what appeared to be his customary attire as Daitenkaicho, which was a white cloak trimmed in rectangles over a purple tunic and white pants. Countless trinkets and jewelry hung from his ears and were integrated into his long black hair, which flowed down past his shoulders. He smiled to her.

Immediately Peorth fell to her knees. "I have come, as you have summoned."

"Rise," replied the Daitenkaicho as he walked past her, tapping her on the shoulder as he passed.

Peorth did as instructed and followed the man to his desk, watching in fascination as he, instead of going around and sitting in his chair on the other side, sat in one of the two chairs in front of it. He crossed his legs and made himself comfortable, then gestured for the rose goddess to sit in the other.

"Tell me how your assignment went."

The rose goddess tensed up as she sat. Seeing Tyr sitting so casually in front of her was unnerving, to say the least. She flexed her hands several times to relieve the tension before finally replying. "I have failed."

Tyr's expression did not waiver in the slightest, further unnerving the rose goddess. "Explain yourself."

Peorth took a deep breath. "I… pushed Belldandy and Keiichi too hard. Belldandy was clearly not ready for their relationship to move beyond where it was when I descended, and as a result she nearly killed Keiichi in the process. If it were not for Skuld and Urd's quick actions, he would not have survived."

The elder god nodded at this. What that meant, though, she could not guess.

Then he laughed.

Peorth stared at the man in surprise as he composed himself. The black haired god leaned forward, reached out, and took Peorth's hand in his own. "You have not failed. All that has transpired has happened as I have foreseen it."

"W-what?" The rose goddess had to resist the urge to jerk her hand out of Tyr's grasp. "What do you mean, as you have foreseen it?" demanded the goddess, forgetting for a moment whom she was addressing. She was about to respond again to correct her grave breach in protocol, but Tyr waved her off with his prosthetic hand.

"I sent you there to help my daughter, and you have accomplished that goal."

"But- but I caused an incident that alienated the two of them! She almost killed him and I was responsible for that happening!" Tears were starting to fall as she confessed her perceived sins. If it weren't for the fact that Tyr was holding one of her hands, she would have buried her face in them, too ashamed to show herself to the god.

"Belldandy needed a push," replied Tyr. "I sent you to be the butterfly that caused a typhoon, and in that task, you performed admirably. Let me show you how things would have progressed had it not been for your intervention."

Without any warning, visions began forming in Peorth's mind. In them, she saw Keiichi and Belldandy sitting on the pink couch. She knew from watching them before she descended that they did that on a very regular basis, either watching the small screen on his phone, or the larger one on the other side of the room. There was one significant difference, though. In the vision provided her, they were sitting on opposite ends of the couch. Before, they were always touching, always interacting. All of that was absent. It did not take a love goddess to tell that the love was missing.

Those images faded out, replaced by Belldandy and Urd. The younger goddess was kneeling on the floor crying, anguished over something. Her older sister was kneeling down behind her, a hand on Belldandy's back trying desperately to comfort her. "She's gone, I can no longer feel her, no longer call to her!" Peorth instantly realized the almond haired goddess was talking about her angel, Holy Bell.

Again, the vision shifted. Again, she saw an image of Belldandy crying. She was sitting at the dining room table with her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry Keiichi, I- I just c- can't," she sobbed. A frustrated Keiichi, whom Peorth realized was next to her, stood and walked away.

Her perception shifted again, this time to Keiichi's bedroom. There were two forms in the bed. Peorth immediately recognized Keiichi, then gasped at who was there with him.

It was Urd.

The rose goddess jerked her hand out of Tyr's hand. "Oh Yggdrasil!" she screamed in anguish. "Please my lord, tell me these things will not come to pass!" Her voice was pleading.

Tyr smiled at Peorth. "They will not. Not after what you have accomplished. In fact, you succeeded beyond what I was expecting, and for that you are to be commended. Even I did not realize that Belldandy's angel was in such a state. Many gods just do not fully understand the relationship between them and their other selves. By finally drawing out Holy Bell, the focused help that Belldandy needs can now be provided." Tyr stood, and Peorth could only sit and watch. He placed his hand upon her head and smiled. "You have provided a great service to my family, and for that, you have my gratitude. As a reward to ease your suffering, I shall now give you a glimpse of what may now come to pass because of your actions."

Peorth blinked, then saw. Unlike before, where the visions were strong and vivid, these were but fleeting images.

She saw Belldandy and Keiichi sitting together on what appeared to be one of the mortals' flying craft. They were holding hands.

She saw Belldandy holding a distraught Keiichi. What brought him to that state, she could not tell. But Belldandy was there, providing him the comfort he needed.

She saw Belldandy and Keiichi lost in each other's eyes as they made love.

As Tyr's hand left Peorth's head, the rose goddess felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her. She smiled, overjoyed by what she had seen. But there was still an undercurrent of sadness, though. The Daitenkaicho was quick to pick up on it. "Something troubles you?"

Peorth shook her head, but not in denial. "It is private, and certainly not appropriate to speak of it here in your presence."

"Yet speak of it you shall. Let there be no secrets between us today."

She took a deep cleansing breath. "I am most grateful that my actions have been instrumental in helping Belldandy..." Peorth trailed off.

Tyr motioned for her to continue. "But…" he supplied to her as a prompt.

"Urd has feelings for Keiichi," Peorth continued. "I have seen it, and what you showed me is proof of what could have come had I not interfered." She bit her lip, wondering if it was her place to question the Daitenkaicho, and Urd's father none the less, on matters pertaining to the elder Norn. She braved it anyways. "What of her?"

The Daitenkaicho had been understanding of her this far, and despite her... issues with Urd, the rose goddess recognized how deep those feeling ran for Keiichi. Like oceans. Like the deep abyss of Tehome itself. That was the depth of love she'd seen in Urd's eyes whenever the Norn looked towards the strange mortal who had so infatuated her sister. And to deny that love... that piece of her...

Tyr was silent for a long time. Peorth began to worry she'd asked too much.

The man sighed. "Urd has her own path she must walk, and it will not be an easy one for her." He looked up to the painting of his wife and children, and his expression was sad. Mournful, even. "Her path is not as clear to me as Belldandy's, and because of that, I will not speak more on the subject." He looked back to Peorth. "Instead take solace in that you have restored Belldandy and Keiichi to a path that will bring them happiness. There are still many trials to come, that much is certain. But now they can face them in a way that will assure their success."

Peorth nodded and finished Tyr's thought for him. "Together."