Title: Warrior Goddess Belldandy
Author: Gunner (admin@elizar.com)
Basis: Ah! My Goddess, Warrior Nun Areala
Protagonist(s): Keiichi, Megumi, Belldandy
Antagonist(s): Marller, Senbei
Synopsis: A much darker alternate reality to the AMG universe.
Setup: World War III occurred twenty years ago, and the planet is littered with apocalyptic cities and marauding gangs. Rather than being a college student studying technology and skilled with vehicles, Keiichi Morisato is a master craftsman gunsmith skilled in gunplay. Perhaps even more altering: Heaven and Hell are actively at war, long abandoning the "Doublet System" that prevented open conflict. And like all wars between deities: it's not a conquest of territories, but of souls...


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Chapter Notes: This chapter is nearly identical to the original, though there are slight changes to the continuality. They're small ones, but allude to things that won't happen until late in the story. I've also lengthened the fight sequences, since people wanted more violence. Its not senseless violence however (quit your whining): it better illustrates each character's fighting technique. Blame it on playing too much Soul Caliber 2 and watching the Blade movies. If you read the original chapters one thru four, you can skip this. You aren't missing anything too special...


+++++++++++++


Cold. Dark. Raining. And sitting alone atop the highest structure of an abandoned amusement park was Demon First Class, Unlimited, Marller.

Marller loathed the Earth Plane. Having a corporeal body restricted her nigh omnipotent powers considerably, but more importantly, it made her mortal. The thought was not a pleasant one, but considering the importance of her new assignment, it was well worth the risks.

The howling of a thousand souls broke the eerie silence of cascading rain.

"Patience, Agony." Marller cooed her twice damned bladed battleaxe into reassurance. It had been days since the demonic weapon drank the blood of an innocent, and longed in ravenous thirst.

"I promise you the soul of a human touched by a Goddess. Soon your voice shall wail with a thousand and one."

A grim smile creased Marller's dark beauty.

"But first we wait for his guardian to be. I have... unfinished business with her..."

+++++++++++++

Morisato Keiichi cursed whomever's gods were listening. It never failed to pour when he walked to the junkyards, and tonight was especially drowning.

Turning down a shadowy alley for a shortcut, he double-checked his worn trench coat for his firearms: Keima and Takano. They were custom built by Keiichi himself, and temperamental in the hands of anyone else, save perhaps his younger sister, Megumi.

Megumi. She was home alone.

Keiichi changed his pace from a brisk walk to a moderate jog. Japan became a dangerous place after the Third World War. Yet one of the greatest postwar horrors, the dramatic decrease in the birth of baby girls, made it perilous to be female. In her defense, Megumi was quick and resourceful, but she had grown severely ill the last several days. Keiichi shuttered at the thought of their home being broken into, and hurried as fast as his legs could carry him.

+++++++++++++

Belldandy, Goddess First Class, Unlimited, emerged from a cracked bedroom mirror. Her unlit surroundings immediately conveying she was still too early for her 'counseling session.' Taking full measure of the room, Belldandy smiled as she realized whom she would meet in a matter of minutes: the one who saved her life as a child; the one who won her heart from that moment on.

Gripping the hilts of her dual holy swords, Compassion and Mercy, in the decorative scabbards that held them, Belldandy strengthened her resolve. She would not lose his soul to whomever Hell sent to challenge Heaven's claim - she could not lose his soul.

And for the first time in her life, Belldandy knew she would kill to keep it for herself...

+++++++++++++

Keiichi slowly slid open the door, careful in avoiding activation of the house alarms. House. Calling their 'hole in the wall' an actual home was only wishful thinking. It was more akin to a hovel than a house. Nonetheless, the place didn't leak, was warm in the winter, and easy to defend, so there wasn't too much he or his sister could complain about.

Walking past Megumi's room, Keiichi looked inside to ensure she was all right. Though her breathing was congested, it signified she was alive, and the soothing medicine incense burned strongly. Megumi coughed lightly several times before turning over. Keiichi could only smile. She was strong, that was for sure.

A split moment before entering his own room, Keiichi caught the faint scent of gentle perfume. Instinct instantly took over as he drew his guns in one fluid motion, taking an offensive stance in the door's wooden frame to make use of it as a barrier against an attack. Megumi never wore perfume.

In less than a second his adrenaline boosted senses adjusted to the darkness, training his hands upon the humanoid figure sitting at the base of his sleeping mat. The figure slowly looked up at him.

"Good evening, Morisato Keiichi~san."

The woman's voice had the sound of an angel, almost luring Keiichi into a sense of false security. The fact that the stranger knew his name however, drew him back into reality.

"Who the hell are you, how do you know my name, and why shouldn't I send you six feet under?"

The figure remained silent, as if seriously pondering the series of questions he threw at her. Without moving in the slightest, she answered back in the same alluring tone.

"I'm Belldandy, Goddess First Class, Unlimited. I know your name because Yggdrasil has a record of you on file. But why would you want to send me six feet under?"

Keiichi considered firing a warning shot across the stranger for playing ridiculous games, but decided against it at the last second. Gunfire would wake and startle Megumi. Keeping one gun trained on his target, Keiichi slowly moved his second hand along the wall to turn the dial controlling the gas lamp that lit the room. He did so slowly to keep his vision adjusted.

And the most beautiful woman he ever saw stared back at him with piercing deep blue eyes. She smiled before continuing, realizing that Keiichi was too stunned in answering her inquiry.

"I've been sent from the Relief Goddess Office to grant you anything your heart desires, but I can only grant you one wish." For emphasis, she raised one finger before her.

Keiichi stood motionless for nearly a full minute, processing everything he saw and heard. Almost as suddenly as he initially drew them, Keiichi returned his guns to the hidden holsters within his coat. Then he laughed.

Belldandy's cheerful expression changed into curiosity.

"What's so funny?"

Keiichi couldn't control himself. It never dawned on him that Tamiya and Ootaki were so desperate to keep his services exclusive.

"I get it," Keiichi tried his best to suppress the laughter, "you were sent by the Nakomi Gang. How much did they pay you? For a woman of your beauty, it must have been incredibly expensive!"

+++++++++++++

Belldandy was seriously confused. She had no idea of whom Keiichi~san spoke of or what he implied she was hired for. It would have been so much easier to read his mind with her powers, but such action would be rude. Instead, she patiently waited until he stopped laughing, and then proceeded to ask him for the answer.

"I don't understand. I wasn't hired by anyone."

Keiichi~san stared at her for a moment, as if she was insane, then changed back to his normal outgoing expression.

"Look. Belldandy was it? You can go back and tell Tamiya and Ootaki that I'm not going to lease my services to any rival gangs. The Nakomi have done a lot for Megumi and me, and I'm not about to turn my back on them now. I renew the agreement. I still work for Nakomi and only Nakomi. You can go home; I'm not interested."

Slowly, Belldandy returned to her feet, considering how to continue the meeting. Things had grown more chaotic than she anticipated; but perhaps more importantly, Belldandy knew Keiichi~san didn't remember her. The truth of the situation tore her apart. Holding back her emotions, hiding behind a shield of false happiness, Belldandy focused on completing her mission: to win Keiichi~san's soul. Perhaps in Heaven he would remember. Belldandy could only pray.

+++++++++++++

"I am a Goddess."

Keiichi silently watched as the exquisite vision of a woman lifted herself up. Looking her over, he saw that she was dressed in an intricate gown of blue and white, and wore two angelic styled swords at her side. Was she some kind of sadist? It would fit Tamiya's eccentric sense of humor. Her hair was a shimmering light brown, and her features betrayed European decent, yet the three bluish-purple tattoo markings on her face suggested Indian upbringing.

She was a goddess Keiichi spoke to himself.

A thought then crossed Keiichi's mind. What harm would it do to play the woman's game for a second more? Why not just humor the both of them?

"Alright then," Keiichi grinned mischievously, "I'm ready to make my wish."

Belldandy's expression lit in delight.

"I wish a girl like you would be my girlfriend forever!"

Blinking in surprise, Belldandy took a few steps backward. Her expression grew distant for a moment, and then her back arched suddenly and a brilliant beam of light shot out of the tattoo in her forehead.

Keiichi was bewildered. It didn't help that the woman was now floating two feet in the air, and his things were spinning around the room. He decided that at this point, it would be in his best interest to pass out.

+++++++++++++

Marller witnessed a blue pillar of light shine from the surface and pierce into the Heavens. She knowingly smiled as her infernal battleaxe cried out in starvation.

"Now we go, Agony. With her power exhausted from granting his wish, Belldandy won't be a threat anymore..." The demon chucked menacingly as she floated into the air, "... and knowing her, she won't collect his soul until after the wish is granted."

Her data link with Yggdrasil complete; Belldandy eased herself back to the ground. Granting wishes took a tremendous toll on a Goddess, and she felt a rush of weakness surge through her body as she touched the wooden floor. She would need to rest soon.

Belldandy suddenly opened her eyes as she caught the sound of a gun being armed.

"Kei-chan! What have you done to Kei-chan!?"

Standing in the doorway was a trembling, ill woman who bore many striking resemblances to Keiichi~san. In her hands was heavy, large caliber handgun; a weapon she was struggling to keep from dropping in her delirium.

Belldandy noticed that Keiichi~san was now unconscious, resting against the wall. The young woman, whom Belldandy assumed was his sister, gently squeezed her firearm's trigger, slowly drawing the firing hammer into its deadly position.

"Oh my! He must have fainted. I can help him if..."

"Faint? Faint from what? You? Bullshit! Tell me what you did to him, or by the gods I swear it, you'll have worms eating your intestines before the night is over!" For emphasis, the girl pointed her gun closer to Belldandy's head.

Then there was a deafening explosion.

+++++++++++++

Marller laughed maniacally as she unleashed a blast of demonic lightening at the sorry excuse for a hovel her 'future client' dwelled in. Belldandy and the boy were inside, but perhaps more importantly, so was Megumi. Clutching Agony in her right hand, Marller floated through the gaping hole she was responsible for, keeping her senses alert for surprises. It took no effort in finding the targets; they were all collected directly in front of her.

"Belldandy! I, Marller, declare the souls of Morisato Keiichi and Morisato Megumi for Hell. Whatever contract you've made shall be annulled. You may withdraw without bloodshed, but only if you relinquish Heaven's claim willingly. Failure to do so will result in... a difficult situation."

As the dust settled, Marller allowed herself a grin of pride. She knew Belldandy couldn't sense her approach after using so much power in granting Keiichi's wish. It was an ingenuous plan. Mistress Hild would be proud.

The sense of self-gratification ended when she saw Belldandy prone body on the ground. What was the point in gloating if the other party wasn't listening?

"Oy! Belldandy! Are you awake?"

Marller slowly floated over Belldandy, unleashing a blast of energy into her body. Nothing.

"Damn. I suppose that means you die without seeing the face of your executioner. A shame. But perhaps I'll get some satisfaction from telling Urd about your pathetic death."

Marller swiftly heaved her battleaxe above her head, the weapon already trembling with delight in her hands.

"Drink well, Agony! For tonight you feast!"

The one thousand souls of Agony screamed in unison as the weapon arced towards Belldandy, relishing that another would soon join them. The howling shriek shifted to one of hatred and frustration as a rapid series of impacts against the flat of its blade shifted the fatal course onto the wooden floor next to the Goddess; chunks of timber flying in all directions. Agony had been denied.

+++++++++++++

"No one is killing anyone in my house but me."

Keiichi slowly lifted himself from the ground, suddenly awoken just seconds ago by a crack of deafening thunder.

Keima and Takano were in his hands, their twin barrels smoking, having unleashed a barrage of shells against the intricate bladed museum piece in the newly arrived stranger's possession.

Before Keiichi could blink, the woman lunged towards him with revulsion in her eyes, swinging her weapon towards his head. Keiichi heard the voice of hundreds damn his name, barely dropping to his knees in time to avoid the lethal swing. Was it the axe?

Giving into his instincts, Keiichi released the anger of Keima and Takano towards the ceiling of his ruined home, never removing his eyes from the stranger. The gunfire produced an avalanche of debris to cascade atop the opponent's head; distracting her sufficiently enough to allow Keiichi movement into a better position.

Now on his feet, Keiichi ran towards the wall, using the momentum to 'walk' against it. His new vantage point gave him a clear shot at the woman's hands, upon which he rained a hail of bullets with pinpoint accuracy.

Nothing happened.

Landing on the ground, Keiichi noticed the stranger sneering before swinging her weapon towards his trunk, obviously detesting his seemingly futile effort in stopping her. But Keiichi had her full attention, and that was the most important thing on his mind at the moment. Switching his fighting stance into a defensive crouch, the battleaxe scarcely whistled over his head, taking several blades of hair with it.

Reloading Keima and Takano with fresh clips on ammunition from his coat pockets, Keiichi took advantage of his opponent's break in momentum, placing himself body against body, his arms propped under hers. The woman was stunned in sudden surprise.

She was beautiful in a sinister way. Exceptionally beautiful.

Before she broke out of her confusion, Keiichi bent his arms towards the ceiling while twisting his wrists back to aim his guns against the base of the woman's neck, then fired a set of uranium depleted shells. As Keiichi expected, her head didn't explode in a cloud of skull and brain matter, but it reeled forward in an awkward position that should have broke her neck. Instead she only screamed and dropped her massive weapon.

She could feel pain.

Forming a new plan of action in his head, Keiichi spun around the stranger as if was a rooted tree, dodging her sloppy attempt at grappling him, then took a step forward, turned around, and unleashed another set of rounds at the woman's spinal column. She fell straight to the ground.

Taking another look around the room, he noted that Megumi and Belldandy were absent.

He was ready.

+++++++++++++

Marller cursed herself for underestimating the mortal who evaded her with frightening ease. Not only was he agile, he handled human weapons with enviable mastery. More importantly: his attacks hurt. He knew exactly where to hit.

Struggling from the ground, Marller reached out to grasp Agony in her hands, then decided to take the fight to the next level: she would see how he measured against a flying target. The enraged demon turned to face her opponent.

He was smiling...

Marller immediately scanned the room around her and noted that Belldandy was gone. Megumi.

Turning back, Marller caught Keiichi standing before the entrance she made. He lifted one of his guns towards the roof and squeezed the trigger.

In a moment of panic, the demon raised her eyes to see what Keiichi was casually aiming for. Her eyes widened as she saw it: a gas lamp. How stupid could she have been!

Before becoming engulfed in a blaze of fire, Marller heard Agony scream in maddening hunger.

+++++++++++++

The explosion emanating from her home threw Megumi forward. Or rather, what used to be her home; the lean-to was nothing more than a burning collection of lumber and cinders.

Kei-chan!

With every remaining ounce of strength in her ill stricken body, Megumi fought to remain wake, using the cold rain as a medium of focus. She turned her head slightly to her right, seeing the unmoving body of the woman barely dragged with her.

'Why did I bother to save her?' Megumi's thoughts went unanswered. 'I should have stayed and helped Kei-chan.'

Megumi slowly lifted herself from the ground, shaking from the chill of the weather and her sickness. She crawled forward to reach her gun, then after seeing it was unharmed, grasped it in her right hand.

Suddenly, the world went spinning - she was losing her battle to remaining conscious. Tears gradually swelled in Megumi's eyes: tears of anger against her self-weakness, and tears of fright for the unknown condition of her brother. Before collapsing back upon the ground, Megumi whispered an apology to her brother.

Then everything went black.

+++++++++++++

Marller emerged from the burning wreckage that surrounded her. Though the gas explosion didn't kill the demon, nor leave any permanent damage, it was painful. Excruciatingly painful. Yet when she saw how the troublesome Keiichi fared, her pains became muffled by childish glee.

The boy was still alive, but covered in burns and his own blood. While he was spared from the worst of the explosion by being thrown out the broken wall Marller had produced earlier, Keiichi was only mortal, and suffered from severe injuries.

Slowly floating towards Keiichi, with Agongy wailing angrily in her hand, Marller grinned with certain satisfaction. He was awake to witness his own death.

"Its over boy. I must admit, never has any human given me so much trouble, and for that honor I shall reward you personally."

Marller levitated Keiichi's broken body into a semi-standing position, his feet hovering several inches above the ground. He groaned in excruciating pain as the demon squeezed his injured form, recognizing the internal bleeding and shattered bones that caused them.

"At first, I was going to give your soul to Agony..." Marller smiled as she heard her sentient weapon scream in naked rage, realizing its master had new plans for the mortal, "...but now I'm going to devour it for myself."

Keiichi screamed as Marller began to rip his soul from its mortal shell; the physical manifestation of which appeared as nothing more than bluish glowing smoke. The wisps of soul-smoke turned away from the demon, attempting to return to the body it belonged within, but were gradually drawn into the tattoo like emblems on her forehead.

Marller gasped in reveled ecstasy. Never had she tasted a soul so sweet or pure...

+++++++++++++

Belldandy did more than hear Keiichi~san's scream: she felt it. Instantly revived from her coma state, Belldandy threw herself to her feet, withdrawing Compassion and Mercy from their scabbards. Though far from completely recovered, Belldandy felt a surge of second wind rush through her body, and flew as fast as she could muster to her beloved Keiichi~san.

+++++++++++++

"NO!"

A blast of kinetic energy knocked Keiichi from Marller's grasp as she heard a familiar voice scream in horror.

"How much!? How much of his soul did you take!? Answer me! How much!?"

Marller turned her attention to the Goddess who so defiantly took away her prize. Never had she seen Belldandy so emotional for a client before.

"Only a sample, Belldandy. It was so incredibly delightful; I couldn't but help and savor every moment. I've never tasted anything so delicious."

The demon drew into an offensive stance as she noticed Belldandy doing the same. Marller was taken aback as tears formed in the Goddess's eyes; exactly what was the relationship between her and Keiichi?

"Give it back! Give back what you took! Heaven help me! GIVE IT BACK NOW!"

Belldandy flew towards Marller with frightening speed, an assault that almost caught the demon unaware. Belldandy never attacked first.

Dodging the Goddess's lunge, Marller maneuvered herself away from Compassion and Mercy with the barest degree of success. Although Agony was a larger and heavier weapon, the fact remained that Belldandy wielded two blades, which gave her the advantage of more attacks in a shorter span of time.

Belldandy spun to meet her opponent's counterattack with perfect grace, swords crossed in an "X" technique that caught the battleaxe before it could cleave her in two. Repulsing the failed assault, the Goddess proceeded to twist her body in a motion that forced Marller into guiding her weapon towards the ground. Compassion drifted downwards with Agony, but not Mercy.

Marller flew back, releasing her grip of Agony simultaneously, to avoid Mercy's deadly arc. Now weaponless, the demon formed a sphere of energy within her hands, launching the blast of infernal lightning towards Belldandy. Upon seeing the Goddess leap back from the ranged assault, Marller dove forward, grasping Agony's hilt, hoping to use the momentum in keeping her opponent off guard.

Illuminate white feathers fluttered around Marller. Holy Bell.

A searing flash of light swiped the demon, throwing her aside like a proverbial rag doll. Belldandy had never used Holy Bell against her before. Regaining balance in mid-flight, Marller shifted into the sky, hoping the Goddess would follow in pursuit. Tasting the blood in her mouth, the demon knew she couldn't afford more mistakes or surprises.

Belldandy surged towards her target with alarming velocity, swords held in a cross formation, Holy Bell extending around her. Stopping only a handful of feet away from the demon, she lifted both blades above her head, then drove them towards the ground. A shockwave of white energy was created in the wake of that motion, hurling towards the demon at incredible speeds. Unable to dodge an attack so fast, Marller could only erect a barrier to halt the blast before her; the force of which threw her back in tremendous pain. She was losing.

"GIVE BACK KEIICHI~SAN HIS SOUL!"

Marller halted her hurtling and drifted towards the ground with a wobbling decent. As the demon's vision cleared, she noticed Belldandy matching her approach face to face. It took another second before she could hear what Belldandy was saying. It was a familiar chant: the Mantra of Unsealing. It suddenly dawned upon Marller that Belldandy was breaking her Limiter! Was she insane? What did Keiichi mean to her? Why was something like this happening?

For several seconds, Marller considered mimicking Belldandy's efforts, but then decided against it. The Goddess was too far ahead; she would never catch up in time.

Then a desperate idea crawled into the demon's mind.

Turning her back towards Belldandy, Marller held Agony to her side, readying her own version of Belldandy's ranged technique. Then, instead of aiming for the Goddess, threw a blast towards the location of Keiichi's unmoving body.

Belldandy watched in horror as a curve of blood red energy hurdled towards Keiichi. Without a second of hesitation, she stopped her chanting and flew at incredible speeds towards the ground, out racing the demon's attack a mere blink before it reached its intended target. Lacking the time to create a defensive barrier, Belldandy threw herself before the blast.

The Goddess fell.

Weakened, exhausted, and defeated, Marller did the same.

+++++++++++++

Marller awoke to the sound of a man screaming in anguish. She found herself lying on her back, strapped to a bed with crudely knotted ropes. Her head not quite as restricted, she made a quick scan of the room: it was hers.

"Konban-wa! Marller-sama, Senbei takes it you had a wild night, ne?"

Floating into her field of vision was a male who stood three inches high, clothed in loose fitting black leather, with long golden hair.

"Senbei, untie me this instant or I'll gut you alive!"

Senbei smiled impishly.

"Honto ni? Demo, Senbei though you were into this kind of thing, Marller-sama, being an Akurei and all."

Marller growled vindictively at her 'partner.' Seeing that she was genuinely growing irritated, Senbei proceed in untying the ropes he made; although at a pace to give the demon a chance to cool off.

"Where are Belldandy and the Morisato siblings?"

Stopping from his work, Senbei floated back into Marller's vision.

"Gomen. Senbei didn't have enough time to grab them too."

The demon screamed in rage.

"What do you mean, 'enough time!?' At least three of us were unconscious, and the girl was sick!"

Senbei slowly drifted in a motion than spun him upside-down.

"Ja, once Senbei got to the site of your chiisai scuffle, an army of minikui looking men was showing up. Senbei is not like Marller-sama; Senbei can be harmed by human weapons. Anata is lucky Senbei rescued her and brought Agony-kun along as well. Marller-sama karui ja nai desu ne?"

For several long minutes, Marller proceeded to hurl severe curses at Senbei, each profane word causing him to retie the knots he previously had undone.

"Where the hell were you anyways!? I could have used your help with the humans!"

"Senbei has more things to do that wait hand and foot on Marller-sama."

Marller calmed herself long enough to consider those words.

"Like what?"

A gargling scream, identical to the one that woke her, broke the silence. It was a scream the demon was most familiar with: one that could only be made if blood was drowning the throat.

Senbei smiled as he sat on the ropes around Marller's chest.

"Yare-yare. Making others unhappy, so Senbei can be happy."

+++++++++++++

Belldandy gently pushed away the wool sheets placed over her. Though her head and body ached from pain, she possessed enough strength to stand, searching the candlelit room as she did.

Keiichi~san!

With renewed vigor, Belldandy focused her eyesight to adjust in the darkness, quickly finding the door out. Rushing to it, she attempted to turn the knob, only to discover it was locked.

Belldandy closed her eyes, reaching for the spirit of the locks, and convinced them she meant no harm to the occupants of the home it was guarding. After a hesitant moment, the locks released their hold, and allowed the Goddess to exit. Belldandy whispered words of thanks before continuing.

Easing into the connecting passage, Belldandy noticed a half closed wooden door before her. Sensing a familiar but weakening aura, she cautiously pushed it open, and saw its source: Keiichi~san! Belldandy flew to his side, tenderly clutching his hands. He laid dying in a western-styled bed.

Tears streamed down the Goddess's cheeks, her mind lost in panic. It was her fault she thought: if only she hadn't fell unconscious after Marller's entrance; if only she had awoken before Marller stole a portion of his soul; if only she evacuated his body prior to her battle with the demon. So many mistakes...

Taking a breath of air to calm her nerves, Belldandy placed a hand over Keiichi's body, calling for a restoration spell she long remembered. It was a dangerous incantation, one that required a fraction of a Goddess's own life force to work properly, but Belldandy cared nothing for the risks: only Keiichi~san.

Bleeding stopped, bones knitted, burns vanished. The spell complete, Belldandy looked over her beloved Keiichi~san. He would live. Her expression of relief changed to sadness when she sensed the void in his soul; the portion that Marller stole. In spite of her near limitless power, there was nothing the Goddess could do to restore that: perhaps even Kamisama himself.

Kneeling and resting her head against Keiichi~san's chest, Belldandy quietly swore she would find Marller and retrieve his soul. The Goddess closed her eyes; with Keiichi~san next to her, she felt an inexpressible sense of security. After all these years, she was with him.

'Forever,' he wished. 'Forever.'

+++++++++++++

The crash of a metal tray unto a wooden floor awoke Keiichi from his slumber. Turning his head towards the sound, he saw Chihiro gapping with her mouth open. He then noticed a weighted object lying against his chest. After adjusting his neck to identify it, he immediately lost all train of thought: it was Belldandy.

"How? You were dying! I mean, you're alive now, but just a few hours ago..." Chihiro stood in complete shock, "...and how did she get out? That door was tripled locked!"

Keiichi smiled. So it wasn't a dream. He really did make that wish. She truly was a Goddess.

Megumi.

"Chihiro-san! Megumi? Where's Megumi?"

Chihiro didn't budge. She didn't move. It was as if she was looking at a ghost.

"She... her fever broke this morning... She'll be, okay."

Slowly yet steadily, Chihiro was regaining her lost composure. Keiichi didn't blame her. From what he heard, and how he felt just hours before, she was taking his miraculous recovery well.

A new question entered Keiichi's mind.

"How did I get here?"

"One of the Nakomi assigned to watch your house from rival gangs saw a huge explosion. When help got there, they found the three of you strewn around the place. Tamiya immediately had you brought to the safehouse. I changed that girl's clothes into something dry, put Megumi in my bed, and dressed your wounds as best I could."

Keiichi processed her statement word by word. Only three. What of the demon girl? He decided to not press the matter further, Chihiro had been through enough already, and mentioning that he fought a soul-sucking creature - to say nothing of the Goddess sleeping on him - wouldn't make things better.

Chihiro pointed towards Belldandy.

"Who is she?"

Taking another effort to look at the Goddess, Keiichi heard her whisper mumblings. She was dreaming. He briefly wondered what Goddesses dreamed of.

"My... I suppose she's..." Keiichi turned red at the thought, "...my girlfriend... She's my girlfriend."

And Belldandy continued to smile.


+++++++++++++


[ end of chapter one ]

CD Music Listened To While Writing Chapter: Guilty Gear XX: The Midnight Carnival - Discs One & Two


+++++++++++++


What follows is the Senbei dialog in full English:


Marller awoke to the sound of a man screaming in anguish. She found herself lying on her back, strapped to a bed with crudely knotted ropes. Her head not quite as restricted, she made a quick scan of the room: it was hers.

"Good evening! Lady Marller, Senbei takes it you had a wild night, huh?"

Floating into her field of vision was a male who stood three inches high, clothed in loose fitting black leather, with long golden hair.

"Senbei, untie me this instant or I'll gut you alive!"

Senbei smiled impishly.

"Really? But, Senbei though you were into this kind of thing, Lady Marller, being a Demon and all."

Marller growled vindictively at her 'partner.' Seeing that she was genuinely growing irritated, Senbei proceed in untying the ropes he made; although at a pace to give the demon a chance to cool off.

"Where are Belldandy and the Morisato siblings?"

Stopping from his work, Senbei floated back into Marller's vision.

"Sorry. Senbei didn't have enough time to grab them too."

The demon screamed in rage.

"What do you mean, 'enough time!?' At least three of us were unconscious, and the girl was sick!"

Senbei slowly drifted in a motion than spun him upside-down.

"Well, once I got to the site of your little scuffle, an army of ugly looking men was showing up. Senbei is not like Lady Marller; Senbei can be harmed by human weapons. You're lucky Senbei rescued her and brought Agony along as well. Lady Marller is not light, isn't she?"

For several long minutes, Marller proceeded to hurl severe curses at Senbei, each profane word causing him to retie the knots he previously had undone.

"Where the hell were you anyways!? I could have used your help with the humans!"

"Senbei has more things to do that wait hand and foot on Lady Marller."

Marller calmed herself long enough to consider those words.

"Like what?"

A gargling scream, identical to the one that woke her, broke the silence. It was a scream the demon was most familiar with: one that could only be made if blood was drowning the throat.

Senbei smiled as he sat on the ropes around Marller's chest.

"Same 'ole, same 'ole. Making others unhappy, so Senbei can be happy."