Title: Warrior Goddess Belldandy
Author: Gunner (admin@elizar.com)
Basis: Ah! My Goddess, Warrior Nun Areala
Protagonist(s): Keiichi, Megumi, Belldandy, Shiho, Chihiro, Hasegawa, Chrono, Ex, Era
Antagonist(s): Marller, Senbei, Welpser
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: Major alterations. Gone is the Urd introduction. I thought about it for awhile and concluded that its too early to start introducing her. That's why it was so shoddy the first time: I was in such a rush to throw her in. Another subtle but important change: Tayima and Ootaki don't die at the hands of Marller and Senbei. All I needed to do was remove the one sentence that stated it happened. Why? I've got a better plan for the pair. Last but not least, I'm introducing one of my favorite minor characters from the manga, and this individual delays the entry of Urd and Skuld. You get one hint: Belldandy didn't like the person for getting too near Keiichi.


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   You know her...

   Who?

   Belldandy...

   Of course I know her: she's my girlfriend.

   From your childhood...

   My childhood?

   She's not what she seems...

   What are you talking about?

   Belldandy...

   Who are you?

   You...

   Me?

   The part you've lost...

   My soul?

   Your innocence...

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   The same dream... Every night, the same damn dream...

   It had been three months since Belldandy showed Keiichi and Megumi the location of an out-of-the-way temple they could use for their new home. To be honest, Keiichi was surprised the place wasn't already occupied, given that anything and anywhere was used for shelter. Nonetheless, Keiichi never complained about a free offer and was very grateful to Belldandy for her assistance.

   That's when the dreams began.

   "Keiichi~san?"

   Keiichi, Megumi, and Belldandy were all seated in the family room of the temple, eating an always delicious breakfast Belldandy had prepared: or at the very least, Megumi was. Belldandy never seemed to eat anything except for an occasion piece of delicate chocolate, which didn't seem unusual, her being a Goddess.

   Keiichi however...

   "Keiichi~san?"

   What was going on? What did it mean? Why did it happen every night? Why did he always ask the same questions? Was it Marller? Was it self-doubt?

   "Keiichi~san, please speak to me. Is something wrong?"

   For the first time since sitting at the meal table, Keiichi looked up and noticed Belldandy staring intently at him. She wore a conventional light-blue dress, the length of which almost touched the ground when she stood. It revealed nothing, and was of the simplest designs, yet enhanced her beauty in ways words could not describe. Keiichi once commented it was his favorite, and Belldandy wore it as often as she could because of that.

   She always sat to the right of him; just like he always had that dream. Could that be part of the answer?

   Keiichi turned to his left and now noticed that Megumi had stopped eating her bowl of rice. She was still dressed in her pajamas - the set he gave for a birthday gift.

   Was there a connection? A favorite dress? A birthday gift?

   He could see his own reflection her eyes and the twinge of concern entering her soul. Her soul. His soul. What was Marller doing to his soul? What did demons do with a human's soul?

   "Kei-chan, you're freaking me out. Say something."

   Say something. That's what he's always tried to do in that dream: say something. But what? What was the question he could never ask? Why did Belldandy always wake him before he could? Was that part of the answer? Was she responsible for the questions? How was she connected to the dreams?

   His childhood. His lost soul. His lost innocence. She's not what she seems.

   Belldandy. He loved her. More than his own soul and innocence.

   Keiichi felt a sudden sense of lightheadedness and his vision immediately became blurred. He heard Belldandy scream his name. He heard Megumi crying. He heard the word blood. And then he heard no more.

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   You know her...

   Who?

   Belldandy...

   Of course I know her: she's my girlfriend.

   From your childhood...

   My childhood?

   She's not what she seems...

   What are you talking about?

   Belldandy...

   Who are you?

   You...

   Me?

   The part you've lost...

   My soul?

   Your innocence...

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

   Keiichi~san?

   And Keiichi woke.

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   A lone figure brushed its hand against a crumbling cinderblock, watching as the stone material eroded into gritty particles with an effortless touch.

   Someone lived here only months ago.

   Maneuvering around the now forgotten concrete cube, the individual picked up a charred painting of two people standing together in front of a fanciful water fountain: siblings from the looks of them. Tossing the portrait aside, the stranger crouched to the ground and noticed the shattered glass of a mirror scattered about. Several shards were twisted from intense heat; perhaps from the fire that created the surround ruin.

   There was something strange about the fragments... something the person was seeking... something supernatural.

   Turning around and retrieving the previously discarded canvas, the figure smiled knowingly. They would know the answers to her questions, whether they knew it or not...

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   Marller softly sat in a chair made of plush faux leather; the surrounding warehouse dripping in sickly suffocating moisture, watching as the morning sun reached into its afternoon zenith. The demon ran her unrestricted hand through the bulk of her soaking hair, elegantly licking the viscous liquid that permeated her hands from the act.

   Blood.

   "Sekushi! Moo sekushi, Marller-sama!"

   Senbei lifted himself from the red-caked uncarpeted cement floor, generating a nauseous peeling sound. His facial expressions betrayed the intoxicating sense of happiness he was feeling. The genie made several attempts to stand, but each time fell flat on his back like a drunken fool. After his third and final effort, Senbei peacefully giggled as he rolled to his side and eased into slumber.

   Marller found herself chucking from the entertaining show. Luck was defiantly changing in their favor.

   For the first time in weeks, the voice of Agony was silenced in satisfaction. The weapon teased, drank, and gorged upon the souls of dozens. The double bladed battleaxe rested wholesomely; the uppermost portion of its hilt whimsically held in its master's hand, the head of the weapon rocking soothingly upon the ground, producing a rhythmic grinding sound that echoed throughout the room.

   A muffled cry of suffering broke Marller's euphoria.

   Lifting her eyes to its source, the demon was all but shocked to see a victim still conscious. How durable these humans were. What was her name? Hasegawa? The childlike woman's flesh was exposed bare naked, with a gruesome laceration extending from the base of her neck down to her stomach revealing the inner organs that moved with life. Senbei was somehow keeping her alive, using his terrifying powers to turn her misery into his happiness.

   Gently placing Agony on the chair she had risen from, Marller floated across the scores of bodies strewn around her, some still alive, but most long dead. Reaching Hasegawa's prone form, the demon tenderly caressed her dry face: after crying for hours, she had no more tears to shed. Much to Marller's surprise, the mortal woman lasted far longer than the boisterous men of the ramshackle group she and Senbei slaughtered.

   "Hush now my little Hasegawa, very soon, all your suffering will end. You were the one who finally broke and revealed to me where my precious Morisato are, and for that I give you a special gift."

   Hasegawa winched as felt her wounds knit together, the miserable pain numbing away.

   "You get to live. Out of the hundreds I've killed today, you get to live."

   Marller grinned with grim pleasure.

   "May whatever gods you worship have mercy on your soul..."

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   This morning was the fourth time Keiichi had inexplicably fainted in the past three days, and the situation bothered him greatly. Since his encounter with that demon woman, Keiichi found himself suffering from random fainting spells and severe bouts of weakness: it was as if he suffered from anemia. Initially he believed it was a side effect of the near-death experience Belldandy miraculously saved him from, but now Keiichi wasn't so certain. It was as if an important part of him was missing, and the rest of his body couldn't cope with the loss.

   As a general rule, Belldandy and Megumi would never leave Keiichi unsupervised, or if they did, make sure he would stay in one location and not leave until one of them came back. In a small way it annoyed Keiichi to be treated as such, but he knew it was for his own good and really an indication of how much the two cared for him. That didn't make things feel better though...

   A heavy knock on the temple door broke Keiichi out of his deep thoughts.

   "Kei-chan, could you get that? Belldandy is showing me her cooking secrets."

   Keiichi grinned as he suppressed the urge to retort that his sister needed all the cooking tips she could get. Sitting up from his workbench, he grabbed Keima and Takano from their wall mounts, checked to ensure they were still loaded, and strode to the front door. Clearing his throat, he slowly pushed aside the temple sliding entrance.

   The stranger held both his hands unassuming in the air. It was a common greeting between people who didn't know each other; the visiting party proving they held no ill intent or trickery. It didn't help however that the person was wearing a bulky unbuttoned trench and masked in a head wrap.

   Keiichi pointed Keima towards the visitor, but attempted to gesture as non-aggressively as possible.

   "First take off your coat, slowly, then remove your head wrap just as innocent."

   The stranger lowered his arms and did as he was instructed, carefully sliding off the trench without any sudden moves. It was then that Keiichi noticed he wasn't a he at all: it was a woman. After she removed her head wrap, Keiichi couldn't help but notice she was very attractive.

   "May the Lord bless you and those who dwell in your home; my name is Sakakibara Shiho. Are you Mister Morisato?"

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   Chihiro stepped out of the Whirl Wind storage room carrying a chestnut case in her arms. Carefully placing the beautifully lacquered box on a glass display, she produced a key from her rear trouser pocket and proceeded to unlock the antique latch that kept its contents sealed.

   Hasegawa's unimpressed frown upset Chihiro.

   "Now you have to understand Sora-chan: Keima and Takano are two of three one-of-a-kind handguns. The only ones who could identically recreate them are Keiichi-kun, but that doesn't mean he's the only one who can craft weapons of superior quality."

   Lifting the case lid, she gently removed a red silk cloth and unveiled a matching set of silver chrome firearms, then proudly slid the box towards Hasegawa.

   "These two are of equal caliber to the first chambers of the Morisato weapons, but since are single barrel, possess greater range, more ammo capacity, and better stability. Of course being one of my designs, they have no trigger guard and safety, so your client has to be careful in not shooting off his own feet."

   Hasegawa grazed her fingers across the custom firearms before lifting the set into her hands.

   "Greater range you say?"

   Chihiro chuckled to herself.

   "You sound as if you're planning to gunfight Keiichi-kun."

   "And if I was?"

   "They would give you a slight advantage in terms of range and penetration power, but Keiichi-kun's guns can throw out more rounds, given the second chambers fire 9mm burst rounds. Not to mention that you'd be dealing with the legendary gunslinger himself."

   With an unreadable expression, Hasegawa returned the twin handguns to their resting beds and leisurely closed the lid.

   "I'll take them. Tayima-sempai and Ootaki-sempai will schedule reimbursement as normal."

   Clutching the box and placing it her under arms, Hasegawa abruptly headed out the Whirl Wind, leaving a slightly bewildered Chihiro running dozens of questions through her mind; one of which she couldn't leave unanswered.

   "Sora-chan, who am I selling those guns to?"

   Hasegawa stopped before stepping through the shop entrance and adjusted her glasses.

   "Me."

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   Belldandy silently listened as Keiichi~san and the newcomer, Sakakibara Shiho, traded stories. The young woman seemed entranced by his gun fighting exploits, and Keiichi~san was very interested of her accounts about the distant regions of Japan he never visited. Too entranced Belldanady thought. She laughed at his jokes and repeatedly praised moments he downplayed his feats.

   "Would you two like anything for desert? I still have the cake from this morning."

   Keiichi~san looked up and nodded in negative to Belldandy's offer, as did his new friend.

   A sound of shattering glass broke the ambiance.

   "What was that?"

   Keiichi~san lunged to his feet as Megumi-san rushed from out the kitchen, holding a set of kitchen knives she was in the middle of washing in one hand, their blades grasped between the knuckles of her soaking fingers.

   Shiho-san simply eyed Belldandy suspiciously; a perceptive look that bothered the Goddess.

   "Morisato-sama? If you don't mind me asking; how did you and Belldandy first meet?"

   Keiichi~san abruptly turned around, his face suddenly filled with an embarrassing shock.

   "I want to know too Kei-chan! It's like she just appeared out of thin air. Did you meet her while I was delirious, cause I've never saw her before then and you've always had terrible luck with women."

   Keiichi~san nearly vaulted to the floor. Belldandy monitored Shiho-san with greater attention.

   "Ummm... Shiho-san? Megumi? In case you two didn't notice, there might be someone creeping around the temple. Don't you think now isn't a good time to be asking questions like that?"

   Megumi-san placed the knives in her hands on the meal table as she sat down.

   "You're not weaseling your way out of this one that easily. There's no one out there. Probably a badger or something; my intuition is never wrong."

   "You came running out the kitchen like something was wrong."

   "Whatever. Tell us the story or I'll interrogate Belldandy instead."

   Megumi chaotically wiggled her fingers in front of Belldandy's eyes and gave a sinister smile.

   "I bet she wouldn't last thirty seconds under tickle torture."

   Before Keiichi~san could voice another word, Shiho-san abruptly stood and smiled at Belldandy, then turned to Keiichi~san.

   "You don't have to tell me Morisato-sama. I'm very sorry for nosing into your personal affair. God is in His heaven and all is right with the world after all..."

   For the briefest of moments, Belldandy eyed Shiho-san with a look of scorn. She didn't enjoy her company in the least.

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   Keiichi unfurled his sleeping bag in the temple passage, picking scraps of lint from its inner lining.

   "Are you sure you'll be alright Keiichi~san?"

   Tonight Keiichi gave his room up to their guest. Chihiro had informed him days prior that the legendary Sakakibara Shiho would be arriving. The reason for her visit still eluded Keiichi however; no one in the Nakomi claimed to have hired her, and she skillfully eluded all questions he presented. She seemed nice enough however, and he didn't want to send her off in the middle of the dangerous night: even if she was skilled mercenary. That didn't mean that he absolutely trusted her however. Sacrificing his room gave a distinct advantage: sleeping in the main hall meant Shiho couldn't wander around in the middle of the night without passing him first.

   "I'll be fine Belldandy. I've slept in far worst conditions. Just ask Megumi."

   Belldandy slightly nodded in reluctant acceptance then strayed into her room.

   Keiichi sighed. It was going to be a long night.

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

   You know her...

   Who?

   Belldandy...

   Of course I know her: she's my girlfriend.

   From your childhood...

   My childhood?

   She's not what she seems...

   What are you talking about?

   Belldandy...

   Who are you?

   You...

   Me?

   The part you've lost...

   My soul?

   Your innocence...

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

   Keiichi awoke to the sound of an unfamiliar giggle as the revelation of his blunder struck him.

   "I fell asleep!?"

   Promptly opening his eyes, he saw Shiho crouching over him, holding a bright burning candle. It was still night.

   "Like a rock. You were supposed to be watching me, eh?"

   It suddenly dawned on Keiichi that he spoke his slip-up aloud. Two mistakes in one night; what else could go wrong? Suddenly Shiho leaned closer, her eyes fixated on his, and for a brief moment, Keiichi turned several shades of red as he thought she was intending to kiss him.

   "Wha? Wait a minute... Shiho-san you can't..."

   "Lord have mercy!"

   Reaching out with her free hand, Shiho wiped one side of Keiichi's face, her hands smearing a sticky substance seeping from his tear ducts. Blood.

   "Morisato-sama, what's wrong with you?

   Not again. This always happened after that damn dream.

   "You've been having strange dreams, haven't you? Dreams of your innocence and your soul?"

   Her words shook Keiichi to the core. She knew. But how? Shiho look of concern inexplicably frightened Keiichi.

   "Please tell me the truth Morisato-sama? For your own salvation: is it Belldandy? Is she the one?"

   "I don't know."

   The words left Keiichi without him thinking. Why did he say that? He shuddered in trepidation. It was like a self-revelation.

   "Keiichi~san?"

   Shiho and Keiichi turned their heads suddenly towards the sound of Belldandy's voice. Keiichi nervously considered how long she stood there.

   "What's going on? Why is Shiho-san out of your room and here with you?"

   Shiho slowly backed away from Keiichi and stood to her full height. She eyed Belldandy with a hint of doubt behind the Goddess's concern.

   "I was thirsty, so I thought I'd get a cup of water from the kitchen storage; but that's not important, Keiichi is bleeding from his eyes."

   Belldandy rushed to Keiichi's side, crouching beside him and verifying Shiho's claim for herself. Seeing that it was true, she immediately began using her conservative nightgown to dab away the staining fluid. As she voiced a multitude of questions and distress, Keiichi thought back on the answer he gave to Shiho. Was she the one? He truly didn't know.

   And as Megumi exited her room in concern, awaken by the commotion in the hall, Shiho only stood in silence.

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   Chrono collapsed on her knees, dropping her beautifully crafted short sword, and breathed in rapid, heavy succession. She was so tired of fighting. The layers of blood soaked in her silk vestments marred the young Goddess's cherubic beauty, and fresh blade cuts were scattered across her face.

   Looking over her shoulder, Chrono noted that Era and Ex fared worst, both of them leaning against each other for support. Era had been critically wounded by the last demon she fought, and Ex shattered her weapon after executing a devastating technique to defeat an extraordinarily strong opponent. It was cruel irony that the last of them who could still fight was actually the weakest and least experienced.

   "Lady... Lady Peorth was right. Welsper... is..."

   Chrono shuttered at Era's half finished statement. Welsper. The Laughing Demon. The Goddess Slayer. The thought of facing him brought renewed vigor in the teenage Goddess, and she immediately jumped to her feet.

   "Then what are we waiting for! Let's hurry and get back with the others so we can return to Heaven!"

   Before Era or Ex could respond, the trio caught the sound of a child's dark laughter. It began distant, but quickly moved towards them.

   "Too late my lovely Goddesses..." the frightening voice was now all around them, "too late..."

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   Marller attentively watched as Hasegawa reentered the bloodstained warehouse the demon and her genie companion decorated in human entrails out of apathy and boredom. The lithe mortal woman carried a wooden box beneath her arms, and Marller smiled in knowing delight. They were now ready to claim what was rightfully hers by conquest.

   Clutching Agony's haft in nervous joy, she began to imagine the lavish rewards Mistress Hild would bestow upon her for such a successful accomplishment. She could hardly wait.

   And this time, she wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating Belldandy.

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[ end of chapter two ]

CD Music Listened To While Writing Chapter: Gundam Wing Endless Waltz


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Senbei's Japanese: "Sekushi! Moo sekushi, Marller-sama!"

English Translation: "Sexy! Really sexy, Lady Marller!"