Only Human
An Ah! My Goddess Fanfic
By Roehl Sybing (indef@infinitedeferral.com)
Chapter Eight: Look At Me Now
The test course was set up and waiting. The vehicle was rolled out to the start line. Spotters at various points beside the track were equipped with stopwatches and radios. Those in front of the clubhouse paced back and forth. They didn't appreciate the tense waiting. Perhaps Keiichi and Belldandy weren't ready. Maybe they didn't like how the final product turned out. What if they were inside, only thinking about calling the whole thing off?
"I'm sorry!" Sora cried once Chihiro shot her a look for making everyone else overly anxious, "I've never been this nervous before!"
"Well, keep it to yourself, if you please," Chihiro replied, "It does no good for your club!"
"But they should've been out here twenty minutes ago! There must be a problem."
"Alright, alright," the former club leader said, "I'll go check, okay?"
---
"I am not forbidding her to race. I simply think it is very unwise, in her present condition, to put her body under such stressful conditions."
"Well, I suppose so--"
"Keiichi! Are you going to stand up for me or what?"
"I'm sorry!"
Belldandy, standing in front of a mirror while preparing herself, persisted, "I've been through worse."
"Yes, you have, but--" the Assistant said before being cut off.
"And please don't talk about me as if I'm not in the room."
The Assistant with a stern look placed her hands on her hips, "From where did you pick up this attitude of yours? It is so unbecoming of you!"
Keiichi had remained silent, looking back and forth between the two, until that moment, "Look, perhaps we should--"
"It is NOT!" Belldandy shouted. Her voice shook the walls of the clubhouse and kept both Keiichi and the Assistant from responding in kind. "I'm sorry," she said, her tone returning to the usual calm, inviting demeanor, "I am not accustomed to having my judgement questioned in this manner."
"If I may say so, your judgement is clouded by your emotions," the Assistant said firmly.
"And I am so tired of hearing that! Why is it so dangerous to aspire to be human?"
"I would hardly call it an aspiration."
"Well, you are wrong."
"And humans don't possess the knowledge of the Heavens," the Assistant added, "You do. It is a gift that is earned at great sacrifice."
Belldandy walked up to the Assistant, trying to stare her down. She looked into her eyes, saying, "I don't accept that."
"It is not for you to accept. Humanity is not a trait for goddesses to wield, and your mistakes could be harmful to others and yourself. Even fatal."
She remained silent, unable right away to respond to such a remark. When she could, however, she stood beside Keiichi and held him. "If I die," she said, "At least I would have done so serving the one I love."
Keiichi looked at her with a sudden feeling of fondness, "Belldandy."
The door creaked open and the afternoon sun shone in, creating a silhouette in the shape of Chihiro, who stood in the doorway.
"I'm sorry," she said, "Am I interrupting anything."
"No, not at all!" Belldandy said cheerfully, jumping on the opportunity to break the conversation.
"Well, they're all waiting for you. And we DO have a race day after tomorrow, so--"
"Yes, of course," Keiichi replied, "We were just going over some things."
"Alright," Chihiro nodded, then looking in another direction, "I'm sorry, we haven't met, have we?"
The Assistant picked her head up, "No. No, we haven't."
"Where's my manners? I'm Chihiro, and you are--?"
She looked cautiously at Belldandy and Keiichi before trying to answer. "W-well," she stuttered, "I'm--"
"--One of Belldandy's old friends," Keiichi said.
"No, she's not."
"Belldandy!"
"I'm sorry, Keiichi, but she's not. Chihiro?" Belldandy said, beckoning Chihiro with a hand gesture to follow her out.
"Yeah, of course," she replied with bewilderment in her fading voice, "Hey, did you cut your hair?"
The Assistant watch them both go out the door, leaving her with Keiichi, who was picking up his gear on the way out.
"This could be on your hands, Keiichi," she said softly, "You have to help decide what's best for her. After all, you have more experience about being human."
Keiichi took one last look before heading out, "Perhaps. But I think she's doing pretty well on her own."
She followed him only to stand in the doorway and watch the two of them seat themselves in the vehicle in front of the clubhouse. Belldandy smiled at all of them before settling herself down in the rear seat, as Keiichi was being fed some last-minute pointers by fellow club members.
"We'll see, Keiichi," the Assistant mumbled to herself.
---
Even though it was a test run, the sound of the engine could not drown out those who were cheering for the club's two brightest racers, now giving it their all for the most important race on the calendar. Everyone in sight were jubilant, save for one man, the last spotter positioned at the finish line. He held his stopwatch firmly in his hand, paying no attention to the distraction at the nearby start line. The time on his device was the most important; it was determined that the official course could easily be run with a time of five minutes. If Keiichi and Belldandy were somehow unable to complete the test course under four-fifteen, they would not stand a chance against the rival clubs on race day.
For Keiichi, it was business as usual. Another practice for another race. It was more difficult than most, sure, but he had been here before, and it was always his way to put great confidence in those around him: his fellow club members responsible for building the machine, Chihiro and Belldandy's sisters, who were there for moral support, and, most of all, Belldandy. He had no doubts in Belldandy's ability to co-pilot the vehicle through the course. Before Keiichi lowered the visor on his helmet, he shot a look of determination and confidence at Belldandy.
She saw right through him. Not on purpose, of course. The sound of the engine drowned out all of her senses. The sight of Keiichi and the sound of cheering from everyone on the side bypassed her completely. It was the engine. Or the beating of her heart or the breath of trepidation from her lips or the weight of the expectations placed upon her. Belldandy wasn't sure, but her knees trembled nonetheless and a blank stare wore across her face as she settled into position.
"Start!"
In a flash, the vehicle and its two occupants took off in a hurry, with the noise of the eager participants fading in the distance. Keiichi blinked during the initial moments while picking up speed on the first straightaway. His judgement told him to be prudent with the acceleration; the course made it difficult from the start with the first sharp turn and a narrow opening through which to turn. Following this, a wide left and a right with an incline awaited. Keiichi took a deep breath. All he had to do was trust himself and Belldandy.
---
"Wow! Look at her go!" Skuld cried as she peered through a pair of binoculars. When the clubhouse crowd, with their unassisted sight, could not see them in the distance, they resorted to some very nervous clockwatching. Yet, Skuld remained energetic and boisterous, marveling at both the custom machine and its co-pilot, her sister. "Ooh, watch out!"
"What're you so bubbly about?" Urd asked her younger sister.
"I'm just paying attention to Belldandy. She's doing pretty well," she replied.
"Yeah, well, she shouldn't be out there to begin with," Urd mumbled.
Skuld put down her binoculars when the vehicle was out of sight and asked, "What's your problem?"
"My problem? Aren't you with me on...this?"
She thought about it for a second, and said simply, "I dunno."
"What do you mean, you don't know?"
"Well...look at her, you dummy! Isn't she happy? And if she's happy, I guess I'm happy. And I'm right here in case Keiichi tries to take advantage of her as usual, of course."
"That's hardly the point. She's being unreasonable!"
Skuld rolled her eyes, "Oh, like that's not someone else I know!"
The elder sister flinched and bit her lip. "Skuld, dear..." she began to say.
"And why are you so serious lately? You need to take it easy."
"I'm just worried, that's all."
"Well, don't be! It's not like you were before! Just leave it to me, I'll take care of her!"
Chihiro checked her watch. They had to be halfway through the course at this point, or else they would rather not show up in two days time. But she was confident that Keiichi and Belldandy would have a good first practice.
She tiptoed over to her guest, the third that was in the room before she popped in.
"So," she started, "How do you know Bell?"
The Assistant turned her head suddenly, not expecting to have to make conversation while she was wrapped up in intense brooding. "What?" she asked blankly.
"You know Belldandy from somewhere?"
"Yes. From work."
"Oh, really? What work did you do previously?"
The Assistant searched her own thoughts, looking for an answer. "Uh, well," she stuttered, "I don't know how to say it in your language."
"No kidding, could've fooled me," Chihiro joked, "You seem to speak pretty well!"
She leaned forward, "What are you trying to say about me?"
Startled by the Assistant, Chihiro put up her palms and slowly backed away, chuckling nervously.
"Base," the radio cackled, "Come in, please."
"Yes, spotter, what's your status?" Sora asked.
"I am not seeing them at turn sixteen. They have not passed me yet."
"What's wrong?" said Chihiro, now walking over to Sora.
"I don't know, he says that they didn't reach the checkpoint yet."
---
A group of five raced to Belldandy and Keiichi's last known position on the course, about half a kilometer from the clubhouse. First in sight was the vehicle, which had knocked over a few traffic cones that made up the course boundary. Skuld was the first to point to the two drivers, just starting to pick themselves up from behind the machine.
Slowly taking off his helmet, a disoriented Keiichi looked about him, and saw his friends quickly approach them. He lifted a hand in search of a hand up as they all passed him by.
"Sister! Are you all right?" Skuld questioned as Keiichi fell back onto the ground.
Belldandy lifted the visor on her helmet, "Unh...I'll be alright."
"What happened?" asked both Chihiro and Urd, a question visibly on the mind of the Assistant as well.
Keiichi leaned up against the vehicle, which had suffered very minor damage at first glance. "Just an unfortunate turn of events," he replied, "I wasn't careful eno--"
"Keiichi, please," Belldandy retorted, hanging her head, "It was my fault. I caused the spinout."
---
Sora and Chihiro looked over the machine back in the garage. There was no damage of consequence that couldn't be fixed right away in time for another practice run.
"They really went full blast with this machine."
"Yeah, they might've set an amazing time on their first run if they didn't overshoot the turn."
"Are they alright?" Sora asked the Assistant when she walked in the doorway.
"Belldandy will be just fine," she replied, "Just a couple of scrapes after hitting the road, but otherwise everything's alright."
Chihiro asked, "Well...what about Keiichi?"
The Assistant shifted her eyes, halfway dropping her jaw, saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't really pay too much attention to him."
Looking at her peculiarly, Chihiro folded her arms and walked past her. Into the clubhouse she went, where Belldandy applied a wet cloth to clean an exposed area of skin on Keiichi's arm.
"OW!" he shouted, "It hurts!"
"I'm sorry!" Belldandy cried, recoiling, "Are you alright?"
"Chihiro," Keiichi said upon her entrance, "How's the machine?"
She waved him off, replying, "It'll be fine, as long as you two are ready to go again."
The couple looked at each other, and just as Keiichi was eager to say that he could be out there in a heartbeat, he pulled back his response when the hesitance was clear on Belldandy's face. "Just...give us a couple of minutes, alright?"
After a moment, she nodded accordingly and left the room. The room remained silent as Belldandy stood up and moved two steps apart from Keiichi.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Her back turned to him, Belldandy looked out the window and gave a soft laugh. "Th-this--this isn't the roller coaster, is it?" she replied.
"No, it isn't," he said, holding his arm when approaching her.
"I could've seriously hurt you back there."
"This? Naw, it's nothing. That's what the gear is for."
"Keiichi," Belldandy said, turning to face him, "Please tell me the truth this time. It was me. I signaled you to go too fast because I thought I could make the turn. But I hesitated. It was my fault."
"Belldandy, it was just--"
"Say it, Keiichi!" she snapped before gently pulling back, "I ruined the practice run, didn't I?"
Keiichi paused to think over his words very carefully. He looked into her eyes, and saw them filled with guilt that he didn't think was warranted. "It's a practice run," he said firmly, "That's why we do it, so we get it right."
She turned away again, stepping away again. Flinging her arms about, she wondered aloud, "I used to be able to make the calculations in my head. Turn this way, turn that way, when to turn, how much to turn...and when to just do nothing. It was all so precise, so easy. And it was fun to do it because it was so easy. And now..."
Keiichi held her hands. They were shaking uncontrollably, and she hadn't noticed until he had gripped them.
"Now I'm just gasping for air, trying to keep up. It's so...frightening!"
Listening to Belldandy, he nodded understandably. He chose to lick his lips rather than bite his tongue, and suggested, "It's not too late. I could get another co-pilot if that's what you want. There're plenty of good--"
"No."
Keiichi looked up, "What?"
"I wanna do it," she said, half-determined.
"B-b-but I thought--" he stammered.
"I'll be more careful this time. I'll pay more attention to the road. I won't do it again. I want to get it right, just please don't drop me!"
With those words, she collapsed into Keiichi's arms. Why she thought she would need to beg, Keiichi would never know, because he had already made up his mind.
---
The sun was high in the air and just beginning to come back down. There was plenty of time to make up the lost ground from the initial, unexpected spinout that took some of the fight out of the club.
Keiichi settled back down into the vehicle rolled out for the second time that day. This time, the fanfare was somewhat subdued, though still confident and optimistic. He looked at his co-pilot, still shaking but determined to keep at it. This time, it was more about being deserving of the trust Keiichi put in her than it was finishing the course in good time.
One nodded, followed by the other. They had to finish the course. Not just that they were counting on each other, but that the whole club was counting on them.
As was the first time, the spotter at the end of the track adjacent to the start of the track kept a steady hand in possession of the stopwatch. He waited only for the word from Chihiro.
"Start!"
Off they went, and when they did, the cheering rose up again, as jubilant as the first time, if only to keep Keiichi and Belldandy in high spirits during those first moments when they were still in sight.
"So, c'mon," Chihiro said minutes after the fanfare died down, "What is it that you and Belldandy used to do?"
The words rung in the Assistant's ears. "'Used to'?" she thought to herself. She had to give a kind reply, and so it was, "We, uh, help people. People in need."
"Oh!" Chihiro said, "Well, that certainly explains a lot about Belldandy."
"Of course," the Assistant replied proudly.
"People in need...like the poor, the homeless?"
She nodded, "Yeah. People like that. And others, as well. Those who are deserving, I should say."
"Really. Well, that's a very noble cause."
"Nothing more worthy."
"I see, I see. So, anyways," Chihiro said again, "What brings you into town to see Belldandy for?"
The Assistant looked up, and then at Chihiro. She paused for a moment, and said, "I came to bring Belldandy back."
Her jaw dropped and she let out a gasp. "Y-you're here to bring back...really?"
"Yes," she said firmly, "What's wrong with that?"
"Well, nothing, I suppose," Chihiro said, searching for words, "I mean, it's just so sudden!"
"That's my plan," the Assistant said, right before stepping away.
She was still processing the news in her mind. Belldandy leaving? What a strange thought! Chihiro pondered it some more, not watching the time as closely as the rest of the club. If she had, she would have been as slightly distraught as the others.
An oblivious Chihiro waited at the finish line to greet the two contenders on their first complete practice run. Just as quickly as Belldandy and Keiichi pulled into sight, the two of them pulled the brakes just as soon as they crossed the line. Keiichi, darting upwards from his seat, hung his head. Belldandy was looking for words, but remained speechless. Chihiro was met by Skuld and Urd, but the three of them wondered what was the matter.
The spotter examined the time on his stopwatch. "Five twenty-seven," he said.
TO BE CONTINUED...
An Ah! My Goddess Fanfic
By Roehl Sybing (indef@infinitedeferral.com)
Chapter Eight: Look At Me Now
The test course was set up and waiting. The vehicle was rolled out to the start line. Spotters at various points beside the track were equipped with stopwatches and radios. Those in front of the clubhouse paced back and forth. They didn't appreciate the tense waiting. Perhaps Keiichi and Belldandy weren't ready. Maybe they didn't like how the final product turned out. What if they were inside, only thinking about calling the whole thing off?
"I'm sorry!" Sora cried once Chihiro shot her a look for making everyone else overly anxious, "I've never been this nervous before!"
"Well, keep it to yourself, if you please," Chihiro replied, "It does no good for your club!"
"But they should've been out here twenty minutes ago! There must be a problem."
"Alright, alright," the former club leader said, "I'll go check, okay?"
---
"I am not forbidding her to race. I simply think it is very unwise, in her present condition, to put her body under such stressful conditions."
"Well, I suppose so--"
"Keiichi! Are you going to stand up for me or what?"
"I'm sorry!"
Belldandy, standing in front of a mirror while preparing herself, persisted, "I've been through worse."
"Yes, you have, but--" the Assistant said before being cut off.
"And please don't talk about me as if I'm not in the room."
The Assistant with a stern look placed her hands on her hips, "From where did you pick up this attitude of yours? It is so unbecoming of you!"
Keiichi had remained silent, looking back and forth between the two, until that moment, "Look, perhaps we should--"
"It is NOT!" Belldandy shouted. Her voice shook the walls of the clubhouse and kept both Keiichi and the Assistant from responding in kind. "I'm sorry," she said, her tone returning to the usual calm, inviting demeanor, "I am not accustomed to having my judgement questioned in this manner."
"If I may say so, your judgement is clouded by your emotions," the Assistant said firmly.
"And I am so tired of hearing that! Why is it so dangerous to aspire to be human?"
"I would hardly call it an aspiration."
"Well, you are wrong."
"And humans don't possess the knowledge of the Heavens," the Assistant added, "You do. It is a gift that is earned at great sacrifice."
Belldandy walked up to the Assistant, trying to stare her down. She looked into her eyes, saying, "I don't accept that."
"It is not for you to accept. Humanity is not a trait for goddesses to wield, and your mistakes could be harmful to others and yourself. Even fatal."
She remained silent, unable right away to respond to such a remark. When she could, however, she stood beside Keiichi and held him. "If I die," she said, "At least I would have done so serving the one I love."
Keiichi looked at her with a sudden feeling of fondness, "Belldandy."
The door creaked open and the afternoon sun shone in, creating a silhouette in the shape of Chihiro, who stood in the doorway.
"I'm sorry," she said, "Am I interrupting anything."
"No, not at all!" Belldandy said cheerfully, jumping on the opportunity to break the conversation.
"Well, they're all waiting for you. And we DO have a race day after tomorrow, so--"
"Yes, of course," Keiichi replied, "We were just going over some things."
"Alright," Chihiro nodded, then looking in another direction, "I'm sorry, we haven't met, have we?"
The Assistant picked her head up, "No. No, we haven't."
"Where's my manners? I'm Chihiro, and you are--?"
She looked cautiously at Belldandy and Keiichi before trying to answer. "W-well," she stuttered, "I'm--"
"--One of Belldandy's old friends," Keiichi said.
"No, she's not."
"Belldandy!"
"I'm sorry, Keiichi, but she's not. Chihiro?" Belldandy said, beckoning Chihiro with a hand gesture to follow her out.
"Yeah, of course," she replied with bewilderment in her fading voice, "Hey, did you cut your hair?"
The Assistant watch them both go out the door, leaving her with Keiichi, who was picking up his gear on the way out.
"This could be on your hands, Keiichi," she said softly, "You have to help decide what's best for her. After all, you have more experience about being human."
Keiichi took one last look before heading out, "Perhaps. But I think she's doing pretty well on her own."
She followed him only to stand in the doorway and watch the two of them seat themselves in the vehicle in front of the clubhouse. Belldandy smiled at all of them before settling herself down in the rear seat, as Keiichi was being fed some last-minute pointers by fellow club members.
"We'll see, Keiichi," the Assistant mumbled to herself.
---
Even though it was a test run, the sound of the engine could not drown out those who were cheering for the club's two brightest racers, now giving it their all for the most important race on the calendar. Everyone in sight were jubilant, save for one man, the last spotter positioned at the finish line. He held his stopwatch firmly in his hand, paying no attention to the distraction at the nearby start line. The time on his device was the most important; it was determined that the official course could easily be run with a time of five minutes. If Keiichi and Belldandy were somehow unable to complete the test course under four-fifteen, they would not stand a chance against the rival clubs on race day.
For Keiichi, it was business as usual. Another practice for another race. It was more difficult than most, sure, but he had been here before, and it was always his way to put great confidence in those around him: his fellow club members responsible for building the machine, Chihiro and Belldandy's sisters, who were there for moral support, and, most of all, Belldandy. He had no doubts in Belldandy's ability to co-pilot the vehicle through the course. Before Keiichi lowered the visor on his helmet, he shot a look of determination and confidence at Belldandy.
She saw right through him. Not on purpose, of course. The sound of the engine drowned out all of her senses. The sight of Keiichi and the sound of cheering from everyone on the side bypassed her completely. It was the engine. Or the beating of her heart or the breath of trepidation from her lips or the weight of the expectations placed upon her. Belldandy wasn't sure, but her knees trembled nonetheless and a blank stare wore across her face as she settled into position.
"Start!"
In a flash, the vehicle and its two occupants took off in a hurry, with the noise of the eager participants fading in the distance. Keiichi blinked during the initial moments while picking up speed on the first straightaway. His judgement told him to be prudent with the acceleration; the course made it difficult from the start with the first sharp turn and a narrow opening through which to turn. Following this, a wide left and a right with an incline awaited. Keiichi took a deep breath. All he had to do was trust himself and Belldandy.
---
"Wow! Look at her go!" Skuld cried as she peered through a pair of binoculars. When the clubhouse crowd, with their unassisted sight, could not see them in the distance, they resorted to some very nervous clockwatching. Yet, Skuld remained energetic and boisterous, marveling at both the custom machine and its co-pilot, her sister. "Ooh, watch out!"
"What're you so bubbly about?" Urd asked her younger sister.
"I'm just paying attention to Belldandy. She's doing pretty well," she replied.
"Yeah, well, she shouldn't be out there to begin with," Urd mumbled.
Skuld put down her binoculars when the vehicle was out of sight and asked, "What's your problem?"
"My problem? Aren't you with me on...this?"
She thought about it for a second, and said simply, "I dunno."
"What do you mean, you don't know?"
"Well...look at her, you dummy! Isn't she happy? And if she's happy, I guess I'm happy. And I'm right here in case Keiichi tries to take advantage of her as usual, of course."
"That's hardly the point. She's being unreasonable!"
Skuld rolled her eyes, "Oh, like that's not someone else I know!"
The elder sister flinched and bit her lip. "Skuld, dear..." she began to say.
"And why are you so serious lately? You need to take it easy."
"I'm just worried, that's all."
"Well, don't be! It's not like you were before! Just leave it to me, I'll take care of her!"
Chihiro checked her watch. They had to be halfway through the course at this point, or else they would rather not show up in two days time. But she was confident that Keiichi and Belldandy would have a good first practice.
She tiptoed over to her guest, the third that was in the room before she popped in.
"So," she started, "How do you know Bell?"
The Assistant turned her head suddenly, not expecting to have to make conversation while she was wrapped up in intense brooding. "What?" she asked blankly.
"You know Belldandy from somewhere?"
"Yes. From work."
"Oh, really? What work did you do previously?"
The Assistant searched her own thoughts, looking for an answer. "Uh, well," she stuttered, "I don't know how to say it in your language."
"No kidding, could've fooled me," Chihiro joked, "You seem to speak pretty well!"
She leaned forward, "What are you trying to say about me?"
Startled by the Assistant, Chihiro put up her palms and slowly backed away, chuckling nervously.
"Base," the radio cackled, "Come in, please."
"Yes, spotter, what's your status?" Sora asked.
"I am not seeing them at turn sixteen. They have not passed me yet."
"What's wrong?" said Chihiro, now walking over to Sora.
"I don't know, he says that they didn't reach the checkpoint yet."
---
A group of five raced to Belldandy and Keiichi's last known position on the course, about half a kilometer from the clubhouse. First in sight was the vehicle, which had knocked over a few traffic cones that made up the course boundary. Skuld was the first to point to the two drivers, just starting to pick themselves up from behind the machine.
Slowly taking off his helmet, a disoriented Keiichi looked about him, and saw his friends quickly approach them. He lifted a hand in search of a hand up as they all passed him by.
"Sister! Are you all right?" Skuld questioned as Keiichi fell back onto the ground.
Belldandy lifted the visor on her helmet, "Unh...I'll be alright."
"What happened?" asked both Chihiro and Urd, a question visibly on the mind of the Assistant as well.
Keiichi leaned up against the vehicle, which had suffered very minor damage at first glance. "Just an unfortunate turn of events," he replied, "I wasn't careful eno--"
"Keiichi, please," Belldandy retorted, hanging her head, "It was my fault. I caused the spinout."
---
Sora and Chihiro looked over the machine back in the garage. There was no damage of consequence that couldn't be fixed right away in time for another practice run.
"They really went full blast with this machine."
"Yeah, they might've set an amazing time on their first run if they didn't overshoot the turn."
"Are they alright?" Sora asked the Assistant when she walked in the doorway.
"Belldandy will be just fine," she replied, "Just a couple of scrapes after hitting the road, but otherwise everything's alright."
Chihiro asked, "Well...what about Keiichi?"
The Assistant shifted her eyes, halfway dropping her jaw, saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't really pay too much attention to him."
Looking at her peculiarly, Chihiro folded her arms and walked past her. Into the clubhouse she went, where Belldandy applied a wet cloth to clean an exposed area of skin on Keiichi's arm.
"OW!" he shouted, "It hurts!"
"I'm sorry!" Belldandy cried, recoiling, "Are you alright?"
"Chihiro," Keiichi said upon her entrance, "How's the machine?"
She waved him off, replying, "It'll be fine, as long as you two are ready to go again."
The couple looked at each other, and just as Keiichi was eager to say that he could be out there in a heartbeat, he pulled back his response when the hesitance was clear on Belldandy's face. "Just...give us a couple of minutes, alright?"
After a moment, she nodded accordingly and left the room. The room remained silent as Belldandy stood up and moved two steps apart from Keiichi.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Her back turned to him, Belldandy looked out the window and gave a soft laugh. "Th-this--this isn't the roller coaster, is it?" she replied.
"No, it isn't," he said, holding his arm when approaching her.
"I could've seriously hurt you back there."
"This? Naw, it's nothing. That's what the gear is for."
"Keiichi," Belldandy said, turning to face him, "Please tell me the truth this time. It was me. I signaled you to go too fast because I thought I could make the turn. But I hesitated. It was my fault."
"Belldandy, it was just--"
"Say it, Keiichi!" she snapped before gently pulling back, "I ruined the practice run, didn't I?"
Keiichi paused to think over his words very carefully. He looked into her eyes, and saw them filled with guilt that he didn't think was warranted. "It's a practice run," he said firmly, "That's why we do it, so we get it right."
She turned away again, stepping away again. Flinging her arms about, she wondered aloud, "I used to be able to make the calculations in my head. Turn this way, turn that way, when to turn, how much to turn...and when to just do nothing. It was all so precise, so easy. And it was fun to do it because it was so easy. And now..."
Keiichi held her hands. They were shaking uncontrollably, and she hadn't noticed until he had gripped them.
"Now I'm just gasping for air, trying to keep up. It's so...frightening!"
Listening to Belldandy, he nodded understandably. He chose to lick his lips rather than bite his tongue, and suggested, "It's not too late. I could get another co-pilot if that's what you want. There're plenty of good--"
"No."
Keiichi looked up, "What?"
"I wanna do it," she said, half-determined.
"B-b-but I thought--" he stammered.
"I'll be more careful this time. I'll pay more attention to the road. I won't do it again. I want to get it right, just please don't drop me!"
With those words, she collapsed into Keiichi's arms. Why she thought she would need to beg, Keiichi would never know, because he had already made up his mind.
---
The sun was high in the air and just beginning to come back down. There was plenty of time to make up the lost ground from the initial, unexpected spinout that took some of the fight out of the club.
Keiichi settled back down into the vehicle rolled out for the second time that day. This time, the fanfare was somewhat subdued, though still confident and optimistic. He looked at his co-pilot, still shaking but determined to keep at it. This time, it was more about being deserving of the trust Keiichi put in her than it was finishing the course in good time.
One nodded, followed by the other. They had to finish the course. Not just that they were counting on each other, but that the whole club was counting on them.
As was the first time, the spotter at the end of the track adjacent to the start of the track kept a steady hand in possession of the stopwatch. He waited only for the word from Chihiro.
"Start!"
Off they went, and when they did, the cheering rose up again, as jubilant as the first time, if only to keep Keiichi and Belldandy in high spirits during those first moments when they were still in sight.
"So, c'mon," Chihiro said minutes after the fanfare died down, "What is it that you and Belldandy used to do?"
The words rung in the Assistant's ears. "'Used to'?" she thought to herself. She had to give a kind reply, and so it was, "We, uh, help people. People in need."
"Oh!" Chihiro said, "Well, that certainly explains a lot about Belldandy."
"Of course," the Assistant replied proudly.
"People in need...like the poor, the homeless?"
She nodded, "Yeah. People like that. And others, as well. Those who are deserving, I should say."
"Really. Well, that's a very noble cause."
"Nothing more worthy."
"I see, I see. So, anyways," Chihiro said again, "What brings you into town to see Belldandy for?"
The Assistant looked up, and then at Chihiro. She paused for a moment, and said, "I came to bring Belldandy back."
Her jaw dropped and she let out a gasp. "Y-you're here to bring back...really?"
"Yes," she said firmly, "What's wrong with that?"
"Well, nothing, I suppose," Chihiro said, searching for words, "I mean, it's just so sudden!"
"That's my plan," the Assistant said, right before stepping away.
She was still processing the news in her mind. Belldandy leaving? What a strange thought! Chihiro pondered it some more, not watching the time as closely as the rest of the club. If she had, she would have been as slightly distraught as the others.
An oblivious Chihiro waited at the finish line to greet the two contenders on their first complete practice run. Just as quickly as Belldandy and Keiichi pulled into sight, the two of them pulled the brakes just as soon as they crossed the line. Keiichi, darting upwards from his seat, hung his head. Belldandy was looking for words, but remained speechless. Chihiro was met by Skuld and Urd, but the three of them wondered what was the matter.
The spotter examined the time on his stopwatch. "Five twenty-seven," he said.
TO BE CONTINUED...