Chapter 5
"Why me?"
Keiichi sat on the porch of the temple, looking at the pile of parts that lay before him. He looked up towards the heavens.
"Am I being punished for something?" he asked.
"Why are you even looking that way when you can ask us." said Urd, slightly irritated.
"Habit." replied Keiichi. He then looked over the pile of parts. "Looks like another all nighter."
"It's not that bad K." said Megumi, stepping outside. "The race isn't for another 2 days. We have plenty of time. Besides, you have help."
"That's right." said Urd, "You have me here to help."
Keiichi gave Urd a skeptical look. "Thanks Urd. If I want it to blow up, I know right where to look."
Before Urd could reply, Asuka entered the temple yard. She quickly went past them and into the house. The sound of a door slamming was then heard. Keiichi, Urd, and Megumi looked at each other confused.
"What was that about?" asked Megumi.
"I think we're about to find out." replied Urd as she spotted Skuld entering the yard.
When Skuld was close enough, Keiichi asked, "What happened to Asuka, Skuld?
Skuld ignored the question and pointed to the parts. "What's all this?"
"The Motor Club is going to be in a motorcycle race this weekend." replied Megumi, "So...in keeping with tradition..."
"I have to build the bike." finished Keiichi. "You want to help?"
Urd glared at Keiichi, "Wait a second. You don't want my help but you want the brat's?!"
"I AM NOT A BRAT YOU OLD HAG!" shouted Skuld.
Urd glared at Skuld, her eyes beginning to spark.
Keiichi quickly looked at Megumi. "Run. Now."
Both ran into the house. Within seconds the sounds of explosions could be heard coming from the yard. Megumi looked over at Keiichi.
"What are they doing? Throwing fireworks at each other?"
"Something like that." said Keiichi. He turned and headed towards the kitchen. Megumi followed behind him. Belldandy was quietly singing as she moved about preparing dinner.
"Bell?" said Keiichi, "Urd and Skuld are at it again."
"They are?" asked Belldandy, "They should be ok, they just need to blow off a little steam once in a while."
BOOM! The house shuddered under the blast.
"That's a little steam?" asked Megumi.
Belldandy quickly rushed out of the kitchen. Within seconds, the explosions had subsided. Belldandy reentered the house, pushing along a reluctant and annoyed Skuld.
"Really!" said Belldandy, "You two need to calm down. Your fights are becoming too destructive."
Keiichi let out a sigh, "What did they blow up now?"
"They left craters in the yard." replied Belldandy. Her face then got apologetic, "I think they hit a few of the boxes of parts as well."
Keiichi's eyes went wide, "THE MOTORCYCLE!!"
He quickly ran out, Megumi following right behind him.
Belldandy turned to see Skuld trying to sneak off.
"Hold it." said Belldandy, causing Skuld to freeze in place. "I'm not done with you. Tell me what happened today to Asuka."
"Asuka, Sayoko and I tracked down the bug to a park." said Skuld, "We chased it around. Sayoko almost had it when it got run over by a truck." Skuld let out a sigh. "Sayoko got very upset and disappeared, mumbling something about a broken promise. Asuka got mad and pulled something out of her pocket. It looked like she squeezed it a few times before she tossed it to the ground swearing in German. She then stormed off, mumbling something about being left alone." Skuld reached into her pocket. "I picked up the object, it's a Maxwell's Demon stone, but it's different from any I've seen." She placed the stone in Belldandy's hand.
Belldandy stared at the stone. "I've never seen one like this either. You said she squeezed it?"
"Yeah." Skuld thought for a second. "Didn't I read somewhere that a god was working on a way to use the demon stones as a way for mortals to signal a god?"
Belldandy nodded, "They intended to use it for special cases and emergencies. The idea was for the mortal to squeeze or manipulate the stone in a way to send the god a signal. I was looking into it for Keiichi, but it's still isn't ready yet and won't be for many years."
Skuld took the stone back, "I wonder if maybe this is how Asuka was getting ahold of Sayoko."
"Maybe." A thought then hit Belldandy. "Skuld, this Sayoko..... Does she have brown hair?"
Skuld began to pale a bit, "Umm Yeah."
"Blue Eyes?"
"Yeah.."
Belldandy knelt down and looked right into Skuld's eyes. "Does she look like me?"
Skuld began to fidget under Belldandy's gaze. "Well....you see...."
That was good enough answer for Belldandy. "Nevermind Skuld. Go help Keiichi. I'll let Asuka know you have her demon stone."
Skuld started to leave but then stopped and turned around. "Belldandy?"
"Yes Skuld?"
Skuld looked at the ground a second before looking at Belldandy's face.
"I just wanted to say....I may have been wrong about Keiichi. Maybe he is good for you."
Skuld then turned and quickly left the house. Belldandy stared in shock at the place Skuld had been standing. A smile crept across her face as Skuld's words finally sank in. She then remembered what she had to do, turned and headed towards Asuka's room.
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"Hand me that wrench would you Megumi?"
Megumi handed Keiichi the requested tool. "What do you think K? Will we get it ready in time?"
Keiichi looked at the assembled parts. "I think so. We have 2 days till the race. Barring any interference from the Sempais, we should be done for the race on Friday."
"That's good." said Urd from where she was sitting on the porch. "I still don't know how you stayed awake for that drag race."
Keiichi smiled, "Belldandy's tea."
"What kind of race is it anyway? Another drag race?"
Keiichi shook his head. "No. This one is a regular race on a course. First we qualify, then we race."
Skuld exited the temple at that point. Both she and Urd stared at each other for a few seconds before they turned away from each other. Skuld walked next to Keiichi and sat down.
"This is the cycle?" she asked.
Keiichi nodded and handed her the plans. "Tamiya drew up the plans but I don't know how accurate he was."
Skuld set the plans down on the ground and pulled out her calculator. She then began to write rapidly and typing on the calculator. Megumi tried to watch Skuld but quickly became lost. She walked over and sat down next to Urd on the porch.
"I knew Skuld was smart but wow!"
Urd narrowed her eyes at Megumi, "Don't let her hear you. We'll never hear the end of it."
Skuld quickly finished her computations and handed the revised plans to Keiichi.
"The frame is too weak." said Skuld, "We'll have to add extra support here, here and here." She pointed out the areas on the frame.
Keiichi nodded, "Thanks Skuld. We may actually get done faster now."
Keiichi went to the shed where he kept his bike and tools to get the equipment he would need to add the extra tubing to the frame. Skuld followed.
"Hey Keiichi?"
Keiichi continued to pull out the tools he would need.
"Yeah Skuld?"
"Do you really love my sister?"
Keiichi stopped what he was doing and turned to face Skuld.
"Say that again?"
"Do you love Belldandy?"
Keiichi leaned against his motorcycle.
"Skuld, you know I do. Every morning I wake up.....I think it all was a dream. But when I see her...." Keiichi voice trailed off. "No matter what has happened, I'm glad I made that wish. She is a wonderful and kind person. I don't know what I would do without her."
"But she's a goddess." said Skuld.
"I know she is Skuld. But when I look at her, I don't see a goddess. I see the woman I love."
Skuld was quiet for several seconds. "Keiichi, when I first came, you said we were all like a family. Do you still believe that?"
Keiichi nodded, "I do. More so now then before."
"Can you...." Skuld looked down at the ground, "Can you forgive a bratty kid like me for hating you?"
Keiichi smiled and grabbed Skuld in a hug. "Of course I can. And you're not a brat."
At first Skuld almost leaped out of Keiichi's grasp. However, she quickly released that Keiichi wouldn't hurt her, and she stared to feel safe in his arms. She raised her arms and returned the hug.
"Thank-you Keiichi." She said quietly.
"Don't mention it." replied Keiichi.
"Oooo This is so sweet....I think a diabetic just went into shock."
Keiichi and Skuld whirled about to see who had spoken.
"MARA!" they both shouted.
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Belldandy opened the door and peered in. The shades had been closed and the room was dark. Asuka lay curled up on the bed. Belldandy closed the door behind her and moved to sit down next to Asuka. If Asuka had noticed Belldandy, she made no sign that she had. It was almost as if Asuka was asleep, but Belldandy, being a goddess, knew better.
"Asuka, Skuld told me what happened to the bug."
Asuka made no reply.
"Don't worry Asuka. We'll help you to get home. In the meantime, you're welcome to stay with us."
Silence.
Belldandy sighed. "Asuka.......About Sayoko......"
"She left me."
Belldandy turned and looked at Asuka. "What?"
Asuka turned and faced Belldandy, her eyes red from crying. "She left me. My last friend that was still with me....and she left."
"I'm sure she had a good reason to vanish like...."
"She promised me she'd get me back to Shinji!" continued Asuka, ignoring Belldandy. "She promised! And now she's run off."
Suddenly a thought occurred in Belldandy's head. "Asuka, Who was Sayoko's teacher?"
"Huh?" asked Asuka, "What do you mean?"
"Who was Sayoko's teacher? Her goddess teacher?"
Asuka looked away. "I shouldn't be telling you this...."
"Please?" said Belldandy, "It might explain why she ran off."
Asuka looked at Belldandy for several seconds, before giving in. "She was taught by Skuld."
"And I have been training Skuld." said Belldandy, "One of the things I taught Skuld was that you must always try to keep your promises. Skuld is still learning and has to be careful what she says. If she makes a promise, it's just like a contract and she must obey it." Belldandy then got a sad look on her face. "Sayoko made a promise to you that she would get you home. When that bug was eliminated, She must have felt like she had failed you. I know because I also was unable to keep a promise."
Asuka looked at Belldandy confused. "What do you mean?"
"I came down to the earth when I was very young. A young boy saw me descending from heaven and came to investigate." Belldandy smiled. "For the next week he and I played around this temple complex. We even went to a festival that was being held here. That night he asked me to meet him at a spot in the forest the next day. We made a 'pinky swear' I think its called, but basically I promised to meet him." Belldandy sighed. "It was only a little thing, but it was still a promise, a contract to be upheld. And because I did not yet have my license, I had to break it and erase the memories of me from his mind." Belldandy then began to cry, "He allowed me to do it, saying he trusted me and that he would remember me someday. I wished that I would get to meet him again. Afterward I could only watch him from afar as he went on with his life."
"What happened to him?" asked Asuka.
Belldandy smiled, "I got to grant him a wish, and eventually, he remembered our childhood together. Last Christmas, he gave me this ring."
Asuka's eyes widened, "Keiichi?! I hadn't heard that story before. I'll have to ask Sayoko about that one."
Belldandy looked at Asuka puzzled, "Why would want to ask Sayoko? Who exactly are her paren....." Belldandy's voice trailed off and she went pale. "KEIICHI!!!!"
Belldandy stood up and raced out the door, Asuka right at her heels.
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"What do you want Mara?!" shouted Skuld.
"Same thing as always." replied the Demon, "To make Keiichi's life hell!"
"Not if I can help it! SKULD BOMB!!" Skuld pulled out a round sphere and hurled it at Mara. Mara caught it in her hand and then vanished in a cloud of smoke as the bomb exploded.
"Got her!" shouted Skuld.
"Like hell you did." came Mara's voice from the cloud. It was followed by several force bolts, all headed right for Skuld.
"Skuld!" Keiichi grabbed Skuld and flung her over his shoulder, then ran as fast as he could towards the front of the temple, the force bolts exploding in his wake.
"What are you doing?!" shouted Skuld, "Put me down!"
"Skuld, face facts. Even with Yggdrasil up you don't have the power to fight Mara." said Keiichi, "And your bomb didn't slow her down a bit."
"Keiichi!"
"What?"
"Jog right!"
Keiichi jumped to his right just as a force bolt exploded where he had been standing. Keiichi put more effort into his running. As he rounded the corner, he could see Megumi and Urd still chatting on the porch.
"URD!! WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY!!!"
Urd looked up to see Keiichi tearing around the corner of the temple carrying Skuld. Urd was about to make a comment when a glowing sphere slammed into the ground behind Keiichi, sending him and Skuld crashing to the ground. The sender of the force bolt then flew into view.
"MARA!"
Mara smiled, "Hiya Urd. Sorry I can't stop and chat, but I'm a little busy here."
"You're about to get busier." said Urd as lightning began to crackle in her hand.
Megumi stared in shock at what she was seeing. "Who....what are you people?"
'Damn.' thought Urd, 'Forgot about her.' "Megumi, Just stay behind me. You'll be safe there."
"HA!" replied Mara. "Like hell she will." Mara raised her hand and released several force bolts at Urd. Urd quickly raised a shield and blocked the bolts.
"Give it up Mara." said Urd, "You know you can't win."
"Oh really?" Mara began to smile. "I have full access to my powers. You don't."
Urd fired several lightning bolts at Mara. "I'm not suspended at the moment Mara."
Mara blocked the bolts easily. "Come on Urd.... Yggdrasil crashed. You can't keep this up forever." Mara then noticed Keiichi and Skuld sneaking away. "I'm not done with you!" She fired a force bolt at Skuld. Skuld stood frozen in fear as the bolt got closer. Suddenly her world spun as something slammed into her. She then heard the force bolt hit something and a cry of pain.
"KEIICHI!!" screamed Megumi.
Skuld rolled over to see Keiichi laying on the ground in pain, spitting up blood, having taken the force bolt intended for her.
"Keiichi!" Skuld raced to his side. "Keiichi!"
Keiichi whinced. "I'll be fine."
Mara began to fly towards the two, blocking more lightning bolts that Urd was firing her way. "Nice. Too bad I was aiming towards the brat."
Skuld moved to protect Keiichi from Mara. "You leave him alone."
"MARA!"
Mara turned to see a very unhappy Belldandy on the porch, a glowing force bolt in her hand. "YOU HURT KEIICHI!" Belldandy released the force bolt. It raced towards Mara, who blocked it easily.
"My my my Belldandy. Such a temper. Too bad you don't have any power to back that up temper up with."
Asuka watched as Belldandy proceeded to unleash a barrage of force bolts at Mara. She glanced over to see a very tired Urd, still tossing lightning bolts at Mara. But no matter what the goddesses tossed at her, Mara continued to block them. Asuka stared at them confused. She remembered Urd and Skuld easily blasting away Mara after it was revealed she had manipulated Her and Sayoko. Then it hit her. Yggdrasil was down. The goddesses had no power. Suddenly Asuka remembered, there WAS a goddess who was still fully powered. She frantically began to search her pockets for the demon stone.
Mara cackled with glee as she floated over to Keiichi and Skuld. "See you in a bit kiddies." With a wave of her hand, both Skuld and Keiichi disappeared.
"SKULD!!! KEIICHI!!!" screamed Belldandy. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THEM?!?!"
Mara smirked, "They're gonna be my guests for a bit. Don't worry....... I'll return them in one piece....more or less." Then with a cackle, Mara vanished.
Belldandy slumped to the ground, staring at the spot where Keiichi and Skuld had been. Tears rolled freely down her face. Urd stumbled over next to her.
"Don't worry Bell," she said quietly, "We'll get them back."
"How Urd?" Belldandy turned and looked at her sister, "Mara was right. Without Yggdrasil, we can't fight her."
"Who are you?" Both goddesses turned to see a very upset Megumi. "What happened to Keiichi? WHERE IS MY BROTHER?!?!"
Megumi felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Asuka standing next to her.
"Easy Megumi. Don't be mad at them. It's not their fault."
"Then who's fault is it?!"
"The Demon's fault."
Megumi looked at Asuka confused, "Demon? There's no such thing."
Belldandy looked up at Megumi, "She's right. That was a demon."
"Are you demons too?"
"No. My sisters and I are goddesses." replied Belldandy.
Megumi looked skeptically at Belldandy. "Goddesses?"
"How else can you explain what happened?" asked Asuka.
Megumi looked at Asuka, "You believe them?"
"Of course." replied Asuka, "One of my best friends is a goddess."
Megumi crossed her arms and looked back at Belldandy and Urd. "So what are goddesses doing with my brother?"
Belldandy was about to answer when Urd interrupted. "I'll explain. Bell, you go cast the search spell to find Mara."
"But even if we find her, what can we do?" asked Belldandy, tears once again forming in her eyes. "We don't have our full powers. She could ... could.....Keiichi could....might......" Belldandy broke down into sobs.
Asuka knelt by Belldandy. "Belldandy, Sayoko might be able to help us. She still has full access to her powers, but.... I can't find the stone she gave me to contact her."
Belldandy's eyes widened, "Skuld has it! She picked it up when you dropped it."
"See! All she has to do is contact Sayoko and she can rescue them!"
"We can only hope so." said Urd. "But we should still try to rescue them on our own."
She then began to lead Megumi into the house, telling her about how Belldandy and Keiichi met. Belldandy hurried off to find everything she'd need to locate Mara. Asuka soon found herself outside the temple alone. She turned and looked upwards.
'Sayoko, wherever you are. I hope you can find them.'
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Sayoko sat on top of a building, looking out over Nekomi. She still felt miserable that she had been unable to capture the bug, and thus fulfill her promise to Asuka. Sayoko looked down at the ground as her eyes began to tear up when she felt a faint tug, as if someone had called out to her in prayer. This confused her.
'No one knows of me but Asuka and Skuld, and Asuka has the demon stone.' thought Sayoko.
Sayoko looked back up and towards the general direction of the temple.
'What's going on Asuka?'
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Keiichi slowly and painfully regained consciousness. It felt like he was laying on something cold and hard, and it hurt when he breathed.
'Must have been that force bolt I took from Mara.' He thought.
He opened his eyes to see he was sitting inside a cage set up in a room. He slowly sat up, groaning as he did so.
"KEIICHI!! You're alive!"
Keiichi turned to see Skuld sitting in a cage a next to him. She worriedly stared at him.
"I thought....I thought..." she stuttered, "when you didn't move...I thought you were.." Her eyes began to tear up.
Keiichi pulled himself over to the side of the cage, getting closer to her.
"Everything will be fine Skuld," he said, "Are you alright?"
Skuld nodded and reached through the bars putting her arms around him and pulling him as close to her as the bars would allow. "Why did you do that? She could have killed you."
Keiichi slowly put his arms around her, "Because Skuld, you're Belldandy's sister and she cares for you. I care for you and I don't want to see anything happen to you."
Skuld sniffed, "You still shouldn't have done it."
"If I had to do it over my decision would remain the same." said Keiichi, "I wouldn't let anything hurt you."
Skuld smiled and continued to hold Keiichi, until another voice broke through.
"Oh please.... Knock off the show of affection, you're making me sick."
Keiichi and Skuld turned to see Mara standing in front of the cage. She smirked at them.
"Gee Keiichi, I didn't think you were into the kiddies. Maybe there's hope for you yet."
Keiichi frowned, "What do you want with us Mara?!"
"Easy." replied Mara, "You are here so I can break up that contract between you and Belldandy. Without it, she goes away. And you," she pointed at Skuld, "are my insurance policy that no one will bother us." Mara then turned around. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a contract to break, and people to make miserable." Mara walked to the opposite side of the room.
"Can she do that Skuld?" asked Keiichi, "Can she break the contract?"
"I don't know Keiichi." replied Skuld, "Your contract with Belldandy is rare. I don't know what Mara's planning."
"Can Belldandy find us?"
Skuld closed her eyes. She opened them seconds later. "Mara has put up some kind of interference that prevents me from contacting Belldandy telepathically. I can't even detect her. Which means....."
"She can't detect us." finished Keiichi with a sigh, "We're stuck here."
He sat back against the cage bars, dejectedly. Skuld also shifted against the bars. As she did, she felt something press against her in her pocket. Curious, she reached in and pulled out the object. Her face lit up immediately.
"Maybe not Keiichi." She said excitedly. She held up the object. "This is a Maxwell's Demon stone.
Keiichi frowned, "Like that one Urd put in the spinner of that board game?"
"Similar," replied Skuld, "the stone can be set up to do different tasks depending on what the Goddess requires." She motioned to the stone. "This one was used by Asuka to contact Sayoko, her Goddess friend."
"But what good does that do?" replied Keiichi, "How is contacting her going to help us? We don't know where we are."
Skuld began searching her pockets, "We don't need to. She can come to us." Skuld stopped searching her pockets and looked up at Keiichi. "Do you have a mirror or anything reflective?"
"Ummm," Keiichi began to search his pockets. He then pulled out his key chain, which had a reflective piece of metal attached to it. "Here. What do you need it for?"
Skuld placed the key chain outside of the cage, reflective piece up. "Sayoko uses mirrored surfaces, just like Big Sister." Skuld then picked back up the demon stone and squeezed it. She then looked expectantly at the key chain. After several moments of staring at the key chain, Keiichi turned to Skuld.
"What's wrong?"
Skuld looked at the stone and squeezed it several more times. "I don't know. This is how Asuka contacted her before. She should appear...... unless she's still ignoring Asuka from before." Skuld then handed the stone to Keiichi. "You try."
Keiichi looked down at the stone in his hand. "What do I do?"
"Squeeze it." replied Skuld, "As hard as you can."
Keiichi squeezed it. Within seconds, he felt something pulse in the stone. Seconds after that, the key chain began to rattle and glow. The rattle was loud enough to attract Mara's attention.
"What the hell are you two doing over there?" she asked as she headed towards them. She then noticed the glowing key chain. "What the.....?"
The key chain jumped slightly as a figure wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a leather jacket burst forth from it.
"Hey Asuka. Listen I've been thinking....." the figure then stopped and took in her surroundings. "Uhh..." She then noticed Keiichi and Skuld sitting in the cages and Mara standing nearby. "Oh.....shit." she said.
Mara recovered quickly, "Well Belldandy. I didn't expect you to find this place so soon." Mara then formed a force bolt. "But you still don't have enough energy to face me."
Mara let the force bolt fly. Just before it hit 'Belldandy' a blue shield flared into existence. The bolt slammed into the shield and immediately dissipated. 'Belldandy' frowned.
"Mara, kidnapping them was the worst mistake you could make." 'Belldandy' then glowed for a second before reappearing in her goddess uniform. "...And I'm not Belldandy." Her eyes glowed bright white as she tossed a force bolt right back at Mara. Mara raised her hand to block it. Her shield flared as the bolt hit it, but instead of dissipating, the bolt exploded, tossing Mara across the room against the wall.
Keiichi stared at the goddess stunned. She looked exactly like Belldandy, from facial marking right down to the design of the goddess dress. The only noticeable difference was that this girl seemed a bit younger and had darker hair.
Skuld was also stunned. Sayoko had to be one of the most powerful class 1 goddesses in existence to toss a class 1 demon around like that. Not even Belldandy at full strength had been able to do that.
Mara stood back up and snarled at Sayoko, "You'll pay for that!"
She summoned all the energy she could and formed a massive force bolt, which she then sent flying towards Sayoko. Sayoko remained in place as the bolt headed towards her. The bolt slammed into Sayoko's shield and exploded into a massive fireball. Skuld and Keiichi both felt the heat of the blast and moved as far as they could from it. Mara's cape swirled about from the blast.
"Hehe." chuckled Mara, "Looks like I'll be adding a crispy goddess to my collection."
"Think again."
Mara's mouth dropped stunned as two glowing eyes appeared in the smoke of the blast.
"What?!" shouted Mara, "How?!"
Lightning roared from the smoke and slammed into Mara. Mara's eyes opened wide and her mouth stayed opened as if to scream, but no sound came out. Finally the lightning released her, allowing Mara to drop to the floor, unconscious. The smoke dissipated enough to reveal Sayoko, untouched by the explosive force bolt. She walked over to the cages and blasted the locks to both. Skuld immediately went to Keiichi to help him out. Keiichi stared at Sayoko.
"Who are you?"
Sayoko smiled, "There'll be time for that later. First lets get out of here before Mara wakes up."
"Why me?"
Keiichi sat on the porch of the temple, looking at the pile of parts that lay before him. He looked up towards the heavens.
"Am I being punished for something?" he asked.
"Why are you even looking that way when you can ask us." said Urd, slightly irritated.
"Habit." replied Keiichi. He then looked over the pile of parts. "Looks like another all nighter."
"It's not that bad K." said Megumi, stepping outside. "The race isn't for another 2 days. We have plenty of time. Besides, you have help."
"That's right." said Urd, "You have me here to help."
Keiichi gave Urd a skeptical look. "Thanks Urd. If I want it to blow up, I know right where to look."
Before Urd could reply, Asuka entered the temple yard. She quickly went past them and into the house. The sound of a door slamming was then heard. Keiichi, Urd, and Megumi looked at each other confused.
"What was that about?" asked Megumi.
"I think we're about to find out." replied Urd as she spotted Skuld entering the yard.
When Skuld was close enough, Keiichi asked, "What happened to Asuka, Skuld?
Skuld ignored the question and pointed to the parts. "What's all this?"
"The Motor Club is going to be in a motorcycle race this weekend." replied Megumi, "So...in keeping with tradition..."
"I have to build the bike." finished Keiichi. "You want to help?"
Urd glared at Keiichi, "Wait a second. You don't want my help but you want the brat's?!"
"I AM NOT A BRAT YOU OLD HAG!" shouted Skuld.
Urd glared at Skuld, her eyes beginning to spark.
Keiichi quickly looked at Megumi. "Run. Now."
Both ran into the house. Within seconds the sounds of explosions could be heard coming from the yard. Megumi looked over at Keiichi.
"What are they doing? Throwing fireworks at each other?"
"Something like that." said Keiichi. He turned and headed towards the kitchen. Megumi followed behind him. Belldandy was quietly singing as she moved about preparing dinner.
"Bell?" said Keiichi, "Urd and Skuld are at it again."
"They are?" asked Belldandy, "They should be ok, they just need to blow off a little steam once in a while."
BOOM! The house shuddered under the blast.
"That's a little steam?" asked Megumi.
Belldandy quickly rushed out of the kitchen. Within seconds, the explosions had subsided. Belldandy reentered the house, pushing along a reluctant and annoyed Skuld.
"Really!" said Belldandy, "You two need to calm down. Your fights are becoming too destructive."
Keiichi let out a sigh, "What did they blow up now?"
"They left craters in the yard." replied Belldandy. Her face then got apologetic, "I think they hit a few of the boxes of parts as well."
Keiichi's eyes went wide, "THE MOTORCYCLE!!"
He quickly ran out, Megumi following right behind him.
Belldandy turned to see Skuld trying to sneak off.
"Hold it." said Belldandy, causing Skuld to freeze in place. "I'm not done with you. Tell me what happened today to Asuka."
"Asuka, Sayoko and I tracked down the bug to a park." said Skuld, "We chased it around. Sayoko almost had it when it got run over by a truck." Skuld let out a sigh. "Sayoko got very upset and disappeared, mumbling something about a broken promise. Asuka got mad and pulled something out of her pocket. It looked like she squeezed it a few times before she tossed it to the ground swearing in German. She then stormed off, mumbling something about being left alone." Skuld reached into her pocket. "I picked up the object, it's a Maxwell's Demon stone, but it's different from any I've seen." She placed the stone in Belldandy's hand.
Belldandy stared at the stone. "I've never seen one like this either. You said she squeezed it?"
"Yeah." Skuld thought for a second. "Didn't I read somewhere that a god was working on a way to use the demon stones as a way for mortals to signal a god?"
Belldandy nodded, "They intended to use it for special cases and emergencies. The idea was for the mortal to squeeze or manipulate the stone in a way to send the god a signal. I was looking into it for Keiichi, but it's still isn't ready yet and won't be for many years."
Skuld took the stone back, "I wonder if maybe this is how Asuka was getting ahold of Sayoko."
"Maybe." A thought then hit Belldandy. "Skuld, this Sayoko..... Does she have brown hair?"
Skuld began to pale a bit, "Umm Yeah."
"Blue Eyes?"
"Yeah.."
Belldandy knelt down and looked right into Skuld's eyes. "Does she look like me?"
Skuld began to fidget under Belldandy's gaze. "Well....you see...."
That was good enough answer for Belldandy. "Nevermind Skuld. Go help Keiichi. I'll let Asuka know you have her demon stone."
Skuld started to leave but then stopped and turned around. "Belldandy?"
"Yes Skuld?"
Skuld looked at the ground a second before looking at Belldandy's face.
"I just wanted to say....I may have been wrong about Keiichi. Maybe he is good for you."
Skuld then turned and quickly left the house. Belldandy stared in shock at the place Skuld had been standing. A smile crept across her face as Skuld's words finally sank in. She then remembered what she had to do, turned and headed towards Asuka's room.
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"Hand me that wrench would you Megumi?"
Megumi handed Keiichi the requested tool. "What do you think K? Will we get it ready in time?"
Keiichi looked at the assembled parts. "I think so. We have 2 days till the race. Barring any interference from the Sempais, we should be done for the race on Friday."
"That's good." said Urd from where she was sitting on the porch. "I still don't know how you stayed awake for that drag race."
Keiichi smiled, "Belldandy's tea."
"What kind of race is it anyway? Another drag race?"
Keiichi shook his head. "No. This one is a regular race on a course. First we qualify, then we race."
Skuld exited the temple at that point. Both she and Urd stared at each other for a few seconds before they turned away from each other. Skuld walked next to Keiichi and sat down.
"This is the cycle?" she asked.
Keiichi nodded and handed her the plans. "Tamiya drew up the plans but I don't know how accurate he was."
Skuld set the plans down on the ground and pulled out her calculator. She then began to write rapidly and typing on the calculator. Megumi tried to watch Skuld but quickly became lost. She walked over and sat down next to Urd on the porch.
"I knew Skuld was smart but wow!"
Urd narrowed her eyes at Megumi, "Don't let her hear you. We'll never hear the end of it."
Skuld quickly finished her computations and handed the revised plans to Keiichi.
"The frame is too weak." said Skuld, "We'll have to add extra support here, here and here." She pointed out the areas on the frame.
Keiichi nodded, "Thanks Skuld. We may actually get done faster now."
Keiichi went to the shed where he kept his bike and tools to get the equipment he would need to add the extra tubing to the frame. Skuld followed.
"Hey Keiichi?"
Keiichi continued to pull out the tools he would need.
"Yeah Skuld?"
"Do you really love my sister?"
Keiichi stopped what he was doing and turned to face Skuld.
"Say that again?"
"Do you love Belldandy?"
Keiichi leaned against his motorcycle.
"Skuld, you know I do. Every morning I wake up.....I think it all was a dream. But when I see her...." Keiichi voice trailed off. "No matter what has happened, I'm glad I made that wish. She is a wonderful and kind person. I don't know what I would do without her."
"But she's a goddess." said Skuld.
"I know she is Skuld. But when I look at her, I don't see a goddess. I see the woman I love."
Skuld was quiet for several seconds. "Keiichi, when I first came, you said we were all like a family. Do you still believe that?"
Keiichi nodded, "I do. More so now then before."
"Can you...." Skuld looked down at the ground, "Can you forgive a bratty kid like me for hating you?"
Keiichi smiled and grabbed Skuld in a hug. "Of course I can. And you're not a brat."
At first Skuld almost leaped out of Keiichi's grasp. However, she quickly released that Keiichi wouldn't hurt her, and she stared to feel safe in his arms. She raised her arms and returned the hug.
"Thank-you Keiichi." She said quietly.
"Don't mention it." replied Keiichi.
"Oooo This is so sweet....I think a diabetic just went into shock."
Keiichi and Skuld whirled about to see who had spoken.
"MARA!" they both shouted.
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Belldandy opened the door and peered in. The shades had been closed and the room was dark. Asuka lay curled up on the bed. Belldandy closed the door behind her and moved to sit down next to Asuka. If Asuka had noticed Belldandy, she made no sign that she had. It was almost as if Asuka was asleep, but Belldandy, being a goddess, knew better.
"Asuka, Skuld told me what happened to the bug."
Asuka made no reply.
"Don't worry Asuka. We'll help you to get home. In the meantime, you're welcome to stay with us."
Silence.
Belldandy sighed. "Asuka.......About Sayoko......"
"She left me."
Belldandy turned and looked at Asuka. "What?"
Asuka turned and faced Belldandy, her eyes red from crying. "She left me. My last friend that was still with me....and she left."
"I'm sure she had a good reason to vanish like...."
"She promised me she'd get me back to Shinji!" continued Asuka, ignoring Belldandy. "She promised! And now she's run off."
Suddenly a thought occurred in Belldandy's head. "Asuka, Who was Sayoko's teacher?"
"Huh?" asked Asuka, "What do you mean?"
"Who was Sayoko's teacher? Her goddess teacher?"
Asuka looked away. "I shouldn't be telling you this...."
"Please?" said Belldandy, "It might explain why she ran off."
Asuka looked at Belldandy for several seconds, before giving in. "She was taught by Skuld."
"And I have been training Skuld." said Belldandy, "One of the things I taught Skuld was that you must always try to keep your promises. Skuld is still learning and has to be careful what she says. If she makes a promise, it's just like a contract and she must obey it." Belldandy then got a sad look on her face. "Sayoko made a promise to you that she would get you home. When that bug was eliminated, She must have felt like she had failed you. I know because I also was unable to keep a promise."
Asuka looked at Belldandy confused. "What do you mean?"
"I came down to the earth when I was very young. A young boy saw me descending from heaven and came to investigate." Belldandy smiled. "For the next week he and I played around this temple complex. We even went to a festival that was being held here. That night he asked me to meet him at a spot in the forest the next day. We made a 'pinky swear' I think its called, but basically I promised to meet him." Belldandy sighed. "It was only a little thing, but it was still a promise, a contract to be upheld. And because I did not yet have my license, I had to break it and erase the memories of me from his mind." Belldandy then began to cry, "He allowed me to do it, saying he trusted me and that he would remember me someday. I wished that I would get to meet him again. Afterward I could only watch him from afar as he went on with his life."
"What happened to him?" asked Asuka.
Belldandy smiled, "I got to grant him a wish, and eventually, he remembered our childhood together. Last Christmas, he gave me this ring."
Asuka's eyes widened, "Keiichi?! I hadn't heard that story before. I'll have to ask Sayoko about that one."
Belldandy looked at Asuka puzzled, "Why would want to ask Sayoko? Who exactly are her paren....." Belldandy's voice trailed off and she went pale. "KEIICHI!!!!"
Belldandy stood up and raced out the door, Asuka right at her heels.
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"What do you want Mara?!" shouted Skuld.
"Same thing as always." replied the Demon, "To make Keiichi's life hell!"
"Not if I can help it! SKULD BOMB!!" Skuld pulled out a round sphere and hurled it at Mara. Mara caught it in her hand and then vanished in a cloud of smoke as the bomb exploded.
"Got her!" shouted Skuld.
"Like hell you did." came Mara's voice from the cloud. It was followed by several force bolts, all headed right for Skuld.
"Skuld!" Keiichi grabbed Skuld and flung her over his shoulder, then ran as fast as he could towards the front of the temple, the force bolts exploding in his wake.
"What are you doing?!" shouted Skuld, "Put me down!"
"Skuld, face facts. Even with Yggdrasil up you don't have the power to fight Mara." said Keiichi, "And your bomb didn't slow her down a bit."
"Keiichi!"
"What?"
"Jog right!"
Keiichi jumped to his right just as a force bolt exploded where he had been standing. Keiichi put more effort into his running. As he rounded the corner, he could see Megumi and Urd still chatting on the porch.
"URD!! WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY!!!"
Urd looked up to see Keiichi tearing around the corner of the temple carrying Skuld. Urd was about to make a comment when a glowing sphere slammed into the ground behind Keiichi, sending him and Skuld crashing to the ground. The sender of the force bolt then flew into view.
"MARA!"
Mara smiled, "Hiya Urd. Sorry I can't stop and chat, but I'm a little busy here."
"You're about to get busier." said Urd as lightning began to crackle in her hand.
Megumi stared in shock at what she was seeing. "Who....what are you people?"
'Damn.' thought Urd, 'Forgot about her.' "Megumi, Just stay behind me. You'll be safe there."
"HA!" replied Mara. "Like hell she will." Mara raised her hand and released several force bolts at Urd. Urd quickly raised a shield and blocked the bolts.
"Give it up Mara." said Urd, "You know you can't win."
"Oh really?" Mara began to smile. "I have full access to my powers. You don't."
Urd fired several lightning bolts at Mara. "I'm not suspended at the moment Mara."
Mara blocked the bolts easily. "Come on Urd.... Yggdrasil crashed. You can't keep this up forever." Mara then noticed Keiichi and Skuld sneaking away. "I'm not done with you!" She fired a force bolt at Skuld. Skuld stood frozen in fear as the bolt got closer. Suddenly her world spun as something slammed into her. She then heard the force bolt hit something and a cry of pain.
"KEIICHI!!" screamed Megumi.
Skuld rolled over to see Keiichi laying on the ground in pain, spitting up blood, having taken the force bolt intended for her.
"Keiichi!" Skuld raced to his side. "Keiichi!"
Keiichi whinced. "I'll be fine."
Mara began to fly towards the two, blocking more lightning bolts that Urd was firing her way. "Nice. Too bad I was aiming towards the brat."
Skuld moved to protect Keiichi from Mara. "You leave him alone."
"MARA!"
Mara turned to see a very unhappy Belldandy on the porch, a glowing force bolt in her hand. "YOU HURT KEIICHI!" Belldandy released the force bolt. It raced towards Mara, who blocked it easily.
"My my my Belldandy. Such a temper. Too bad you don't have any power to back that up temper up with."
Asuka watched as Belldandy proceeded to unleash a barrage of force bolts at Mara. She glanced over to see a very tired Urd, still tossing lightning bolts at Mara. But no matter what the goddesses tossed at her, Mara continued to block them. Asuka stared at them confused. She remembered Urd and Skuld easily blasting away Mara after it was revealed she had manipulated Her and Sayoko. Then it hit her. Yggdrasil was down. The goddesses had no power. Suddenly Asuka remembered, there WAS a goddess who was still fully powered. She frantically began to search her pockets for the demon stone.
Mara cackled with glee as she floated over to Keiichi and Skuld. "See you in a bit kiddies." With a wave of her hand, both Skuld and Keiichi disappeared.
"SKULD!!! KEIICHI!!!" screamed Belldandy. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THEM?!?!"
Mara smirked, "They're gonna be my guests for a bit. Don't worry....... I'll return them in one piece....more or less." Then with a cackle, Mara vanished.
Belldandy slumped to the ground, staring at the spot where Keiichi and Skuld had been. Tears rolled freely down her face. Urd stumbled over next to her.
"Don't worry Bell," she said quietly, "We'll get them back."
"How Urd?" Belldandy turned and looked at her sister, "Mara was right. Without Yggdrasil, we can't fight her."
"Who are you?" Both goddesses turned to see a very upset Megumi. "What happened to Keiichi? WHERE IS MY BROTHER?!?!"
Megumi felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Asuka standing next to her.
"Easy Megumi. Don't be mad at them. It's not their fault."
"Then who's fault is it?!"
"The Demon's fault."
Megumi looked at Asuka confused, "Demon? There's no such thing."
Belldandy looked up at Megumi, "She's right. That was a demon."
"Are you demons too?"
"No. My sisters and I are goddesses." replied Belldandy.
Megumi looked skeptically at Belldandy. "Goddesses?"
"How else can you explain what happened?" asked Asuka.
Megumi looked at Asuka, "You believe them?"
"Of course." replied Asuka, "One of my best friends is a goddess."
Megumi crossed her arms and looked back at Belldandy and Urd. "So what are goddesses doing with my brother?"
Belldandy was about to answer when Urd interrupted. "I'll explain. Bell, you go cast the search spell to find Mara."
"But even if we find her, what can we do?" asked Belldandy, tears once again forming in her eyes. "We don't have our full powers. She could ... could.....Keiichi could....might......" Belldandy broke down into sobs.
Asuka knelt by Belldandy. "Belldandy, Sayoko might be able to help us. She still has full access to her powers, but.... I can't find the stone she gave me to contact her."
Belldandy's eyes widened, "Skuld has it! She picked it up when you dropped it."
"See! All she has to do is contact Sayoko and she can rescue them!"
"We can only hope so." said Urd. "But we should still try to rescue them on our own."
She then began to lead Megumi into the house, telling her about how Belldandy and Keiichi met. Belldandy hurried off to find everything she'd need to locate Mara. Asuka soon found herself outside the temple alone. She turned and looked upwards.
'Sayoko, wherever you are. I hope you can find them.'
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Sayoko sat on top of a building, looking out over Nekomi. She still felt miserable that she had been unable to capture the bug, and thus fulfill her promise to Asuka. Sayoko looked down at the ground as her eyes began to tear up when she felt a faint tug, as if someone had called out to her in prayer. This confused her.
'No one knows of me but Asuka and Skuld, and Asuka has the demon stone.' thought Sayoko.
Sayoko looked back up and towards the general direction of the temple.
'What's going on Asuka?'
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Keiichi slowly and painfully regained consciousness. It felt like he was laying on something cold and hard, and it hurt when he breathed.
'Must have been that force bolt I took from Mara.' He thought.
He opened his eyes to see he was sitting inside a cage set up in a room. He slowly sat up, groaning as he did so.
"KEIICHI!! You're alive!"
Keiichi turned to see Skuld sitting in a cage a next to him. She worriedly stared at him.
"I thought....I thought..." she stuttered, "when you didn't move...I thought you were.." Her eyes began to tear up.
Keiichi pulled himself over to the side of the cage, getting closer to her.
"Everything will be fine Skuld," he said, "Are you alright?"
Skuld nodded and reached through the bars putting her arms around him and pulling him as close to her as the bars would allow. "Why did you do that? She could have killed you."
Keiichi slowly put his arms around her, "Because Skuld, you're Belldandy's sister and she cares for you. I care for you and I don't want to see anything happen to you."
Skuld sniffed, "You still shouldn't have done it."
"If I had to do it over my decision would remain the same." said Keiichi, "I wouldn't let anything hurt you."
Skuld smiled and continued to hold Keiichi, until another voice broke through.
"Oh please.... Knock off the show of affection, you're making me sick."
Keiichi and Skuld turned to see Mara standing in front of the cage. She smirked at them.
"Gee Keiichi, I didn't think you were into the kiddies. Maybe there's hope for you yet."
Keiichi frowned, "What do you want with us Mara?!"
"Easy." replied Mara, "You are here so I can break up that contract between you and Belldandy. Without it, she goes away. And you," she pointed at Skuld, "are my insurance policy that no one will bother us." Mara then turned around. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a contract to break, and people to make miserable." Mara walked to the opposite side of the room.
"Can she do that Skuld?" asked Keiichi, "Can she break the contract?"
"I don't know Keiichi." replied Skuld, "Your contract with Belldandy is rare. I don't know what Mara's planning."
"Can Belldandy find us?"
Skuld closed her eyes. She opened them seconds later. "Mara has put up some kind of interference that prevents me from contacting Belldandy telepathically. I can't even detect her. Which means....."
"She can't detect us." finished Keiichi with a sigh, "We're stuck here."
He sat back against the cage bars, dejectedly. Skuld also shifted against the bars. As she did, she felt something press against her in her pocket. Curious, she reached in and pulled out the object. Her face lit up immediately.
"Maybe not Keiichi." She said excitedly. She held up the object. "This is a Maxwell's Demon stone.
Keiichi frowned, "Like that one Urd put in the spinner of that board game?"
"Similar," replied Skuld, "the stone can be set up to do different tasks depending on what the Goddess requires." She motioned to the stone. "This one was used by Asuka to contact Sayoko, her Goddess friend."
"But what good does that do?" replied Keiichi, "How is contacting her going to help us? We don't know where we are."
Skuld began searching her pockets, "We don't need to. She can come to us." Skuld stopped searching her pockets and looked up at Keiichi. "Do you have a mirror or anything reflective?"
"Ummm," Keiichi began to search his pockets. He then pulled out his key chain, which had a reflective piece of metal attached to it. "Here. What do you need it for?"
Skuld placed the key chain outside of the cage, reflective piece up. "Sayoko uses mirrored surfaces, just like Big Sister." Skuld then picked back up the demon stone and squeezed it. She then looked expectantly at the key chain. After several moments of staring at the key chain, Keiichi turned to Skuld.
"What's wrong?"
Skuld looked at the stone and squeezed it several more times. "I don't know. This is how Asuka contacted her before. She should appear...... unless she's still ignoring Asuka from before." Skuld then handed the stone to Keiichi. "You try."
Keiichi looked down at the stone in his hand. "What do I do?"
"Squeeze it." replied Skuld, "As hard as you can."
Keiichi squeezed it. Within seconds, he felt something pulse in the stone. Seconds after that, the key chain began to rattle and glow. The rattle was loud enough to attract Mara's attention.
"What the hell are you two doing over there?" she asked as she headed towards them. She then noticed the glowing key chain. "What the.....?"
The key chain jumped slightly as a figure wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a leather jacket burst forth from it.
"Hey Asuka. Listen I've been thinking....." the figure then stopped and took in her surroundings. "Uhh..." She then noticed Keiichi and Skuld sitting in the cages and Mara standing nearby. "Oh.....shit." she said.
Mara recovered quickly, "Well Belldandy. I didn't expect you to find this place so soon." Mara then formed a force bolt. "But you still don't have enough energy to face me."
Mara let the force bolt fly. Just before it hit 'Belldandy' a blue shield flared into existence. The bolt slammed into the shield and immediately dissipated. 'Belldandy' frowned.
"Mara, kidnapping them was the worst mistake you could make." 'Belldandy' then glowed for a second before reappearing in her goddess uniform. "...And I'm not Belldandy." Her eyes glowed bright white as she tossed a force bolt right back at Mara. Mara raised her hand to block it. Her shield flared as the bolt hit it, but instead of dissipating, the bolt exploded, tossing Mara across the room against the wall.
Keiichi stared at the goddess stunned. She looked exactly like Belldandy, from facial marking right down to the design of the goddess dress. The only noticeable difference was that this girl seemed a bit younger and had darker hair.
Skuld was also stunned. Sayoko had to be one of the most powerful class 1 goddesses in existence to toss a class 1 demon around like that. Not even Belldandy at full strength had been able to do that.
Mara stood back up and snarled at Sayoko, "You'll pay for that!"
She summoned all the energy she could and formed a massive force bolt, which she then sent flying towards Sayoko. Sayoko remained in place as the bolt headed towards her. The bolt slammed into Sayoko's shield and exploded into a massive fireball. Skuld and Keiichi both felt the heat of the blast and moved as far as they could from it. Mara's cape swirled about from the blast.
"Hehe." chuckled Mara, "Looks like I'll be adding a crispy goddess to my collection."
"Think again."
Mara's mouth dropped stunned as two glowing eyes appeared in the smoke of the blast.
"What?!" shouted Mara, "How?!"
Lightning roared from the smoke and slammed into Mara. Mara's eyes opened wide and her mouth stayed opened as if to scream, but no sound came out. Finally the lightning released her, allowing Mara to drop to the floor, unconscious. The smoke dissipated enough to reveal Sayoko, untouched by the explosive force bolt. She walked over to the cages and blasted the locks to both. Skuld immediately went to Keiichi to help him out. Keiichi stared at Sayoko.
"Who are you?"
Sayoko smiled, "There'll be time for that later. First lets get out of here before Mara wakes up."