Chapter 9
Belldandy slowly rose to her knees, holding on to her left arm. She winced in pain as she bumped her arm against the nearby rock. She looked up at Mara through pain filled eyes.
"Opps." said Mara, "You ought to watch where you fall. That looked painful."
Belldandy had been flying about, trying to block Mara from getting a clear shot at Keiichi. Belldandy had been able to block several of the incoming force bolts, but flying and creating a shield had used her powers up quickly. The last bolt sent by Mara had shattered her shield and knocked her from the sky. She had bounced off the rock before ending up on the ground.
Mara cackled with glee as she flew to where Keiichi was. Keiichi had tried several times to move to help Belldandy, but Skuld and Asuka, understanding what Belldandy had been doing, kept him from moving.
"Now Keiichi.......about that contract. Cancel it now."
"Never." said Keiichi, "I won't lose her again!"
Mara turned and fired another force bolt at Belldandy, knocking her against the rock again. Belldandy cried out in pain as her arm bounced off the rock. Keiichi started to move towards her only to be stopped by a look from Mara.
"Cancel the contract now, or shall I hit her again."
Keiichi turned and looked at Belldandy, tears in her eyes from the pain. It wrenched his heart that he was unable to do anything.
"Well Keiichi?" Mara asked, a force bolt forming in her hands.
Keiichi looked back at Belldandy. She shook her head.
* I don't care what she does to me Keiichi. * her voice said in his head, * I'd rather be dead then lose you. *
Keiichi turned back to Mara. "I will not cancel the contract."
Mara smiled, "So be it." She turned and released the force bolt. Keiichi's eyes met Belldandy's eyes. Both stared at each other, thinking this would be the last time they saw each other.
Just second's before the bolt hit Belldandy, a blue shield surrounded her, easily deflecting the bolt.
"What?!" screamed Mara, "How?!"
Skuld glanced over and looked at Asuka. "Was it Sayoko?"
Asuka knelt by Sayoko. "No, she's still out of it."
Overhearing, Keiichi asked, "It wasn't Bell. Could it have been Urd?"
Before Skuld could answer, a figure appeared between Belldandy and Mara. It was an angel, with light brown hair and eyes, her pure white wings stretched completely out.
"An angel?" asked Mara stunned.
Belldandy and Skuld both stared at the angel as they tried to identify it. It looked vaguely familiar, but they could place it. They knew it was definitely not Urd's, and Skuld knew it wasn't Sayoko's. Asuka, on the other hand, knew exactly who it was.
"Noble Scarlet." she said quietly.
"Who?" asked Skuld.
"You mean you don't know?" asked Asuka stunned, "Noble Scarlet belongs to..."
Asuka trailed off as the angel brought her hands together and fired off a stream of water at Mara. Mara fell from the sky and sputtered as the angel continued to spray her. When the angel was done, Mara sat completely drenched on the ground.
"Is that the best you can do?" Mara asked, "Besides pissing me off?"
The angel smirked and then turned to her side. With a flash, a Goddess appeared, complete in battle outfit. A helmet and face shield prevented the upper part of her face from being seen. The battle outfit she wore was mostly white with some red tossed in. The Goddesses long black hair was in a ponytail and reached her knees. From what could be seen of her face, she was not very happy.
"I suggest you leave this place Mara," said the goddess in a voice that seemed familiar, "unless you want to get more then drenched."
Mara crossed her arms, "I don't know what game you playing Urd, but you can't fool me."
"Ummm, Mara." Mara turned and was slightly shocked to see Urd standing in the doorway of the house. Mara looked back at the armored goddess stunned.
"If Urd is there, the brat there, and Belldandy there. Who the hell are you?!?"
Thunder rumbled high above in the sky.
"You should leave now."
Mara growled, "Listen you. I don't take orders from anyone, especially Goddesses."
The Goddess raised her arm above her head. The thunder rumbled louder. Suddenly Asuka was on her feet.
"ALL RIGHT AUNTIE!!! DO IT!! DO IT!!"
The Goddess turned and frowned at Asuka, "I told you..." She brought her arm down and pointed it at Mara. As she did, a lightning bolt erupted from the heavens and slammed into the wet demon. Mara screamed as the combination of electricity and water shocked her. The Goddess held her arm level for several more seconds before finally dropping it. Mara collapsed to the ground as the lightning finally released her. The Goddess glared at Asuka.
"....don't call me Auntie."
Asuka practically stood at attention. "Yes Ma'am."
The Goddess reached into a pocket and produced a bracelet. She then tossed it to Asuka.
"Put that on Yoko."
Belldandy's mind immediately kicked into gear. She only knew of one person to call Sayoko 'Yoko' from her contact with the ring. She now knew exactly who the Goddess was.
"Skuld?" she said quietly.
Both Skuld and the Goddess turned to her at the same time.
"Onee-sama?" came two voices. The younger Skuld then turned in awe at the older version of herself. The older Skuld stared at Belldandy a few seconds more before walking over to Mara. Using her foot, she rolled Mara onto her back. Mara stared up at her in fear.
"I suggest you leave now Demon," Skuld said quietly, "Before you seriously tick me off."
Mara nodded and quickly vanished.
Skuld then sighed and waved her hand. With a flash and a swirl of wind, her battle outfit and helmet vanished, revealing her usual goddess uniform. She walked over to Belldandy, who was now being helped by Keiichi, and knelt down.
"I'll need to see your arm Onee-sama." Skuld said quietly.
Belldandy nodded and allowed Skuld to take her arm. Within seconds, Skuld had healed it along with the other injuries she had sustained. Skuld then got up and walked over to Sayoko.
The younger Skuld stared in awe as she watched her older-self looked over Sayoko. Old Skuld then looked up at Asuka.
"What happened?"
"She used up all her energy helping to save Keiichi from Mara." said Asuka, "She's been like this ever since."
Skuld nodded and then moved her hand to Sayoko's forehead marking. "Time to wake up Yoko."
Sayoko blinked and looked around. She saw Asuka and the younger Skuld. Her eyes then turned and widened a bit when she saw her Aunt.
"AUNTIE!" Sayoko practically leaped up into Old Skuld's arms.
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30 minutes later
Megumi had returned from the party. She looked to her left and saw Skuld. She then turned to her right and saw the older version of Skuld. She looked back to one, then the other.
"I didn't think I had that much to drink." Megumi muttered.
"I need something to drink." said Urd, "One brat is more then enough."
Both Skulds glared at Urd. Urd sighed.
"You know........this is starting to bug me."
"What do you mean Urd?" asked Belldandy.
"It was weird enough to have your future daughter here, but to have a 30 year old Skuld here too." Urd glanced at the Older Skuld, "What class are you?"
The older Skuld smiled, "First Class Unlimited."
"And what am I?"
"Second Class Limited."
"Now I really need a drink." muttered Urd.
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At Belldandy's suggestion, everyone had headed off to bed to sleep off what had been a very long day. Megumi stayed as well in the same room as Asuka and Sayoko. One person, however, remained awake.
Aunt Skuld sat at the kitchen table with the datapad, a calculator, and a piece of paper. She was busy scribbling away making calculations for the return trip. The sound of footsteps caused her to look up. Belldandy stood in a robe at the entrance to the dining area.
"Sorry if I disturbed you." She said quietly. "I was just wondering who was up."
"No it's alright." said Skuld, "After all it is your house."
Belldandy smiled slightly, then sat down next to Skuld. "Isn't it yours as well?"
Skuld's face became slightly downcast. "It was for a while, but for the last 13 years, Tokyo-2 has been home."
"After we died?" asked Belldandy. Seeing Skuld's shocked expression, Belldandy continued. "Asuka let it slip, so Sayoko explained what happened." Belldandy looked at the table. "So why did you leave?"
Skuld pressed random buttons on her calculator. "Sayoko and I stayed in the temple for a few years after. But.......world conditions had changed."
"Half the population of the earth dead?"
Skuld sighed, "She told you that too?"
Belldandy nodded.
"Yeah, that occurred at the same time. The Antarctic ice shelf melted causing the oceans to rise. Nekomi was flooded right up to the temple. I decided we'd be better off in Tokyo-2." Noticing Belldandy's frown, Skuld explained. "Tokyo as you know it was hit by a nuclear weapon and later mostly sank into the sea. Tokyo-2 was its replacement."
All was quiet for several moments. Finally Belldandy spoke again.
"She carries my ring."
"I found it in a box of your stuff." Skuld said softly, "She treasures it."
"I know." replied Belldandy. "Why did you let her pilot those........Evas?"
"She told you that!??!"
"No. Her ring. I picked it up and felt the memories resonating within it." Belldandy looked at Skuld. "I also believe that Asuka also piloted an Eva, fighting the 'old ones'."
"They both did. Along with 3 other children." Skuld looked out the window. "The 'old ones' came to be called 'Angels' by the mortals. They were defeated, but at a terrible price in life."
Belldandy followed Skuld's gaze out the window.
"You've done a wonderful job raising her." Belldandy said softly.
Skuld continued to stare out the window, seemingly lost in thought. Belldandy stood up and started heading back to her room.
"You know it's weird." said Skuld suddenly.
"Hmm?"
"I've often wondered what we'd talk about if I ever saw you again." Skuld turned and smiled at Belldandy, "Of course, I wasn't expecting to visit you in the past."
Belldandy smiled. "I didn't expect a visit from my future daughter and my 'older' younger sister. These things seem to just...........happen."
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The next morning.
Sayoko and Asuka tiredly sat down at the table. Keiichi, Megumi, and Urd were already sitting there eating. Sayoko frowned and looked around.
"Where's Auntie, Belldandy, and Skuld?"
"Outside." replied Urd.
Sayoko stood up and walked out. Belldandy was standing next to Aunt Skuld. Both were looking at a sheet of paper held in Aunt Skuld's hands. Young Skuld was running about with her hammer, adding new lines, circles, and words to the uncovered Ultimate Magic Circle. Aunt Skuld looked up.
"Morning Yoko. We're almost ready here." Skuld then looked at her datapad. "Tell Asuka that we'll be ready to go in an hour."
Sayoko nodded then went back inside. She found Asuka listening intently as Keiichi described several racing events that he and Belldandy had been in.
"......She was able to stay right behind Lockheed's go-cart for several laps." said Keiichi, "Then with a lap to go, Bell passed Lockheed and won."
Asuka stared at Keiichi in awe. "She's that good?"
"She is." said Megumi with a smile, "Of course Keiichi does most of the racing around here. But when she does race, Belldandy is unbeatable."
"That's because she cheats."
Everyone turned and stared at Sayoko. Keiichi, Megumi, and Asuka looked stunned by her comment. Urd looked a bit nervous.
"Cheated? Belldandy?" asked Keiichi, "She would never cheat!"
"Yeah!" added Megumi, "Why would she cheat?"
"For Keiichi." Sayoko sat down at the table and stared at Urd. "Isn't that right Urd?"
"Ahh well.......you see....." Urd began nervously.
Keiichi now stared at Urd. "She does?"
"It's not really cheating!" said Urd, "She's just.......racing to the best of her ability. After all, she's only been racing for a few months."
"She used her goddess powers to beat Lockheed." said Sayoko.
"But she had her hands on the wheel the whole time." said Keiichi, "and she didn't chant in the god's language."
Belldandy and the Skulds quietly entered the temple and listened.
"Yeah." said Megumi, "I didn't notice anything odd at that race."
"She didn't use a spell." said Sayoko, "She used her clairvoyance to determine the path to take to beat Lockheed."
"She's right." said Belldandy quietly, "I did."
Keiichi and Megumi looked at her surprised.
"Why?" asked Megumi.
"I did it for Keiichi. He was so worried about the fact that the motor club used their entire budget on that competition." Belldandy looked at the ground. "If we'd lost, he would have been very unhappy." She looked up at Keiichi. "I'm sorry I never told you."
"Don't worry about it." said Keiichi, "That's all in the past. Besides, the rest of the club ate up the winnings with all those trips to the snack tent."
"Are guys done with the circle?" asked Urd.
Aunt Skuld nodded. "Yep. Now we just have to wait."
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About an Hour later.
Aunt Skuld stood silently in a circle, looking towards the ground with her eyes closed. She seemed to be in deep concentration. Sayoko and Asuka stood in a circle together. Outside and several feet away from the circle stood Belldandy, Keiichi, Megumi, Urd, and young Skuld. Megumi began to get impatient.
"What are they waiting for?" she asked.
"SHHHHHHH!!!" came Urd's reply.
Megumi glared at Urd, then walked over to Belldandy.
"What are they waiting for?" she whispered into Belldandy's ear.
"This is a complicated spell." said Belldandy, "Skuld has to concentrate her power and speak every phrase clearly. This spell is calculated to get them to an exact time. One misspoken word, and she might end up in a different spot. The fact that she has to transport Sayoko and Asuka as well makes it that much more difficult."
A beep came from Aunt Skuld's watch. She looked up and began to chant. The circle began to glow. The others watched as Aunt Skuld began to float about a foot off the ground.
At first to Asuka, it didn't seem as if anything was happening. The she noticed that the trees were shifting. Also the temple house seemed to shift from being intact, to a collapsed state. Her eyes widened as ghost-like figures began to appear off to one side.
As the chanting continued, Belldandy began to notice that Skuld seemed to be tiring. The spell seemed to be taking a lot out of her. It was then that a figure began to appear in a circle directly across from Aunt Skuld. Belldandy's eyes widened as the figure became recognizable. She wasn't the only one who noticed.
"What the hell is Peorth doing there?" asked Urd.
"What's going on?" asked Keiichi, "Who is that?"
"The spell is bringing two points of the timeline together." said Belldandy, "so what we're seeing is this point, about 20 years into the future."
Young Skuld then let out a yelp. The others turned to see the house shifting between being whole and being collapsed. Next to them, stood five figures. Two were teenagers who were standing next to a purple haired woman. They didn't recognize them. The remaining two were very recognizable. One was Urd, who didn't appear to have changed much. The other was Megumi who........
"God I look so........OLD!" shouted Megumi. The ghost image turned and looked right at her. A look of surprise appeared on the images face. She nudged the ghost image of Urd who also turned and reacted with shock. Belldandy continued to stare at the circle. Aunt Skuld, Sayoko, and Asuka were now beginning to fade. Sayoko turned and looked at Belldandy. Their eyes were locked on each other.
Sayoko began to feel a sadness take over her as Belldandy and the others began to fade from view. Sayoko raised her hand and waved. Belldandy returned the wave just as she vanished. Aunt Skuld let out a gasp and collapsed to the ground, followed closely by Peorth. Asuka looked around a bit disoriented. The temple house was now a ruin. Beside it stood Urd, Megumi, Misato, Rei, and........."
"SHINJI!!" Asuka leaped out of the circle and tackled Shinji in a hug, sending them both to the ground. "Shinji! Shinji!" Asuka kept repeating as tears began to fall. They were only on the ground for a few seconds before Misato, tears in her eyes as well, raced in and swept them and Rei into her arms. Megumi and Urd in the meantime had raced over and grabbed Sayoko and Skuld in a fierce hug. Peorth watched all this and let out a sigh.
"'Thanks for your help Peorth.', 'You did great Peorth.'" Peorth turned and looked skywards. "Where's my hug?"
Arms went around Peorth.
"Thanks Aunt Peorth." came Sayoko's voice.
Peorth smiled, "Welcome back kid."
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That night.
Sayoko couldn't sleep. At first she paced about her room for a while before finally going out and onto the balcony. Surprisingly, the balcony was not as empty as she thought. Sitting in one of the chairs was Skuld, who was silently watching the night sky.
"Couldn't sleep either?" Skuld finally said.
"No."
"You miss them."
Sayoko sat down in a chair next to Skuld. "Yeah."
"You're not alone." Skuld said softly.
Belldandy slowly rose to her knees, holding on to her left arm. She winced in pain as she bumped her arm against the nearby rock. She looked up at Mara through pain filled eyes.
"Opps." said Mara, "You ought to watch where you fall. That looked painful."
Belldandy had been flying about, trying to block Mara from getting a clear shot at Keiichi. Belldandy had been able to block several of the incoming force bolts, but flying and creating a shield had used her powers up quickly. The last bolt sent by Mara had shattered her shield and knocked her from the sky. She had bounced off the rock before ending up on the ground.
Mara cackled with glee as she flew to where Keiichi was. Keiichi had tried several times to move to help Belldandy, but Skuld and Asuka, understanding what Belldandy had been doing, kept him from moving.
"Now Keiichi.......about that contract. Cancel it now."
"Never." said Keiichi, "I won't lose her again!"
Mara turned and fired another force bolt at Belldandy, knocking her against the rock again. Belldandy cried out in pain as her arm bounced off the rock. Keiichi started to move towards her only to be stopped by a look from Mara.
"Cancel the contract now, or shall I hit her again."
Keiichi turned and looked at Belldandy, tears in her eyes from the pain. It wrenched his heart that he was unable to do anything.
"Well Keiichi?" Mara asked, a force bolt forming in her hands.
Keiichi looked back at Belldandy. She shook her head.
* I don't care what she does to me Keiichi. * her voice said in his head, * I'd rather be dead then lose you. *
Keiichi turned back to Mara. "I will not cancel the contract."
Mara smiled, "So be it." She turned and released the force bolt. Keiichi's eyes met Belldandy's eyes. Both stared at each other, thinking this would be the last time they saw each other.
Just second's before the bolt hit Belldandy, a blue shield surrounded her, easily deflecting the bolt.
"What?!" screamed Mara, "How?!"
Skuld glanced over and looked at Asuka. "Was it Sayoko?"
Asuka knelt by Sayoko. "No, she's still out of it."
Overhearing, Keiichi asked, "It wasn't Bell. Could it have been Urd?"
Before Skuld could answer, a figure appeared between Belldandy and Mara. It was an angel, with light brown hair and eyes, her pure white wings stretched completely out.
"An angel?" asked Mara stunned.
Belldandy and Skuld both stared at the angel as they tried to identify it. It looked vaguely familiar, but they could place it. They knew it was definitely not Urd's, and Skuld knew it wasn't Sayoko's. Asuka, on the other hand, knew exactly who it was.
"Noble Scarlet." she said quietly.
"Who?" asked Skuld.
"You mean you don't know?" asked Asuka stunned, "Noble Scarlet belongs to..."
Asuka trailed off as the angel brought her hands together and fired off a stream of water at Mara. Mara fell from the sky and sputtered as the angel continued to spray her. When the angel was done, Mara sat completely drenched on the ground.
"Is that the best you can do?" Mara asked, "Besides pissing me off?"
The angel smirked and then turned to her side. With a flash, a Goddess appeared, complete in battle outfit. A helmet and face shield prevented the upper part of her face from being seen. The battle outfit she wore was mostly white with some red tossed in. The Goddesses long black hair was in a ponytail and reached her knees. From what could be seen of her face, she was not very happy.
"I suggest you leave this place Mara," said the goddess in a voice that seemed familiar, "unless you want to get more then drenched."
Mara crossed her arms, "I don't know what game you playing Urd, but you can't fool me."
"Ummm, Mara." Mara turned and was slightly shocked to see Urd standing in the doorway of the house. Mara looked back at the armored goddess stunned.
"If Urd is there, the brat there, and Belldandy there. Who the hell are you?!?"
Thunder rumbled high above in the sky.
"You should leave now."
Mara growled, "Listen you. I don't take orders from anyone, especially Goddesses."
The Goddess raised her arm above her head. The thunder rumbled louder. Suddenly Asuka was on her feet.
"ALL RIGHT AUNTIE!!! DO IT!! DO IT!!"
The Goddess turned and frowned at Asuka, "I told you..." She brought her arm down and pointed it at Mara. As she did, a lightning bolt erupted from the heavens and slammed into the wet demon. Mara screamed as the combination of electricity and water shocked her. The Goddess held her arm level for several more seconds before finally dropping it. Mara collapsed to the ground as the lightning finally released her. The Goddess glared at Asuka.
"....don't call me Auntie."
Asuka practically stood at attention. "Yes Ma'am."
The Goddess reached into a pocket and produced a bracelet. She then tossed it to Asuka.
"Put that on Yoko."
Belldandy's mind immediately kicked into gear. She only knew of one person to call Sayoko 'Yoko' from her contact with the ring. She now knew exactly who the Goddess was.
"Skuld?" she said quietly.
Both Skuld and the Goddess turned to her at the same time.
"Onee-sama?" came two voices. The younger Skuld then turned in awe at the older version of herself. The older Skuld stared at Belldandy a few seconds more before walking over to Mara. Using her foot, she rolled Mara onto her back. Mara stared up at her in fear.
"I suggest you leave now Demon," Skuld said quietly, "Before you seriously tick me off."
Mara nodded and quickly vanished.
Skuld then sighed and waved her hand. With a flash and a swirl of wind, her battle outfit and helmet vanished, revealing her usual goddess uniform. She walked over to Belldandy, who was now being helped by Keiichi, and knelt down.
"I'll need to see your arm Onee-sama." Skuld said quietly.
Belldandy nodded and allowed Skuld to take her arm. Within seconds, Skuld had healed it along with the other injuries she had sustained. Skuld then got up and walked over to Sayoko.
The younger Skuld stared in awe as she watched her older-self looked over Sayoko. Old Skuld then looked up at Asuka.
"What happened?"
"She used up all her energy helping to save Keiichi from Mara." said Asuka, "She's been like this ever since."
Skuld nodded and then moved her hand to Sayoko's forehead marking. "Time to wake up Yoko."
Sayoko blinked and looked around. She saw Asuka and the younger Skuld. Her eyes then turned and widened a bit when she saw her Aunt.
"AUNTIE!" Sayoko practically leaped up into Old Skuld's arms.
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30 minutes later
Megumi had returned from the party. She looked to her left and saw Skuld. She then turned to her right and saw the older version of Skuld. She looked back to one, then the other.
"I didn't think I had that much to drink." Megumi muttered.
"I need something to drink." said Urd, "One brat is more then enough."
Both Skulds glared at Urd. Urd sighed.
"You know........this is starting to bug me."
"What do you mean Urd?" asked Belldandy.
"It was weird enough to have your future daughter here, but to have a 30 year old Skuld here too." Urd glanced at the Older Skuld, "What class are you?"
The older Skuld smiled, "First Class Unlimited."
"And what am I?"
"Second Class Limited."
"Now I really need a drink." muttered Urd.
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At Belldandy's suggestion, everyone had headed off to bed to sleep off what had been a very long day. Megumi stayed as well in the same room as Asuka and Sayoko. One person, however, remained awake.
Aunt Skuld sat at the kitchen table with the datapad, a calculator, and a piece of paper. She was busy scribbling away making calculations for the return trip. The sound of footsteps caused her to look up. Belldandy stood in a robe at the entrance to the dining area.
"Sorry if I disturbed you." She said quietly. "I was just wondering who was up."
"No it's alright." said Skuld, "After all it is your house."
Belldandy smiled slightly, then sat down next to Skuld. "Isn't it yours as well?"
Skuld's face became slightly downcast. "It was for a while, but for the last 13 years, Tokyo-2 has been home."
"After we died?" asked Belldandy. Seeing Skuld's shocked expression, Belldandy continued. "Asuka let it slip, so Sayoko explained what happened." Belldandy looked at the table. "So why did you leave?"
Skuld pressed random buttons on her calculator. "Sayoko and I stayed in the temple for a few years after. But.......world conditions had changed."
"Half the population of the earth dead?"
Skuld sighed, "She told you that too?"
Belldandy nodded.
"Yeah, that occurred at the same time. The Antarctic ice shelf melted causing the oceans to rise. Nekomi was flooded right up to the temple. I decided we'd be better off in Tokyo-2." Noticing Belldandy's frown, Skuld explained. "Tokyo as you know it was hit by a nuclear weapon and later mostly sank into the sea. Tokyo-2 was its replacement."
All was quiet for several moments. Finally Belldandy spoke again.
"She carries my ring."
"I found it in a box of your stuff." Skuld said softly, "She treasures it."
"I know." replied Belldandy. "Why did you let her pilot those........Evas?"
"She told you that!??!"
"No. Her ring. I picked it up and felt the memories resonating within it." Belldandy looked at Skuld. "I also believe that Asuka also piloted an Eva, fighting the 'old ones'."
"They both did. Along with 3 other children." Skuld looked out the window. "The 'old ones' came to be called 'Angels' by the mortals. They were defeated, but at a terrible price in life."
Belldandy followed Skuld's gaze out the window.
"You've done a wonderful job raising her." Belldandy said softly.
Skuld continued to stare out the window, seemingly lost in thought. Belldandy stood up and started heading back to her room.
"You know it's weird." said Skuld suddenly.
"Hmm?"
"I've often wondered what we'd talk about if I ever saw you again." Skuld turned and smiled at Belldandy, "Of course, I wasn't expecting to visit you in the past."
Belldandy smiled. "I didn't expect a visit from my future daughter and my 'older' younger sister. These things seem to just...........happen."
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The next morning.
Sayoko and Asuka tiredly sat down at the table. Keiichi, Megumi, and Urd were already sitting there eating. Sayoko frowned and looked around.
"Where's Auntie, Belldandy, and Skuld?"
"Outside." replied Urd.
Sayoko stood up and walked out. Belldandy was standing next to Aunt Skuld. Both were looking at a sheet of paper held in Aunt Skuld's hands. Young Skuld was running about with her hammer, adding new lines, circles, and words to the uncovered Ultimate Magic Circle. Aunt Skuld looked up.
"Morning Yoko. We're almost ready here." Skuld then looked at her datapad. "Tell Asuka that we'll be ready to go in an hour."
Sayoko nodded then went back inside. She found Asuka listening intently as Keiichi described several racing events that he and Belldandy had been in.
"......She was able to stay right behind Lockheed's go-cart for several laps." said Keiichi, "Then with a lap to go, Bell passed Lockheed and won."
Asuka stared at Keiichi in awe. "She's that good?"
"She is." said Megumi with a smile, "Of course Keiichi does most of the racing around here. But when she does race, Belldandy is unbeatable."
"That's because she cheats."
Everyone turned and stared at Sayoko. Keiichi, Megumi, and Asuka looked stunned by her comment. Urd looked a bit nervous.
"Cheated? Belldandy?" asked Keiichi, "She would never cheat!"
"Yeah!" added Megumi, "Why would she cheat?"
"For Keiichi." Sayoko sat down at the table and stared at Urd. "Isn't that right Urd?"
"Ahh well.......you see....." Urd began nervously.
Keiichi now stared at Urd. "She does?"
"It's not really cheating!" said Urd, "She's just.......racing to the best of her ability. After all, she's only been racing for a few months."
"She used her goddess powers to beat Lockheed." said Sayoko.
"But she had her hands on the wheel the whole time." said Keiichi, "and she didn't chant in the god's language."
Belldandy and the Skulds quietly entered the temple and listened.
"Yeah." said Megumi, "I didn't notice anything odd at that race."
"She didn't use a spell." said Sayoko, "She used her clairvoyance to determine the path to take to beat Lockheed."
"She's right." said Belldandy quietly, "I did."
Keiichi and Megumi looked at her surprised.
"Why?" asked Megumi.
"I did it for Keiichi. He was so worried about the fact that the motor club used their entire budget on that competition." Belldandy looked at the ground. "If we'd lost, he would have been very unhappy." She looked up at Keiichi. "I'm sorry I never told you."
"Don't worry about it." said Keiichi, "That's all in the past. Besides, the rest of the club ate up the winnings with all those trips to the snack tent."
"Are guys done with the circle?" asked Urd.
Aunt Skuld nodded. "Yep. Now we just have to wait."
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About an Hour later.
Aunt Skuld stood silently in a circle, looking towards the ground with her eyes closed. She seemed to be in deep concentration. Sayoko and Asuka stood in a circle together. Outside and several feet away from the circle stood Belldandy, Keiichi, Megumi, Urd, and young Skuld. Megumi began to get impatient.
"What are they waiting for?" she asked.
"SHHHHHHH!!!" came Urd's reply.
Megumi glared at Urd, then walked over to Belldandy.
"What are they waiting for?" she whispered into Belldandy's ear.
"This is a complicated spell." said Belldandy, "Skuld has to concentrate her power and speak every phrase clearly. This spell is calculated to get them to an exact time. One misspoken word, and she might end up in a different spot. The fact that she has to transport Sayoko and Asuka as well makes it that much more difficult."
A beep came from Aunt Skuld's watch. She looked up and began to chant. The circle began to glow. The others watched as Aunt Skuld began to float about a foot off the ground.
At first to Asuka, it didn't seem as if anything was happening. The she noticed that the trees were shifting. Also the temple house seemed to shift from being intact, to a collapsed state. Her eyes widened as ghost-like figures began to appear off to one side.
As the chanting continued, Belldandy began to notice that Skuld seemed to be tiring. The spell seemed to be taking a lot out of her. It was then that a figure began to appear in a circle directly across from Aunt Skuld. Belldandy's eyes widened as the figure became recognizable. She wasn't the only one who noticed.
"What the hell is Peorth doing there?" asked Urd.
"What's going on?" asked Keiichi, "Who is that?"
"The spell is bringing two points of the timeline together." said Belldandy, "so what we're seeing is this point, about 20 years into the future."
Young Skuld then let out a yelp. The others turned to see the house shifting between being whole and being collapsed. Next to them, stood five figures. Two were teenagers who were standing next to a purple haired woman. They didn't recognize them. The remaining two were very recognizable. One was Urd, who didn't appear to have changed much. The other was Megumi who........
"God I look so........OLD!" shouted Megumi. The ghost image turned and looked right at her. A look of surprise appeared on the images face. She nudged the ghost image of Urd who also turned and reacted with shock. Belldandy continued to stare at the circle. Aunt Skuld, Sayoko, and Asuka were now beginning to fade. Sayoko turned and looked at Belldandy. Their eyes were locked on each other.
Sayoko began to feel a sadness take over her as Belldandy and the others began to fade from view. Sayoko raised her hand and waved. Belldandy returned the wave just as she vanished. Aunt Skuld let out a gasp and collapsed to the ground, followed closely by Peorth. Asuka looked around a bit disoriented. The temple house was now a ruin. Beside it stood Urd, Megumi, Misato, Rei, and........."
"SHINJI!!" Asuka leaped out of the circle and tackled Shinji in a hug, sending them both to the ground. "Shinji! Shinji!" Asuka kept repeating as tears began to fall. They were only on the ground for a few seconds before Misato, tears in her eyes as well, raced in and swept them and Rei into her arms. Megumi and Urd in the meantime had raced over and grabbed Sayoko and Skuld in a fierce hug. Peorth watched all this and let out a sigh.
"'Thanks for your help Peorth.', 'You did great Peorth.'" Peorth turned and looked skywards. "Where's my hug?"
Arms went around Peorth.
"Thanks Aunt Peorth." came Sayoko's voice.
Peorth smiled, "Welcome back kid."
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That night.
Sayoko couldn't sleep. At first she paced about her room for a while before finally going out and onto the balcony. Surprisingly, the balcony was not as empty as she thought. Sitting in one of the chairs was Skuld, who was silently watching the night sky.
"Couldn't sleep either?" Skuld finally said.
"No."
"You miss them."
Sayoko sat down in a chair next to Skuld. "Yeah."
"You're not alone." Skuld said softly.