Hey people! I really really really like some reviews so the more reviews I
get, the faster I update ;)
The bug Chapter 23
Peorth stared in disbelief at the figure standing before her. She was powerful, Hild must've put her all in making the girl what she became. "Wake up, Megumi!!" She tried to shake the girl out of torpor.
"Megumi...." Keiichi reached for her, taking a step foward and extending a hand to her. Immediatly, he was sent flying through the wall.
"Keiichi!!" Belldandy rushed to him but she never made it as she was stopped in mid-air by a black thunderbolt and hit the floor.
"Belldandy!" Urd and Skuld cried at the same time but didn't dared move.
"Tsk, Tsk." She insited on keeping on that donwright evil grin stretched on her face. Megumi's usualy cute expression was deformed to a point where she was alomst unrecognisable. "Stay away from my brother, tramp." She snarled.
The norn of the present was astonished at the harsh words. Coming out of her haze, she got up, not without pain. "What happened to you?" She asked full of compassion.
"I don't need your pity." Megumi barked. "I'm better than ever."
"Snap out of it already!" Skuld shouted earning herself a viscious glare.
"I know too well Hild's work.... she surpassed herself with that one. We'll never be able to reach her if she stays in that state." Mara growled. "We're not getting anywhere with words."
"Heh, finaly realised it?" Megumi snorted. The demon only frowned and jumped, sending a flying kick in the possessed girl, who passed through the hole made by Keiichi.
Before she could hit the ground, Megumi turned around in a cat-like fashion and landed on her feet. "Please don't tell me that's the best you can do." She laughed.
Mara walked out of the bathroom into the garden, all along growling at the bersek girl before running at her, throwing a series of punches. Megumi actually seemed surprised at the fierocity of her attack, but stayed cool. She sidestepped the demon's punch combination and lifted one leg to down her in a smooth-as-silk kick.
The blond hit the ground in a loud thud, her head hitting the pavement in a sickening crack, blood splashing everywhere. Urd, who had followed outside with the other goddesses, fell to her knees, screaming in pain. "No..." she gritted her theet, burrying her fingers in her hair.
Mara wasn't about to let Megumi win so easily as she slowly got up, bravely standing in front of the girl, who smirked. "What? You want more?" She looked her over before bending to whisper in the demon's ear. "You want me to tell you something?" She didn't waited for an answer. "I'm not here for you." She eyed the group of goddesses. "Can you guess who it is?"
"No..." Mara gulped as Megumi pushed past her and ran toward the group. "Urd!" the demon yelped helplessly, she was still dizzy from the hit she had received on the head.
Megumi ran past Belldandy, Peorth and... Urd. She grabbed Skuld in a headlock. "Fools!" She cried, overjoyed. "Don't tell me you didn't saw it coming!!!"
"Kami-sama... no..." Belldandy raised a hand to her mouth, finally understanding. If one of the goddesses was down, the protection circle would break, thus alowing Hild in their space without her being invited. The weakest of the goddesses, Skuld, would be the easiest one to neutralise. Hild had sent Megumi to put Skuld down so she could enter their holy space.
"Help!" Skuld weezed as Megumi chocked her.
"Damit!" Urd unsteadily tried to get on her feet but failed. "Bell! Peorth!! Do something!!" The two goddesses nodded, rushing towards the brown haired mortal.
Megumi smirked and squeezed harder, successfully knocking the young girl unconscious. Before the goddesses could reach her, a wall of shadows stopped them. Hild appeared beside Megumi.
"Hild!! What have you done to her???" Urd glared as soon as she saw her mother.
Hild observed Megumi's figure silently, considering if she should answer the question. "The device that lives inside the girl is quite simple actually." She smiled. "It nullifies all thoughts of good and incites the person to give in to their dark side. The one they've forsaken." She walked to the girl. "They obey to all their sinful impulses witch, for the humans, are...."
"Pride, sloth, wrath, lust, glutony, greed, envy." Belldandy completed the thought. "In other words, human sins are what's driving her right now."
'Lust.' Peorth had a flash of the events that had happened a little earlier. 'So that was it.'
"Let her free, Hild!" Belldandy pleaded.
"Why should I?" The woman snarled. "I like her.... a lot." She rested her hands on Megumi's shoulder and runned her hands on the girl's bare back.
"Stop it." Keiichi hissed, disgusted as he observed Hild's caring strokes on his sister. "Leave her out of this."
She laughed, though she stopped her her hand's movements. "What can *you* do to me?" She glared at him, her devilish smile still playing on her lips.
"Nothing." Rind answered for him. "Let the girl free, this has nothing to do with the mortals."
General surprise, nobody had noticed her arrival.
"It has nothing to do with you, either." Hild growled at the goddess.
"It is my duty to protect goddesses when in danger." The purple haired goddess glanced at Urd who was trying her best to stand up. "I believe this matter concerns me."
"Truth be told that is your duty. But these are personal matters. Its none of your concern." Hild rested a hand on Megumi's back. "Would you please take care of the intruder?" She smiled as she gave the girl a little push.
As soon as she was given the authorisation, Megumi leaped towards Rind. Axes materialised immediately in the goddesse's hands and she swinged them in the general direction of the human, forcing her to break course in order to duck. Megumi reached to the palm of her left hand, tugged on an invisible hilt. Touching it, it became visible to all and she extracted a very long sword of her arm; as if it had been a sheath for the weapon.
Megumi charged again and brought her blade down, apparently aiming to cut Rind's head right off. Fortunately, the goddess was quick enough to stop the blow.
"Good god! Megumi stop it!!" Keiichi was dumbfounded that her sister would attack someone, furthermore with a sword....
"She's not herself anymore." Belldandy gulped as she watched Rind desperately try to block and counter the attacks. For the third time, Megumi landed a slash, cutting into the goddess' arm. "Keiichi, I'm sorry but we have to help Rind, or she may not.... no... _will not_ come out of this alive."
Keiichi felt tears well up in his eyes as his gaze altered between his sister and his lover. "Please... please find a way to save her, Bell... "
She bit her lip. As much as she wanted to reasure him, she didn't knew if she really could help Megumi.
"We'll save her." Peorth said firmly, elegant twin blades now in her hands.
Belldandy stared at the other goddess for a few second and nodded. "We'll make it." She confirmed. "Take care of Urd and Mara." With that, she finally morphed her clothes in her combat uniform, as Peorth did earlier, a long staff appearing in her hand.
Both goddesses entered the fight, Rind was now exhausted, even though she wasn't able to attack once. Now three versus one, they thought they had the advantage, trying, at the very least, to stop Megumi's attacks.
Slashing up and down, vertically and horizontaly, switching their patterns constantly, changing the speed at witch they assaulted, the three goddesses tried with all their might and using all their skills to land at least one blow. But the girl smoothly dodged every single one of their attacks, and couterattacked with viscious slashes, disarming her oponents one by one and spreading holy blood everywhere.
"You're no fun." She spat at them.
Peorth was incredulous, breathing heavily. 'How was she able to...'
Rind reached for one of her axes, not done with the fight yet. She was rewarded by a awfuly powerful kick in the guts. She was left agonizing on the ground as she clutched her stomach and tried to not throw up.
****
Keiichi had managed to get Urd to where Mara had been resting, they could observe what happened.
"Kei...." Urd softly spoke. "They won't do it like this. It's Hild they need to stop."
"Megumi's out of reach." Mara didn't tried to hide the truth. "She's practically a demon, now. All that's left is for her to make her eternal vows.... if she does, there's no turning back. She won't be your sister anymore."
He gulped. "You mean.... if she swears to Hild that she'll serve her forever, then... she becomes a demon.... for real?"
"Keiichi, you're mortals. You're neutral beings. Your body can be converted to holy or unholy. Belldandy couldn't be turned like Urd, to be a demon, because she has only pure and sacred blood. That's just the way it is. But humans didn't receive any heritage from either of the sides. Therefore.... if they choose one side, they become a part of it." The blond explained.
"If Megumi accepts to become one of them, she'll change completely... even her dna won't be the same anymore." Urd simplified what Mara had been saying.
"All because she's a mortal?" He wanted to make sure he got that detail right.
"Help us over there, please." Urd softly commanded, ignoring his question and he nodded.
****
Hild smiled. The goddesses were at her feets, thanks to her new pet.
"So, do you like her?... I know I do." The queen of hell smiled as she pulled Megumi close to her. "She's my master piece...." She gazed at the brown haired woman, softly caressing her hair, then her cheek. "She's perfect, isn't she?" Hild whispered more to herself than anyone else, practicaly losing herself in the dark red eyes that stared back at her.
Peorth watched the scene in horror. 'Does Megumi actually enjoys being close to *that* demon?' She felt sick as Hild hugged her and the girl complied.
"Perfect...." Hild sourly repeated. "Why couldn't Urd be like her?" She added quasi-inaudibely.
Keiichi, Urd and Mara were now stranding next to Belldandy, who had been crouching next to the poor beaten up Rind.
"Please... Please let my sister go." He begged once more.
"Yes... Hild.... Hear us, please... She's his sister." Belldandy added. "He doesn't want to lose her...."
"Your father was my husband!" Hild's head snapped up. "And she's my daughter!" She pointed to Urd. "And now it's Mara who's leaving me! Do you think I _wanted_ to lose them?!?!" She barked.
Belldandy winced. She had hit a sensitive spot.
"If you really want Mara, fine, go ahead. I take something in exchange." She clutched Megumi closer, eyeing Urd.
The platinum haired goddess' eyes rested on the ground.
"That's not fair!!" Peorth objected. "You can't ask her to choose between Megumi and Mara!"
"Nothing's fair in this world." Hild answered back.
Silence took place as everyone tried to figure out how to get out of this situation.
Hild bitterly stared at the two lovers, absently strocking the brown hair. "You're not like them, right?" She questionned the girl in her arms. "You're not gonna leave me alone, are you?" She quietly asked, her eyes more and more burning with a mixt of sorrow, hate and solitude. "You're gonna stay with me forever, aren't you?"
Megumi nodded, her head resting on her mistress' chest.
"Do you promise?" Hild whispered, in the girl's hair.
Megumi rose her head and looked into the other woman's eyes. "I--"
*****
to be continued....
The bug Chapter 23
Peorth stared in disbelief at the figure standing before her. She was powerful, Hild must've put her all in making the girl what she became. "Wake up, Megumi!!" She tried to shake the girl out of torpor.
"Megumi...." Keiichi reached for her, taking a step foward and extending a hand to her. Immediatly, he was sent flying through the wall.
"Keiichi!!" Belldandy rushed to him but she never made it as she was stopped in mid-air by a black thunderbolt and hit the floor.
"Belldandy!" Urd and Skuld cried at the same time but didn't dared move.
"Tsk, Tsk." She insited on keeping on that donwright evil grin stretched on her face. Megumi's usualy cute expression was deformed to a point where she was alomst unrecognisable. "Stay away from my brother, tramp." She snarled.
The norn of the present was astonished at the harsh words. Coming out of her haze, she got up, not without pain. "What happened to you?" She asked full of compassion.
"I don't need your pity." Megumi barked. "I'm better than ever."
"Snap out of it already!" Skuld shouted earning herself a viscious glare.
"I know too well Hild's work.... she surpassed herself with that one. We'll never be able to reach her if she stays in that state." Mara growled. "We're not getting anywhere with words."
"Heh, finaly realised it?" Megumi snorted. The demon only frowned and jumped, sending a flying kick in the possessed girl, who passed through the hole made by Keiichi.
Before she could hit the ground, Megumi turned around in a cat-like fashion and landed on her feet. "Please don't tell me that's the best you can do." She laughed.
Mara walked out of the bathroom into the garden, all along growling at the bersek girl before running at her, throwing a series of punches. Megumi actually seemed surprised at the fierocity of her attack, but stayed cool. She sidestepped the demon's punch combination and lifted one leg to down her in a smooth-as-silk kick.
The blond hit the ground in a loud thud, her head hitting the pavement in a sickening crack, blood splashing everywhere. Urd, who had followed outside with the other goddesses, fell to her knees, screaming in pain. "No..." she gritted her theet, burrying her fingers in her hair.
Mara wasn't about to let Megumi win so easily as she slowly got up, bravely standing in front of the girl, who smirked. "What? You want more?" She looked her over before bending to whisper in the demon's ear. "You want me to tell you something?" She didn't waited for an answer. "I'm not here for you." She eyed the group of goddesses. "Can you guess who it is?"
"No..." Mara gulped as Megumi pushed past her and ran toward the group. "Urd!" the demon yelped helplessly, she was still dizzy from the hit she had received on the head.
Megumi ran past Belldandy, Peorth and... Urd. She grabbed Skuld in a headlock. "Fools!" She cried, overjoyed. "Don't tell me you didn't saw it coming!!!"
"Kami-sama... no..." Belldandy raised a hand to her mouth, finally understanding. If one of the goddesses was down, the protection circle would break, thus alowing Hild in their space without her being invited. The weakest of the goddesses, Skuld, would be the easiest one to neutralise. Hild had sent Megumi to put Skuld down so she could enter their holy space.
"Help!" Skuld weezed as Megumi chocked her.
"Damit!" Urd unsteadily tried to get on her feet but failed. "Bell! Peorth!! Do something!!" The two goddesses nodded, rushing towards the brown haired mortal.
Megumi smirked and squeezed harder, successfully knocking the young girl unconscious. Before the goddesses could reach her, a wall of shadows stopped them. Hild appeared beside Megumi.
"Hild!! What have you done to her???" Urd glared as soon as she saw her mother.
Hild observed Megumi's figure silently, considering if she should answer the question. "The device that lives inside the girl is quite simple actually." She smiled. "It nullifies all thoughts of good and incites the person to give in to their dark side. The one they've forsaken." She walked to the girl. "They obey to all their sinful impulses witch, for the humans, are...."
"Pride, sloth, wrath, lust, glutony, greed, envy." Belldandy completed the thought. "In other words, human sins are what's driving her right now."
'Lust.' Peorth had a flash of the events that had happened a little earlier. 'So that was it.'
"Let her free, Hild!" Belldandy pleaded.
"Why should I?" The woman snarled. "I like her.... a lot." She rested her hands on Megumi's shoulder and runned her hands on the girl's bare back.
"Stop it." Keiichi hissed, disgusted as he observed Hild's caring strokes on his sister. "Leave her out of this."
She laughed, though she stopped her her hand's movements. "What can *you* do to me?" She glared at him, her devilish smile still playing on her lips.
"Nothing." Rind answered for him. "Let the girl free, this has nothing to do with the mortals."
General surprise, nobody had noticed her arrival.
"It has nothing to do with you, either." Hild growled at the goddess.
"It is my duty to protect goddesses when in danger." The purple haired goddess glanced at Urd who was trying her best to stand up. "I believe this matter concerns me."
"Truth be told that is your duty. But these are personal matters. Its none of your concern." Hild rested a hand on Megumi's back. "Would you please take care of the intruder?" She smiled as she gave the girl a little push.
As soon as she was given the authorisation, Megumi leaped towards Rind. Axes materialised immediately in the goddesse's hands and she swinged them in the general direction of the human, forcing her to break course in order to duck. Megumi reached to the palm of her left hand, tugged on an invisible hilt. Touching it, it became visible to all and she extracted a very long sword of her arm; as if it had been a sheath for the weapon.
Megumi charged again and brought her blade down, apparently aiming to cut Rind's head right off. Fortunately, the goddess was quick enough to stop the blow.
"Good god! Megumi stop it!!" Keiichi was dumbfounded that her sister would attack someone, furthermore with a sword....
"She's not herself anymore." Belldandy gulped as she watched Rind desperately try to block and counter the attacks. For the third time, Megumi landed a slash, cutting into the goddess' arm. "Keiichi, I'm sorry but we have to help Rind, or she may not.... no... _will not_ come out of this alive."
Keiichi felt tears well up in his eyes as his gaze altered between his sister and his lover. "Please... please find a way to save her, Bell... "
She bit her lip. As much as she wanted to reasure him, she didn't knew if she really could help Megumi.
"We'll save her." Peorth said firmly, elegant twin blades now in her hands.
Belldandy stared at the other goddess for a few second and nodded. "We'll make it." She confirmed. "Take care of Urd and Mara." With that, she finally morphed her clothes in her combat uniform, as Peorth did earlier, a long staff appearing in her hand.
Both goddesses entered the fight, Rind was now exhausted, even though she wasn't able to attack once. Now three versus one, they thought they had the advantage, trying, at the very least, to stop Megumi's attacks.
Slashing up and down, vertically and horizontaly, switching their patterns constantly, changing the speed at witch they assaulted, the three goddesses tried with all their might and using all their skills to land at least one blow. But the girl smoothly dodged every single one of their attacks, and couterattacked with viscious slashes, disarming her oponents one by one and spreading holy blood everywhere.
"You're no fun." She spat at them.
Peorth was incredulous, breathing heavily. 'How was she able to...'
Rind reached for one of her axes, not done with the fight yet. She was rewarded by a awfuly powerful kick in the guts. She was left agonizing on the ground as she clutched her stomach and tried to not throw up.
****
Keiichi had managed to get Urd to where Mara had been resting, they could observe what happened.
"Kei...." Urd softly spoke. "They won't do it like this. It's Hild they need to stop."
"Megumi's out of reach." Mara didn't tried to hide the truth. "She's practically a demon, now. All that's left is for her to make her eternal vows.... if she does, there's no turning back. She won't be your sister anymore."
He gulped. "You mean.... if she swears to Hild that she'll serve her forever, then... she becomes a demon.... for real?"
"Keiichi, you're mortals. You're neutral beings. Your body can be converted to holy or unholy. Belldandy couldn't be turned like Urd, to be a demon, because she has only pure and sacred blood. That's just the way it is. But humans didn't receive any heritage from either of the sides. Therefore.... if they choose one side, they become a part of it." The blond explained.
"If Megumi accepts to become one of them, she'll change completely... even her dna won't be the same anymore." Urd simplified what Mara had been saying.
"All because she's a mortal?" He wanted to make sure he got that detail right.
"Help us over there, please." Urd softly commanded, ignoring his question and he nodded.
****
Hild smiled. The goddesses were at her feets, thanks to her new pet.
"So, do you like her?... I know I do." The queen of hell smiled as she pulled Megumi close to her. "She's my master piece...." She gazed at the brown haired woman, softly caressing her hair, then her cheek. "She's perfect, isn't she?" Hild whispered more to herself than anyone else, practicaly losing herself in the dark red eyes that stared back at her.
Peorth watched the scene in horror. 'Does Megumi actually enjoys being close to *that* demon?' She felt sick as Hild hugged her and the girl complied.
"Perfect...." Hild sourly repeated. "Why couldn't Urd be like her?" She added quasi-inaudibely.
Keiichi, Urd and Mara were now stranding next to Belldandy, who had been crouching next to the poor beaten up Rind.
"Please... Please let my sister go." He begged once more.
"Yes... Hild.... Hear us, please... She's his sister." Belldandy added. "He doesn't want to lose her...."
"Your father was my husband!" Hild's head snapped up. "And she's my daughter!" She pointed to Urd. "And now it's Mara who's leaving me! Do you think I _wanted_ to lose them?!?!" She barked.
Belldandy winced. She had hit a sensitive spot.
"If you really want Mara, fine, go ahead. I take something in exchange." She clutched Megumi closer, eyeing Urd.
The platinum haired goddess' eyes rested on the ground.
"That's not fair!!" Peorth objected. "You can't ask her to choose between Megumi and Mara!"
"Nothing's fair in this world." Hild answered back.
Silence took place as everyone tried to figure out how to get out of this situation.
Hild bitterly stared at the two lovers, absently strocking the brown hair. "You're not like them, right?" She questionned the girl in her arms. "You're not gonna leave me alone, are you?" She quietly asked, her eyes more and more burning with a mixt of sorrow, hate and solitude. "You're gonna stay with me forever, aren't you?"
Megumi nodded, her head resting on her mistress' chest.
"Do you promise?" Hild whispered, in the girl's hair.
Megumi rose her head and looked into the other woman's eyes. "I--"
*****
to be continued....