Onegai, Megami-Sama!
Part 3-4: Just Another Day at the Races
The sun rose without a problem, and that was a small relief.
Keiichi rolled the motorcycle he and Skuld had been working on out into the morning sun, and put up a hand to shade his eyes as he looked down at the bike. It was pretty ordinary, didn't look like anything more than a stock frame with a few modifications. He'd just have to make sure that the rest of the Motor Club didn't try to open it up, so he wouldn't have to answer any questions about just where the rest of the engine was, what all those tubes were for, and why the gas tank was only about the size of a teacup.
Despite all the possible problems, Keiichi couldn't keep himself from smiling. Whatever technology that agent guy had been using in his bike, it was years beyond anything Keiichi had ever seen. It hadn't taken Skuld all that long to rig together some retrofitting, and now, the motorcycle was ready for action. All for the glory and burning passion of the Nekomi Motor Club, he thought in Ootaki's voice, and chuckled. If everything went well, this would be some race.
Keiichi stretched a little, turned, then walked back into the temple and immediately regretted it.
"I'm sorry!" Skuld was yelling. "I didn't think it was your wife!"
For a moment, Keiichi hesitated. Maybe it would be better not to ask, he thought. Not that it would do any good, but. . . . He shrugged, then headed toward the kitchen, where the noise was coming from.
Kei and Mizuho were sitting at the kitchen table, along with Skuld, who looked pretty upset. Keiichi caught a glimpse of Belldandy making something in the kitchen before getting a better look at Kei. He paused, his eyes wide, then asked, "What the. . . ."
The words 'pervert,' 'jerk,' and 'idiot' were plastered across Kei's face. He was sitting slumped over, looking like he'd just had the worst luck in the world hit him all at once. Mizuho sat next to him, wearing something pink with thin straps and looking like she was trying not to laugh.
Kei and Mizuho both looked over at Keiichi, as did Skuld a second later. "It was an accident!" Skuld yelled. "I heard his voice from their room, and she sounds a lot like oneesan, and they were saying - so I thought--"
Keiichi paused, blinked, then burst out laughing. He staggered in and took a seat at the table before he fell down, trying to tell Kei and Mizuho he was sorry but unable to stop laughing. The image was just too much. Kei trying to make a move on Belldandy? Keiichi shook his head, and took a few deep breaths.
"I'm sorry," he gasped. "But that's just too funny."
Across the table, Kei sighed. "At least it'll come off," he said.
"Oh, right," Skuld said, and waved her hand at him. The words disappeared, but Kei still looked upset. "I'm really sorry about that."
"There's no need to be so overprotective, Skuld," Belldandy said pleasantly, coming out of the kitchen with five steaming cups on a tray. "You know Kusanagi-san would never try something like that."
Keiichi nodded, and smiled at Belldandy as she sat next to him. After everything Kei had told him that he and Mizuho had been through, especially what was happening when they'd all first met, he knew that Kei wasn't going to do anything that would cause problems between him and Mizuho. That was why it was so funny to think of him trying to pull something with Belldandy.
"Will you two be coming with us to the races today?" Belldandy asked, looking to the married couple.
Mizuho nodded. "I'd like to see it," she said. "And it'd be better for us to stay together," she continued, lowering her gaze a little. "Just in case something happens."
Keiichi gave them a nervous smile. "It should be okay," he said, hoping he sounded reassuring. "There's going to be a lot of people around, I don't think he'd get much chance to try anything. Just stay with everyone, you should be all right."
Mizuho nodded, and she and Kei looked hopeful, but still worried. Keiichi hoped they wouldn't be like that all day; the races should be a good way to get their minds off of what had happened last night. Hopefully.
Just as Keiichi was about done with his tea, a great rumbling came from outside the temple. Kei and Mizuho looked surprised, but Keiichi didn't flinch. It sounded like Tamiya was driving the usual truck for carrying a motorcycle to the race, a giant pickup with a motor that had been customized so many times it could probably run on beer and cheap takeout. Keiichi finished his tea quickly, then got to his feet.
"Good luck today," Belldandy said pleasantly, standing along with him. "We'll be along as soon as everyone wakes up."
Keiichi grinned. "Don't worry about it, the races don't start until noon. We'll probably need that much time to fix the turning on the bike."
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Belldandy said. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, then smiled and headed back into the kitchen.
Keiichi, doing his best not to blush bright red and failing miserably, waved goodbye to Skuld, Kei, and Mizuho, then hurried out of the temple. Tamiya was sitting in the truck, revving the engine, as Keiichi ran up to the huge blue pickup. The larger man rumbled out as soon as Keiichi arrived.
"Morisato!" he boomed.
"Morning," Keiichi said. "The bike's all ready, it's just--" Keiichi paused, as Tamiya had stopped right in front of him and was glowering down at him like he was about to see how many times he could fold Keiichi in half. "Um, Tamiya?"
"Where's da rest o' dem," Tamiya said, his voice lower than usual. Somehow, he seemed a lot scarier when he did that. "Your friends dat was at da school yesterday."
Keiichi put a hand to the back of his head and chuckled nervously. "Most everyone's still asleep," he said, trying not to sound worried. "Kei and Mizuho are up, but that's because of Skuld, and I still haven't seen Matagu and Peorth--"
From the look on Tamiya's face, Keiichi suddenly knew that he'd said the wrong thing.
"Dat - dat guy is wit' Miss Peorth?" Tamiya rumbled. Keiichi almost expected to see steam come out of his ears. "If he's layin' a hand on her, I'm gonna. . . ." The larger man trailed off, and for a second, Keiichi wondered if he was going to storm right into the temple and throw Matagu through a wall or something. Keiichi then realized that he wouldn't be able to hold Tamiya back, and quickly changed the subject.
"The bike's all ready! Skuld helped me on it, and she came up with something that works really well."
It took a long moment for Tamiya's expression to change, but eventually it looked like he was going to focus on the task at hand rather than heading in to give Matagu a piece of his mind and a few new bruises. They loaded the bike into the truck, and headed down the road to Nekomi.
Keiichi stared out the window as Tamiya drove, trying not to think too hard. He had the race to ride, and if he kept thinking about everything that was happening with his friends, he'd get distracted, and probably end up doing poorly. Just focus on the race, he told himself, and nodded. Besides, if the four goddesses and Mizuho couldn't take care of a problem, then what was there that he could do?
Agent #42 paced. He had been pacing for hours. Before that, he'd slept, as naturally he couldn't keep himself in prime condition without rest, even if he had just encountered difficulties with the first attempt at harnessing his quarry. But, well-rested and well-fed, he now had to plan. And so, he paced.
The Mata system was still fully functional, so tracking down Kazami and the Peorth woman wouldn't be difficult. The problem was that they now knew that he was coming. In a mission like this, surprise was paramount if the quarry was to be captured with any ease, and that element had effectively been lost. Also, knowing that the Peorth woman would recover from the effects of his weapon was valuable information, if discouraging.
However. . . .
"Mata!" Agent #42 said.
"MYAH?" the system said, appearing in the air next to him with its customary white blur.
"My clothing is fully recharged after last night's unfortunate incidents, is it not?"
"MYAH."
"Excellent. Take me to the control center, it's a priority one."
There was the moment of white disorientation as he was transported, and Agent #42 arrived in his ship's main control room. He strode over to the central chair, and began tapping commands into the computer. A second later, the tracking system came up, and he had Mata enter the data from last night. It didn't take the system long to track down the two quarries. They hadn't moved from last night.
Agent #42 threw his head back and laughed. "Too easy," he said aloud. "Almost too easy." He folded his hands behind his head, grinning. Naturally, they would expect him to strike at another time and place, so where better to show up again than where he'd first made his appearance? They would think themselves safe, and he could catch them completely unaware. All he had to do was prepare, and--
"MYAH!"
Agent #42 paused, and looked to the screen. The two quarries had disappeared. Just like that. It was as though they had never been there.
". . . Damn. Mata!"
"MYAH?"
He put a hand to his chin, thinking, then began to smile. Of course! It was so simple, how could he not have seen it earlier? "Mata, scan your visual memory, and get me profiles on all other people who were at that temple last night. Wherever they go, they'll take Kazami with them."
"MYAH!"
Agent #42 watched the small green transportation unit as its eyes flickered, and started to smile. This would be all too easy.
It didn't take the Mata unit long to locate registries. Being that the Galaxy Federation kept track of educational institutes on the planets they observed, the better to find suitable places for their people, locating the ones who had been at the temple was a simple task.
"Keiichi Morisato," Agent #42 said, tapping his fingers on his chin. "Student at Nekomi Tech, decent grades, member of the Motor Club. Belldandy, no last name, also Nekomi student, excellent grades, also member of the Motor Club." He grinned. "Mata! Scan the Nekomi institute for suitable places, it's a priority one. I'll be going in shortly."
"MYAH!"
Matagu blinked a few dozen times as the bizarre whirls of the Urd Interspatial Slide Technique faded from around him and his friends. Urd had stayed behind to take care of some kind of potion, but she'd sent the rest of them to Nekomi. He put a hand to his head, trying to steady himself, then looked around to make sure that everyone was there.
Peorth glomping onto his arm was the first good sign. He felt his face growing warm - some things never changed - then looked down at her. "Are you sure you're all right, after last night?"
"Why, Matagu-kun, are you suggesting something?" He started to blush more, and she let out a laugh. "I'm fine, dear boy, I simply needed to sleep."
"I'm glad to hear that," Belldandy said from behind them, and Matagu looked back over his shoulder to her and Skuld. "We should get to the racetrack, they'll be starting soon." She seemed to be nothing but smiles, as usual, and Matagu started to relax. Maybe there really wasn't anything to worry about. With everything that had happened to that agent guy last night, he probably wouldn't be coming back anytime soon.
"They hold the races on campus?" Kei asked as they started walking, looking curious.
"Some of them," Belldandy said with a nod. "If it's a special race, they have to go to a different course for it, or even make one. But Keiichi-san said this is just a drag race, so they have a track for that."
"It just all seems so different," Mizuho said, smiling a little but sounding kind of overwhelmed. "It's more like the schools for the Galaxy Federation, but there's so much more here." She smiled, and gestured vaguely.
"I'm sure all schools are the same, one way or another," Peorth said, pulling herself closer to Matagu. "Students and teachers, classes and rumors, all of that. Even ours was similar," she continued, looking to Belldandy, "when we were learning the ways of Yggdrasil."
Matagu chuckled, trying to imagine what kinds of classes goddesses would have to take, and what kind of rumors would spread around a computer that ran the world. He then looked over to Kei, remembering something. "Hey," he asked, "do you remember hearing that rumor that Herikawa was having an affair with Yamada-sensei?"
"There were rumors about that?" Kei asked, his eyes widening behind his glasses. He looked completely shocked, as did Mizuho. "That doesn't really seem like her," he said nervously.
"Sometimes things like that happen," Belldandy said, smiling brightly.
"Didn't look like anything was going on with them," Skuld said. She kept looking around, and had her hands in the pockets of her cargo pants.
"Ah, but they could have found a way to sneak off during our little trip if they'd wished," Peorth said, laughing. "Perhaps they're simply very good at concealing it. Not that I see the point in such a thing." She nudged Matagu, not all that gently, and he suddenly remembered her mention of 'hidey-holes' around the campus. He swallowed hard.
They made their way to the racetrack without any trouble, joining the crowds already there, filling up the stands. The group managed to find an open space in the bleachers from where they could see most of the track. Matagu and Peorth sat behind the others, gathered on the lower rows. Belldandy excused herself a moment later, saying she was going to find Keiichi to make sure everything was well before the race. Skuld stood up as well, then frowned and sat back down.
"Are you all right, Skuld?" Mizuho asked, looking concerned.
"I'm fine," Skuld said, though she did sound distracted. She still had her hands stuffed into her pockets. "Just waiting to see how the bike works."
Matagu was about to ask her why she was worried, since she'd put it together herself, but Peorth leaned into his lap and distracted him.
"You're sure," she whispered, leaning up until her lips brushed against his ear, "that you don't wish to sneak off somewhere? I assure you, they wouldn't know we were gone until it was too late." She gently bit his earlobe and tugged, and Matagu felt his entire body start to tingle.
He couldn't deny that he wanted to; he wasn't much of a liar and she'd probably be able to tell anyway. But at the same time, he didn't want to just leave his friends behind, or to leave the races before Keiichi even ran one. But once they'd started. . . .
"Let's see how the bike does first," Matagu whispered back to her, leaning close. "Keiichi might not need us to cheer for him if it's running well."
"You'd choose watching him over touching me?" Peorth asked, giving him a teasing look he knew well. She laughed as he stammered and tried to say something, then just winked at him, smirking. "Very well, cheri. But choose your time soon. It's still not nice to keep one such as I waiting."
The first race started soon, with two motorcycles lining up at the far end of the track. Matagu watched as the lights counted down from red to yellow to green, then was nearly thrown forward by the noise of the crowd. Everyone around him was roaring and cheering as the cycles sped down the track, throwing up clouds of smoke, streaking toward the finish line. He tried to let himself get caught up in the excitement, but it was over in a few seconds. He'd hardly had time to do more than blink.
As the riders were taken back to their pits, Mizuho turned to Skuld. "That's all they do?" she asked. "Just ride and see who's faster?" She looked almost confused, like she couldn't quite understand it.
"There's a lot more to it than that," Skuld said, looking thoughtful. "You have to make sure the bike's engine can handle that kind of speed over and over again, and then there's handling and balance, knowing when to shift and adjust for anything that happens on the track, and then. . . ."
Matagu leaned back, looked to Peorth and shrugged. Maybe it'd be better to just watch the race and see what happened when Keiichi finally rode.
A few races later, Skuld stood up and pointed, and Matagu saw Keiichi pulling a motorcycle up to the starting line. It didn't look that much different from the others ones; he didn't see what was special about it, so he asked Skuld.
"I made the engine from that agent's bike work with it!" Skuld beamed. "I had to improvise, but it all worked. As long as he doesn't forget to refuel it after every race, it'll be fine."
"What happens if he forgets?" Kei asked, looking over at her, a little nervous.
"It might melt," Skuld said with a shrug, "or it might blow up. I'm not sure. According to my calculations, it's more likely to melt, but I only had a few hours to work with it."
Matagu, Kei, and Mizuho shared a panicked look, then the lights beeped and the race was on. It took about a second and a half for Keiichi's bike to speed ahead of the other one, leaving it far, far behind. The crowd was silent for a moment, then started cheering even louder than before.
"It seems he has things well in hand," Peorth said to Matagu as the people cheered around them. Despite the noise, he could hear her quite easily, and he had a feeling that wasn't an accident. "Shall we, then, dear boy?"
With a quick hope that Keiichi would understand, Matagu nodded. Peorth reached up, took his face in her hands, and brought him down for a kiss. Matagu lost himself for a moment in the warm softness of her lips and the scent of roses, then felt something sweeping around him. The noise of the crowd faded away, and when he opened his eyes again, he found that they'd arrived in a small room with boxes stacked to the ceiling.
"The Peorth Insta-Trans Spell," she whispered, and winked at him again. "Always a success." She pulled him closer, but Matagu pulled back just a little.
"Wait," he said. "Where are we?"
Peorth laughed, rose petals floating around them both. "The Motor Club's second floor," she said, still giggling. "Where else would be totally empty, today of all days?"
Matagu blinked. She did have a point. "But what if someone does come here?" he asked.
"We'll tell them to go far, far away," Peorth said. She then pulled him close, held her lips to his, and pushed him against the wall. He didn't resist.
Just then, Matagu heard a noise from downstairs. To his surprise, Peorth stopped immediately, pulling herself away. She'd gone from teasing and affectionate to deadly serious. He gave her a curious look, and she held a finger to her lips.
"No one came in the door," she whispered, moving close to him. "That was a transport of some kind."
Matagu stiffened, and tried not to gasp. He glanced toward the staircase. "Can you get us out of here?" he whispered.
"One moment," Peorth whispered back. "I just--"
There was a strange blurring to the air, then a burst of white light. Matagu shut his eyes on reflex, then felt Peorth fall, and heard her hit the ground. He snapped his eyes open to see her laying at his feet. A second later, the air at the top of the stairway shimmered, and the agent stood there.
"You!" Matagu shouted, and threw himself at the man, fist outstretched.
"Not again," the other man sighed, and waved his hand. Matagu was thrown backward, circles wavering in the air, and he skidded across the floor. He shook his head violently to get rid of the dizziness, and saw the man approaching Peorth. "Full marks for bravery," the agent said, "but you're simply outmatched. Goodbye. Mata!" The man gave a mocking salute, and he and Peorth both faded in white haze.
"Peorth!" Matagu yelled, though in an instant he knew it was hopeless. He pounded his fists on the floor, then scrambled to his feet and darted down the stairs, nearly stumbling. He ran out of the clubhouse, then looked around. Okay, where was he? Or rather, where was the racetrack? He had to tell the others, but they'd just appeared on campus, how could he-
Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation of being in two places at once, and the familiar white shimmering surrounded him. When the whiteness faded, he found himself in what seemed to be a tent filled with all kinds of machine parts. Keiichi and Belldandy were there, as were Skuld and Kei. Kei looked frantic, ready to tear his hair out, and Skuld was clutching something blue in her hands.
"He has Peorth?" Belldandy asked as soon as Matagu was all the way there.
"He surprised us," Matagu said, hoping for a second that he wouldn't have to explain where they'd been and why they'd been gone. He then realized what was wrong with Kei. "Mizuho!"
"He got her too," Kei said, his teeth clenched. "We didn't even know he was there until she screamed. We have to go after him!"
Matagu blinked. "All of us?"
"Nope, just you two," Skuld said, looking to Matagu and Kei. "He'd know if oneesan or I came, and Keiichi still has to do the race."
"I'm sorry about that, guys," Keiichi said, looking both embarrassed and genuinely concerned. "Tamiya'll kill me if I just disappear."
"It's all right," Matagu said quickly. "How are we getting to him?"
"With this!" Skuld thrust forward the thing she was holding. Matagu and Kei both peered at it, and then looked at each other. This was odd, even for what Skuld usually came up with.
The thing had once been Mizuho's Marie unit, that was for sure. It still had the same flat face, though its eyes were rounder, and its strange little suit had turned bright blue. Also, it had some kind of green hair sprouting from the center of its forehead, running all the way back to the top of its pointed head. It looked at them, then put its stubby hands to its face and said, "Nu!"
". . . Nu?" Kei asked, suddenly looking unsure.
"Stop staring and take it!" Skuld yelled, shoving it into Kei's hands. "Oh, take these too!" She pulled some of her spherical Skuld Bombs out of her cargo pants, more than her pockets could have held, and thrust them at Matagu.
"You want me to blow his ship up?" Matagu asked, incredulous.
"No, I rigged these, just in case," Skuld said, looking proud of herself. "Just set them off by something that looks important, it'll set off a virus that'll make the ship teleport itself back to wherever its home base is. I worked it out with the Marie system, it should work! Oh, take this too." She shoved something that looked like a highly modified plastic dart gun into Matagu's other hand.
"Be careful, both of you," Belldandy said, folding her hands in front of herself. "I'd give you a spell to protect you, but he'd probably feel you coming."
Matagu looked to Kei, took a deep breath, and they both nodded. "All right," he said, "let's go get them back." He looked down at the Marie thingy. "Can you find Mizuho or Peorth?" he asked.
Marie's eyes spun around quickly, then snapped back into place. "Nu!"
Matagu paused. "What?"
"It means yes!" Kei just about shouted. "Marie, take us to them, it's a priority one!"
"Nu!"