Time Will Tell

Chapter 4

Her eyes opened so quickly she thought they'd bulge out. She was late for her first day at the University! Leamen's first class was starting at 8 o'clock in the morning, and it was already around half past seven; she'd never make it since she'd have to search for the right classroom.

She ran to the kitchen, putting on her pale blue blouse and dark skirt as she did so. She almost tripped over Nikkou, who was getting excited because her master was running around. Leamen hurriedly stuffed a plain slice of bread in her mouth, went back to her room to quickly grab her backpack. She grabbed a brush from the bathroom and tried to brush her hair as she almost choked on her simple breakfast.

Ayame came out of her bedroom, in her pajamas and bunny slippers, wondering what the commotion was all about. She yawned as she spoke.

"What's the matter?" she asked incoherently.

Leamen was busy hitting her chest to try to swallow her bread. She pointed to the clock as she finally swallowed with a big gulping sound.

7:37 in the morning.

Ayame grabbed her car keys and quickly switched from bunny slippers to old running shoes. The girl seemed to understand what her mother was up to and smiled in relief. She patted her panting dog on the head before running to the car as fast as she could, her blue, fluffy tail swishing behind her. They both sat in the car and buckled up. The engine coughed a little; the car was getting old, but it finally started up with a muffled roar. It left the driveway and headed towards NIT.

7:46 in the morning. Almost there!

Leamen suddenly squealed.

Ayame looked at her with concern.

"Are you nervous?"

"No! I forgot my lunch!"

***

Leamen looked up. She stared straight at NIT. The time had finally come. She snapped out of her little trance, and fished out her schedule from her backpack. Leamen realized her day wasn't very long, about four lessons and that was it… She first had a History of Arts class, then the foreign languages class, in which she would take French, then Advanced Mathematics and Calculus. She's have the music lessons on the next day. She had always enjoyed music, as it seemed to soothe her sensitive ears. Leamen did manage to play the flute well, she'd taken a few lessons when she was younger.

She entered the building, her tail getting slightly puffy from anxiousness. A horde of scents filled her nostrils so quickly she had to shut her eyes for a moment. There was surprisingly not much nervousness, aside from her own. She could smell that people were at ease here, and more importantly, they were content. Looking around, she spotted a vending machine. To her disappointment, it mostly contained hot canned coffee and other kinds of snacks. Leamen peered at her schedule again, finding the History of Arts classroom number. She slung her backpack over her shoulder.

"This place is so huge…" Leamen softly said to herself as she looked around.

A rather tall man with glasses then came towards her. She unconsciously sniffed the air as he approached. The scent of confidence was strong around him, and she guessed he was a teacher, from what he was wearing.

"Hello there, Miss, you look lost…" Aoshima stated.

"Oh… yes, I'm new here," she said, turning to face him. "It's my first day and I can't find the classroom where I must go… Could you please tell me where it is?"

Aoshima's eyes widened, as he saw her face. He had seen those Hindu-like markings somewhere before…Ah! They were just like Belldandy's, Miss Urd's and their little sister, whom he could not remember the name. He guessed she probably was another exchange student; why, she was probably living at the temple with that lucky fool, Morisato Keiichi.

"Excuse me, sir?" she asked, "can you tell me where this classroom is?" she repeated, getting even more nervous. Leamen showed him her schedule.

"Oh, yes, yes, pardon me…Hmm, it seems your first class is with me Miss…." He said, trailing of as a way to get her name.

"Ah! I'm sorry! My name is Tetsuya, Tetsuya Leamen! I just moved here!" she said cheerfully, shaking his hand firmly.

Leamen's senses hadn't lied to her when she guessed he was a teacher.

Aoshima chuckled as he let go of her hand.

"It's straight down this hallway; take two rights, it should be the first door on your left," he answered, "although I might as well accompany you and introduce you to the class." He said, grinning. He discretely looked her up and down; she was attractive, in a weird way. His eyebrows raised at the wagging blue tail attached to her rear end...

"Thank you very much, Mr. Aoshima!" Leamen said, following him to the History of Arts classroom.

***

Leamen sighed. The French class was about to start, and then it would be Advanced Calculus. Students were slowly filling the room, taking their seats. She took out her schedule to make sure she was in the right room, and went to the teacher when he arrived.

Leamen stayed in the front of the class with him, as he cleared his throat, gradually silencing his class.

"Alright people, we've got a new student," said the teacher, "please introduce yourself, Mademoiselle.". He was already getting in teaching mode.

She cleared her throat, a bit nervous to be speaking in front of people. She clutched her bag tighter, the hairs on her tail puffing ever so slightly.

"H…Hello…. um… My name's Tetsuya Leamen, um…we just moved here a few days ago…" she said, her voice shaking slightly, "and um…. I'm just happy to be here and…I hope I'll be able to get along with all of you…"

She turned to the teacher.

"Merci, Miss Tetsuya, please have a seat."

Leamen gave a small sigh of relief, as she made her way through the class, looking for an empty seat. A brown-haired, blue-eyed boy motioned to her from the back of the classroom. She saw the empty seat besides him and made her way to him. Leamen sat down next to him.

"Thank you, Mister…" she said, trailing off as a not so subtle way to get his name.

"Nakamura Ken, pleased to meet you!"

***

The rest of that day, and the rest of the week for that matter, went quite smoothly for Leamen. She'd made some friends at the University, although she hung out a lot with Ken. She liked being around him, because he didn't ask any question about her looks; she sometimes got stared at by other students, but they didn't make a big deal of her looks and tail. Ken had helped her out a lot with classes, getting her the notes she'd missed since they had moved to Nekomi right in the middle of the semester. She was lucky though, because she learned quickly and adapted easily to her new surroundings.

Leamen had learned a lot from her teachers but also from her friends at the temple, whom she had visited twice during that time.

It was Friday and her last class had just ended. It seemed Leamen's Fridays weren't very loaded; she only had to classes. Leamen grabbed her backpack and her skateboard from her locker, bid farewell to Ken and headed home.

Leamen went directly to her room, saying hi to her mother and father as she passed them in the kitchen. She felt edgy today and she didn't want a fight to break out over some stupid thing. Nikkou raised her head from her sleeping spot on the floor as Leamen passed, panted a few times and lay her head back down over her front paws.

Once in her room, Leamen took out her textbooks and worked on her homework for around a half an hour or so. She stretched once she was done, and Nikkou's head tentatively poked through the door.

"Come here girl!" said Leamen cheerfully, getting up from her chair and getting on her bed, patting the mattress.

The dog's tail immediately started wagging, and the old dog jumped on the bed.

They both wrestled each other for a few minutes, both participants growling, laughing and barking. Leamen fell back on her bed, giggling as Nikkou chewed on her sweatshirt's right sleeve.

Ayame was setting the table for dinner, when Nikkou zoomed through the kitchen and attacked her chew toy; it seemed that she, too, was feeling better in this new home. She seemed to have a lot more energy.

Leamen followed soon after, and took the dishes from her mom's hands. Ayame smiled her thanks and went back to the stove to finish preparing the food. Casual conversations were started, and Leamen ate her food slightly faster than usual, nodding and giving one-syllable replies when she was addressed.

Ichiro and Ayame glanced at eachother, then at Leamen.

"Leamen dear, are you in a hurry? Do you have to get somewhere?" asked Ayame.

Leamen swallowed her mouthful of food and almost choked on it. She cleared her throat.

"Yeah, I'm going to the temple to see Belldandy and the others…" Leamen replied as she took in another bite.

"Speaking of which, will we get the chance to meet them any time soon?" asked Ichiro.

Leamen seemed to think for a few seconds before she replied.

"Not right now, I guess, Dad,"

"Why not?" he snapped.

"Well…because…it's easier for me if you don't meet them!" Leamen yelled back. Her tail was getting puffier by the second and a small growl rumbled in her chest.

"We have a right to know who you're dealing with young girl!"

Leamen grit her teeth together; she really wanted to punch him right now.

"Look, DAD, " she shot, "I'm not 12 years old anymore, I can take care of myself! Would the both of you just STOP babying me?" she yelled.

"Alright you two break this up! STOP! Both of you!" yelled Ayame over the shouting, breaking up the argument before someone would get hurt. Leamen's tail was getting too a little too puffy.

Leamen glared at her mother, her anger darkened blue eyes shooting daggers. She huffed; the sound came out rather harsh. Without another word she got rapidly, angrily to the lobby, put her shoes and stormed out. The whole house seemed to shake when she slammed the door shut.

Ichiro took in a few quick deep breaths. He was angry with her, but even more so at himself. He realized that the words he'd told his wife, about Leamen being big, a few days ago, were empty words, because his way of thinking seemed the same as his wife's.

***

"Yes, that's it, little goddess…" hummed a low voice. Malicious green eyes seemed to glow in the darkened little lair.

He watched her again in his little reflection pool. The time would come soon enough. His smile grew wider, and a pair of white, glistening fangs seemed to shine through the blackness.

***

Leamen breathed heavily, She was a bit calmer now, and the fresh air helped to clear her thoughts. Her pace slowed after a while.

She looked around; there it was, that feeling of being watched again. It was the first time in a while. Weird, she thought.

She was nearing the temple gates; she was so deep in her thoughts that she'd failed to notice her surrounding for a few moments. She stopped before the gates, and decided to get her sweatshirt off; it was getting a bit hot, even though it was dark outside.

Tying the sweatshirt around her waist, she heard a nearby tree's leaves rustle from the wind. Leamen looked up and saw a little bird fly from the tree. She smiled, her gaze followed it disappeared in the sky. She looked at the stars for a moment; there were very few clouds.

Her gaze finally settled on the moon. It was full.

"Beautiful…" she whispered to herself. Leamen had always liked the moon; always of it as a little sister to the sun.

Her smiled quickly faded, as her body temperature seemed to increase suddenly. She leaned against the gate, her breathing becoming ragged from the heat. Her heartbeat was getting faster and faster. She felt something rise, from the very bottom of her being. It felt as if her body was short-circuiting. She heard a growling sound. Leamen looked around, frightened, before realizing that she was the one growling. That's the last thing she noticed, before the beast took control of her mind.

***

Keiichi picked up the remaining dishes and brought them to the kitchen. It had been excellent, as always, thanks to Belldandy. His complete attention rested on her. He smiled; he loved her so much…

Belldandy suddenly looked up from the sink; Urd and Skuld both entered the kitchen.

Not a word was spoken; an ear shattering sound seemed to surround the temple as soon as the eldest and younger sister entered the kitchen.

"What is THAT?" Keiichi asked, alarmed at the sound. He quickly covered his ears as the sound repeated itself. Belldandy looked straight on forward, seemingly not affected by the awful, howl-resembling sound. Similar sounds followed, although they were less strong than the first ones.

Skuld clutched her mallet, and headed for the temple's entrance, followed by her sisters and Keiichi. They didn't even bother to put their shoes on.

Outside, Keiichi gasped at the sight.

***

Leamen was trapped. She could see everything, but she was powerless to stop herself. She seemed surrounded by something, someone, who kept her from regaining control over her actions.

Her vision turned around, tinted in a reddish tone. It focused on a very shocked Keiichi, and equally shocked goddesses. Her body headed towards them.

No! Stop this! Please stop this!

***

Skuld covered her mouth with her hands, shocked. It was Leamen who was in their yard, but was it? Her skin complexion seemed darker, and her hair a paler shade of blue. Her forehead marking had turned red, and the markings at the corner of her eyes had reversed, and elongated, stretching down her cheeks, and thin triangular markings were now right under her eyes.

Her eyes; her eyes were the worst. Instead of their natural blue, they were now a fierce golden color… the eyes of a beast.

Leamen took a few steps towards them, stopped and sniffed the air. She seemed to growl as she breathed in a large amount of air. She then howled, throwing her head back. Keiichi clasped his hands over his ears.

She did this once again, and glared at the goddesses and Keiichi…

***

Don't do this! Don't you dare attack them! They're my friends! Leamen thought frantically, fighting against the presence inside her, trying to break free to regain control over her body.

***

The berserk Leamen charged at them, but changed her course at the last minute and headed for the nearest tree. She rammed her body into its trunk, it broke in half. She then proceeded slashing at the stump, tearing it apart, growling dangerously as she did so. The real Leamen, trapped in her own mind, had somehow managed to hold her body back, and had directed the berserk entity at the tree.

Keiichi was getting back up; the charging Leamen had scared the living daylights out of him, and he had thrown himself to the ground to avoid the attack. He looked alarmingly at the three women, wondering what they could do; they could deal with demons, but how could they deal with one of their friends?

"What do we do? We can't leave her like this, but we can't hurt her either!" cried Skuld, panicking, turning to her sisters, only to see that Urd was nowhere in sight.

It seemed Urd had decided to take matters in her own hands. She was in her room, frantically searching her potions, herbs and powders. The goddess soon found what she needed, and flew right back outside. No time to be running.

Outside, Belldandy was trying to talk to Leamen, trying to reach the woman inside the beast. But it didn't seem to work, as the berserk woman was now relentlessly tearing down the fence, heading for the cherry tree.

Urd then sped out the temple, quickly going to her young sister.

"I need one of your bombs! Weakest one you've got! NOW!"

Skuld only nodded, the urgency in her sister's tone restraining her from making any comments. She instead fished a small bomb out of her pocket and handed it to Urd. The eldest goddess quickly covered the little artifact with a yellowish powder.

Urd lost no time as she took a few quick steps forward, motioning for Belldandy to get back.

"Keiichi, cover your nose!"

He didn't lose a second and did as he was told.

Urd put as much strength as she could in this pitch. The throw found its mark, a few feet away from Leamen. The berserk goddess was destroying the last few bits of the fence. She didn't have time to turn around, as the bomb exploded right when it touched the ground a few feet away from her. A yellowish cloud formed and engulfed Leamen.

"Right on!" shouted Urd.

A savage growl came from the cloud of smoke, and Leamen staggered out, growled at Urd. She was about to pounce, when she brought her hand to her head, groaned, and fell to the ground with a thump.

The cloud of smoke was now gone, and time seemed to stand still as the three goddesses and Keiichi stared at Leamen's fallen form, unsure of what to do. Skuld was the first to break the spell; she broke into a run and crouched beside the unconscious goddess. Skuld checked Leamen's back.

"Urd! You hurt her! Her back is bleeding!"

"Well, it's your own fault for giving me the wrong kind of bomb!" Urd snapped back, crouching beside Skuld. Belldandy and Keiichi soon joined them.

"Um…What happened?" asked a confused Keiichi.

"I put sleeping powder on the bomb…I might have overdone it in my hurry, just as Skuld might have picked the wrong bomb in her haste…" replied Urd.

Keiichi looked at Belldandy. She did not say a word; she looked thoughtful. She then extended her hand over the wound. A pink glow surrounded the goddess's hand, and the wound slowly closed itself. Belldandy sighed softly.

"We better get her inside, it's getting chilly…" Keiichi softly said, as he helped Belldandy to her feet, while Urd used a low gravity spell to raise Leamen's limp body from the ground and easily carried her in, followed by Skuld.

Disclaimer: I don't own the © copyright Keiichi, Belldandy, Urd, Skuld, and any

other OMG character. I only own the © copyright (2001) to Leamen and her parents. I don't own wolf concepts either. Many thanks to Liz Holt for her help! Thanks to Senbei too, for helping out with editing. ^-^