Part 19:  Today's Special

Keiichi walked out of his room and scratched the back of his head with a yawn.  "Yeaaagh…"

"Whoa… look at those eyes." Urd grimaced and tugged his bottom eyelids open.  "What's in those things?"
"Tiredness…Sleepiness…" Keiichi mumbled and walked by her as his lids smacked back against his eyes.  "Chihiro worked me like a dog yesterday because of that day I took off… I feel even worse than when my back went out."
"Chihiro is excellent at torture, I think I should take a lesson from her." Urd thought seriously.  "Wait, isn't Belldandy helping you out there?"

"Chihiro is more lenient on her… anyway; she thinks she needs another ox to tug around the cart.  So there's a help wanted sign hanging outside Whirl Wind." Keiichi smiled.  "It might be nice to have a helping hand when I think about it…" He said as he opened the tearoom door.

"Did you say help sign?" Hope stared back at him from the table with a magazine in her hands.

"Uh…" Keiichi leaned to the side a little and panicked, she was looking through a job listing magazine.

"Who's hiring?" She asked.

"Um… oh just a diner!" Keiichi laughed.

"A diner?  Oh right!" Hope nodded.  "I saw that on the way home from school yesterday."
Akina leaned over the table and smiled.  "Hey Hope, you're into mechanics right?"
"Yeah! I love it!"

"My Mom is…"
"NOO!" Keiichi quickly launched across the room and slapped his hands over her mouth.

"Poppa!" Hope stared at him in shock.

"Why don't you take that job at the diner?  You've got a pretty smile and great personality! You could make a bunch of tips too!" Keiichi sweat dropped and backed away from Akina when she shot him a Chihiro glare.

"Hmm… I guess…" Hope looked back at the magazine for a moment.  "Starting pay is 600 yen… that's pretty good… I think."

"Hope, how come you're looking for a job all of a sudden?" Keiichi sat down at the table.

"Well, I'm starting at Nekomi Tech in a few months, I know you said you'd pay for it in all but I want to help out."

He smiled and patted her on the back.  "You don't have to do that Hope."

"PRECISELY!!" A voice rang out.

"Eh?" They both turned white with fear.

"What's wrong?" Akina asked until she saw a rose petal float in the air.

The tea room door slammed open and Peorth came charging in with a rose barrage.  "Hope Morisato Goddess Second Class Unlimited License I DEMAND an explanation!" She barked as she slammed her hands onto the table and trapped Hope in her glare.

"Eh… EH!?" Hope stared.  "What?"

Nauthiz peered into the room with the phone.  "Um… I'm sorry Miss Hope; I was giving her my weekly report…"
"No sweat." Hope shook her hands until she heard Peorth growl.

"I am so very proud that one of my star pupils managed to somehow defeat the queen of hell! Believe you me I am thrilled for all the praise I am receiving in heaven… BUT!" she barked and narrowed her eyes.  "Why is it, you will take a demeaning mortal job over goddess hotline receptionist!?

"Well…" Hope sweat dropped.  "I'm only a goddess second class for starters, I don't want to be a hotline receptionist, I'm going to college in a few months and I need to earn money, and it's only been one day… how have you managed to get praise from a battle that ended a day ago?" Hope growled.

Peorth glared to the side.

"I'm terribly sorry Miss Hope." Nauthiz bowed.

"No sweat…" Hope sighed again then looked back at Peorth.  "Will you please get off of me?"
"You… You're taking all of this for granted… OH!" She sobbed, rose petals floating in the air.  "Where in heaven did I go wrong!?  You used to be such an enthusiastic student!!  I believed with all of my heart that you would be as amazing a goddess as I!" 

"Well…" Hope coughed.  "You see…"

"Wait…" Peorth glared back down at her and shot a hand down her shirt.

"WHA!?" Keiichi gawked.

"MISS PEORTH!?!" Nauthiz and Hope shrieked.

"AHA!" Peorth yanked Hope's necklace out from her shirt.  "Ah… this is Tyr's rune!!"

"That was sudden…" Hope blinked and snatched the necklace back from her.  "And yes it is Tyr's rune."
"Where'd you get it?"

"He… He um…" Hope looked down.

"He gave it to you!?" Peorth shrieked with joy then suddenly frowned.  "Why that no good son of mine! He had time to visit his girlfriend but what about his dear young mommy?" She sobbed.

"Girlfriend?" Akina grinned in a catlike way.

"Uh…" Hope stared over at her and blushed.  "Yeah."
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU AND TYR WERE AN ITEM!?" Akina barked and joined in Peorth's sobbing.  "Honestly, you couldn't even tell your best friend such a juicy secret!?"
"Hey now…" Hope sweat dropped.

"OOH! Wait a second!" Peorth grinned like a cat too.  "Usually… goddesses wear the runes of the one they love after they gave them something most precious…"
"Most precious?" Akina asked.

"Well…" Peorth whispered in her ear.

"HOPE AND TYR DID IT!?!" She yelped.  "HOPE! How could you not tell me!?"
"WHAT!?" Hope and Keiichi yelped.

"I knew my son had it in him!" Peorth sobbed with joy.

"WHAT'S THAT!?" Urd quickly shot into the tea room and glomped Hope.  "I'm SO Proud! I didn't even have to make a love potion for you!!"

"I'M STILL A VIRGIN!!" Hope barked.

"Goodness." Belldandy opened the door to the kitchen and stared at the group.  "I believe I should make more tea, nice to see you Peorth."

"Ah…?" Peorth stared at her blankly.  "Oh! Pardon me!" she coughed.  "That's okay Belldandy! I'm just here to chew your daughter out!" She said then glared back over to Hope, only to see an empty spot in Urd's arms.

"I'm going to go apply for that job! BYE EVERYONE!" Hope called out as she shot down the temple step way on her Yamaha.

"HEY!!" Peorth ran to the entrance way.  "YOU COME BACK HERE!!"

"Sorry Miss Peorth! Can't hear you!" Hope yanked her helmet over her head and shot down the street.

"I demand to know where she got that behavior from!" She grumbled as she stomped back into the tea room.  "Honestly, this Earthly atmosphere is bad for her…"
Keiichi sunk low and covered himself with Hope's magazine.  "Good luck Hope…"

"Keiichi…" Belldandy whispered.  "I'm going to heaven to visit with my parents, is that alright?"
"Huh? Your parents?" He looked up at her.

"Yes."
"Well sure, don't worry; Nauthiz is here to help protect me from Peorth!" He slapped Nauthiz on the shoulder with a smile.

"Protect?" Nauthiz asked and sweat dropped.  "Mr. Morisato, I believe I'm the one whom needs protecting."

"I'll protect you Nauthiz!" Akina smiled.

Belldandy smiled at the group and gave Keiichi a kiss.  "I'll see you at noon dear."
"Okay, have a good time." He smiled with a nod.

"I will, good bye Akina."
"Good bye Mrs. Morisato!" Akina chimed happily.

"And Nauthiz…"
"Yes Mrs. Morisato?" He jumped up from the table to excuse her in a gentle god manner.

"Good luck with Peorth." She said, with a small sweat drop.

"Thank you for your sympathy… I need it." Nauthiz sweat dropped back as Belldandy walked out of the tea room.

            It wasn't long; Hope arrived at the diner in ten minutes flat.  "Peorth's so scary when she's mad… I'm going to feel sorry for Tyr when he comes up next time…" She sighed as she parked her Yamaha and walked to the diner door, it looked rather crowded inside.  "Insane… I know this is a new diner in all but…" she thought until the door flung open.

"You commin in or not?" A waitress stared.

"Oh! Um…" Hope answered in a startled tone and pointed to the sign.  "I came to apply for a job."

"Thank god!  You're hired!" she grabbed onto Hope's wrist.

"Wha?! Don't you need to interview me?"
"That was your interview! Ca'mon!" She coughed and spit out her cigarette before yanking Hope inside.

Within minutes Hope was dressed up as a waitress.  "This has to be the most bizarre day of my life …" Hope blinked.

"Look, all ya gotta do is ask em if they want something to drink, then you give em their drinks and ask em if they're ready to order and when they are you write it down with the table number and clip it up here." She pointed to a rotating clip wheel near the kitchen.  "Got dat?"

"Um, well yeah." Hope nodded.

"Then get going, there's a bunch of hungry people out there and I've only got five waitresses!"

"Yes ma'am." Hope smiled and turned towards the tables.  "Here I go…"

            However, Unknown to Hope, one of the Aoshima family's paid spy agents was sitting at table four, enjoying a cup of coffee until information of the highest importance became available.  He spewed his mouth of coffee out all over the table and yanked out his cell phone, hitting instant dial.

"Talk to me." Masahiro answered.

"Mr. Aoshima, Hope Morisato is working as a waitress at Motosuwa Diner!"
"A waitress?!" he shrieked with joy, but quickly cleared his throat.  "Interesting, I must see this for myself…"
"Yes sir, sir, I have an urgent question."
"What's that?"
"Where's my paycheck?"
"You've been fired for the past five weeks, but I appreciate this donated service, ta." The phone clicked, leaving the former spy agent with tears streaming down his face.

"That… That bast…"
"Would you like a refill?" Hope came up to his table with a pot of coffee.

"Is it free?" He stared up at her.

"Yes." She refilled his cup and stared at the table.  "Someone had an accident, need a napkin?" she smiled.

"…never mind." He got up and tossed the money on the table for the coffee.  "Masahiro Aoshima, you'll pay…"

Hope sweat dropped and stared at the change on the table.  "Poor guy, he must have been one of Masahiro's goons…" She thought then quickly clasped her hands together.  "May he quickly find happiness…"

"Miss, more coffee please?" A man called out.

"Yes sir!" Hope smiled cheerfully and quickly walked to his table.

            Belldandy walked into her father's chamber, dressed in her formal goddess garb.  "Good Morning Father."
"Belldandy, it has been quite some time since I last saw you." He smiled.

"Forgive me, but I have been busy on Earth."
"You needn't apologize for that!" A woman with brown hair and blue eyes walked into the chamber and smiled happily.  "Belldandy!"
"Mother!" Belldandy smiled back and gave her a hug.

"Frigg, I expected that I'd see you today." The Almighty smiled slightly at the reunion.

"Dear, you don't expect me to miss an opportunity to see my eldest daughter now do you?" She asked then looked back at her.  "How are Urd and Skuld?"
"Just fine." Belldandy nodded.

"And my wonderful little granddaughter how is she?"

"She's about to graduate from high school, and this fall she's going to go to Nekomi Tech and join the motor club."

"Oh, isn't that the same college that you and Keiichi dear went to? How wonderful! She's following in her parents footsteps." Frigg smiled happily.

"Ahem…" The almighty coughed.  "I believe that there was a matter you wished to discuss with both me and your mother Belldandy."

"Oh, I'm sorry." She apologized and looked at them both.  "The other day, you witnessed Hope's battle with Hild, am I correct?"

"Of course, everyone in heaven and hell are talking about it." Frigg said.

"I believe that that was the first time Hope was able to control her power, when she was a child she used it in a much more violent manner." She said then looked up to her father.  "This time, she displayed an understanding of the power, she didn't use it to defeat Hild, rather she saved every last bit of it to save the forest."

"Indeed." The almighty nodded.  "I see where you are going, you want me to judge whether she is ready."

"Yes, if I may request that father." Belldandy asked.

"I believe she is ready, what do you think dear?" Frigg looked up to him.

"Hmm… perhaps… though there is something that worries me…"

"Father?" Belldandy asked.

"Hope was able to display an understanding, calm behavior because the power given to her was sorrowful and pleading for life.  However, should Hope hear the violent cries for death… she may not be able to display such calm…" He sighed.  "Let me watch her actions for this day… then I shall pass my judgment."

            "Well, this job isn't so bad… but it just doesn't feel right for some reason." Hope thought as she refilled a man's cup of coffee.

"Thank you." He nodded as Hope walked to serve another customer, she wore a beautiful smile that made the customers seem happier, that is until Hope's nose cringed from a very strong familiar smell.

"Too much cologne…" She pinched her nostrils shut and grimaced.  "No… he wouldn't come here… there's no way…" She thought, until she saw a Mercedes parked in the parking lot.  "Oh… Kami-sama…"

"Yo!" Someone snapped their fingers.  "Service please!"

"Agh…" Hope glared over to the side to see Masahiro sitting in a booth with a smug grin on his face.  "…Why?"
"Service! Service! Honestly what a poor establishment!" Masahiro scoffed, making other customers grimace at him and his smell.

"Good Morning Masahiro." Hope walked over to his table.  "I'm going to have to ask you to lower your tone, you're disturbing our customers."
"AH!" He exclaimed as he caught a glimpse of Hope in her uniform with a fantasized happy look on her face.  "I must be dreaming; I am being served by an angel!" He sobbed with joy.

"Lower your tone." Hope grimaced and handed him a menu.

"Ah, ah, ah!" He shook a finger.  "You must refer to me as sir and say please!"

Hope sweat dropped and sighed.  "Please lower your tone… sir."

"That's more like it." He laughed.

"Can I get you something to drink, sir?" Hope asked, slightly glad that her other customers were insulting him for her.

"I'll have a coffee, with extra cream and sugar.  That's the only way it could possibly be as sweet as you."
"Save your flattery sir." Hope grimaced.  "This is a family establishment."
"Very well then." He laughed as she walked off to get him a mug.

"You can handle this Hope, take deep breaths… you can always kick his butt at school… just remember that and everything will be alright."  She smiled and attended to another family before getting Masahiro's mug.

            Meanwhile back at the Morisato temple…

"I wonder how Hope is doing… do you think we should drop by and see her?" Akina asked.

"I would strongly disagree, the first day of work is very stressful, and the employee works hard to prove their worth.  The last thing we need to do is to be a distraction for Miss Hope." Nauthiz said as he read his past notes and looked up at Akina.  "How are your studies?"
"Um… I'm almost done." Akina stared down at her English translation, smiled, and folded her book shut.  "Say, what have you written about me in there?" She crawled over to Nauthiz's side of the table and peered over his shoulder.

"Eh? Oh, nothing really, just basic behavior I have observed."
"Constant flushing?" Akina blushed.  "Well, that's true…"
"I'm sorry… I'd never document anything untrue, a god always states truths of ones nature."
"That makes me really worried then." She sweat dropped.

"By far you are the nicest human girl I have met, and Mr. Morisato, he has a heart of gold." He smiled.  "He was kind enough to accept my staying here and providing me a room to live in after all, however I rather dislike that Masahiro fellow, he…"

Akina droned off into her own world after Nauthiz said she was the nicest human girl he'd met.  "That's so sweet…"

"Eh? Oh, thank you." Nauthiz smiled and went back to his notes, curious as to why his face felt warm.

            "This is SOOO GOOD!" Urd giggled as Peorth and she watched the two in chibi form through a small crack in the tea room door.

"Tell me about it! But ooh!" Peorth shook her fists.  "Nauthiz is such a goody two shoes he'll never make a move!!"

Keiichi walked by them as he pulled on his jacket.  "What are you two doing?"
"HUH!? AAH!" They both spun around.  "Nothing!!"

Keiichi sweat dropped as he pulled on his shoes.  "Right… well I'm going to work."
"Okay, bye!" They both waved, sending a cold chill down his spine.

"Bye…" he quickly shot out of the temple, worried that he was a target for one of their weird spells.

"Okay! Coast is clear." Peorth rubbed her hands together menacingly.

"This is my 'Love Amp' Potion!" Urd held up a dart, filled with a strange glowing fluid. "All we have to do is dart Akina with it and her interest in Nauthiz will be amped to fifty percent."
"Only fifty?" Peorth stared.

"What?  Oh come on! It's enough to see some hot make out scenes." Urd giggled.

"Really?"
"Yep!"

"Can I have some of that?"
"Why?" Urd stared.

"For the next time Tyr comes up."
"You mean?"

"Something has got to happen between Hope and Tyr! It's been five years! His god and demon hormones are screaming!!" Peorth shook her fists.

"Right, that would be interesting…" Urd thought.  "Oh at such a young age! I'd be so proud!" Urd sobbed tears of joy.

"Yes… WAIT!" Peorth snapped out of it. "We have to dart those two first!" She pointed at the tea room door.
"Eh? OH! RIGHT!" Urd nodded then snuck into the tea room to get a good shot.  "Oh Nauthiz, you're about to get your first lil piece of action!" She grinned evilly and took aim at Akina's back.

Peorth nodded happily.  "No way he'll be able to refuse her…"
"HAH!" Urd flung the dart at Akina's back, but was in for a shock.

Nauthiz's senses tingled; he quickly shot his arm out and took the dart for her.  "Agh!"
"Nauthiz?" Akina stared at him in concern.  "What's wrong?"
He quickly yanked the dart out of his arm and smiled.  "It was nothing, I'm sorry."
"Oh… well, okay." She stared back down at his note book to read a little more before going back to her homework.

            Urd quickly snuck out of the tea room and into the hall, just in time for Peorth to strangle her.

"You hit the wrong target!!"
"AGH!!" Urd hit her hands away.  "Relax! This is even better! Nauthiz will be all hot for her so we'll get to see some action a whole lot sooner!"
Peorth stared at her for a moment then raised her eyebrows.  "Ooh, that's interesting!"

            Hope had brought Masahiro coffee, and refilled it three times.  So far she knew he was testing her, taking advantage of the fact that she had to serve him and couldn't complain.  "Sir, are you ready to place your order?" she asked.

"What? Me eat food from such an establishment? I only drink the coffee because it was hand made personally by an angel."  He said then slid his spoon over the side of the table.  "Oh, would you look at that, could you get my spoon for me?"

A gunshot fired off in Hope's head.  "Sorry sir, it hit the floor, restaurant policies.  I'll get you a new one." She said and quickly went off into the girls' bathroom.  "HRRNGG!! Usually I can handle that jerk but of COURSE he had to come around this time of month on my first day of the job!!" She shook her fists and looked at herself in a mirror.  "Come on Hope, you can make it through the day, just breath!" She told herself and did as she said.  "Haaahh, he'll have to leave soon, there's no way he can drink coffee all day." She nodded in reassurance and walked out the door, thinking to herself.  "Then again, it was sort of stupid of me to go job hunting on the first day of my…"

"You okay girl? Swore I heard you talkin to yourself." The waitress from before asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." Hope nodded and picked up a spoon.  "But I'm sorry, I'm going to have to quit."

"What? Why?" She stared at her curiously.  "You just started workin five hours ago…"

"This… it's just not for me, I like making other people smile in all, it's nice, but this isn't where I should work.  I need to work around auto parts and get my hands covered in oil." Hope said.

"I could have you work in the kitchen then." The waitress joked.

"Thanks but no thanks." Hope smiled and walked over to Masahiro's table and gave him his spoon.  "Will that be all?"
"It took you long enough just to get a spoon." He grumbled.

"Sorry about that, would you like me to get your tab?"

"Sure." He grinned as Hope turned around.

Just then, another shot went off in Hope's head.  Masahiro spanked her.

"Hurry up now." He cackled.

"OH, I'll Hurry…" Hope's teeth clenched tight as she quickly darted into the employee's only room and soon came out in her regular clothes.  "That good for nothing…" Hope growled as she marched down the aisle he was on and gave him his tab.

"What!? Where's the cute skimpy uniform?" Masahiro protested.

"I'm off." Hope smiled.  "Bye, Masahiro." With that she walked back through the aisle and outside, the air smelled sweeter, and cool, but Hope's right eye was twitching.  "Must…hurt him… kill…" she growled through clenched teeth.  "No… Be proud Hope, you maintained a perfect employee behavior until that jerk showed up." She said, until her butt ached with a reminder.  "But he spanked me during my most sensitive time of the month!!  That shall not go unpunished!" her eyes turned red as she stared around, a pond was near by, and not a soul in sight.  "As much as I'd hate to do this to a Mercedes… I must remember that it has been tainted by his evils, and therefore I am liberating its soul." She said as she stomped over to the car and snapped its license plate off.  "Hyeh…hehe…" She cackled and shot her hands under the bumper.  "HRNNGG!! HAHA!" In an instant she was holding the car over her head, her right eye twitching.  "Masahiro Aoshima, you're going to have to kiss up to daddy… BIG TIME!!" She roared as she pitched the car into the pond and ran over to her Yamaha; she took a second to enjoy the wreckage then yanked on her helmet to contain her insane laughter as she sped off.

            Back at the Temple…

"Finished." Akina smiled in triumph as she put away her math homework.  "Thanks Nauthiz, you're such a big help.  I don't know what I would have done without you!"

"Um… qu…quite alright Miss Akina…I… I was glad to help…" Nauthiz's hands were shaking; his face felt like it was pressed up against a frying pan.  "What's wrong with me?! I'm burning alive, and my palms are sweaty." He grimaced to himself.

"Are you alright?" Akina put her hand on his head.  "Holy cow! You're burning up!"
"I… I must be coming down with some…" he looked up at her, his face burned even more.  "Stay back! It may be contagious!" He yelped as he shot back against the screen door.

"Nauthiz?" She panicked.  "Should… Should I get Urd or something?"
"N… No… I…" He gulped.

"Well don't worry, you're a god and I'm a girl so I probably won't catch it." Akina walked over to him with a glass of cold water and held it up against his forehead.  "That better?"
"Y… Yes, thank you Miss Ak…" His eyes sunk down to her chest.  "…"
"Nauthiz?" Akina looked down at him and blushed.  "What are you staring at?"
"AGH!" Nauthiz panicked.  "Forgive me Miss Akina I don't know what's happening to me! I feel uneasy and nervous, my heart is beating at two hundred beats per minute and it feels like… that earth saying, I have butterflies in my stomach!"
"Really?  Are you going to spew?" Akina sweat dropped.

"Spew?" Nauthiz looked up at her.  "I don't believe…"
"HAH!  Mr. Polite has got the hots for you!" Eldir's voice shouted with laughter.

"EH!?" Akina's face turned as red as his.

"ELDIR!?" Nauthiz jumped to his feet.  "You fiend! Show yourself!!"
With a poof, the demon appeared in the room, still laughing his butt off.  "I can't believe it, you're such a wimp!"

"I'm not!" Nauthiz growled and stomped towards him.

"Oh yeah?" Eldir raised an eyebrow.  "Then what will you do after I do this?" He appeared next to Akina.  "Hey, anybody asked you to the prom yet?"
"Uh… well… yes but… I was hoping that…" She gulped.

"That I'd ask you?  Well…" He held out his hand.  "Miss Akina, will you go to the prom with me?"
"EH!?" Akina stared as he leaned forward in attempt to kiss her.

"HRRNNGG!! NOOO!!" Nauthiz grabbed Eldir by the throat and threw him outside.  "I won't allow you near Miss Akina anymore!"

Eldir landed on his feet, an axe appeared in his hand.  "Fraid not!" he cackled.  "We're gonna duel for her, cause I got the hots for her too."

Akina's eyes grew bug wide as an axe similar to Eldir's appeared in Nauthiz's hands and he launched out to attack his doublet.  "OH my GOD!!"

            Meanwhile, Hope was parked near the Nekomi campus on her Yamaha, talking to a woman sitting on a park bench.

"I threw his Mercedes into the lake shortly afterwards… I couldn't help it." Hope sighed.  "Though, I really did feel like I set it's spirit free, and I know that it was better to do that then actually pummel the snot out of Masahiro in that family place…"

"I'm surprised you didn't, you never hesitated in the classroom." The woman giggled.

Hope smiled slightly.  "Yeah, but that's only because it's what everyone else wanted to see … but I'm glad I quit that job, it just didn't make me feel happy… you know."
"The way you feel when you work on your motorcycle?"
"Yeah." Hope nodded. "It's fun."

"Well then, why don't you look over at the Whirl Wind shop?" She asked.

"Huh?" she stared.

"There's a 'Help Wanted' sign hanging on the door."
"Are you serious!?" Hope stared over at the trailer and smiled brightly.  "There is!  Why didn't Poppa tell me!?" She panicked and started up her engine.  "Thanks for listening and helping me out Big Sis!" Hope smiled at her and quickly shot over to the campus without bothering to pull her helmet on.

The women smiled and nodded.  "Anytime."

            Keiichi was in the back, changing the oil to a custom bike Chihiro was building until he heard the door bell.

"Stay working Morisato, I've got it!" Chihiro called.

"Alright!" Keiichi called back, until he heard a voice that made his eyes jut out of his head.

"Miss Chihiro! Can I work here!?" Hope pleaded in an exhausted voice.

"Are you serious!?  YOU'RE HIRED!!" Chihiro shrieked followed by the sound of two hard slaps on Hope's shoulders.  "Not only do I have two Morisatos! Now I have three!!  Oh the goddess of Victory is smiling on me!" She sobbed happily.

"Wait!! HOPE!!" Keiichi shot from the back of the shop, but was surprised; Hope's face was covered in pure joy.

"Poppa, why didn't you tell me Miss Chihiro was hiring!?" she stared at him.  "You know I love motorcycles and everything else on wheels as much as you do!"
"Uh… well I…" Keiichi sweat dropped when he stared at Chihiro.  "I'll explain to you later."
"You don't have to." Hope shook her head.  "Because its fun is a good enough reason to do anything."

Keiichi again was hit with his own words, this time by his daughter.  But he realized, as Chihiro slapped a Whirl Wind shirt onto Hope and shook her hands hard, that he had worked there for all those years because even though she made him work hard, it was still fun.  "That's right, WELCOME ABOARD!" he slapped her on the shoulders.  "My little racer gets to work alongside her old man! I couldn't be any happier now!"

"I'm going to make you two work extra hard! Got that! Don't think you're going to be in the land of Milk and Honey now!" Chihiro shook her finger to tease.

"Okay!" They both smiled and laughed.

"You two… ARE SO CUTE! COME ON! GROUP HUG!!" Chihiro squealed and captured them in a glomp.

            Later that night…

Nauthiz and Eldir glared at each other with exhausted glares.  "Give up yet?" Eldir groaned.

"Never!" Nauthiz growled as he struggled to hold his axe up.

"Hah!" Eldir was also struggling, until they both gave in and collapsed onto the ground.  "How about rock, paper, scissors?"
"Okay…" Nauthiz sighed and glared at him with his fist ready.

"ROCK"
"PAPER"
"SCISSORS!"

Eldir had rock, but Nauthiz had paper.

"Stay away from Miss Akina from now on." Nauthiz stated plainly and dropped his arm to the ground.

"Fine… sheesh…" Eldir sighed and vanished into the ground.

 "AAH! Nauthiz are you okay!?" Akina darted outside and held his head up.

"Y… yes Miss Akina, I'm just exhausted." He smiled weakly as his blush returned to his face.

"You fought for me, Oh Nauthiz that's so romantic! It's like something you'd only see in a movie or a shoujo manga!" she cheered and hugged his face.

"YES!" Peorth and Urd slammed the tea room door open and clapped.  "Bravo! Bravo!"
"Hey, you two were watching?" Akina glared.  "Why didn't you try and help him!?"
"Oh but we did." Urd giggled evilly.

"Hmm?" Akina stared at them for a moment and looked down at Nauthiz; he'd passed out in her arms.  "Aww, he's so cute!"
"What's going on?" Hope walked around the temple and stared at the blast craters in the ground.

"Nauthiz and Eldir fought over me!" Akina giggled happily and stared at the shirt Hope was wearing.  "Hey! That's a Whirl Wind Employee shirt!"
"Yeah! Your mom hired me!" Hope said with a bright smile.

"WOW! That's cool! But what happened to the diner job?  They didn't hire you?"

"Well… I did, but I quit, it wasn't very fun…"

"Is there such a thing as a fun job?" Akina grimaced then heard the ten o'clock bell toll.  "Oh man! I better head home!" She panicked and looked back at Nauthiz.  "Thank you again."
"Hmmm…" he smiled as she eased him on the ground and waved good bye to the group.

"Well he's zonked." Urd walked out and made him hover off of the ground.  "Come on Peorth; help me get prince charming to bed."
"Right, but I really think he could have done better." Peorth sighed as they walked him into the temple.

Hope and Keiichi sweat dropped, this had been a very odd and eventful day.  What else could possibly happen?
"Hello?" Belldandy called out.

"Momma?" Hope stared around until she emerged from her Yamaha's rear view mirror.  "Welcome home, were you in heaven?" Hope asked.

"Yes, oh Hope I'm so proud of the way you acted today." Belldandy smiled and gave her a hug.

"Eh?" Hope stared at her curiously.  "You were watching huh?" She sweat dropped.  "Um… you didn't happen to see…"
"Well, your grandfather, after a period of silence, seemed rather amused with the disposal method of Masahiro's car." She sweat dropped back.  "Your grandmother was very amused by it."

"Grandfather and Grandmother were watching too!?" Hope's jaw dropped.

"Yes, today I asked your grandfather to make his judgment to see if you were ready."

"Ready… for what?" Hope asked until a pink beam shot from the heavens and into the ground next to her.

"That?" Keiichi raised an eyebrow curiously as Hope knelt down to read.

"Hey, it's in Kanji! That's nice." Hope smiled and read.  "Hope Morisato, Goddess Second Class, second category, today you have proven yourself worthy through your actions and your completion in training as an earthbound goddess.  Therefore, on the day of your eighteenth birthday, you shall be commissioned as a first class godd…" Hope's jaw dropped. "EH!?

"Oh Hope! I'm so proud!" Belldandy hugged her, though Hope was still falling deeper and deeper into shock so she couldn't notice.

"Well, I guess that's what you get when you ask what else could possibly happen." Keiichi sweat dropped.

Meanwhile at the diner…

"Daddy… could you please come pick me up…" Masahiro sobbed into a payphone only to get hit in the head by a giant spoon.

"HEY! Get back to those dishes!" The waitress barked.  "Honestly, what kind of moron leaves his cell phone and wallet in a car that's in neutral sitting on a downhill slope towards a pond?" She grumbled as she walked to help the other customers.

* A Fan Author's Worthless rant *

            That was the longest chapter I've ever written X3 12 pages!!  I hope it was a smooth read.  It was another fun chapter to type XD I'm such a weird person.  Anyway, it's pretty obvious why there wasn't a Nauthiz journal entry at the end of this chapter, he's my cutest character!! X*D Love him bunches!

Also, about Frigg, originally I assumed that she would be Belldandy's mother from a website I got most of my Norse related information from because she was Odin's wife, there's the site if you wanna check it out. , however someone on the SBA forum drew a picture of her a while back but I forgot their forum name… I'll post their name up in another chapter as soon as I find out.

            See ya next time ^^