Now I'm standing close to you;
It's just something that I do,
When I need love to be enough.
I wish love could be enough.
Cause there's nothing more appealing
Than the thought that I could be enough…
DJ Tiesto – "Close To You"
Skuld had gotten her auto-decorator working again, and the temple was now decorated for spring in festive purples and greens. Passersby suspected that there might soon be a ceremony or celebration at the temple. Only those who lived there or knew those who lived in the temple actually knew why. Urd and the one known only as "Omega" entered through the main gate to the temple, approaching the walk that led up to the house that the three goddesses, Keiichi, and (sometimes) his sister called home.
Omega had to suppress a shudder as he crossed into "holy ground". Demons were allergic to places where gods and goddesses resided. Just as with demons, the forces of good tended to naturally purify the place they lived over time until the area was so cleansed that any forces of evil would suffer a terrible reaction. Only through great strength of mind and inner calm was Omega able to keep himself from bolting and running the other way. He knew that he would not be able to stay here long; his façade required energy and he was using energy fighting off his base reaction to where he was.
"You'll have to forgive her enthusiasm," Urd was cautioning as they reached the door. "She's been very excited over this for awhile now."
Omega's eyes were surveying the scenery around the temple as he nodded. There was always the chance that something could happen, that his plan could be foiled or discovered. If this happened, a fast escape would be necessary. He had already identified seventeen ways to get out of the area quickly when Urd drew back the door to lead him into the house's inner sanctum. Belldandy had been busy in the kitchen, cooking lunch, when she heard the sound of the door open. Knowing instinctively who it was, she turned away from the stove and walked to the doorway, looking down the hall at the two.
Her face was lit with a smile as she focused on her half-sister. "Urd! You're back! What did the dress shop have to say?" She suddenly realized that they weren't alone and settled her smiling gaze on Omega. "And who is this?"
"Well," Urd began as she shut the door behind them, "The dress shop said that they will need a few more days before things are ready." She nodded to Omega, who seemed ready to introduce himself.
Bowing politely, Omega managed a smile despite the sickening feeling of being around such a being of pure good. "Forgive me. My name is Marcus Cole, and I am a reporter for the newspaper. I was doing an article on springtime weddings and I heard that you were getting married. Is this true?" He remembered his orders—gather intelligence and return home with it. He had no desire to remain longer than absolutely necessary in this sacred place; it was already taxing his energy to maintain his façade.
The goddess nodded, her face glowing from happiness so great that Omega was surprised that such happiness was possible from any being. "Yes, we are supposed to get married in a couple weeks! It is so wonderful, isn't it?"
With all this talk of marriage, the goddesses have their defenses down, Omega noted casually and nodded. He could feel a tingle in his fingers and feet – a sign that he needed to hurry things up or else he wouldn't stand a chance in the temple. "I have some questions I would like to ask, but I believe that they can wait since I have an appointment soon. Would it be permissible for me to return later in the week for an interview, when my schedule is not as hectic?"
"Yes, that would work," Belldandy's smile maintained its radiance.
"In that case, I will take my leave of you." Omega bowed and turned towards the door.
Bowing in return, Belldandy maintained her innocent smile. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Cole! I look forward to your interview!"
Omega walked as fast as he dared, retracing his footsteps in the temple. His breath was ragged as he used every iota of willpower to maintain his disguise. Before he could step outside, he felt a pair of eyes following him from a doorway near the stairwell. Looking back surreptitiously, he caught sight of Belldandy's younger sister, Skuld, watching him with the same appraising look he'd had as he entered the goddesses' domain. He smiled and nodded to himself then crossed the threshold of the doorway and briskly walked back to the sidewalk.
It took him several blocks before he was able to stop and catch his breath. His mind was already turning with tactics and plans. He already knew that Loki would be pleased with his report on the goddesses. Taking a moment to savor the victory he felt welling in him, he barely caught the movement from the shadows.
"I had forgotten why I hate sunlight so much," a silky feminine voice sighed softly from the shadows on his right.
Looking over casually, Omega smiled. "I'm surprised that Loki let you out, Luna," he nodded, acknowledging the stunning woman dressed plainly, but in all black. "Business or pleasure? Are you here to have a snack, or did Loki send you to check up on me?"
"Pleasure sounds so much fun, but you know how our leader is," the redhead flashed a sly fanged smile as she looked around them to make sure they were alone. "What have you learned about our adversary?"
"It is just as Loki said it would be. Belldandy is marrying a human in around two weeks' time. That does not give us much time to work with, though they are expecting me to visit again later in the week to "interview" Belldandy and her groom-to-be."
The young woman grimaced and put on a pair of sunglasses. "No, we don't have much time to do something. The moon is only in its first quarter, and my powers are still weak. I could always feed on some human blood to regain my strength, if necessary. It's so much fun walking the streets on this planet as a vampire at night." There was a tone of wistfulness in her voice and Omega smiled.
"There are sacrifices we all must make, Luna. I suggest we return to Loki immediately so we can begin planning. I have an inkling of an idea that might just work to our advantage."
A brief gust of wind blew down the street as the two conversed and prepared to depart. Bits of newspaper and old bottles and cans skittered down the sidewalk, which was oddly deserted for this time of day. A few yards away, a small soda can came to rest against a trash can, seeking respite from the wind. A small section of the can separated to reveal a miniature camera lens even as the two demons continued with what they were doing. The camera focused on the two for several seconds before the can was sent flying on its way by another gust of wind.
Atop a nearby building sat a small figure with a laptop. Skuld watched with interest, her curiosity piqued by this "Marcus Cole". Until a couple years ago, the young goddess had been in charge of the Yggradsil computer, a position held previously by both her sisters. Skuld was familiar with many demons and gods/goddesses as a result of this position. Something about Mr. Cole was familiar to her – but she couldn't place her feeling yet. The person standing with him had also seemed familiar. Shrugging, she saved the image to the computer and then slowly stretched before standing. Skuld loved a good mystery, and this one would be solved soon enough. After all, she was the best when it came to making inventions. How hard could it be to figure out who Marcus Cole and his mysterious "girlfriend" really were?
With all the movements of demons and the faerie folk recently it would have seemed to the casual observer that the inhabitants of Yggradsil were "sitting on their hands". This was far from the case, but gods and goddesses often work in strange and mysterious ways. Yggradsil was, in fact, alive and abuzz with news of the impending wedding. It was the first time in known history that a god and a mortal had ever married.
This was obviously both cause for joy and consternation at the same time. As many in Yggradsil knew, the matter of mortals was considered greatly important. The general opinion among the gods and goddesses in the recent past had been that mankind, despite having had come so far, was not likely to survive. Redemption did not appear to be in the cards since the forces of evil had spread so rapidly. The host of Yggradsil was limited in what it could and could not do – direct intervention did not seem an option since the demons were so powerful on Earth. Although no one in Yggradsil openly spoke of it, there were some rumblings of concern and dissent from The Lord's course of action regarding his wayward creations on the planet known as Earth. Following the Celestine Crisis (as it was now called) many had reconsidered their views and thoughts on the matter in light of Belldandy's extremely convincing defense of the planet, its people, and Keiichi. They had heard of her travels and travails with this mortal, of his wish, and of their happiness – unrivaled even in Yggradsil.
Certainly the tacticians in Yggradsil were smiling at this news even if it was not by their doing. They realized, just as Loki and his top generals did, the implications of such a wedding. The union of a mortal and a goddess would produce a shift in the current balance of power that was so great it would literally be the end of the demons within a few generations. Just as Adam and Eve had populated the Earth with their offspring, the descendents of Belldandy and Keiichi would be a new breed – part goddess, part human. Their imbued divinity would be great enough to resist any attempt by demons to subvert humanity through the standard temptations and lures. They were well aware that the demons would make their move to stop the wedding.
Among those who eagerly awaited the wedding were two young Second-class goddesses. Both had studied under Belldandy while she was still at Yggradsil – during her time with the Goddess Help Line. The oldest of these was Sappho, who compared to Belldandy or Urd was still quite young. Her long blue hair flowed in the wind as she smiled and chatted casually with her taller partner and friend, Sora. Slightly younger than Sappho, Sora made up in height what she lacked in age compared to her friend. Standing a head taller than her friend, her golden hair was just as long as Sappho's and blew freely in the wind. On this day, the two were dressed in their "off-duty" robes – simple white garments that denoted their Second-class status. They strolled the grounds of Yggradsil, discussing the wedding. Both had already decided that they would be attending the wedding, even if some among their co-workers disagreed with the decision.
"I wonder if we should throw her a bachelorette party," Sora commented offhandedly, looking up at the pale blue cloudless sky. "I hear that it is an earth tradition before a wedding."
Sappho's lips parted as she laughed, the sounds of the musical laughter filling the air around them. "That sounds like something that Urd would be into. Maybe you should talk to her instead."
Sora shook her head as a smile crossed her features. "I wouldn't want to trouble her. I'm sure that she and Skuld have their hands full making sure that the wedding plans are ready." Probably trying to make sure that Skuld doesn't make too great of a mess, she added silently to herself. Her light brown eyes took on a faraway look as she stared out into space. "It would be nice to see them again, though. It's not every day that weddings happen."
"No, you're right. I wonder if we can get a day off to see them before the wedding." Sappho glanced at her counterpart.
"Peorth would have to approve of it," Sora pointed out. That was a task that would not be too easy to accomplish.
In charge of the Yggradsil computer system, Peorth was among those who were concerned that something might happen at the wedding, be it from demons, rogue faeries, or even natural events. She had passed instructions already to insure that everyone monitoring Earth would have a backup in case things went wrong. The "bug exhaust port" incident between Keiichi and Belldandy was something that most at Yggradsil remembered, and the Celestine crisis was better left unspoken. Even though the Almighty had given His blessing to the impending wedding, Peorth refused to take any unnecessary chances. She had only grudgingly given permission for the two to have the day off after much deliberation, but Sappho's argument had turned the trick.
It had taken over an hour before Sappho could present her argument to Peorth. "What if something does happen? Wouldn't it be better to have five goddesses on hand than just three? If there is a problem, Sora and I would be there to assist Bell and everyone else. Besides, we can always use the additional training on earth."
Unsurprisingly, Peorth had taken time to consider the argument. Even then, it had taken consent of the Almighty before Peorth had begrudgingly given her consent to the pair's idea. "Since the Almighty has approved your request, I cannot go against it. However," she had leveled them with a glare for a moment before continuing, "If there are any problems, I want to know right away."
"I'm sure she'd probably approve of it," Sappho replied with a chuckle. "After all, it can't be that hard to get her to approve of our ideas twice in a row."
Laughing, Sora shook her head. "Your overconfidence will get the better of you someday, Sappho. One of these days, Peorth is going to wring your neck for your ideas, just as she wanted to do with Absinthe."
"Well, Absinthe got what was coming to her! You can't go playing loud music and be Peorth's next door neighbor. We all know that Peorth likes a particular "mood", and rock music does not go well with that mood. Besides, Peorth is very amorous, and we all know that love and hard rock does not go hand in hand."
"I just hope she's enjoying Earth. Maybe we'll run into her while we're down there. She's not too difficult to deal with – its just her taste in music that drives everyone up the walls," Sora straightened as the two of them approached the building that was their destination – the home of the Yggradsil mainframe.
"We'll pay her a visit, then. For now, let's see if we can convince Peorth of our idea." Exchanging smiles, the two goddesses entered the building, not even aware of what they would be walking into.