Chapter 2

Celes, Keima, and Lorelei sat at a table in a darkened meeting room inside Japoness Castle. The other seats held the holograms of the others who were apart of this meeting. They were Belldandy and Sayoko, who were currently in Heaven, as well as Mana, currently in Hell.

"We still can't open a gate." Sayoko said, "It's like Yggdrasil is intentionally blocking us."

"We can't open a gate to Heaven either." Mana said, "We can get to the mortal world though."

"That could be useful," Belldandy said softly, "Depending on what the Rogue Demons do." Belldandy then turned to Keima. "What was this mystery you spoke of?"

Keima turned to Celes. The Vampire nodded, then looked back to the holograms.

"We found a child, a girl, laying in a crater alongside what looks to me like a part of Yggdrasil."

"What!" Belldandy and Sayoko shouted at once.

Lorelei flipped on a screen mounted on the wall. An image of the device appeared. Belldandy recognized it immediately.

"It's a storage unit." The goddess said, "And it is most definitely from Yggdrasil. But, I don't believe we are missing any."

"I've tried to access it." Lorelei said, "But even with Keima's help, I haven't gotten anywhere."

"Only Yggdrasil would be able to access it." Belldandy said, "The Hell mainframe could possibly access it."

"Doubtful." Mana grumbled, "It won't even play a decent game of Half-life 2."

Silence.

"You," Sayoko said, pointing at Mana, "loaded Half-life 2, on the Hell mainframe?"

Mana turned red, "Yeah, so?"

"AND YOU DIDN'T INVITE ME!"

"Well I thought it could handle the graphics…….and it couldn't….." Mana then grumbled, "stupid Bill Gates……."

"Let's return to the current problem." Belldandy said. She looked at Celes, Lorelei, and Keima. "The girl?"

Lorelei hit another button and the girl appeared on the screen. Sayoko, Belldandy, and Mana leaned a bit closer.

"She looks…..familiar." Sayoko said.

"Very familiar." Mana added.

"I can't place her though."

"Does this help?" Keima asked, holding up the Teddy bear.

"Mr. Bear!" Sayoko shouted.

Mana turned her head slowly towards the Goddess.

"Mr. Bear?" she asked.

Now it was Sayoko's turn to blush.

"He …uh….he was with me since I was two. I passed him on to Kristine when she was two."

"Mr. Bear?"

"I WAS TWO WHEN I NAMED HIM!"

"Mr. Bear?"

"KRISTINE EVEN CALLED HIM THAT WHEN I GAVE HIM TO HER!"

"Mr. Bear?"

"WILL YOU LET IT GO!"

"Excuse me." Belldandy said, "Are you both through?"

Mana and Sayoko turned and looked and saw everyone was staring at them. Both turned red and looked down at the table.

"I'll have Peorth run a check for that girl." Belldandy said, "I'll also check and see if any of the Guardians can get to the surface."

"What about Arael?" Celes asked, "If memory serves, she doesn't need a gate either."

"She is unable to leave Heaven." Belldandy said with a sigh. "Saturn and his group still have a majority when it comes to her."

"I thought Kami-sama could overrule them."

"He can, but………the council is fractured enough as it is."

"I can send Demons to help if it becomes necessary." Mana said.

Lorelei raised an eyebrow.

"We get attacked by Demons, and you'll send us more?"

"Hey now!" Mana responded slightly irritated, "The Demons I'll send were trained personally by me! They are totally different from any Demons you've run into previously."

"Sorry!"

"Don't forget we do have the Imperial Guard." Celes added, "Then there are the rest of the Sabers."

"Sabers won't do much against Demons." Sayoko pointed out.

"I was hoping they'd overwhelm the Demons in numbers."

"Wishful thinking."

"Wishes are your department."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ok!" Lime said as she looked at the gathered family members. "In case of an emergency we……"

"Scream and run around in circles in a panic."

Lime threw her hands up in the air.

"BLOODBERRY!"

"What!" the red haired sister asked, "You know that's what is going to happen."

"Which is why I'm trying to plan this out!" Lime exclaimed. She looked to her other sister for support.

"Please try and be serious Bloodberry." Cherry said softly.

"Fine!" Bloodberry crossed her arms.

Lime glanced one final time at Bloodberry before looking down at her list.

"In case of an emergency, we all meet here. Should the restaurant not be safe, we'll meet at Sentaro's dorm. Once we are all together, we go to Mom's."

Bloodberry immediately sat up straight.

"The Guy's dorm?"

Lime frowned, "Yes. So?"

A smile appeared across Bloodberry's face. Lime stared at her sister, trying to determine what she was thinking.

'Sentaro's dorm,' she thought, 'Bloodberry's weird perverted smile…….wait……Sentaro's all MALE dorm, Bloodberry's weird perverted smile…..hiding perverted thoughts…….'

"Will you quit thinking about naked college boys for one moment?" Lime growled, "Keima told me what these Demons could do! Don't you want to be safe!"

"We live with a God!" Bloodberry replied, "Mom has Lime (the marionette). Then there is Celes, the Imperial Guard, and about two thousand or so Sabers. What makes you think we won't be safe?"

Lime set her list down and slowly leaned over the table towards Bloodberry.

"At strength," Lime said softly, "the Rogue Demons conquered Heaven and killed hundreds of Gods and Goddesses. They plunged Earth into darkness for almost a week. The only thing that saved Earth from eternal darkness was a handful of Gods and Goddesses, and an army of Demons. Now," Lime's voice began to rise. "we have no gods other then Keima. We might possibly get help from Hell, but it will take time for them to get here. Until then, all we have is Keima, Celes, and a bunch of Sabers. And you think we'll be safe?" Lime was practically shouting.

"Lime." Cherry hissed, "Otaru."

Lime slowly looked up at the ceiling and listened. Her son, Otaru Jr., was asleep upstairs. Not hearing any sound that might indicate he was awake, Lime looked back down at her sisters, specifically Bloodberry.

"Ok." Bloodberry said, raising her hands, "You win. I'll take this more seriously."

"Speaking of Sentaro." Cherry said, "Why isn't he here?"

"He's walking Megami home." Lime replied.

"You think they're doing it?"

"DAMMIT BLOODBERRY!"

The sound of a baby crying then reached their ears.

More profanities filled the air.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I really wish Kris was here." Sentaro said softly.

"Why?"

Sentaro glanced over to his companion, Megami.

"Why do you want her here?" she asked, "You have powers."

"But can I use them when I need to?" he replied, "When I wanted to, I couldn't lift a damn bolt. But when I wasn't even thinking about it, I shot that bolt into orbit." Sentaro kicked a rock off into the bushes. "At least with Kris here we'd have her powers."

"So then we wouldn't have to rely on you?"

"Yes exactly!"

Megami rolled her eyes.

"You're an idiot. You know that?"

"I have several family members that constantly remind me of that."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lorelei, Celes, and Keima stood quietly behind the one way glass. On the other side of the glass was the medical room containing the young girl.

"I wish we knew who she was." Lorelei said softly.

Celes glanced at Keima.

"Couldn't you enter her mind?" she asked.

"It's risky." Keima answered, "If she woke up…….it could be really bad." He sighed. "As bad as I want to know who she is, I'm not willing to risk her life for it."

"Too bad Mr. Bear can't talk to us."

"Yeah…..wait!" Keima's eyes went wide. "It can!"

Lorelei and Celes blinked and stared at Keima like he'd gone insane.

"Since when have you carried on conversations with stuffed bears?" Lorelei asked.

"No! That bear will have memories associated with it, possibly powerful ones."

Celes' eyes lit up. "Like Sayoko's ring!"

"Exactly!" Keima said, "All we have to do is………" Keima's voice trailed off and his face began to pale.

"What is it?" Lorelei asked.

"Trouble." Keima said softly, "Big trouble."

The castle then shuddered.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Did you hear that?" Megami asked.

"Yeah." Sentaro replied, looking around. He spotted a glow in the distance. "Looks like it came from the castle."

"Think it was a bomb?"

"Who would bomb the castle?"

Megami shrugged. "Bad guys?"

Sentaro rolled his eyes.

"Now who sounds like an idiot?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lorelei and Keima followed Celes to the castle security center.

"Report!" Celes called out.

"The south outer wall has been penetrated by some sort of weapon." an agent replied, "Imperial Guard are on their way, as well as three squads of Sabers."

"Intruders have penetrated the castle!" a second agent shouted, "South castle entrance has been breached!"

Celes frowned, "The Shogun isn't here. What the hell are they after?"

"Imperial Guard is on scene."

"Show me."

A screen lit up, showing images as seen through the eyes of the Imperial Guard. The image moved about as Baiko looked over the grounds. Her eyes finally stopped on a group of three figures dressed in black. All three wore helmets with face shields, but Keima could tell what they were.

"Demons." He whispered.

"Whose?" Celes asked.

"If they are blowing things up," Keima stated, "wouldn't that mean they probably aren't the good kind?"

"Point."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Where are we going?" Megami asked as Sentaro pulled her through the streets of Japoness.

"In case of an attack, Auntie Lime wanted everyone to meet back at the restaurant." Sentaro replied, "If I don't show up, she'll tell Keima, he'll tell mom, and I'll never hear the end of how worried she was about me."

Megami suddenly stopped. Sentaro frowned and tugged on her arm.

"Why are you stopping?" he asked, "We're going to be in trouble!"

"It's a little late for that." She pointed.

At the end of the street stood a figure dressed all in black. Red markings adorned his forehead and cheeks.

"Hello children." The demon said, "Nice night for a walk isn't it?"

"Megami." Sentaro whispered, "Run."

The two turned and started to run in the opposite direction. They stopped a moment later when their path was blocked by another figure. This one had the blue markings of a God, and Sentaro was able to recognize him from old photos.

"Loki." Sentaro whispered.

The evil God smiled.

"My fame proceeds me." Loki said, "I told you so Draco."

"Whatever." Draco replied as he moved towards the two mortals. "Should we kill them now, or do it later?"

Loki shrugged, "It's not always nice to play with your victims, but I think we can make an exception in this case."

"I don't suppose we get any say in this?" Sentaro asked.

"No." Loki replied, "Your mother has caused us much suffering. It's time she got some in return." Loki raised his arms and sent an energy bolt at the mortals. Draco added his own.

Sentaro raised his arms, trying to form a shield. The energy blots slammed into him, sending him flying to the ground.

"SENTARO!" Megami screamed.

"Boy she's loud." Draco muttered.

"I can fix that." Loki waved his hand.

Megami let out a scream as light engulfed her. When the light vanished, it left behind a kitten. The kitten let out a meow. Sentaro could only stare at the animal in shock.

"Megami? He asked.

"Meow!" the kitten replied.

Draco smiled.

"Better hope nobody is pleasing themselves." He said.

"What?" Sentaro asked, looking up at the demon.

"Everytime you masturbate……" Draco said, forming a force bolt.

"…..a God kills a kitten." Loki finished, his eyes flaring bright white as he sent a force bolt hurtling towards Megami. Draco released his as well.

Sentaro jumped at Megami and scooped her into his arms. He then closed his eyes as the force bolts grew closer. He felt intense heat, then nothing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"More reports of demons appearing all over the city." Celes muttered as she stared at the main screen. On it, the three demons were fighting off squad after squad of Sabers. Celes had been keeping Baiko and Tamasaburo out of the fight, allowing her to better see what was going on.

"Why are they here?" Keima wondered, "The Shogun's gone, there's nothing important here."

"Lorelei?"

"No, couldn't be her. They'd have an easier time getting her at her home."

"Not with Lime there."

Keima glanced at Celes. "Lime is one saber marionette. Even she isn't a match against a demon." He looked back at the screen. The Demons had progressed further into the castle. Keima frowned. He knew he was missing something.

"What's in the south part of the castle?" he asked.

"The historical displays," Celes said, "paintings of the previous Shoguns, art created by the previous Shoguns, banquet rooms, medical area….."

Keima's head snapped up.

"The girl!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Draco and Loki stood over the spot where the son of the half breed goddess and his friend had been. Smoke continued to come out of the crater their force bolts had caused.

"Did we get them?" Loki asked.

"Don't know." Draco replied, "I don't sense death here, yet………I do sense something dark."

More explosions could be heard in the distance. The two deities looked towards the castle.

"I still don't understand why you are concerned over that……child." Draco growled.

Loki glared at Draco. "Her arrival coincided with our attack on Yggdrasil, as well as that other."

"Still….."

"That girl traveled through time! She could change things!"

"We have other problems."

"Such as?"

Draco pointed towards the sky. A gate had opened, spewing forth dozens of figures dressed in black armor.

"The Queen's guard." Loki muttered, "their timing is annoying." He then vanished in a bright white flash. Draco continued to glare at the arriving Demons as he vanished in a fireball.

From the darkness, another figure watched with softly glowing red eyes. The figure then turned and faded further into the dark

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keima and Celes ran towards the medical area. Rounding a corner, they spotted one of the Demons standing before them. Celes raised her hand gun as Keima sent forth a force bolt. The Demon blocked the bolt, then died as Celes' bullet blew through his head.

The second demon leaped out and sent a force bolt hurtling at them. Keima threw up his shield and blocked it. Celes fired off several rounds at the demon, which were blocked by a red shield. The demon sent two more force bolts off. Keima dodged one, but Celes caught one in the right shoulder. In an explosion of gore, Celes' shoulder disintegrated, her arm and gun dropping to the floor as the vampire screamed in pain.

Keima sent another force bolt at the demon. This time he caught the demon in the stomach. The demon collapsed to the floor. Keima glanced back at Celes to see the gore already flowing back into the vampire, reforming her shoulder.

"Damn it to hell! That bloody well stings!" Celes growled.

"I'll get you a aspirin later." Keima said as he stared again to the medical area.

"Aspirin. Right." Celes muttered as she followed.

Both stopped just outside the door to the medical area. The final demon was standing over the young girl, a force bolt glowing deadly in his hands. The girl seemed to be stirring.

"If you move, she dies." The demon growled.

"Don't hurt her." Keima said, raising his hands. Celes lowered her gun.

"Fools!" the demon shouted. He started to release the force bolt when he was sent hurtling across the room. The demon started to rise to his feet when he was sent flying across into the opposite wall. The demon again tried to get to his feet, and once again hurtled into the wall.

Celes blinked, then looked at Keima.

"Bloody hell! Remind me not to piss you off!"

Keima looked at Celes, his eyes wide.

"It isn't me." He said.

"Then who……?" Celes began.

Both turned to where the girl had been laying. She was now fully awake, standing on the bed and clutching Mr. Bear tightly to her chest. Her eyes were glowing a bright white as she glared at the demon.

"You're a monster!" she shouted. With a burst of light, wings sprouted out from the girl's back. They were followed by the rest of an angel, an angel that look familiar to Keima.

"Morning Bell?" He whispered. The angel did look like his sister's, only it seemed to be darker, more sinister. It's eyes were also glowing.

"You're a bad bad demon!" the girl shouted. The Angel soared up towards the ceiling before diving straight at the demon. The demon let out a scream as the angel slammed into him. He convulsed several times, before going silent. The angel fluttered around the room for a bit before soaring back to the girl.

The girl stared at the dead demon, then looked to Keima and Celes. Celes and Keima turned and looked at each other.

"We were supposed to save her right?" Celes asked.

"That was the plan." Keima replied. He then looked back to the girl, wondering just who, as well as what, she was.