I do not own Ah! My Goddess or any of its related characters or copyrights. These are the property of Kosuke Fujishima and the relevant corporate bodies.

Light's Nemesis

Chapter 16: In a porcelain face, I see a Nemesis

The main entrance of "Whirl Wind" was nudged open as a figure quickly entered; his motions purposeful as he lay his unconscious charge down on the reception room couch then closed the door on the dark, wet night. Hurrying over to her, he removed the wet jacket with trembling motions and felt the young woman's pulse. Satisfied with the faint though constant rhythm, he darted over to the store cabinet and haphazardly pulled several of the proprietor's overalls from their folded piles before laying them across the pale, wet form of Sora. He considered removing the wet reiments but could not summon the will to undress her in such a fragile state. Turning, he tried the office phone only to hear silence; his response a frustrated sigh as he set the receiver back. Leaning hard against the desk, he ran a hand across a weary and saturated face with eyes that tell of terror and indescribable pain. The events of the past day now clamouring for his attention, Keiichi denied himself that introspection lest he drown in the growing sense of despair that welled within. His senses straining under this, he quickly sat on the couch opposite her, one hand pressing against his left temple and tried to think of a solution, any solution to the madness they were now drowning in. He racked his brain for an idea; a plan to rectify this but all avenues of thought led to the same horrible conclusion. With a sardonic thought, he knew what would happen if this were any other crisis; they would congregate around the tea room table to work something out. Skuld would whip up some fantastic contraption and Urd could be relied on to conjure up a potion or elixir for any event imaginable and Belldandy………..Belldandy could see the answer in every problem with complete sincerity, but that world was now gone. Where had that life gone? Of course he understood that question was self-defeating; he knew the answer all too well. Their lives had vanished into the night with tears and eloquent whispers, as if the demon had opened his cloak and covered the world in shadow, yet the thing that tortured him was the fact the he, Keiichi Morisato, had willingly assisted every step of the way. All this may have been the orchestrations of another but the fears, doubt and private terrors that motivated him were, and would always be, his own. In the four years since Belldandy came to stay, his doubts had waxed and waned but no matter how many times he and Bell had come back from the brink, those unsettling feelings had always been constant and now, it seemed, that they had finally been answered. He sat forward, an ineffable weight seeming to bear down upon him, and wondered why he didn't feel more surprised with himself; he always knew that this, the strange story of the man and the goddess, may end someday. There were moments in the past when he wondered if that time had come, now forming a litany that danced behind his closed eyes: Mara, the Lord of Terror, Velsper, Celestin and Hild…………they had tested his wish to the point of destruction and yet Bell had always managed to prevail, if even by the smallest of margins, but now it seemed that their story had reached its final chapter; Keiichi impudent to change its conclusion.

He rubbed his eyes and glanced over at Sora; watching for a few moments the steady rise and fall of her chest with each breath. As he looked upon the young woman's face, locks of wet hair plastered to her brow, he reflected on the tragedy of what had reduced them to another's puppets. How many times had she and others been the victims of the supernatural crossfire, oblivious to the forces that manipulated them to their own designs and the world that existed parallel to their own. Sighing as he lay back, K1 considered what he would do when she asked where her sempai, Urd and Skuld had vanished to. When that day came, he would take her to the temple and out to the garden where, amongst the ghosts of happier times, he would tell her about a very undeserving young man, a very mundane phone call, the goddess that answered it and how that young man betrayed her in the end. That thought almost compelled him to weep, the unshed tears a testament to what he would lose this night. It is in this moment, in the relative silence and the remains of his life, that he resigns himself to the loss of his love but, though he may not be able to alter the course of events, he would not do so passively. For a time, he agonised over the idea; whether he should leave the unconscious Sora or remain by her side and let the night unfold. It was with a great ambivalence that he resolved to return to the university; the miniscule chance that his presence would change anything giving motion to an exhausted body and fatigued mind. Before he left though, K1 leant over the still form of Sora and, at a loss for words, gently kissed the young woman on the forehead; the gesture one of apology for the weaknesses of his own heart. Stepping out side and onto his bike, the flicker of a memory surfaced and he wondered, alone in the darkness, if this was what the ill-fated wizard felt when the time came for his demonic companion to fulfil the contract. It was with that grim resignation that he started the engine and sped of into the night.

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The demon's counter attack was potent as Belldandy narrowly raised a shield; the arc of dark power dissipating in a flash of faint blue light. Allowing the demon to advance, she vanished to reappear some distance above him and fired once more, her arms extended in invocation as spheres of light arced out. The demon turned quickly as the spell descended and his figure vanished in the explosive brightness as the spheres met simultaneously; the sound akin to a thunder clap. She did not react fully until feeling a flicker of his presence somewhere behind, though as she turned and struck out, the phantom vanished. In this instant, blade like air descended up and was only avoided by the goddess darting down and across; the move almost sending her spiralling. It during this that the demon struck, but his blade only danced across her arm before it was met with her partisan, the grinding magical weapons seemingly secondary as both pressed against their foe; the few seconds almost intimate in their duel as both peered into the face of the other. Belldandy's countenance fixed in its severity with a mix of pain and righteous indignation; her sapphire blue eyes alight with anger. The demon's face, hidden behind the cold contours of the face plate, could not be discerned save for the two crimson points in the depths of the eyes, their intent implacable. Belldandy eventually broke away, pressing against the demon's rapier before somersaulting backwards and opening fire. The shot itself was evaded in a blur of motion before the spectre reformed and in a swift gesture counter attacked; Belldandy realising the diversity of the power as the arc of crimson lighting impacted across her torso. Thereafter, her world became one of searing pain as she fell then landed upon something hard; a university building roof now bearing a large crater with the disorientated goddess sprawled in the centre. Forcing herself up she had only moments before she saw the demon above, an eruption of light and the explosion that followed; yet, to her shocked senses, she remained unharmed as the energy was absorbed by a shield with its creator landing behind her. The goddess turned to meet the weary, yet grimly determined, face of the valkyrie; her expression one of urgency.

"Rind, I-"

"Belldandy, he's too great for you; go to your sister and I will hold him here." The words punctuated with a swift motion as she brought her halberd around in a defensive stance.

"No, this is not the way; not alone…he will…."

"I will hold him here until you return, go to your sister; Urd is a danger to us all and to herself, you must help her; now go.."

The words held a grim pertinacity that other goddess loathed to consider but she nodded, her eyes resolute, and darted across the roof tops to her sisters.

The valkyrie turned her full attention to her position; eyes scrutinising the wet darkness around. The silence was broken when a shape rose at the opposite end of the roof and two crimson eyes returned her gaze; the demon's voice a cruel sound in the rain

"It seems that pretensions of duty and honour go hand in hand with vengeance, valkyrie; a very imprudent thing………"

It was then, as the demon gestured amid a whispered incantation, that the roof vanished in an eruption of energy; Belldandy whispering a prayer as she landed on the remains of the concourse.

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The situation which greeted the goddess was one of pronounced carnage. The confrontation between Shihio and the goddesses had transformed a considerable proportion of Nekomi Tech into a scene plucked from any urban battlefield; a fact compounded by the arrival of the new first-class demon and her wrath upon all who confronted her. Landing amid the remains of a building, familiar raised voices and an explosion close by caught her attention; the goddess's swift motions bringing her to face to face with the conflict. From the burnt out remains of a second floor lab, Skuld rained down blasts while her opponent, the sorceress Shihio, took cover behind a small mound of rubble. This horrified her, but a flash of light and a thunder clap, accompanied by the figure of Peorth landing heavily brought her attention to a chilling sight; Urd, now bearing a fiery whip and a expression of complete malice, looked down upon the prostrate rose goddess with ruby like eyes, the insignia upon her forehead, amid the wet platinum locks, invoking fresh consternation in the first-class goddess. Urd turned and without a word the sky ruptured forth; lighting arcing down to where Skuld and Shihio fought. The ground shook as the energy was deflected off a barrier, the two combatants saved from the demon's onslaught by the goddess that Urd now turned to; eyes narrowing in recognition. Belldandy looked up into her eyes and knew that something else, something she had seen only fleetingly in the past, now held dominion; the mark of a demon first-class a silent testament to this transformation. The demon's lips curled malignly before she spoke, as if considering what to do with her latest foe.

"Well?...I thought this would be the point where you would try, eyes sorrowful, to tell me that this is isn't me, or that this is wrong or that I'm under another's spell…..." Belldandy was silent before she spoke, thinking of a way to reason with the unreasonable.

"Urd, please…..please don't continue with this. The demon has twisted your mind to his whim; your true self, your true soul would never contemplate such vile acts. Dear sister, please let us-"

"Truth?" The demon punctuated the venomous his with a swift motion that brought her some distance from her sister. Now on eye level, she continued.

"You want truth, Bell? This is the truth that lay beneath all the crap that I had to work through up here," her words punctuated with a gesture to her temple. " The truth is that your world is crumbling and now that I've worked through flower girl here, the squirt and yourself are going to discover just how truthful I can be. We're going to have a reckoning and I can definitely say that it has been a long, long time coming."

"Sister, please, you're stronger than this. You would never, even if all the light had faded, willing go into the night……." This seemed to cause the demon's expression to waver; a momentary look of apprehension darting across her features before the malice returned. Her laugh was soft but rich in contempt.

"That argument is wearing thin, dear sister and its time for you to understand why." Her motion was a blur as the fiery weapon arced out at its target; the energy contained in its tip striking a mound of rubble. Before the demon could consider what had happened, something fast and hard met her stomach and she was sent back into a wall. Belldandy turned slightly and found Peorth, weary but determined, as she pulled her fellow goddess away and launched her own attack; the thorn studded vine melting back into her wrist.

"Peorth, how….when did this happen, when did Urd succumb to this?"

"I'm afraid that the situation has turned against us, ma sherie; Urd has turned against and the sorceress is bent on stopping us-" Her harried tones were interrupted by a series of pronounced detonations close by, Skuld seemingly using her trade mark bombs against the human who seemed less so every minute.

"My god….Skuld….Shihio…." The goddess of the present uttered in shock; Peorth's expression strained as she tried to sense Urd. Turning, she understood the necessity now upon her.

"Belldandy….."

"Yes, I know. Please go to Skuld and I shall deal with Urd. My love is lost to the world and we don't have much time to return to Rind." Her fellow goddess's face was suddenly etched with shock before melting into sadness; her hazel eyes bearing a shadow of the pain seen in the norn's eyes. Peorth nodded and both prepared to return to the battle field. Moments later Shihio, darting toward her target with supernatural speed, only just evaded several vines as they ruptured forth from the earth; the sorceress turning to find the rose goddess advancing upon her. Close by, Urd had erupted from the rubble with a murderous expression before tendrils of wind turned her world into a cyclone, intent on retraining her. On a nearby roof, Bell's first hopeful thoughts were erased as the retraining wind was blown apart with a lighting bolt that added another creator to their war zone. Her reflections were only momentary though; a burst of energy deflecting the fiery whip as its owner landed several feet from her. Then the sky ruptured forth and Belldandy felt the ground give way before she could react.

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High above the ravaged concourse, the war continued too but with a depth that transcended mere political affiliations; a battle that told of personal hate and enmity that had endured for almost five centuries. Rind made her war with all the speed, power and conviction that had distinguished her as heaven's most proficient valkyrie, but within another war raged between the past and the present. She understood the danger of letting this become personal, of seeking vengeance but, also, she knew that it was a contradiction in terms. This had always been personal; personal since the fateful night that was forever ingrained into her mind and the one she had saved, and yet lost. She had sworn to herself that those feelings would not interfere again, but the fear of those below succumbing to this dark power invoked other memories; memories of waking in darkness, her body wet with perspiration and cheeks stained with tears as she rose from dreams that echoed with the scream of a creature that has its soul shattered and the shadowy phantasm that orchestrated it, a demon with a porcelain face. It was these bitter, flickering recollections that urged the valkyrie to satisfy a thirst for vengeance, but at what price? Tapping into that vast reservoir of hate would instil terrible power and quench her soul's thirst for the demon's defeat, but if she conceded to this temptation Rind would cease to be; replaced with a creature that hid its contempt and blood thirst behind a thin mask of dispassion. In essence, everything her divine nature would innately oppose. She brought her halberd round quickly to block the demon's thrust; steel grinding against steel as the world spun around in a dark blur. It was here as she pressed up to counter the strength of the opposing blade, that Rind understood what she would become if those crimson desires overcame her; a realisation invoked by fear for the others and the eyes that seemed to pierce her flesh, intent upon dissecting her soul.

In the blink of an eye, the valkyrie vanished only to reappear some distance from her opponent; a bolt of light impacting on the demon's armour as he was forced back. Her rapid movements only saved her from a burst of explosive energy that promptly impacted on a nearby rooftop, an act which caved in the roof and top floor of the building. Retaliating, the divine soldier swung her halberd in an arc before letting go. The weapon, acting like a large boomerang, was complimented by two blasts from Rind as she fired up wards at the demon. Unfortunately, its target melted into shadow before reappearing to deflect the offensive spell; the brilliant flash of light as they met his shield only deepening her resolve. It was then, with her target on the defensive, that the valkyrie choose to employ a solely offensive manoeuvre; the singular expression of her power, the "golden eye", which had become a trademark attack since training. As the weapon returned to her grip, the valkyrie focused her energies and attacked; the spinning motion of her form eliciting carnage as she tore concrete and whipped up rubble in her confrontation with the demon. For a few moments, her world became one destructive grace as she darted across the sky and the scarred rooftops of Nekomi tech; her intent to shatter his shield satisfied as it relented as he seemed to fall away. A moment of faint vindication was all she felt once the attack ceased and her senses flared in alarm; someone was directly behind her. She spun, the spearhead prepared to thrust at her shadowy enemy. She stopped. Her mind became numb and the wet, dark world around seemed to freeze; even the droplets of rain slowing as if for inspection and there, standing before her, was Kara; uniform bloodied and torn but her eyes, those wonderful pools of amethyst, bright under a crown of ebony locks. The person she had been before……before……. The moment seemed almost eternal yet was little more than a few seconds before realisation cut through and, in less than a heartbeat, the world exploded in a paroxysm of crimson light. She shot down wards, every nerve screaming its own agony before she landed on the upper most remains of what had once been a block of lecture theatres. Her senses reeling, she understood that her right arm was now broken in two places and one option remained. It was as she reached over with inhuman speed for her boosters that she spied a flicker of crimson brilliance in the darkness. Then it descended and her hand stopped. The gauntlet transfixed by the thin blade as it pierced her shoulder through to the concrete beneath. The agony that ran through her elicited a scream that died halfway as she ground her teeth in protest. Pained eyes ran up the blade, the demonic runes alight, to the apparition that lowered it self slightly. Staring up into a cold imitation of a face, words ushered forth from still, porcelain lips.

"It would be presumptuous to say that this was ineluctable; I had no intention of meeting you in battle again, but of course you are always so dutiful and righteous ….." There was no response from the wounded valkyrie; her eyes returning the demon's scrutiny as she strained against the agony.

"No retort, no venomous comeback…….pity. But, perhaps, this is fortuitous as it allows me to give my appreciation. If you permit a small indulgence, I must give my thanks to you, great valkyrie; you have served me so well this night. You rallied them, prepared them for conflict, sent them onto the battlefield and gave the true objective to me upon a silver platter, and for that I am truly grateful." The goddess's eyes narrowed in an odious expression as the pressure of grinding her teeth elicited a small trickle of blood down her cheek. The seething yet inexpressible anger etched into her face only intrigued the demon.

"Yes. I wondered if that would spark reaction, yet even with such new strength you will not seek relief; denying something you desire even now as her world crumbles and a chance for retribution lies before you." This caused a waver in her countenance; conflicting sensations sweeping back and forth before she opened her eyes once more and spoke; her eyes exhausted but bright.

"Y..You will not emerge from this victorious. I have done what I must and will not concede to your meaningless wordplay. You will loose, demon. That I know well…"

"You speak of victory? Yet I think you are unable to grasp what has occurred this night and with that, are you sure we have not already won? But that is of no consequence to you now; you have served me well, but I can not allow you to interfere in my affairs any longer." The demon's faceplate turned slightly, eyes turning from her pained visage to her still arm. The soft, distinct sound of bone shattering filled the air and the valkyrie fought to suppress a scream that came as a deep, agonised snarl while the demon snapped her wrist.

"Perhaps you wish to contemplate my words in solitude, great valkyrie and, maybe, we shall meet once again." The words were followed by a blur of images and, as she spiralled into the darkness, she could only think of what awaited the norn of the present. Then the world faded to nothing.

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Close by, the conflict had escalated as both the rose goddess and the youngest norn tried to halt the enchanted Shihio while Belldandy, with a sorrowful heart, desperately attempted to restrain Urd; the demonic proportion of her consciousness seeing all others as her enemy and worthy of destruction. Skuld had taken cover behind a mound of rubble, from where she armed and tossed two grenades at their seemingly inhuman adversary. Peorth, then in the process of completing her own attacks, spun out of range in a timed manoeuvre; a curtain of rose petals momentarily obscuring her opponent before Skuld's weapons collided with their target. The detonation shook them both as the sorceress was blown back amid a hail of shrapnel. Peorth's cautious move forward, eyes scrutinising the darkness; her partisan raised slightly with three roses balanced in her other hand. An unspoken message brought the young norn forth from her position; a faint whimper rising in her throat as she raised the rifle like contraption, the soft rhythm of the charging process giving surprisingly little comfort. Their advance forward lasted only a few moments until the ground where Peorth stood was lashed with a long whip like object, its surface studded with familiar thorns. Only a second had been given for the goddess to take flight before a flickering shape darted through the wreckage to renew its attack; the flight of Peorth's missile like roses failing to meet their mark twice until the third embedded itself in Shihio's leg. Unfortunately, the weapon did not have the intended effect; the thrust of the rose negated by the demonic power as the Sorceress brought her blade down with a terrifying thrust that was met with her opponent's partisan; the force sending both downward. The impact was barely noticed as both struggled to gain the edge; Shihio's face expressionless as her eyes drilled into the goddess's. Skuld trained her weapon on the attacker only to lower it as the chance of striking down her fellow goddess seemed too great; the former system debugger bitterly noting that this type of thing always seemed easier on T.V. The grinding of weapons was the primary focus of Peorth as she wondered how her opponent had come to wield such remarkable power against them. It was during this terrible exertion that the rose goddess made a discovery that both intrigued and gave her renewed hope. The battle had seen both combatants' uniforms take great strain; the torn and loose fabric a testament to that, but, as Peorth discovered, the glove and cuff of Shihio's sword arm had been torn off and the bare flesh atop her hand revealed a symbol, alive with a faint green light. It only took a moment for her to recognise it: a glyph, a spell capable of focusing elemental energies and, with a magic user, a reservoir of incredible power. A burst of energy at point blank range sent the sorceress reeling back several feet as Peorth struggled up, noting that it seemed strangely apt forth both users of the earth element to meet like this. Though Shihio was merely the demon's tragic puppet, he had identified the sorceress's most fundamental affinity and had even bestowed the will to control a power that would take others decades to learn. Darting forward, the goddess considered a plan; dubious, dangerous but if successful, would aid them greatly. With a timed move, she lashed out at Shihio with a vine whip; the sorceress dodging with inhuman speed to attack once more. Raising her partisan with one hand to meet the blade, she knew what must come next. The arc of steel shattered the weapon but, in a movement that spoke of centuries of learning, the goddess halted the strike by clasping both hands simultaneously around the blade. Marvelling at the mortal's strength, Peorth prepared her spell. Shihio may wield her new power with terrible proficiency but, as Peorth reflected, she had not been educated in all of its intricacies since the start of her life. Whispering an incantation, the blade arced with a faintly green energy then abruptly stopped. Her hazel eyes met Shihio's and, with a small smile, she whispered to sorceress.

"Coup de grace, ma sherie."

The following silence was broken as an eruption of energy turned their world to day and shook the earth with incredible force. The sorceress ploughing through earth, concrete and a wall before it collapsed; the sword still held by the goddess as she rose unsteadily. Casting her gaze to where her opponent may be, she felt a faint flicker of vindication. Yes, Shihio was skilled in their element and powerful too, but, the weary rose goddess noted, did not know that a magical field can be inverted if necessary by the same element. Her reflections were momentary as Skuld's call's brought her attention to the other battle being fought close by atop a gutted building. Arriving with some trepidation, they were greeted with the sight of Belldandy absorbing an arc of fire; the wind shield withstanding the attack as Urd landed, the demoness's whip uncoiling with a casual gesture. The goddess, her visage a mix of sorrow and grim conviction, counter attacked with a burst of energy; her sister dodging until the fourth met its target and she reeled backwards. Skuld's cry of relief brought the norn of the present to the arrival of her comrades and a momentary joy flickered in her eyes.

"Peorth did you….is Shihio still with us?" Her companion responded with soft grin.

"Ma sherie, your friend still lives but-"Her voice wavered as a sensation that seemed to cut the ground from beneath washed over all three. Belldandy, her eyes alive with consternation, gave voice to the dreadful, yet unmistakable feeling.

"She has fallen….Rind has been overcome by him."

"My god, then…..then how are we going to beat him with Urd like this?" Skuld looked first to her older sister then to Peorth.

"Ma sherie, there is a slim chance. We could first deal with Urd and then move against him as a group; even he would find that a difficult proposition." The norn of the future turned to her sister. Belldandy, her eyes still, held sobriety with a faint sadness in her expression. Then something flickered in them that invoked apprehension in the youngest goddess. Belldandy looked up to both and, in her characteristic gentleness, spoke.

"Peorth, Skuld, please restrain Urd for as long as you can. I shall go out to the demon and fulfil Rind's task." As expected, there was a storm of protest.

"Don't do this. We'll think of something; as he is, you may be……"

"Ma sherie, please let us consider another way once Urd is no longer a threat…..."

"I'm afraid that may not be possible. I have considered this for sometime, and I feel I know what the demon wants. Though I will not concede, I must go to him alone; you both have my complete trust that you will succeed." Both goddesses could think of a thousand reasons why she shouldn't go but there, in the darkness, they agreed. Then with a soft smile Belldandy left quickly before both turned to face their task. Moving forward, both felt a flicker of something behind. Peorth bore the thrust of the attack as she was lashed with fire while Urd narrowly avoided a blast from her sister's cannon. Retaliating, a telekinetic burst tossed Skuld across the rooftop. Two crimson eyes and an amused voice cut through the rain.

"I only caught half of that and knowing how sister dearest is, she'll do what has to be done though I wonder how she will feel picking you up in pieces……….."

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As the sounds of battle faded slightly amid the rain and the winds melancholy sigh, Belldandy found a new and terrible absolute: desolation. This was not only the reality of her surroundings, but a sensation that pervaded every fibre of her being, soul and consciousness. Alone now, she reflected on how the world she knew had dissolved into darkness; her dear sister twisted into a travesty of her true self, Skuld and Peorth compelled into a horrible confrontation with the demoness and Keiichi………The man she loved and cherished above all things on earth had forsaken her; his mind bewitched by the demon's spell, finding love in another. In this, she felt the sting of guilt as she recalled her attack; her jealously storm almost crushing the girl's throat before K1 had intervened. Keiichi….Keiichi Morisato………lost to her now and, perhaps, forever. Darting over the shattered mounds of concrete and twisted steel that were once part of Nekomi Tech, the goddess's thoughts turned to the demon that had orchestrated this all encompassing horror. Though she still felt a terrible doubt in leaving the two to deal with Urd, the norn of the present had began to understand what she must do to end this. All the events over the past few days, some profound while others were almost insignificant, led here; specifically, the goddess feeling compelled to confront Mephistopheles alone. She knew that hate was something unbecoming of one from the heavens but, approaching where she last felt the valkyrie, the sensation became almost overwhelming; a private darkness that empowered her anger all the more, but no. She would not concede to it. Her world, the one she had loved for more than four wonderful years was gone, but she would hold the Mephistohilis to account with all the authority a goddess, first class, possessed. Still now, she looked across the shattered rooftops and the administration tower, rising out of the carnage below, bearing scars of the battle between Rind and the demon. Her scrutiny was rewarded though; a figure materialised above the tower as if to answer the goddess's wish. A voice echoed through her mind over the wind's sigh; a voice the goddess equated with darkness itself.

"It seems that Perficio dea returns once more, her eyes burning with iridescent fire tell she now understands the truth but seeks vengeance all the more. Come Belldandy, norn of the present, heaven's most blessed…….without any further interference, let us conclude this affair now." The goddess was silent for a moment then, with singular solemnity, answered.

"Mephistopheles, for the souls you have drowned in darkness and infernal will, you will be exorcised completely from this place."

Then the goddess went forth, her intent focused with inexorable desire, and she made war.

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The engine stopped and the rider, his motions almost mechanical, slid the helmet off and let it fall into the sidecar. The expression he wore was of a man who had seen something inconceivable, and yet all reality testifies to its veracity. Dismounting, he came forward to the main gate of Nekomi Tech or what was once the university where he had studied for four years. The car park was only faintly recognisable; the overturned fiat of Sora Hasegawa amid assorted debris giving K1 his bearings before the relative peace was shattered by several pronounced explosions and an eruption of lighting close by. Shaken from his incredulity, he hurried forth into the ruins. Navigating past small mountains of debris and even craters, the young man could only imagine at the power used to make the university seem as if it had been subject to an air strike. Judging by the lighting, it seemed that the others had found Urd, but the thought that pulled him forward was the chance of finding Bell before the demon did. Putting the events together haphazardly and filling in the gaps with his imagination, K1 knew that the demon wanted Bell to be vulnerable, mentally, emotionally and physically. In such a state, she would either barely be able to control herself or too drained to resist any further. Of course, it could all be meaningless but his theory was the one thing he clung to in a world twisted almost beyond recognition. Panting for breath, he leant against a pillar jutting out across his way. In these moments a small, though not inconsiderable, voice in the maelstrom of his mind raised the question of having a plan and then realising that beyond getting to the tower and where Bell may have fallen, a plan was something that he lacked. Feeling the concern of his demonic angel, his resolve focused; fearing betrayal and endangering others, he would make sure she was contained. Pushing forward again, he knew that he had lost Belldandy but he would first tell her that he was sorry, sorry for his fear and doubt and giving himself to another. A part of him knew that there was a good chance that he may not live through this but, if he could see her one last time before the light of his world vanished forever, death didn't seem quite as daunting.

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The wind spell arced out at the demon but only succeeded in gouging a vast hole in the towers roof. Darting forward once more, the goddess opened fire; energy arcing out from her partisan as the demon's form seemed to melt into shadow before lancing out in separate directions. Unable to track both flickering shapes, the goddess failed to sense them merge once more some distance above her; the Mephistophilis unleashing a storm of crimson lighting which met her with explosive force. Reeling, Bell managed to steady her descent enough to return fire, the demon evading her spell with supernatural speed. Rising quickly, her invocation summoning forth twin tornados which lanced out at her attacker, she advanced only to see her spell consumed by a fire which lanced down upon her. Her shield holding, she countered with a blast which extinguished the demonic inferno then reached out to find her target. A flicker of another's presence was the only thing that brought her weapon up to meet his rapier; the demon appearing in the blink of an eye to thrust at the goddess as the strange runes imposed on the blade came alight with a terrible energy. The press of steel gave way as she desperately pushed him off, knowing his greater proficiency with the weapon, and fired. The energy that leapt forth at the phantom met nothing as he seemed avoid it with blur like rapidity, then counter; his blade dancing across Bell's shoulder as blood ran forth. Crying out, she dove away to assault the demon with a fusillade of brilliant energy. This salvo impacted as a series of explosions upon his hastily erected shield, while the destructive power continued downward to obliterate the top two floors of the building below. Launching upwards, a gesture of his gauntlet triggered a blast of energy which she only just met with a barrier of protective wind. Belldandy, seeking any opening, came forward fast and a burst of telekinetic energy raked across the demon's breastplate and shoulder, though any further assault was met with his shield. Attempting to continue her attack with a spell, the goddess could only know her miscalculation as he vanished once more, his form seemingly a dozen different places around their immediate battlefield, then appeared to strike, his gesture eliciting twin blasts of crimson energy; Bell barely meeting one before the other met her with a paroxysm of light and pain. Tumbling into the wreckage below, she landed, grimacing as her world swam with sound and agony. Forcing her self up with a groan, Bell felt the demon approaching. Nearing his target, she believed that a trap could be set as the wraith like figure became visible. Whispering an incantation, the goddess focused her will to restrain the demon; light and wind aiding her as a barrier was erected. Before he could fully react, the mound of rubble seemed to rise like a wave before falling upon him; the goddess taking to the air while the ground shook. The brief moments of peace allowed her to believe that he had been greatly injured as the mass of debris buried the demon. The first flicker of hope was promptly dashed a sound akin to a thunder clap and a flash of light saw the mound vanish, while the creature was nowhere to be seen. Rising up, her senses screamed the presence of others all around; the deception allowing him to attack once more as that cruel blade danced across her thigh and arm. A wind spell followed, but as she spiralled down under its terrible power, the goddess retaliated with her partisan; taking some satisfaction as the arcs of energy impacted upon her opponent. Straining herself, she landed on a steel beam jutting out of a former building then launched herself up and over the war zone with incredible speed. Descending onto one of the less damaged buildings, she sensed her adversary close by and pre-empted him; her spell invoking a wind which scythed through her surroundings with exceptional force. Her shadowy opponent countered by descending from above; his retaliation borne of the same element as the spell met her with explosive force. Thrown back, her weapon slipping from her grip, the goddess had barely a moment to register the attack before she felt a

freezing embrace. Suddenly unable to turn, her eyes found that the water beneath had risen up around her waist and right arm before hardening to ice; the conjuration binding her within its grasp. Struggle was futile before she sensed him high above; the demonic invocation bringing down both fire and his own scarlet lighting. The spells converged simultaneously to obliterate the top three floors of their new battle field, but their true target had vanished. Bell had, with seconds to spare, slipped into her elemental form and escaped as a gust of wind. Assuming her corporeal form some distance away, the goddess thought she heard faint, soft laughter rising out of the storm lashed darkness.

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Keiichi, navigating the devastated campus of Nekomi Tech, finally began to approach the administration tower; the gaping hole torn in its side eliciting a flutter of bitter memories as he set about trying to find Bell. Several pronounced explosions high above brought his attention skyward and he beheld two figures locked in combat. Realising that the demon had already found her, he resolved to intervene somehow. Racing over debris and past several craters, he dashed into the tower, absently noting the abundant broken glass, then began to make his way up the shadowy stairwell. Hauling himself up, floor after floor, he came to realise that something else was driving him. Somewhere between leaving "Whirl Wind" and dashing over the ruins of the university, he found that logic had been usurped and reason dethroned by something else; vast and almost ineffable yet also intimate and exact. He wondered if this was love or perhaps the desperation of someone who feels compelled to atone for their actions. Without any exact idea of what he was going to do once he got to the top, K1 satisfied himself with trying to tell her, formerly his, Belldandy that all this, all his actions and desires had been a mistake and that he was sorry for everything. With this hazardous collection of thoughts, he flung himself up each flight of stairs.

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Recovering from her latest confrontation, bloodied, wrought with a turbulent ocean of grief and anger, the goddess first class recognised that she was losing this war. Rind had fought and inflicted considerable damage, as she had, yet still the demon persevered; maintained by a power drawn from the undiluted darkness that surpassed them all. Thoughts of breaking her seal, a truly drastic step, occurred but she had neither the time nor the energy to initiate the process. Considering further, she concluded that a single powerful strike would stop him but, as her power ebbed, it would have to come soon. She drew away quickly, feeling the demon's presence as she darted over the remains of the university until she found a suitable position. Here, above the administration tower where so much of her world had faded to nothing, she prepared her self. Fading from view, she saw the Mephistophilis emerge from the darkness like a nightmare and sensed her. As he advanced, two belldandy's sprung from the shadows of the tower to attack, a fusillade of energy that the demon evaded with ease before rising up and returning fire. In this instant, the two smaller clones seemed to fade and the true goddess materialised, a long bow seemingly fashioned from light in her experienced hands. Usually, Holy Bell would assist in such an action but Belldandy now wielded it at the price of her energy. Three arrows were drawn, akin to the bow in brilliance, and as the demon's guard was open, Bell aligned the weapon and released the heralds of her indignation. The arrows took flight through the darkness. Then something horrible occurred and consternation flared in the goddess's mind. The demon tirned with speed exceptional to both devil and god, the gauntlet tipped with claws shot out and, with sickening rapidity, they stopped automatically; their power rendered impudent in mid-air. The gauntlet closed and the three divine shafts of light exploded. Her senses turgid, Bell began to detect words sifting through the air, first in latin and then in a language older than the earth itself. Withdrawing, she saw the demon's sigil, fashioned in crimson light appear high above followed by the inverted pentacle of the Infernalis Imperium, long tendrils of energy dancing across its five points to converge in the centre. Several gestures concluded with the demon raising his armoured claw, balled into a fist, then, as her anticipation of what was to come spiked, he released it. In that instant, time seemingly stopped; reality bled into itself and darkness, absolute, undiluted from beyond heaven and earth, descended to assault body, soul and mind.

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The battle had grown increasingly desperate as Peorth and Skuld contended with Urd's power. The rose goddess straining herself to in combat as the demoness unleashed her wrath on both. The norn of the future discovered that her weapon's charge left her with only a few shots left; the fact that she had long since spent her remaining explosives not helping the situation. As she took cover and the former friends took their war to the air, suddenly an immense wave of energy overcame them, knocking the goddess and demon from the skies while the younger goddess was propelled through the air; her senses a violent blur as shadows seemed to leap out and a feeling of soul shaking horror overwhelmed her before the world faded away. The only sound was the wind and rain as the goddess first class regained consciousness; the painful wetness upon her brow evidence of a wound on her temple. Her trembling fingers came back crimson before a sensation that cut through her turbulent senses made her turn from where she lay. Sapphire eyes, exhausted, pained but without despair, looked into the darkness and saw a figure approaching, akin to a wraith with soundless steps. Crimson eyes framed with a fractured alabaster visage beheld her. Words reached her as the demon extended a gauntlet to reveal a small scarlet crystal, its core a point of brilliance in the shadows.

"The world you fought for has crumbled; your convictions, thought great, have been rendered ineffectual this night. Belldandy, norn of the present, in turn I offer solitude in the void."

His words were punctuated with the seemingly delicate jewel emitting a flicker of light; Belldandy's form wavering as wisps of her essence were drawn away, inexorably towards it with a great force. She knew now that it was intended to seal her away for centuries with no hope of escape. It had been a faint possibility in the back of her mind before she and her companions had made war with Mephistopheles. With the little energy she had left, she choose to resist further but her method was one that would endanger herself with its power; if she got close enough, would hopefully compel the demon to withdraw. Her spell would be powerful, but instead of discharging its potency, she would overload it at the last possible moment. She curled a fist and began to focus for a last, desperate defence of all that she had known.

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As he dashed from one floor to the other, his body screaming its protest and exhaustion, the demon's spell struck and yet he continued. His senses mired in chaos and terror as both the past and present began to bleed into each other before his eyes, he still endeavoured; he still ran through the darkness that seemed to move of its own violation. His struggle was not a silent one though, as he tried to pray between each ragged breath; the words that fell from his lips an attempt to tell himself, and perhaps even Kami-sama, what he truly felt without for the goddess so high above. His features wet from rain and now perspiration, K1 felt the sting of tears as the full consequence bore down upon him and yet, as before, he had always wondered if it would end this way. Sometimes, when alone, he would wonder if the divine being he had come to love was truly perfect and if so, would the day come when even Bell would meet her match from the other side. That idea no longer seemed so strange; he once had the perfect goddess, so was it possible he had met the perfect demon too, if there even was such a thing. Wondering now if he was going mad, K1 dismissed all other things to get to the top of the tower where Bell could be. Of course, he had no idea what he would do after but now he desired only, and with absolute sincerity, to see her again, one last time. The only other time he had felt such a harmony of desire was four years ago when a goddess had appeared and he asked for something from the very depths of his soul.

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She was almost gone now. The spell was ready and as she considered her next action, the goddess felt a familiar sensation. It was only a moment, but she felt something akin to a prayer reach her; a warm, soft sensation like a summer breeze. It felt like someone she had come to love and yet lost, but it was gone. The demon had felt her preparations and took action. In the seconds before she would completely fade, the goddess poured the last of her offensive energy into it; the supreme, singular exertion to stop the creature before her. For a second the world appeared to contort around her; Mephistopheles, a nemesis that had taken her world from her, seemed one with the night; his form lancing out to halt her with eyes like red stars and herself; worn, bloodied and on the precipice of defeat but without despair, holding a single brilliant light. Then their was nothing and the top six floors of the administration tower vanished in an explosion of light to rival the sun.

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His world gave way to nothing and he fell. In this vortex of light, debris and energy, he was both angered that he couldn't do anything to halt this and strangely hopeful that she had been able to somehow turn the tide and then take to the heavens where she would be loved once more, leaving a world where shadows and phantoms had become the heralds of an even greater nightmare. Falling, an odd serenity fell over his senses and he was contented with having loved her, if only for a painfully limited time. Smiling softly, he fell and the world faded away.

He awoke. He was wet, exhausted and perhaps dead, but the world around him differed from what he had been expecting. All around there was only white; no distinctions or features, no heat or wind. There was only absolute, infinite white in all directions. Rising unsteadily, his attention was immediately drawn to a long, dark mass approaching. This maleficent looking shadow resolved itself into a figure that tread silently in his direction. Inwardly he groaned; no doubt this was where the Daimakicho Hild revealed herself as the master of the show to confirm her victory to him personally. Yet as the figure neared, it was not Hild at all. The person approaching was apparently male; tall and attired in long, elegant robes over a smart tunic. Nearing him, K1 found himself strangely intrigued by this entity, eyes running from the mass of dark locks that spilled across his head and shoulders, the emblem of an elaborate inverted star upon his forehead and then the eyes. Meeting them, he found dark pools surrounding islands of the most pure amber. Standing there, he found himself transfixed by the eyes that met his. He felt himself drowning in them and for a moment he could imagine himself floundering in a dark ocean, struggling, gasping until he vanished beneath the surface into the darkness below. The waking dream was only broken when the figure spoke and his senses returned.

"Greetings, Keiichi Morisato."

"Eh…Hello, emm…..am I…."

"Dead? Oh no, I have only brought you here momentarily that we may speak, if you wish to of course." K1 wavered between bewilderment and anxiety; he felt terrible both physically and mentally, but was compelled to go along with this strange figure. For all he knew, the consequence of refusal could be worse that what he had already experienced.

"Okay… that's fine with me, but where am I? …………..and is Belldandy alive?"

"To answer your first question, we are in a place close but far where we shall be undisturbed and yes, Belldandy is alive."

"Did she do it, I mean did she stop him?"

"She drew a stalemate with the demon who confronted her but, if you measure victory by your own desires, then she has succeeded by the narrowest of margins." K1 felt a relief wash over him and fought the sudden urge to collapse there and then. It was then he realised something unpleasant and a sudden unease flourished in his mind. It was the creatures insignia; the symbol that drew his attention and put its bearer on the other side of the spiritual divide.

"You're a demon, aren't you?" The demon smiled softly and nodded.

"Yes, very much so, but I don't come to harm you; I only wish to ask a question. I have long been intrigued by you and the life you have lead, but have been unable to speak to you in person."

"W..what did you want to ask" He returned with faint trepidation.

"In all the years you have known Belldandy, events have almost tested what you have to destruction. As long as you wish to maintain this companionship with the goddess, heaven and hell, either by accident or design, will try to tear what have you apart. Time will amass a myriad of enemies who will endeavour always to undermine you, thus why would you endeavour on when the obstacles in your path will only become greater as you go?" K1 was silent for a long moment then, with a sincere though tired look, answered the strange demon.

"I will continue because I love her."

"Even if what confronts you becomes insurmountable?"

"Yes. We've come this far and I know we will continue until we can't do anything more." Beneath the long dark locks, K1 wondered if he saw something in the stranger's face; a soft smile and a flicker of affirmation in his eyes that inspired a flicker of dread. In the momentary silence that followed, K1 felt that the odd figure was looking not entirely at him, but through him; observing something hidden that K1 himself could not. The strange demon nodded slightly, his expression like that of a scholar pondering an ancient problem, but also with a hint of modest satisfaction.

"You have my gratitude, but now time draws forward and I must be going. If you will excuse me." The figure turned and walked in the same direction he had arrived. K1, perplexed and bemused, could only wonder who this strange creature was. The demon stopped and turned slightly, as if he heard the young man's unspoken question.

"You and I will meet again hopefully, but if you so covet an answer, you could say that in all things I am his adversary." With that he turned and vanished.

With a start K1 awoke to find himself lying against something warm. Looking up, he found himself looking into the face of someone he thought would have turned on him if released. Virtues apostate, her expression questioning then melting into relief as her partner recognised her then faintly blushing as he discovered what the warm, soft things his head had been on were. About to apologise unreservedly, another voice cut through the relative silence. Its inflection was exhausted but warm in its familiarity.

"You know, say what you want about demons but I think there's a good bit of angel left in her…"

The demonic-angel's purple-tipped wings parted from their defensive position around her partner and K1 found a figure, clad in torn crimson leaning heavily against a torn steel beam several yards from away; the familiar blue triangle upon her forehead easing his tension just as memories of Bell and the others erupted from the back of his mind.

"My god…Urd…are you….is every one okay? Did Bell do it?" His questioning was stopped as the goddess raised a hand casually.

"K1, every one is alive, no thanks to us, and Bell is still here."

"Urd, what I've done is-"

"K1, please listen. We have both done some very nasty things but we had no say in them. They'll be time enough for apologies, though now she needs you. Go to her, Keiichi." With that she indicated over to her left. K1 nodded wordlessly, then rose unsteadily and made his way over the scattered debris and rubble. After what seemed like an eternity he finally found what he had so coveted. She was kneeling among the debris, vacant eyes staring into nothing while he hands were clasped. He approached, trembling as he thought of everything and nothing; unable to utter a word to the figure before him. Sinking to his knees, K1 tentatively reached out to her. His fingers met her shoulder and he whispered her name. Coming closer, he met her gaze. The eyes of the goddess moved slightly, fingers reaching his. A moment passed then, in a single motion, both embraced tightly. The sounds of soft, weeping rose as both silently reaffirmed what a million utterances could not. There world became each other and both found what they believed was gone forever.

Some distance behind them, Urd slid down a mound of rubble and watched the two lovers meet once more. Turning she found Virtues apostate, the former angel, affording the couple a semblance of privacy; lips giving only the faintest of smiles as she interpreted her partners feelings. Urd smiled as she raised her face to a lighter sky, the rain now only drizzle.

"Don't worry, you'll become accustomed to it in time and I think…..I know things will be all the more interesting…"

The angel turned, her visage thoughtful before she nodded with, what Urd felt to be, complete understanding.

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Atop an office block over looking the remains of Nekomi Tech, a figure looked down upon the sight of the lovers with narrowed eyes. Turning from the scene below at the sound of approaching steps, Hild smiled, an almost warm expression reserved for only a few, at the person who now shared in her observations.

"Not quite a victory or a defeat but most of the objectives were met and I'm very pleased with consequences, though of course by sunrise there will be no evidence to suggest a battle occurred at all" Her companion nodded in affirmation.

"It seems so. They remain together and yet the matters raised will haunt them for sometime to come; a factor which will serve our purposes quite effectively."

"And I will fulfil my part of our "understanding". In exchange for the services of your personnel, you will now have joint-authority over the Chiba prefecture and Nekomi. A very productive arrangement for our mutual objective, I think." Steel blue turned to meet eyes of perfect amber in a face framed by dark locks with the inverted pentacle upon their forehead. The Hasatan returned the expression with a knowing smile.

"You have my complete agreement and confidence in what will be a very, very interesting future………….."

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High in Pandemonium city, the office of Mephistopheles was silent. Within the most inner recesses of his chambers, an image of Keiichi Morisato and Belldandy, Goddess first class, flickered then vanished. The observer found repose in the absolute lack of light, the undiluted darkness that is his element and there, eyes crimson points of brilliance, the demon contemplated future machinations and smiled his secret smile...

The End.

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I would like to apologise. It has been far, far, far too long since my last update but since the previous month has been so hectic, I've had few opportunities to continue where I left off last time. With some satisfaction, the fic is now complete and, as always, your opinions on this last chapter, the story or anything else you feel regarding it are greatly appreciated

Yours sincerely

Sorcerer's Familiar