Chapter 4
Sentaro's mind slowly drifted back to consciousness.
'Odd' he thought, as he woke up. "When did I….."
He tried to wipe the sleep from his eyes, but found he was unable to move his arms. They seemed to be bound in someway. He struggled to move them and discovered that they were wrapped up against his chest. After a bit, he was finally able to open his eyes enough to look around.
He was in a room, lined on the walls and floor with padding. Looking down, he discovered what was holding his arms in check.
A strait jacket.
Sentaro struggled, trying to free his arms. He ceased his struggles as the sounds of talking reached him through the padded door.
A hatch then opened in the door and several faces peered in.
"Here we have Sentaro Aida." An authoritive voice stated, "He has been with us for three years now, being treated for dementia." The voice paused a moment as other faces came into view.
"What is his dementia Doctor?" a female voice asked.
"Ah," the Doctor replied, "He believes that he is the son of a Goddess." Several people chuckled at this. "He also believes he is dating an Angel."
"How are you treating him?" another voice asked.
"We've tried several attempts at counseling, but each time he has reacted so violently that he's had to be sedated. Even now, drugs barely keep him calm and lucid enough to answer questions."
"But surely he understands he can't be the son of a Goddess?"
"Never under estimate the human mind." The Doctor said, "It can be most imaginative at times." He looked back through the hatch at Sentaro. "Even as far as to make one believe the fantasy is real." The hatch then closed and the sound of voices faded away.
Sentaro sat, stunned at what he had just heard.
'Not real?' he thought, 'What does he mean not real? The last thing I remember is…..' His eyes went wide. His last memory before waking up here was stepping through the Judgment Gate with Arael. Anything after that was a haze or jumbled.
Did he and Arael make it through gate?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Doctor looked up as two orderlies marched Sentaro into the office and sat him roughly in the chair before the desk. The two then stood to either side of the chair.
"Hello Sentaro." The Doctor said from behind his desk, "And how are you today?"
"I want out." Sentaro said.
"Well we can't allow that until you're well."
"I am well."
"Oh?" The Doctor said, "Then your mother isn't a goddess?"
Sentaro shifted slight. The Doctor noticed.
"I see." He said sadly, "It is obvious that we still have much to work on. We should probably increase your medications."
"What?" Sentaro shouted, "I don't need to be medicated!"
"And still very excitable." The Doctor murmured, writing notes in a file. He then looked at the orderlies, "Make sure he is given a sedative."
"Yes Doctor."
"I said I don't need a sedative!" Sentaro shouted as the orderlies lifted him from the chair. "I don't need medication! I'm perfectly fine!"
The Doctor only shook his head sadly and marked a few more notes into a file.
The orderlies practically dragged Sentaro down the hall. He fought them as best as he could, but the straitjacket defied him the entire time.
"Dammit!" Sentaro shouted, "Someone help! Arael! Where are you! Mom! Kristine! HELP! ANYONE!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yui sat up. Almost immediately she let out a groan of pain.
"The couch is most definitely not the most comfortable thing to sleep on." She grumbled. She started to wonder why she was on it, but then remembered the giggling coming from Sentaro and Arael's room, and had decided to remain as far from there as possible.
The Guardian stood up and walked into the kitchen, looking for breakfast. She frowned slightly, noting that the room appeared untouched. She turned her gaze towards the hall.
"Must still be asleep." She grumbled. She then pulled out some bagels and started to assemble her breakfast. As she worked, the phone rang. After another glance towards the bedrooms, Yui answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"WHERE IS SENTARO!" Celes' voice came through.
"Ow!' Yui held her ear. "I think they're still asleep. Geez Celes……"
"He's two hours late!"
"What!" Yui shouted. She looked at a clock and her jaw dropped when she saw what time it was. "But it can't be this late! Arael would have woken up by now! Hold on."
Yui dropped the phone and raced to the bedroom door. She pounded on it and waited. Getting no reply, she opened the door. The bed was unmade and rumbled, but of its owners, there was no sign. A sense of dread began to form in Yui's stomach. She glanced at the dresser, and that feeling intensified. Sitting on it's top was Arael's communicator, and Sentaro's wallet, keys and cell phone, items their owners would never leave behind. Yui quickly flew back to the phone.
"They aren't here." She said quickly.
"What!" Celes replied, "What do you mean?"
"They aren't here." Yui repeated, "And they left their stuff behind."
"They never do that."
"I know."
Celes was silent for a minute.
"Alright." Celes said, "I'll have the Imperial Guard do a search for them. Contact your boss, see if she knows where they are."
"Right." Yui said. She hung up and quickly ran to the living room. On the end table sat her own communicator. She opened it and quickly typed in a command. A second later, a voice came over the device.
"Calling to apologize?" came Belldandy's voice.
"Sorta." Yui replied, "But we have a problem. Sentaro and Arael seem to have vanished."
"They've 'vanished' before." Belldandy replied, "They probably just want time to themselves."
"Arael left her communicator." Yui said, "Sentaro left his stuff too."
"Arael never leaves that behind, no matter what." Belldandy murmured.
"Exactly." Yui replied, "Celes has her Marionettes searching the city, but I doubt they're here. I think someone got to them."
"You think Loki had something to do with it?"
"Don't you?"
Again silence.
"Loki has Sayoko and Mana after him." Belldandy stated, "Arael wants his head as well. I seriously doubt that he would go after her or Sentaro." Another pause while the elder Goddess took a moment to think. "I'll contact a few friends up here and Mist, get them checking out things. You go to Celes and let me know what happens down there, wither they find anything or not."
"Yes Ma'am." Yui replied as Belldandy broke the connection. Yui closed her communicator and stared at it a moment.
"Where the hell are you two?" she asked out loud.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sentaro lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling. The room seemed to be moving around him, but then that could also have been the influence of the drugs. He didn't catch the names of them, but whatever they were, they definitely mellowed a person out.
Now if they could only do something for the hallucinations.
"I am hardly a hallucination." A purple haired Megami replied, holding playing cards.
"Neither am I." Natsuki, a cat girl, added. She glanced at the blond girl with the strange meatball hairdo beside her. "Got any threes?"
"Go fish." Usagi replied.
Help me………..
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morgan Le Fay appeared beside the Judgment Gate.
She paused for a moment to look around at the landscape, unchanged for thousands of years.
She wasn't sure why she'd come back here. It was an extreme long shot that Sentaro and Arael would even come here. Nobody in their right mind would. Belldandy refused to discuss this place anymore. The last time she had spoken of the Gate, had been to her Grandchildren. But that had been some years ago.
Morgan glanced at the Gate itself.
She hated it.
To her, it was a symbol that she had been weak. She had had doubt about the love of her life, a mortal. And because of that doubt, she'd lost him forever. She'd hoped no one would ever experience that again.
Then movement from the other side of the gate caught her eye. Frowning, she walked around the Gate towards the movement.
The sight that met her eyes froze her in place.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yui appeared in Heaven in the garden beside Yggdrasil. She was moving even before she had fully appeared. In a swirl of her robes she stormed through the entry hall and swept up the stairs and down the hallways. She only stopped when she reached the Medical Wing. Outside, Dawn, Skuld, Rei, Morgan, Cayla, and Urd waited.
"What happened?" Yui asked, "Did they find them?"
"I found Arael." Morgan said softly.
"Really?" Yui asked, "Where? Why wasn't Sentaro with her? Did she say?"
"Yui." Rei said softly.
"What?"
"I found her at the Judgment Gate." Morgan said.
Yui paled. She knew what that was.
"Does that mean……..?" Yui began.
"We don't know." Skuld replied, "She's unconscious. Your mother, father, and Onee-sama are in there with her." Skuld glanced at Rei for a second, then back to Yui. "You're to go in."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ward was silent except for the quiet conversation going on between Belldandy and the Healers. Yui glanced over to see her father sitting in a chair against the wall, looking at a bed. Her mother was kneeling beside that bed, holding the hand of a pale and frail looking Arael.
Nodding to her father, Yui moved to kneel beside her mother and placed her hand over Arael's. She then stared into the face of her best friend.
"What happened to her?" she asked softly.
"We don't know." Asuka replied, her voice just as soft. "Morgan found her laying next to the Gate, still in her night clothes."
Yui gently moved a stray piece of hair out of Arael's face.
"And Sentaro?"
"No sign of him. Peorth is using Yggdrasil to find him." Asuka glanced at Yui. "But if they did go through the gate………and failed"
Yui simply stared at Arael's face.
"It would destroy her." she said, her voice wavering, "She'd never get over losing him."
Yui felt a hand on her shoulder. She glanced back to see Belldandy behind her. Belldandy walked back away from the bed. Yui and her mother followed.
"She's in a coma." Belldandy said when they were far enough away. "The Healers can't find a medical reason for it, nor can they bring her out of it." The elder goddess glanced at the Angel. "They believe, she herself is the cause."
Yui closed her eyes.
"They did go through the Gate." She stated.
"We think so." Belldandy replied with a nod, "But we aren't sure."
"How can we find out?" Asuka asked.
"We either find Sentaro and he tells us." Belldandy said, "Or we find out from Arael."
"But you said yourself, she's in a coma with no sign of waking." Asuka pointed out. "How will she tell us?"
"Well……"
"You're going into her mind."
Asuka and Belldandy looked at Yui. The Guardian had a look of shock on her face.
"Yes." Belldandy stated.
"But it's dangerous!" Yui shouted, "I know it would help her, but if you…."
"I know the risks." Belldandy said softly, "I have done this before. But if we are to have any chance of finding Sentaro, I must do this."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Any Queens?"
"Go fish."
Sentaro was really losing it.
The game of 'Fish' had gotten bigger. Now joining Megami, Natsuki and Usagi was another blond named Minako, a vampire named Selene, and a wizard named Gandalf.
'I really have to stop reading from Mana's book collection." Sentaro thought as he closed his eyes.
"Hey! No falling asleep over there!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Belldandy sat at the side of Arael's bed, staring at the Angel intensely. She'd only been in the mind of Arael once, during her attack in Tokyo-3 so long ago. After that, the only knowledge of what went on inside Arael's head (besides talking to her and asking) was from Rei, Sentaro, and to a point, Sayoko. All told of a lake of LCL, flat and calm, upon which stood Arael in her mind's eye.
Of course the last time someone had been in Arael's head was years ago. Much had changed since then.
The elder Goddess glanced at the others in the room from the corner of her eye. Of course the healers were there, they always were. They hovered about nervously, not knowing the outcome of what she was about to attempt. Shinji, Asuka, and Yui waited as well. They had essentially become the family that Arael had never truly had. Asuka, surprisingly, treated Arael as a daughter, looking out for her, despite the Angel's vast age over her. Shinji had also taken a fatherly approach to Arael, teaching her to cook of all things. Yui, to Yui Arael was for all purposes her sister.
Belldandy looked back at Arael. Her own feelings regarding Arael were mixed, but she never let them show. In a far back corner of her mind, Arael would always be the one that hurt her daughter. But she had become so much more now. As the Goddess of the Present, Belldandy was able to see a bit into possible futures, but not too far. Much further required Skuld. In one future, she saw Arael in a flowing white dress, with Sentaro beside her. The others were not so pleasant.
Belldandy rose to her feet and bent over the form of the Angel, looking straight into her face. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, touched her forehead to Arael's, and concentrated.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Belldandy appeared in the sky over a thunderous sea of LCL. Lightning crashed through the sky and wind whipped around her. Between the whistling of the wind and the roar of the waves, Belldandy could barely hear herself think. She was beginning to wonder where exactly she'd gone wrong. As she did, the howl of the wind began to pick up slightly. Her blood ran cold at the sound. It was like the wind was in pain, crying it's soul out……..
Belldandy's eyes went wide. The howl of the wind wasn't simply the wind. It was Arael! And she was most definitely upset.
"Arael?" Belldandy called out.
The howl of the wind abruptly stopped, though it continued to blow about her, blowing her robes about as well as causing the sea to boil.
"Arael?" The Goddess called out again.
"Go away."
Belldandy whirled about. Arael's voice had been very soft and seemed to have come from everywhere.
"Please come out and talk to me." Belldandy called out.
"Just let me be……" Arael's voice was a bit stronger then before, but it held no anger, only a deep sadness.
Belldandy paused for a moment, trying to determine the best way of getting Arael to appear to her.
"We're worried about you." She called out, "All of us. Yui is waiting beside you. She wants you to wake up."
Silence.
"Please Arael." Belldandy called, "Just talk to me. I want to help you."
"What for?" came the Angel's voice, "It's because of me that Sentaro's gone. Without him….. there is nothing for me."
"But….."
"Leave me….." The winds suddenly built up and tossed Belldandy towards the LCL sea.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With a crash, Belldandy flipped in her chair and landed hard on the floor. Yui, Asuka, Shinji, as well as several of the healers were quickly by her side.
"I'm fine." Belldandy said as she sat up, holding her head. "She just took me by surprise."
"You talked to her?" Yui asked as she stood by the bed, her hand once more on Arael's.
Belldandy nodded.
"Her mind is in a state of chaos." The Goddess said, "I believe she is forcing this coma on herself." She glanced at Arael. "She knows Sentaro is gone and believes it to be her fault."
"Then he's gone." Shinji said softly.
"No." Asuka said, "I don't believe that. She's as much in love with Sentaro as he is with her. Deep down, she knows he loves her. It's Misato's stupid comments that are affecting her."
"I agree." Belldandy replied, "Her mind was highly agitated even before being sent to the Gate. Her experience since……" Belldandy sighed. "I must go in again. I need to see what she saw."
"Why you?" Shinji asked softly.
"Because I know." The Goddess stated, "I've been through the Gate, and if anyone will understand, I do."
Asuka looked up and asked the one question that everyone had on their mind.
"And if Sentaro is truly gone."
Belldandy remained silent for several long minutes.
"If he is gone," she said finally, "we help her the best we can." She looked back at the others. "Before we ourselves grieve."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"ENOUGH!" Sentaro shouted, "LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"Awww but we're having fun!" the purple haired Megami replied.
"Maybe we should deal him in." Natsuki said.
Sentaro began to pound his head against the wall.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once again Belldandy found herself floating above a raging sea. The wind still howled with Arael's anguished voice, and blew harder then any Hurricane known to man.
"Arael." Belldandy called out softly.
"Why won't you let me be?" Arael's voice came from around her.
"Despite what you may think," Belldandy said, "I do care for you, regardless what you think you may have done."
"WHAT I THINK I DID!"
Arael appeared in a flash before Belldandy. The Goddess' eyes widened at the state of the Angel. Arael's robes were dirty and torn in spots. Her hair was tangled and unkempt. Her eyes, though red to begin with, had seen many more tears then they had ever known previously. She continued to wring her hands as she spoke.
"I know what I did!" Arael shouted, "Because of me, Sentaro is gone forever!"
"I don't believe it for a second." Belldandy replied.
Arael's eyes went wide in shock, before narrowing in anger.
"I KNOW WHAT I SAW!" she shrieked, "I AM NOT LYING!
Belldandy allowed herself a slight smirk.
"Show me." She stated.
In a flash, the LCL sea was gone, replaced by the object that haunted Belldandy's dreams.
The Judgment Gate.
Before it, stood the shadows of Sentaro and Arael, still dressed for bed. Sentaro turned towards Arael.
"I'll be with you on the other side." The shadow said softly, "I promise."
A sniff beside her told Belldandy that the real Arael was with her, watching this moment of her past.
"I'm afraid Sentaro." Belldandy heard both the shadow and real Arael say.
"I am too." Shadow Sentaro replied, "I'm afraid Mom is going to hurt me when she finds out we went through the gate."
Shadow Arael let out laugh before shadow Sentaro kissed her. Belldandy heard the real Arael let off a sob as Shadow Sentaro broke off the kiss.
"That was a down payment." He whispered as he pulled back, "You get the rest on the other side."
Belldandy looked to the real Arael.
"The rest?" she asked at the same time as the shadow Arael.
Shadow Sentaro nodded.
"Everything?" Shadow Arael asked, her eyes beginning to get wider.
"Everything." He stated.
Belldandy raised an eyebrow. She had never expected this. No wonder Arael had been so upset.
"Ready?" Shadow Sentaro asked as he faced the gate.
"Yes." Shadow Arael replied.
Both stepped hand and hand into the gate.
The real Arael turned away as the two shadows entered the Gate. Belldandy watched, her eyes wide as the two shadows walked under the arch of the gate……..
….and entered the paradise she had seen with Keiichi when they had gone through the Gate.
Then the scene hazed slightly, like static on a television. When the scene cleared, Shadow Sentaro was gone, leaving only Shadow Arael. She looked around in shock, calling Sentaro's name several times. She then ran around the Gate, looking desperately for him. Finally, letting out a cry of anguish, the Shadow Arael collapsed in tears, as did the real Arael.
Belldandy quickly knelt beside the real Arael.
"Something is wrong." She said, "That's not how the Gate works."
Arael looked up, tears falling down her cheeks.
"Wha…..what?" she asked.
"Listen." Belldandy said, looking directly into the Angel's face. "I went through the Gate with Keiichi. You know this."
Arael nodded, looking at the Goddess confused.
"That paradise only appears to those who make it through the Gate." Belldandy stated, "When Morgan Le Fay went through the Gate, she lost her love. She saw no paradise."
Arael shook her head, now even more confused.
"But then….what….how….."
Belldandy placed her hands on either side of Arael's face and looked deeply in her eyes.
"I want you to replay this memory again." The Goddess said, "There is something not right here."
Still with a look of confusion, Arael complied. Again, the shadows played out their final moments together. Again, just as the two made it through the Gate, the haze appeared.
"Wait!" Belldandy called out.
The scene froze with the haze still present.
"This shouldn't be here." The Goddess said softly, "Even with Morgan there was no haze. Her love just vanished, leaving only Morgan behind." She glanced at the Angel. "Rewind this slowly."
Arael blinked and complied. The scene slowly began to reverse. Belldandy watched carefully, looking around. The hazed continued to clear. As it did, something appeared that made Belldandy's blood run cold.
"STOP!"
Arael jumped and the scene halted.
"You are sure this is exactly what you saw?" Belldandy asked.
"Yes." The Angel replied.
Belldandy frowned and walked along the platform past the gate, looking up at a point in the sky. It had been from this point that Celestine had shown her the Judgment Gate, and how it worked. A shadow now appeared there, one that must have been just on the edge of Arael's vision. It was the shadow of a person Belldandy knew all too well.
"Saturn." She growled.
Arael's head snapped around towards the direction Belldandy was looking.
"What?" she asked, just before her mind shattered in an explosion of pain.
The memory played again. This time, the haze didn't come. Belldandy and Arael watched as the shadows once more walked through the Gate. This time, both stood together in awe of the paradise before them. Then Saturn appeared behind them, unnoticed. He raised his hand and sent a spell at the two. Sentaro vanished, while a dazed look appeared on Arael's face. Saturn then vanished, leaving behind a frantic Angel, looking for her boyfriend.
Thunder rumbled across the sky. Belldandy turned towards Arael, just as the scene returned to the stormy seas.
The storm had gotten worse.
"That son of a bitch." Arael murmured, her face down turned.
"Arael….." Belldandy began, but broke off when the Angel looked up at her.
Arael's eyes were bright red furnaces. Power was radiating off of her at unbelievable levels.
"That stupid stuck up anal retentive son of a BITCH!" Arael screamed.
Lightning flashed across the sky.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Belldandy leaped back away from the bed as Arael sat up. Everyone else took a step back at the look of pure rage on Arael's face. The glow of her eyes was increasing as her rage increased.
She then vanished in a thunderclap.
"Asuka." Belldandy said, "You, Shinji, and Yui had better get to Saturn's."
"What for?" Asuka asked.
"Because he has Sentaro." Belldandy replied, "And someone needs to get my Grandson before Arael hurts him in her rage at Saturn."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturn glanced at his small monitor, watching as the son of the half-breed ran around the padded room, trying to get out and away from the hallucinations. For years he had been ridiculed. He was seen as the laughing stock of Heaven. The final straw had been when Kami-sama had relieved him as Commander of the Armies of Heaven, in favor of Mist.
No more.
Loki had been right. Heaven must be ruled with an iron fist, and the mortals made to respect the Gods as they had during the height of the Roman Empire. Those who stood in the way of this goal were to be eliminated or nullified.
With her Grandson missing, Belldandy would be frantic in finding him. In fact the entire Norse pantheon of Gods would be in an uproar. Word would get out to the Half-Breed, and that would distract her from the search for Loki.
The bonus was when he found out that the Messenger was catatonic over the loss of the Grandson. With the Messenger disabled, a major threat to Heaven was neutralized. That left only the Guardians.
Given a bit of time, perhaps he would find a way to neutralize them as well.
Any further thoughts were disrupted as the wall to his office imploded with a roar.
Coughing and waving his hand at the dust, Saturn looked up to see a figure standing in the hole.
A figure with glowing red eyes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Asuka, Shinji, and Yui appeared beside Saturn's home, a large temple like structure.
"Why do we always get the fun jobs?" Asuka asked.
"We're rescuing our friend's son." Shinji replied, "What kind of fun were you expecting?"
"You know we don't know exactly where he has Sentaro." Yui said, "It could be fun ripping apart Saturn's home while we search."
A smile appeared on Asuka's face.
"I can't believe you're my daughter." Shinji muttered.
"She sure as hell is mine!" Asuka said with a smile.
A loud explosion broke off Shinji's reply. All three guardian's looked up at Saturn's home. A fireball was rolling up into the sky. It was followed a moment later by another blast, this one caused by a body hurtling through the air, trailing smoke behind it. Guardian's followed the flight of the body.
"Do you think that's……." Shinji began.
Another explosion as a figure blasted their way out of the temple. This one followed the tumbling body in controlled flight.
"Yeah." Yui said, "That was him."
"Thought so." Shinji turned back to the temple home. "Well, let's find Sentaro."
"But I want to help Arael pound Saturn." Asuka complained.
"Sentaro first." Yui said, "Fun later."
"Aww damn." Asuka muttered, "I hope someone records it."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blitz looked up as something crashed through the side of the main entry hall and skidded along the floor. Her eyes widened at the sight of Saturn laying in a pile of debris, struggling to stand up.
"Saturn?" she called out.
Saturn looked up and glared at Blitz. His glare changed into fear as something approached at high speed. The God turned and ran across the entry hall, knocking down those that stood in his way.
Blitz looked confused for a moment, until the approaching object landed, revealing itself to be Arael.
An extremely pissed off Arael.
"Arael?" Blitz called out.
"Blitz." Arael replied with a nod. "Have you seen a Roman Prick go through here?"
Blitz blinked.
"Uhh… A what?"
Arael held up her hands.
"A Roman asshole, face like a pig, crawls on his belly."
Blitz shook her head, still not understanding.
Arael sighed.
"Saturn. Have you seen him?"
Blitz pointed.
"He went that way."
"Thank you." Arael floated up about a foot from the floor and took off after the Roman God.
Blitz watched for a moment, then teleported out of the entry hall, reappearing before Mist's desk. Mist looked up in surprise.
"Blitz? What's going on?"
"Ma'am." Blitz replied, saluting. "You'd have to see it to believe it."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"So Saturn has Sentaro?" Skuld asked.
Belldandy nodded. She, her sisters, and Peorth were standing just a few feet form the SysOp terminal in the control room.
"That's what it looks like." Belldandy said, "Asuka, Shinji, and Yui are looking for him right now."
"What about Arael?" Urd asked.
"Well……"
The doors to the control room burst open as Saturn ran in. He quickly slammed then shut with a loud boom. He stood there a moment, breathing heavily. He then turned and noticed the four goddesses, as well as the rest of the control room staring at him. He sneered back until a loud thud echoed from the door.
Saturn took one look at the door, then ran across the control room and out a side door.
"What is going….?" Peorth began to asked before the first door imploded.
As the smoke cleared, Arael strode into the room, her eyes a warning not to get in her way. The Goddesses stared in awe as the Angel paused for a moment and looked around the room. Her gaze then locked on the side door. Unhurriedly, she walked to the side door and exited.
"Oh wow." Skuld muttered, "She looked pissed." She looked at her older sisters. "What are we going to do?"
Urd walked to the SysOp panel and typed in a few commands. The main screen lit up with two separate images. One was of Saturn running for his life through the building, the other was Arael moving after him. Urd then hit the intercom.
"Anyone who wishes to see Saturn get his ass kicked, please report to the control room."
Several cheers echoed from the hallway and soon many Gods and Goddesses were hurrying into the control room. Skuld shook her head, then started towards the door. Peorth called out to her.
"Where are you going?" she asked, "Don't you want to see this?"
"Of course." Skuld replied, still walking along, "But I want to get popcorn."
"Don't bother." Belldandy said, holding out her hands. A large bowl of popcorn appeared in them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturn paused in a hallway, breathing heavily. He glanced behind him to see if the Angel was there, but there wasn't any sign of her.
'Where did I go wrong?' he thought, 'The Angel was in a coma with no sign of awaking. Now she's no longer awake, but coming after me. Why isn't anyone trying to stop her? Do they know?'
A feeling of imminent danger suddenly hit him. Saturn dove to the side as an orange field sliced through the floor and wall where he had been standing, obscuring the hall in a dust cloud. He dove again as the field shifted around towards him.
This was becoming too close.
Saturn sent off two force bolts, both of which were easily deflected by the AT-Field. He then teleported out of the hallway.
The cloud of dust vanished, revealing Arael. She stared at the floor where Saturn had once been standing.
"Well damn." She muttered.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Shouldn't you be stopping this?" Verdandi asked.
"I should." Kami-sama replied.
"Well why aren't you?"
"Do you want me to?"
"Well…… no."
"Good. Neither do I."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Almost got him." Peorth grumbled.
"Slippery basterd." Urd added.
"He's always been so." Came a new voice.
Those present turned to see Mist, Blitz, and several other Valkyries entering the now crowded control room. Everyone looked at the Valkyries guiltily.
"Look we know there isn't supposed to be this many people in here……" Urd began.
Mist waved her hand.
"Don't sweat it." She said, looking up at the screen. "How's our girl doing?"
"Not bad." Belldandy said, "She nearly had him once. Popcorn?"
"Thank you."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturn stood beside the spire of the Yggdrasil building, looking frantically around. From here, he could see all of Heaven.
But he couldn't see Arael.
He sat back against the spire and let out a long sigh. He hadn't had to work this hard physically in a long time. Most of his work now was with words. Though words hadn't helped him much lately.
Saturn looked up. Something didn't feel right. He held his hand over his eyes and squinted into the distance. Everything still seemed to be normal. He carefully looked around the spire. Still no sign of danger. The feeling of dread was still with him.
He carefully peered over the edge and looked down the side of the building.
All seemed normal there too.
He leaned back against the spire and let out another long sigh.
"Tired?"
"Yeah." Saturn said, his eyes closed.
3
2
1
Saturn's eyes snapped open.
Hanging upside down from the spire itself was Arael. She gave Saturn an evil grin.
"It will all be over soon." She said.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ooooooooo." The audience called out. "Ahhhhhhhh."
"Ouch!" Urd muttered, "Can a body bend that way?"
"His does now." Peorth said.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Oh no."
Verdandi glanced at Kami-sama.
"What is it?"
Kami-sama pointed at the monitor where Arael was setting Saturn up for something.
"What is she doing?" Verdandi asked.
"I believe it's called 'the money shot'"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"And here's the wind up……" Urd called out, "And….. oh that had to hurt."
"OW!" most of the Gods present in the room called out.
A pitiful male wail echoed across the Heavens.
"Nice follow through." Mist commented.
"Very nice." Blitz added.
Peorth looked at the Valkyries curiously.
"You two never had any boyfriends have you?"
"Few men are worth our time." Mist replied.
"Very few." Blitz added. Several other Valkyries nodded their heads in agreement.
"MOVE!" Urd suddenly shouted.
A small area was cleared just as Saturn's battered form crashed through the ceiling, through the cleared area and down through the floor. He was followed a second later by Arael.
Urd peered down into the hole.
"Looks like they've gone to the main floor." She called out.
"They really are wrecking the place aren't they?" Belldandy commented.
"Not like anyone here minds." Peorth said. Many other deities nodded their heads and called out agreement.
A flash of light and a pop announced the appearance of the Ikaris, plus one. Shinji stood alone, while Asuka and Yui were kneeling beside a prone Sentaro.
Belldandy was on her feet in seconds.
"Is he alright?" she asked frantically.
"He's fine." Asuka replied, "For the most part."
"Saturn was holding him in a kind of…..imaginary room." Yui explained, "One that resembled an asylum of earth."
"Oh no…." Belldandy murmured, placing her hand on her grandson's head.
"I've flushed the drugs from his system as best as I can." Asuka said, "But he's still very weak."
Belldandy nodded at Asuka, then looked into Sentaro's face.
"Sentaro." She called out, "Can you hear me?"
Sentaro groaned slightly.
"Sentaro?"
"Too early Mom." Sentaro grumbled, "Lemme sleep a bit more."
Several people chuckled, while Belldandy blushed slightly.
"I'm not your mother Sentaro." She said, "I'm your grandmother!"
Sentaro opened his eyes slowly.
"Grandma?"
"Yes."
"Is it really you?"
"Last time I checked." Belldandy said with a smile.
Sentaro groaned again as he sat up. He looked around.
"Where am I?"
"The Yggdrasil control room."
Sentaro blinked.
"Wha..? Why am I here?"
"Saturn apparently sent you to the Judgment Gate." Belldandy said softly, "When you and Arael made it through, he attacked you."
"Arael!" Sentaro shouted, trying to stand, "What happened to……"
"She's alright." Belldandy said, holding Sentaro down. "She'll be even better when she sees you."
"Where is she?"
Everyone turned towards the main screen. Sentaro followed their eyes and stared at the screen.
"Oh." He said.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturn limped down a hallway, still trying desperately to get away from the Angel. He couldn't stop, she could clearly be heard behind him. He picked up his pace, pushing Gods and Goddesses alike out of his way. He stumbled over a Goddess that failed to get out of his way in time.
That stumble cost him.
Regaining his footing, he only took 2 steps before slamming face first into an orange hexagonal shield. He tried to turn around, but found a second hexagonal shield behind him. The two shields moved close towards each other, trapping Saturn between them. The God's eyes widened as Arael walked right up to him and stared him right in the face.
"Play time is over." She whispered, her eyes glowing brightly.
"Please…" Saturn begged, "Mercy…."
"Mercy?" Arael asked, her eyes narrowing, "Why should I? You've shown nothing but contempt and disdain for me, and my family. You have harassed my friends for years. I could forgive that." Her eyes narrowed even further and took on an even brighter glow. "You abducted Sentaro. Tortured him. For that, you shall die."
Saturn let out a gasp as the AT-Fields began to move together, slowly crushing him between them.
"How does it feel?" Arael asked softly, "How does it feel to know your life can end with just a twitch of my hand?"
Saturn could only let out a whimper of pain.
"ARAEL!"
Arael didn't even turn around at the sound of Belldandy's voice.
"Stand clear Belldandy." Arael said, her eyes remaining on Saturn's pain contorted face. "I wouldn't want you to get any Saturn on you."
"Arael stop this!" Yui's voice called out.
"He's gone too far this time." Arael replied.
Then a hand gently grabbed hers and an arm went around her waist.
"If you do this," another voice said, "Will you be able to live with yourself?"
Arael snapped her head to the side. Sentaro's haggard face met hers.
"Sentaro?" she said softly, her voice choking up, "Is it….. are you…?"
"I'm fine." Sentaro replied. He leaned his face closer to hers and touched her forehead with his. "Let him go. Don't become him."
Arael's lips began to quiver and the glow in her eyes faded slightly. With a sob, she collapsed into Sentaro's arms. Sentaro, having used most of his strength to just stand beside her, fell backwards to the floor. His landing was softened by Yui and her powers. Sentaro lay on his back, holding a sobbing Arael in his arms.
Belldandy watched as Sentaro and Arael had collapsed to the floor, then smiled as Yui was able to soften their landing before she could. A thump alerted her to Saturn being released from Arael's AT-Field. The Elder Goddess moved to stand over the Roman god. Saturn slowly rose to his feet and glared at Belldandy.
"Nothing to say?" he snarled, "It's just been proven how dangerous that creature is! She should be destroyed! So long as she……"
Belldandy pulled back her fist and released, smashing Saturn in the face. Saturn hurtled back a few feet, knocked out cold. Yui let out a low whistle while wild cheers could be heard echoing all over the building. Asuka nodded her approval.
"Nice punch." She commented.
Belldandy smiled slightly while holding her hand.
"Thank you, but I think I broke something."
"We'll work on that." Asuka said. She glanced back at Sentaro, now sitting on the floor with a still sobbing Arael. "What about them?"
"I believe the Healers will want them to stay for a few days." Belldandy replied.
"And after?"
"Let's cross that path when we reach it."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I still hear your
voice, when you sleep next to me.
I still feel your touch in my
dreams.
Forgive me my weakness, but I don't know why.
Without
you it's hard to survive.
'Cause everytime we touch, I get
this feeling.
And everytime we kiss I swear I could fly.
Can't
you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last.
Need you by my
side.
'Cause everytime we touch, I feel this static.
And
everytime we kiss, I reach for the sky.
Can't you hear my heart
beat so...
I can't let you go.
Want you in my life.
Your
arms are my castle, your heart is my sky.
They wipe away tears
that I cry.
The good and the bad times, we've been through them
all.
You make me rise when I fall.
'Cause everytime we
touch, I get this feeling.
And everytime we kiss I swear I could
fly.
Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last.
Need
you by my side.
'Cause everytime we touch, I feel this static.
And
everytime we kiss, I reach for the sky.
Can't you hear my heart
beat so...
I can't let you go.
Want you in my life.
'Cause
everytime we touch, I get this feeling.
And everytime we kiss I
swear I could fly.
Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this
to last.
Need you by my side.
Everytime We Touch - Cascada
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sentaro and Arael remained in the medical ward for five days. The Healers had tried to keep them separate at first. Arael absolutely refused to remain in her bed. Every morning, to the Healers' frustration, she had been found curled up beside Sentaro in his bed. Belldandy finally convinced them to let Arael do as she wants. The Angel was still quite emotional about almost losing her boyfriend.
Arael was also refusing to talk about what had happened after her coma. Most of Heaven was still talking about what she had done to Saturn. The God remained in Valkyrie custody, locked in the same cell that had held Celestine so many years ago. Not even Belldandy could get her to break her silence.
After five days, the two returned to Terra 2.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturn stood alone in a circle of light before the council. From where he stood, he could just barely make out the faces of the Gods and Goddesses.
"Saturn." Kami-sama said, his voice booming, "You have done a grievous deed. You kidnapped a mortal, violated his mind and body. You have also violated the mind of a deity……"
"That Angel is no deity!" Saturn retorted, "She will never be!"
"She acts more like one then you do." Anubis snapped back.
"You have caused this council much grief over the years." Athena said, "I for one will take much pleasure in watching your sentence carried out."
"It is the determination of this Council," Kami-sama said gravely, "That your mind be placed within a class 4 in-animate object. There you will spend the rest of eternity, buried in the Lunar Prison."
Saturn glared at Kami-sama and the rest of the council, before his eyes stopped on Belldandy. She had remained silent throughout the proceedings against him.
"What?" he asked, "Nothing to say to me? I am the one that has caused your family the most distress over the years."
"Yes, you have." Belldandy said softly, "Nothing I can say will take any of that away."
Saturn smirked.
"This next item though, will ease my mind." Belldandy said as she leaned back in her chair.
Saturn frowned.
"Before you go," Kami-sama stated, "We have something for you to think about as you begin your time as an inanimate form."
"We of course must have a complete council." Anubis said.
"Thus," Kami-sama said, indicating Saturn's former chair.
A light came on above the chair, revealing a dark brown haired woman with cold grey eyes. She hazed every few seconds, showing that she was present only as a hologram.
"My I present Council Member Sayoko Aida, Goddess Class 0, Unlimited." Kami-sama said, "Currently on assignment tracking down Loki."
