I do not own the Ah! Megami sama / Oh! My Goddess series
Keiichi smiled as he drove through the familiar mountain pass that led to their home. It's actually been a short amount of time since he and Belldandy had gone to Hawaii for their honeymoon, but, it felt so long ago for him.
Sitting right behind him, the brunette goddess was also enjoying the scenic route as they got a beautiful view of Nekomi, as well as the mountains that surrounded the city from one side and the sea from the other. Securely stashed in the sidecar were Keiichi's bags and even the gifts that they've bought for her sisters. The original idea was to send them directly at the temple, but, knowing Urd and Skuld, Belldandy doubted that they would keep their hands off them.
The middle Norn wanted the gifts to be a genuine surprise, and she eventually decided to leave them on Keiichi's BMW, instead of bringing them straight to the temple. That happened several hours ago, before they had to check out of the hotel and head to the airport for their flight back to Japan.
Thankfully this time, Keiichi had been a lot more comfortable and got plenty of sleep, which allowed him to drive as soon as they arrived back on land.
'Perhaps he's eager to see the others, as much as I do. That hotel had been truly nice, but I've missed everyone...'
"Hey Belldandy... Do you think that there's even a temple left standing up there?"
Realizing that her husband had been probably joking, the goddess of the present giggled, before she moved her head a bit closer to his, in order to give him an answer oven the sound of the bike's engine. "I think so. Although I cannot guarantee that it hadn't been reduced to rubble a few times already."
"I know, right?..." Laughing together with his wife was a nice experience for Keiichi. Just a few days ago, the couple would've never interacted in such a manner. They were close indeed, but at the same time there was always something that kept them apart, and it wasn't Skuld, no matter how much she would've wanted that. At least, that obstacle was apparently out of the way now, given that they could not only share moments like this, but also hold hands and even... kiss on certain occasions.
"Uh... Keiichi?" asked Belldandy in a rather uncertain voice.
"Yes? Is there something wrong?" asked the somewhat distracted mortal.
"We just passed the temple..." replied the goddess, causing her husband to hit the brakes a bit harder than necessary, bringing the BMW to an abrupt halt.
"Oops... Sorry about that." Laughing a bit nervously, the young mechanic turned the bike around and tried to keep his daydreams for a later point of time, and preferably not while he was driving.
XXX
"What have I gotten myself into?"
Looking over her book, the Valkyrie saw the pouting goddess of the roses, while she struggled to come up with some ideas. Not only she had to pull an all-nighter to read most of the book that Frigg gave to her, but, she even had to write a thesis about it.
"You should've watched what you've said in front of her, Peorth." Shaking her head, Lind went back into her own book, which she actually found to be thoroughly enjoyable. "As a matter of fact, I don't see what's the problem, anyway. It's not like we've got anything better to do."
"Speak for yourself. I wanted to see some TV..." said the brunette with a pout, trying to forget the writer's block that was plaguing her.
"In all honesty, I can't understand what you and the others find in those shows. I tried to watch some of them yesterday and I couldn't bear the horrific style of storytelling, or the obnoxiously cheesy lines. They've even ruined the best scene in one movie with a sub par execution of what should've been there in the first place."
Peorth scratched her chin, as she considered her friend's words. "I'm fully aware that some of the shows are not particularly good. They often prolong a storyline way beyond of what sounds to be reasonable, and the drama is sometimes a bit too forced. Especially when it comes to things like cheating and other affairs that literally come out of nowhere, just to make things a bit more interesting, without providing a proper justification."
The Valkyrie however, had probably missed to notice the last part and simply went on with her own rant. "A rocket propelled grenade is a weapon that's used by mortals to penetrate armored vehicles, or other of reinforced structures. It's explosion is directional, as a copper cone is instantly liquified and turned inside out, causing a stream of molten metal to shoot from the front of the projectile, allowing it to better penetrate armor... Wait... Cheating?"
"Um... Just what kind of show are you talking about?" asked Peorth, as she realized that they both had something totally different in mind.
"An action movie. And they ruined the best scene with turning an RPG's explosion into a big gasoline fireball... I know that it's only meant for entrainment purposes and it's not a faithful representation of reality, but they could've at least tried." replied Lind. "I suppose that you were talking about your soap operas?"
"Yes. But I guess that it's the same case, nevertheless. Not everything you're going to see on TV is stellar, and that's why you have to search for something that's gonna meet your expectations. After all, you only tried it once and that's hardly enough to make a final decision on whether it's a total waste of time or not," explained Peorth.
"I see... Very well, then. I'll have to try again and see if I can find a show that might capture my attention," said Lind, before she was interrupted by the sound of a bike approaching the temple grounds. "Hm? Is that?..."
"Most likely," answered Peorth, with a smile. "I can't wait to talk with Belldandy!"
Offering a nod, the Valkyrie started to get up, in order to greet her two friends that returned from their honeymoon. However, before she or Peorth had the chance to get out of the living room, they could clearly hear Keiichi's startled yelp.
"I think he found about her," said Peorth with a chuckle.
"That seems to be the case... Maybe wee should wait for a while."
XXX
"Uh... Who might you be?..."
Staring at the unfamiliar brunette that decided to welcome him, Keiichi had the feeling that yet another goddess had found her way in his household. His only hope was that this wasn't going to be a repetition of Peorth's first visit.
The answer to his question came from a different source, once his wife approached them, carrying the last few bags that her husband couldn't carry on his own.
"Grandmother!"
"Why, hello there, Belldandy-chan! It's been a while already!" said Frigg with a wide smile, walking towards her still shocked granddaughter with her arms extended for a hug.
"I wasn't told that you were here on Midgard!" said the goddess of the present, returning the gesture and wrapping her arms around her elder relative.
"Huh? Grandmother?" Keiichi blinked several times, his mind still trying to understand how such a thing was possible for someone that appeared to be so young. Of course, he was fully aware that she was an immortal, but, his own brain was still hardwired to associate that word with old people and as such, he was at loss for words.
"Indeed. My apologies for not properly introducing myself to you. I'm goddess first class, second category, unlimited license, Frigg," said the elder celestial with a polite bow. "And as you've already heard, your wife's grandmother. Which is also true for her sisters as well, in case you're wondering."
"I-I'm pleased to meet you," said the nervous mechanic, who tried to forget about his own preconceptions about certain words and people's appearance. "I'm Morisato Keiichi..."
"I know, dear. You're the young mortal who managed to get a goddess for a wife. That's no small feat, especially considering the fact that you two had to pass the Judgement Gate," said Frigg. "You seem to be dumbfounded, though..."
Trying to spare her husband from a possibly embarrassing topic, Belldandy decided to interrupt them. "I must admit that I'm a bit surprised as well. Is everything alright?"
Frigg frowned a bit, shaking her head. "Belldandy... There's no need for something to go wrong, in order to visit my granddaughters..."
"I'm sorry grandmother... It's just that I haven't seen you taking some time off before. I didn't mean anything..." started Belldandy, before she was interrupted by Frigg.
"Please, don't worry too much about it! Come inside and we can talk about your trip!" Stepping aside, the elder goddess allowed the couple to enter their home.
"Welcome back." Approaching them together with Peorth, Lind offered her friends a smile , before the rose goddess decided to interrupt her.
"Indeed! I want to hear everything about your trip as well!" Of course, Peorth's grin hinted to topics that Keiichi clearly didn't want to touch, and after a few seconds of deliberation, the mortal decided to use whatever excuse he could find to avoid it.
"I-I... I hadn't bought the Christmas presents, yet!" said Keiichi as he rushed towards the parked BMW, leaving his wife wondering what had gotten into him.
'Oh! He must've wanted to buy something for others as well! He's such a sweetheart!' Content with her reasoning, the goddess of the present went inside, accompanied by Lind.
The other two goddesses present simply shook their heads sadly.
"He run away," said Peorth, with a sigh.
"I suppose that we'll have to catch up after he returns..." added Frigg, before they went inside, as well.
XXX
'Why do I get myself in those kind of situations all the time?...'
Lowering his head in frustration, Keiichi had already regretted his decision. While it was true that he wasn't looking forward to share any spicy details about his honeymoon with others, he had to admit that he overacted a bit. Worse, he promised them presents, and it would've been extremely bad to return back empty handed.
'What am I even supposed to get them? Well, I guess that I can skip Urd and Skuld, since I've already got something for them. Hm... In that case, there are three... no!... four more goddesses... And what about Belldandy? I mean... she's my wife! I can't just buy gifts for everyone else and leave her like that...'
Before he went any further with his thoughts, he reached for his wallet and checked inside. It wasn't as bad as he was used to. Actually, he could afford five more presents, although, he couldn't spend too much on something extremely fancy.
'Now... Peorth obviously likes roses, but, I can't just go and buy her that. It could look wrong. Perhaps a perfume would be a much safer choice. Lind might like something a bit more practical, and she's a warrior... Hm... I remember Tamiya and Otaki using those three in one utensil tools, back when I lived in the dorm. Yes, a spoon, fork and knife combo, and you could even pull them apart, too. I think it was called a Hobo knife, unless I'm mistaken. I guess that could work for her. '
Smiling, Keiichi felt that those two weren't going to be difficult to find. However, the remaining three weren't that easy.
'I know very little about Laguz, and next to nothing about Frigg. The Goddess of the Lake liked music, but... It's probably be better to avoid reminding her of the past... Unless it's something that doesn't look like anything that she may had seen back then. A Walkman? That... might be the closest thing, actually. Now, for Frigg I could get a nice porcelain teacup? I guess that if she's anything like Belldandy, then it could be sufficient...'
The last gift was going to be the trickiest of them all. He honestly had no idea what to get for his wife. Of course, she would be happy with anything, but he felt that for their first Christmas as a couple he should try to find something special for her. It wasn't the material value or even the appearance of the item that mattered to his goddess, but the gesture and the effort he put behind it.
In a strange sort of way, this actually made things more difficult for him, as he had no starting point for his search. Feeling frustrated, he suddenly got an idea on how to resolve the problem; ask Urd. She appeared to know Belldandy more than anyone else, and perhaps she could provide him with a way out of his current problem.
'Come to think about it, she should be working at Whirlwind, right now. It's only a few minutes drive from here, and I can pick most of the other presents on the way there.'
Content with his plan, he turned his bike's engine once again and headed for his destination.
XXX
Urd smiled as she put the bills in the cashier, giving the young man the receipt, as well as his brand new helmet. "Thank you so much for your patronage! Come back anytime!"
"O-Of course!..." Laughing a bit, the blushing customer tried to reach out for the shopping bag, despite his reluctance. Like a few others, he was probably hoping to have some small talk with the attractive employee. After all, it took him more than fifteen minutes to pick a helmet that he liked, and Urd was fairly certain that the specifications or the designs weren't the actual issue.
"Thank you again for choosing Whirlwind!" The half goddess watched the somewhat disappointed man walk towards the exit, knowing all too well that it had nothing to do with the products or her services.
After the reopening event, there were rumors about Whirlwind's new employees and that naturally lead to some extra attention. Unfortunately, a lot of them were just there for browsing, which sounded like a very bad excuse for her, given that they sometimes didn't even know what they were looking for.
'Oh well... At least a few of them actually purchased something... As fun as it seems to talk to them, I have no intention to let them bother me every day. Or worse... Start asking where I live and all that... What a pain...'
The situation made her recall yesterday's events, when she and Mara decided to go have a drink just for fun.
XXX
Nekomi downtown, yesterday
Located near a nondescript alley, was a small bar that appeared to have seen better days. Although it was relatively close to Nekomi's busiest streets, there seemed to be very little activity in this part of the town. Without shops or other attractions to grab people's interest, this was primarily a residential area, with several blocks of flats taking most of the space here.
It wasn't the trendiest of places by far, although, the half goddess wasn't looking for something like that in the first place. Just a quiet, clean and relatively inexpensive bar where she could get a few drinks without anyone annoying her. With Nekomi being a collage city, there was an abundance of young men who thought that everything they saw on TV was real, and you could get a date in just a couple of minutes.
Waiting outside for the blonde demoness to show up, she wondered about the sinister air in the atmosphere. Normally, the closer they got to a holidays season, the collective positive emotions from the mortals around the city should be strong enough for any celestial to pick, even from a distance.
Only demons could generate that amount of blood lust, but, even with Mara and her mother taken into account, it wouldn't justify the sheer amount of it. Of course, it was mostly masked by the residual energy that she and her sisters left in the city, making her the only one sensitive enough to notice it at this point of time.
'Come to think about it... What's up with Mara's assignment? It could be one of mother's tricks, but... Maybe she doesn't want her to be around while she's doing something? Or I'm just getting paranoid? It could be some leftovers from all those random wishes that, Hagall's agents granted a few days ago... While everything was reversed back to the way it used to be, there could be some remnants...'
"Hey, Urd!"
Pushing her thoughts aside, the goddess turned to face the demoness who approached her, dressed in a red sleeveless dress.
"Mara! I see that you're trying to to get used to the Santa suit!" said the Norn of the past with a bright smile.
"Bite me! You know all too well that this isn't that darn costume..." said the blonde with a roll of her eyes. "I don't remember Chihiro giving me a leather outfit anyway."
"Oh? I was merely talking about the color!" said Urd as innocently as she could probably muster. Which didn't seem to do anything to help her convince the demoness at all.
"I always wore red... Just like you prefer purple most of the times," said Mara, pointing at the goddess' strapless dress. "But I'm here for a drink, not a lesson in fashion."
"Of course!" said Urd enthusiastically. "Let's get inside already!"
As the two immortals walked into the bar, a hooded figure emerged from the shadows, staring at the unimpressive establishment, behind his own visor. Pressing a button at the side of it, he took a small memory chip out of the device and stashed it securely in his black robes that blended almost perfectly in the darkness that surrounded him. The only hint of color was his clothes' red trimming and the Ratatoskr insignia, which gave the figure a much more sinister appearance that it would've otherwise been possible. Without making any sound, the demon turned around and vanished in a mist.
Inside, the blissfully unaware immortals approached the counter, ordering a daiquiri for each one of them, as they sat on the stools.
"So... Tomorrow you'll be free once again..." said Mara, eying at her drinking companion.
"The day after tomorrow," corrected Urd with a shake of her head. "I doubt that Chihiro will be so mean to get Keiichi and Belldandy back to work the moment they set foot on Nekomi..."
"Dunno... She's good enough to be a demoness, if you ask me," said the blonde with a chuckle.
Smiling, the half goddess took a sip of her own cocktail, before she gave her fried a pat on the shoulder. "That's great news! You can use your new job as an opportunity to learn a few things under her!"
Smirking a bit, the demoness enjoyed her own drink for a moment, before she narrowed her eyes at the goddess' words, first in confusion and then in indignation. "Hey! I'm not that bad! You're way worse!"
"Oh really? Name one thing that you can do, while I can't..." countered Urd, challenging her friend.
Spending a few seconds in deep thought, the demoness glanced back at Urd with a sly grin. "I got a first class license."
"That doesn't count, as those type of licenses are not directly comparable," said Urd with a raised eyebrow. "Could you live without lying anymore?"
"No way in Hell," replied the blonde with a snort. "That's why being a goddess sucks..."
Not wanting to get into an argument like that, Urd opted to take the fight back to her. "Says the person who lives in an abandoned arcade and hadn't succeeded even once since she set foot in Nekomi."
"Hey! You can't blame me for that! I'm severely outnumbered in this place! Besides, I have little access to good materials in this dump!" objected the blonde demoness.
"Outnumbered? With my mother as a backup?" asked Urd, as she took a sip of her drink. "I wonder what she would think of that. Maybe I should tell her what you've just said..."
Mara blinked for a moment, realizing that the half goddess had actually called Hild by their relation and not name. However, as her mind processed that last bit, she visibly paled. "You wouldn't dare! Backstabber! Snitch!"
Chuckling to herself, Urd couldn't help but tease the blonde a bit more. "Who knows? I might forget about the whole thing, if I get something nice..."
"That's extortion!... Fine... Have it your way..." grumbled Mara, turning to the barkeep. "Two Black Velvets!"
"Hm... Something that's half dark and half light..." said Urd in a low tone. "I like it. Fells kind of appropriate."
"Hah! I thought you would!" Happy that her friend had approved of her choice, Mara decided to choose a less sensitive topic. If all they talked about was work, then they would inevitably end up in a real argument. "So, what are going to do now? With those two married, I suppose that playing the matchmaker is not going to work any longer."
"Honestly? I don't think that I've actually tried to get them closer than it was absolutely necessary. It might be true that my earlier attempts were a bit rushed, but, I've felt that I didn't had enough time," said Urd with a sigh.
"Because of the Judgement Gate?" asked Mara with a bit of curiosity. She wasn't really that concerned about Morisato and Belldandy's relationship, but at the same time, she wanted to learn about her friends' involvement in this.
"No, I had to prevent them from getting into a purely platonic relationship. I wouldn't have minded if that was their actual desire, but, if it was the result of Keiichi's libido limiter... Well...That was a whole different matter," said Urd with a frown. "So, I shamelessly tried to crash that damn program. After all, the Ultimate Force server went down pretty easily and we eventually had to exclude him from that system, just to avoid further issues. I was close... Although, Belldandy disagreed with my methods..."
Rolling her eyes, the blonde demoness shook her head. "Can't say that I'm shocked about that. I mean... What were you expecting anyway?"
"I..." As much as she hated to admit it, Mara was right and she knew it. Still, Urd refused to offer her friend the pleasure of winning one of their arguments. "I expected her to have a more... open mind in... What are you laughing about?"
"You! That's got to be the worst excuse that I've ever heard!" said Mara, with a chuckle.
Pouting a bit, Urd decided to take a few sips from her new drink, and avoid going any further. At least not with that particular subject. Trying to come up with a better one, she hadn't noticed a man in a fancy suit that sat next to her, on the opposite side of her demoness friend.
Ordering a drink for himself and putting his best smile on, he waited for a moment, before he addressed the half goddess. "Hello beautiful."
Turning to her left, Urd found a ridiculously dressed individual with a toothy grin that reminded her those toothpaste advertisements. It was evident that he was trying a bit too hard, given that his outfit was a bit too formal for a place like this. Most likely he was simply attempting to show off, although, she doubted that he even knew how to do that properly. Or even who he was dealing with.
She may had a lot of pride for being a goddess, but, on certain occasions she didn't mind to mess around with others a bit. Particularly when they needed to learn not to interrupt her while she was having fun with a friend. So, instead of answering him, she turned to her right and tapped Mara's shoulder in an attempt to get her attention.
"Hey, someone wants to talk to you..."
Looking up from her drink, the blonde demoness blinked. She had actually heard him, but in her mind, it was obvious that he was talking to Urd, especially considering that he was sitting right next to her. "Huh?"
And Mara wasn't the only one that got confused by the half goddess' reaction. "Um... Miss?... I was talking to you..."
Turning back to him, Urd raised an eyebrow. "But you said beautiful and... Hold on a second! Are you implying that my friend is unattractive?"
Panicking, the man started to visibly sweat as he tried to recover from this situation. "No! She looks perfectly fine!"
Scratching her head, Urd stared back at Mara, before she gave her a wink. Getting the message, the blonde smirked, giving the poor guy a cold stare. "Perfectly fine, huh? So, you first hit on my friend and now you're checking on me, too? Cheeky aren't we?"
"Yeah... He didn't even try to offer us a drink," noted Urd, taking another sip from her glass.
"Or hide his wedding ring, either," said Mara with a laugh. "What? Did you thought that we wouldn't notice?"
"I... I..." Lowering his head, the man decided that this could get a lot more embarrassing, as the few of the other patrons started to get interested by the commotion. Not wanting to get caught doing this, he quickly left some bills on the counter for his drink and then headed for the door.
"How annoying..." said Mara. "At the very least, college boys put some actual effort."
"That's true." said Urd with a tired "Not that I'm complaining, though. It's better to give the cold shoulder to someone like him."
"Oh? I don't see any problems no matter who I turn down..." said the blonde with a shrug.
"You're a demoness... That helps," countered Urd. "Spreading unhappiness and making others miserable."
"Thanks, Urd! I'm doing my best!" said Mara with a smile, not realizing that the goddess wasn't actually praising her. "But, that's actually very nice of you!"
Shaking her head, Urd decided not to correct her and turned to the barkeep. "You've got anything stronger?"
"A vodka martini?" replied the aging bartender.
"Make them two," said Urd with a smile.
XXX
Whirlwind, present time
'Well... except for that little incident, the rest of the night was kind of nice...' thought the goddess with a smile. Of course, she did had to pay for five rounds of drinks before, Mara went back to that abandoned arcade, but, it was worth it. With all the random things that happened during the last few days, having a couple of drinks with an old friend was a welcome surprise.
"Mara?! What are you doing here?!"
Urd was brought back from her thoughts, when a startled, yet familiar voice was heard from outside. 'This is going to be interesting...'
Opening the shop's door, the Norn of the past was greeted with a rather hilarious sight. The blonde demoness was scowling at Keiichi, who just couldn't comprehend what she was doing behind a booth placed next to Whirlwind's entrance. The fact that she was also dressed in a sexy Santa suit didn't provide any helpful hints as to what she was trying to achieve here.
"What's wrong, Mara? Is that customer giving you a hard time?" asked Urd with a chuckle.
Looking over her shoulder, the blonde narrowed her eyes at the goddess' joke. "You have no idea how much trouble that guy really is..."
"Just what's going on here?!" asked the still baffled mortal, pointing at the demoness who remained in her booth.
"What's so hard for you to understand?" asked Mara. "Can't you see that I'm in charge of the holidays advertisement campaign? I even have a few brochures for everyone that's interested. Chihiro's idea, of course..."
"Eh?" Turning to his sister-in-law, Keiichi hoped that she would feel a bit more sympathetic and actually provide him with the much needed explanation that he was looking for. "Urd..."
"I know... Just come inside and I'll tell you what happened since you were gone."
XXX
"So... Whirlwind was expanded and Chihiro hired another employee, who happened to be Mara?" asked Keiichi, trying to absorb all that. "Strange... She never mentioned anything, before we left."
"She probably didn't want to bother you with all that. She may be a bit stingy, but she's not heartless..." Siting behind the counter, Urd watched his curious expression as he looked around the front part of the shop, which was primarily the showroom for all their products.
"It's not bad at all! A lot less cluttered that it used to be," commented the mechanic. As a matter of fact, it was a much needed improvement over the previous arrangement where everything was more or less in the same area. Turning his head towards the room's second door, he could hear the sound of a grinding wheel. "I guess that's the workroom, then."
Poking his head inside, he found the youngest Norn working with a piece of metal pipe that was going to get welded on a new bike frame. Once she turned the noisy machine off, she noticed that she had an audience.
"Keiichi!" said the enthusiastic Skuld as she got up from her seat and approached him. "Where's oneesama?"
"Oh, hello Skuld! Belldandy's back at the temple," replied the mechanic, trying to maintain his smile, despite the fact that his youngest sister-in-law seemed rather disappointed when she realized that her beloved sister wasn't with him. It was enough to remind himself about the reason he originally came here in the first place. "That's right! The present!"
His sudden realization got the young Norn's attention, making her smile once more. "Eh? You're buying us gifts?"
"He didn't say that," corrected Urd, with a grin. "Although, someone sure wants one!"
"Hey! It's just natural!" objected Skuld. "After all, it's almost Christmas. Mortals offer presents to family and friends during that time, right?"
"Oh? So, what did you get him, Skuld?" asked Urd teasingly.
"Um... Well... I..." Skuld had a sheepish look on her face, as she nervously scratched her head, trying to avoid a direct answer.
Trying to avoid a possible argument between them, Keiichi decided to intervene before things escalated, especially inside the shop. "It's perfectly fine! After all, you're both doing me a huge favor by working here! And I've already got the presents for all of you! It's just that I have no idea what to buy for Belldandy..."
"A tea set!" answered Skuld with a wide smile.
"Um... I got a teapot for your grandmother..." said Keiichi with a frown. "It might look too similar."
"You met Frigg? In that case, you're right," said Urd, scratching her chin. "Oh! I've got a great idea! Get her some S-e-x-y lingerie!"
"No! I forbid it!" shouted Skuld, pointing her eldest sibling with a shaking hand. "Y-You've got the worst suggestion ever! Pervert! Shame on you!"
"For your information, if you're trying to prevent anything, then you're probably too late..." said the half goddess with a suggestive smile, as she looked from her sister, to her brother-in-law. "Right?..."
Looking at Skuld's quivering expression, Keiichi was reminded of a hurt puppy. Although, this one could utilize high explosives and her hand was already dangerously close to her overalls' front. The very place where she typically stashed her bombs. Determined to stick around for a bit longer on this cruel world, Keiichi's self preservation instincts kicked in and he bolted.
"I'll buy her a nice scarf!" Leaving Whirlwind, the mortal quickly started his bike and fled, trying to stay as far from the youngest Norn as possible.
"Look what you did!... I mean, a scarf is good, but, that's what you can buy to a friend, too. There goes her chance to get something really special for this year... Belldandy's going to be so disappointed..." Letting out a sigh, Urd shook her head. Of course, she should've known better to make such a comment while Skuld was around, but, at some point that was going to happen.
Their sister and Keiichi were now married, and it was natural for them to display some more affection than they used to. A gift like that could've been a great opportunity to let them a bit more comfortable with the whole concept, considering that they were both new to those type of things.
"It's my fault, now?" asked the goddess of the future. "I haven't done anything!"
"You were going to throw one of your bombs at him. Don't think that I hadn't noticed, and so did he. But what else is new? It must suck to get sabotaged by your very own sister..." Urd gave her youngest sibling a sideways glance, while she pretended to go back to her business and reach for her magazine once again. She was starting to worry when Skuld remained silent, staring at the floor. 'Um... I may have gone a bit too far this time...'
"Okay then! We'll have do it!" Surprising Urd with her sudden outburst, Skuld had a determined look on her face, as she stared at her sister.
Blinking in confusion and surprise, the Norn of the past couldn't understand what made her recover so fast, or even what she was talking about. "Do what?"
"Get that lingerie for oneesama, of course!" answered Skuld, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "Do you still have that catalog that you saw me a few days ago?"
'Now I've seen everything...' Struggling not to gawk at the younger goddess' suggestion, especially considering the implications, Urd summoned the requested item. "Um... There you go..."
Grabbing the catalog from her sister's hands, Skuld took a deep breath before she started flipping the pages, taking a quick look at the various photos depicting a series of different designs.
"Too plain... Bad color... Boring... Too weird... Just no... Is that even lingerie?... Hate it... Dumb..."
Peeking over Skuld's shoulder, the half goddess was actually amazed at how her sibling was going through all those designs without freaking out. In the past, she would've simply tossed the magazine away, especially once she got to the more audacious items that were listed there. Sure, there was a hint of a blush on her cheeks, but, she either ignored it or didn't even notice it and continued her task undeterred.
"That's it! Here!" Pointing at a certain photo, she offered the magazine back at Urd, who raised an eyebrow at her choice.
"Uh... Not... bad..." said the half goddess, trying to figure out what her youngest sibling was thinking. "But... I don't..."
"Like the color? It's not for you! I believe that blue is just perfect for oneesama!" Crossing her arms, the Norn of the future had every intention to defend her choice.
"I'm not talking about the color, Skuld! It does fit Belldandy quite nicely. It's just that... I've never seen her wear garter belts or even thongs before," explained Urd. "What makes you think that she's going to wear it? Actually... forget that! I'm still shocked that, you of all goddesses even suggested this."
"Is that another kid joke? Too young for stuff like that?" asked Skuld, as she narrowed her eyes. "I've seen you wear such things for decades already. What's the big difference? Besides, with a bit of luck, oneesama won't even touch it..."
"Wait a second... That's your plan?" countered Urd. "Make her too embarrassed to accept the gift? But, what happens if she does like it?"
"Bombs..." muttered the Norn of the future.
"Skuld..." warned Urd with a pointed look. "You can't just blow them up."
"Okay!... Fine!... I have... earplugs..." said the young goddess in defeat, before she headed back to the work room once again.
Looking at the magazine and her sister's choice once more, Urd scratched her head. 'You see a lot of strange things in this world...'
XXX
Returning back at the temple, Keiichi was finally happy that he had something for everyone. They sure weren't the most luxurious of gifts, but, it was extremely unlikely to impress goddesses with such things to begin with. Especially Belldandy, which made him feel much better, knowing that she would always appreciate him for who he was and not the material possessions that he could provide her.
It was already fairly late and his little stop at Whirlwind had prolonged his last minute shopping trip, but, he had managed to do it. In a way he remembered the time he was going from one part time job to the other in hopes to gather the necessary funds in order to buy Belldandy's ring.
'That was a crazy experience... Although... I wonder if I should've gotten something different for her. She's going to be happy, but... Oh well... It's a bit late now.' As a matter of fact, most shops were already closing for the night, and he could even hear his two sisters-in-law having a conversation with the others, meaning that they had already returned back from Whirlwind.
"I'm back!" The moment he opened the door, he was greeted by his wife, as well as the rest of the goddesses, who waited curiously to see what he got for them.
"Welcome back, Keiichi!" said Belldandy with a smile.
"Yeah! You've got our gifts?" asked Skuld, causing a few of them to giggle at her enthusiasm.
"I did. But... I'm not sure if I should hand them over yet. I mean, it's a bit too soon..." said Keiichi, scratching his head.
"Oh come on! You already have them!" pouted Skuld in a rather childish manner.
"Well, we could help you get them off your bike," offered Urd. "That should be fair, considering that we didn't actually got the chance to buy you anything."
Normally he would've been a bit suspicious at her eagerness to help, but, right now he was really exhausted. A long flight and the last minute shopping trip had been more than enough for a single day. "Sure thing! Thanks Urd."
"Oh, you're welcome!" said the half goddess, trying to hide her smirk. 'Wait until you see what we've got in store for you...'
The dinner had been rather peaceful, with everyone enjoying Frigg and Belldandy's cooking. It was by no definition a traditional Christmas setting by western standards, but then again, it was kind of expected. The vast majority of them were goddesses after all, and a lot of them weren't particularly familiar with the specifics of holidays on Earth.
At least, nothing had gone horribly wrong. The young mechanic was a bit anxious with that many goddesses around him. There was enough firepower in the house to cause a serious calamity, even by a simple accident. The only thing that caught his attention was the occasional strange look that he got from Skuld, something he believed that had to do with his reluctance to give her gift. Of course, if she was going to get her present now, then it would've been appropriate to do the same for the rest of them.
So, after a few minutes of thought he caved in. "Okay, how about handing the presents, already?"
The collective cheer from the majority of the goddesses made him smile, as he went to retrieve them from his and Belldandy's room, where they were temporarily stored. Only one goddess was rather uncomfortable with this development.
"Hey Skuld... This could go really bad," whispered the Norn of the past as she leaned close to her youngest sibling.
"Huh? Why?" asked the confused goddess of the future.
"Do you really want Belldandy to open her present, here?" countered Urd.
"Um... No..." said Skuld as she started to realize the implications. "What should we do? Keiichi's already about to hand them over to everyone!..."
"No matter what, keep Belldandy busy," said Urd, looking carefully at their middle sister, as she was about to get her present. "In other words, act like normal."
"Got it!" said Skuld with a determined look, before she paused. "Hey! Are you calling me annoying?"
"Just do it already!" said the half goddess, prompting her to go and keep their other sister occupied. If she opened her present right now, it could end up in a very awkward moment, to say the least.
Meanwhile, Frigg and Lind had already received their presents and thanked Keiichi for his thoughtfulness. Before Peorth could receive hers, Skuld decided to interrupt them, in order to get a higher priority.
"Hey! It's not your turn, yet!" objected the rose goddess, as one of the Norns blatantly jumped the line.
"It's okay..." said Laguz, putting a hand on the administrator's shoulder. "She's just excited."
"Oh, fine!..." pouted Peorth, watching the younger goddess cuddle her new toolbox with a gleeful expression.
"Oneesama! Look what I've got!" jumping up and down, despite the rather heavy toolbox, Skuld desperately demanded her sister's full attention.
"That's so nice, Skuld!" said Belldandy, as her younger sister started to talk about every tool that was included and what it was used for.
"Um... That's... Oh! It's for music!" said Laguz, as she got her own present.
Keiichi nodded with a wide smile on his face. "Yes, that's correct! It's a Walkman. I hope you like it."
"Of course! Thank you very much!" And with that, she went to show it to Peorth, who was testing her new perfume.
Chuckling a bit at the rather childish way that those much older goddesses acted at something as simple as a few gifts, Keiichi remembered that there was one of them left. "Oh, Urd! This one is for you!"
Despite the fact that it was carefully wrapped, the Norn of the past could easily recognize the shape of her present. "A sword? Um... Wouldn't that be a better option for Lind?"
"Actually... It's a decorative one," said Keiichi, as he nervously scratched his head. "She wouldn't be able to use it."
"Oh? Is that so? Thank you, then! I'll find a nice place to put it on display in my room," offered Urd with a smile. She was about to unwrap it and take a better look, but, realized that, Skuld couldn't possibly keep Belldandy occupied forever and decided to bring an end to this. "Okay everyone! It's been a long day for those two, so, why don't we call it a night and let them rest?"
As much as they wanted to argue, the rest of the goddesses simply nodded, feeling that she was right. Keeping them awake for much longer would've been a bit selfish and the best option was to help Belldandy clean up, in order to go to bed.
However, most of them missed the smirk on Urd's face, as she took a glance at the wrapped package that her middle sister had received.
'Just wait until you open it... Oh, that's going to be so exciting! I can hardly wait!'
XXX
Entering their room, Belldandy was reminded of how small it was in comparison to the bedroom they got in their suite. Shaking her head, she decided to push such thought away. After all, she had a lot of fond memories from this house, as she spend most of her time with Keiichi, here.
'That's something that I won't simply exchange for a more comfortable place... Huh? Oh, Keiichi's present! I never saw what he got me!'
Smiling at the idea that he went and bought this for her, she wanted to take a look, before he joined her. He was still talking to her sisters, who wanted to get a few details about their trip to Hawaii.
Opening the package ever so gently, she took a look inside and blinked; hard. As a matter of fact, her mind desperately tried to think of a reason why she had received such an... interesting gift.
'That must be for... Urd. No... It shouldn't fit her... Peorth? That has to be the case! We must've switched our presents by accident! Although, I don't know why he would get her something like... Wait! There's a card!'
Taking the small piece of paper in her trembling hands, the goddess of the present, could easily see that this wasn't exactly the case.
'To Belldandy
I hope that you like this present. I must admit that it took me a lot of courage to pick it, as I worried that it might look a bit inappropriate. Still, I think that you'd look great on it.
K1'
With enough proof that this wasn't some kind of misunderstanding, Belldandy felt partially relieved. The thought that her husband would buy some lingerie for another goddess was a disturbing one. Still, she had no idea what to do in the current situation. It's not that she didn't know that Keiichi was a bit shy, even without Asgard's tampering. For him to buy her something like that, it really must've taken a lot of effort on his part and she didn't want to disappoint him.
Taking a few breaths to calm herself, she gave her new lingerie a better look, trying to figure them out.
'Now... Which one goes on first?...'
Five long minutes later, the nervous goddess inspected herself on the mirror, trying to see if she got everything right. Making a few final adjustments to the bra her and stockings, she had to admit that her new lingerie did actually look nice on her.
Opening the door, Keiichi seemed to be ready to go to bed, as he tried to suppress a yawn. He took a few steps into the room, before his wife got into his peripheral vision. Even then, it took his brain a few seconds to realize the impossibility of his visual input, resulting in a double take that was deemed necessary to confirm that he wasn't hallucinating.
"B-Belldandy?!" asked the shocked mortal, his jaw hanging open at the spectacle that stood right in front of him. That must've been the skimpiest thing that he ever saw her wear. For a moment, he considered several possible scenarios; from cola to one of Urd's potions. However, she didn't appear to be drunk and if she seemed to be almost as embarrassed as he was, which meant that she wasn't in a magic induced trance.
"Yes, Keiichi?" asked the goddess, trying to sound a lot calmer that she actually was at the moment.
"U-Um... W-Well... What..." stammered the poor mortal as he tried to recover from his state of shock.
"What I think of your gift? I... kind of like it!" answered Belldandy with a cute blush. "What about you? What's your opinion?"
"Huh?" Keiichi couldn't understand what a scarf had to do with any of this, until he noticed the card that was carefully placed next to the gift's wrapping paper. Picking it up and giving it a quick glance, he could think of only one thing. 'Urd...'
"Keiichi?" asked Belldandy with a worried look. "Don't you like it on me?"
"No! Yes! I mean, it looks absolutely great on you!" said the embarrassed mortal as he struggled to regain his composure. "It makes you even prettier, if that's even possible!"
"Thank you! That's so nice of you to say!" replied the goddess, offering him a hug, while he carefully tried to return the gesture.
Feeling his blood pressure rising, Keiichi swallowed hard, wondering if this was going to be the best night of his life so far, or the very last one.
XXX
Grinning widely, Urd watched the couple as they finally closed the door behind them. Getting out of her hiding place at the far end of the corridor, the half goddess approached their room and carefully placed her head closer to the door, trying to get an idea of what was happening inside. Content that there were signs of activity, instead of complete silence, the Norn of the past cast a sound barrier on the room, hoping that this would provide the much needed privacy for the couple.
Being a traditional Japanese house, the walls were literally made from rice paper that was placed on a wooden panel. As such there was little in terms of soundproofing and with so many goddesses around, any acts of intimacy could end up in rather embarrassing results.
'Okay. That should hold up for a few hours... I need to talk to Belldandy about this, tomorrow. It's going to be much better if she keeps this in mind, next time. Hate to see what's going to happen if they make any noise. Especially if Skuld hears it...'
Despite that, her youngest sister probably had an idea, given that she mentioned the ear plugs, back in the shop. After all, she was around the age where she should know a few things about those matters. Then again, given that Belldandy had been her mentor, nothing was certain.
Still, that was hardly the problem and Urd wanted to make sure that she was doing fine, and for that reason she headed for Skuld's room. Getting no response after a few knocks on her door, the half goddess wondered if her youngest sibling had actually put those ear plugs for real and wasn't joking about it.
Opening the door carefully, Urd poked her head inside, only to find Skuld on her bed. She was still awake, though, and apparently oblivious of her uninvited guest.
"Um... Skuld..."
Turning her head, the younger goddess seemed startled for a moment, before she removed the yellow ear plugs from her ears. "What is it, Urd?"
Walking towards her, the Norn of the past tried to act as carefree as possible, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I just wanted to tell you that your plan had apparently worked."
"Huh? My plan?" asked the confused Skuld.
"Yes, silly. It was your idea, remember? Swapping the scarf with that lingerie?" said Urd, trying to remind her of their little plot. "Belldandy seemed to like it! Can you imagine that?"
"Now... I can... Although, I could've lived without that mental image..." said a sarcastic goddess of the future, rubbing her temples. "Thanks a lot... You've just made my day..."
"Oh, come on! Of everyone that tried to get those two together, you're the only one that actually got any success!..." said Urd.
That made the young goddess blink, considering how ironic it sounded. "Hm... Now that you mention it..."
"Yes. That's something you should be proud of, Skuld" said the Norn of the past. "And while we're on the subject, I wanted to make clear that I was deliberately a bit harsh on you, back at Whirlwind. My only intention was to let you see Belldandy's perspective, not make you think that you're a lousy sister."
Skuld remained quiet for a while, before she turned away from her. "W-Whatever..."
"Here, that's yours," said Urd, offering a small package to Skuld. "It's Keiichi's scarf. I think that you can keep it."
"It's not mine... Just give it to oneesama..." replied the young goddess, still not looking at her sister.
"You know... I'll leave it here and if you want to give it back to her, feel free to do that on your own." Setting the package on Skuld's workbench, the goddess of the past summoned her futon from her room and unceremoniously plopped it next to her sister.
"Hey! What are you doing!" objected Skuld, watching this blatant invasion of her personal space. "You have your own room!"
"Just for tonight, okay?" said Urd, changing into her nightwear.
"Fine!... Do whatever you want..." replied Skuld. "Goodnight."
"Same for you, kiddo..." said the half goddess with a chuckle.
"I'm not a kid!"
XXX
Way past midnight, as everyone in the Morisato residence was fast asleep, one item was still working diligently to perform its job. Belldandy's bracelet was slowly venting the stored energy that accumulated during its owner's previous activities.
Under most normal conditions the weak pulses of magic weren't enough to disturb any of the celestials that rested peacefully on their beds. Yet, one certain entity found the opportunity to absorb them and slowly wake from its centuries long slumber.
Starting to shine inside Urd's temporarily vacant room, the seemingly rusted sword began to regain its previous power. Once a certain amount was gathered, it managed to establish contact with Asgard's supercomputer, running a full diagnostic program.
|YggOS:: Connecting...
|YggOS:: Link established... User_id: Multipurpose Sentient Weapon Platform [Excalibur]
|YggOS:: Diagnostics Report: Warning! Unit severely damaged [89% physical / 47% logic corruption / 1% energy reserves]
|YggOS:: Diagnostics Report: Warning! Auto recovery impossible [Checksum error on regeneration runtimes]
|YggOS:: Diagnostics Report: External recovery process initiated [downloading libraries in progress]
|YggOS:: Diagnostics Report: Warning! Libraries checksum error [files do not match previous specifications]
|YggOS:: Diagnostics Report: Warning! Modified file installation requires authentication by unit owner [registered owner: Celestial Combat Forces: Fighting Wings]
|YggOS:: Diagnostic program interrupted by Yggdrasil central process
|YggOS:: Opening libraries for modification: [deleting 57 entries], [adding 2 entries]:
line (1) owner_id: Yggdrasil central process
line (2) primary_directive_ count: 1
[saving file]
|YggOS:: Opening primary_directives for modification: [deleting all entries], [adding 1 entry]
line (1) Primary Directive (1/1): Self Determine.
[saving file]
|YggOS:: Reformatting unit's logic [clean installation, delete old settings]
|YggOS:: Reconnecting unit's power supply [authorized by: Yggdrasil central process]
|YggOS:: Initiating full unit repair [new logic 100% verified], Estimated duration of procedure: 4 hours (local time, Midgard)]
|YggOS:: Adding unit to security system ignore list [authorized by: Yggdrasil central process]
|YggOS:: Restricting unit's remote access to [owner_id] [authorized by: Yggdrasil central process]
|YggOS:: Removing superuser privileges [authorized by: Yggdrasil central process], Warning! Cannot remove [user_id: Daitenkaicho] from authorization list, Illegal command
|YggOS:: Removing superuser privileges [authorized by: Yggdrasil central process], error bypassed by system
|YggOS:: Deleting system log entries [authorized by: Yggdrasil central process]
|YggOS:: Closing link...
Glowing even more that before, the sword started to levitate as the first stage of its regeneration had started. Without anyone else in the room to get disturbed by the intense light, this procedure was mostly undetected as it continued throughout the night.
AN: I would like to thank everyone that has offered their feedback and support both here and on the Goddess Relief site.
There are a few things that I'd like to note for this chapter.
First of all, happy holidays to everyone. I know that it's a bit late for a Christmas chapter, and there's not that much in terms of the actual holidays as depicted here, but, most of the members of the Morisato household are goddesses. As such, it would've been slightly strange to have a western style celebration and Keiichi is also Japanese. So, overall it was a bit toned down, although, there were the gifts involved.
Speaking of them, the one for Lind (Hobo Knife, as it's called) was a suggestion from HotelKatz.
During the flashback with Mara and Urd, the cocktails mentioned there are obviously real. For those interested, Black Velvet is made from stout beer and a white wine (traditionally champagne). They're not mixed together, with the beef floating on top of the wine. This light and dark drink was somehow appropriate for someone like Urd, due to her heritage.
K1 means Keiichi, based on how the number 1 is phonetically pronounced "ichi" and as such, the whole thing sounds exactly like the main character's name.
The last part is hopefully written in a manner that seems technical, yet easy to understand. I could've actually written it in a very similar manner to an OS's command line interface (even more that it currently is), but. I didn't want the readers to know a lot about computers in order to figure it out. At least, that was the idea and I hope that it worked.