Arc II: Chapter 09

By the Sword

The Great Hall of the Council of Heaven was large by any standards. The massive room easily held the entire Council within its gilded walls with a great deal of room to spare. Today, however, it was standing room only. The hall was filled with not only the entire Council, but numerous spectators who happened to have time away from work. No one wanted to miss this historic event.

"Bring in the accused." Chancellor Marduk's voice echoed throughout the room.

The large wooden doors at the end of the hall, nearly as tall as the vaulted ceiling itself, slowly opened with a creak. Everyone watched as the black clothed form of Sephiroth appeared. As he stepped forward into the chamber, all present were silent. The only sounds were of footsteps on the ornate marble floor, steps of the accused and the escort who flanked him, none other than Lord Commander Daedalus himself.

During the long walk across the hall, no emotions could be discerned on the face of the man who had come to be known as the One Winged Angel. It was a reference not only to his injury, but also to the now common belief that he had indeed aided the Cruel Angel. They now watched the disgraced Templar, his wrists bound with a restraining program, as he marched toward the platform at the front of the hall. His eyes never wavered from the three Celestials who sat on this platform, waiting to pass judgment on him.

Stopping in the center of an ornate circular pattern on the floor, Daedalus taking his position to the side, the white haired God stood alone before the Council, watching the three senior members who comprised his tribunal.

Marduk, sitting in the center seat, leaned forward. "State your name."

He responded with a powerful voice that resonated throughout the Great Hall. "I am Sephiroth, Templar of the First Order, Special Class, and Commander of the Armies of Nekomi." Some shuffling could be heard from the audience.

The God to Marduk's right, Council Member Oberon, spoke up with reserved disdain. "You are no longer in command of anyone, Sephiroth, nor are you given the privilege of rank within the Templar Order." The accused scowled at Oberon as he heard this.

The third member of the tribunal, the Goddess Althena, calmly explained. "Due to the serious nature of the charges brought against you, it has been decided in a full Council vote that you be stripped of your rank and title for the duration of the trial. If you are found innocent, you will be reinstated with an apology from the Council."

Sephiroth studied the Celestials on the raised platform as the Chancellor spoke again. "This tribunal is now underway."

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"I'm sorry I didn't have enough time to fix anything else, Admiral," she spoke apologetically.

"You have done more than enough already, Miss Skuld," Garland assured her. "Thanks to you, two of our reactors are back to full capacity. I guess we won't have any trouble keeping our people warm for Christmas." Some of the humans who had gathered to see them off grinned at his remark.

The young Goddess blushed as she stared at the flight deck. "It wasn't any big deal or anything. I'm just happy I could help out. Besides, I always wanted to work on a nuclear reactor! I read a lot about them, but I've never had the chance to actually see one until I came here!"

Garland's face turned very pale indeed, as did most of the other officers and guards present. "You mean to say, you had never even seen a reactor before, and you worked on ours?" If Skuld had been able to read minds, she would have seen visions of mushroom clouds appear in their heads.

Gilgamesh interjected before she said anything else, "It's time to go, Skuld. We need to get this information back to Nekomi." She was glad for the interruption, since she wasn't sure how to explain to the humans that they had never been in any real danger of a meltdown.

"Yeah, I suppose we should get going. Thanks again for your cooperation, Admiral." She bowed respectfully to them. "Good luck to all of you."

Gil walked up to Garland, and the two simply stared at one another for a few seconds. Suddenly, the Templar brought his heels together, raising his right hand to his eyebrow in a military salute. The old Admiral smiled and returned it, all the other humans following suit.

Lowering his hand in a crisp motion, the God turned and floated off the deck. Skuld smiled and waved one last time before flying off after him. "I'm glad to see you two are on friendly terms now," she nudged him with her arm as they flew toward the ocean. "He was really nice to me."

"We aren't friendly," he said dryly. "It's just a professional respect."

"Sure, Gil," she responded with a knowing look.

He glanced at her with mock annoyance. "Anyway, are you ready to teleport us back to Nekomi when we get to the shore?"

"Of course," she beamed. Skuld was quite pleased that she was able to do something that he wasn't. "We'll be back home before you know it! I can't wait to see my sisters again. Maybe even Keiichi, too." Her face suddenly turned menacing as a thunderhead on the horizon. "He'd better have the ice cream that he promised me!"

Turning back to Gil, she saw that he was looking at her with a barely contained smile. They both broke into laughter at her nearly serious threat toward Keiichi. Their amusement was interrupted, however, as was their forward flight when something flew up from the rubble below. The Templar had his sword out in an instant and positioned himself in front of the Goddess.

Looking over his shoulder, she could see that it was a humanoid form, concealed beneath a hooded black cloak. She couldn't see a face, but it felt like it was looking right at her.

"I have no business with you, Templar Gilgamesh," the form spoke slowly. "Leave young Skuld to me, and I will let you leave this place alive."

The Goddess felt a chill run down her spine as she heard the man speak. Something about him gave her the creeps. Gilgamesh, however, seemed unperturbed. "If you want Skuld, then you most definitely have business with me."

The mysterious figure gave an amused huff. "I must admit, I didn't expect you to turn tail so easily. It would have been rude not to offer, though, wouldn't you agree?"

"Spare me your fake civilities," Gil snapped at him. "How do you know who we are, and what do you want with her?"

"Well, what I want with her is my own business." Skuld found herself grasping for a bomb from her pocket, again feeling as if she was being looked at from beneath that dark hood. "As for how I know who you are, you'd be surprised at just how much I am aware of. I know all about Skuld, and her sisters, Belldandy and Urd. I know about you, Gilgamesh, and about your 'big brother' Xander. I met with him last week, as a matter of fact. He is thoroughly enjoying his role as a servant of the Cruel Angel."

A gust of wind abruptly pushed her back. She struggled to keep herself upright as Gil's power exploded outward in the form of two feathery, white wings. He screamed in anger, rushing his target. "You bastard!"

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The Goddess set the phone down gently. "The trial has started."

"Seriously, Urd," Marler said as they returned to the tea room, "you need to stop thinking about this all the time. Try to take your mind off this for five minutes, for Pete's sake. Let's play some Mario Kart or something."

"I don't think so," she replied with a half hearted smile. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, though."

"Cheer you up?" The blond snorted. "I just want you to stop moping around. It's frickin' depressing! Let's at least get out of here for a while, go fly around for a few hours. Get some fresh air and some new scenery." Snapping her fingers suddenly, she looked at Urd with an energy she hadn't displayed all morning. "Maybe we'll see a few of those monsters wandering around! A good fight is just the thing you need!"

Urd thought it over for a few moments, seeming more and more pleased with the idea. "Maybe you're right, Marler." A devilish grin appeared as she clenched a fist eagerly in front of her. "Let's go hunt some bad guys!"

The Goddess was acting excited for the first time in days. Marler hesitated, watching Urd move toward the door, before voicing something that she knew had to be addressed. "Why don't you bring Masamune along?" Urd stopped cold, her hand hovering centimeters from the door. She had started avoiding the sword that Sephiroth had given her when they first heard about his arrest. In fact, the last time she had even touched it was hours before they all found out about the betrayal. She just doesn't want to have to talk with it about Sephiroth. "If we're going to go out and fight, we need to be as ready as we can be," she told the white haired Goddess. "Masamune is yours now. If you don't want to talk about him, then just tell it that."

Her shoulders slumped a bit in defeat, begrudgingly nodding. "I guess you're right," she sighed. Marler followed her old friend back to Urd's room, and watched her as she moved to the corner. She stared at the Masamune as it leaned in the corner, where she had casually placed it days before. Steadying herself, as if she were about to leap into a pool of ice cold water, she reached forward and curled her fingers around the glossy black sheath.

Almost jumping at the alarmed reaction Urd suddenly gave, she rushed over to the other woman. "What's wrong?"

"What?"

"I said, what's wrong?" Marler repeated.

"Not you," Urd said quickly, not even looking at her companion. "I was talking to Masamune."

Crossing her arms, Marler huffed indignantly. "Well, excuse me."

Staring intently at the sword in her hand, the Goddess kept nodding and mumbling to it for several minutes. Marler was getting impatient with their secret conversation, but didn't say anything. She knew that it was more trouble than it was worth to interrupt Urd when she had such a serious look on her face. The Demon was leaning against the wall and in the middle of a long yawn when Urd spun around.

"Alright," she said, jolting Marler from her wandering thoughts.

The blond was just finishing her yawn as she moved forward. "So you two are finally ready to go?"

She looked over at Marler as if she had forgotten their plans. "Oh, sorry. I have…I have something I have to do."

"Like what?" She watched in disbelief as she watched the Goddess move across the room and turn on the television. "You gotta be kidding me. Now you just want to sit and watch TV? We've watched all those videos a million times!"

"Marler," Urd spoke softly, an intense look in her eyes. "Bell and Skuld will be getting here any time now. Tell them…tell them that I'm sorry, and that I love them both."

"Huh?" She could feel her jaw go slack. "What the hell are you talking about, Urd? What are you doing?"

She could only watch as the Goddess of the Past began to float feet first into the glowing television screen. "Thanks, Marler, and don't forget who won the last time we played Tetris!" With that she, and the Masamune, disappeared.

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"When the investigators discovered the connections between the Cruel Angel and the accused," Oberon orated loudly, "they began to delve into his background to determine why he would have done such a thing, and they uncovered several interesting facts. It seems that while Sephiroth's father was a Celestial, and in good standing in Heaven, he fell in love with an Earth woman. A human mother bore Sephiroth into existence." There was a flurry of hushed voices at this.

Sephiroth was becoming more and more irritated as the trial went forward. "That is irrelevant. There are many Celestials serving honorably in Heaven who are half human, and my origins are no secret to anyone."

"The Celestials you speak of all had Goddesses for mothers," came the calm voice of Althena. "It has been suspected for generations that those born of human mothers are…unstable. They seem far more likely to commit evil acts." More members of the audience were speaking quietly, the buzz becoming louder than before.

"This is your proof against me?" The anger in his green eyes was quite obvious to all. "Half truths and unproven theories?"

Oberon boomed over the buzz of the audience. "You will show proper respect to this tribunal, Sephiroth!"

"Please, let us be calm." Althena raised her voice only slightly to be heard over the din. "The accused has the right to point out perceived discrepancies in the prosecution of his case, and in this case, I believe he has a point. We must remember that while this does give more credence to the concept of Sephiroth's betrayal, it is hardly reliable evidence."

Marduk spoke up now, sounding puzzled about something. "Explain us how you were the only one to escape from the failed mission to stop the voices? Tell us about the mission where an entire team of our most powerful warriors was slaughtered by the Cruel Angel and his minions.

"I already explained the incident in the report I sent to Lord Commander Daedalus," he replied shortly. "It is in the Templar Archives and has already been entered into evidence."

"You will tell us what happened!" Oberon's voice flared with anger.

Sephiroth was silent for a few seconds before responding, slightly less venom in his words. "As I wrote in the report, we had gone into the mists on foot. The voices suddenly became louder, and within seconds we were being attacked from all sides by more enemies than I could count. Because I had taken point, I was cut off from my men early in the battle. I fought as hard as I could, hoping that the creatures would focus on me and give my men a chance to escape or at least regroup.

"The conflict went horribly, and I soon realized that my unit had been wiped out. I felt that I, too, would and should die there. By that time I was standing atop a pile of the dead creatures, still being overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of my enemy. They began to latch onto me, scratching and clawing, and one of them ripped my right wing from my body. In a rage, I used my most powerful attack program, which I believe was the flash noted by Lady Ceres in Yggdrasil's report of the incident. I don't know how many were killed by it, but they had been blown clear for that moment. Masamune suggested that I use the opportunity to extricate myself from the area and attack again from a better position. I managed to escape the horde, but once clear of the battle I found that I barely had the power to fly. I made my way back to Nekomi, hoping to go back when I was healed and take my revenge. I was too injured to make it back to the Temple, however, and was found by the human Keiichi Morisato. He returned me to the Celestial forces."

There was the usual quiet discussion of this new information coming from the audience as Sephiroth stared defiantly at the tribunal. When the murmurs died away and silence filled the massive room, Althena's soft-spoken words easily reached everyone's ears. "Sephiroth, how much do you know of the first war with the Cruel Angel?"

"Only that it happened," he responded, drawing a disbelieving snort from Oberon. "The rest of the information was always a closely guarded secret, and I was not authorized to know any more."

She nodded serenely as she listened, hardly showing any irritation at her fellow tribunal member's overt belligerence. "After the archives on this subject were turned over to the investigators, certain peculiarities became apparent with regards to the Cruel Angel's loyalists. That is to say, there were several Celestials who betrayed their own and served the Evil One." She paused for a dramatic moment, letting this new information sink in to those listening. Everyone in the hall was curious about where this would lead. "Every single God and Goddess who defected was maimed in some way by the Cruel Angel, both to prove devotion to him and to prevent that Celestial from ever being a part of Heaven again." The spectators nearly exploded at this revelation, but Sephiroth didn't wait for them to quiet down.

"You think I would willingly have my own wing ripped from me?" His green eyes flashed with anger as he looked up at his judges. "You said yourself that this was done to prevent the Celestial from returning to Heaven, but I did just that! I've been leading the fight to keep the enemy in check, and we've done just that!"

Oberon slammed his fist down on the table, instantly silencing the onlookers. "How stupid do you think we are? It's obvious that you led those Templars into a trap, designed to crush our strongest warriors from the start! You offered them us as sacrifices to your new master, but he demanded more to prove your loyalty, didn't he? Now you've been hindering our efforts and keeping our forces from gaining an advantage over our enemy! You are a traitor to Heaven and a lackey of the Cruel Angel!"

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A loud clang rang out through the air. Metal against metal, curved sword against straight sword. Gilgamesh and the cloaked man performed an intricate dance of strike and parry, dodge and counterstrike. Moving almost too fast for a normal human to see, the two inhuman characters darted over the broken skyline of a ruined city.

Another metallic clash resounded through the otherwise silent scene as the combatants paused for a moment, their blades pressed forcefully against each other. Gil grunted through clenched teeth, "I won't let you have her!"

A smile seemed to flash beneath the dark folds of cloth. "That's good! I haven't had a good workout like this in a long time!"

In the blink of an eye they parted, flying in opposite directions. It quickly turned into a chase as the figure streaked out over the huge waves of the briny deep, Gilgamesh close on his heels. They followed the surface of the angry ocean as the waves rolled and foamed, more than five meters from crest to trough. He wasn't sure if the spray behind them was due to their speed and proximity to the water, or if it was just the waves smashing into each other.

As they flew back over dry land, it was beginning to look as if they were trying to see who was fastest. The two bobbed and weaved around the rubble and debris as they struggled to gain an advantageous position over the other. Flying around and through the remains of once great buildings, Gil was almost caught off guard when the slash came at his head from behind a cracked pillar.

Inside the dark and dusty hulk of what had once been a ten story office building, they resumed their duel. Gil swung his no-dachi down, only to have it deflected to his left. The enemy's straight sword came thrusting in at his gut, and Gil could only leap into a dodge. Doing a cartwheel to his left in mid air, the weapon only managed to clip a feather from his wing. Twisting around, he slashed horizontally at the figure as he landed only to watch the man rise above it with a flurry of his cloak. Stepping back, Gil took a ready stance and watched his enemy, and was watched in return as the man stood on the ceiling, chuckling.

"You are very talented, Gilgamesh," the man pointed his sword at the God. "However, you must have realized by now that you can't beat me. Don't throw your life away."

"You sure like to talk." Gil struggled to keep his breathing even as he brought his sword low and to his right. The cloak still covered his enemy's face, but the rest of the black cloth had fallen away from his inverted form. The old armor might have been white or grey once, but was now covered in what looked like mildew. It had a peculiar circular design on the breastplate, something that seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it. "Why do you want Skuld so bad?"

"Because she is one of the Fates," he said triumphantly. "My Lord desires the vast powers that they possess, and I cannot deny my Master his desires."

"So what happens when you find out that they'll never serve the Cruel Angel?"

The figure's voice turned very cold. "The Master can be very…persuasive when he wants something, I can assure you of that."

In the blink of an eye, the warriors took flight again, leaving the building behind with blinding speed. Soaring back into the air, the two clashed once more and flew apart.

Quickly reversing his grip on the no-dachi, Gil brought his free hand up near his face. Chanting quickly, he felt his power flow forth. With a yell and forward thrust of his arm, he sent a ball of fire hurtling toward his opponent. The Templar expected his foe to dodge the attack, put himself in a bad position, and then Gil would end this. He was surprised when his enemy did exactly the opposite, stopping directly in the path of the attack program.

Putting a hand out in front of him, the dark warrior summoned a blue magic circle. The shield program easily deflected the hastily fired blast. The young God was stunned at what he saw. That was one of our programs! Only Templars know how to summon that kind of shield! Who the hell…?

His thoughts were halted as the shadowy figure flew through the dispersing fireball and was rapidly closing the distance between the two. Gil tried to maneuver away, to bring his weapon up to defend himself, but his distraction had lasted a fraction of a second too long.

Pain wracked his body as he was struck several times in rapid succession. His armor buckled and cracked away as the straight sword nearly destroyed the once protective suit. His head jarred painfully as punches and kicks to his head and neck came. Gil barely felt his wings disappear and only marginally realized that he was freefalling. Blood was getting in his eyes, but through it he could see the slightly blurred form of his enemy making a straight shot for the girl he was protecting.

No! Summoning all his strength, he managed to right himself. Gritting his teeth, the Templar flew as fast as he could, but knew it wasn't enough.

The young Goddess had been watching the entire fight, not moving far from where they had started. Gil could see the fear in her eyes as the cloaked figure rushed toward her. He could hear her scream incomprehensibly as she started to fling grenades at the man, but it hardly slowed him down. Helpless, he watched as his enemy overcame her feeble attempts to fend off her attacker. The dark warrior quickly, but almost gently, placed his hand over her face. The raven haired girl suddenly fell backward, resting limply on his arm.

"Let her go!" Gilgamesh screamed as loud as he ever had, trying to squeeze every last drop of power from his battered body. A force ball was charging in his hand, but his opponent was again too fast.

Spinning around to face the Templar, he spoke in a disappointed voice. "All too easy." Gil wasn't even able to tell what the attack was, let alone avoid it. It hit him almost the moment he realized it was coming. Groaning in pain, he could feel himself falling again. His blackened eyes tried to focus on the unconscious Goddess, but could not. Everything became a white haze as he heard the wind rush past him.

"Skuld…"

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Belldandy poked her head out of the large mirror hanging in her room. Looking around as her feet touched the floor, a smile appeared on her lips. Everything was exactly as she had left it a month ago. Walking slowly around her familiar domicile, she realized how much she missed being there.

She missed sleeping on her futon, which was now neatly folded and tucked away in the closet. She missed the small houseplant on the windowsill, which she always talked to when it was time to give it a drink of water. As she took stock of all these things, she saw a picture sitting out on her desk. Picking it up, she ran her hand over the smooth wood frame as she stared at the man she missed more than anything else.

Keiichi had an odd look on his face, not realizing that his picture was being taken until a few seconds later. He had his tongue out, licking an ice cream cone at an amusement park. Over his shoulder was an out of focus Urd, looking pleased with herself as she held another cone over her head. An angry Skuld could be seen jumping into the frame, reaching for her beloved sherbet.

She fondly ran her fingers across the picture, tracing the image of her beloved. I'm finally going to see him again. All of us will be together again.

"Hello there, stranger."

She spun around, blue eyes seeming to glow in the soft light of the room. Trying to think of something to say, she found that her brain would not slow down enough to function properly. The warmth in her heart suddenly overwhelmed her, and tears began to stream down her cheeks. They stood there, staring into each other's souls for what seemed like a blissful eternity.

"Keiichi!" The Goddess, no longer able to hold herself back, flew across the room and into the dark haired human's waiting arms. They spun several times, laughing happily, before pulling each other into a tight embrace. "I missed you so much, my love!"

"I missed you, too, Bell." His voice was almost as full of emotion as hers. "I missed you more than words can say. I'm so glad you're back."

Still holding each other close, they pulled back enough to look at one another before leaning forward till their noses touched. "I'm sure that things here weren't too dull here with Urd to keep you company." His blush stated clearly that her suspicions had been correct. She giggled and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I'll have to thank her for taking such good care of you for me!"

Taking his hand, she pulled him into the hall, searching for her big sister. Looking through each door, she saw the same rooms that she remembered, but each that she examined was empty. Finally pulling open the door marked 'Everyone's Tea Room', she saw a rather pleasantly unexpected sight.

Sitting at the table was Marler, drinking a cup of hot tea. That in and of itself wasn't that surprising, as she knew that the Demon had been living there. The surreal thing about the scene was that across the table was a huge God, outfitted in battle armor, who was enjoying his own cup.

"Marler? Uncle Odin?" Both looked up at the door, noticing the new arrival. The old Templar smiled broadly at the surprised look on her face.

"Ah, Belldandy!" Odin motioned for her and Keiichi to have a seat. "Come an 'ave some tea with us. Marler 'ere makes a thumpin good brew!"

Bell raised an eyebrow at the Demon. "I didn't know you could make tea."

"Well, I've kinda acquired a taste for it since I've been here," she replied. She wasn't sure, but Belldandy thought that Marler's cheeks might have turned a shade darker as she acted nonchalant. "Your boyfriend there has been helping me practice. He even helped revive me that one time."

"Revive?" Belldandy looked over to Keiichi, who was grinning awkwardly.

"Well, she didn't strain the tea well enough," he said with a small laugh. "She got a stem floating upright in the cup and she didn't notice."

"I see," she replied. Smiling at her, Bell placed a hand on her former nemesis' shoulder and settled down beside her. "Well, I'm glad that you're getting along with everyone so well, Marler."

"Well, not everyone," Marler corrected. Belldandy didn't quite understand, but Odin piped up to answer her unspoken question.

"Ya see, Marler ere and Keos, one o my Templars, ave been at each other like cats an dogs," he chuckled. "S'been goin on since long before I got here, an it don' seem ta be hurtin anythin. In fact, I think maybe they both enjoy playin their lil' games with each other."

All the cups on the table rattled as the Demon slammed her hands down. "That's a filthy lie! I hate that bastard and his stupid, 'Shut up, Demon!' and 'You don't know anything you stupid Demon!'" Marler's face was almost as red as her eyes, but Bell could see that agitation was very real.

She reached out and took the other woman's hand in her own, squeezing it gently. "It's alright, Marler. Uncle Odin was just playing a joke." She gave a meaningful glance to the old warrior, who suddenly began nodding.

"Er, yeah, yeah," he said a little too emphatically. "Jus a joke. Sides, with Keos out on his little monster hunt, you won't 'ave to put up with 'im for a couple a days!"

Looking as if she wished she hadn't made such a big deal about it, she pulled her hand free of Bell's grasp and crossed her arms in what looked suspiciously like a pout. "Whatever."

The Goddess smiled as she turned back to Keiichi. "So where is Urd? I've been anxious to see her again."

"You know, I haven't seen her since this morning," he furrowed his brow, wracking his brain for information.

"Ah, about Urd…" They all turned back to Marler, who looked more than a little out of sorts. Belldandy thought it might have been because of what they were just talking about, but she wasn't quite sure. "You see, I don't know exactly where she went, but she wanted me to tell you something."

Belldandy was about to ask what it was, expecting an answer like 'I'll be out for the day.' Instead she was answered with the ring of the phone echoing from the hallway. Marler immediately leapt to her feet. "I'll get it!"

"You sit here and relax, Marler," Bell replied, rising up gracefully and gently nudging the blond back into her seat. "I've been gone for all this time while you've been helping out down here. I think answering a few phone calls for you is a good way to start contributing to the effort." The two men looked at her with amused grins as she left the room.

Reaching the old, black, rotary phone in the hallway, she picked up the receiver and answered cheerfully. "Hello? Morisato residence."

"Belldandy," came the voice. "Something odd is going on."

"What's wrong, Peorth?" she asked.

There was a brief pause. "Are Skuld and Gilgamesh there yet?"

She suddenly felt a pang of worry strike at the mention of her sister's name. "No, they aren't. What's going on?"

Peorth's quiet grumbling at this news could barely be heard through the receiver. When she finally explained, Bell could hear a small hesitation in her voice. "We just picked up a disturbance in the Yokusuka area, the same place Skuld went to. We're not sure, but it looked like we were picking up two separate energy readings, both Celestial. Skuld can't use her powers enough to even show up on our sensors, so there must be someone else there, but…"

The phone hit the floor with a clatter as Bell rushed back to the tea room. Oh no! I shouldn't have let them go! I should have gone myself, I knew something was going to happen!

"Keiichi!" She called out as she came to a halt in the doorway. "I have to go! I'm sorry, but Skuld may be in trouble!"

"What?" Odin stood up with a roar, nearly knocking over the table in the process. "What are ye talkin about, lass?"

"Peorth isn't sure, but she said that there was a large power signature where they're supposed to be," she quickly explained, the worry permeating her speech. "Something like that could be caused by a battle, isn't that right, Uncle?"

The old Templar seemed a bit taken aback, speaking a little more quietly as he considered it. "Well, I suppose. But it coulda jus been young Gilgamesh by imself. Yggdrasil's sensors aren't at peak power, ya know."

"I know, but I don't want to take that chance. I can't. I'm going to check on her," she stated firmly.

"Well, if tha lass is in trouble," Odin said, scratching his grey beard, "then I should be tha one ta go."

Marler, still seated, leaned back on her hands. "Then who's going to be in charge here? I don't know where Urd went and that other jerk is out playing hero with his friends."

Odin began to shake his head but Belldandy spoke first. "It's alright, Uncle," she said reassuringly, though her desire to get moving was still plain as day. "You don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine."

She felt Keiichi grab her hand tightly. "You can't. If it was a fight, then you'd be in danger. You can't go by yourself."

"I'll go with her."

Everyone looked over in surprise at Marler as she stood and stretched. Belldandy walked over to the woman who had been her opponent so many times before. "Are you sure, Marler?"

The Demon smiled faintly as she rustled her long blond hair. "You'd be a fool to go alone, and I wanted to get out of here for a while anyway. It'll keep my mind off things."

"What kind of things?" Keiichi asked.

"We'll talk about it when we get back," she replied evasively before looking at the Goddess. "Let's go."

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"After that, I removed the sword from her. The Lord Chancellor and Lord Commander Daedalus arrived shortly thereafter. Lady Belldandy did what she could for Lady Ex, but she was beyond help by that time."

Oberon, who had been acting as if he smelled something rancid through the entire narrative, threw his hands up in the air. "You continue to insult this tribunal, and even the entire Council of Heaven, with these obvious fabrications? I, for one, am sick of these lies!" Turning to the other two Celestials, he slammed his fist down. "I demand that this tribunal be brought to a conclusion, and a verdict be reached!"

Marduk sighed at his colleague's zealous attitude, turning to the more placid Goddess. "Lady Althena, what say you?"

"This has continued for long enough," she answered.

"Very well then, this trial is over," the Chancellor announced, folding his hands before him as he turned to his right and left. "Lord Oberon, what is your verdict?"

"Guilty," he stated flatly.

"Lady Althena, your verdict?"

"There has been a great deal of condemnation for this God since before the trial," she spoke calmly. "However, the evidence against him is far from complete. While I have doubts about his innocence, I have more doubts about his culpability. I say not guilty." The room exploded with the buzz of discussion. It seemed very few present shared her view.

Marduk looked at his hands, almost disappointed, before speaking. "I say guilty. Sephiroth?"

The white haired God stared defiantly at the Chancellor.

"By a vote of two to one, this tribunal finds you guilty on the charges of high treason and murder. By previous vote of the Council of Heaven, it has been decided that the crimes you have now been convicted of are punishable by death. This sentence is to be carried out immediately." Everyone in the chamber began whispering madly at the realization that they would be witness to the end of this God. Allowing it to go on for several seconds, Marduk raised his hand, bringing silence to the Great Hall once again. "Sephiroth, as the Chancellor of the High Council, I have decided to offer you a final choice in your life. You will be allowed to choose the hand that will end your life. Who do you wish to be your executioner?"

The room remained deathly quiet, the audience almost leaning forward in anticipation of whose name the traitor would call on. Sephiroth lowered his head in thought for almost half a minute before looking back up at his judges. "I choose Urd, Goddess First Class."

All the Celestials seated before him wore a look of surprise, even the usually stoic Athlena, who was the first to speak. "Lady Urd is not present. Please choose someone who is in attendance, or else the task will fall to Lord Daedalus."

"I am here."

Everyone in the hall turned to the great wooden doors through which Sephiroth had entered. Urd stood there, dressed a lavender combat uniform. It was form fitting and ornate, with gold designs running the length of the garment. Masamune was gripped tightly in her left hand, and she had an icy look that was focused at the other end of the room.

They all watched as she strode with purpose down the isle to the front. It was difficult to find anyone in Heaven who didn't know who she was on sight, she had been involved in so many major events and so much mischief that it was hard not to know her. However, her famed carefree attitude and less than serious style was what most associated with her name. This Urd was totally different.

As she neared the front of the chamber, her green eyes seemed to burn with a barely contained fury. Her face had changed from the usual playful smile to a vindictive scowl. As she approached the prisoner, everyone was looking at her with some degree of surprise. Everyone except Sephiroth.

Looking up at the tribunal, she spoke loudly enough to be heard by all. "I accept my role as executioner, Chancellor, if you will allow me." Her voice was as harsh as an arctic gale.

"Just one question, Lady Urd," Marduk asked her, curious. "Why are you, of all people, so willing to kill this God?"

"He betrayed my trust, and the trust of all Celestials," her heated words filling the hall. "He killed my friend, Ex. His actions caused the deaths of people I knew on Earth. He deserves to die by my hands. I will use the holy sword, Masamune, and I will see that justice is done."

"Hmmm, to die by his own sword," Oberon smiled at the irony of it. "How appropriate."

With a nod from the Chancellor, Urd gripped the handle of the huge sword, its sheath dissolving into nothingness. Turning to the condemned God she brought the sword to the ready, its length a hand's breadth from his brow. Daedalus stepped away, not wanting to be within range of the massive and famously deadly weapon.

"Do you remember, Sephiroth?" she asked. "Do you remember what you told me about your feelings on death the first time we met?" He watched her, nodding slightly. "Well you should know that I know now how true that was. Masamune has told me everything. I know the real you."

For the first time since he entered the Great Hall, Sephiroth's eyes widened in alarm. Most thought it was his fear of death finally showing itself. Oberon in particular seemed to be savoring the expression of the disgraced Templar, but it soon became obvious that it was something else entirely.

"Spirits of all things holy and righteous, I, Urd, summon your aid!" She had quickly lowered the Masamune to the side, forming a flurry of arcane patterns with her free hand. "Powers of Heaven and Earth, heed my call!"

By now looks of shock and uneasiness were forming on all those present. Even Marduk and Daedalus couldn't figure out just what program she was running, or what it was designed to do. The smell of ozone was permeating the air, and as the Goddess increased her power, everyone in the chamber unconsciously tried to move just a little further away.

Moving as swiftly as her hands would allow, the Goddess of the Past knelt, placing her hand flat on the stone floor and continued her chant. "Gather your tremendous might, and together we shall crush those who wish for evil!" The program became visible, showing the amazing power and complexity of her efforts. The glowing mandala lines not only arced and spread across the floor, but parts of it curled upward like the petals of a flower with Urd and Sephiroth in the center.

Sephiroth stepped forward, struggling against his restraints as his booming voice filled the entire hall. "Urd, no!"

Daedalus, finally able to see the complicated program and understanding its purpose, moved quickly. Throwing up his most powerful shield program, he tried to surround the magic circle that the two were within. In the same instant, the Goddess stood, flinging her hand into the air above her as she yelled, "Sin Harvest!"

A white light enveloped the entire hall. The deafening noise of the explosive blast shook the ground across Heaven, and could be heard by anyone standing outdoors. Chunks of stone cracked away from the outer walls of the Council building, falling to the ground as a dark grey smoke began to billow from the windows. In the confusion, no one saw the two Celestials burst forth from the dark clouds and race away.

Inside the chamber, a great deal of the gathered Celestials, members of the Council or not, lay unconscious and wounded. The members of the tribunal, also protected by Daedalus' shield, stirred behind the partially destroyed platform they had been seated on.

The Commander of the Templar Legions heaved himself from beneath the chunks of stone and wood that had fallen from the damaged ceiling. He squinted at the dust and smoke that still hung in the air as he tried to survey the scene. Rubbing a knot on his head, he was getting ready to help the wounded when he found himself face to face with a dust covered Chancellor.

"Daedalus, I want them found immediately!" He was furious, and the seething anger in his eyes made the Templar take a step back from the normally composed God. "Send every Sentry and Templar in Heaven! Find them now!" His voice became quieter but no less heated as he leaned in toward Daedalus. "Kill the traitor Sephiroth on sight, however I want Urd brought to me alive. I will deal with her personally."

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A/N:

The page break thing wasn't working on the edit/previw part of the posting, so I had to make due with the weird dotted line thing. I hope that actually shows up when I post.

A lot happened this time. I'm far more satisfied with this chapter than the last one. I felt it a lot more as I was writing. Hopefully you guys liked it more, too.

I changed the way I did the trial this time around, to make it a little more believable. Also, that part near the end where Urd was talking with Seph was changed, since it didn't really make sense the way I wrote it last time. I also made some small changes to the fight between Gil and the cloaked figure to make it a little more descriptive. I think it worked out pretty well.

This chapter wound up being a little shorter than I expected, but it still took more time than I would have liked. On that note, you guys should know that I'm taking classes again, and that will cut a little into my writing time (especially this weekend), so the next chapter is going to be delayed. It should only be a few days late, though.

I got the name Althena from the video game Lunar, which came out on the Sega CD back in the mid 90s. Hopefully you guys know where Oberon came from.

BTW, for those of you who aren't that familiar with the OMG universe (I know there aren't many of you, but still…), the Goddesses can transport themselves between Heaven and Earth, and between places on Earth, using their medium. In Bell's case, it's a mirror. For Urd it's a television screen, and for Skuld it's water. Peorth can use cameral lenses.

Marler is allergic to good luck charms. In Japan, finding a tea stalk floating upright in your cup is considered good luck.

Also, in case anyone was wondering about Garland's statement that they now had two reactors running: According to Wikipedia, the Enterprise has eight reactors on board. The ship is, needless to say, a touch overpowered.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I didn't get any unsigned reviews for the last chapter, so I don't have anyone to respond to this go around.

Well that's about it. Until next we meet!

Katamari Damacy