Disclaimer: Ah! My Goddess and all its associated characters are owned by their creator, Kosuki Fujishima ( © 1988 – 2007 ) Any other characters specifically created for this fictional work are fictitious. Any similarity to any persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.
My personal gratitude goes to Mr. Kosuki Fujishima for creating the wonderful Manga, characters, settings, and plots that this fiction is based on.
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Just as the rays of sunlight peaked through the clouds of Heaven, Mist quietly opened the door to Skuld's temporary living quarters. Flipping on the light, the room quickly illuminated a clean white color. Spotting that Skuld hadn't budged at all, still sleeping soundly in her bed, Mist approached the sleeping teen, and gently removed the covers from her sleeping form.
She laid there curled up in a fetal position, her right arm was draped across her waist, while her left arm was halfway extended, bent upwards going towards her head with her palm up. Her fingers were slightly bent in a calm relaxed position. She was still, quietly snoozing, shallowly breathing in and out.
"Skuld?" Mist whispered seductively into her ear. "It's time to wake up…"
She didn't budge.
'Heavy sleeper, eh? Okay.' Mist thought to herself. She leapt onto the bed and descended quickly upon the young girl dressed in pink. Flexing her fingers she delicately touched her exposed skin, causing Skuld to go into a fit of uncontrollable ticklish twitches. She opened her eyes to see Mist straddling her. She couldn't help but giggle uncontrollably as she was tortured.
"Please……stop……I …..surrender…!" Skuld uttered between giggles.
Mist calmly got off of Skuld, offering her a hand to sit up. Skuld accepted the hand and sat upright in the bed, swinging her legs outward, resting comfortably in a tight closed position.
" I never liked the way Rind woke us up during training." Mist explained.
"How did she do it?" Skuld asked, standing up and quickly dressing in her pink battle uniform.
"Oh, the usual way….Flipping on the lights, slamming the door shut and yelling at the top of her lungs, dragging us out of our beds if we didn't move fast enough." Mist reminisced.
"Oh…yeah, I think I prefer your way better." Skuld said finally standing in front of Mist.
"Are you ready to begin today's training exercises?" Mist asked.
"Yes." Skuld said eagerly as she grabbed her sword from its resting place beside her bed.
"No. We're going to study hand to hand combat today – Valkyrie style." Mist directed.
"Oh…um…okay." Skuld reluctantly put the weapon back down.
The two goddesses walked out the middle of the room and stared at one another.
"Okay, now punch me." Mist commanded.
Skuld stood there in denial at receiving her first command of the day.
"Skuld…I said…..Punch …. Me!" Mist said louder, more annoyingly.
"Um..Okay." Skuld responded as she pulled her arm back and launched it forward right towards Mist's chest.. Mist countered, by grabbing a hold of Skuld's fist and quickly twisting it clockwise, causing Skuld to flip horizontally in the air several times before landing on the floor hard.
"OW!" Skuld cried.
"Get up, and punch me again." Mist commanded.
Skuld hesitated a moment too long before Mist grabbed her up off the floor and threw her against the far wall.
"AHH!" Skuld cried out in more pain.
"Get up. Attack me!" Mist commanded.
Skuld got up off the floor and charged Mist at her top running speed. Mist tried to dodge the girl, but Skuld somehow knew that she'd sidestep to the left, and dove towards her legs, grabbing her ankles, forcing Mist to the floor. Quickly climbing on top of Mist, she straddled her, in an attempt to prevent her from escaping.
"Oh, you silly girl. Didn't know you liked it on the top." Mist taunted as she grabbed Skuld by her arms and rolling to one side, switching places with Skuld, as she laid helplessly glued to the floor by Mist's tight restraint.
Skuld struggled and squirmed, finally breaking an arm free, she slapped Mist on the cheek. The unexpected blow, took Mist off guard, and she collapsed down to the floor with the force of the blow, allowing Skuld to once again climb on top of her. Quickly Skuld began to pummel Mist alternating left and right hooks into Mist's chest and stomach. Mist tried to counter, by kicking her legs up trying to kick Skuld off of her. Skuld twisted around and grabbed her by the thigh and leaned forwards, forcing her leg to the ground. Mist in return grabbed Skuld by her hair, yanking as hard as she could. Skuld screamed in pain, as her neck whipped backwards.
Skuld didn't give into the pain, and leaned forward again. This time, with her lips just about touching her inner thigh, she opened her mouth as wide as she could, and bit down with all her strength.
"YAAAAAHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOCCCHHHHH!" Mist cried in agony, throwing the young goddess off of her, causing her to crash onto her bed upside-down.
Mist stood up and glared at Skuld, approaching the bed. But instead of attacking Skuld, she just sat down on the edge of her bed, staring at her with more friendly eyes. Skuld visibly relaxed and collapsed onto the floor, quickly standing up, ready for an imminent attack.
Mist quietly said, "Come, talk with me." as she patted a spot on her bed next to her. Skuld took her offer sitting down with her feet hanging off the bed. Mist turned towards her side to face Skuld, she folded her legs Indian style, placing her hands in her lap. Skuld quickly responded and did the same thing, so both girls could look at each other in their eyes.
"That was most impressive. I don't think I've ever been through so much pain, from somebody as untrained as you, Skuld." Mist complimented.
Skuld looked downwards and softly said, "I'm sorry."
Mist pulled Skuld's chin up and replied, "That was a good thing. There is nothing for you to apologize for."
Skuld just sat there stuck in a daze.
"Skuld?" Mist paused and waited for the young goddess to acknowledge her.
"Yes?" Skuld finally said.
"Tell me what happened." Mist asked.
"It's none of your business." Skuld defended.
"Yes it is. Now it is. You are harboring pent up emotions, and those very emotions are preventing you from reaching your full potential." Mist explained.
"Why did you kill those men?" she continued.
"I really don't want to talk about it." Skuld answered.
"Skuld…" Mist insisted.
"Why do you want to know?" Skuld answered defiantly.
"Because…. You fought….. ruthlessly just now. You did what you needed to do to break away…almost like you were in a panic. You know that I would never intentionally hurt you, Skuld." Mist explained. "Something horrible had to have happened for you to fight like this."
Skuld sighed in defeat. Mist wasn't going to give up until she had her answers. "It isn't fair." She said defiantly.
"What's not fair?" Mist asked.
Skuld sighed. "Belldandy has Keiichi …pretty much guaranteed to her. Urd, well, she's had her load of fun….but me…….I find somebody special, and ….he's taken away from me!" Skuld yelled.
"What are you talking about?" Mist inquired.
Skuld looked up at Mist and took a deep breath before beginning to explain.
"A few days ago I woke up while being kidnapped, later I was almost raped, and sold as God only knows what to some perverted freaks, and I almost died…twice. Luckily, Dirk came into my life. He saved me from those creeps; he even risked his own life to save mine." Skuld sighed again. "He made a wish…" Skuld trailed off, tears began welling up in her eyes.
"A wish? It was good, yes?" Mist inquired.
"It was wonderful." She said as sweetly as she could.
"He showed me true, unconditional love. Unintentionally, but it was true love……and I loved him back so much….." she began sobbing.
"We …. made…love…. …. passionate…..love…..he truly cared about me…." She put her hands up to her face, covering her face as she cried harder. "I miss him so much…his warm embrace." Skuld looked up at Mist. "Even though it was mostly Urd's doing to begin with…….and now……now…he's dead…..I'll never love anybody else again!" Skuld declared.
"You wanted to know why? Because those dickheads killed my love! That's why!"
"Oh." Mist answered softly as she watched Skuld ball her eyes out in tears. 'This is most serious….with her thinking this way, she'll never be able to activate the power within her again.' Mist thought.
"Skuld? Would you like to see where Dirk is now? Will that put you at ease….knowing that he's okay?" Mist suggested.
"No….what good would it do!" Skuld looked up, tears streaming down her face. It's forbidden that we cross over to that section of Heaven, and you know it…just as they have no idea that this section even exists."
"What if I told you….that there is a way?" Mist whispered in Skuld's ear.
"Huh?! Really?" Skuld exclaimed curiously.
"But, in order for that to happen, you must graduate this training, just as the contract states." Mist reminded Skuld.
Skuld wiped her eyes dry with her sleeve and stood up. "Okay then. I'm ready." She declared.
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"Mist. Come in." Rind said bluntly.
Mist walked into Rind's office and took a seat across from her. She looked at the Silver-Blue haired goddess eagerly.
"Okay, how is your student doing?" Rind asked.
"Already she has completed her first week of training, and I must compliment her on her performance. I think that she's ready to begin Training Field Work." Mist answered.
"You're that confident already, hmmm?" Rind questioned.
"Yes, I am. She's ready for it." Mist assured.
"Okay, after she proves it to me. Where are you keeping her locked up at?" Rind demanded.
"My usual office." Mist replied.
"Good. She's not expecting me, is she?"
"No, Ma'am." Mist replied.
"Excellent! Let's go. If she can defeat me in battle, that will prove that she's ready for the next level." Rind said as she stood up and walked out the door of her office.
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Rind opened the door to Skuld's bunker with Mist following close behind. Inside she witnessed Skuld performing an almost dancing ballet of combat movements with her double bladed sword, along with the occasional acrobatics.
"Skuld!" Rind shouted.
Skuld stopped in mid turn and stared at Rind.
"This is your first test. Attack me….if you can!" Rind said as she summoned her Axe.
Without another moment passing, Skuld changed her stance, and began to run at Rind at a full sprint. She leapt into the air and came thundering down upon Rind's body with her sword in front of her. Rind blocked Skuld's attack effortlessly, throwing the little girl to the side of the room carelessly. Skuld quickly got up as Rind marched over to where she way laying. Blocking Rind's blow she pushed back with all her might back into Rind's powerful grip, forcing Rind to close her arms to her chest. Fed up, Rind kicked Skuld in her crotch with her knee, causing the girl to collapse to the ground in pain..
"Okay, you wanna play dirty? You got it!" Skuld said after a passing moment regaining a second wind. She charged Rind from behind, tackling her feet, causing her to collapse to the ground. Rind kicked Skuld in her face, but Skuld was determined not to let go. She slid her way up Rind's bound body. Rind grabbed her by her neck, Skuld responded by biting down hard on her wrist and pulling, tearing flesh and leaving blood.
"You little….bitch." Rind said calmly. Giving her one more final blow to the head, Skuld had no choice but to release her grip on Rind. Rind stood up and grabbed her axe, walking slowly to the fallen girl, she lifted her arms up high, and swept downwards with her full force. Skuld saw the shot coming and jumped out of the way, leaving a large crack in the floor, where Rind's axe was stuck.
"Okay, have it your way." Rind commented. She chanted something Skuld or Mist had never heard before. Soon the entire room ran out of air, creating a vacuum.
"Rind…..you……can't…..do…..this….." Mist gasped with lack of air.
"Why not? I obviously won." Rind challenged Mist's judgment.
"Because….you used…..magic to…..defeat…..her." Mist replied collapsing to her knees. While Skuld laid on the floor unconscious.
"Damn." Rind snapped her fingers, and the room filled with air once again.
"Very well. She has passed the first test. Give her my congratulations." Rind said coldly as she abruptly left the room.