Chapter 10
10 am Monday Morning.
Sunday passed without incident. Skuld and Urd were once again engaged in one of their running battles to control the television. This time instead of a game of Goddess Poker they decided to go out into the courtyard and throw Skuld-bombs at each other and whoever got blown up lost TV rights for the day. Banpei and Sigel, the female robot Skuld built from a old junk shop's welcome doll, who kept avoiding Banpei's advances, were chasing each other around the temple. Sigel kept shooting her rocket punch at the amorous robot, and he kept dodging them. Keiichi was working on his computer which burned out yet another hard drive. This was the third one in three months. And Belldandy was once again in the kitchen looking through Western homemaking magazines trying to find a new delicacy to serve Keiichi. This was the morning that Lind and Peorth were to show up to help Belldandy to cast the spell and escort the gang to Heaven. But no one knew the exact time they were to arrive, so they kept themselves busy until they showed up.
It was a little after noon when it happened. Belldandy was in the kitchen preparing lunch, when she suddenly tensed up. There was a familiar stirring of energy in the air. Urd ran into the kitchen and said "You felt that, right?" Belldandy answered "Yes, the gate's opening." Both sisters dropped what they were doing and hurried outside into the courtyard.
They stopped next to Skuld who pointed into the sky towards the west. The clouds in the sky started to turn a purplish blue and the winds kicked up suddenly. All three goddess sisters stared at the sight, the winds blowing their long hair wildly. Lightning bolts flashed in the distance and an opening developed in the clouds. The center of the opening rippled and shimmered like the surface of a pond.
After a few seconds, an object appeared in the opening. It was hard to describe, but it looked somewhat like a Celtic knot with an empty space in the middle. It was the gate. The edges of the gate glittered with an unnatural sparkling. In the empty space, waves of energy flowed in upon themselves from the edges of the opening to the center. The lightning continued to flash as the clouds started to recede. The gate became much clearer as the clouds thinned. After about a minute, the clouds had completely disappeared leaving a completely blue sky. Two figures materialized in the gate. As they came closer to the opening, Belldandy could make out the silhouette of the figures. One was shorter, much more scantily dressed, and voluptuous than the other which was taller, slimmer and carrying a long handled ax that looked like a medieval halberd. The figures exited the opening of the gate and floated down to land softly in the center of the courtyard. It was Lind and Peorth.
Lind was the taller of the two. She was dressed in her Valkyrie battlesuit and carried her halberd in both hands across her chest. She had a stern look on her face as did all of the warrior goddesses of the Valkyries. Lind was a combat specialist. Trained to fight demons and defend heaven from all attackers. She had the reputation of being the most aggressive of the Valkyries and she also employed the most extreme training regimen. It was hard to understand how this goddess who was trained to fight could have such a beautiful singing voice. She was unique in that she alone employed two angels instead of the customary one that all goddesses possessed, but her angels were unusual in that they both had only one wing. Hence, her nickname, Lind of the Binary Angels.
Peorth was the more attractive. She was dressed in a revealing black outfit that resembled a bikini, but with a tank top. Over that she wore a brown harness/garter belt. She wore brown matching gloves, boots and garters that had undone clasps on them. Her hair was in a short pageboy with a long ponytail going down the middle of her back. Peorth was employed in the same job as Belldandy except she worked for the rival Earth Assistance Agency. Peorth's specialty was in "services." She was also qualified as a system administrator for Yggdrasil. Both Goddesses were First Class, but Peorth held the same type of license as Belldandy: Second Category, Unlimited. Lind held a First Category, Special Duty license as befitted her combat status.
Lind stepped up to Belldandy and her sisters, and said in a firm, clipped tone, "Belldandy, Urd, Skuld. It is good to see you again, although I wish the circumstances were more positive." Peorth added "Oui mon chere, Belldandy has been the talk of all heaven. Everyone's all a twitter about her defying the Almighty. I can tell you, he is not pleased."
Belldandy stepped forward and clasped the hands of Lind and Peorth and welcomed them. "Welcome back to the temple. It's been a while since you both were here. Shall we have some tea and discuss what's before us? Lind responded curtly. We can't stay too long. We need to get going as soon as possible, but a cup of tea would be satisfactory.
The goddesses walked back to the front door where they were met by Keiichi. He waved and shook the Valkyrie's hand. Lind's grip was firm and decisive. "Hello, Lind. I'm glad to see you. I remember you said you wanted to come back on your next vacation." Lind said " I did make that promise, but I've been really busy with the demon problems we've been having lately. Unfortunately, this is not a social call. We have a lot to discuss and little time to do it."
Peorth took one look at Keiichi, and floated over to him and put her arms around him in an smothering embrace. "Ke-e-i-i-i-i-c-h-i-i-i!, you're not going to welcome me back to the temple?" She nuzzled her face against his and cooed, " You didn't miss me?, I missed you! I'm still waiting to grant you that wish, anytime, cherie." Keiichi wanted to blow away on the wind. "Hello, Peorth." he sighed. She was about ready to plant a kiss on Keiichi when Urd cautioned her "Peorth, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Remember Belldandy's jealousy issues?" Sure enough, thunderclouds appeared overhead, a savage bolt of lighting struck the temple roof and blew a foot wide hole in the shingles. Belldandy stood there her ocean-blue pupils the size of pie plates, her lips set in a firm frown. Murder written across her gorgeous face. Peorth let go of Keiichi, but only after lingering just a few seconds in seeming defiance to Belldandy. "Hhhumph, she's no fun." Belldandy snapped out of it and acted none the wiser.
In the Tea Room Belldandy, Peorth, and Lind sat at the table while Urd floated nearby, Skuld and Keiichi sat next to each other, but the young goddess was still sore at him for bringing all this on her big sister. "You're gonna get it up in Heaven, Keiichi!" She said and stuck her tongue out at him. Keiichi shook his head and ignored her.
Belldandy opened the discussion, "Lind, how is this going to work? Lind said "The spell requires a special magic circle drawn according to these specifications. She waved her hand and a piece of paper with very complex equations and formulas written on it, materialized from nowhere. She handed the paper to Skuld. "Skuld, you are one of the best magic circle designers and mathematicians in Heaven. You're responsible for setting up the circle. It has to be laid out exactly as these formulas state. No deviation." Skuld beamed at her new job. "It's about time someone around here recognized my sheer genius!" She happily ran off to her room to do the calculations.
Lind continued "Now, here is the spell program." She waved another gesture and three more papers appeared. She passed them out to Peorth and Belldandy. "As you can see, this is a very high level spell. We will definitely need our angels for this one. There is only one chance that we have to do it right. Any mistake would be unfortunate to say the least.
"Once we get to heaven, I will escort you directly to council chambers. You should know that the entire company of goddesses is expected to observe this hearing. This is an unprecedented occasion. And the Almighty is very intent on revoking your license. I've been told that isolation is out. So you won't have to worry about that." Belldandy breathed a sigh of relief.
Lind went on, "But if you're guilty, it's safe to say that your license will be revoked. The question is for how long. He's hoping to get five years heaven time at least." Keiichi raised his hand. "Lind, what is my role in this and why was I asked to come along. I don't know what I as a human can do to help Bell." Lind looked straight at Keiichi and with all seriousness said " Keiichi, you are the most important part of this whole thing. You will testify to Belldandy's character. You're going to be the one who'll tell the Almighty and the Council about what Belldandy has done for you and how she has helped you since you've been living with her. While we will all have a role in trying to sway the council from passing sentence on Belldandy, it will be your statements the council will listen to most. If there was ever a time for you to convey your truest and deepest feelings about Belldandy, that will be the time. Do not hold back under any circumstances. If you truly love Belldandy and your statements reflect that, your feelings will come through and she will be acquitted.
Peorth was sitting silent during the discussion, but she then added her concerns. "One major problem with this whole situation is Lind. As you know, Lind has Level One Song Proficiency. But you also know well that when it comes to non-combat magic, her skills are...well...lower than average. This level of magic is well above her abilities." Peorth said her last sentence nervously ready to dive out of the way should Lind take offense. But Lind didn't flinch. " I do admit that I am the weak link in this whole affair. My magical skills leave much to be desired. I am a combat goddess, we in the Valkyries have no use for singing spells. But I'm the only other First Class Goddess with the required singing credentials. There is no one else qualified. All I can ask is that Belldandy and Peorth can cover for my weakness. I will give all I have to make this work, but I will need help in casting my parts of the spell." It pained Lind greatly to make this admission. She was a supremely confident goddess. The best fighter in heaven, but this kind of magic was lost on her.
Belldandy put her hand on Lind's shoulder. "This problem presents a challenge, but I have faith that you will do your very best. We all have shortcomings we must overcome. But only by hard work and support from people who care about us, will we achieve success." Lind looked at Belldandy, smiled and said "Thank you, Belldandy. With you helping me, I'll be all right."
It took Skuld two hours to draw the circle according to instructions. She borrowed every calculating device in the house including Keiichi's computer and soon had her room filled with arcane formulas and calculations. She had to convert ten-dimensional math into three-dimensions, take into account the difference in time calculations between Heaven and Earth and also make sure that the gate deposited them in the correct location. Keiichi stopped by to ask if Skuld needed any help crunching the numbers. She looked at him as if he had grown a second head and kept doing her work. He looked at her calculations and within ten seconds had gotten hopelessly lost. She was doing math that wasn't found anywhere on the Earth. Not even the most advanced graduate level math classes taught at NIT was equivalent to the simplest calculations that Skuld was working on. He had to admit, that even though she was annoying, immature, self absorbed, and incredibly moody, Skuld was a hell of a mathematician.
Belldandy walked up to Keiichi and pulled him aside. She had serious concerns on her face. "Keiichi, I'm nervous. I'm wondering whether I made a mistake in defying the Almighty like I did. So many things could go wrong. The spell could fail, you could be destroyed, and even if we make it to Heaven, I could still lose my license." Belldandy wrapped her arms around Keiichi and said "Hold me, for just a little while." Keiichi held his goddess, and spoke words of reassurance to her.
"Belldandy, there comes a time when people have to take a stand for their convictions. Standing up for what you believe is not an easy thing to do. If it were, everyone would do it. You love me enough that you would disobey an order from the Almighty himself. I am humbled and awed that you care enough for me to do that. Whatever happens, you have my word and my bond that I will always be with you. No matter what. The Almighty can take away your license, but he can't take you away from me. What's done is done, you can't go back now." Belldandy didn't say anything, she just held on tight to her man. She could once again hear hers and Keiichi's hearts beat as one. She took comfort from his reassurance. She drew on his strength and retreated into his warmth. Keiichi looked into Belldandy's face and kissed her on the forehead. "Hey, you're supposed to be the big bad Goddess First Class who could destroy the earth with one wave of her hand. And you're taking solace from a frail human like me? Something's wrong with this picture." Belldandy smiled.
Chapter 11
12:30pm Monday Afternoon.
The time came to work the spell and go to Heaven. Belldandy and the others went out into the courtyard where Skuld put the finishing touches on the magic circle. She was quite proud of her creation and didn't hesitate to let anyone who stood still long enough know how proud she was. While it looked deceptively simple, there were highly sophisticated calculations that went into its construction. It featured sub-circles around the edges for the goddesses and a larger space in the middle for Keiichi. Around the edges of the sub circles and the circumference of the entire circle were runes of a language Keiichi had never seen before. The circle was charged with immense power and even a human such as Keiichi could not fail to notice it.
Peorth cautioned Keiichi, "Whatever you do, don't step on any lines entering the circle, and once you get into the center, don't move and don't talk, we're going to need our best concentration and can't afford distractions. Focus all your energies and attention on our song. Nothing else. It will feel a little uncomfortable as the spell progresses, but you should be able to handle it. Now can I have a kiss for luck, Hmmmmm, Keiichi?" She slid uncomfortably close to him and he stole a glance at Belldandy. Bell saw what was going on and waved at him. "I guess that one little kiss won't hurt, Peorth." That's all that she needed to hear. She grabbed Keiichi and laid a real smacker on the lips. "Thanks, cherie, Hope you enjoyed that as much as I did." She tipped him the wink and took her place in the circle, hips swaying provocatively under her tiny bikini bottoms.
Keiichi took great care to not touch any of the lines as he entered the circle. When he got into the center, he turned to look at each of the goddesses as they took their places also. Belldandy was in front of him. Skuld was to his right, Peorth was slightly behind him on the right, Urd was in the same position on his left and Lind was directly to his left. He took one last look at Belldandy. She looked at him with eyes of pure love and confidence. He smiled back at her. With a flash of light, Belldandy, Urd and Skuld changed into their formal goddess robes. The very same robes that each goddess wore the first time they met Keiichi. Belldandy's, a long white with blue and gold sawtooth trim. Urd's, a royal purple, and black and gold trim. Skuld, a pink skirt and jacket with red buttons and a cape.
The courtyard was silent as night as the goddesses started the spell. Belldandy with her angel Holy Bell, led off with a rich golden soprano. Peorth came in next with Gorgeous Rose with a crystal clear alto, Lind came in third with Cool Mint and Spear Mint with a deep smoky tenor. And while they weren't required to sing, Urd and Skuld lent their angels World of Elegance and Noble Scarlet as well as their highly competent alto and soprano voices, respectively. The harmony of the five goddesses was exquisite. Keiichi felt himself being quite moved by the experience. His mind emptied itself of all thoughts and just concentrated on the beautiful harmonies these goddesses were singing all for his benefit. Lind's powerful tenor was clearly not the voice that one would associate with a goddess who fought demons and hellish creatures. Belldandy's and Skuld's sopranos were in perfect pitch as well as Peorth's and Urd's altos. Keiichi could feel the first hints of the spell working deep within him. There was a feeling of lightness that began in the pit of his stomach and radiated out towards his limbs.
A dome of power began to form over the circle and its inhabitants. The pitch and intensity of the goddesses song began to rise as the harmony remained in sync. Keiichi could see that all the goddesses forehead marks were glowing with a powerful blue-white light. He could see the runes of the circle mixing with the runes of the spell spiraling round and round over his head. His mind started to expand, wanting to break free of the constrictions of working in three dimensions. It began to hurt his head, but Keiichi continued to concentrate on the song of the goddesses. All five goddesses were singing with looks of joy on their faces.
Their song becoming more and more complex as the spell went on. His mind continued to change and reconfigure. It kept straining against the mental bonds that held it back. The pain in Keiichi's head grew until it matched the worst headache he'd ever had. It felt like someone drove a chisel into his head with a hammer. Still he kept focusing on the song, that beautiful, powerful song. The dome of power grew brighter. Almost blinding in intensity. Each goddess's marks grew brighter and brighter. The song was nearing its crescendo. Each voice scaled higher, the harmonies remained tight and precise. Suddenly at the point where Keiichi could stand it no more and he feared that his head would explode, he felt something give way in his mind. It was almost an audible snap, and the pain suddenly disappeared. But now his mind was working much differently now. He could actually understand what the goddesses were singing. Every word. He looked up at the runes floating over his head and he could read and understand them. Not only could he understand them, but with a mere mental command, he could see the complex mathematical equations that made up each symbol. It was very similar to the math he had seen Skuld working on as she was assembling the circle. He still could not perform that math, but he could see the exquisite and elegant equations that made it up. He marveled at the complexities of the song and gained new respect for the goddesses that were performing it. He found that if he shifted his vision slightly, he could see other dimensions. Dimensions that could not been seen by human eyes. He saw the Machiners, and other extra-dimensional creatures. The sights had been overwhelming to the point that he experienced a sudden release of power that radiated out from him.
At this exact moment, the harmonies of the goddesses slowly started to become disjointed. Notes started to go flat, parts were missing. The mystical runes became misshapen and unintelligible. The goddesses tried desperately to pull the unraveling song back together. There were looks of surprise and worriment on each goddess's face. The dome of power began to lose its structure as well as it's intensity. The goddesses forehead marks started to flicker, and one by one went out. The dome gave one final powerful flash and then collapsed, the runes disappearing into the sky. Keiichi and the five goddesses passed out all at once.
Chapter 12
Approx 3:30pm Monday Afternoon
It was another 3 hours before everybody was able to recover from the fallout from the spell. Keiichi was the first to awaken, and he went around to each goddess to check and see if they were all right. They awoke dazed and disoriented. Belldandy got up and looked at her man. "Keiichi, are you OK?, how do you feel?" She inquired, worried about the outcome of the spell. Keiichi reassured Belldandy "I feel all right, I had a bit of a headache but I did what Peorth told me and concentrated on the song and it helped me to get through." ,downplaying the splitting headache he experienced in order not to worry Bell. Belldandy gave a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're fine, at least your body's intact. I hope the spell worked because that was the only chance we had.
Lind got up and faced Belldandy looking ashamed. She said remorsefully, " I'm sorry, Belldandy. I tried to keep up. I was doing fine and then the calculations just got too far ahead of me. I know that you and the others were trying to cover for me, but I'm afraid that I may be the cause of the spell failing." She lowered her head in shame. Belldandy lifted Lind's head and drew the warrior goddess in for a hug. "Lind, you have nothing to be ashamed of. You tried your best. You met the challenge head on, and maybe you didn't succeed, but it's better to try your best in failure than to not try at all." That made the Valkyrie feel a little better.
The rest of the goddesses awakened. Urd asked "Well, did it work?" Belldandy replied, "I'm afraid not. The spell got away from us." Urd couldn't resist a dig at Lind. "Well, if Lind hadn't been over matched from the beginning, it would have worked. She has no magical skills at all. If there was ever a time that I regretted not accepting a Goddess First Class commission, it's right now." Eyes blazing, Lind drew her halberd. "Maybe I can't do magic as well as you, Urd. But I can take you down in a fight!," "You do NOT want to fight me, Lind!" raged Urd as she raised her hands to summon the lightning, but was restrained by Belldandy. "Urd!" She said angrily. "Don't criticize Lind, she did the best she could. This was a group effort, we were to support and help each other out, the spell was just too powerful and complex for us." Urd and Lind stood down, but continued to glare at each other.
Skuld started to cry. "Now my big sister won't be able to attend the hearing and she'll lose her license, and she won't be able to live down on Earth anymore and she..." Bell knelt down and comforted Skuld " We don't know that yet. There may still be a chance we can make the hearing." Peorth chipped in. "Well I don't know any alternative. We can't do the spell again. The gate won't open for a human."
Then Keiichi stood up and pointed to the gate which still hovered overhead and started to speak. It was the language he heard the goddesses use during the spell. "Ieyaches, Kobunotana, Parakecis, Lokinoshana. Arakunalete Boricheses." Translated, it meant,O Gate, the Guardian to the Heavens! The Portal between the worlds of Gods and Men. Bring forth your heavenly winds. Illuminate us with your light. Let the heavenly waters roll over us in a celestial stream. Throw wide your doors and open unto us. Let us ride upon the waves of spirit and power to arrive at our chosen destination. This I request by the power of the Light! The goddesses looked at each other in utter disbelief. They all asked the same question "Did he just request access to the gate?" In response to his command, the gate shimmered, it's opening rippling just like it did before Lind and Peorth arrived. The rippling gave way to the rays of energy collapsing in on themselves and then the gate portal opened. Urd remarked slack-jawed "I don't how he did it, but Keiichi just opened the gate." A beam of light streamed down from the portal, and five utterly confused goddesses and one seemingly transformed human stepped into it and were drawn through the gate.
The portal between Earth and heaven was a long wide tube of constantly shifting lights and colors. The tube's structure seemed to constantly change while also remaining the same. Written on the walls of the tube were words written in the language of Heaven. Rocketing through the tube, the goddesses were still wondering how Keiichi managed to open the gate.
Peorth was totally at a loss for words. "I just don't get it, how did Keiichi summon the gate, IN OUR LANGUAGE, none the less. Impossiblé"
Urd thought to herself "I didn't think Keiichi-boy had it in him, this could be very interesting."
Skuld thought " Now Keiichi's gonna get it, but I knew my circle was perfect in design and function. The utmost in elegance. I'm such a genius!
Keiichi broke in and asked "What are these words lining the tube?" Belldandy answered "Those are the spells that form the tube. When you get to heaven, you'll see them on every building." "Oh" Keiichi said and then he spoke some of those words as if he knew the language all his life. "A-tanosun, Pe-akansa, Ea-Ta-anisi, Ou-Al-LaCetee." "Now he's speaking the tube's spells. Strange" thought Belldandy "What happened to my Keiichi?" she wondered.
Though it appeared that the group weren't moving very fast, they were actually traveling many times the speed of light. Heaven was located outside the universe in a multi-dimensional plane all its own. The gate portal was the only way to access the domain of the Gods and Goddesses from Earth.
After flying for what seemed like ten minutes or so, the group reached the end of the portal. Ahead of them, the tube opened out into a wide open space that looked like part reception area, part border crossing. This was one of the anti-demonic measures erected to prevent demons and their familiars from attempting to enter Heaven. There was what looked to be a guard house with two stern-looking Valkyries dressed like Lind armed with halberds blocking the entrance. Lind led the group to the guard house. The taller of the two Valkyries approached Lind and requested ID's for all present. "Please have your party present your ID's." Lind raised her right hand and her goddess symbol appeared. The intricately designed marks served as identification. Unique to each goddess, the symbols represented not only the goddess's name, but also her class, license, restrictions, access privileges, job description and location of employment as well as her powers, predilections, and alliances. Each of the other goddesses followed suit.
When the Valkyries approached Keiichi, Lind stepped in to tell them that he was expected. "He is with us, he is attending Belldandy's hearing in council chambers." The shorter Valkyrie checked the list that appeared in her hand. It confirmed that Keiichi Morisato was granted access to the council complex.
"Hmm, she said. "We've never had a human up here before." Keiichi spoke to the warrior goddesses in their language. "I'm here to help Belldandy out in what ever way I can, I'm excited to see what Heaven is like."
The Valkyries looked at each other in confusion. "He understands our language?" Urd said impatiently, "Yeah, he does, it's a long story. Can we get going now?"
"Of course, everyone checks out."
The group was immediately teleported to the middle of the main thoroughfare of Heaven. Even though Keiichi had been prepared for this moment, the scene took his breath away. The city was immaculate. Clean beyond any human measure. No pollution or smog. The trees glistened with liquid light. The waterways were clearer than the most flawless of diamonds. The colors literally leaped out at him. It felt like his senses had been enhanced by a hundredfold. He could see and hear things that normal humans couldn't comprehend. He looked up into the sky. It was a constantly changing whirl of colors. One moment it was as blue as the sky on earth, the next it was green, the next it was red. Then it turned colors that were not found on earth.
He looked at some of the buildings. They were of all shapes and sizes, some reaching impossibly high into the sky, some only one story tall, Some floated in the air, others on the ground. Each building was the height of architectural splendor, with curves and lines not seen on Earth structures. All of them had the words representing the spells that maintained them written all over them. Keiichi could see the same kinds of words written in the sky. He even read some of them. "Hitachine, Malakutonos, Peletenekeechee, Arakunoteche." And while it all would have looked highly distracting, garish, and tasteless in human eyes. In Heaven. It looked perfectly natural. It was unobtrusive, and only presented itself if the watcher wanted to see it. It all worked. It was beautiful. A bird unlike any that Keiichi had ever seen flitted by and landed on his shoulder. It showed no fear of him, and its song was incredibly complex and enchanting and Keiichi understood every note. He held up a finger and the bird hopped on it, sang him a song as if welcoming him to Heaven and then flew away. That song touched the man.
And the people were the most interesting. They were all gorgeous beyond human standards. Even the Gods were extremely attractive. He turned to Belldandy to marvel at what he saw. And just like Urd had said, she was even more beautiful in Heaven than she was on Earth. Her long flowing hair was platinum blond. The clasp on her left ear that sealed her powers on Earth was missing. Her face glowed even more than usual. Her smile was even more innocent and even though she was a couple feet away, he could feel her love for him and for heaven even stronger than before. Everything about her appearance was ten times that of what she looked like on Earth. She looked at Keiichi and smiled at him. He nearly collapsed at the sheer power of that smile.
Belldandy said to him "Well, this is my home, what do you think?" Keiichi was about to answer but then realized that Bell's mouth hadn't moved at all, he was hearing her words in his mind. He tried to answer using his human voice but Bell put a finger to his lips. "No need to use your mouth to talk here. Just think of the words you want to say in your mind, look at the person you want to talk to and they'll hear them."
Keiichi said (through his mind) " You left all this to come and live with me? Why?"
She said "Simple, I love you. And did you notice, that you're not speaking Japanese or English. You're using the language of Heaven itself."That didn't seem to surprise Keiichi since he had so quickly learned the language, it was as natural to him as the languages he learned on Earth.
Urd came alongside Keiichi and said "I told you she looked even hotter in Heaven, how about getting a load of me, if you can handle it?" He turned to look at Urd and it took a supreme effort on his part not to grab her and ravish her in the street. While Belldandy simply looked even more elegant and wholesome, Urd had turned into lust personified. She had become even more fetching just as expected, but her raw sexuality washed over Keiichi like a tidal wave. His hormones were raging. "Must...hold...back!" Just the sight of Urd in her heavenly body played havoc with his libido. He could not look at her for more than a few seconds before he would submit and cause himself an embarrassment.
Apparently Heaven had the ability to take the qualities of each God and Goddess and amplify them a hundredfold. Keiichi made it a point not to look at Urd any more than he had to.
Keiichi and the goddesses walked along the street towards the council chambers. Belldandy said " Normally we'd just teleport to the chambers, but we're walking so you can see what Heaven looks like."
Keiichi said with a slight impatience, "We can sight-see whenever we're done. Let's just get this over with. It's really awesome to be up here in Heaven, but we do have business to attend to. Can we teleport to the chambers?"
Belldandy passed his request to Lind, who responded, "That's a good idea." She produced a small crystal cube from her right hand, and spoke some words into it. A shimmering light came from the sphere and enveloped the group. Keiichi felt a familiar lightness from the pit of his stomach again, and in a flash, they disappeared. Seconds later, they were at the Council chambers in front of a very tall translucent door. There were two more Valkyries with crossed halberds blocking the way. Lind approached and informed them of their presence.
The Valkyries stood down and let them pass. "The Council is waiting to see you. You may enter."
The door opened and they went in. The chamber was a very spacious rectangular room much longer than wide. It looked the size of a hundred football fields. The ceiling was higher than any building Keiichi had ever been. The entire space was bathed in white light, although there wasn't a light source visible anywhere. He looked up and literally could not see it. Along the length of the chamber on both sides was a seating area that looked like the bleachers of a stadium. And the entire seating area was full of goddesses. Thousands upon thousands of goddesses of all classes, categories and licenses. In all manners of colorful attire, some in colors Keiichi didn't even know existed. Some were dressed in long robes similar to what Belldandy and Urd were wearing. Others were dressed in revealing sexy outfits akin to Peorth. And they were all extraordinarily beautiful. Keiichi could barely keep his eyes in his head seeing so many exquisite looking deities. There was a palpable feeling of immense power that issued forth from the seats because of the presence of so many goddesses in one place. And they all had their eyes on him. So because they were all looking at him, he could hear every thought in their minds.
It wasn't a hopeless jumble of chatter that turned into so much noise, but Keiichi could hear each conversation simultaneously, clearly, and intelligibly. All he had to do was pick one and that exchange would become louder as the others would fade down. Some of what he heard was the usual goddess chat, whatever it was that goddesses gossiped about, but a most of it was talk about him. And it wasn't positive. "That's the human that Belldandy defied the Almighty over?" "He's so plain!"; "What a homely excuse for a human, Belldandy must have been nuts to fall for him"; "I'm glad I don't have a Second Category license.; If I had to go to Earth to contract with a guy that ugly, I'd resign." ; "He's a loser." ; "Belldandy needs to come to her senses and get rid of him. A goddess like her deserves much better than that!"
Keiichi didn't hear one comment that went his way. He thought to himself "Well, at least goddesses could be as catty and bitchy as Earth girls. He looked at Belldandy and said "They don't seem to like me." referring to the goddesses that were casting aspersions on him.
Belldandy said "They obviously don't think you can hear them. If they knew you could, that would quiet them down."
That gave a Keiichi an idea. He looked all around the room at every goddess and said, "Ladies, despite what you think, I can hear every word you're saying. And not only can I hear them, I can also understand them. Let's get this straight. Belldandy is my goddess and my love. I would do anything for her including giving up my life. I risked destruction to come here and testify on her behalf. None of you can do anything to take me away from her. And there is nothing that the council, nor even the Almighty can do that will diminish the love I have for her, so you can gossip all you want, but remember, I can hear you. If you have a problem with me, take it up with Belldandy. I'm sure that she would be more than interested in hearing what you have to say. Thank You."
Silence. Dead. Cold. Silence.
Peorth turned to Keiichi and said "Wow Keiichi, I didn't know you had it in you. You just shut up every goddess in Heaven right then. Some of them pretty high ranking. You've got balls, Monsieur. You just earned a ton of respect, not only from me, but everyone in here. That can only help you."
Emboldened by Peorth's comment Keiichi replied "I may be a wimp when it comes to everything else, but if it's Belldandy we're talking about, I stand down to no one."