A/N: This is a very sisterly chapter. There's a tiny bit of Keiichi, but mostly, it's about the two eldest Norns.

Chapter 7

Belldandy had returned to earth on her own, without Skuld at her side. It had only been a few hours for her, but for Keiichi and Urd, it had been weeks. Belldandy had done her best to look happy, and content with Skuld's choice. However upon returning to earth, she could finally sigh at the empty room her sister used to have. The house would be quiet now. No explosions, no yelling…no one to teach or coddle. No one that feared growing up.

"You aren't taking this as easily as I hoped you would." Urd said, consoling her lamenting sister. "Does it really bother you so much? Now that Skuld's out of your hair, you have time to do more things." She led Belldandy away from the empty room, and into the living area. Urd wasn't very good at making tea and cakes, but, she could certainly conjure them up with a spell or two, and did just that.

"Don't make it sound as if she was a burden." Belldandy said, remorse in her eyes. "Skuld meant well in everything she did."

"Skuld is over an eon old." Urd replied gently, cutting the simple white cake with a knife. "She's old enough to take care of herself." With the cake cut, and the tea poured, she couldn't help but watch as Belldandy sighed at the sweet confection. "I left the nest long before that."

"You were also very unruly." Belldandy said with a bit of a smile before it faded. "You didn't want parents looking after you." She sipped on some warm tea, and then looked over to Urd. "Skuld and I were different. We desired that attention and guidance. Mother worked so much, that I only had my tutors, or you, to look after me." She told Urd with a gratitude that couldn't be quantified. "Even after I'd lost so much in my youth, you were there to raise me when no one could."

Urd smiled at that. "It wasn't like I had much of a choice."

"You did. You chose to do things you didn't have to do." Belldandy said. "Thank you, Urd."

"Skuld will be okay." Urd continued, feeling a little guilty. "I understand that you feel responsible for her well being, but she isn't the child she used to be." Urd wondered if Belldandy would truly be aright without anyone to hover over. "Have you ever resented Anzasu for not having the time to raise you herself…without help?"

"I couldn't." Belldandy said with a shake of her head. "Mother has always done her best to ensure the best possible life for all of us." She warmed her hands on her mug, deep in thought. "However, that also means she must work hard." Belldandy knew that Urd harbored some resentment, but, she was also the oldest of the three of them, with a past she wasn't willing to let go of. "That's why as soon as Skuld was off the breast, I insisted that our parents should let me take some responsibility."

"Do you really still feel responsible now?" Urd sighed.

"Why, yes, of course I do" Belldandy told her older sister. "I'm sure it wasn't easy juggling my tutors, a small child, and their jobs…I wanted to help as much as I could." Then with a gentle smile, she put her hands over Urd's own. "Most of all, I wanted to be able to do for her, what you and my tutors did for me."

Urd laughed at that. "I told you to wait until Skuld was older."

"I didn't think she would attach to me so much." Belldandy said, her sadness returning, a distant gaze on her face. "That was probably the one time I didn't take your advice when I should have."

"No, it was probably better that you didn't." Urd said slowly in retrospect. "Skuld's always been a late bloomer…everything she does is delayed, but if you give her enough time to decide something, she'll normally do it on her own. That's just the way Skuld is." Urd took a drink of her spiced tea at that, pondering how many migraines her sister had given her. "She's nothing, if not as hot tempered as Anzasu is when she's fired up. I think being around you so much helped to even that out a bit."

"Mother can be a bit confrontational, can't she?" Belldandy agreed, and yet, she didn't find that to be too big of an issue. "When she has her heart set on something, there's no stopping her."

"It must be a family trait." Urd agreed. "You may not be as hot tempered as Anzasu, but you're just as driven and exuberant." Urd said she, resting her chin in the palm of one of her hands. "Father likes you because you're the golden child." Urd said. "The rest of the women in his family bite his head off, but you're always so loyal to him." That made Urd frown. "Speaking of loyalty, what are you going to do about that little detail down the line?"

Belldandy found the question alarming, and she was at a loss. "What can I do, Urd?" The middle Norn asked in reply.

Both goddesses perked up at the sound of the front door opening and closing. "Belldandy, I'm home."

It was amazing how such loneliness could ease away at the sound of Keiichi's voice. Urd watched as her sister greeted the man she loved, her earlier sorrow set aside for that moment. That calm, peaceful smile returned, and even if it went unspoken, Urd gave her sister a wink before she waved to Keiichi and left the room.

Urd? The half demon, half angel asked.

It's alright, Elegance. The goddess replied as she leaned onto the wall, her eyes slipping closed. I'm just tired of being alone, that's all.

...

In many kingdoms, females were normally the demure gender, and that was especially true for goddesses. While female demons often threw their power around in battles of dominance, goddesses normally didn't try.

It wasn't as if they couldn't, and there were a great many goddesses who were perfectly able to take on a god with a well-timed spell every now and then. The three Norns had witnessed their mother lose her temper on more than one occasion, and she was a force of fury never to be provoked. While some goddesses were quite liberal with their tongue, and had no qualms about tossing around magic at whim, most of them simply chose not to do so, as it went against their very nature.

Gods who chose a monogamous relationship were often very possessive, and as such, claimed passive goddesses who would never defy them as a result. Gods who chose to sleep around, tended to choose goddesses interested in doing the same. The heavens were generally a peaceful place, and as such, there wasn't much of a need for either side to get particularly cross with one another.

Demons were quite a bit different.

They didn't bow down to conformity, nor gender role. It wasn't uncommon to see females calling the shots in relationships, and in their work. A darker nature appealed to them, and as a race, demons were unapologetic in their offensive behavior. As such, they were also much more willing to engage in promiscuous activities, no matter who it was with, or the reason why.

This especially held true to male demons, who by nature, attracted suitors by the power they expelled from their bodies…a natural aphrodisiac. It didn't help that the stronger the demon, the more he craved the attention of others. If a female demon had any hope of keeping a male in his rightful place, she had to be powerful enough to do so…and a little bit of territorial aggression didn't hurt either…though it was just as well when demons weren't possessive of each other, as it often meant more for them in personal gain, and demonic exploitation.

Unfortunately for the household, Belldandy wasn't the type of goddess to blast her lover with a bolt of lightning, just for the sake of her own amusement.

"Would you please do something?" Urd finally snapped, she couldn't take it anymore. "He's driving me crazy." She could hear her angel all but purr when Keiichi passed by in the hall again. She was acutely aware of the fact that there was only one male demon in the greater japan area, and he was owning the very ground he stood on. "I wonder if he swallowed too much lust or gluttony last night…"

Belldandy looked up from her knitting. "Whatever do you mean?" She asked, quite confused. "I don't sense anything's amiss."

"Belldandy, think about it. Keiichi isn't mortal anymore." Urd growled from between clenched teeth when he passed by again. "His demonic power is driving me absolutely insane." To drown her libido, she gulped at her sake, and tossed up another barrier around herself. "If you don't do anything about it, I'm going to go cram a depth charge up his ass for you."

"Now why would you go and do that?" Belldandy closed her eyes, trying to detect what was going on. It took a moment before it dawned on her. "Oh, that!" Belldandy supplied, covering her mouth with her hand as a mild blush crept across her cheeks for not noticing sooner.

"You didn't notice?" Urd couldn't believe it, and rubbed the top of her forehead. "With all of the posturing he's doing, I thought you of all people would notice it."

"Of course I noticed, however, that is what he's supposed to do." Belldandy giggled with a nod. "Don't you take comfort in knowing there's a proper male around the house now?" She asked, as if that somehow made the situation all better.

It didn't.

"I'll tear him apart!" Urd hissed, curling up into a ball. "You're a full blooded, mild mannered goddess, of course you feel comforted by him." She hadn't felt such strong power in a long time…though, in her defense, she also hadn't had a partner in several hundred years either. "I'm not such a nice goddess, Belldandy. I'm far more vindictive…and if he doesn't cut that out, I'm going to let World of Elegance harass the hell out of him till kingdom come!"

"Alright, Urd. I'll take care of it." Belldandy sighed, she expected this to happen sooner or later, as it was the natural order for things…yet even so, she wasn't exactly sure how to talk to him about it. "I thought we might have more time before this happened. His power is unusually strong for his age."

"Just deal with it, promptly!" The eldest norm merely scowled, drowning her sorrows, and hoped the desire to take Keiichi for herself went away soon. In truth, she wasn't entirely sure she could keep World of Elegance at bay for much longer anyway.

The man in question was currently working on his newest blueprint for a car he wished to manufacture. It was one of his greatest joys, and since he was so at ease during such a time, it made sense that he was also expelling his power as a result. Just entering in the room, Belldandy felt his presence wash over her, and as the goddess first class that she was, she responded accordingly to the traditions.

She bowed to him, just as she would for any lover in the heavens. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but, may we talk?" She voiced worriedly, her eyes low to the ground, and her entire being submissive, waiting to be greeted.

"Yeah sure." He turned around, instantly he frowning when he saw her. "What's wrong?" He asked her, feeling the conflict that she had yet to voice.

"Nothing's wrong." She told him, only now raising her eyes to meet his gaze. "Did it appear as if something was?"

"Belldandy..." He sighed, unsure of how to get her to stop being so docile. Whenever he so much as looked at her, she seemed to start giving him more than ample attention. It was interesting at first, but now, it started to worry him. "You're doing it again, and you don't have to."

"I'm sorry Keiichi." She smiled, forgetting that he wasn't fond of being on the receiving end of continual praise, as most men might expect of their lovers. "It's just a conditioned response, I can't help it." She explained. "Goddesses tend to give reverence to all males within their household, unless they've been invited to do otherwise." Sitting down in front of him, she took his hand in hers. "Although, that is why I should probably warn you, your powers are growing stronger."

Keiichi nodded. "I gathered that." He pointed toward the wall where several holes had been made. "Want to tell me how I've pissed Urd off this time? She keeps trying to hit me with spells."

"Hmm…I think you're misunderstanding." Belldandy said slowly, trying to make sense of that. "Urd isn't exactly reacting negatively." She struggled at first, before just blurting it out, for a lack of anything better to do. "Demonic women tend to get a little...well, I guess you could say they get aggressive when they're interested in a suitor. She is half demon, so…" Belldandy trailed off, looking away.

"Belldandy..." He sighed, seeing the worry that she tried to hide from him. "Don't do that, please." He scratched the back of his head at a loss. Her eyes were pools of confusion, and something else. He wasn't exactly sure what it was, but, the color around, exuded that of jealously. "I love you, Belldandy." He said then, looking back at the holes in the wall. "I don't love Urd...not romantically."

"I know, Keiichi." Belldandy replied, taking comfort in his, and what she knew was truth. "I understand that this is just a demon's nature, but, it's doing terrible things to Urd. She's quite unhappy to know that you're turning into a virile demon."

It took him a minuet to process those words, but once he did, his mouth went dry. "Wh-what!" Keiichi shouted dumbly, backing away about. "How could you guys know something like that!?" He found himself letting go of the book that he'd been holding, dropping it on his foot as a result.

"We're goddesses." Belldandy said with an understanding, gentle smile. "It's in our nature to know…just as it's in your nature to know particularities about us. You're probably not strong enough to really understand a goddess yet, but you'll get there in a few hundred years or so."

"Then what am I supposed to do about it?" He cringed, not entirely wanting to think about it.

"There's only one thing that we can do about it." Belldandy said resolutely, her eyes meeting his. "Forgive me, Keiichi, I've got to start taking more control over you." Never before had he felt such a strong wind come from her hands, aimed at him. It sent him tumbling over, onto the floor, his head knocking into the desk because of it. Dazed, he slowly drifted into sleep.

It pained her to see him so easily knocked out, but with a sigh, she knew it had to be done. She tucked him into bed, and kissed him, murmuring an apology one last time as she left him to rest. From the other room, Urd finally sighed a breath of relief. The power that was teasing her was gone, even if it was only temporary. "Thank goddess." She said, able to finally enjoy her afternoon without the buzzing in her head.

"Well, that was unpleasant." Belldandy thought aloud, coming back to do her knitting. "I trust that took care of whatever seemed to be troubling you?"

Urd nodded, but the two of then knew the truth. "You'd better get used to it…he's going to be a tough one when he gets older."

Belldandy paused, briefly considering Urd's words. "I wouldn't say that." Belldandy replied slowly. "Even if his dark powers are problematic, I trust him." She went back to the calming task, knitting the blanket she'd promised Skuld, when she looked up at her sister with a blush. "Keiichi would never betray me, in spite of his power."

"How can you be so sure?" Urd asked, truly concerned about that. "He's a demon at his core now. I know what kind of temptation that drips into his soul. It's not easy to get over that drive, it's worse than any addiction you can think of."

"I don't believe he's all that different than before. Even as a mortal, he had to search inside of himself to do the right things. He's always persevered, I can't imagine that would change." There was something else too, and it gave Belldandy immeasurable comfort. "A moment ago, he was a bit shy, skittish, and reserved." Belldandy smiled fondly in recollection of times that had slipped away far too quickly for her liking. "That alone tells me all that I need to know about Keiichi."

As if the wind whispered to Belldandy again, she nodded. "I know because of his soul, Keiichi will be a faithful lover, even if he is a demon."

…

It was so very seldom that the angels would receive visits from their friends, so because of that, since their time on earth, Holybell and World of Elegance, who were already naturally close as siblings, were so much more now. For so long, they hadn't had anyone else to speak with. Unlike their masters, who'd made many friends on earth, Holybell and World of Elegance had to stay out of sight from the humans.

Because of that, there often times they'd wander off. The world around them was a beautiful, lush place, and even though, angles needed their master's blessing, Urd often relented, at Belldandy's behest. The two angels were released to play amongst themselves on moonlit evenings, when no one would look at them. Walking in the forest and taking in the sights, gave both of the angels reprieves and solace.

"She had the audacity to tell me that she shouldn't have swallowed me." World of Elegance said, explaining her most recent confrontation with her master. "I mean really, what was I supposed to say to that!"

"You know, Elegance, you shouldn't be so disagreeable to Urd." The blond angel said. Blessing withering flowers with angel dust to renew their life for a short time, she took the time to grow some grass in the patches of earth that had none. "Urd tries her very best."

"Well, she does do that." World of Elegance smiled, floating just over head, blessing the sleeping fauna. "I just wish she could be more accepting of herself." With an offhanded sigh, found a squirrel gazing at her, and picked him up, holding him in her hands. "Just because Urd has demon blood, doesn't mean she'll turn into a demon. Everything would alright if she accepts it…yet, she can't."

"I'm glad that she can show her true self to someone." Holybell said then with a smile. "She needs that little push every now and then, and I'm glad she gets it from you."

"I wish that I could be so thankful." World of Elegance said then with a frown, petting her new-found companion as it chattered contently. "I may be her angel, but I don't know how to get through to her. She just doesn't understand."

"You'll get there, all you need to do is have a little faith." For an angel such as Holybell, it didn't seem so difficult to do, but she knew that World of Elegance was a different creature by nature. "It would be easier on the both of you to just hash it a bit, bring out your true feelings."

"This coming from the angel that was loved from the very start." World of Elegance sighed, rolling her eyes. "Urd took one look at me, and she screamed in terror." The angel frowned, closing her eyes, and swallowing down the deepest wells of emotion. "She gazed at me with such innocent eyes, and I thought I'd finally found someplace to belong." Elegance shook her head. "All I seemed to do was frighten her as a child."

"Far be it from me to dictate how you guide your master, but, I often wonder if you're too considerate of her feelings." Holybell said, as she too, began to float just above the treetops. "The reason Belldandy and I get along so well, is because we can be open and honest about everything." She gave her sibling a sideways glance. "Urd hides from you, and you let her."

"Well, we do have to abide by their rules." Word of Elegance said bitterly. "Urd doesn't enjoy having me around, so like the good servant I should be, I keep myself out of sight and mind when I'm not needed."

"Well then, perhaps you shouldn't taunt her so much." Holybell laughed a little. "I understand that the demonic side of herself has no outlet except through you, but, try talking to Urd."

Finding a suitable branch, World of Elegance put down the squirrel. "Just what would I say to her, Holybell?" The angel asked, she covered the sleeping animal with a blanket of her own feathers. "I'm sure she's still terrified of me, of what my black wing signifies of her soul. I'm a nightmare in her eyes." With a sad look at the edge of her gaze, she found Holybell's accepting smile never seemed to change. "I won't apologize for who we are at our core. I don't mind that I'm half devil…and I even like that I am, because it's who she is."

"Urd isn't asking you to apologize for that." Holybell ran her fingers through the raven black hair, and darker than night feathers of her sister. "You are a beautiful angel, just as she is a beautiful goddess." She gave her sister a hug, and a gentle sigh. "It's only through hardship that people realize their true potential, and sad things happen for good reasons. You and I both know why she hates demons, and it has nothing to do with you."

"It has everything to do with me." World of Elegance sighed desperately. "With that side that she refuses to acknowledge."

Holybell nodded, pulling away from her sister as she continued down the pebble laden path. "Urd must learn to forgive the past, and Elegance, you must learn to forgive yourself." The blond angel looked up to the stars in the sky, marveling at their radiance. "It's time to let the wind kiss away the ashes of the past, don't you think?"

"That's something for Urd to decide." Elegance replied distantly. "I can't force her."