Chapter 11

And so, the training began.

If he thought that physics class was hard during his university days, he hadn't fathomed just how much he didn't know. From complicated science classes, history, scriptures, and mythologies, Keiichi studied it all. Hild was careful to tutor him with strict lesson plans. He hadn't even begun to understand his magical power either. She had no intention of teaching the man how to use his power yet. Not without the ideology required to be a ruler to the demons of her realm.

It was early afternoon in the demon realm when Keiichi finally fell asleep, his current book on paradoxes sufficing as a pillow. Hild sighed with a shake of her head. Unsure if she should simply let him rest there, or if she should wake him up, she considered all that her pupil had learned…and all that he had yet to comprehend. She had worked him hard recently.

"Xic, start a fire." She told the young demon who served her.

"Yes ma'am." He nodded, going about to warm the chilly room. "Would you also like the drapes pulled?" He queried, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. He was a slender lad, an orphan she'd taken in, but he was unsuited to anything more than a servant. Too young to work anywhere just yet, and too powerful to be ordered around by just anyone, she had to keep a careful eye on the boy.

His loss had been far too great, at far too young an age. His markings were well earned, but so too were his powers. It was an equal trade, but a horrible one as well that he'd had no choice in. "Of course." She told him, while considering those facts.

"Shall I get you something to drink?" The boy asked further, doing his tasks well.

"Yes, that will do nicely." Hild seated herself onto the sofa, and gave him a small nod. "Once you've done that, see to it that dinner is prepared, and then, draw a bath." She watched her servant part the dark colored curtains of Hild's main living room, the onyx wall beyond it was as that of a looking glass. There was nothing to gaze at just yet, but, Hild wasn't exactly fond of viewing anything inconsequential, either.

Instead, she sat in the quiet, warming herself by the fire, and considering Keiichi.

Even now as a demon, his eyes were so unassuming, and his gaze was that of innocence, well, as innocent as a man could be, she assumed. She looked to the boy, who was no older dapper adolescent, finding his way among the demonic hierarchy that so often scorned him. "Suppose Xic, if you would, that this man is indeed heir to the onyx throne. What might you say to that?"

Xic gave a bow, and then returned his eyes to the flames he coaxed from the wood. "I…I don't know." He said all too quietly. "I suppose I would follow your word as law."

"Ah, yes you would, Xic." Hild smiled at that. "However, why would you follow my word?" She asked him…it was true that she amused herself with demonic youngsters, especially if they had yet to discover their true power, or if they had far too much of it. "It is because of who I am, or, because my word is worthy of such devoted trust?"

Xic paused and bit his lower lip. His deep red eyes, the color of blood itself, made themselves visible when he removed his dark shades. "To risk being bold, I will say both." He folded his glasses and knelt down to the floor. "It is because you are the person who protects us, it is your guidance we trust."

"That's satisfactory." Hild replied, sighing when she looked back over to the sleeping Keiichi. "You are dismissed to begin dinner. Leave me with my student."

"Yes ma'am." Xic nodded, scurrying off to do what he was told. Hild took amusement with even that, because Xic was still a fairly young demon, and he hadn't yet the age required of him to see otherwise. He didn't fear her like most demons, and that was something she found to her liking. He was forthright, and honest…but, she knew his youth played a role in that. Even so, he was a useful demon to have around because he took pride in his perfection, and if anything, he always did her bidding well.

As she heard the kitchen begin to come to life, she knew she had time to expend. She stood, brushing her fingers through Keiichi's hair. "Keiichi." She husked in a low, smoky voice. "It's time to wake up, dear." She said to him, leaning in to send a soft breath of heated air across his ear. "Don't keep me waiting."

His eyes fluttered open, in spite of his greatest efforts to stay asleep, and what greeted him was nothing short of disturbing, her eyes glowing a deep demonic red, as if she were about to rip him to bits. "Gah!" He backed away, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as Hild stood above him, a soft smirk on her features. "Real funny." Keiichi said, a slight tinge of pink on his face.

"I thought so." Hild told him, not particularly minding one way or the other about his lament. "You fell asleep studying again. If you keep doing that, one day you'll find yourself in a rather compromising position."

"I don't doubt it." Keiichi muttered, having already been pinned under Hild more than once already...though thankfully she hadn't done anything, yet. Grabbing at his book, but Hild swiped it away.

"Enough with the recommended reading for one day." She replaced his book mark and pondered a moment. The man was uncanny, and in such a way, she found herself enthralled with his complete and total lack normal demonic recourse. Due to his nature, she dismissed it…he'd always lacked particularities. "Tell me, from your studies, what would you say creation is?"

"Err…" Keiichi closed his eyes, trying to search his frazzled mind for an answer. "A computer program?"

That earned him a chuckle. "Creation is everything, and yet, it is nothing." Hild told him. She meandered back to the sofa, and snapped her fingers, bringing up a good view of the earth "Are you familiar with the theory of evolution?"

"Well, the human theory of it." Keiichi shrugged. "I don't know if there's more than one or not."

"That's fine, we'll start with that." Hild replied as she poured herself a glass of liquor. "You see, Keiichi, many people believe in evolution, or the embodiment of some deity, and that's how they conclude the world. It's either blind faith that comforts them, or scientific discovery that encourages them." With a sigh she rolled her eyes. "If only humans could truly understand the complex nature that creation is, then they would see the truth."

"I'm starting to understand that it's really a mix of both." Keiichi nodded, only to hear Hild sigh at him in disappointment.

"That Keiichi, is a perfunctory way to think at best…childish at worst." Still, at least he grasped the basic concept. "Creation gives a place for things to exist. Without the evolution of that place, it would become stagnate, and eventually become useless. If you study earth as a small experiment of sorts, you'll begin to understand that creation is merely a catalyst. It gives reason for all that was, all that is, and all that will come."

"I've always wondered why I exist." Keiichi said to her. "Why was the star of misfortune over my head for so long?" Keiichi asked, as he put his hand on the cold stone that illuminated the very world in which he lived. "Why would the star of good fortune find me, if I was meant to be a demon?"

"You put far too much blind faith in fate." Hild laughed. "It's true good fortune found you, but how can you be so sure it was due strictly to the goddesses at the help center?" Hild asked him. "How can you be sure it wasn't payback? It could very well be an unfortunate thing. That you even had the chance to meet Belldandy and the other goddesses might simply be payback, and little more."

"Even if it does someday become unfortunate, I wouldn't regret it." Keiichi told her. "I'm happy to have been given the chance to meet her."

"That's good Keiichi." Hild agreed wholeheartedly. "Even at the expense of all else, hold the value of those you love. There is no payment that would be equal to that."

…

We're going to heaven again, Urd? Elegance sighed as she floated beside her master's potion table. Don't you think we leave a little too often?

We don't go often enough. Urd replied, having packed the bag she was so adamant about taking. Filled with enough dry ice and ice cream to keep Skuld happy was only a token gesture, but, it was all Urd could really do. If I didn't know any better, we would have moved up to heaven with her, but, I can't leave Belldandy alone yet.

Belldandy's fine. World of elegance sat up, now worried. Isn't she?

Urd offered a mild shrug. You talk to Holybell, what do you really think?

That forced the angel to pause in discontent, her brows furrowing. I think…I think that if Holybell is any indication, that everything will be okay here. World of Elegance wanted to believe that, but worry nipped at her. She's happy, Urd. She's found something in which she undeniably has faith. There was something though…something that had always seemed so easy to ignore.

Yes, but given the fact of just who gave Belldandy that gift, can you say you trust it? Urd asked then, the implication deeply lacing her words. Can we really trust the ruler of hell, a demon among demons, at her core? Urd shook her head. Can we trust Keiichi not to follow in her footsteps because of what he is now?

Those questions were all valid points. Elegance had to admit that. She also couldn't deny her own history, her origin a stark reminder of the raw power Urd spoke of. Urd, do you… That's what made this conversation so troubling. You don't suppose that because of that little detail, that you might, umm… The angel sighed, floating towards the window, gazing upon the early morning sky. There was no easy way to ask, and so she just blurted it out. Do you hate me?

Urd held a vial in her hands, stilling her potion making. No. You're my angel. I can't hate you. The reply was forced, but, it was all Urd would offer before the angel turned to look at her. The topic was uncomfortable, and she returned to the conversation about her sister instead. The truth is, I'm worried about Keiichi. I think Belldandy is all too willing to be blinded by her happiness.

I don't see that as a bad thing. World of Elegance said, playing along, falling into old habits that died hard. Let her be ignorant, if that's what she wants to do. It'll just give us a chance to make our move. Keiichi is a fine demon, as I've told you before.

Urd looked up, now having been provoked. That is exactly what I'm afraid of… She mentally hissed, feeling quite unsure where this was going to lead, but she didn't like it at all. People making moves…people toying with them…demons, playing with their hearts until there's nothing left. It made her sick just thinking about it. Keiichi goes to the demon realm for weeks, months at a time…time he isn't with Belldandy. Do you really want her to be alone here on earth, waiting for him by herself?

That caused World of Elegance to ponder her master's words in a different way. So, you'll leave Skuld in heaven for long amounts of time? The angel asked, folding her arms in dismay. She's lonely too, Urd. Lonely, and with no one to look after her…you know what that was like. World of Elegance protested with a shake of her head. You understand the solitude.

My sisters have put me in an awkward situation, but, I can't be both places at once all the time. I have to do what's best for me too, for us. She continued to conjure her latest work, but in a cloud of white smoke, it all fell apart when the elixir became unstable. What do you have concocting in your head now? You're making me lose concentration!

World of Elegance toyed with the white silk that so often covered her body when she wasn't entirely materialized. She plucked and fluffed at it, until she found the strength to look her master in the face. I'm half devil too, so, I'm not just an angel. I can't help that I'm just as selfish as a devil might be. I want a future, Urd. A future that isn't so quiet. I want a life that's our own, with all of our own happiness. Finally the angel said the most damning thing yet. I want that man…that man that so accepts us. If that makes me condemned, so be it!

There was no avoiding it, even as much as Urd wanted to. She could have ordered her angel to do some pretty horrible things, but, this was far more than her angel's normally aggravating behavior. No, I suppose you aren't able to completely cast aside particular feelings. Urd relented. Even if we were a full blooded goddess and angel, a heart denied is a dangerous thing.

So, do you hate me because of that? World of Elegance asked. Don't you hate what that implies!

Urd shook her head. It's my fault. I'm not just a goddess. Urd went on to say as she cleaned up the mess in front of her. Elegance, you're my angel…if I seem to harbor any residual resentment towards you, it's only because I know the truth. She locked away her bubbling works, and secured her important vials. I am not the goddess heaven wants me to be, and yet, I refuse to be the demon that my bloodline implies me to be. Earth is the one place that it doesn't matter. No one looks down on me here, or shakes their head in shame.

Is that why you stay? World of Elegance murmured, praying for an answer. Is that why you refuse heaven and hell so utterly? Why we live here, instead of returning to a proper place?

Urd didn't answer, but as an angel, Elegance didn't require one.

It took a moment for World of Elegance to digest the unspoken admission before fluttering away from the window to cling onto her master. Urd merely sighed. Enough with the waterworks. Urd commanded gently, brushing away the droplets of moisture that fell from her angel's eyes. My angel shouldn't be so quick to cry. Have a little backbone.

World of Elegance shook her head. You don't cry enough.

Urd didn't pay the comment any mind as she continued to dry her angel's eyes. Now listen, puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks may do wonders for some goddess and their angels, but it just makes us look like a mess. She took the time to pull a small vial of powder from one of her shelves. It isn't attractive, nor conducive to the real power we know we hold deep within us. She used it to return those rosy cheeks back to their normal angelic ivory. Now then, keep your head held high. It's what I expect you to do.

…

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Keiichi asked as he put away his bags, having arrived back on earth for a visit with Belldandy, who like the goddess first class that she was, always eagerly awaited him.

"Urd has always fought for acceptance." Belldandy said offhandedly. "In pursuit of it, I'm sure she's also managed to leave a void someplace in her heart about it." Belldandy had never known Urd to be fully happy with herself, or, with her status in heaven. "World of Elegance simply manages to latch onto such empty spaces, in an attempt to fill them. In response to Urd's need for approval, it makes perfect sense that Elegance seeks the same."

Keiichi nodded his head as he turned the page of the thick tome in front of him. "Ah, I get it." He said, a bit bored, as he looked up to see his beautiful goddess gazing at him. "You think Urd will ever find what she's looking for?"

"It's hard to say." Belldandy told him, as she reached forward to inspect the cover of his current task. "Urd wrote that, you know."

"The book?" He frowned, looking at the cover, but there was no name to be found. "I didn't know she had any skills in writing."

"She doesn't." Belldandy said with a soft laugh. "However, she has plenty of knowledge in the topic of paradoxes. She is the Norn of the past, so it's only right that it would come naturally to her." With a soft smile, Belldandy reclined back a bit on the bookcase she was leaning on. "I'd like to think Urd herself is a paradox in many ways."

"Have you written anything?" Keiichi asked, receiving a nod in reply. "Think I could read that, one day?"

"Heaven's law dictates that whenever a heavenly body falls in love with someone unlike themselves, that they keep a record of the events that take place." Belldandy shrugged, not particularly concerned with it one way or the other. In her mind it was much less the love story of the century, and far more just another fairytale hiding the truth. "You've no need to read it, as you are writing our history with me." She knew the outcome to this romance, though she truly ignored it as much as she could. "Besides, this is merely heaven's way to lay fear into a past that goddesses and gods of the future haven't experienced."

It was clear Belldandy didn't agree with it, but, he also didn't dig deeper. Something told him it was unwise to pry. Instead, he let his eyes drag themselves over her peaceful form, his mind wandering to less than savory places.

Seeing the woman he loved so at ease by his presence, and feeling that her angel was the same, gave him a reason to distract himself. He swallowed hard as he considered those soft lips against his own, his greed bubbling from within his very heart. He knew this feeling well, it was demonic lust at its finest. All he would have to do was release the aura from within his heart, and he could command the women of his home to do as he wished.

His power would also attract Urd, and what demon in his right of mind wouldn't seek her attentions?

Belldandy didn't like it when that happened, he knew, but it wasn't something easily resisted. If he released his power, he would end up forcing her to send a wind spell or two at him. Aggression never did appeal to her, even if she played her possessive role dutifully. Forcing himself to sigh, he returned to his book, trying to pull back the power that was seeping from him.

He was learning to control himself better and better by the day, but, it also seemed like agony to do so. She was right there, so close, he could very nearly imagine her speaking his name in a heated whisper, and he slammed the book he was reading closed. "Damn it." He growled, purely frustrated, as he considered what his power might invoke Urd to do to him...the prospect if being electrocuted to a crisp aside, he couldn't deny, he wanted to try just once. "What the hell is wrong with me?" He ranted to himself.

Within a moment, he felt Belldandy wrap her arms around him. "You don't have to use your powers to get my attention." She told him, having watched his struggle, feeling it within the very pit of her own soul. It reminded her of his mortal days, when he was so very skittish to even the most innocent touch. As a demon, he shouldn't have had any problems doing what he wanted, but, he was always mindful of her. "However, you also shouldn't hold them back if they become so powerful. Don't try to contain your nature for my sake, it isn't healthy for you to try to do that."

"I know I don't have to use it." He muttered, his mind still in a fog. "The thing is, it's tempting." He finally said then. "Really, really tempting to just let my power run amok." He was always so careful to keep his more undesirable traits under lock and key…at least as much as he could. He released an unsteady breath. "You have no idea what's going on in my brain right now." He swallowed hard. "It's so..." He shook his head. "So wrong!"

It was times like this, Belldandy had to meet him halfway and step out of her comfort zone to do so. "It makes me happy to know that you've missed me, just as much as I've missed you." She told him, trying hard to adjust her frame of mind. She wasn't prone to overt acts outside of the bedroom, but she sighed into his shoulder as she let her hands dip down, under his shirt, feeling his toned abs flex as her fingers caressed him, teasing him just enough without going overboard. "There's no shame in expressing one's love for another, Keiichi. Even if that love is filled with darkness and temptation, I don't mind."

Whatever tension that had been building up, angering him so profusely, melted away at her touch. He knew it took a lot for her to do things in a place where someone might unwittingly walk in. "Just when I think I have things under control, my mind starts toying with some of the worst ideas I've ever had." He muttered, a bit shyly at being caught by his own inward thoughts. "Sometimes, I think I should just piss Urd off, and let her beat the crap out of me...maybe then, my powers will take the hint."

It was the guilt within him that gave her comfort. "Urd will be leaving for heaven to visit Skuld soon. Then you won't have to worry about your powers afflicting her." She could alleviate his power influx with one simple spell, but Belldandy suspected that she should try a different method. "Tell you what, why don't we go searching for a hot spring nestled someplace away from prying eyes." She said to him as he eased himself into calm by her words. "I can pack a simple dinner, a blanket, and we can camp out under the stars. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

"Yeah." Keiichi nodded, sighing away the last of his anger. "Yeah, it does."