Chapter 24
Five hundred years had come and gone…it was a terrifying experience, and nightmarish for all who dared to think of it.
Time was a slow ebb, one that never seemed to end. There were a great many wars, trials, and near misses...moments when earth found itself on the brink of total destruction. The very universe seemed suffocating, as if a meager heartbeat was simply too much to ask. The race of man had nearly died out several times, but each time they faced the nearness to the end, they'd come back stronger than ever. With the colonization of several planets in full swing, Mars was not the only one to harbor human life, however this brought planetary war, and without divine intervention, all would have been utterly lost.
Change was upon them like violent waves, and everyone felt the revolutionary turning of creation. The hells rebelled from strife with their own fury, while the heavens waited with baited breath to come to some sort of unanimous conclusion. The council underwent strict reforms twice as a few of their leaders disappeared without a trace. Some who didn't disappear had no use, and fell into their own realm of lunacy. It became simple acceptance that those souls would never be reached, left to drown within their own stupor.
With such catastrophe afoot, Tyr's proclamations fell like glass around his feet, and try though he might, heaven was not going to be so willing to listen to reason. The council was less willing to unify by the day, and to make matters worse, the offices were little more than vocalized battlegrounds. As far as the heavenly council seemed to be concerned, Urd was unfit to take Tyr's place and Belldandy wanted no part of it.
In the shadows, Lind trained Skuld, in spite of Tyr's desperate wish for Lind not to do so. Thusly, they kept that little truth hidden from even Tyr himself. In the midst of the difficulty the heavens and hells faced, Belldandy and Keiichi endeavored to keep their children well away from the mounting tension…though even the household lacked the peaceful days from long ago.
They'd lost count of how many years they'd been together, and though Keiichi was a proud father, he still had yet sire a son. Strongly, he coveted one, but it was not a desire Belldandy had yet been able to grant. With three beautiful daughters, two of them demonic in nature, he was not unhappy with his lot in life…but as a demon, he could not find solace in merely daughters.
He desired a son, craved it so desperately, he enamored himself with the implication often.
Keiichi sighed dejectedly as he sat in the throne room at Hild's side. They were busy, taking requests and offerings from the public. Normally he took great joy in the praise, as it appealed to his growing ego, which, among the demons was one never to be questioned. His greatness was not to be taken lightly either, because he was starting to become everything Hild expected him to be, and more, when it truly counted. She found this befitting, as the man had always plenty of gull.
Even as a mere human, he maintained integrity, and knew little of respectful fear...as a demon, such a mindset was fortunate to have. For one such as Keiichi, who would require forthrightness to take over the throne, even as he greeted the people, his emotions were clear. He was disinterested in platitudes, and only seemed to rouse himself when a plea for help found his ears. The peoples of creation would come to respect the trait in time.
She smiled at this, as the line dwindled. The final visitor for the day was not from a demon expected to bow before the ruler of unholy lands, rather, she'd come to visit her. "Guess who!" The demon said, looking a bit shy as she peeked beyond the thick obsidian door. Curious to see if she happened to be interrupting anything, she examined the room for a long few moments.
Hild already knew, of course, as none of her usual subordinates would toy about in her presence. "I haven't a clue." Hild replied with a shrug, playing along.
"That's not fair." Stepping through, she stopped at the edge of the stairs, a grin on her face. "You have to guess, or it isn't any fun."
"Megumi, what a pleasant surprise." Hild said, standing and stepping down from her place above all who might have entered the room. She crossed the threshold of hidden traps easily, and then, hugged her granddaughter. "Did your aunt bring you down?" Hild asked, knowing it was a longshot at best.
"Aunt Urd?" Megumi made a face. "Get real."
"I suppose that would be too good to be true, wouldn't it?" Hild relented with a nod.
"She's still got a stick up her butt or something." Megumi said as glanced around the throne room. "I just don't get why she refuses to come down here. Everything's just so cool." She was fond of the opulence found within these walls, because it was so sunning, and a far cry from anything she would ever see on earth. "I mean, why wouldn't she come for tea at least?"
"That's just her way." Hild said, brushing off the question with measured ease. "Just as it is your way, my dear, to covet that which you see before you."
"I don't know, it just seems kind of strange, that's all." Megumi told the woman. "Hmm, you know, you just might have better luck if you hogtied her and brought her down yourself." Then, a dark grin appeared on her face. "Or, make dad do it…"
That thought, while highly amusing, wouldn't work. "Now wouldn't that be absolutely delightful?" Hild said then, a smirk on her face as she considered that such a plan had come from the little girl. Simple, and a bit brash, perhaps, but entirely befitting of her nature. "I'm afraid that such a brazen tactic simply wouldn't go over too well. Goddesses rarely visit little ole me."
"Well, last time one did, you tried to seal her." Megumi reminded the woman. "Mom's still upset that you tried to seal Aunt Skuld, by the way."
"Oh, is she now?" Hild shrugged, not particularly bothered. It had all been in good fun. "Well, I did warn them that I couldn't exactly guarantee her safety."
"You can't try that anymore." Keiichi said, pulling himself from his thought finally. "Belldandy told me she would seal me in the cookie jar if you try that again."
"Told you she'd be ticked off!" The girl said, sticking her tongue out at her father.
"I can't control what your grandmother does." He sighed at length. "If I could, I would have let Mara out of the ceiling fan ages ago." He pointed to the demon, who'd been stuck there since her argument in with Lind, twirling around and circles with no place to go. The talks hadn't gone well, and even after five hundred years, Mara's plea bargaining, which was little more than a mockery to most in the law offices, landed her a doubled sentencing that was still undergoing trial.
Of course, it didn't help that the heavens had gone through two total reforms, and thusly, two completely sets of jury.
"Oh, she's fine, Keiichi." Hild said, gazing up at Mara, who looked rather ill, and very dizzy. Satisfied her punishment was working, she grinned to Megumi. "So, tell me more about how angry Belldandy was." Hild said, changing the topic to one far more interesting.
"Nothing to really tell." Though Megumi didn't yet realize it, Hild was administering a test.
"It happens so rarely." Hild replied then, trying to sound innocent. "Did she yell?" There was a great deal riding on Megumi's answers, or rather, the joy she took with them.
"Mom doesn't do that." Megumi said thinking a bit. "She gets very quiet." Megumi said slowly, scowling a bit as she thought. "Sometimes mom goes off into the woods, but normally, if you have to question her mood, it means it would be better if you don't." Then, something else came to mind. "She did swear though…only once, but she did do it!"
"Oh, she was quite angry then." Hild laughed enjoying in the story. "Too bad, I would have loved to hear it."
"I hope I'll never have to hear it again." Keiichi finally said, turning to Hild. "Belldandy and I agreed, Megumi's old enough to begin formal training from a tutor, but if she's to travel down here, she needs supervision to arrive safely." He gave Megumi a hug in welcome. "Skuld is to be left alone, since Urd wouldn't dream of stepping foot in a portal to come here just for that."
"Yes, that's true, isn't it?" Hild sighed. "Such a troublesome daughter…won't even come to see her own mother, what a shame." Hild did agree though, she could put easily put off terrorizing Skuld, if she knew her granddaughter was going to come down for proper training. "I guess I'll simply have to agree, now won't I?"
"Yes, you'll have to." Keiichi nodded, more a direct statement than anything else. It was Belldandy's one stipulation, and Keiichi dared not test her on it. "But, more importantly, I've got to go sign Meg up for intermediate level potions training, and novice combat."
Hild raised an eyebrow at that. "Little Meg seemed to understand potion making, does she?"
"Urd's been teaching her." Keiichi said with a roll of his eyes. "House rule is no playing with things that can blow up, but they both manage it anyway."
"Sounds about right, a family trait, I fear." Hild replied offhandedly, suppressing a laugh. The look in Keiichi's eyes stated he had already figured that part well enough. She dismissed it entirely. "Regardless, Urd's probably the best potion tutor you could come by, besides myself, of course. How is Megumi's magical affinity?"
"You don't want to know." The child said, looking up at her grandmother with a bit of embarrassment.
"Well, you do have some, don't you?" Hild asked, now concerned in more ways than one.
"Hit and miss." Keiichi reported, however, his tone spoke of everything. Hild could tell it wasn't going well at all. "Urd says she'll handle that too, when the times comes for it." With a bit of a gulp, he shrugged. "We're still at the stage of getting a bolt to levitate, without it suddenly becoming a projectile."
"So, she has power, yet lacks control." Hild tried not to show the inward grin at the household's expense, she knew exactly where that would lead. "I can't say I'm surprised, she is of unusually strong ilk, I would say projectiles are a blessing. We can deal with that, at least." With that, she took a great joy, but also knew she had to offer Keiichi a fair warning for everyone's safety. "Tyr and Anzasu are very powerful beings within their nature, so Belldandy's bloodline is without question, much stronger than many would give her credit for."
"I was afraid you'd say that." Keiichi muttered. "Belldandy seemed pretty worried when one of the bolts crashed through a wall like an oncoming bullet."
Hild only nodded. "On the other hand, when you took in the pill I gave you, you inherited my strong bloodline as well." It would be a thorny situation indeed. "You're still growing into your powers as well, so it's hardly something you can understand." She tried to think of how to phrase it, coming up short. "To put the matter simply, Megumi's powers will easily be comparable to Urd's, if not stronger, once she's fully grown. She won't be limited to a second class license like Urd."
It only took Keiichi a moment to register the exact meaning behind that. "Crap."
That was a drastic understatement, but Hild decided to let that slide. "I'll think I'll go to the training board with you, and let them know just who exactly they've got coming in." Hild said, and then paused to think. "She's going to need more than just an average tutor. Even Urd will be ill prepared to deal with quite a bit of her training."
"You can say that again." Keiichi muttered dryly, recalling several incidents that he would have much rather not have been privy to.
"First of all, this won't do. No granddaughter of mine will be prancing around here with those clothes." She said, gesturing to the white and gold dress Megumi had on. "Let's amend this, shall we?"
"Um, okay." Megumi shrugged, while Keiichi blanched. There was no telling what Hild might do.
Flawlessly and easily, Hild amended the color of the garb. The dress changed to a gray floral pattern, the petals tinging red. For good measure, she left the gold neckline, but with a sweep of her finger, she shaped it into a short plunge. It wasn't nearly enough to show off anything, as there was nothing yet to show, but it was the trademark of the women who would grow to be dangerous beauties.
"Mom would freak if she saw this!" Megumi said, looking at herself in awe. "Wow…this is so cool…" She turned to her father. "Can I start wearing stuff like this at home?"
"It would probably be best if you didn't." He said after some thought. "Here, it shouldn't be a problem, but, when we're on earth, try to be a little conservative." It was a failing endeavor, yet he had to try.
"You're not one of heaven's own, my dear." Hild told her with a wink and a wag of her finger and she gave Keiichi a disapproving look. "Flaunt it if you have it. Plenty of goddesses do the same, including Urd." The girl was aging quite nicely. She had inherited Belldandy's beauty. Megumi was a slim figured girl, but with her hair as dark as night, she was far more gorgeous in Hild's opinion. "One final amendment." Hild said, adding a small slit in the side of the dress, and then, making it a bit more figure friendly, having it gently hug the girl's curves. "Yes, that'll do nicely."
Keiichi sighed. "Belldandy is going to kill me."
"That's the beauty of it!" Hild rejoiced. "You have a doublet, Keiichi. She can't." In truth, she knew the worst Belldandy might do was seal the poor man, but that too, would at least provide Hild with mild amusement.
"I'll be in the cookie jar for a few hundred years then." He sighed with a shake of his head. "Come on, let's go."
…
"What's got you so bothered?" Skuld asked as she entered their shared apartment up at the law offices. "Did you get into another fight with Keiichi?"
"Oh, it isn't anything like that. Keiichi and I don't particularly fight. You see, I simply seem to strongly disagree with his ideas, and he often feels the same towards me. We hash it out, but We don't actually argue." Belldandy replied slowly, her eyes focused on a wad of paperwork that had her totally and completely baffled. "Not like others might, in any case." She said, looking up at her mother as she said it.
Skuld got the implication, but it didn't comfort her. "Last time you two 'strongly disagreed' as you put it, you ended up blasting him so high into the air that he landed in a nearby city." Skuld retorted, now more than just a little worried.
"He was lucky I didn't send him to the moon, and that time wasn't an argument. It was because he was having a few issues." Belldandy said then with a sigh, she knew her little sister wouldn't really understand. "He's a demon now Skuld, sometimes his soul needs a little reminder that any other woman is simply off limits. It's merely his way, and it's my job to help him control that side of himself."
"If he's cheating on you, I'll take care of it." The youngest Norn said aggressively.
"No, Skuld!" Belldandy said, forgetting her paperwork. "You misunderstand. It isn't him, but rather the power that he releases. You know Keiichi just as well as I do. He would never dream of actually going after another woman...but..." She sighed again, and chewed on her bottom lip. "That power is now strong enough to prompt Urd to fall under his whims, and she's reacted to it a few times before, but now, she's starting to submit to it."
Anzasu chimed in with a soft laugh. "You knew you'd have to get insistent with him one day." As she thought about that a little bit, a tiny suggestion came to mind. "If diverting his sexual urge isn't working anymore, you could always plop him into the law offices for a few days. I'm sure Peorth and a few others would chase him around enough to make him regret even releasing it in the first place."
"I don't think she wants to scar Keiichi for the remainder of eternity." Skuld muttered darkly. "Last time he came in contact with Lind on a bad day, it took all of her willpower not to pin him to a nearby wall."
Felling uncomfortable about talking about such personal matters, Belldandy cleared her throat. "This has nothing to do with Keiichi, and everything to do with the heavenly council. It's this new amendment to the interspecies trial." With a shake of her head she flipped a few of the longer pages over. "This is a huge list of demands, and half of them conflict with heavenly articles."
"Someone wants to amend it?" Skuld asked, honestly surprised. "Who?"
"Hild seems to really want to push it through." Belldandy explained, felling drained. This was getting excessive. "This is the fifth time in five hundred years that she's sent in a formal complaint regarding the system."
"She sends one in every time she's allotted an appeal, which, as you know, is every one hundred years." Anzasu replied over a cup of tea. Outwardly she appeared fine, but that was her angel's doing. She was getting weaker and weaker, though only those who knew her intimately, know just how ill she was. "It's been that way ever since Urd was born."
"She still hasn't gotten the idea that no means no?" Skuld leaned over, looking at the written complaint in Belldandy's hand. "Oh wow, she doesn't give up." Along with the complaint was a petition that seemed to get longer and longer as time went on.
"At least I've trained her to go through the proper channels now. When she was younger, she would cause a ruckus by barging right into the assembly hall." Anzasu maintained appearances, as she felt she should. She was thankful she could find a reprieve easily from long hours, all she had to do was hide with her daughters in their dormitory. "She would demand to be heard, and, her negative reputation preceded her." As it stood, she was quite exhausted.
"Sounds a lot like Urd." Skuld monotone dryly.
"Like mother, like daughter. Although, Urd is far more bullheaded than Hild has ever been, that distinctly comes from Tyr's side of that family." Anzasu shrugged, knowing that both Belldandy and Skuld were much the same, in their own ways. "If I were you, Bell, I would look into her demands carefully."
"We can't very well honor them." Belldandy replied, disgusted with all of the breeches in conduct as she mulled over the paperwork. "I doubt I could very well take this into the council, they'd laugh at the mere implication."
"You should still give them consideration." Her mother told her carefully. "After all, either you or Skuld will need to take position of my key once the time comes, and I've honestly no idea if either one of you comprehend the need for what Hild implies."
"You support her decision?" Belldandy asked. "The judgment gate has been a time honored tradition, as well as a true test of the soul."
"I don't condone Hild's view of the matter." Anzasu said slowly. "However, you of all people, Belldandy, must understand the risk you bear, if you were to call that gate upon one of your own children." She took a sip of tea to calm her tremors. "I'm simply saying to think on it at great length, and understand that you may not be in the position to protect them."
"Keiichi and I passed through just fine." Belldandy replied. "Why wouldn't they?"
"Belldandy, my dearest daughter, not all in creation share your conviction." Anzasu said earnestly. "Not all would be so forthright about the gate, and some are simply unable to appeal to the gate due to their nature." She tried to smile, though she was sure it was much weaker than she desired. "The gate bespeaks its name…it is a judgmental, finicky, and convoluted thing when it so desires to be."
"What's your view on the gate, then?" Belldandy asked hesitantly, feeling apprehensive about the answer, unsure if she wanted to hear it. "Should it be done away with?"
"I wish my stance was so simple." Anzasu licked her lips. "Put it this way, I'm merely saying that I recognize Hild. That I understand that due to the gate, our family has struggled to find its balance." She wondered if Hild was correct, if the gate could truly be forsaken. "It may just be that the gate does more harm than it does good." She shrugged. "I wouldn't know, nor would I want to speak of something I myself have never endured."
"I have…" Belldandy murmured. "Is that why it must fall to my hands?"
"You have not endured." Anzasu replied. "You overcame, and that my child, is the difference."