Chapter 27

Timid, and often quiet, Hikari didn't spend time with her father, and the older she got, the more distant she grew from him. She wasn't exactly her mother's image either, because although she was a goddess by choice, she could not seem to conjure her power with the same ease. In that way, Hikari was much like her aunt, only able to toss a few bombs around, and to set the household into electrical disarray due to inventions. The latter happened rarely, as the young goddess was not mechanically inclined either. To the entire household's dismay, the young girl couldn't seem to find a skill she took joy in.

It was quite the quandary indeed.

Belldandy was partly troubled, since her own powers had graced her well at an early age, and, she hoped Hikari's would settle in soon. Yet, there didn't seem to be any sign of them doing so. She, like all goddesses, could feel changes in the air around her, and even control a little magic here and there, but, her powers were still in their infancy at best, despite her age. "It would be best to think of the bolt as merely an extension of your arm." Belldandy said, one day while trying to tutor the girl yet again. "You don't need to worry about the complexities. Simply make your desire known, and the bolt should respond."

"It isn't like I can get it to budge." Hikari replied, unwilling to do any more practice. "Some goddesses just can't use magic, is that really so hard to accept?"

"The ones who can't, are the ones who don't continue to try." Belldandy said then, sipping on some much needed tea. "A goddess finds her strength by the love she both gives, and she receives. You are not without love in your life, Hikari." Belldandy told her. "If you are unable to harness that which so governs your powers, it will only be due to your lack of effort in the matter." She wasn't about to tell her child that such a power was already at her fingertips. All of her children could move small objects in their sleep, as if their happy, worriless dreams protected such power.

"Stop trying to make me feel guilty." Hikari said then, pushing the little bolt away from her place at the table. "Mother, I understand what you're trying to do, but Meg and I aren't friends anymore."

"You are sisters." Belldandy sighed. "Sisters who've spent their whole lives together as a family. Most families like ours can only dream to be so lucky." It was the sacrifice they made by living on earth. Belldandy and Keiichi may not have been able to be home all the time, but they kept their children together in the only way they could. "In the grand scheme, it matters very little what life you choose to lead, only that you choose the life wholeheartedly."

"She's the one who chose to be a demon." Hikari murmured. "I can't help that."

"Be that as it may, you can't very well punish her for it." Belldandy explained at great length. "Hikari, you also carry a demon's blood within your veins. You and Megumi are the selfsame within the blood you share. Your paths may be different, but your blood will never change unless you wish it to. It must be a desire that comes from the very depth of your soul."

"She's the one who hates me." Hikari said quietly. "It isn't the other way around. Even if it was, it doesn't matter, because that's just the way it is."

"I doubt that hate it the right word. Demons are very quick to anger." Belldandy was at a loss, unsure of if she could ever get her children to understand one another ever again. "They seek to be sought after, to be cared for and loved just as any goddess might." She prayed that she could, and yet, found the task unwittingly difficult. "However, Hikari, they are very possessive because of those desires. I do not think Megumi dislikes you, but rather finds herself facing a future she hadn't expected. I recall several times when I went through the same trials with my own sisters in that respect."

"They're all goddesses." Hikari said all too quickly. "It isn't the same thing."

"It is." Belldandy wouldn't relent.

"It isn't!" Hikari's voice rose only the slightest bit, but it was loud enough to send her mother aback. "It won't ever be the same thing."

"I can't speak a lie." Belldandy was quiet, filled with a sigh. "There are times when Urd gets carried over to her demonic side." Belldandy said, closing her eyes and taking a breath. "There are times every few thousand years or so, when we are forced to fight in real battles, going for blows, and the winner take all. She is my sister, and yet, I still have to fight her, despite my fondest desire not to." Belldandy said softly. "It's merely her nature, Hikari, just as it is also yours…there may even come a time when you and I will have to fight for those selfsame reasons."

"I won't be a demon." Hikari said quietly, matching her mother's sternness. "I won't…"

Belldandy began to see something in those normally fearful brown eyes. If it was anger, sadness, or simply resolution, Belldandy wouldn't pry into it due to the fragility there. Why didn't I see this before? Belldandy hissed to herself mentally. She should have known. She's emulating Urd. She's so terrified that she'll become… Belldandy wouldn't let herself mentally travel down that road. Not without seeking Holybell to travel that rocky path with her. "Hikari, sweetheart, are you trying to convince me, or, are you trying to convince yourself?" It was so clear to her now.

"I don't know…" The little girl finally said, withdrawing into herself, refusing to look at her mother, as she tried to make herself into the tiniest possible ball.

She pulled the young goddess into her lap, holding her tightly in her arms, swaying her back and forth. "Hikari, you've always been the type of person to do things at your own pace. When I was in labor with you, you refused to let go of your spiritual tether to Holybell." In fact, it had been such a difficult labor, that Hild had to offer a demonic tether for spiritual support. Anzasu's power alone had not been enough. Such difficulty wasn't common, but then again, neither were hybrid immortals.

"Maybe I shouldn't have come out." Hikari said bitterly, even though they both knew that was literally impossible.

"I was in hard labor with you for three full days, before you finally gave up the fight and decided to greet the world." The child, since her birth, was little more than a wallflower. Her nature had not changed. "Your father named you Hikari, because you were bathed in restorative powers for so long, you emitted a soft glow when he held you in his arms."

"Yeah, well that was his fault." Hikari replied with just the barest hint of a blush.

"Hild was the first to hold you." Belldandy said suddenly, the memory a distant one. "Your spirit attached to her devil when I needed more support, and only then, was I able to safely deliver you into this world." It was, perhaps because of that, that Hikari was the true wild card of the sisters. "I was sure, of course, that you were going to be a demon, but, your seals never changed to a demon's. Not even once."

"Saria's change all the time." Hikari said, confused.

"So did Megumi's." Belldandy nodded. "But you've always been a little goddess, always."

…

Touching little powwow. The devil snorted as he scratched his head. He found himself confused, seeing as little ones made no sense to him. Megumi seemed to adore his presence, and that was something the devil took joy in. Hikari was terrified of him, and Saria was more or less indifferent to anyone besides her mother. So, the little one is afraid of demons, but seems to lack goddess powers. The demon concluded as he picked his teeth with one extended claw. Odd little whelp, isn't she?

Keiichi sighed from his place at the kitchen counter. There were some things best left to goddesses. Koiji, leave her alone. Keiichi warned him, knowing that his devil never really got rid of his curious tendencies. If you want to play with someone, Megumi's off someplace in the woods with her aunt.

Shove it. The devil hissed. This is my brat too.

Maybe so, but you aren't going to be of help if you upset her. He hoped his words, futile though they were, would chime a warning bell in Koiji's mind. Still, devils weren't obedient by nature, and Koiji was also aggressive by default.

That's the problem. The confused devil said, leaning on the doorframe with a lazy look in his eyes. Absentmindedly, he scratched the side of his exposed chest, watching mother and child. He partly wished Holybell would come out of hiding, but also knew that angel was prone to staying by her master's side during emotional times. This displeases me. Koiji finally said, having come to his conclusion. I'm going to settle this…

The devil wasn't a reasonable creature, but Keiichi's emotions weren't always reasonable either. He wanted nothing more than to hold Hikari in his arms, and comfort her, but he knew that wouldn't help his child. If anything, it would probably make matters worse. Still, the devil disregarded the logic, impulsively flying into the next room. With a bit of a scowl, he grabbed the child by the shirt collar, lifting her to meet his gaze.

Belldandy watched with interest, but didn't make any move to stop him. Holybell was behind her inaction, the angel warning her not to intervene. Koiji took satisfaction in the goddess bowing to his whims, and returned his beseeching gaze to the little one in his grasp. Look at me… The devil ordered, knowing that the child could hear him…he was, after all, her father in spirit. Hikari… he groused sternly. Look at your sire when he speaks to you.

Unable to refuse the order, one brown eye opened slowly, followed by the other. You are satisfactory as a goddess. The devil told her pointedly. It pleases me. See that you remain such a goddess.

"Huh?" Hikari asked out loud, as it was the only way to reply back to him.

It suits me, to see my offspring happy. Koiji growled, unused to dealing with any child not willing to take a few swings at him in return. When she began to tremble, he sighed. He partly wished this child had the same bite in her that Megumi had. At least he could understand that. This fear…he couldn't comprehend it. Continue to seek happiness. With that, he all but plopped the little girl back into Belldandy's lap, and with a nod, went in search of Megumi, since she was the only offspring who favored him.

…

It might not have been in his nature to coddle his brood, but he was willing to try.

He simply hadn't any idea how to deal with them. His first experience with children had been a toddler who'd been all too willing to pull at his wings and smack at his face. His second child refused him due to his nature, and his third didn't mind him either way. His time with his master indicated demonic children didn't often bond with their sires, but when they did, they did out of a dire need of protection.

Koiji had to admit, his family wasn't normal…it simply didn't make any sense.

His lament made him furious as he sat atop the shrine, watching Hikari and Saria play in the evening sun. They seemed to be greeting tiny glowing bugs, trying to catch them in the palms of their hands. With a withdrawn frown, and a soft grumble, he then took notice of Megumi, who was perched on her father's nearby portal stone. Hild had not come to visit since that little outburst. He wasn't particularly bothered by Hild's actions because truthfully speaking, it had been rather mild.

He was bothered by Megumi's lack of resilience in the matter, and it concerned him. "This strife displeases me." Koiji muttered, quite unhappily at that. "Why are these little creatures so insistent about disobeying natural order?"

"They are merely young, trying to find their way in creation." He heard a welcomed voice, and the purr that was often inaudible to others was his pleased greeting to Holybell. She smiled softly at that, deciding to tend to his wings. "This is a place that was never exactly made for their wellbeing in mind." Holybell explained, having been watching her lover as he paced up and down along the roof.

"Perhaps not." He relented with another long and low purr as the devil stretched out his wings, melting into her caress.

He was much easier to manage when she appealed to his nature, and she continued to lavish him in such attention if it kept him from stewing in his own annoyance. "The children simply can't help but feel lost every now and then." Not that she minded of course, considering that wings were sensitive to a lover's touch. "Eventually they'll find their way."

"Megumi refuse her own kin…Hikari allows it, and they don't seem to understand the great unease that they put upon themselves." Koiji hissed, befuddled by that. "This is unacceptable." Even though his soul mate was right behind him, he didn't find comfort in her words, nor her touch as he gazed down at Hikari. "The little goddess lacks greater understanding. She even shuns me, and that is also troublesome."

"Well perhaps if you were to act more like a kitten, she'd be fond of you." Holybell said with a giggle as her lover continued to act quite indignant. A snort told her that Koiji wasn't taking such good humor in recent events. With a sigh, she settled him back down by leaning into him, kissing patters along his neck, as the devil found an interest in the thin sheet of silk that covered her breasts. "You can't blame her for being frightened of you. Anytime you pass by, you look grumpy."

"I am not so." He groused as he clawed playfully at it with one extended finger. "My ire has not been raised in months."

"I know that you are not bad tempered by nature." Holybell said, coming to rest at his side. "I see that you try very hard to father them as an angel might." She so loved this devil, even if his was chilly one second, and fiery with rage the next. His eyes burned with warmth now though, a heated passion as he finally managed to tear yet another silken cloth that Holybell had been bestowed with by the heavens. "Koiji!" She slapped him gently in the shoulder, knowing her gentle scolding didn't faze him in the slightest. She partly wondered if he took joy in it as she wrapped her arms around herself, to materialize another. "Really now, was that truly necessary?"

"Oops." He grinned, not a single apology to be found in his dirty, lust filled smirk. "As you were saying?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Little goddesses without their angels have no idea just how to commune with you spiritually. They see only what their eyes tell them to see, and know nothing of the intent behind it." She watched her lover deflate at that remark. "You are a strong devil, Koiji…and unlike Keiichi, who can still recall what it was like to have a father in his life, you are purely a devil of his being."

"I see his memories." Koiji said pointedly. "His father pushed him, tested him…"

"Loved him, Koiji." Holybell interjected, also brining the devil's face up to meet her gaze as he became sidetracked again by his wandering hands. "In his own ways, of course, but his father did love him dearly…just as Keiichi loves his children as well." Keiichi had a very large heart, and no one could ever question that. Koiji himself was proof. She took a deep sense of comfort from that. "He cares for them so greatly, even you are drawn to do what was never in your nature to begin with."

"Megumi is a simple child." Koiji shook his head, as he began to prowl up along the roof again in dismay. Restless, and utterly at a loss himself. He deeply wished he knew what to do. "Hikari is not quite so forthright."

"Why not try a gentler approach." Holybell replied.

"She doesn't require gentleness." Koiji said with his arms firmly crossed as stood on the roof to study the child, and taking the time to overlook the place which he so owned. He was sure that gentleness wasn't part of the problem. "She requires protection, which I provide without question."

"Goddesses require gentleness. They interact with their fathers, and their father's angels from a young age due to their often forthright nature." Holybell told him, taking his stance to mean that he was both contented with his observation, and yet, deeply bogged down with his thoughts. "Hikari sees your strength as a danger because you lack the gentleness of such angels."

"That is unsatisfactory." The devil muttered. "I would never harm my own."

"If it troubles you so much, you should attempt to make yourself more docile around her. Go easy on her, and let her come to you." As Holybell said that, she demurely took one of Koiji's hands in her own. "Try just taking a walk with her one day, or join her in the bath. Purifying is a family thing in the heavens, and having you around might entice an interest to have your company. Have a heart to heart, and you'll start to understand her."

"I don't need to understand." Koiji replied. "It isn't within my nature. Megumi senses this, why can't Hikari?"

"It isn't that she doesn't understand. Rather, it's because she knows all too well of the implications. They're young, Koiji, not to mention frightened of being torn apart." Holybell told him with a smile, trying not to laugh at his indignation. Then her expression softened. "You care a great deal for Hikari, you've no need to deny it."

"She is mine." Koiji told Holybell with a dark nod, filled with its own testament to the matter. "As long as she is mine, she will find happiness." He offered Holybell lopsided smirk, one sharp fang glinting playfully. "Speaking of things that are mine…"

…

In another area of the temple, Keiichi yelped as he felt a surge of power engulf him.

Gripping the side of the bathtub in a white knuckled grip, he grit his teeth. "Damn it Koiji…" Keiichi muttered, swallowing hard. He glanced up at the ceiling, mentally burning daggers into the roof. He had a pretty good indication of just what his devil was doing, but shivered anyway. "I hate it when he does that…" He muttered, trying to collect his ragged breath. The devil didn't need to use powers to get Holybell's attention, but was always eager to do so anyway.

Another surge of power flowed through him, and it only further served to annoy him. Cut that out! He shouted, knowing he would probably continue to be ignored. "Why doesn't Holybell just knock his block off already…" Keiichi sighed, knowing she had to know just what that diminutive devil was doing.

"I find it endearing." Belldandy replied, opening the door just wide enough so that she could slip into the room. "You're releasing it again, dear." There was a distinct heat in her voice, the influx of Koiji's demand already making it known of his desire. Belldandy's cheeks were flushed as she felt her angel answering his call with one of her own. "They're being rather insistent tonight." Her head was already swimming, and she nipped her lower lip to suppress a heated sigh, a very enjoyable warmth flooding over her.

"Don't look at me like that." Keiichi muttered, frazzled, as another strong surge of power rippled through him. "I'm going to throttle that devil."

"Leave them be, Keiichi." Belldandy murmured with a softness in her order, she could feel his rather strong power tingle all the way down her spine. "Holybell needs him, just as much as Koiji needs her." She put a hand on his chest, and with gentle insistence, pushed him back into the warm water. "We must do something though, or, you'll likely bother Urd, and she won't be happy." She let her towel fall to the ground as she straddled him, the water sloshing over the edge as she sunk into the hot water.

"There is no way in hell that this could be considered pure." Keiichi finally managed with a silly grin, starting to relax under Belldandy's soft touch.

"I'm not looking for purification." Belldandy told him pointedly, breathing hotly into his ear. "I'm looking to maintain peace and quiet in this house." She nipped at the base of his neck, something he enjoyed. "We seem to be lacking harmony as of late, and I dearly wish to have some sense of normalcy tonight." She looked him in the eyes, and sighed, wishing things could be easier. Her hands took rest on his shoulders, leaning in to kiss him.

The tension finally drained out of him, and he sighed, knowing he could never refuse her. Since her caress was much more favorable than being struck by a wind spell, he relented, allowing Belldandy have her way of him.