A/N: Hey all, it's been about a month since I last updated this fiction...I was busy with other ideas, mindsets, and life. Returning to this now just feels right, so, that's why I'm doing it. This is quite the saga fiction, I'll say that much...anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 32
Time had been kind to her, or, so she felt. Amidst the travesty of many situations, Skuld believed she had been the lucky one. Age had seen to progress her body at a rapid pace, and the goddess of the future, fated never to age under normal conditions, was now free from Yggdrasil's grasp. She had once amused herself with the desire to grow older in a manifested form, much like her sisters, and even had temporary bouts of adulthood when the system malfunctioned in the worst ways.
It was because of that one truth, that when she had begun to see the world through an adult's eyes, and experience an adult's body, she was not as enthusiastic about the thought as she once had been. In her mind's eyes, whenever she gazed at the sunset, she saw Keiichi, and a possible future that mingled with a desired past.
His smile, mixed with both contentment and confusion. Her mind drifted to those far away days, because she had once held a real conversation with him. Asking him if he could ever feel anything towards a person such as herself. She had, however, found it a silly question at the time, and dismissed it before he could answer.
She now wondered just what sort of sunsets he saw, in the unholy lands of hell. If it was as bright, and eerily serene. Such a worthless tug on the mind wouldn't last long, because like it or not, she was an adult now, with all of the weight of an enlisted member of the military.
A figurehead at that. She didn't have time for silly games...but, she did find time to tutor her niece.
"You don't have to swallow it, but, you should." Skuld said, her eyes only glancing to the sunset as she went back to her duties that were concealed within a tent containing battle gear. "For now, I just want you to keep it with you. There's another side of you in there, and you'll never meet her unless you give her the chance."
"Aunt Skuld…do I really have to?" Hikari asked as she held the tiny egg in her palm.
"All goddesses need an angel, that's just how things go." Skuld replied as she sharpened some weaponry that needed some adjustments. "I wanted my angel more than anything, so, I swallowed her early…too early. Sometimes, I think that your problem saves you a lot of grief, but that can't last forever, either."
"I'm not ready yet." Hikari said, drawing her knees up, so she could sit in the corner, curled into a ball. "Don't make me do it."
"I can't force you to do anything." Skuld said as she put down the axe she finished, grabbing another. "If I made you swallow the egg, and you rejected her, it would hurt your bond with your angel. It's damaging to force a bond that isn't ready to be made." She began turning the whetstone over the blade with precision. "I had to learn that the hard way."
"It's not like I have the magic to support her." Hikari said, as if that was also a good excuse.
"You have enough." Skuld shrugged. "Maybe she would be small at first. She could probably sit in the palm of your hand." Skuld set the axe aside, and called forth Noble Scarlet, who was a normal sized angel, proportionate to Skuld. "When I first swallowed her, she was so tiny that she was pretty much harmless. She grew because of my magic, and my desire to become one with her." She grabbed the magical pendant from around her neck, it was her mother's. "Deciding that you want to make the right kind of bond, is just as important as swallowing the egg and growing stronger."
"So, my angle could be small?" Hikari said, considering the egg again. "Tiny, like Noble Scarlet was?"
"Well, you come from a family of higher class gods and goddesses, we have a long history." Skuld laughed, wishing to put the girl at ease. "But a lot of goddesses have tiny angels. Some of them are small because it reflects the goddess's soul, and others are merely stunted magically. Your angel will reflect you, just like Noble Scarlet reflects me. When you change your heart on something, your angel will embody that."
"But what if it's a devil?" Hikari asked, desperate for that answer.
Skuld just laughed. "If you're a goddess, it'll be an angel."
Hikari tried to believe that, but the only thing her mind could see when she closed her eyes, was a devil shrouded in a haze. She couldn't trust that. Her greatest efforts to shun away the vision only made it come back, stronger than ever. She wondered if her egg contained a monster deep within, and such thoughts kept her from wanting to swallow her egg.
She stepped out of the tent that had a magical barrier to restrict access, and looked out to the village being born right before her eyes. Here, she thought she might have found a place to belong, but, soon the heavenly opinion that she had heard about, weighed her down. Having grown up on earth, she had never understood the implications. Now, she hated them, and the distrust brought along with it.
People tended to eye her with a mix of confusion and contempt, as if, she were a sideshow animal about to go on a rampage. The fear was a vivid contrast. They seemed caught between wanting to taunt and provoke her, and hide from what they perceived to be a menace. The fact that her family was infamous, only led to more murmurs. Some were good, and others were rude speculations that would never be truth. Even children avoided her.
Angry, she went behind the tent where a few practice dummies were sitting in a row. She bit the inside of her cheek, and before she knew it, she was going over a series of hard strikes. Her powerful blows left each and every single one of them in shambles. Splinters of wood, sharp magical barbs, and defensive armor shattered around her, and before the girl knew it, a sob slipped out from her throat.
Lind sucked on her teeth as she appraised the situation. With as much interest as her often militantly withdrawn expression would allow, she crossed her arms and overlooked the display with a sense of awe. "Well, if anything, you are Belldandy's daughter." Lind finally managed to say. "You have your father's eyes, but, neither of them were ever such angry people."
If anything had come from Lind's years in combat, it was her ability to understand hardship, and there was no greater struggle for a young girl, than to find her place among creation. It was a difficult struggle for everyone, and, it was not something that Lind could help the girl with. Even so, she considered the young Hikari. "You may look at me." Lind said then, realizing the girl had yet to gaze up from her kneeling position.
"I shouldn't." Hikari said then.
"The grandchild of Tyr and Anzasu should never bow to me." Lind said coolly, kneeling down to the girl's level. "It is I, who should be bowing to you." She ever so gently cupped the girl's cheeks, and forced her to lift her eyes, so that the two of them could meet. "The daughter of Belldandy and Keiichi, my life long friends, should always meet me eye to eye."
"I'm Hild's granddaughter too." Hikari murmured then.
"That you are." Lind said, realizing that her stance on the matter hadn't changed. She hated demons as a group, as they were the ones she found herself battling on any given day. She took a magical knife from her satchel, and stabbed the blade into the ground, just inches away from the kneeling child. "If you can fight, that's all I care about. As long as you don't turn a blade on a fellow goddess, I won't kill you. That's how it works for anyone, and that includes you."
As she stood to walk away, Hikari called to her. "Don't you want your knife?"
Lind didn't turn back, though, one pure white wing stuck out from her spine as if to wave. "That's a demons blade. Hild's own family crest sits at the hilt. It was intended for Urd, but we both know she'll never use it."
"Then, why are you giving it to me?" Hikari prodded, still afraid to take hold of the knife before her.
"It's a matter of pride." The older goddess murmured. "If you can teach yourself to use that knife, as the goddess you are, then I have no doubts in my mind that you'll be strong enough to swallow that egg." Lind explained. "There's more to you than you think, but you have to cultivate that."
…
If the heaven's was a confusing place for young immortals, the hells were one of worst trials to face. Demon natures were strong, and power flow was abstract. Coming of age was dangerous, if not stressful time, etched with sweat and blood.
"What's the big deal?" Megumi asked as she stood with her hands on her hips.
"I don't permit it." Xic growled darkly. "Your father entrusts you to me whilst he is away in dangerous territory." As he said this, he grabbed Megumi by the hands, pressing them harshly into the wall. "Furthermore, it is only right that you take heed. These are troubled times, and this is not your earth." He could smell her innocent nature that had yet to be taken from her…he could sense that she was old enough now, to consider the powers of lust.
He, himself, was also powerful enough, old enough, to decide to bend that power to his will.
The only thing stopping him from tasting those lips that quivered to his dominance, was Hikari's bloodline. This was a child of Keiichi, and that tied Megumi to Hild. In the pit of his mind, he recalled her, and mourned her to this day…and part of him wondered if Megumi would become such a demonic female when she grew older. He dearly wished for that to be the case. Yet, she said nothing to him, and didn't argue his position over her.
"I do not desire you to leave my side, Megumi." Xic said again, his tone a little less forceful, his words a little more kind, as to appeal to her. "I hate when you do."
She could feel the desire to bow to him, and weakly, her knees gave out from beneath her. She knew he was bending her will to his, forcing her to obey. She had been warned never to disobey a male demon who sought to protect her, but she knew Xic had other interests too, and she submitted to that, waiting for him to do something with her, but, he wouldn't.
"I won't, not today." Megumi whispered. "I'll won't promise forever though."
The two young demons were not alone, Mara sat at the edge of the windowsill, watching the exchange. With a sigh, she lifted herself into the room, and her gruff voice broke the silent stare down. "That's enough." She said, giving Xic a glair. "Megumi, come with me, would ya?" She said as she scratched the back of her head. "I think, uhh, we need to talk."
"What do you want, Mara?" Megumi lifted herself up from the floor, and followed after the blond haired demon. They no sooner left the confines of the castle throne room, and down the long majestic halls, that Mara held out her hand from behind her. Megumi took it, of course, without a second thought. "What's wrong?" It wasn't any mere discussion about the goings on, the girl knew.
Mara growled low in her throat, and silenced the questions that continued to spill outwardly. They left the castle, and instead went to Mara's own, small home. They no sooner closed out the creation around them, that Mara turned to face Megumi, licking her dry lips at the thought that this girl would one day be the ruler of the demons. In all of their hellish glory.
"Ya can't give into Xic like that." Mara finally grumbled, looking away. "He's not just looking to protect you, he's looking for something else and he'll take it, if you let him."
"Oh, I know that." A blush danced its way across Megumi's cheeks. "Xic is strong, so, I know he would make a good choice."
"Nah, I don't think he would." Mara said, shaking her head. "Look, Megumi, you've got to understand, any guy who ends up with you, could end up as a ruler to these lands." Xic, being such a person didn't sit well with Mara. He wasn't the kind of guy to make a goo ruler. "Your blood runs heavily through this place, your ancestors left you a great task, and you have to live up to it."
"There aren't any other boys that I like." Megumi shrugged. "Xic seemed interested."
"Xic and I, are kind of one in the same, Megumi." Mara said then, admitting a complete defeat that she never wanted to voice. "Demons like us, are well...we're outclassed by demons like you. We don't belong with you. All that we can do, is follow your orders when you take the throne, but we could never be anything more than that."
"How do you know?" Megumi asked with a fire in her eyes. "Don't you think you might be wrong?"
"I lived through it, Meg." Mara said with the deepest growl she could muster. "I've walked these roads, and I'm not stupid." Her fangs cut into her lower lip, drawing blood. "He can't, okay? He just can't." She shook her head. "I know ya don't get it, but trust me."