Chapter 5
Decent
The next few months moved by in a blur but slowly routines began to fall into place. This morning saw Urd, Skuld and Belldandy with Sora atop her shoulders heading for the small clearing behind Tariki Hongan temple. "She's getting good at meditating," Belldandy observed a short time later as they sat together soaking up the fall sunlight.
"I think that's a bit of an optimistic assessment Bell," replied Urd. "Since she's asleep."
"Is she?" Belldandy said looking around beside her to see Sora's head resting on her chin despite her upright posture. "Well that's no good," she said gently pushing her over onto her side with her foot. "But I suppose we can use the time to visit with our other friends," she said taking out a bag of bird seed as Sora lay in the grass.
"Sis these are trash birds! Why are you spending money on them," Skuld said seeing the oncoming flock of warblers, chickadees and shrikes coming down.
"The color of a bird's plumage is no indication of it's worth," Belldandy replied. "Just look at Sora's honor guard."
Skuld turned shocked to see a sudden contingent of well-organized chickadees in a defensive square around her. Skuld muttered something about bird flu as Belldandy continued scattering seed around her, conversing with the winged guests that chose to do so.
"I think I see another big bird coming in -," muttered Urd.
"Is it an egret?" Belldandy asked excitedly.
"Not exactly . . .," Urd said as Takumi broke through the brush.
"Well there you are! Nice to finally find you! You're getting a phone Urd! Everyone else on the planet can find their loved ones almost instantaneously whereas I have to wait for a favorable wind or a flight of birds to cross your path!"
"I don't need a phone," waved Urd.
"I wouldn't mind a phone," observed Belldandy.
"Who's getting a phone? I need a phone!" demanded Skuld.
"You don't need a phone," argued Urd.
"Of course I do. I'm a teenager! A phone is an absolute necessity at my age!"
"And if you had a phone Urd I could find out where you and my daughter are when I need to. By the way, where is my daughter?" he asked.
The goddesses all looked to find Sora gone. "Dammit she did it to us again Bell!"
"She's getting quite good at escaping," agreed Belldandy.
"Look Urd, some tits!" Takumi said surveying the forest.
"Tai?"
"Yeah?"
"You have a daughter . . ." she said disapprovingly causing him to hang his head walking off.
Fully recharged Sora was moving on all fours deeper into the forest toward her next adventure. A one point a sharp toothed tanuki appeared intent on following her until she turned to face him. "Pika," she said tapping him on the nose giving off a surprisingly powerful shock. Alone now she followed the sound of a familiar voice until breaking onto the edge of a small meadow, to find Keiichi deep in conversation with Tamiya and Otaki. "What are you guys doing?!" he demanded.
"Look it's not a big deal -, continued Tamiya.
"The little guys said they wanted to do it," added Otaki.
"The machiners said they wanted to help you with this illegal gardening project?!"
"Well we might have mentioned it was for the temple . . ."
"That's not growing here and that's the end of it."
"But Keiichi - hey where are you going?!"
"I think I just spotted a higher priority problem," Keiichi said sticking his head into the bushes crouching to eye level with Sora. She started reversing gears trying to take off but he caught her by the waist. "I don't think you're supposed to be blazing your own trail out here young lady," he said carrying her off.
At that same moment Urd, Belldandy and Skuld emerged on the far side of the temple. "Dammit!" shouted Urd.
"What's wrong?" said Bell.
"It's that damn cat again! Look at him over there pissing on the flowers! I've been at war with him over the last few weeks. I'll get him this time though," she said striking downward as the jolt passed through the ground. The charge connected an instant later at the point connecting the cat to the ground, sending the offender flying high through the air.
"Urd!" Belldandy cried extending her hands to sympathetically slow the cat's downward trajectory, arching it gently beyond the wall. "May fortune smile upon - WHAAACK!"
They flinched collectively as the cat was instantly struck head on by a speeding tractor trailer rig passing by. Belldandy stood back in wide-eyed shock.
"Looks like kitty should have wished for more lives -," Takumi mused from his vantage point on the roof. Urd looked up frowning at him. Belldandy continued to stare at the empty roadway.
"Okay so your powers are still a bit off," Urd said trying to dust her off. "Now we know that!" she said trying to sound cheerful.
"The flowers will look better too," added Skuld awkwardly.
"Yeah!"
Belldandy stood between them holding onto herself.
"Keiichi returned this by the way – if you're interested!" Takumi said holding up Sora.
"Sweet pea! What are you doing up there?" Urd called up pretending to be shocked as Sora laughed. "Throw her to me!"
"I told you we're not doing that Urd!"
"Where's Keiichi now?" Skuld said still tugging on her sister.
"He said he needed to buy some weed killer," Takumi mused.
The rest of the afternoon was difficult for Bell but at least Keiichi returned close to sunset. "Oh Keiichi I'm so glad you're home," Belldandy said rushing to him.
"Sorry I'm late. I almost wiped out on a dead cat on my way home. What's wrong?" he asked seeing her face.
"Oh Keiichi. I've had the worst day!"
"Oh Bell, I'm sure it wasn't your cat," encouraged Urd.
"Yeah your cat was southbound the last time we saw it," agreed Takumi. "What?" he said catching her silent glare.
As night fell, Megumi and the members of the Nekomi Tech Auto club gathered at the temple. Urd trailed into the house
following the sound of the disjointed music to find Takumi and Keiichi side by side in the kitchen competing chopping vegetables. "Tai don't do that," she said tugging at him. "Bell will see that and expect us to do that everyday!" she warned as though the idea had only just occurred to her.
He squinted looking up from the cutting board. "Sometimes you worry me Urd."
"Eh, you're probably right. You probably should know how to cook," she said opening the refrigerator to retrieve the sake.
"Where's Belldandy?" Takumi asked once Urd had left.
"She's still in my room," Keiichi replied chopping. "What happened exactly again?"
"We had a bit of a cat-related injury in your absence.
"I see. She seems upset."
Takumi looked back through the open doors to take in the full scene of motley characters. "My recommendation is to send Sora in like a torpedo to pound on her door. That should bring her out of it." At that moment Sora ran past them down the hallway shrieking like a crazed animal with Hasegawa and Megumi in hot pursuit.
"Yeah, Otaki and Tamiya giving her all that soda probably wasn't the best idea," he said watching her come around for a second lap.
"Probably not. But it's another way to go if Sora fails," he said.
"I'm not worried about Bell. She'll be alright. It's Skuld I want to talk to. Does she seem alright to you?"
"Keiichi, I have to deal with that," he said as Sora came around for lap three. "– and that," he said pointing with his knife to Urd who had just let Mara in as both began drinking. "I'm going to have to leave 'noticing' other things in your court."
As the club members settled down to their own celebrations, Keiichi took the opportunity to slide in behind Skuld hugging her from behind. "Get off me you weirdo!" she said pushing back against him but making no further effort to move.
"You know you're part of all this right?" Keiichi said. "I mean you're an aunt now."
"Uh, don't remind me. She follows me everywhere, her little hands always grasping at my tools!"
"She looks up to you. She sees you doing interesting stuff. You remember what it was like when you were young?"
"When I was young Urd would leave me and not come back!"
"But Belldandy always found you. So which kind of an aunt are you going to be?"
"She's not my sister. . ." Skuld huffed.
"But she is your fan. The solider who follows you."
"A small solider, who often loses her track and goes off on her own adventures!"
"That's today. Tomorrow she will need someone to talk to. Someone closer to her own age."
Skuld folded her arms, staring across the room at Belldandy who was trying to show Sora something. "Are babies really so important Keiichi?" she asked looking back at him.
"They're optional," he smiled. "And while we're on it, could you stop giving those mildly disgusted looks to Urd and Takumi."
"Did they tell you to say that? Ugh, when I think of the disgusting things they've done," she said as her body gave an involuntary shiver. "And they'd better be the only ones! Look at her. Big-sis is better at everything she does," she shrugged.
"There are things she can do and things you can do," Keiichi said, looking over at Belldandy who continued to attempt to teach Sora how to say daddy.
Sora listened patting Takumi's head, "Dabo-bi-bok," she said.
"Hmm. . . well thanks for trying Bell," Takumi said.
"I think she's trying to be obtuse," Belldandy commented.
"You see Skuld? We all have challenges," Keiichi replied.
Urd and Mara came over to sit down beside Belldandy. "Aw, look at how sweet she looks."
"She looks like that because you breast fed her after sipping so much sake," Takumi said as Sora loudly smacked her lips.
"Bi-bok," she said smacking his head.
"Don't worry she's got my genes, it doesn't affect her," Urd replied as Sora reached up trying to grab imaginary stars. "But maybe it is story time. She wrapped Sora up starting a bedtime story as Sora's eyes drooped.
"-And that's the story of how mommy and daddy went off to grandma's magical castle, - and nobody got hurt," she said.
"Um Urd, people . . . got hurt," Takumi corrected her
"No they did not," she sang to Sora.
"Urd . . . people definitely got hurt," he replied.
"Not in a bedtime story time they didn't," she replied.
Mara laughed.
"What's so funny?" Urd said looking over.
"You got knocked up!" she laughed falling over drunk.
"Yeah well, what about you that one time. You thought -!"
"Son of a – we're not talking about that!" she said drunkenly trying to put her hands over Urd's lips.
As the evening wore on the games grew louder, as the light of the temple cast itself out into the night. Above them Skuld sat on roof staring up at the night sky.
By this point Keiichi was thankful for the distraction of the auto club members taking over the evening's entertainment as he crept off to his room to sleep. He had not laid there long before the door was pushed open and Belldandy crawled in in a nightgown he'd never seen before. "This is Urd's," she said creeping into bed beside him. "Doesn't fit very well," she muttered pulling the covers over herself.
"Did she and Takumi put you up to this?"
"And Megumi. She thought I should have some sodas," she said pressing against him. "Is it hot in here?" she asked.
"Oh boy." He felt her feet kicking him, "Hey - hey, Keiichi."
"Yeah."
"I was wondering. If my powers, well I mean if my powers - ."
"I think we could live anywhere Bell. Don't you?" he said taking hold of her hand.
"Yeah," she replied moving closer. "It was a good party. "Did you see Sora trying to hold on to the cookie as she fell asleep?" she said her feet still playing with him.
"Yeah, cute," he muttered.
"And her toes. Did you see her toes crinkling?"
"Yeah it's all pretty great . . .," he agreed sleepily.
"You think so? I think so," she said happily her toes curling.
"What?" he asked lifting up his head.
"Babies," she replied cuddling.
The following week saw the Morisato household taken over by phones, adopted with varying levels of exuberance. Urd carried it dutifully at her side but little else, whereas Skuld would interrupt every conversation that week with something new she could do with it (Can we do that? Urd would ask confused on hearing the latest news. At receiving a reply she would shrug, well she makes it sound like only she can to that!). Belldandy's approach was more measured. Several times that week Keiichi found her sitting alone in the forest surrounded by her winged colleagues puzzling over the phone. A bird on her shoulder hopped down to tap the screen several times with its beak. "Oh I see!" Belldandy said. Another came forward rubbing the screen with his head, cocking his head chirping this way and that. "Yes I think you're good looking," Belldandy replied looking at the screen with the bird. "Here," she raising her phone as the air current around them began to grow.
"Oh now I've seen everything!" Urd said walking up to find a squadron of pint-sized birds suspended in the air around Belldandy, each gliding on the air current perfectly still.
"Hang on I've got to get this picture!" she said.
"It looks like the potion was helpful," said Urd.
"Yes thank you. I feel better now. More myself."
"Well there's been a lot going on lately. But I knew things would settle out with your powers. Not that it would have made any difference to Keiichi."
"He said much the same. I don't know. Somehow I feel like I have more to lose now. I suppose we both do," she said looking at the courtyard.
"Yeah, look at them," Urd replied watching Tai and Sora rolling in the leaves, their hands spread. But Sora soon decided that inserting one leaf after another into Takumi's mouth, to judge how each one might taste, was more important.
"Could you have ever imagined this?" asked Belldandy.
"I know. When I first met him I thought – he's trouble. But later I thought - thank god. I was lonely. Lonelier than I realized. Still, don't you ever get scared?"
"Of Keiichi?"
"Of showing him how much you really need him."
She thought a moment. "No. Not since that night."
"Of course," Urd thought, watching Takumi spit out his latest leaf offering, chasing Sora around the side of the house. She followed looking for the spot they had disappeared to along the back corridor. Approaching her room she heard a voice whispering at the bottom of the open door, "Hey you - what are you doing out there? It's cold out there isn't it?" She looked through the doorway to find Takumi poking his head out from under a tent made of blankets.
"Huh?"
"Come in here and be safe with us," he called. "This way. We don't let just anyone into this entrance do we Sora?" Sora shook her head. "Should we let mom in?" Sora nodded.
"You're a fool," Urd said crawling headfirst into the cozy tent.
"Then I'm in good company. Come in here and be warm with us," he said putting his arms around her. Dissatisfied with the arrangement Sora climbed under their arms placing herself at the center.
"Did Bell tell you we used to do this when we were young?"
"I know nothing. All I know is you need some rest," he said pulling her back to him.
"Maybe I do. . ." she said lying down. Trying to stop her mother's cuddling position with dad Sora put her hand up, which Takumi quickly put in his mouth.
Urd leaned up kissing him, further displeasing Sora. "You'd better do the same if you want to get that hand back," she said.
Sora thought, putting her foot up to his face instead.
"This kid's got your feistiness," Takumi said letting her go. "Did you see her in back with the leaves? She was doing your eyebrow thing!"
The next morning they all went for a walk in the forest, Urd, Takumi and Sora came up the hill to find Keiichi and Belldandy already there, lying at a 45' angle to one another on their backs looking at the sky.
"What are you guys doing?" asked Urd.
"Thinking about how beautiful the sky is," replied Belldandy.
"We were just talking about Christmas. Do you guys know what you want?" asked Keiichi.
"What do you want?" Belldandy asked hinting.
"Just you," replied Keiichi.
"Does everyone want that? Because it'll save me some time," Takumi said clapping his hands.
"Nah. I want stuff," replied Urd.
"I'm not enough?" he asked setting Sora down between Keiichi and Belldandy.
"Have you forgotten the present I got you this year?" she said kissing Sora's head.
"I think I did all the hard work on that one," he said.
Urd's eyes narrowed. "Sweet pea do you want to see mommy do a magic trick?" she said as her eyes began to change and Takumi took off. "Mommy's got to go chase daddy for a little while," she said disappearing as Sora squealed.
"Keiichi . . . what do you really want for Christmas?" Belldandy whispered, rubbing Sora's bottom as though he needed any further hints regarding her interests. Below them in the valley Urd caught up to Takumi at the base of a large tree. "Have I changed very much?" she said throwing back her hair.
"You mean since that first day when you tried to kill me?"
She pouted. "No, you're still the same woman. The same one who took pity on me in that club and allowed me to share in her adventures. Just grown more beautiful," he said kissing her.
The days that Fall seemed magical yet passed quickly. All too quickly. He didn't realize it yet, but there would be nights in the future that Takumi would sit thinking of nothing else, going over every detail in his mind - what they wore, what they said, how they laughed. He would go over each frame, trying to piece together what led them to that day, pondering what if , what if . . . But in the end it came down only to this: there was a time before the incident - and a time after it. That was how he looked at it. Perhaps the only way he could without it consuming him. Everything from before he sealed away in some dark corner of his mind, safe from the rest of the world. At least from the world as it was now.
The Christmas season had descended upon them in haste, and with it everyone's plans to get their shopping done. Only Belldandy seemed to be making any real progress, walking casually that day down the boulevards of Tokyo alone, searching past window after window looking for the ideal gift. Close to lunch time she stopped in to a shop searching the shelves when her phone rang. She reached her hand down into one of her long pockets wrangling up the phone. "Hello this is Belldandy's phone," she said proudly, still practicing her answer. "Oh it's you," she replied surprised. "I just thought -," but as the urgent jumble of words spilled out assaulting her she began to understand that something was horribly wrong.
She turned her head listening, looking out over the city in disbelief. Everything seemed to move in slow motion now as her eyes swept toward the clock tower, watching as the second hand closed in on the hour. She had less than a minute. She was in motion now, the phone falling from her hands as she jumped onto the counter running, her body shattering the front window as she turned dropping on the street. With no time to deflect the oncoming transport truck she hit it directly, striking with such force that the metal frame began to buckle, its rear axle rising as she forced it down, stretching skyward toward the harbor. She had lived in this world quietly for more than 3 years. She knew now all that was over. But it didn't matter. She hurtled toward the ship at terrific speed knowing now she had only seconds. She spotted the men on the deck reaching for the device. She was too late.
She made the decision in an instant as the steel of the ship's hull deformed horribly collapsing in on itself under the terrible power of a first-class goddess. Fuel exploded under the force, its energy radiating outward as she fought to control it with everything she had. Above her three Valkyries appeared overhead as though the sky itself had unwrapped them with Lind at their lead. "PIONA JARN!" Belldandy shouted.
"What?!"
"MELT THE STEEL!" she cried as the two beside her drove the molten form as Lind stabilized its outer surface, the whole of group of them instantly deflecting it toward the volcanic summit of Oshima Island some 50 miles distant burying it into the crater. Belldandy's body fell, depleted along with Rota and Mist as they struck the ocean below.
Within an hour in the heart of Tokyo a messenger came in, delivering the report to the commissioner.
"What am I looking at?" he said leafing through the pages.
"The Office of Accident Response says a neutron signature."
"Do we know where?"
"There appears to have been a sizable electromagnetic pulse along the waterfront coinciding with the event. A number of transformers in the area have been blown out."
"Photographic data?"
"Nothing yet probably due to the electrical interference."
"Eyewitness accounts?"
"Most report an explosion, and there's evidence of pressure damage. But we haven't turned up a single person with a solid memory yet. I'm told it may be related to the EM pulse.
"And the neutron signal?"
"They've scanned the area twice but report no evidence of any ongoing radioactive signatures. However . . ."
"Yes?"
"It appears we're missing a ship."
The commissioner bowed his head. "Cordon off the area and search for debris. For now we'll report it as a possible explosion but no more. Such a signal, and so close to the city center. Kyuushin iishou - nine deaths, one life as they say."
As everywhere else, the news that evening did not go unnoticed in the Morisato household. "Keiichi, did you say Big-sis was late?" Skuld asked leaning forward in the tea room with Sora.
"Why?"
"They say there was some kind of explosion on the waterfront." Keiichi came in picking up his phone.
"She's not answering." Skuld picked up Sora coming beside him. "I've got a bad feeling about this," he said calling again.
"Call Urd. Maybe she knows something," suggested Skuld.
"She's not answering either," he said growing anxious. "Did they go shopping together today?"
"I don't think so. She said something about going out to look for Takumi." At that moment there came a knock at the door.
"That must be them -," said Skuld jumping up.
"Why would they knock?" Keiichi said shaking his head.
They slid open the door to find Ex and Ere standing in the porchlight surrounded by a small group of Valkyries. The look in their eyes did not reassure him.
"Is - Urd here?" one asked finally
"No." he replied. "Where is Belldandy?"
"We really need to talk to Urd," they said once more.
"Where is Belldandy?" he demanded.
"Where's my Big-sis!" Skuld shouted.
Amid the standoff there came a sound at the gate as Urd and Takumi arrived. The two seemed quiet, as though they had been walking and talking for some time. As they came in the visitors began to coalesce around them. "Urd, we . . ."
"We know. We're coming now," she replied.
"What's going on?!" asked Keiichi.
"I see. So you haven't told them," said Urd.
"Of course not . . .," Takumi replied beside her.
"We've only just arrived!" argued Pogn.
Keiichi listened to their back and forth with numb detachment. He had been with them here for the last three years. Yet none of it mattered. Only the girl he had traveled here with mattered. "Is Belldandy alright?!" he demanded.
Urd and Takumi looked at one another. "She's okay Keiichi." "Then why are they here?"
"Because they have her under arrest," replied Takumi.
"What?!" Keiichi and Skuld cried as chaos broke out.
"Tai, what did I say about not inflaming things?" insisted Urd.
"You thought this would all just be ignored?!" replied Rota.
"What exactly is she accused of?" asked Keiichi.
"Apparently she didn't kill enough people," replied Takumi.
"Tai!"
"Allegedly," he added.
"I'm going!" shouted Skuld.
"It's a legal proceeding you can't go," reminded Urd.
"We didn't even have to come here," insisted Mist.
"You mean you can just black bag her?! Nice legal strategy - for The Heavens!" muttered Takumi.
"You said she didn't kill enough people. Did . . . she kill someone?" asked Keiichi.
"It's complicated," Urd replied brushing past him.
"Then I'm going with you," he said following her.
"He's specifically not invited," Mist said pointedly.
"You get the feeling this is about more than just an explosion?" Takumi murmured to Keiichi.
"We need a moment -," Urd said disappearing inside the house with the rest of the Morisato household. "Keiichi, Tai and I will see what can be done. You and Skuld stay here with Sora."
"Why is he going?" Keiichi said looking at Takumi.
"He appears to have information material to the case."
"Material to the case?"
"He says we need to get to Belldandy as soon as possible to tell her things before it's too late."
"What kind of things?"
They looked at one another. "We can't tell you that Keiichi," Takumi replied.
"Why?!"
"Because doing so would endanger your and Belldandy's future. Now we need to go. We're wasting time."
. . .
Arriving in the gallery of the Main Hall, Urd and Takumi followed their escort until they were led up behind the group holding Belldandy on the ground level. Urd rankled at seeing her in restraints. Even in profile she could tell the strain the events had had on her. "I still don't understand why you didn't tell Keiichi at least what you told me," Urd said as she and Takumi crowded together on the floor with many others.
"Because if he found out about the dead he'd try to save them - and get killed as a result. Thus no Keiichi and Belldandy."
"Are we ready to proceed?" called Villi, standing above them on the balcony before the congregation. From the rear of the hall the goddess was brought forward, past the stunned faces of the crowd to stand before the upper council.
"Belldandy. You stand accused of 122 counts premature termination of human life and attempted interference of the Terran timeline. How do you plead?"
She gathered her strength replying to the crowd. "Guilty," she said as startled gasps broke from a number of those assembled.
"Your defense?" asked the councilor.
"I have none," she replied. "None that you would accept."
Takumi moved forward behind her but she shook her head.
The councilor shot an uncomfortable sideways glance to the high council and Odin, who sat motionless with the rest of them. "Please explain your actions," he said.
Belldandy looked up at the councilor. "As is no doubt clear by now, I drew extra-dimensional energy in to melt the structure, acting accordance with the level of threat I observed; resulting in those charges now before the court." Urd could hear murmuring in the gallery regarding her bearing, particularly among the older members.
"Why not just remove the perceived threat?" the councilor asked.
"The men? It would still be a violation. Besides, I did not know if what I beheld was the only trigger, and its components are dangerous on their own. No, the mechanism needed to be destroyed completely and sealed. Since I did not know if it would explode I attempted to create secondary shielding with the means available."
"Secondary shielding?"
"Reforming the steel in conjunction with the surrounding salt water to act as an X-ray protector and neutron moderator. "
"The water depth was only 60 feet, it would have done little."
"If it had triggered as intended nothing I would have done would have made much difference," she agreed. "Rather it was a measure to protect the population from harm during compressive reformatting; as I had only seconds."
"I see. Anything else to add?" he asked.
She stood silent, alone in the gallery.
The counselor shook his head, "You have heard it from the defendant's own testimony. On her own prerogative she willingly interfered with the causal development of a sentient species. This is not her first encounter with such charges. And within her explanation lie reasoning we have heard previously; from members of the Demon Realm," he said glancing at Urd.
"Subtle . . .," Takumi quipped.
"Quiet," Urd responded.
Above them the councilor bowed his head regrettably, "Belldandy, under the law we have no choice but ask for immediate dispossession of your powers and internment in a suitable facility for the duration of your sentence."
To his left Takumi saw Lind's eyes subtly shift to her own group of Valkyries as the order was read out, their movement slowly beginning to flank Belldandy. Takumi turned his head to the right waiting. But a subtle shake of Urd's head in the corner of his eye dispelled any romantic notions he may have had regarding their potential interference. It was this more than anything that told him it was all really happening. As the court officers came forward to take hold of Belldandy, he walked into the aisle. Urd spotted him but it was too late.
. . .
For Keiichi, the days passed interminably. Then on the third day he saw light over the temple. Skuld saw the light too and they ran toward the source. "What does it mean?!" he asked.
"We'll see," Skuld replied heading behind the temple with him. They spotted Urd in the meadow walking slowly toward them.
"What happened Urd?!" she asked.
She walked past Skuld saying nothing. "Belldandy's trial is over," she replied turning her back to Keiichi.
"What was their decision?" he asked.
She looked down unable to face him. "Taking into account her past service and deeds, and the specific circumstances of the incident, they elected to give her a light sentence. One year . . . for every human life."
Keiichi felt sick. "So the time?"
"One hundred twenty-two years," Urd replied swallowing.
He knelt down unsteady. That was it. He sat silently under the trees trying to hear the wind. To hear anything. But he could not. "Can I go - see her?" he asked hopefully.
She turned putting her arms around him. "I'm sorry," she said shaking her head. "The sentence has already been carried out."
He stood in the meadow in shock. It had happened. His worst fear finally realized. The one he'd pushed to the back of his mind all this time. She was gone. And she was not coming back. He would never see her again. Numbly he cast his eyes toward the temple. The place that would never be home again. The world seemed to spin, as his words tumbled out. "How – how could they do that?!" he cried.
"She decided the fate of 122 people. On her own. That's not something we're allowed to do."
"But those people would have died regardless of whether she acted or not!"
"That's not the way they saw it. Belldandy interfered with something we're not supposed to interfere with – the natural course of human development. Something she's come perilously close to previously. That fact weighed heavily on the minds of the council given her current status. I know it seems unimaginably cruel. But from their frame of reference - do you have any idea how many innocent people they've seen die throughout human history? Didn't you ever wonder why they don't help them directly? The awful truth is, if an outside force solves your problems, you are never truly free. You're nothing. We can show, demonstrate and guide. But they won't prevent the actions mankind inflicts upon itself because all that horror, in time, leads them to become more than they were. Growing. Learning. Establishing. In their own right."
"Assuming they don't annihilate themselves first," he said.
"-Assuming they don't annihilate themselves first," she replied.
"Sounds great. But I don't buy it for a minute. Clearly neither did Bell. Perhaps she knew there was something between 'kind parent' and 'throwing people into the water to swim. If they don't, well hey, better luck next time!' Do they really believe we don't have the right to fight for those we love? Or is there something else you're not telling me Urd?"
"Like what?"
"Belldandy told me after her last encounter with the court system how difficult it was for some people to accept the nature of our relationship; particularly given the nature of her return.
I hope this wasn't simply a means to eliminate that problem."
"What are you saying?"
"-Because a group like that doesn't deserve our respect Urd."
"Now you sound like Takumi!"
"Well I – ?. It was only now he saw Takumi was nowhere to be seen. Where is Takumi?" he asked concerned.
"Oh, don't even talk to me about that idiot!" she snapped.
"Why? What happened?!" he asked beginning to fear the worst.
She began to pace. "I must have told him at least a dozen times how to behave in the Great Hall. But did he listen? No of course not!"
"What happened Urd?!"
"Let's just say that when the sentence was read out he . . . did not react well. This was followed by some yelling, some use of words not normally heard in the Great Hall, several accusations concerning parentage, and an impromptu discussion of the merits of the justice system in the Heavens versus the Demon Realm – none of which was terribly well received. He is currently confined."
"Oh no."
But Urd continued muttering, going over it all in her mind:
"I told him, they're not looking for input - be quiet!" But then Ve had to say "'humanity must learn its own lessons.'"
That was it! Off he went, shouting like a maniac!"
'Do you know how many people resided within the blast radius? Millions. Millions of innocent people. Children! Really? It doesn't matter to you?! What kind of %#* sh** show are you running yo here?!"
"So they grabbed him?"
"Oh no, he kept going . . . Even after I told him to shut up!"
'I thought you folks knew everything? Did you know about this? If you did why didn't you act? Are you complicit? I mean, I'm told there's an Earth Help Center – where's the help?! Or does it only hand out maps? Is this your idea of guidance –stand back and watch entire cities burn?! And if it is - if you've decided that humanity has just become too much trouble - I don't blame you. We've fallen short - too many times. But if that's the case - if that's truly how you feel - if you just don't care anymore, please . . . please just let those who still believes in us . . . anyone with an ounce of compassion left - to do what they can . . . and help us. Don't put them in prison. Belldandy sacrificed 122 people . . . to save more than half a million. A fact she'll live with it for the rest of her life."
Now it was Odin's voice that thundered in the Great Hall:
"The reasons have all been explained - even if they are beyond your full understanding. Like all your kind, you naively wish for someone else to fix all of your failures, all your mistakes -ensuring you make even more lethal ones in the future. Like a child you consider only your own immediate injustices, whereas we to look to the survival of worlds."
"-One in which the individual doesn't matter. I'm beginning to see why some of your greatest members chose to leave!"
Hushed silence met his comment in the gallery. Urd shivered as Odin's eyes passed over her, a sinking feeling that Sora was now the only thing keeping the two of them from real harm.
"That – was not the right thing to say," she muttered. But of course the guards were already on their way to take him away.
"God's righteous men," Takumi observed sarcastically on their approach. "I thought we were having a discussion. Or is that something else you disapprove of up here?"
"You mistake our role," replied Ve. "We are not the ones responsible for improving humanity. You are."
"I see. So the real issue isn't that 122 innocent people died. It's that more than half a million didn't! You know I've always wondered whether you folks were 'all good' or 'all powerful'. I know now it's certainly not the former!"
"Shut up Sato!" Lind snapped taking hold of him.
"What are you going to do - kill me again?" he asked.
"Killing you wouldn't inform anything, and would matter even less," observed Villi. "Rather reflecting upon your actions may open your eyes," he said, as with a wave he was led away.
"I know your faces!" he threatened, comically pointing as Urd shook her head as he was dragged away.
Those assembled in the hall emptied out until at last only Odin remained in the upper gallery. "We aren't even all powerful," he observed retiring.
. . .
Several days later, a squad of Valkyries appeared in the courtyard of the Tariki Hongan temple, predictably dragging a package behind them. "Sign for this," Rota said sarcastically, tossing Takumi in front of them.
"And try to keep it out of trouble," added Mist behind her.
Takumi brushed himself off straightening up. "Hi guys - did you forget about me?! In prison!" he shouted to Urd.
"That wasn't prison," said the ranking Valkyrie. "It was a holding room - where we keep lost children!"
Takumi stiffened at their chuckling, "That it does explain a few things -," he muttered. "Well . . . in that case the toys weren't very educational!" he said folding his arms marching off. His eyes met Urd's but he passed her saying nothing, instead going out to the back of the temple in search of Keiichi. He found him in the garage working aimlessly on the bike.
"Keiichi."
Morisato nodded.
"We're going to get her back. You know that right?" he said.
"I know," Keiichi replied weakly without looking up.
"No I mean it. We-are-going-to-get-her-back!"
"Of course," he replied focusing on his work.
"I'm serious. We'll get her back whatever it takes. Even if we have to tear down the gates themselves! Don't think we won't Keiichi. Not for one second. You hear me?!"
"Of course," he said continuing.
Takumi watched him retreat into silence.
"You shouldn't have said that," muttered the voice behind him as he left the garage. He turned his head glaring at Urd.
"Do you hear me?" she said as he brushed past her heading for the house. "You shouldn't give him false hope! You think that's helping? He's breaking inside. Don't you know that?!"
"Then we must give him something to re-forge his body!" Takumi replied testily.
"Are we going to talk about what's really bothering you?"
"Why? You'll only lie to me," he replied angrily.
She stamped her foot to the ground. "I did not lie!"
He turned crossed his arms knowingly.
"Alright! We're almost indestructible! Almost. It's theoretically possible that collision with high energy plasma could cause us significant injury. But that's not really a normal circumstance down here is it? I mean I didn't specifically say Sora shouldn't play inside a supercollider either, but I don't really think I needed to!"
"What I heard up there didn't sound very theoretical . . ."
"Look in her present state with all the protections Bell and I have put on her, Sora could literally step in front of the Shinkansen and though I'm sure the experience would make quite an impression on her, she would not irrevocably harmed. Thus I stand by my original statement that nothing in this world can harm us."
"I see. And what about Keiichi? How much did you really tell him about what happened up there?"
"I gave him the broad outline. I told him you acted like a complete idiot."
"You often seem to provide 'broad outlines'," he huffed. "What did he say?"
"About the same thing you did," she scowled.
"Because we both know it's BS."
"It's not BS, and it's not some random rule!"
"Really? Because goddess wish granting would seem to run counter to the 'we can't interfere even if large numbers of people are being killed' doctrine they were busy defending up there."
"Hey idiot, did it ever occur to you that you might not understand everything regarding reasons behind such actions?"
"How could I when I can't even get a straight answer out of my partner?!" he countered.
She was about to say something but lowered her voice as Skuld and Sora approached. "She just woke up," Skuld said handing her into Urd's arms. "Look who's back sweat pea - that pain in the ass we sometimes have to deal with," Urd cooed to Sora.
"Prison!" Sora pronounced happily touching his nose.
"It wasn't – oh nevermind!" he said.
"The point is, goddess wishes aren't like rubs on a genie's lamp. They're more like counter-waves patterns in a pond."
"Huh?"
"Remember when you said wishes were 'granted all the time' and I told you they weren't? I said a wish was only granted under very special circumstances?"
"Probably not -," he replied talking to Sora.
"Well if you had you'd know their true purpose."
"Which is?"
"Wishes are only granted under conditions where they counter some non-natural element in the Terran system."
"Non-natural? Wait, you mean . . . ?!"
"That's right."
"So every wish granted here on Earth is an attempt by the Heavens to correct something from the Demon Realm?!"
"Technically correct any non-natural element which unduly influences Terran."
"But then Keiichi's wish - to be with a goddess like her forever. Why does a goddess need to be with Keiichi? Did a demon do something to Keiichi in the past? Is Keiichi a demon?! Why would they even allow such a wish?! Don't they want Bell and Keiichi NOT to be together?"
"Perhaps doing so creates even more ripples in the future, things they can't control, or promotes greater chaos," Urd suggested.
"Or if they weren't together, maybe Belldandy would eventually perform some action that . . . or you. I've always considered you might be a potential world-ender. But in either case they no longer appear to be concerned," he mused.
"Maybe there are additional conditions controlling such events. Perhaps the current state of affairs opens new paths."
"Like if Belldandy's in prison she can't go out and do whatever she was going to do? And what about Keiichi's wish with Peorth – granting his deepest desires?"
"Well that one's easy, since we now know it was simply a means to further his original wish."
"But why all the subterfuge? If the gods want something done, why rely on conforming wishes to achieve it? Why not just execute the desired order? Why leave it up to us?"
"I have a feeling a system like that kind of defeats the purpose of independent growth. But in cases of big causality-bending events – I'm pretty sure they would."
"Independent growth! They choose which wishes get granted. They're the ones pulling the strings," he scoffed.
"No they're restoring order - in a way that doesn't dramatically upset the system."
"You seem remarkably trusting of them today."
"And you seemed quite close to Belldandy during the trial. And angry. So how about you provide me with some straight answers for a change!"
"Meaning?"
"Lithium deuteride, 150 kilotons, half a million dead? Those estimates you were spouting up there seem awfully specific! What really happened Tai? You always said there would be honesty between us. Isn't that what we promised each other?"
He looked at her directly, the wind gracing her flowing white hair. "You already know -," he said finally. "We were all at the temple, all of us except Belldandy who was in the city. She survived the blast but . . . it's difficult to even talk about the rest. And it wasn't half a million. It was a hundred thousand . . . a hundred thousand people gone instantly . . . with half a million more succumbing in the weeks that followed."
Urd shuddered. "You and I - we stood outside the temple watching the fireball, its fingers reaching to the troposphere." He knelt down beside her as though suddenly tired.
"So that was why you knew because for you - it had all it had happened before."
"Yes. Everything became paralyzed. Between nations things began to happen - quickly. Belldandy made it back though, back to the temple. At that point the three of you decided the only course of action was to use your powers to send back a messenger into the past."
"So Bell, Skuld and I used our capabilities as Norns to send you back into the past. Why didn't Keiichi go?"
"Belldandy was hurt and he would not leave her. If one of you were seriously hurt in the attempt, we would never have another chance. You said I could make it. Things were . . . chaotic. I won't pretend I understood what was within the rings the three of you drew in the courtyard, but Skuld said something about the size of the phenomena disrupting the stability of the temporal field. As such you couldn't send me back with the normal level of accuracy. Since time was of the essence you decided to send me back as close to the event as possible."
"Why didn't we send you back to an even earlier point, to give you more time?"
"Skuld said the farther back we went, the greater the potential for inducing variable changes. Given the stakes you decided you couldn't risk even slight variations in context or place. You must have been right. At least this time Belldandy saved the city - despite her own horrible outcome. So you see, I was responsible for what happened to her."
"You mean you were the reason she knew where and when?"
"Yes. Except I get to go home to you and Sora; whereas Keiichi will never see her again."
"Which was why you wanted to get to her this time as soon as possible," she said putting her arm around him.
"Yes. Obviously there was no reason for her to be intercepted the first time. I didn't anticipate for her to fall into the Upper Realm's hands so quickly during this current iteration."
"You mean you were hoping the three of us could convene one more time, using knowledge gained from this iteration to change things more - subtlety ina further loop."
"Given the situation I think there are multiple ways we could have achieved that outcome knowing what we know now. I wish Belldandy would have let me tell them about the role I played - how she knew; it might have mitigated things for her."
"She declined because she knew it wouldn't have altered her punishment. She knew it was a violation either way; and could only have caused trouble for us."
"And now they'll never see each other again."
"Never is a long time. When Belldandy gets out – we'll work to make things right.
"One hundred and twenty-two years from now . . ."
"Yes, and of course it is terrible. But we must support them and give them hope. And use the time to plan."
"Wouldn't they just block anything we'd do?"
"Belldandy will have served her time at that point. She can't be re-arrested unless she performs some new infraction. And there are all kinds of reasons Norns might need to visit the past."
"You mean we could work a deal with the Demon Realm?"
"Or induce an effect so subtle it's beyond any reasonable detection. Who can say? Perhaps even someone from the Heavens may help. But we have plenty of time to work on it."
"Alternatively we could just try to break her out now . . ."
"Sweet. But you clearly have no idea what we'd be up against. The security where she is would be well beyond any of us."
He frowned leaning against the tree. And now?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do you think they will reset things?"
"You mean wipe out the city? I don't think so," Urd replied.
"Why? They clearly don't care about human life."
"I'm not sure that's fair, but essentially it would create several problems for them. One: Belldandy has been punished. Changing the timeline now raises the technical issue that she would not have performed any crime under such circumstances; and so would have to be released."
"So? Why wouldn't they do that?"
"The reality is that the imposed punishment also solves the thorny problem of the relationship between she and Keiichi."
"You're kidding me. That's cold. Do they care so much?"
"It's not the first time they've tried to separate them. It happened once before, in the time before I knew you. They have a long memory, and usually get what they want. At a minimum it pushes the problem further down the road, making it much easier to deal with."
"As in – aww if only humans lived longer. . ."
"Perhaps. But I still have one question. When you came back this time; why did you seek out Bell? Why not me?"
He looked out over the forest. "She was closer," he said finally.
"Tai . . ."
"Alright maybe feelings did factor into it. But we've never had so much as we have now. I didn't know how it would turn out."
"I see now why you were so angry in the Great Hall. You blame yourself. You knew the council members weren't going to do anything – because you'd already seen it."
"Yeah," he nodded. They walked on to the store discussing their plans. As the weeks passed Sora grew day by day. But none of their talks would bring Belldandy back, and nothing they did could change the fact that she was gone. Indeed, in those days none of them knew it would be years before any of them would see Belldandy again.