Broken Dreamers

An Ah! My Goddess Miniseries by

Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)

Part 6: Norns Night Out

Skuld nervously bit her lip. "What if she doesn't come?"

Urd rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly. Belldandy can't lie."

"But what if she-"

"Skuld. Don't think you're too old for me to put you over my knee."

Skuld glared at her sister, but said nothing more. She then realized that Urd was probably just as anxious as she was, maybe even more so. Urd always seemed to know more than she told Skuld, and if anything, Belldandy apparently knew even more than that, this time. Skuld had finally figured out that this was Urd's way of protecting her, which was both frustrating and endearing. On the other hand, Urd generally allowed Skuld to learn by making her own mistakes first, so if it was something that even Urd was trying to protect her from, there had to be a good reason for it.

They had chosen Skuld's home for the meeting, for privacy and the fact that it was already equipped with an automatic defense system. They weren't expecting any intruders, and Hild had more or less promised to behave, but Skuld had not gotten where she was by being ill-prepared.

Of course, it was a little disturbing already that Hild, despite never being told by anyone, did not need directions to reach Skuld's home. Skuld had gone over it repeatedly, but couldn't decide how Hild had found out the exact location. Urd would never have told her, and Belldandy had never been there herself.

Skuld was so busy worrying that she almost didn't notice when Belldandy walked into the room. She froze at once, having no idea how her beloved older sister would react to her presence.

She should've known better.

Belldandy's face lit up, and she quickly crossed the room and drew Skuld into a warm hug. "I'm so glad you're safe," she murmured, tenderly kissing Skuld's cheek.

"Onee-sama," Skuld whimpered before she burst into tears of relief and buried her face in Belldandy's shoulder.

Belldandy smiled and stroked her sister's hair. "It's alright, Skuld. I could never be angry at you."

"Yeah, that's my job," Urd added, feeing a little left out.

"Nee-san," Belldandy said brightly, turning to hug and kiss her as well. "I've missed you."

"Sure. Now start talking."

"Can't we at least sit down first?" Belldandy asked, frowning.

Urd grabbed both of her sisters and practically shoved them into the waiting chairs, sitting on Belldandy's other side herself. "Talk!"

"Holy Bell was hoping to see Noble Scar-"

"She isn't going anywhere. Talk!"

Sighing, Belldandy reluctantly began. "Well, first and foremost, Noble Scarlet can and will be restored."

Skuld's eyes widened. "Really?!" At Belldandy's nod, she started to cheer, but a sharp look from Urd made her pause in thought. "Wait. How can you know that, Onee-sama?"

Belldandy hesitated. "It's most accurate to say that I'm allowed to know."

"Oh. Okay." Skuld wasn't sure what else to say to that.

"You should both also know that leaving Keiichi was my choice."

"Bull," Urd said at once.

Belldandy gazed at her patiently. "Nee-san, it was my choice."

"That was no more your choice than being born the Daimakaicho's daughter was mine, and you know it."

"I can't lie," Belldandy reminded her.

"You can if you believe in the lie so strongly that it's true to you, or if you don't realize it's a lie. You just can't knowingly lie on purpose."

"I chose to leave him," Belldandy insisted.

"But you love Keiichi," Skuld murmured. "So, why did you-?"

"She didn't," Urd interrupted.

"I did," Belldandy answered, frowning at her.

Urd snorted. "Sure. Tell me this, then: did you make that choice already knowing what would happen if you stayed with Keiichi?"

Belldandy hesitated again, longer this time. "Yes."

"And who gave you that knowledge?"

"You obviously know already, so why-?"

"Skuld doesn't know."

"...the Almighty."

Skuld's eyes instantly teared up. "God hates Keiichi?"

"Of course not," Belldandy said, patting her hand reassuringly.

"He can't be overly fond of Keiichi, either," Urd pointed out.

"You don't understand-" Belldandy began.

"Only because you haven't told us everything!"

"I wasn't permitted to," Belldandy replied calmly. "Nee-san, you should know how these things work."

"Which is exactly why I'm so pissed at you right now. I could understand if you were trying to protect Skuld from the truth, but there was no reason to leave me out of it! And because of what I didn't know, we could've lost Skuld! So don't you dare sit there and act like things are fine!"

"I have never and would never do anything to put Skuld in danger. I was trying to do what was best for her."

"Then you did a lousy job!" Urd snapped. "Why haven't you even come to see her since she came back to Heaven?"

"As I said, I was trying to do what-"

"You finish that sentence," Urd growled, raising a hand crackling with lightning, "and I'll make you wish you hadn't."

Belldandy stared at her intently. "What do you want me to say?"

"That you screwed up by not trusting in us, and that you'll stop doing it, right here, right now! Because if you don't, Belldandy, Keiichi will be the least of your problems!"

"You know that the Almighty does not take threats against His Chosen lightly."

Urd narrowed her eyes. "I can have the better part of Hell's army here with a single word."

"Stop it!" Skuld cried, pushing them apart. "Stop fighting!"

"Not until she apologizes for abandoning us!" Urd shouted.

Belldandy closed her eyes. "I don't expect you two to understand the choices I made."

"What I understand is that when Skuld really needed you, all she had was me. I'm sick of being your substitute, Belldandy. You should've been here for her. If you've changed so much that you can't understand that, I'll do everything in my power to make sure that you're never allowed to see Skuld again."

Skuld stared at her in shock. "W-Why would you say that, Urd?"

Urd glared at her. "Because you're my sister, too, and unlike her, I love you, you little brat."

"Urd," Skuld whispered softly, tears spilling down her cheeks. "You mean it?"

Rolling her eyes, Urd lightly bopped Skuld on the head with the back of her hand. "Of course I do, stupid."

With a loud sob, Skuld flung herself at Urd, latching onto her waist and bawling into her stomach.

Belldandy smiled and turned away. "We are united once more. The next phase can begin."

"What did you say?" Urd asked sharply.

"I said," Belldandy answered, turning to face her, "that you're right. Nee-san, Skuld, I apologize if my actions harmed either of you in any way. Please believe that it was not my intention."

"We know you'd never mean to hurt us, Onee-sama," Skuld sniffled, wiping her face with her sleeve.

"Which begs the question of what God told you about Keiichi's fate that made you leave him," Urd added.

"There wasn't much of a choice," Belldandy sighed. "I could've stayed with Keiichi. But if I had, Mara would've eventually possessed him, and accidentally fused their souls in the process. The resulting creature would only destroy everything in its path, and no power in Heaven or Hell could undo it without severe consequences. I saw the path I chose as being the better alternative for everyone, even if it placed more of the burden on us."

"And you couldn't have said anything at all?"

"I was... strongly encouraged not to," Belldandy admitted.

Urd frowned. "You know, I'm really starting not to like Him."

Skuld shushed Urd, glancing around nervously. "He'll hear you!"

"If He didn't get rid of me for being the Daimakaicho's kid, I doubt He's going to care about a little blasphemy."

"That reminds me, shouldn't Hild-san be with you?" Belldandy asked.

Urd shook her head. "She had some last minute business or something. Said that we should start without her and that she'll catch up later. With any luck, we can finish without her, too."

"Oh, I highly doubt that," Belldandy disagreed.

"And why is that?" Urd demanded.

Belldandy blinked, a little surprised by Urd's tone. "I thought you two were getting along?"

"We are. But being around you two reminds me how much of this mess is her fault. And when I think about what she could've done to Skuld, I-"

"Have you ever considered that it is her fate to challenge us, just as it is yours to constantly resist her?"

"No," Urd said coldly.

Belldandy smiled hesitantly. "Maybe you should?"

"No!"

"Nee-san, you're not even trying..."

"Why should I?! Yes, she's my mother, but it's hard to remember or admit that when she's attacking us! And Skuld-"

"Is stronger now than she has ever been, thanks in part to the hardships she suffered through."

The color drained out of Urd's face. "If the next words out of your mouth are that this was all somebody's sick idea of a test, then-"

Belldandy opened her mouth to reply, but someone else beat her to it.

"It wasn't Bell-chan's test. Or haven't you realized yet that she was being tested, too?"

None of the goddesses were really surprised to see a mini-Hild strolling into the room, although they did do a double-take at seeing her dragging Welsper in by a leash.

"Was that really necessary, Hild-san?" Belldandy asked as Welsper shot her a pleading look.

"No, just having some fun!" Hild let go of the leash, smirking as Welsper took off like a shot and hid behind Belldandy.

"What do you mean, Belldandy was being tested?" Urd asked.

"Exactly what I said, Urd-chan. It isn't fair to keep blaming her for not keeping you informed. That was no doubt part of her test: hanging back and letting you two figure things out on your own. And having to choose to leave Kei-kun."

"You shouldn't have told them, Hild-san," Belldandy sighed. "The test loses some meaning if they don't figure it out themselves."

Hild winked at her. "Well, I'm not bound by the same rules as you three, thankfully. And my poor Urd-chan was frustrated enough, so I thought I'd give her one less thing to worry about. Now she can focus on keeping her baby sister safe."

Skuld clearly didn't like that, but in an odd show of maturity, decided to focus on the sentiment behind it.

"So how do we know if we've passed these stupid tests?" Urd grumbled.

"We have," Belldandy confirmed. "But don't ask me what they were. I'm not allowed to say."

"Can you at least tell me why we were being tested in the first place?"

"New licenses."

Skuld's eyes widened. "You mean I finally get to be...?"

"I can't say anything more," Belldandy murmured with a small smile.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up, Skuld," Urd warned her. "It can't be that easy."

"Nee-san, you should have more faith."

"Belldandy, I'm the Daimakaicho's daughter. How much faith do you really expect me to have?"

"More than you seem to," Belldandy replied softly.

"So I'm bad guy because I don't like the idea of Skuld getting hurt as part of some test?"

"Urd, it's fine," Skuld said, tugging on her hand. "I appreciate it, but-"

"It's not fine. The Belldandy I know wouldn't have been fine with it. She's changed, Skuld, can't you see it?"

"She hasn't just changed, Urd-chan," Hild sighed. "She's grown up. You all have. Skuld isn't a baby anymore. She can look after herself. If she says it's fine, then leave it alone. You three need to be on the same page, now more than ever. Some things are bigger than Heaven and Hell."

"Like what?" Skuld asked.

"Like you three, and the work that you're meant to do. Now that you've proven yourselves ready, you only need to accept your collective fate. So, let's call up your Maker."

Urd stared at her mother in shock. "You're going to stay for that?"

Hild smiled and patted Urd's arm. "As I said, Urd-chan, some things are bigger than Heaven and Hell."

There were only a handful of beings that could speak directly to God and get an audible reply.

Hild was at the top of list, not because she deserved to be, but because it was extremely difficult to conduct Heavenly business with someone reciting dirty limericks at the top of their lungs in the background. So when the Daimakaicho called, God answered, if only because it would result in a huge nuisance not to do so. Fortunately, she did not call often as a rule, as she was not a fan of his Booming Voice (which was always necessary with both visitors and demons, to remind them of Just Who they were dealing with).

On this day, it just so happened that God was not extremely busy when Hild called.

Or perhaps, anticipating or even having planned the event, He cleared His schedule.

At any rate, He was enjoying some tea when Hild's calling card appeared on his tabletop. As something of a private joke, it consisted of His given name, written in three ancient languages, with a small doodle of Hild sticking her tongue out at Him.

Sighing, God put His tea aside. "How I loathe... That Woman." Despite that, He tapped the temporary seal with a finger, preparing Himself for the annoyance that would surely follow. Hild was forbidden to share The Name with anyone, but she had developed an endless list of less than satisfying nicknames in the meantime.

"Hey, B.M.U.! It's been a while!" Hild said cheerfully from the seal.

"Ah... Hild-san, what does that stand for?" Belldandy asked warily.

"Big Man Upstairs, of course!"

"Oh... I see..."

"It's fine, Belldandy," He sighed heavily. "I Know there's a good reason for this call."

"Yup!" Hild agreed. "I've got Your three favorite goddesses here, and if You ever want to see them again, then-"

"Mother," Urd growled in a no-nonsense tone.

"Oh, fine, spoil my fun! Anyway, they're gathered and ready, Big Guy."

"Not just yet," God replied. "First, Skuld must be restored. Only then can they move forward as one. I trust you will assist them in that, as it is your area of expertise?"

"I don't know if I like what You're implying, Chief Oh-So-Big."

"He's saying that it's all your fault, so you should be the one to fix it!" Urd snapped.

"You didn't have to shout, Urd-chan, I'm right next to you..." Hild muttered, her pout almost audible.

God smiled slightly. "Good luck, and... I'm counting on you, Hild-san."

"Blah! Don't depend on me, it feels icky!" Hild cried in disgust, cutting off the connection abruptly.

Chuckling, He went back to his tea. "Belldandy really is a saint, to put up with her."

"Don't worry, Skuld," Belldandy said as the group slowly moved up the temple steps. "Noble Scarlet will be whole again soon."

Skuld said nothing, knowing it would do no good. Belldandy just didn't seem to have many doubts about anything anymore. At another time, it might've been reassuring, but now, it was only unnerving.

Urd was in front, which actually turned out to be a good thing. The moment she reached the top of the steps, she paused, frowned, and whirled around. "STOP!"

Everyone else froze, staring at her in alarm.

"There's a demon barrier here," Urd muttered, narrowing her eyes.

"So?" Skuld asked. "Onee-sama probably put it up before she left."

"No, there's a barrier made BY a demon here," Urd explained. "It didn't hurt me, but it would hurt you. Give me a minute and I'll-"

"Don't bother, Urd-chan," Hild said, leaning forward to open the invisible barrier with a tap from her finger. "It's my barrier, after all."

"And you were going to mention this when?" Urd demanded angrily.

Hild shrugged innocently. "If anyone other than you or I was in the lead. Although it would've been interesting to see how Bell-chan would do against a little bit of my power..."

"Why would you put a barrier here, of all places?" Skuld asked slowly.

Hild favored her with a sunny smile. "Mama Hild always looks after her kids."

Skuld glared at her. "You didn't look after Urd!"

"Didn't I, Skuld-chan? I made sure she grew up with two sisters that love her. And look how good she turned out!"

"There's no point arguing about it," Belldandy sighed as she moved past them. "Hild-san did open the barrier in time, and I'm sure it's here to protect those who live here."

Urd followed, fully intending to tell Belldandy what she thought about that, but the sight that awaited her froze her in her tracks.

The gardens which Belldandy had once so lovingly tended were absolutely overflowing with rosebushes, and each one was surrounded by a protective layer of blood-red, thorn-filled vines. It was both beautiful and disturbing at the same time.

"I know these vines," Urd whispered softly.

Skuld was about to ask how when she got her answer in the worst possible way.

Keiichi came around the side of the temple in that moment, looking in no way surprised to see them. Curled around his shoulders, with her cheek pressed to his, was an angel that looked a great deal like Gorgeous Rose.

"His angel looks like her?" Urd gasped in shock. "But-"

"No. That is Gorgeous Rose. I'd know her anywhere," Belldandy corrected calmly.

"So what do we do about it?"

"What else? We go say hello!" Hild answered, bouncing lightly on her toes. "Kei-kun! Rosie! I've brought company!"

Keiichi's wary expression didn't change as he approached, even when Hild practically tackled him around the waist in an enthusiastic hug.

"Keiichi-san," Belldandy said softly.

"Belldandy," he replied in the same tone. "It's good to see you again."

"What did you do to Peorth?!" Skuld shouted.

Keiichi gazed at her sadly. "I'm so sorry if I hurt you, Skuld."

Skuld blushed faintly and fell silent.

"It is a good question, Keiichi," Urd added. "One that I'd like answered."

"Peorth is resting inside. It might be better if she explained things herself."

"How is she resting without her angel?"

Keiichi smiled faintly. "Don't worry, she's fine. Gorgeous Rose has been with me for almost a month now."

End of Part 6.

Next Chapter: Will vs. Way

God's Will. The Way of the World. Which commands the goddesses to abandon a friend to darkness, and take their rightful place as the Norns of Fate? Or are there some things that must be, simply because they must?