Disclaimer: Oh My Goddess belongs to KÅsuke Fujishima
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2nd Disclaimer : This chapter was written by Ceroxon and betaread by Hotelkatz
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The previous video had ended. Once again, the screen flickered, waiting to be turned off or be asked a new question .
Of the three demons present , it was Hild's at asking a question (which in any case regarded as being queen, she could ask a question when she felt like it , whether it was her turn or not) .
Mara and Mokkukalfi therefore expected it as always, the pleasure of the Daimakaicho .
"Hmm ... What question now? If the Lord of Terror had destroyed the universe? Well, I already know what they would do. If Hagall really betrayed me? It would not have changed at the end. If I and the father of Urd had stayed together? I've thought about it plenty of times."
On one side there were a lot of questions without much interest, on the other hand there was as much burning her lips .
"And if Ma-chan was able to bring my little Urdy among demons? Yes, very attractive. And if Belldandy gave me Keiichi when I asked her in our first encounter at the temple? Very exciting although unrealistic. And if I had won the broom race? I wonder if Bell would have really left Earth to return to heaven, since she cannot lie, or if she would break her word and stayed with Keiichi ? Maybe she would have brought Keiichi to heaven? Ah possibilities, possibilities ... " .
Finally, the Daimakaicho made a decision.
"Until I make a choice, see the next part of the Mara's question. It also interests me and we have already begun. Mara, this is your question, the honor is for you."
Mara approached the TV and put the next part of her question. Wondering herself if it counted as the turn of her queen, or her own. Hild was perfectly capable of saying that since Mara had asked herself the question instead of her queen, it was again the turn of Hild to ask the question after. The demon knew that her queen could very well do so shamelessly.
Once the question was asked again, the image appeared again.
One of the drawbacks of time travel is that they are one-way. Mara should wait years before returning to her "present". How to occupy her time by then? She had decided from the start that if she managed to stay on Earth, she would stick to its original plan to spread evil, or rather the ideology of demons, without the interference of the goddesses this time
Keiichi was also shown unusually curious about it. When Belldandy had descended to Earth to grant him his wish the first time, he had never sought to learn more about the heavens, if there was a life after death, what life was like for the goddesses or things like that.
No, he simply accepted the presence of Belldandy by his side and the happiness it gave him, without trying to find out more .
In this altered past, he had been a bit more curious. Since he became the partner of Mara, what could she expect from him? What a demon may well expect from a human being? He had a concern: A demon is supposed to do evil and Keiichi no way intended to do harm to anyone, not even a fly, Partnership agreement or not.
The explanations of Mara had reassured him a little bit somehow.
It was very common in the partnership contracts. The demons were actually to do evil, that humans were reluctant to do at first, until the demons explain things more concrete .
"Keiichi , tell me what you call 'evil'", Mara asked him.
The boy thought for a moment .
"Killing, torturing , hurting people for fun." He replied simply.
"Good. Now tell me what is 'the good '."
Keiichi focused again a few moments.
"Making people happy. Helping those who suffer, to respect others and do everything for their happiness".
"Now I'll explain. The good and evil are in fact two distinct philosophies , but none is greater than the other it is the extremism who is a problem. Extreme "good" or extreme "evil"cannot survive."
"What do good to the extreme it is uh ... "bad"? " wondered Keiichi .
"Simple. Keiichi , you're a rather nice boy. How often your Sempais use it?"
Keiichi thought for a moment before answering.
"This is true but it is not out of malice. They're just ... like that."
"Indeed . They are just like that ... and already they use you like a slave. I saw people who were so good that they committed suicide so that their flesh used as fertilizer for plants. By kindness for plants," explained the demon.
Keiichi was taken aback.
"You're kidding."
"Oh not at all. The "good" has pushed in the extreme growth in this kind of madness. Simply. While "evil" has pushed the extreme leads to endless massacres until the self-hatred and self-destruction. Here there was a extreme. Two opposite paths, same result. We and goddesses, we're all on the same raft. Certainly, we are not on the same side but it is all closer to the center than the edge."
Mara tried to play skillfully on the ignorance of the boy. Although Belldandy could not take Keiichi under contract, she could always come and change his life without fulfilling his wishes. Mara should to convert Keiichi has its cause as soon as possible. Belldandy could never appear ... Or be here in the next minute.
Keiichi was troubled by the explanation of Mara. However, before he could argue, the demon continued his "explanations".
"Keiichi. Humans are constantly doing bad things. Not out of malice but mostly by selfishness. Lust, gluttony, envy, anger, greed, pride and laziness... and many others. These are such beautiful things that make you happy. You should not dismiss contrary to what some say fools and manipulative religions. On the contrary, must learn to respect them and love them. These are wonderful things that help you be happy when you use it properly." Mara said with uncanny conviction.
"Gluttony, sloth and...uh... lust. OK, I think I can understand. But what anger, greed, envy or pride, they make the people happy?" wondered Keiichi.
Mara could not help smiling. Not only had she separate Belldandy and Keiichi, but she also had the opportunity to convert him to the cause of demons. A bonus which she had not thought at first.
"Anger that causes you to be overly aggressive is dangerous. You must fight this anger.. Anger can give you strength. It can allow you to achieve your desires if you remain in control. On the opposite side of the coin, the serenity can push you to accept something that will make you unhappy. Example: you being angry against a guy who want to take your girlfriend. Anger can allow you to keep the girl, but also, she can be even more seduced by your attitude. Whilst without anger, you let the guy go with your girlfriend and she would have the impression that you're not interested in her, and so she could leave you. Then anger can prevent this and allow more closer ties with your girlfriend. Your anger can been useful, it may even increase your happiness."
Keiichi was increasingly troubled. Mara knew she had to leave "settle" a bit before moving to the next lesson. Initiation of evil should be done gently in humans. They were too often filled with prejudice. If fully explained to him the way of evil now, Keiichi could refuse to believe it and bury himself in his naive love for "good." What would be a waste.
"I'll let you think about it. I will say more later. Currently, I need to find work." Mara said.
"From work? What kind of work?" the boy asked.
"Nothing very important. I have to put my affairs in order, tell my parents I moved for some time, buy some clothes, find activities, go do some shopping, change my delivery address magazines to which I am subscribed etc... ".
Keiichi was a bit surprised."I understand, but it seems so... human."
The demon smiled a moment.
"What can I say? I have a life too, ambitions, a lot of ambitions, pleasures, hopes, duties and daily activities."
Keiichi smiled back.
"You think this is funny?" Mara asked .
"No, but I'm happy." Keiichi said .
"Happy? why?"
"I'm glad to see that we have more in common than I thought. I was afraid we were too different, but we are not," explained the boy innocently.
It was the turn of Mara to be disturbed. Things in common with Keiichi? She? Here is an idea that she had never come to mind.
Keiichi spoke again.
"About, the list of what you asked me, there is something that strikes me as odd."
"What?" inquired the demon .
"I see you want a coffin. When I read it, I had a concern, but I guess it is a mistake," said the boy, smiling.
"Not at all. I do need a coffin. Did not need to buy one. A wooden box with the correct form will suffice. Add it for a comfortable fabric lining and the will be perfect while waiting to buy one." Mara explained.
Keiichi's curiosity increased.
"But what you want to do with a coffin? Please tell me that it has nothing to do with me is not it?"
"No. I can even tell you that I would be upset if you use this coffin for your own needs. I hate that someone else sleeping in my bed."
"YOUR BED?" Keiichi exclaimed.
"Yes. My bed. When I sleep in a coffin, I recover much faster my magical energy. Besides, I prefer a coffin with a Western form. Japanese coffins do not suit me." Mara clarified.
"These are the vampires who sleep in coffins. So your fang, it means that you are..."
The demon stopped Keiichi, strong willing to shorten the conversation.
"No, I'm a demon, not a vampire."
"In any case, it looks like a lot." the boy said shyly.
Keiichi had a vision of Mara coming out at night, wrapped in a cloak of darkness, sucking the blood of the people... his blood. It was a thrill of fear and disgust... and comical.
Mara saw the reaction on the face of Keiichi and felt she was going to tell him everything, even if she preferred to forget this joke.
"Ok. I'll Tell you, but I'm starting to get tired of this story. In short, it is my mother who is the origin of the legend of Dracula." Mara said .
The demon stood, stretching his muscles before setting Keiichi 's eyes.
"There are a hundred years old, my mother gave a vow a writer. He wanted to become a famous writer. Mom realized his wish and in return he had to agree to write a novel in some of its indications. So my mother... told him about myself, my world, etc... He ended up writing the novel "Dracula". At the period, I was still trying to catch up dismal failure I had suffered 2,500 years earlier with Buddha. Yeah, I'm the 'Mara' referred to the Buddhist legends and I refuse to discuss it now. VERY bad memories that made me miss a promotion, and downgraded to class 2."
Mara sat down again.
"Anyway, Mom wanted in this way to help me in my work, hoping that people would take me seriously because of my fangs, instead of making fun of me. Technically his plan worked well. However, my mother was a little too much. Did she really need to talk about my bed? Or how much I hate dishes with garlic? Of course, garlic will do me no harm. I just hate food with garlic."
"So you're afraid of the crucifix and holy water?" inquired Keiichi.
"I repeat that I am NOT a vampire. Moreover vampires do NOT exist. If you plant me a stake in the heart it will kill me but I would have no trouble resurrect, and you can be certain I 'll make you regret this little joke. If I was afraid every time I see a cross, I might as well close my eyes, count the number of cross held that there is in the world. Having said that, I hate lucky charms. Makes me get buttons on my skin. When my mother told this writer it, he replaced the lucky charms with crosses because of his religious beliefs. About water, holy or no, if you'll drop me with it... you're just gonna make my anger boil," Mara explained, eager to shorten this as soon as possible .
"This is a very interesting story, but why do demons sleep in coffins? It should not be very comfortable ."
Mara sat down again.
"I'll tell you a few reason. When a demon or goddess descends on Earth and must stay there a while, he or she may need a source of alternative energy. This is different for everyone. For me, it is sleeping in a coffin that will recharges me. Others have certain foods , alcohol, ice etc... some must have sex. Incubi and succubi for example and I did not want to talk about it neither."
Keiichi knew that Mara was quite embarrassed by the confidence she had done. Therefore he had a hard time asking the next question.
"Okay, no problem for the coffin. However, I do not have the money to buy the necessary materials. I could handle it for something simple but it is basic. Moreover uh ... because ... this coffin's for you, I need some information." Keiichi said.
"Which?"
"Well... your size, your measurements, this kind of thing. I need to know for do something the right size."
Mara sighed and took the notebook and the pen that Keiichi was holding. She made a brief picture of the coffin indicating size and measurements.
"Here. Make me the coffin along these lines and everything will be fine. I'll be satisfied." said the demonic girl.
He then gave her a kindness-filled grin, punctuated by a military hi. Keiichi left the room with the book.
-oOo-
Meanwhile, Belldandy had returned home, completely shot. What Urd immediately noticed. Her sister always came with a smile of her work, happy to have spent her day making wishes and help people. Today, she looked like back from a funeral, a rare thing in heaven. In fact, Urd had not seen her sister in a similar state since Celestine... No, she did not want to think about this bad memories.
"Bell? What happened? You look so sad... You had problems at work?" asked the Norn of the past.
Belldandy tried to smile, as a tear ran down her right eye .
"Not. Everybody is nice. It's just that... I watched a client that I was going to grant a wish and... and..." Belldandy was unable to finish his sentence.
Misunderstanding that her sister wanted to say, Urd's anxious expression became furious.
"The horrible bad guy. He made a vow that has forced you to do things... you do not want to! Is that it? Wait a minute. I'm going down and I'm going make him regret being born," cried Urd by showing a ball of lightning in each hand .
Horrified has the idea that her sister could hurt Keiichi, Belldandy shook Urd in his arms.
"No, no. This is not it. Actually, this is a client that I watched for a while now. I wanted to grant him a wish. I wanted to make him happy. But just before I receive his call... Mara appeared and made him sign a contract with demons. I couldn't grant the wish as I wanted to so much... "Belldandy explained , Urd has not explained she knew Keiichi since childhood.
The Norn of the past was much less naive than her sister. The story seemed fishy, VERY fishy.
"You say that our old friend Mara offered him a contract with the demons?" Urd asked .
"A partnership contract" clarified Belldandy .
Urd was more suspicious.
"The client is what kind? A politician? A businessman? Maybe an easy-to-manipulate loser who has huge ambitions. Mara does not sign a partnership contract with just anyone . Especially since that time with Buddha."
"No, this is not a politician or a rich man. This is a nice boy, beautiful as Baldr or Apollo themself. He is also a great athlete who practices in the motorcycle sports. The only thing a demon could find attractive about him is his chronic bad luck. It is so high that he was eligible for a wish. I did such a joy to be able to help... " Bell then began to cry even louder. Her sister took her in her arms.
"Bell, stop crying and listen to me. This story is weird, VERY weird. Customers that the demons are interested are very different from our customers to us. Moreover, it is at the same time or you would grant him a wish that Mara it occurred? There's something wrong, A LOT OF wrong."
Realizing that her sister was probably right, Belldandy immediately dried her tears, grief gave way to determination. If this whole thing was a Mara plot to harm one of its customers...especially one of her childhood friends... She had to act.
"What can we do? He is under contract with Mara now. A partnership contract guaranteed by an ultimate power. We can not change anything."
"It is too early to try to do something. For the moment, we must get to the bottom of this story. I'll investigate. Meanwhile I want you to keep a watch and you tell me each things what happens."
"Hai."
It is at this moment a little voice was heard.
"What did you two discuss? It sounded very interesting." asked the Norn of the future.
-oOo-
Mara consulted her notes for what to do tomorrow. It was during this period that Keiichi had taken Belldandy at the Nekomi's university. The Norne had then eventually join in after a few setbacks, among others with Sayoko Mishima .
The demon looked at this idea for a moment. On the one hand, courses in a university human interest she as well as watching grass grow. On the other hand, it was a great way to stay close to Keiichi and the handle, the more turn from the way he would normally followed, to approach her and demons. In addition, the University of Nekomi could be a good starting point to spread evil through the city, and who knows, maybe through the country?
Finally, the demon decided to enroll in the same courses as Keiichi. After all, she could always go when she would if it went wrong.
However, things would be a little different than when Belldandy had enrolled. She hacked computers directly from college to impersonate a foreign student. For a programmer from hell, it was as easy as stealing a lollipop from a child. When Belldandy had tried to register, it was all thanks to the Sempais of Keiichi. Mara did not want to owe anything to these rednecks. Moreover, she had not yet digested the fact of having subscribed to their club without realizing it when she was under the influence of the song Belldandy last year... or in two years , depending on your point of view .
When this little formality was settled, the demon is allowed to go to sleep in a human bed for the last time until she got her coffin. She did not really need to sleep, but tomorrow promised particularly eventful.
The TV went out again. Leaving three demons their questions.
"You were right, Mara. Not everything will be okay apparently. However it is not Belldandy seems to be a threat, rather Urd," exclaimed Mokkurkalfi.
"Sure. I've began to love this story. However, I do have questions about it. What will happen with my little Urd-chan? Or what steps you will take to keep Keiichi with you? Although Belldandy can not take him under contract with the heavens, she can still become his girlfriend. If you're not careful your plan will fall to the water." Hild said mischievously.
Despite the fear and respect she felt his boss, that last remark was too much for Mara .
"I wonder more and more if the machine shows us what would have really happened , or if it shows us what we WOULD think happened? "
"You wish that things change like this between you and Keiichi? I thought you 'd never date with him unless your life depended on it", said Mokkurkalfi.
This is the wrath of Mara broke.
"I WOULD NEVER FALL IN LOVE WITH KEIICHI! If I must to choose, I prefer Aoshima. At least he has money, connections, and obvious malice. This could make it useful in my career. The Mara in this story is not me and I started to believe that we have nothing in common." Screamed the demon .
Again, Mokkurkalfi not had time to add anything before she and Mara felt the huge demonic energy from Hild.
"Now it is I who am starting to get angry. I already told you that I did not want to fight. If I have to repeat it a third time... there will be consequences. Mara, you scream again like that again... and I make you REALLY become the girlfriend of this guy, Aoshima, in addition I will inform your mother. You know what to expect."
Mara anger immediately dissipated, replaced by sheer terror. She did not know what would be worse: having Aoshima for a boyfriend? Or her mother's reaction upon learning that she had one?
She knelt before her queen in a position of absolute submission. Her forehead touching the ground .
"In your concern, if you continue to make fun of her, I will close your lab for an indefinite period and I will send you work on a farm in the Middle Ages. I'm sure that giving food to the pigs, milking cows, sowing and harvesting wheat in the sun, shear sheep etc... will be good for you." Hild added.
Mokkurkalfi bowed in turn in a similar position to that of Mara, completely terrified as well. Her boss was not the queen of demons for nothing.
Hild's anger subsided a bit, seeing just how her two servants were subjected.
"I hope this time you understand. Okay tell me what you think now," said the queen of demons.
It was Mokkurkalfi who answered the first.
"What intrigues me is thinking about what the goddesses will do, especially Urd. Even if she discovers that Mara has diverted the call, the contract with Keiichi remains valid. Yet she is not the type to give up. While is going to happen?"
"And you, Ma-chan?" asked Hild , having regained his playful mood.
Mara turned her head to look at the ground, not daring to look her queen in the eyes.
"But I just think there is not. The Mara in the video tries to convert Keiichi and succeeds. I never thought for a second that it was possible. Otherwise, I would have tried for a long time. This machine does not show us what could be happen, but what we WANTED to happen. This question does not interest me anymore."
"Me, I agree with Mok-chan: My little Urdy going to do something, however I don't agree with Mara. This Keiichi is not what the Keiichi that we know, who met Belldandy . . . No, it is the Keiichi that was the day he was alone, no girlfriend , much easier to handle by a pretty woman... Well, in my turn to ask a question as Ma-chan has do it." declared the Daimakaicho (forgetting that it was in fact the turn Mokkurkalfi ask a question) which was as Mara had previously guessed .