I do not own the Ah! Megami sama / Oh! My Goddess series

Footsteps echoed throughout the empty walls of the once lively arcade. With the advent of video game consoles and personal computers, few dedicated arcades managed to remain in business and even then, location was fairly important. While the relatively cheap land value of this remote area of the city was once seen as an advantage, it soon turned into a fatal flaw that left the arcade's owners no other option but to shut down their business. With customers of all ages having better alternatives for entertainment, they no longer bothered to come all the way to this area just to play video games.

Yet for the only person who visited this place these days, the privacy it provided her overshadowed any of its other downsides. After introducing herself to Keiichi's sister back when the mortal student inadvertently released her, Mara felt that keeping a low profile was extremely important if she wished for her plan to succeed.

In all honesty, the demoness often found herself questioning the entire purpose of such an effort in the first place. What initially seemed to be an easy task, suddenly became a major undergoing, given the rarity of some of the needed ingredients. Urd's double nature as both a goddess and a demoness made it really hard for her to create a memory booster, as she had to make a 2 in 1 solution for both her friend's sides to remember their past. It was a far more complex project than initially anticipated and to make matters even worse, some of the required materials were only available in Asgard. And while it was feasible for demons to purchase them, the celestials closely monitored their distribution, making them a very rare commodity in demonic supply shops.

Worse, it wasn't a first come first serve kind of situation either, with orders coming from influential demons always taking priority. So, despite being a first class demoness, Mara got used of receiving those stereotypical excuses from her suppliers that the item she had supposedly purchased days ago was… diverted to another client. And although they promised her that the next batch would definitely go to her, with an added gift or two thrown in there as compensation, the very same scenario kept repeating itself.

For nearly two months, the only thing she could do was wait for the final and most elusive ingredient of them all, to complete her potion; all while Urd's sisters kept visiting her every other day. At this rate, the half goddess had already recovered most parts of her memory and Mara's greatest worry was that by the time she completed the darn thing, Urd wouldn't even need it anymore.

'What's the point of making a remedy when the ailment is gone? Hm… perhaps her sisters' pointless visits aren't so… pointless after all. They're definitely getting better results than my stupid plan!'

Letting out a sigh, Mara decided to take her frustrations by playing a few games, since that was the only source of entertainment that was available to her. Perhaps more than those setbacks, what really annoyed and disappointed her was that Urd made no attempt to come into contact with her during those last two months. Sure, it was entirely possible that Megumi failed to mention her name or even the fact that she met her in the first place, but given how often she visited the temple, Mara doubted that this was the case.

'Not that I blame her… Trying to split her two personalities was a bit of a dumb thing to do. No wonder she probably hates me, or just wishes to avoid me.'

Part of her really wished to make up for that stupid idea of hers to create two versions of Urd, and curing the Norn's amnesia appeared to be the best opportunity to redeem herself in the goddess' eyes; and even appease Hild who sealed her in the first place. If Urd realized that she tried so hard to help her, it was much more likely to forgive her than just showing up with a bottle of sake and a stereotypical apology for her blunder.

"Special delivery for miss Mara!"

Nearly jumping as the unexpected voice interrupted her game of Street Fighter, Mara turned around to face her uninvited guest and give him a piece of her mind, when she noticed that it was a devil octopus; a type familiar often used by demons for simple tasks. And judging by the logo on his baseball cap, he was employed by Niflheim's postal service and the box he was carrying contained the very thing she's been waiting for.

"Yes, that's me!"

"Uh… sorry for barging in like that, but I couldn't find a doorbell anywhere and…"

"Never mind that!" said Mara, waving a hand in front of her. "That's for me, right?"

"Huh? Of course! There's nobody else here to deliver this parcel to…"

"Whohoo! Finally!" Jumping up and down in joy, the blonde demoness couldn't help but express her happiness with her very own victory dance, much to the familiar's astonishment.

'Wow… never seen anyone so happy for receiving their mail order. It may be a pain to carry these heavy boxes around but it's so much better than delivering bills. At least she's not likely to turn me into takoyaki…'

XXX

"What's up with the long face, Dagaz? It's not like you to look this serious."

Staring up from his cup of tea that had already gone cold a while ago, the blonde god spot Vali in his battle uniform, probably preparing for his morning patrol around the temple grounds. "Honestly? I think that it should've been fairly obvious."

"If that was the case, then I would've never asked in the first place."

"Sounds fair…" said Dagaz with a sigh, trying to figure out the best way to talk about what he thought that was the proverbial elephant in the room. "Look, I just think that we're kind of unnecessary here. Urd's certainly doesn't need our help anymore and with Skuld and Belldandy dropping by for a visit on an almost daily basis… there's no reason for us to stick around anymore."

"From a practical point of view, I suppose you're indeed correct. Urd is no longer the confused goddess she used to be when she first came here, but… wasn't our goal to help her get over that very problem?"

"Yes, and I'm really happy that she had already recovered most of her memories," said Dagaz, trying to avoid a misunderstanding here. "I'm not implying that her recovery is inconvenient for me or anything. It's just that… I wonder if there's any reason for us to stick around anymore."

"Well, she still hasn't recovered all of her memories and we're still friends, right?" said the war god cadet, even though he knew what his fellow god was hinting at. He too wondered at times if there was a reason for him to act as Urd's bodyguard anymore when she was perfectly capable of using her magic to defend herself. Even more, there was little reason to think that there was a significant threat here on the mortal realm that could overwhelm Urd, and in the process justify his presence as her backup.

"Friends… yeah."

Sensing the disappointment in Dagaz's voice, Vali knew that it was inevitable to have this conversation at some point; even he wasn't looking forward to it. "I'm well aware that you wanted to attract her attention and for the most part I think she likes you, but… not in a romantic manner. And I believe that's what she probably thinks about me, too."

"We never really had a chance from the beginning, didn't we?"

"No, not really, to be honest with you."

"I knew it… At least, back when I first met her, I blamed that stupid boyfriend of hers for ruining my chances, but now… I think my tendency to act like an idiot whenever women are involved, put her off," admitted Dagaz as he took a sip of his tea, making a grimace. "Bleh… it's gone cold…"

"I disagree. In some ways, that was exactly what made her like you, considering that she would've otherwise made her annoyance rather evident. In all honestly the one who was the least successful was me," said Vali with a frown that was slightly off character for the otherwise stoic god. "I barely did anything to attract her attention other than my job, which is quite evident by the way she acts around you and Keiichi. It's been a while since she actually tried to tease me in any sort of way and while I'm not too thrilled to be the recipient of those pranks, it proves that I never had a chance to begin with."

"Don't be so sure about that. Although you've failed to attract Urd's attention, I think that her middle sister is more than interested," said Dagaz with a grin, as he noticed the cadet's embarrassment at his analysis. "Belldandy clearly doesn't mind a more serious and quiet god, which is the exact opposite of me, and with Urd paying so much attention to Keiichi, I'm the only one who really failed to do anything in that department."

"Maybe… although you did make some friends here." It felt kind of strange for him to say that, but for some reason that put a smile on Vali's face; one that Dagaz eventually returned.

"You know… you're right about that. I guess that's why I don't want to hold a grudge on Keiichi for ending up as the favorite. Friends stand up for each other, right?"

"Indeed… And I must admit that you took it much better than I've feared you would. But enough with all this doom and gloom," said Vali with a shake of his head. "We're still here and even if they wish to get closer, we can always move to the city for a while before going back to our duties in Asgard. There's no need to suddenly pack our things and go, as soon as it's evident that we're not going to get a girlfriend out of this."

"Yeah… that's not chill at all. Sure, I don't want to get in their way, but… I wish to avoid giving them the impression that I'm angry or disappointed from the outcome. Like I said… friends stand up for each other."

Offering the blonde god a nod, Vali was pleased that he had the opportunity to talk about this whole subject with him in private before Keiichi and Urd returned from Whirlwind. He knew that one day they'd all have to go back to their old lives, but he'd rather prefer if they parted on friendly terms and furthermore; stay in touch over the years to come. "That's quite true. And I might see if we could use Belldandy's apartment for a while, if we need to give them some personal space. Huh?… Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Already going for the younger sister?" asked Dagaz with a grin, making the other god blush a bit. "Boy, you're really fast!"

"Hey, I never said we were going to live with her too! She can come here and have a room, or…"

And as the two gods kept going on with their conversation, albeit in a more lighthearted way, Tyr couldn't help but smile. He had actually heard the whole thing from across the hallway, while he enjoyed his morning cup of coffee in the kitchen and was quite pleased with the outcome.

'Hm… it's nice to see some of the youngsters to try and act in a mature manner. I worried that in the end this whole situation would leave two of those three with a bitter taste in their mouths, but… for once I'm glad I was wrong. Perhaps, they might stay friends even after Urd picks Keiichi as her boyfriend. Well… if that happens, she's definitely feel a lot more at ease knowing that nothing bad came out of this.'

XXX

Wiping the sweat from forehead with his sleeve after managing to remove a seized bolt from an old bike, Keiichi paused to take a look over his shoulder at Urd. Despite everything that happened during the last couple of months, the half goddess acted as if nothing had changed at all; and to a certain degree Keiichi couldn't help but smile at her. She was still the same playful and somewhat mischievous woman he had originally met when she first came to this shop, only now he knew that she was a goddess.

"Hey, Morisato-kun… do you have a moment?"

Blinking, Keiichi turned to Chihiro who was also working on the same bike as he did and noticed that she pointed towards the door. "Huh? Sure… I think I need a break anyway."

Following her outside the shop, the dark haired mechanic had to admit that he was rather curious as to what his boss wanted to talk about, and judging by her expression, Chihiro appeared to be serious. "So… um… what's the matter?"

"I suppose that there's no easy way to say it, but… next month this shop won't be here." Holding up a hand to stop Keiichi, before he bombarded her with all sorts of questions, Chihiro decided to offer a quick explanation. "Wait… let me finish!... No, I'm not closing Whirlwind, it's just that… there's not enough space for us here. I love this little shop, yet it's painfully obvious that I need to move on and open a bigger one. A larger version of Whirlwind that will give up the much needed room for this business to expand and become a real shop in some people's eyes."

"Huh? That's… actually great news!" said Keiichi, after he recovered from his initial surprise. "It's about time we take the next step!"

"I know…" said Chihiro, looking back at the shop with a proud smile on her face. "I've grown attached to this place so I've postponed it for as much as possible, but at this point it's not doing anyone a favor. However… I came to realize that this might be a golden opportunity for you as well. You know… instead of selling this place, how about you take over instead?"

"Me? But!... What about Whirlwind?" asked the dark haired mechanic, realizing that he had to pick between following Chihiro in her new shop or take her offer and open his own shop.

"Well… you're always going to have a position there if you wish, Keiichi-kun. In all honesty, I'd rather have you keep your job as my lead mechanic and simply employ an additional assistant or two, but… I know that perhaps that's not what you really want. Sure, you already have the position and the pay's going to improve now that I've managed to save enough money to open a bigger shop, yet… as a former member of the Motor Club, I know that you want more than that. I remember you mentioning back then that you wanted to build your dream bike, and you'll never manage to realize that by following someone else's footsteps," said Chihiro, offering him a smile, as she wanted to make clear that this wasn't a pretense to get rid of him. Keiichi had indeed proven himself as a mechanic and letting him go was a tough decision for Chihiro, yet in the end, she knew that this was right thing to do. "Don't worry too much about it, though. It's going to take a couple of weeks before the new shop is ready, so give it some thought in the meanwhile."

"I kind of want to say yes, but… is it really the best option? It's possible that I'm going to be a lot more successful as part of Whirlwind, instead of starting my own shop. So many things can go wrong and in the end, I might end up without anything," admitted Keiichi, feeling the weight of such a decision too much for him to bear. He knew that opportunities like that didn't show up every day, yet the risk of ending up penniless and unemployed, made the mechanic wonder what was the best thing to do.

"When I gave up my career as head mechanic of a professional racing team, a lot of people thought I was crazy; that I was basically wasting my talent to pursue a foolish dream. Admittedly, they were right from a certain perspective as I'm making far less money now, compared to what I was paid back then. Yet… I can't say that I was happier during those days. As scary as it was for me to open Whirlwind in the first place, I never regretted my decision and I had a lot of fun doing it. In the process I've met a lot of people, yourself included Keiichi-kun, and above all… I pursued my dream."

"I see. Well, I guess it's kind of obvious what I might say, but I still need some time to think about it. At least… to come up with an excuse, should I happen to fail and Urd gets mad with me," said Keiichi with a chuckle, and soon Chihiro joined in too.

"Already afraid of her? That's something you're supposed to do after you're married, Keiichi-kun; not before," laughed Chihiro, giving her mechanic a pat on the shoulder. "And speaking of Urd, I know that it's none of my business, but don't you think that it's about time you ask her out?"

"Uh… well… it's a bit complicated, actually." Keiichi knew that from Chihiro's perspective it made no sense that he and Urd lived together and yet they weren't a couple. Then again, there a lot of things about this whole situation that his boss was blissfully unaware of, and Keiichi had no intentions of telling everyone about Urd's true nature. Still, a part of his mind began to wonder if she was right from a certain perspective. If he simply remained quiet for far too long, then someone else would end up dating Urd; most likely one of his two other housemates, or even someone else from her past. After meeting Troubadour, the young mechanic wondered if more of her ex boyfriends would drop by for a visit and if one of them proved to be more diplomatic than the musician was… then he'd immediately have a tremendous advantage over anyone else. 'I mean… why would she date a mere mortal?'

"Tell me something new… It's always complicated when such topics are concerned, and for the most part, it's even scarier than other risks we need to take in our lives. Still… this is also a case of chasing your dreams and if you wait forever, that opportunity will be inevitably lost. I won't pretend that it's going to be easy for you Keiichi-kun, but as with racing, there's no chance of winning unless you give it a try."

"Yes, you're right. I think that I've got a few things to consider, both about the shop and what I'm going to do with Urd. It sure won't be easy, but at the very least, I'm indeed going to do my best; in both cases." Keiichi sure felt quite nervous, yet not nearly as much as he had initially anticipated. After all, he couldn't help but feel excited about the prospect of realizing his dreams and for that reason, Keiichi knew that he had to make the best out of this opportunity.

"As expected of you, Keiichi-kun! Well… I wish you the best of luck, and I'm still going to wait for your official decision in a few weeks from now. Until then, let's go back to work."

XXX

As soon as Urd was left alone in the shop, she leaned back in her chair and momentarily forgot all about the magazine she'd been previously reading. For the last couple of days the half goddess felt a presence around her, even when she was theoretically alone and while she ignored it at first, Urd could no longer dismiss it as a figment of her imagination.

'Mistress…'

She knew that just like any other grownup goddess, Urd must have an angel of her own and the whispers she occasionally heard was attributed to the one person who was closest to her than anyone else. Yet in all irony, Urd couldn't talk to or even summon her angel, although the exact reason eluded her. It was clear that whatever took place back then must've been something she really didn't wish to remember and in her current state, that became an actuality. Even without those memories, the half goddess suspected that the most likely reason behind that was her very nature and all the trouble she had accepting what she was during her early childhood. An angel is a reflection of their host's innermost self and for Urd her dual nature was inevitably going to have an effect on her angel's appearance.

'I must've been really disappointed or scared by her, back then. All I wanted was to fit in and an angel with pure white wings would've made things so much easier, but… it was such a foolish thought. It's such a pity… to have one of the most unique angels wasted on someone as stupid as me, who couldn't appreciate her for what she really represented.'

'Well, it took you long enough to figure it out, but… hey, better late than never,' came the almost unexpected reply that caused Urd to look straight up at the ethereal being that hovered above her; only to end up falling from her chair due to her shock.

"Oof! What the?!..." Rubbing her bottom as she tried to pick herself up from the cold metal floor, Urd could hardly believe her eyes. "You're... you're..."

'World of Elegance, at your service,' said the dichromatic angel, striking a dramatic pose for her stunned mistress. 'Long time no see, and by the way… you filled in quite nicely too.'

"Look who's talking! You're pretty impressive for an angel," said Urd with a grin as she dusted herself once she was properly off the floor. "You know, I really wanted to meet you again."

'And that's why I'm here, actually. Once you've lost your memories I was allowed to roam around for a while, since you couldn't remember the order you gave me, but I still didn't wish to appear out of the blue. Now that most of your memories are back and you truly need me, I suppose it's good enough reason for me to show up,' explained the angel as she looked around at the various items in the shop.

Blinking, Urd followed her angel as the latter floated around the tiny shop. "Huh? I don't want to sound ungrateful, but what do you mean by that?"

'It's simple, really. You're having trouble deciding what to do from this point on and desperately need another opinion, although you don't want to ask anyone. So, who's better to offer you advice than the person that knows you better than anyone else?' said World of Elegance with a tiny smirk as she hovered slightly above her mistress' eye level.

Letting out a sigh, Urd knew that this wasn't going to be an easy conversation, since she was essentially talking to the most harsh of critics: herself, or rather… an aspect of her own person. "Alright, I guess there's no need to try avoiding the topic, so… what do you think I should do? Stay here with Keiichi, or go back to Asgard with Vali or Dagaz?"

'Honestly? I kind of like all of them, but if I had to pick a favorite, I'd have to admit that I've got a soft spot for Keiichi. He's the one who took us in without much of a second thought, and while he cannot directly compare to any celestial in terms of powers, status and even lifespan… Do you really need all that?'

Need.

It was a simple word, yet not nearly as easy to define, considering that everyone had vastly different priorities and goals. For most of her life, Urd had only two primary goals: to fit into the celestial society, and to look after her sisters. But in all honestly, the first one was more or less abandoned by now, since she really took pride at what she was and foregoing her ancestry just to blend into a faceless crowd… didn't quite appeal to her. Her sisters were no longer the little goddesses either, especially Belldandy who was old enough to do whatever she wanted and Skuld was already a teenager by celestial standards and soon would be independent too. Not that they'd grow apart and stop talking to each other, but at this point Urd had the luxury of thinking more about herself and what she wanted for her own future. "Honestly?... I'm not really sure what I need, Elegance. There are so many things, and I've even gotten to have some progress with a few of them, like… talking to my mother for instance. But on the other hand… am I really ready for a serious commitment?"

'You're not obligated to pick anyone, if that's what you're worried about. We can always go back to our old lifestyle without a care in the world, but… this isn't just something we can change our mind about at a later date. Once we make a decision, it's more or less final, especially with Keiichi who's a mortal and can't just wait forever until we make up our minds. So, do you want him or not?'

There was a long pause as the half goddess stared at her angel without saying a word; thinking about her options and their natural consequences, until she finally came to a conclusion. "I do like him, and I believe that the whole amnesia thing is no longer a valid reason to postpone this decision. I'm just worried that in the end I'll be left alone, since Keiichi's a mortal and… well you know. Even worse, I'm not sure what kind of a partner I'll manage to be for him, Elegance. The idea of being a housewife doesn't sound all too appealing to me, and given my nature, I doubt that I'll even manage to have kids with him. Sure, Keiichi's not the kind of person to suddenly decide to go old fashioned on me if we get married, but the latter issue is a huge problem. All humans want to leave some sort of legacy behind, and having descendants is one of the top items in the list."

'Yes, but not all human couples can conceive children. Yet it doesn't deter them from staying together, so stop using that narrow minded approach of the whole subject. There are more things involved here and as long as Keiichi's aware of it, then everything should be fine. After all, if he wishes to be with you regardless of that issue, then what's your problem?'

Urd stopped for a moment to consider her angel's words and although they could argue about the pros and cons of the whole subject, along several other practical issues that would definitely arise if she decided to stay on Earth for a prolonged period of time, the half goddess knew that this wasn't the root of the problem. Even more, World of Elegance was definitely aware of it too, and the most likely reason of asking her was to force Urd to admit it. After all, there wasn't any way of fixing a problem without identifying it first. So, with a heavy sigh, the Norn of the past decided to do just that; confess her own insecurities. "The thing is… I don't want to screw this up. Up until now I've never had a single relationship to write home about and I'm actually worried that I'll end up making a fool of myself with this one. This is a big commitment and I'm not known for keeping up with such long term goals."

'You're pretty bad alright… But hey, if it makes you feel a bit better, some brides here on Earth run away with the best man right after the wedding. The worst you could possibly do is wear my clothes for a wedding gown.' said the dichromatic angel with a giggle, tugging the white fabric around her that was the only means of providing herself with some modesty.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea, now that you mention it," said Urd with a grin. "Although, I don't think that Keiichi's going to stay conscious for long enough to finish the ceremony with me dressed like that. Maybe… we could try it for the wedding night, instead."

As both of them chuckled at the mental image of Keiichi seeing them dressed in such a seemingly skimpy outfit, the door opened, allowing the aforementioned mortal to get a glimpse of World of Elegance and for a moment he nearly suffered a stroke.

"Wha-...?!" Stumbling backwards, Keiichi nearly landed on Chihiro who was following after him and thankfully caught the startled man before he fell on the ground.

"Whoa! Are you okay, Morisato-kun?"

"Uh… Y-Yes… I kind of stumbled that's all," said the embarrassed mortal, trying to come up with an excuse, while the angel rushed to hide back into her hostess.

"Here, let me give you a hand," said Urd as she approached Keiichi and then added in a low whisper. "I'll explain later."

"Thanks, Urd!"

XXX

As soon as Chihiro left the shop to get some new parts from a supplier, Keiichi had the perfect opportunity to discuss what he saw with Urd, and much to her embarrassment, World of Elegance was more than happy to introduce herself to him; by glomping him of course.

"Please don't obstruct his nose with your chest… Humans need air to survive, and there are much better ways to die that getting smothered in such a fashion." Rubbing her temples, Urd knew she was far from innocent as he angel was acting in a very similar manner to what she would've done if their positions were reversed.

'It's okay, I've let him enough space to breathe,' sent World of Elegance through the link she shared with her mistress; although the latter had other ideas. 'Besides, what's the point of wearing something this skimpy and not to brag about the goodies underneath it?'

"That's enough fun for now." Pulling her angel away from the blushing mechanic who simply stood there stunned, Urd decided to offer the necessary explanations. Since Keiichi couldn't hear the angel's voice, the half goddess had to properly introduce her angel to her mortal friend. "Keiichi, meet my angel; World of Elegance."

"Uh… nice to meet you," said Keiichi with some reservation, after experiencing this winged beauty's previous display of affection. Still, curiosity got the better of him and moved a bit closer to take a better look at her. Not only did she have one white and one black wing, but her hair consisted of two tones as well, while a series of dark tattoo like patterns covered most of her body. Even more striking were her eyes, one blue and the other red, and although heterochromia did exist in humans too, in her case it gave her a rather imposing appearance. Yet despite all that, Keiichi couldn't help but feel calmer in the angel's presence, almost as if the soft glow she gave away had a soothing effect for him.

'Mistress, I think he likes me! Or at least, he digs my outfit!'

Making an effort not to groan to that kind of response, Urd was for once actually glad that humans couldn't hear an angel's voice. "She says that she's happy to meet you, but since she's mostly talking through telepathy, I'll have to translate that for you," explained Urd, although part of it was a lie to avoid telling him exactly what her angel had originally said.

"Oh, that's fine. I'm still happy to meet her too. Still… what does an angel do?" asked the awestruck mortal as he looked at World of Elegance.

"Well… it's a bit hard to describe, but… in essence they support us in all sorts of situations. From simple spells to songs and even during combat and angel can enhance our abilities making some things a lot easier to…" Pausing for a moment when she noticed that Keiichi was watching at her angel with his eyes wide open, Urd followed his gaze and froze. Written on a piece of paper World of Elegance must've gotten from the counter, there was one word; yet that's all the angel needed to convey her message.

Threesomes.

"Hey! Gimme that!" Wrestling the offending note out of the angel's hands, Urd could only curse the need for their symbiotic partners to be so similar to their hosts. 'Seriously! It's like fighting against an immature version of myself!...'

'The kettle called the pot black, mistress…'

However, before she could offer a proper reply, the phone rang and Urd decided to answer it. "I'll get it. As for you, miss… We're going to have a talk later."

Giggling, the dichromatic angel went back into her mistress' body, but not before she offered Keiichi a wink. And while Urd talked to what apparently appeared to be a client, Keiichi had little else to do other than go back to work. He was still wondering about the whole situation with Whirlwind and what to do with Urd, although it was certain that leaving things like that was out of question. Then again, he was uncertain what was the best way to approach the whole topic. The stereotypical methods of buying her presents and flowers in order to ask her out, sounded a bit off to Keiichi, who worried that it might look like an effort to bribe her. Also, if he tried to ask her out and the others attempted the same, the whole situation would change for sure. Up until now, the three men of the household were coexisting without issues, but once it turned into a competition of shorts, there was little doubt that things could turn poorly for him. After all, unless he did something extraordinary, Keiichi worried that a mere mortal wouldn't have a chance compared to two gods.

'I need something to get her attention, but… what? If it's just a present, she might think I'm trying to buy her favor. Besides, if it comes down to money, both Vali and Dagaz can probably cough up a lot more cash than I'll ever earn throughout my entire life. There's gotta be something else...'

Putting the handset back on the phone, Urd turned to her mortal coworker who was eerily quiet, as he simply sat there in front of a bike without actually doing anything. "Hey, Keiichi. We've got a broken bike, so can you go and get it with the van?"

Snapping out of it, Keiichi offered her a nod and made an effort to forget about all those matters for the moment. "Uh, sorry about that, Urd. I was just thinking about stuff and all. Do you have the address?"

"Here, I wrote it down for you," said Urd as she handed him a note, and then grinned as he rushed out of the door. 'I guess he hadn't read the whole thing. Oh, well… it's only a matter of time until he notices what I've also added there. In the meanwhile, let's try to find a place for us to have dinner.'

XXX

Waiting for the traffic light to turn green, Keiichi couldn't help but wonder what was the best way to ask Urd out, and even more, where to take her for a date. He had literally no idea about that kind of stuff, since he never really had any luck with women, although it was mostly due to his poor attempts to gain their attention and lack of confidence.

'Maybe that expensive restaurant we've been to a while ago? Although… I'm not sure if I can afford that, and I'd hate to ask Urd to pay for share of the food. Now… that would be a disaster.'

Checking the note once more to make sure that he wasn't heading in the totally wrong direction, Keiichi froze when he realized that there was a postscript at the bottom, that he had completely missed.

Hey, want to go on a date with me? Don't worry, I'm not expecting anything fancy, just something fun - Urd :3

The blaring sound of a horn from the car behind him brought the stunned mortal back to reality and as he drove towards his destination, Keiichi realized that it was Urd the one who actually asked him out.

'Oh boy… she's for real? Well… it's not her style to joke for something like that, so…'

With a huge, almost comical smile on his face, Keiichi's mind began to focus on his upcoming date, while totally unaware that he wasn't the only one who was planning to make their move.

XXX

When the shop's door opened, Urd was half expecting to see a customer, since it was far too early for Keiichi to return, but the nervous delivery girl with a cup of coffee in one hand and a bag with a few takoyaki in it was a rather unexpected sight; especially since none of them ordered for any food.

"Excuse me… I've brought your order," said the brunette, trying her best to avoid looking at Urd straight in the eyes, while the latter raised an eyebrow.

"Huh? I haven't ordered anything. Are you sure you're in the right place?" asked the half goddess, who couldn't help but feel that she recognized that voice from somewhere. Although the one she remembered was a blonde and more importantly… a demoness.

"This is Whirlwind, right? Maybe someone else ordered it?" suggested the girl with a shrug, doing her best to act as if everything was normal.

"Well… perhaps Keiichi did? Oh, well… you can leave it here," said Urd, before she reached for her wallet, before the girl stopped her.

"Oh, there's no need for that! We've already received payment, so please enjoy!"

The moment the mysterious brunette left, Urd gave the food a rather curious look, wondering just what was going on with this setup. 'Who paid for this? Maybe Keiichi got that on the way to that bike? Weird… Oh well, at least this takoyaki look delicious and I might as well drink the coffee. By the time Keiichi gets back, it's going to be far too cold.'

XXX

'YES!'

Taking her wig off, while her markings appeared on her face, Mara was more than happy to see that her little plan to make Urd take the literal bait… actually worked. She was worried that at some point, the half goddess would see through her disguise and recognize her, but for once, luck was on her side.

'Oh… this is so awesome! The moment she drinks that coffee, my potion's going to do its trick!'

"So… there you are, Ma-chan!"

Letting out a scream as an unexpected voice came from behind her, the terrified blonde turned to face the one and only Daimakaicho; or rather, her childlike avatar. "H-Hild-sama?"

"My, my… why do you seem so surprised? After all, I was the one who had you released, so… what are you up to this time?" asked the grinning demoness as she hovered up to Mara's eye level. "I've noticed that you gave Urd something…"

"Oh, yes! It's my ultimate memory booster!" said the proud demoness as she expected her boss' praise, only to realize that Hild was far from convinced.

"Really? And… how did you make her drink it? From what I remember, the stuff is way too bitter."

"Actually, I anticipated that, so I've put the potion in a cup of coffee and added plenty of sugar to improve its taste. And given that coffee's already bitter, it's unlikely for Urd to suspect anything," said Mara, still proud of her resourcefulness.

"Sugar?! You put a potion like that in something that contains lots of sugar?" shouted the horrified Daimakaicho.

"Uh… that's… bad?"

"Of course it's bad! Do you have idea what happens when you mix that with sugar? Actually… scrap that! We need to stop her before she drinks it!"

"YES!" Running after her boss, Mara couldn't believe how she had forgotten about such an important detail. Before adding any kind of potion in another solution, one had to make sure that none of its ingredients reacted with the potion itself, and in this case she really messed up; big time.

'Dammit! It was my golden opportunity and I screwed up everything! Let's hope it's not too late!'

XXX

Munching on her takoyaki, Urd looked around the shop in wonder; almost as if this was the first time she had been here. Her purple, cat-like irises absorbed all the details of the fascinating yet utterly mundane objects surrounding her, almost beckoning the inquisitive Norn to find out more about them.

'Why am I locked in such a tiny place? Is this a prison? Actually… do they think that such a thing can hold me in? How insulting…'

Knocking on the shop's metal wall, Urd was fairly certain that she could blow the whole place up without even putting any effort in it, and even more, the assortment of items around her didn't appear to be typical of what one would encounter inside a cell.

'Hm… this looks like the… mortal realm? Why am I even in here to begin with?'

At that moment, the door swung open causing Urd to nearly jump, before she immediately prepared to face whoever attempted to ambush her. Only in this case, her wannabe assailant appeared to be a childish version of her own mother, who looked around the shop until she spotted her.

"Urd! Did you drink from that coffee?" asked the little Daimakaicho as she rushed to check the now empty cup that was left on the counter.

"Hey, nice to see you again, too," was the hybrid's almost sarcastic response that made Hild pause and take a better look at her daughter.

'Oh no… That's what we needed…' Instead of the familiar blue markings of a goddess, Urd had the red markings of a demoness and even more, the triangle on her forehead had changed to a five pointed star; similar to what she had on her cheeks. "Okay… look here, Urd… You drank something that probably destabilized your inner balance and…"

"Hey, did you just call me crazy?" asked the half demoness with annoyance clearly painted in her face, glaring at her mother's tiny avatar.

"No, I'm merely saying that your goddess and demoness sides are not attuned to each other as they used to be," said Hild as calm as she possibly could, trying to avoid agitating the oversensitive hybrid. It was painfully obvious that in her current state of mind, Urd could get out of control at the drop of a hat and Hild wished to avoid dealing with something that troublesome.

"Huh… now that you mention it, you're kind of right. I can't hear all that constant nagging at the back of my mind," said Urd, scratching her head in wonder, before she suddenly looked up in excitement. "Hey... without my goddess side holding me back, I'm finally free to do whatever I want! I can even take over this whole planet and use it as my own property, for all I care! With all those lucrative contracts available to me and only me, I'll become the greatest Daimakaicho ever!"

"That's not how it's supposed to work, Urd! If you do this, then Asgard's retaliation will be more than enough to ruin everything and turn this place into a war zone!" said Hild in an effort to reason with her daughter. "Sustainability is way more important than short term profits. And besides… I'm still the Daimakaicho here!"

"Bla bla bla… You just don't have the nerves to pull off something this ballsy and come up with all sorts of excuses," said Urd with a cruel smile. "However, I'm not as much of a scaredy cat as you and I'll prove it! Actually… I might as well start by sealing off all my competitors before they get to ruin my plans!"

Without the slightest of warnings, the whole place was reduced to a smoldering pile of smithereens, sending Hild flying out of the now ruined bike shop. "Oof! That girl!..."

"H-Hild-sama? Are you alright?" asked Mara from her hiding position behind a relatively sizable dumpster.

"I'm fine, but thanks for nothing, Ma-chan!" snapped Hild before waving a hand in Whirlwind's direction and used a restoration spell to prevent humans from finding out what happened here. "But enough of that! We must go after her and stop Urd before she becomes a serious problem!"

Trying her best to nod and not turn pale, as she watched the broken shop repair itself under the influence of Hild's spell, Mara knew that Urd would've no qualms to blow them up like that. Perhaps she might restrain herself from causing too much damage, at least not in a lethal manner, yet there was no doubt that this was going to hurt.

"Good! Now follow me, before she decides to blow the whole area up!"

XXX

'Hm… what was that? I could've sworn that there was a lot of demonic energy released all at once. Could it be Hild?...'

Looking towards the city, Tyr had to admit that there was a malevolent scent in the air, which only meant one thing; trouble. Despite his ex's presence, the celestial leader was almost certain that the Daimakaicho wasn't behind what felt like an explosion, although from this distance it was kind of hard to be certain. Yet it was still noticeable enough even for the two other gods to come out of the house in order to take a better look.

"My lord? What was that?" asked Vali as he glanced down at the possessed cat whose eyes remained fixed in the distance.

"Trouble, and apparently it's heading our way," said Tyr as he spotted Urd closing in on them, but this time there was something off with her. "I fear that we're going to have our hands full, so prepare for the worst."

Nodding, the war god cadet summoned his battleaxe and combat uniform while a curious Dagaz joined them in the patio, trying to figure out what was going on. Like the others he had also felt the unmistakable presence of a demon, but it was unlike anything he encountered in the past, given that there was something else mixed in there; something of celestial origins. Sure, Urd was the only one of mixed origins he knew, but it was highly unlikely that she even had this much access to her demonic powers, yet the moment she landed in the middle of the temple grounds, Dagaz realized how wrong he was.

It was indeed Urd, dressed in what appeared to be a mix of her combat uniform and her mother's favorite dress. Striding towards with an air of confidence as her multiple pieces of jewelry that came with her new attire. "Well well… hello there pops. What do you think? Is this befitting of the new Daimakaicho?"

"Not really. It lacks originality and all those decorations come off a bit tacky, given that unlike your mom, you don't need them as limiters; not now at least," said Tyr in a deadpan voice, causing the two other gods to take a step back in fear of the inevitable response.

"Who asked you?"

"You did, actually. Besides, it's a bit too early to call yourself as the Daimakaicho, Urd. Your mom's still in charge of Niflheim and it won't be easy for you to take over."

Letting out a low growl, even in her current state of mind, Urd had to agree that her father did have a point. "Once I'll take over Earth and secure all the contracts for demonkind… mother won't have any other option but to make me the ruler of Niflheim!"

Instead of an actual answer, the possessed cat groomed himself, much to Urd's annoyance as she felt that her father simply ignored her.

"Hey! Don't act like a cat all of sudden!"

"What else am I supposed to do? Take such claims seriously? The only thing you'll even accomplish is to get your mother in the difficult position of having to come all the way to the mortal realm and give you a spanking…"

"A… spanking?" growled the half demoness, causing the two gods to take a step back as her power threatened to run wild, with potentially devastating consequences for anyone standing close to her. "Is this the best you can do? Sit there acting like a stupid furball and wait for my mother to do all the hard work for you?"

"Not really, but most other options are far from ideal, Urd. I cannot really come here on my own for… reasons that I don't have the time to explain right now, and sending the Fighting Wings will be a disaster for you. No matter how strong you think you are, in the end it's impossible to take down everyone on your own and starting a war won't do anyone a favor either," said Tyr with a shake of his head. "You need to give your mother the benefit of the doubt, and realize that her methods may appear to be rather sluggish, but in the long run they're far more effective than any of the alternatives."

For the briefest of moments, Urd seemed to calm down and consider her father's words, but with only half of her mind currently accessible, it was too hard for her to reach any kind of decision. As much as her two sides were at odds with each other, they still needed one another to properly function and with her goddess half being inaccessible, Urd was utterly incapable of making rational decisions. "Quiet! I… I'm tired of everyone telling me that I'm wrong! No matter what I say or do… I'm always the one getting blamed for trying to help. All while others simply watch from afar and criticize, instead trying to offer some assistance!"

"That's… unfortunately true on more than one occasions," admitted Tyr, but was interrupted by his daughter when she sent a bold in his direction, only to have it explode against Vali's shield.

"Then shut up and let me do my thing! I'm tired sick of all those lazy asses criticizing me, or mess around with me for something that's basically their own stupid fault. And let's not even mention who exiled me here, right… pops?" Centuries of frustrations had actually led to this moment, where the half goddess' emotional baggage fueled her anger that threatened to get out of any kind of control. Sending another bolt that nearly overwhelmed Vali, the Norn's eyes were burning in a deep crimson that promised pain; and lots of it. "I'm sick of it! I'll go back and start over as a demoness! And… not just any demoness… but their very leader, too! No one will ever dare to doubt me again!"

"Uh… I can't hold her back for much longer! T-Tyr-sama!... I need permission to remove my seals!" said the struggling war god cadet as he did his best to hold up the shield, although it was essentially a losing battle.

"Negative! It's only going to encourage her to go all out on you, and she's not someone you're prepared to handle on your own. We need to keep her busy until Hild decides to show up," said Tyr with concern starting to show up in his voice, since he knew that unless the Daimakaicho intervened, then he would've no other option but to do this on his own.

"But… But…" Watching the shield deform and flicker, Vali feared the worst, since Dagaz with his third class license was hardly capable of providing any kind of help at the moment. Not that he was faring much better with his second class license either, and for a moment, Vali couldn't help but curse their luck that this happened just when Belldandy and Skuld had to temporary return back to Asgard to deal with a time network maintenance operation.

Then all of a sudden, Urd came to an abrupt halt and stared up to the darkening sky; allowing the cornered gods to retreat to the far end of the temple grounds, before they also gazed skywards to see what was going on. Thick, dark clouds spiraled above the temple as a sinister wind picked up, sending shivers up to the two god's spines, while Tyr's irises dilated at the sight of the infernal cyclone.

"Well, you took your sweet time… Hild."

XXX

"I'm back!"

Pushing the broken bike through the shop's doorway, Keiichi was kind of surprised to find that no one was here to greet him. Despite her seemingly carefree attitude, the bronze skinned goddess was far from irresponsible and even in the event her presence was desperately needed elsewhere, Urd wasn't the kind of person to just leave without even locking the place.

'Strange… What could've happened to make Urd abandon even her lunch?'

Taking a closer look at the one remaining takoyaki, as well as the now empty cup of coffee, Keiichi didn't see anything out of the ordinary that explained why the goddess was gone, not even a simple note. As a matter of fact, this whole setup reminded him all those shows on the TV where people disappeared under mysterious circumstances, although in Urd's case, her very nature allowed her to literally disappear into thin air.

'Hey, maybe she just teleported back to the temple to pick something up? After all… she did ask me out and… she might be preparing for the… date?'

Keiichi's cheeks turned beet red, just from the mere idea of Urd in one of her more daring outfits. Though she rarely wore anything too flashy while her housemates were around, Keiichi couldn't help but wonder if she picked something special for their first date, given that the time they went to that restaurant didn't actually count as a real one.

However his daydreams were brought to an abrupt end when the ground shook, followed by a thundering explosion that made Keiichi get out of the shop to see what the commotion was all about. And it didn't took him long to notice the dark clouds above the mountainside, just where the temple was located, and for the worried mortal it was clear that something bad was going on over there.

'I probably won't be able to do much, but… I just can't sit here! I have to go there!'

Locking the shop's door, Keiichi rushed to his trusty bike and immediately started for the mountain temple; his only hope being that he wasn't going to be too late.

XXX

Standing proud in the middle of the temple grounds, the armored form of Hild inspected the devastation she caused just by manifesting herself into the mortal realm. Clad in the heavy version of her combat uniform that consisted of a powered exoskeleton on top of what was actually her basic combat uniform. Although it was a bit of an overkill, given the circumstances, Hild wanted to make a statement here and Urd's raised eyebrow was a clear indication that she got the message across.

"Sorry for being late, Urd-chan! I hope I didn't miss the party!"

Striding confidently towards her stunned daughter, Hild paused for a moment to glance at the two gods and the possessed cat who were observing the scene from their hiding spot on top of the roof. 'At least they're all in one piece. It would've been really bad if she actually injured one of them before she snapped out of it. Hm?...'

Turning sharply to her daughter, the Daimakaicho's lips curved up in a grin when she noticed the incoming blast that harmlessly slammed against the crimson plates of reinforced demonite that covered her chest; causing the tiny circuit like pathways engraved on them to light up. Expanding from the point of impact towards every inch of the suit, Urd's magic was evenly distributed across the whole surface of the armor before it dispersed to the air in the form or electric arcs. "Nice try, kiddo! Although next time, try to aim at my head, since I'm not wearing a helmet."

"I don't need your advice!" shouted the enraged Urd back at her mother, feeling that she was just making fun of her and unleashed a much more devastating bolt of lightning… only for Hild to slap it upwards, where it harmlessly exploded high above the clouds.

"Lesson number two! If something doesn't work the first time, then try something different! Unless you love trolling people, although that's a luxury you can afford only if you're dominating the battlefield," said Hild with a big smile on her face. "Now come on, Urd-chan! I know you've got it, so, make mama proud!"

"Grr!..." Gritting her teeth, the Norn did as she was told and launched a tiny vial at her mother, which exploded in a cloud of thick violet smoke, moments before impact. "Sweet dreams!"

Still, the Daimakaicho wasn't one to go down that easily and even without a helmet to keep the tranquilizer from reaching her, Hild used a wind spell to form a small yet fierce tornado around her, preventing the sleeping gas from coming too close to her. "Nice try Urd-chan! That's definitely a move in the right direction! Keep it up!"

"That's it!" Tired of this nonsense, Urd clenched her fists as they crackled with energy that was meant to enhance her natural strength. If magic alone couldn't do the trick, then she was fully prepared to combine that with what little she knew about hand to hand combat and before her mother had the chance to retaliate, Urd launched at her to deliver the first blow.

Unfortunately for her, it was already too late as the Daimakaicho had seen through her plan and decided to fight fire with fire, closing in the distance between them with blinding speed. Everything happened so fast that the only thing that could be seen was a red blur in Urd's peripheral vision, since Hild moved to the side in a flanking move, instead of facing her daughter head on. Even worse, she had summoned a long, two handed sword and already drew it back for a horizontal swipe that caught the berserk half demoness totally unprepared to counter. "Well, I'm having fun, but it's time to put an end to this."

With wide eyes, Urd could hardly turn her head in time to see the blade cut the air much faster than she could get out of the way. And due to her current state of mind, not only her reflexes were worse than normal, but she had no idea how to properly defend herself in a stressful situation; especially with her goddess part temporarily inaccessible. It was fairly evident that in her excitement, Urd had grossly underestimated her mother who was clearly better prepared to handle a young upstart who challenged her authority. And while a certain part of her was in a way proud for her, it was that equally clear that Hild wasn't going to hold back. This was definitely going to hurt.

"Oh, shi-..."

AN: I would like to thank everyone that has offered their feedback and support both here and on the Goddess Relief site.

I would also like to thank ObeliskX for the initial suggestion for a reverse harem setting that led to this story.

There are a few things that I'd like to note for this chapter.

In this story, the reason behind Mara's imprisonment was more or less her attempt to separate Urd's two sides. Considering that this isn't heavily based on the AMG canon, it's easier to assume that Mara had attempted that in the past and was sealed for a while because of it. Additionally I believe that it justifies her involvement with Urd in this particular scenario as an attempt to redeem herself for the whole incident. After all, Urd isn't on the mortal realm due to any contract and trying to send her back is no longer a viable explanation for her actions.

I know that Mara had almost no interaction with Urd in this chapter (technically speaking she did, but it doesn't really count), however it was a bit too early for her to talk to Urd directly. That's more or less reserved for the next chapter.

Speaking of which, I believe it's about time I deal with Urd's long term decisions and slowly wrap up the loose ends, in order to reach to a satisfying conclusion for this story. Given that it was originally intended as a relatively shorter story, I won't keep going forever with it, to avoid ruining the original premise by just adding chapters. Still, I don't want to simply throw an ending just to wrap this up and get it over with. Short story or not, I want the readers to feel happy with the way things had come to an end, instead of a hasty conclusion.

For that reason, I won't finish it on the next chapter, but add an additional epilogue chapter to cover most of the important developments in Urd and Keiichi's life. It might even take me a bit longer to write that particular chapter, although I feel it's necessary to do it right. The last thing I want is to end up one of my stories with a hastily written end, which would only make people wonder why did they spent their time reading this.

Now, on a personal note, I'll be on vacations at some point between this and the next chapter, so there's going to be a longer delay than normal. I'll try to be around and not disappear from the web from the duration of my vacations, but I doubt that I'll make a lot of progress during that time.