Chapter 18

Treatment Facility Room 12, Heaven.

Frigga materialized with Keiichi into the first open treatment room she could find. One that was out of the way of the regular facility traffic. She knew that Medical was going to be filled with Deities needing treatment of one sort or another, and she didn't want to be explaining why Keiichi got to the head of the line.

Some of those waiting wouldn't have had a problem with it because Keiichi's name still carried no small amount of weight in Heaven due to his relationship with Belldandy, and his unique God status, but there were also those who thought that the whole Keiichi and Belldandy love story had run its course, and were tired of the endless chatter about the recent wedding, and every move that Heaven's latest power couple were making.

And news that Keiichi had ended up in Medical because of an incident that occurred in Kami-sama's Throne Room would have caused the news feeds to go into overdrive. And the last thing Frigga wanted to deal with on top of Keiichi's malady, were the Newsies coming around and sticking their noses into everything and disrupting the healing process. So she snuck Keiichi into the treatment room using a back-channel teleportation circuit that wasn't on the registered list. She kept it active for just such an emergency.

Frigga helped Keiichi onto the floating table, and called for a pair of assistants. She didn't want to use restraints on Keiichi, but she also didn't want to work on him alone, and the assistants were trained in using spells that would pacify him if something happened.

Belldandy materialized into the room a few seconds later. She stood by helplessly as Frigga and her assistants got Keiichi settled onto the table and started working on him. Frigga stood behind a floating console, and activated it, readings and numbers flashing above the board in mid-air. Bell looked down at her husband. His face was serene as if he didn't have a care in the world. Frigga had put Keiichi to sleep, hoping that whatever had affected him earlier wouldn't wake him up.

Belldandy tried to act as if she could be of some use to Keiichi, but she knew that there wasn't anything that she could do for him now. Since they had first met, Belldandy has always sought Keiichi's approval in everything she did for him. She always wanted to feel needed and wanted by him, even though she was originally assigned to him to complete a contract.

Belldandy always took her contracts seriously, no matter how trivial they might have been to her. She knew that however trivial and easy they were for her to fulfill, they were important enough to the client for Yggdrasil to assign that wish to her in the first place. So Belldandy put all her energy into completing every one of them as best she could. Her satisfaction ratings bore that out. She had the highest numbers, by far, of all her peers at the Goddess Assistance Agency. Her dedication to her craft was without question.

But with Keiichi, it was something different. At first, she approached him as nothing different than any of the other clients she had. But when Keiichi wished that she remained by his side forever, that changed everything. She was now stuck with Keiichi for the time being, and strove to make the best of the situation.

But as she started this new chapter of her life living with this man, she began to understand that this wasn't just an ordinary contract. She got to see what kind of man Keiichi was. Long-suffering, loyal to his friends, hard working, driven to win, but utterly clueless about women. Keiichi awoke in her the desire to make sure that he would want for nothing, and that he would have a companion that would be there for him always, however long that would be.

What started out as a contract, turned into a deep, abiding love. The day that Keiichi proclaimed his love to Belldandy before the company of all the Goddesses and Kami-sama himself was the greatest day of her life. She now felt complete. She had everything she had ever wanted. A new life to be spent with the man she loved.

But now she wondered how much longer that new life together would last. Would Frigga be able to remove the second spirit within Keiichi? And if not, would her and Keiichi be able to still function together? And if not that, what then?

Belldandy's mind was so occupied with all these thoughts and questions, that she had forgotten about Kami-sama's admonition to close off her connection to Keiichi via the Sacred Coupling. She was about to break the connection when a voice spoke to her mind. A quiet, almost timid voice. But one that also had an unmistakable note of great power. "Ah,ah,ah, Belldandy. You're a little too late for that."

Belldandy was jolted out of her thoughts by the intrusion into her mind. She answered angrily.

"Who is this, and what are you doing inside of my mind?!"

"Permit me to introduce myself, Belldandy. My name is Torvald. You may have heard of me. I surely know about you."

"Yes, Torvald. I know of you." Belldandy said tightly. The tension in her voice approaching the straining point. "You are the one who created that Rage Token that affected Keiichi. You're the reason Keiichi is in the state he's in at this time!"

"The very same. Guilty as charged. Quite a piece of handiwork, that Token was. A lot of time and effort went into that piece. Too bad you and Urd had to destroy it."

"Explain yourself, Torvald." Belldandy said, her anger rising.

"Very simple, Belldandy. I used a technique you are quite familiar with. I placed one-one thousandth of myself into that token. And when you and Keiichi activated it, I entered Keiichi's mind with the first and second spirit. The first spirit, the one that caused Keiichi to abuse you was easy enough for you and your sister to exorcise. I meant for it to be a distraction. I hid the existence of the second spirit from you until you and Keiichi got to Heaven. Once inside the Palace, I activated the second spirit, and I am the only one who can control it."

Belldandy repeatedly tried to close off the Sacred Coupling connection, but had no success.

"I can't let you do that, Belldandy. You see, I may be the most powerful Rage Mage in Niflheim. But even I am smart enough to know that there is no way that I can defeat you in a one-on-one confrontation. Your powers are legendary. And even if I could defeat you, I'd also have to deal with your meddlesome sisters. Three against one is hardly a fair fight. Now, your husband, on the other hand..."

With that, Keiichi's eyes popped wide open. His body contorted in pain as he began speaking in the Old Tongue. Frigga and her assistants rushed to help him, but were driven back by an invisible force field. They could only watch as Keiichi curled up in the fetal position trying to stop the pain racking his body, his eyes rapidly moving back and forth as the words of the forbidden language came forth as a torrent. All in the room could see Keiichi aging before them. The first gray hairs appearing around his temples. The lines around his mouth and eyes growing more prominent. In Earth years, Keiichi must have aged ten years in the span of seconds, but in Heaven time, at least a thousand years passed from Keiichi's life span. Belldandy looked on in horror.

"Stop!, Stop!" she cried. "Please stop, Torvald!"

"Since you asked nicely..." Torvald said. At once, Keiichi stopped convulsing, and the words no longer came forth. His body relaxed, and other than the signs of aging, it was as if nothing had happened. The serene and placid look returning. Frigga and her assistants, momentarily shaken up by what happened went back to work trying to cure Keiichi. They were ignoring the conversation that Belldandy and Torvald were having.

"These fools can't fix Keiichi. Their efforts are in vain." A chortle."But it amuses me to watch them engage in this fruitless task. Your husband has no power over me, Belldandy. He is like putty in my hands. He may be a First Class God, but he barely knows how to control his powers. He barely even uses them. I guess that the rumors in Niflheim are true."

"What rumors, Torvald?" Belldandy asked, still overcome with shock at what she saw.

"That as Keiichi's proctor, you went easy on him during his First Class exam. I mean, burying clues and playing hide and seek all over Nekomi City so that he could find you?" Torvald snorted."That was the best you could do, Belldandy? Even Skuld could have figured that problem out, and she's just now coming into her powers. Magically speaking, Skuld is one of the most useless Deities in Heaven...or should I say, was." The demon laughed. "Do you really believe, Belldandy, that Keiichi is worthy of First Class powers? Hmm? Yes, he defeated my master Hild twice. But he got lucky. If he were to come up against Hild or I in a fair fight, he wouldn't last but a few seconds. We would have finished him off before he could get his first attack ready."

"Those rumors are untrue, Torvald, and you know it." Belldandy said. "Keiichi is more than capable of handling First Class powers. I would not have agreed to be his proctor if I didn't feel that he was."

"Belldandy, you let your love for this man cloud your judgment. You should not have been his proctor. You should have let another Goddess do that. One who was impartial, who had nothing to gain by Keiichi becoming a God First Class. If anything, you are part of the reason he's in the predicament he's in."

Those words hit Belldandy like a ton of bricks. Did she really bear some of the blame for this? Did she subconsciously go easy on Keiichi because she wanted him to succeed. Or was Torvald trying to take advantage of her overwhelming desire to always be helpful to Keiichi. Belldandy knew that Torvald was a Demon and was able to twist the truth or blatantly lie to fit his agenda. But she also knew that Demons would also resort to telling the truth if it would hurt the victim more. Belldandy couldn't quite tell if Torvald were lying or telling the truth, and she didn't care because whatever Torvald was saying had hit a nerve.

"My love for Keiichi had nothing to do with how I proctored his exam. He would have failed the final part if he had shown up three seconds later. I will prove to you that Keiichi is worthy of First Class Powers."

"And how are you going to do that, Belldandy? Are you going to retest him? Make him chase you all over the planet instead of just Nekomi City? The final test was way too easy. A junior demon would have solved it in ten minutes let alone the two hours you gave him. Let me test him. It won't be an official exam. The results and his current status can't be changed. But at least he'll get a trial that's worthy of a First Class God."

"And what are your terms, Torvald?"

"Simple, Belldandy. If Keiichi passes the test I provide, I'll leave his body and take my spirit with me. And I can even reverse the aging process to return him to his proper age."

"And if he fails...?"

"That's the good part. I'll take him over completely, and when I' m done with him, he'll be so aged and decrepit that he will be of less use to anyone than he is now." Torvald laughed hysterically. "Are you prepared to take care of a God that would be even older than you, Belldandy? Than Kami-sama? I don't think so. Is your love for him that deep, that you would be willing to take this chance?"

Belldandy silenced Torvald's reverie. "Yes, Torvald. I have faith that Keiichi will pass any test you put before him. I know my Keiichi. I know his will to overcome and to win. He will not let me down. And..." Bell paused. "Even if he doesn't pass the test, I made a contract with him that I would always remain by his side, and even though I am no longer legally bound to that contract by Heavenly law, I am bound to him by a greater power and a greater law. I am bound to him by the power of love. A power and a commitment that you'll never understand. A power and a commitment that will remain as strong at the end of time as it is right now. So test him, Torvald. And watch what my Keiichi can do."

"Strong words, Goddess. You better hope that Keiichi can live up to your inflated confidence in him. I will leave you two to discuss this matter. If you accept my challenge, have the Gate drop you off on Earth at these co-ordinates and wait for my instructions. You have two Earth days."

Belldandy committed the numbers that appeared in her mind to memory. She opened her eyes to see Keiichi still lying on the floating table. Frigga and her assistants were still working hard to cure Keiichi of his ailment to no success. His face was still placid, seemingly unconcerned with what was going on.

Bell walked up to Frigga and said. "Frigga, would it be possible to speak to Keiichi alone please?"

Frigga looked at Belldandy with a touch of irritation. "We have a lot to do right now, Belldandy. And we don't have the time to let you two whisper sweet nothings into each other's ear. Is it really important?"

"Yes, Frigga. It is very important that I speak with him. Please excuse us."

The way that Belldandy made her request spoke clearly to Frigga that Bell would not take no for an answer, and that flexing her authority as the senior Medical supervisor would not get her anywhere. Belldandy still had a lot of clout in Heavenly circles, and while she was much too sweet and kind to throw her weight around and make unreasonable requests on people, it was still not the best of ideas to get on her bad side.

"Okay. You have a few minutes." Frigga motioned to her assistants and they wordlessly followed their boss out of the room.

"Thank you, Frigga." Bell said as the three Medical staffers left. She turned to Keiichi, held his hand and touched his forehead.

Keiichi slowly stirred, opened his eyes and saw the face of his beautiful Goddess filling his sight. He smiled quietly and allowed Belldandy's love to fill him with strength.
"Belldandy. I feel like an old man."

"Nonsense, Keiichi, you are as young as ever." Belldandy said cheerfully.

"I thought Goddess First Classes weren't supposed to lie."

"We're not." Bell said. "But you're still very young for a God."

"If you say so, Bell."

Belldandy told Keiichi about the conversation that she and Torvald had. And Keiichi's response surprised her.

"You're not going to like this, Belldandy, but I think that Torvald was right. The final part of the test wasn't that hard. Once I figured out the flying part, that is."

"But you only passed the test with three seconds to spare."

"That was because Chihiro held me hostage for a half hour fixing a bike before she gave me that clue. But the clues you left weren't very difficult to follow. They were all places we'd had been at one time or another. The only other part of the challenge that was in any way hard was figuring out which spell unlocked which clue. But other than that, it wasn't a hard part of the test. The part with stacking the rocks as well as freeing you from Hild's spell were the hardest parts."

"Keiichi, I wasn't trying to go easy on you. I really did try to make the final challenge a worthy one. I could have made it more difficult, but I really wanted you to become a First Class God. And the Department of Examinations did accept that challenge as a legitimate test. Otherwise, they would not have awarded you First Class status."

Calmly, Keiichi said, "Belldandy, remember who was in charge of the Department of Examinations at the time. It was Baldur whom Hild used to put my name in for consideration in the first place. He was corrupt. He might have manipulated the system to allow that challenge to stand. They wanted me to stand for First Class so Hild could interfere in the test. They used you to try to get to me, but they failed. Remember that, Belldandy. They failed!"

Belldandy bowed her head in shame. "Keiichi, I have failed you. I put you in needless danger. Maybe it is my fault you are in this situation. Maybe you weren't ready for First Class powers after all. But I was looking out for your best interests. It's just that...that" Belldandy burst into tears. "I so wanted you to be a First Class like me." She turned her head away. "Let me walk away from you, Keiichi. You don't deserve to have me as your wife or your Goddess. But first, let me try and put things right."

Keiichi lifted himself off the table and with a grunt that reminded him of his father, grabbed Belldandy and turned her around. With maybe a little more intensity than he intended, he looked into her ocean blue eyes and he said,

"Nonsense, Belldandy. I don't deserve you, that's true. But it's not because of what you have done. I don't deserve to have the most beautiful, sweetest, kindest Goddess in Heaven. A Goddess who has put my happiness and needs before her own so many times. A Goddess who has saved my life, and made me her husband. We made a vow to stand by each other and be together forever, and now that I'm a God, I intend to stand by that vow forever. You're stuck with me, Belldandy, and no matter what you think you've done to me to put me in my condition, I'm never letting you go. I love you too damn much to let you go. I don't know how I lived without you before you came, but now that you're in my life, I can't live without you now."

Belldandy said, "I'm so sorry, Keiichi. Every time I get down on myself, you're always there to pick me up. I too, don't know how I lived without you. Forgive me."

"Nothing to forgive, Belldandy. You've done nothing wrong. We can't forecast what happens down the road of life. We can only plan for the future and take it as it comes."

Belldandy flew into Keiichi's arms, holding him tightly. Feeling his love healing her broken spirit.

"Belldandy, have faith in me. Whatever Torvald throws at me, I will overcome, because I won't be fighting alone. Would it have really mattered whether I was still a second class God? Whether I was still human? Would you love me any more or any less? I know that I don't need to be a God to love you. I'd love you whether you were a Goddess or a human."

Belldandy composed herself and said, "No, Keiichi. I'd love you no matter what you were."

"I mean, so far the only advantage I've seen so far in being a God is that when we..."

"I understand, Keiichi."

"So I wonder what kind of test Torvald will put me through. I don't want to be some old broken-down God that drools all over himself and can no longer control his powers."

"I'm sure that it will not be an easy one. And I can guarantee that somehow I'm going to be involved. He'll probably try to capture me and force you to fight him or something like that to free me. Remember, Keiichi. Torvald was trained by Hild herself, which is very rare. So we have to figure that he'll try to think like Hild in some way."

Keiichi said, "Well, we'll have to come up with some kind of plan. We can't go into this blind. Let's head back to Earth, but go to the Temple first. We have to make sure that the place is still standing in one piece. After all, we did leave Urd and Skuld to mind the place." Belldandy giggled at the break in tension. "Yes, Keiichi."

"Bell, do you have a message cube or a way to get to the Gate? I don't want all of Heaven to see us at this time."

Bell reached into her Robes of Authority, and pulled out a message cube. She whispered into it, squeezed Keiichi's hand and the two disappeared.

Meanwhile, Frigga and her assistants were impatiently waiting outside the treatment room for Bell and Keiichi to end their discussion. Cases were backing up and time was wasting. She called into the room, "Keiichi, Belldandy, time's up. We've got work to do. If you two are making out or something, put your clothes on, because we're coming in." Her assistants sniggered. After a few moments, she pushed open the door and barged into an empty treatment room. The machines were still working, the numbers and symbols floating on the air, but no Keiichi and Belldandy to be found.

"Where in the hell did they go?" Frigga grumbled in exasperation. "Quickly!" she ordered her assistants. "Go out and look for them. And don't come back until you find them. Dammit! Kami-sama is going to kill me!"

Chapter 19

Tarikihongan Temple, Nekomi City

January 4th

The God and his Goddess arrived at the Temple and found it more or less as it was when they left. Which can be unusual considering that Urd and Skuld were left to watch the place while Keiichi and his bride went off on their honeymoon, and more times than could be counted, either one or the other sisters' experiments often succeeded in causing the Temple some damage which required Keiichi to remind them not too subtly that he and Belldandy didn't own the building and they were maintaining it for an itinerant Buddhist priest who went off seeking enlightenment after experiencing the wonder that is Belldandy.

They both entered the main house, and after almost blowing his top over a bill for 50,000 yen for a three day stay with all the frills at some traditional inn in the South of Japan, Keiichi went off looking for Urd and Skuld to explain themselves. Curiously, after looking in both sister's rooms, he could not find either one. He looked in every room in the temple, but no Urd or Skuld. "Hey, Belldandy, have you seen your sisters?" Keiichi said, but his words went unanswered. He quickly turned around and found that Belldandy wasn't following him. Once again searching the temple, Belldandy had also disappeared.

He turned his mind inward, engaging the Sacred Coupling to listen for that tell-tale signal that told him that he and his Goddess were connected at that special level that only they could experience, but there was silence greeting him there. "Where is she?" Keiichi said to himself. As if in response, a strange voice filled his mind.

"Are you looking for Belldandy and her sisters, Keiichi?"

"Who are you, and what do you know about Belldandy?" Keiichi said hotly.

"I wouldn't take that tone with me, if I were you, Keiichi Morisato. I hold the future of the Norns in my hand!" The voice said. "If you ask me nicely, I'll take you to see them."

Gathering his powers around him, Keiichi's anger rose. "Don't test me. I will do what I have to to

find Belldandy. And you won't like what I do."

"Test you? Why that's what I fully intend to do, Morisato." And with a flash of light and a mighty rushing wind, Keiichi disappeared.

Keiichi found himself sprawled out on the floor of a dark and dank limestone cave. Humongous stalactites hung from the ceiling high above his head, some of which met stalagmites rising up from the floor. Water dripped from the ceiling echoing off the moist walls making the sound come from all directions.

It was a cold, still place, and not just because of the temperature. There was a chill that went all the way through Keiichi and touched his innermost spirit. There was just enough light to make out his shadow. Keiichi surmised that he was underground. Coming to his feet, he saw no exit from the room he was standing in. He wondered where the light was coming from. There was no hole in the ceiling. It was almost like the rooms of Heaven that were full of illumination with no visible light source in sight. Although this was like no room in Heaven he had ever witnessed.

"Where am I? Am I still on Earth?" Keiichi called out.

A delay just long enough to shake Keiichi's courage. "Oh yes, we're still on Earth. We're still in that place you call Japan. Just about 100 feet below the surface. Actually, we are directly below the Temple. I didn't take you far. But whether you make it out of here, or make it the place where you and the Norns are buried is strictly up to you."

"Are you...?"

"Yes, Keiichi. I am Torvald. Devoted servant of Lady Hild, the Daimaikaicho, and Master of Rage Magic."

"So you're the one who...?"

"Yes, I sent you the Rage Token. Some of my best work. I almost made you destroy Belldandy. Not by the physical abuse. But by an even greater pain. Her losing her trust in you. Her believing that it was her fault that you lashed out at her. That she had somehow failed you. Oh, how I had fun watching you cause Belldandy so much grief."

"Torvald. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's someone who loves to hear himself talk. Let's get this test over with, so I can find Belldandy and the others." Keiichi said impatiently.

"I'm so sorry, Keiichi. Am I boring you with my senseless prattle? Please forgive me. I spend so much time alone that when I do see a new face, I tend to run off at the mouth. If you're looking for the Norns, you won't have far to go. As a matter of fact, I've saved you the trouble of finding them. You're welcome, by the way."

And with those words, the cave grew brighter, and the sight awaiting Keiichi froze him solid with fear.

Before him were three tiny cells carved out of the limestone wall of the cave. In each cell was a Goddess. Belldandy, Urd and Skuld, still dressed in the clothes they were wearing when they were abducted. Keiichi could tell that the Norns had tried every spell and working they knew to free themselves, but had failed. All three had looks of defeat and dejection on their faces. Even Urd, who was always supremely confident in her magical abilities looked despondent. At the sight of Keiichi, the three Goddesses brightened up, but not by much. Their faces told him that even they doubted that he could spring them from their prison cells.

Keiichi tried to rush forward and free the Goddesses, but found that he couldn't move off his spot.

Torvald mocked him, "Don't try to get them out, Keiichi. You'll find that the force field that is sealing them away from you is quite impenetrable. There is nothing in your limited arsenal that can free them. They can see you, but they can't hear you, and vice versa. They have no idea of the test you are about to perform. The only way you can get them out is by passing that test."

"So what is this test, Torvald. If you've harmed one hair on those Goddesses heads, I'll..."

"You'll do what Keiichi? You don't have the power to stand against me. Even the one-one-thousandth of myself that I planted within your mind is more than capable of defeating you. I can tear your mind apart like so many old rags. I can fill you with so much rage and anger that would make the abuse you hurled at Belldandy look like a child's temper tantrum, and destroy you where you stand. I hold all the cards, Keiichi. And I will use them against you in front of these lovely Goddesses. Especially watching your beloved Belldandy's reaction as I rip the life from you, piece by piece.

"So, Keiichi, you would do well to keep a civil tongue in your head. I do not have the patience to deal with your insolence."

"All right, Torvald. I'll play it your way. What do I need to do to get those Goddesses out of here, and you out of my head."

"See, Keiichi? I can be very reasonable when spoken to with some respect. Look down at your feet. You'll see a device there. Pick it up."

Keiichi looked down as told. At his feet was an object that bore a resemblance to a futuristic handgun. What set it apart from a pistol was the way it looked. It was black like a handgun, but this blackness was so deep and intense that the surrounding light seemed to be sucked into it as if it was a fragment of a black hole. Just looking at it made Keiichi very uncomfortable.

As he picked it up, he could feel the substantial and solid heft of the device, but he could also see and feel the blackness of the gun trying to slide off its surface and seep into his skin. The device was incredibly cold as if it was made of dry ice. Even though Keiichi was a God, and was impervious to pain, he could feel the coldness of the weapon burning his skin.

It wasn't enough to make him drop the evil thing, but it clearly was meant to make him feel some discomfort. But the coldness lapping at his skin was minor compared to the feelings that were boiling in his mind. He could feel the same rage building that he inflicted on Belldandy, but it was ratcheted up a factor of ten. Keiichi immediately started to employ some of the mind control techniques that Belldandy had taught him after he had abused her, to tamp down the surge of white-hot rage. The anger put up some resistance, but with some effort, Keiichi was able to lessen the roiling emotions inside of him.

"What is this thing?" Keiichi said through clenched teeth.

Another pregnant pause meant to nibble at the edges of his control and patience.

Torvald said, "This 'thing', as you call it, doesn't have a formal name. But I like to call it, 'The God Killer'. I will spare you the mind-numbing technical details, as it looks like you are on the bleeding edge of resisting the weapon's effects on your emotions. But suffice it to say, that it contains a large amount of the Rage Magic that I possess and cultivate, and it has the ability to project that power to whomever the weapon is pointed at. Pull the trigger, and that energy is released into the victim's mind where it corrodes and consumes that mind, and destroys the victim utterly. Very slow and painful death. It's called the 'God Killer', because it has the power to destroy a God, or a Goddess.

"You see, Keiichi, anyone can devise a test to see whether you can handle First Class Powers. That's no fun. But a test to judge your loyalty and devotion? That's where the real answers lie.

Your test is very simple. You will sacrifice one of these three Goddesses to set the other two free. That's all. But there is one small catch. These three are the Norns of Time. Past, Present, and Future. They govern time and the existence of Heaven is dependent on the perfect balance that exists between them.

"Eliminate one of them, and the balance is disrupted, and Heaven will fall. And as Heaven goes, so goes Earth. I have read your mind, Keiichi. I know your thoughts. I know that you have always resented Urd and Skuld living with you and Belldandy. You have always tired of their antics and how they have always made it so hard for you and Belldandy to spend time together. Here's your chance to get rid of that problem once and for all. You and Belldandy can have all the time you want to be by yourselves. Now where you'll spend that time, I don't know. There would be no Heaven or Earth, no Temple to live in." Torvald paused."It seems to me that you're in quite the dilemma, Keiichi. But fear not. You do have one alternative, and I'm sure you don't need me to help you figure it out.

"You can set all three of them free, if you take that third path. The choice is all yours. I will not interfere in any way."

Keiichi looked upon the faces of those beautiful Goddesses, and lingered on the face of the one he took in marriage. Urd and Skuld continued to look defeated and resigned to whatever fate that was dealt to them, and did not face Keiichi. Belldandy looked with hope on her husband. She still believed in her man that he'd find a way to set her and her sisters free. She always believed in Keiichi, and he had never let her down. He always came through in the end.

He knew what he had to do. There was no choice. Even though Urd and Skuld's meddling ways drove him crazy, he didn't have the heart to sacrifice one or both of them to finally have unlimited quality time with Belldandy. Belldandy would never forgive him, and she would miss her sisters so much that living with her would be all but impossible. She would be inconsolable. She would never smile again. Joy would never again radiate from her beautiful face.

And not only that, but Heaven and Earth would be destroyed. Peorth, Lind and all the other Gods and Goddesses, gone. Megumi, Chihiro, Sentaro, Ootaki, Hasegawa, and Tamiya, gone. Even scoundrels like Sayoko and Aoshima, as much hell as they put him through, deserved to live out their lives to the fullest.

It was clear. The Norns needed to be together to preserve the balance of time. And Keiichi remembered the vow that he swore to Belldandy in the presence of all his friends and loved ones.

"Belldandy, I will live for you, and if necessary..." There was a sacrifice to be made.

With all the stalwart strength he could muster. He locked eyes on Belldandy, and he mouthed the words, "I Love You!" as he turned the 'God Killer' on himself and pulled the trigger.