Chapter 22

The Dimension of Outer Darkness.

Your big problem, Baldur, is that as smart, cunning, and ingenious as you are, you have the bad habit of being too enthralled with the sound of your own voice. You have a hard time mastering the art of knowing when to talk and when to shut up. That, and you never quite learned when you were trying to convince another person of the rightness of your cause, that moment when the other party had shut down, and was no longer interested in what you had to say, and all they wanted you to do was to go away. That is what happened when you tried to sell Hild on the Eye of Heaven. Maybe you thought that long winding spiel about the nature of the Eye, and its relationship to the Norns was interesting. But clearly, Hild disagreed. She didn't care about the painstaking research you undertook to learn about the jewel and the Mjolnir Protocol that protected its secrets. All she wanted to know was how it affected her and how collaborating with you to seize it would benefit Niflheim, and most importantly, how it would get those damned Goddesses off Earth.

Hild, like most CEO's, wasn't interested in the minutiae of running Niflheim. She had minions that she could yell at that could take care of that stuff. All she wanted to see was the God's eye, or rather, Demon's eye view of the whole enterprise. But you insisted on boring her with pointless details. And then you put your foot in your mouth when you gave her attitude about requesting her help.

Not smart.

You tried to get back on her good side when you proposed to cut her in on divying up the Earth 50-50 after overthrowing Kami-sama and installing yourself as Supreme Ruler, which was a pretty ballsy move considering that you really didn't know what the Eye of Heaven did, much less, actually saw it. Way to go selling the sizzle when you hadn't even grilled the steak. But then your tendency to put your mouth in gear before activating your brain rose up to betray you once again, when you insulted her honor.

Now, she set you up by questioning your integrity first. And it's human, or rather, Godly nature to strike back, but you forgot that you were on her turf. Then you finally lost all hope of convincing Hild when you took a jab at her and Marller's lack of success against the Goddesses and Keiichi, and then pulled out the fake Mjolnir Device and proceeded into yet another mind numbing spiel about how the damn thing worked. The chill that went down your back when Hild showed proof that she was recording the whole conversation must have been as cold as her heart, or the cold steel that she ran through your back when, one day as you were in the Arcana section of the library researching the runes that activated the Mjolnir Device, two burly Valkyries picked you up bodily and not so gently escorted you to the Palace and Council Chambers.

It turned out that Lind actually did help you in her own twisted way. Although with help like this, imagine what would have happened had she really wanted to hurt you. She sent a small group of demons to Heaven using your Gate credentials to create a diversion at one of the Gate Outposts, and a larger force to storm the Palace and Main Control. But their main function was to keep the Palace Guard and the Valkyries busy while they made sure that the incriminating evidence of your collusion with the Daimaikaicho was conveniently left behind for some well-meaning and eagle-eyed Valkyrie to pick up and turn in to her superiors. That disk went all the way up to Kami-sama himself, who passed it to Ragner along with explicit instructions to make sure that no only was the book to be thrown at you, but that Ragnar was to repeatedly hit you upside the head with it. The Council had you dead to rights when Ragnar produced the disk. The look on Kami-sama's face as he pronounced your sentence almost convinced many of the members of the Council that maybe the Supreme Ruler was going around the twist.

They had seen Kami-sama punish many a God and Goddess for breaking the rules, but there was always a sense of sadness and mercy in his pronouncements. As if, he had failed them some how, that he felt as if there was something he could have done to put them back on the right way. Kami-sama always thought of all of the Gods and Goddesses in heaven as his children, and that he somehow had an obligation to nurture them as a loving father.

But in your case, there was no evidence of mercy. He unloaded every bit of anger and vitriol he could muster at you. It was a blistering and withering volley of anger and disgust what came forth from his mouth.

You couldn't help but flinch as his tirade came forth, but even to this moment, you thought that isolation was a small price to pay to bring about the change you desired in Heaven. Too bad, you wouldn't be around to see it come forth. Instead, you are floating in a vast sea of nothingness, slowly going insane.

3:00pm, January 23

Whirlwind motorcycle shop.

Chihiro Fujimi had a smile on her face that was almost as wide as the trailer that made up her motorcycle repair shop, Whirlwind. Despite her best efforts to maintain a professional air, the former motorcycle racing icon could not conceal the glee that had spread across her face as she surveyed the activities going on in her growing business.

The source of her happiness was behind the cash register ringing up sales, and also in the middle of the tiny showroom floor working on a Yamaha that had been dropped off earlier. Chihiro didn't have enough room in her shop for a separate repair facility, so she happened on the bright idea of having her mechanic fix bikes in the middle of the shop in front of the customers, who could watch as their machines were worked on in front of them. She reasoned that seeing their bike worked on before them, reassured the customer that it was being cared for properly, as well as reminded her mechanic that he was always being watched and that sloppy work was not to be tolerated. The approach worked pretty well and through hard work and good results, Whirlwind developed a reputation for quality work at a reasonable price.

After Keiichi, Belldandy and her sisters returned home from their harrowing underground experience with Torvald, they took a few days to recover, then Kei and Bell returned to Chihiro's shop to start work. Chihiro was very happy to see them because she had an upcoming sale where she had a lot of unsold merchandise from last year, and she needed to get rid of it quick to make room for the new stuff she had on order. She immediately put Belldandy behind the counter to work the cash register, and Keiichi alternated between making minor repairs and answering questions about merchandise or whatever repairs he was working on.

"Keiichi." Chihiro said happily. " It is so good to see you and Belldandy back in the shop. I would have never had been able to pull off this sale without you two."

"It's glad to be back at work, Chihiro. I was really missing getting my hands dirty." Keiichi said with deep sincerity. There were very few things that delighted Keiichi more than tinkering with motorcycles. He loved the smells of rubber, plastic, and oil. The feel of the tools in his hands. The satisfaction of knowing that his handiwork would be making some rider happy either tooling along the streets of Nekomi City or the racetrack at triple digit speeds. If he didn't need the money, he'd work for free. Although he'd never let Chihiro know that.

"There's only one thing that I have an issue with.", Keiichi said.

"And what is that?," Chihiro said warily.

"Was it really necessary to dress Belldandy in that get-up?"

"What get-up? What is wrong with what Belldandy is wearing?"

"Belldandy would never be caught dead wearing what you gave her."

Chihiro looked over at the counter where Belldandy was waiting on customers and generally lighting up the room with her smile and effervescent charm. "I think she looks kinda cute in that outfit. It's certain not hurting sales. Why, are you insecure about all these guys leering at your wife?" Keiichi had only been married for a little less than a month and still had not gotten used to Belldandy being referred to as his wife.

Belldandy was wearing what could best be described as an electric yellow sweatshirt that lost a fight with a insane tailor. The neck opening was enlarged to allow the Goddess to wear the thing off one shoulder. The word, "WHIRLWIND" was suggestively draped in red letters across Belldandy's chest and the shirt was cropped to show quite a bit of her very trim midriff. In addition, she was wearing a rather short and snug black leather skirt and matching boots that extended just above the knee. While the clothes were not as racy as anything Urd would be seen in, they were definitely much more revealing than anything that Bell would usually wear.

And Chihiro was right, the clothes clearly helped to sell merchandise. The line of riders waiting to check out extended from the counter, around the shop, out the door and halfway down the street. And it looked like no one was remotely interested in running off with stolen merchandise. On the contrary, they waited very patiently in line to buy their stuff, catch a fleeting glympse of that winning smile, that cute giggle, and to maybe get a quick peek at the rest of Bell's charms. A muffler here, a set of leathers there, a case of motor oil. One guy had even convinced Chihiro to part with the GSX-R that Keiichi fixed up.

Keiichi said, "Yeah, Belldandy looks cute, but do you really think that sales would have been affected if she had worn her regular shop clothes?"

Chihiro said, "Maybe not, Keiichi, but I mean look at her. The one regular customer, Fujihara? The one who never spends more than 5,000 yen at a time? He just bought 15,000 yen worth of stuff. I've had guys coming in here that usually need a jackhammer to pry open their wallets and they're buying things like they're going out of style."

"You're having a clearance sale, Chihiro. This stuff IS going out of style."

"See what I mean? If Belldandy was wearing her normal clothes, she'd sell the place out in a day, but in that get-up, we'll have this crap gone in a half-hour. She's a money-making machine, Kei." Chihiro turned to Keiichi, put her hands on his shoulders, and said, "Trust me, Keiichi. I'm know what I'm doing."

Changing the subject, Chihiro said as an aside, "So, have you and Belldandy thought about kids yet?"

The mention of Belldandy and kids in the same sentence caused Keiichi to almost spit out the can of hot coffee he was drinking. "Kids?" he screamed, as every eye in the shop turned towards him. "Are you crazy, Chihiro? No offense, but Bell and I are just getting to the point where we can take care of ourselves on what you're paying us. Lucky for me, I haven't had to take on any extra jobs since I've been back. Not to mention that we still have Urd and Skuld living with us. Throw a kid into the mix, and we'd be living in the streets. No way! Not for a long time, yet."

But Keiichi had to stop and think for a moment. Ever since he and Belldandy had gotten married, the sub'ect of children had entered into his mind, although he never broached the subject with Bell. He didn't even know how Gods and Goddesses reproduced. Did they do it the same way humans did? How long was the pregnancy, and what, if any complications would arise with a child conceived by the union of a Goddess and a human turned into a God?

No doubt that if Belldandy ever expressed a desire to have children, he would do whatever it took to make it work. Keiichi made it his sworn duty that his Goddess would never be denied anything, if he could help it. He'd take on extra jobs, as many as he'd need in order to make sure that Bell and any offspring that came would want for nothing.

But he also would wait until Belldandy brought up the subject. No use committing to something that major before he was ready.

"Yeah Chihiro, don't say 'kids' around Belldandy just yet. I don't want to give her any ideas. I'm sure that she'd love it, but I don't want that hassle right now.

Chihiro said, "But Belldandy would make an excellent mother, and you'd be a great Dad. You should seriously think about it." She then dropped the subject, but still kept smiling as her business's coffers increased and their leftover merch decreased. The spring racing and riding season was just around the corner. Riders were approaching her for sponsorship opportunities, and the chance to make some serious money was on the horizon.

A Undisclosed Place

Heaven

All of Baldur's senses reacted violently at the torrent of sensory data being inflicted upon them. While in the Dimension of Outer Darkness, the total lack of sensory input caused his senses to go into a temporary shutdown simply because there was no need for them to function. There was nothing to see, hear, smell, taste or touch. while his was floating in the void. So they had shut down due to lack of use. But with no warning or preparation whatsoever, they were jarred back into action, and they didn't appreciate it one little bit.

A hand grabbed Baldur's shoulder and brusquely shook him into consciousness. A strident voice yelled into his ears, "Baldur! Baldur! Dammit, wake up!"

He screamed in agony as his senses were thrown into overdrive from a dead stop. Even the sound of his own voice caused him to flinch, for he hadn't heard himself talk for so long.

"What? What? Where am I? Who are you?" he shouted.

"Baldur! Wake up! I don't have time to babysit you right now!"

"What's going on? Where am I?"

"Open your eyes, Baldur!"

He opened his eyes only to cringe as he was struck temporarily blind. The bright light flooded his weakened eyes and caused them to react with intense pain. It took many moments to for them to adjust to the light.

When he had recovered enough that he could keep his eyes open without pain, he looked around. He was lying on a long table in a nondescript room. There was no indication of where he was, or how long he had been there. Nothing else in the space other than that table, him and the goddess that was rousing him none too gently into reality. Looking up, he gazed upon his tormentor.

Like all Goddesses in Heaven, this one was striking and gorgeous in appearance. Long, blond hair, an oval face, a small mouth formed into a glaring frown. A pert sleek nose that matched her face.

But it was her eyes that were her most significant feature. They had a hard, penetrating and dangerous look to them. They looked like they had seen many things, most of them treacherous and evil.

She possessed the beauty that was found only in a certain group of Goddesses. The ones who worked for the Goddess Assistance Agency. She looked like she could have been selected as a field Goddess: one who was commissioned to appear before humans and grant their wishes. She was of medium height, wore bright green robes of Authority, and was standing at the foot of Baldur's table, arms folded across her chest, impatiently waiting for him to join the land of the living.

"So, are we awake yet?" the Goddess asked with an edge in her voice. "Or should I go away for a while and give you a moment to compose yourself?" Sarcasm laced her words.

"Who are you?" Baldur croaked, his senses still trying to make heads or tails of his surroundings.

"My name is not important." A pause. "But since you asked nicely, I am known as Ilse. Goddess First Class, First Category, Unlimited License. I work in the Goddess Assistance Agency." She did not shake hands or render any other form of greeting.

"You look like a GAA goddess. Do I know you?"

"No, you don't." Ilse said. "But you know of one of my actions."

"How so?"

"Do you remember that whole 'Eye of Heaven' business, when you arranged to have Keiichi Morisato's contract with Belldandy removed from the wish servers to escape the purge?"

"Yes."

" I was the one who moved the file."

"So you work with the wish servers."

"Among other things."

"How do you mean." Baldur asked.

"I am a mole planted by Hild within the Agency, who also does other espionage work for her."

"You're a demon?"

"No, I'm a Goddess, through and through. But I wish to be transformed into a demon."

Baldur sat up slowly as his senses worked themselves back to normal. The pains had subsided greatly, and while weak, he felt good enough to consider sliding off the table. "I didn't know that was possible."

"Hild says that she can do it. And she promised that if I work for her, she'll make it happen."

"You know that Kami-sama will never let that happen."

"I don't care what that old fool thinks. Just like you don't care."

Baldur looked at Ilse and said quietly, "And you believe what Hild tells you?"

"I believe that she won't betray me."

He laughed harshly. "You're a fool. The reason why I was put into that infernal dimension was because Hild double-crossed me. She recorded our conversation and made sure that Kami-sama got the disk. I don't trust her as far as I can throw her, and I'd advise you to do the same."

"The difference between you and me, Baldur, is that I didn't approach Hild on her own turf."

"Makes no difference, Ilse. Hild is the Chief Demon of Niflheim. She didn't get that distinction by being honest. She's the biggest deceiver in a hell full of them. Stay away from her, if you're smart."

Ilse said nothing. Changing the subject, Baldur continued.

"So you were in the GAA, did you ever work as a field goddess? You have the looks."

Ilse said, "Thank you. I went through the training, had the marks, but I had the misfortune of being in the same class as a Goddess that you and I are all too familiar with."

"Belldandy."

"The same. At the time, the GAA had only one position available from our class, and I and Belldandy were the frontrunners. In the end, the selection committee chose her over me."

"Do you know why?"

"No, they never told me the reason."

"And I take it, that this didn't go over well with you."

"Ilse exploded, "Damn right it didn't. Belldandy is naive, full of self doubt, and so obsessed with that Morisato hybrid, that it's preventing her from doing her job properly. She should have never accepted his wish. It's not natural, and it goes against the pact between deities and humans."

"That's exactly what i believe. There is no reason why a human should be transformed into a God. They have their place and we have ours."

Ilse said, "So, we are of one mind."

"It seems that way."

Baldur asked, "Where are we anyway?"

"I can't reveal that right now. At best, I can say that we're in hiding, because it took a lot of effort and hacking of Yggdrasil to break you out of the Outer Darkness, and the Valkyries are actively looking for us. If they catch us, we'll both be sealed away, and not only for ten years."

"But that's the maximum sentence."

"Not any more. Kami-sama changed the law and the council approved it unanimously. The maximum sentence for isolation in the Outer Darkness is…" Ilse shivered as she said it. "For eternity."