Disclaimer - I do not own Oh! My Goddess

-oOoOoOo-

Keiichi took a deep breath to gather some courage before heading to the Kitchen. Though Belldandy had said that she and her sisters were going to be out shopping for a good amount of the day, he still looked around to make sure he was still alone.

"Guess it's time to see if I still got it," Keiichi reluctantly muttered as he grabbed various ingredients.

-o-

Urd entered the Temple as she said, "That was fun, girls. We oughta go out more, just us ladies."

"Yes, I agree, Urd. There's something about how Mortals grow their fruits and Vegetables that seems to surpass most Gods' ability to do the same." Belldandy replied as she and Skuld entered..

"Yeah, Nekomi's Street market didn't have any magical ingredients, but it had more variety than Heaven's!" Urd cackled as she held up several bags that were full of various stuff for her potion-brewing.

"Keiichi gets me Ice Cream when I go with him," Skuld pouted. She looked at the computer parts she purchased. "But at least I got these. Banpei and Sigel will be so happy when I've upgraded their CPUs."

Urd looked at Belldandy and asked, "So, how happy do you think Keiichi will be when you give him his presents?"

"I think he'll be pretty happy," Belldandy said before she headed to the kitchen.

"What did she'd get him?" Skuld asked, tilting her head..

"A few tools to replace his old ones that were starting to wear out," Urd replied.

-o-

When Belldandy entered the kitchen, she was Keiichi frowning at a table full of various sweets. With a touch of concern in her voice, she asked, "Keiichi, is there something wrong with them?"

Keiichi let out an annoyed sigh, "No. More like something with me that you can't really help in the way that I want. As for the candy, cookies, and cupcakes, I made them and they're fine… unfortunately."

Belldandy put the shopping bags on a counter as she said with a touch of confusion, "If you say so. The red bag has some things I bought for you."

As Keiichi looked inside the red bag and smiled at all the various tools inside, Belldandy picked up a cookie and nibbled on it. Her eyes widened as she slowly chewed the cookie

Keiichi looked at her and his frown returned.

"Please excuse me," Belldandy said as she picked up the plate of cookies and left the room. Seeing that Skuld and Urd were sitting down on the couch near the coffee table, Belldandy placed the plate of cookies in front of them.

"Hey, you work fast. Congrats, Belldandy," Urd said as she and Skuld reached for some cookies.

Skuld shuddered in joy with each bite. After swallowing the cookie, she cheerfully cried out, "Oh, Big sis! Your cooking is as wonderful as always!"

Urd nodded, but grew confused when Belldandy looked guilty. The latter said, "I appreciate the compliments, but I did not make these."

"Then who?" Skuld asked, cutely tilting her head.

"Keiichi," Belldandy said with pride in her voice and a smile on her face.

Skuld's jaw dropped and Urd quickly ate another cookie. The flavor practically danced in her mouth. After Urd swallowed the cookie, she said, "I know Gods and Goddesses who specialize in cooking that would have done nearly anything to have baked a cookie half as tasty like this one back when they were Keiichi's age."

She looked Belldandy in the eyes and asked, "So, did he only make the cookies or did he make anything else?"

"The kitchen table is covered with plates of all sorts of candy," Belldandy said.

"Oh ho ho ho! I gotta go taste test all of them to see if he's skilled in anything sweet or if he's a one-hit wonder," Urd chuckled as she leapt from the couch and skipped towards the kitchen.

Belldandy had a little laugh as she watched Urd leave. When she looked back at Skuld, Belldandy saw that the youngest Norn looked quite distressed. "Skuld, is everything okay?"

"Keiichi's not supposed to be good at anything. He was so unlucky that he got a wish from you, but he's able to make cookies that are good enough that I'm uncertain about combining them with Ice cream. I don't get it," Skuld quietly answered.

Belldandy sat beside him and said, "We can go ask Keiichi. I'm curious as well."

-o-

Urd walked into the Kitchen just as Keiichi was about to leave with the red bag. She said, "Oh no, you don't, Keiichi! We gotta talk about this talent of yours and why you felt like keeping it a secret!"

As Urd stood over the table and began to gleefully study the various sweets, Keiichi let out a long-suffering sigh, "Because I don't want to be known for having a talent for making sweets."

Urd frowned at Keiichi, almost like she was holding back her anger. "Is this one of those macho-things, where men fight and women cook?"

Keiichi returned Urd's glare with equal measure. "I dunno, maybe? I've been short all my life, I've been picked last for anything until I met Belldandy. I'm an easy target to get picked on. The number of dates I've been on before Belldandy can be counted on one hand with plenty of fingers left over. I'm easily bullied and don't say you've never done it. I can name at least five different times where you've done so because you were 'trying to help' or were bored. I-"

Urd slammed her hands on a free part of the table and shouted, "Enough! You feel emasculated! I'm a bully! I get it!"

She then let out a groan. "But it's candy. There really shouldn't be some gender bullshit about candy."

Keiichi said, "In some places, eating sweets, especially elaborate sweets, is seen as a feminine thing."

When Urd looked confused, he gestured towards some cookies that had cutesy drawings of kitty faces with different expressions, ranging from happy, sad, mischievous, angry, confused, and so on. "In some places, those can be considered elaborate."

Urd smirked, "And all of this can be seen as you wanting to use your talent more, but your social mentality holds you back. If you really wanted to never make sweets again, you'd have let that talent rot and be forgotten."

Keiichi looked away. "I don't need to hear this."

"What? Did Megumi once tease you by calling you 'Big Sis' when you made her some candy?"

"Yes and more than once."

Urd's shoulders slumped down in shock. "What? But the two of you get along so well. Even better than me and Skuld…"

"Not always. Everyone was a brat at one point or another," Keiichi muttered as he looked towards the arriving Belldandy and Skuld. As he focused on Belldandy, he muttered, "Well, almost everyone."

Urd snapped her fingers to get everyone's attention. "Intervention time! Our mission is to get Keiichi to be more open about making sweets!"

Keiichi turned towards Urd in a snap and spat, "You can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped."

"I agree with Keiichi," Belldandy said, getting surprised gasps from everyone. Even Keiichi looked a bit dumbfounded. "I will respect your decision, Keiichi, but I do think you've outdone me in this area of baking."

Belldandy picked up an eclair that had little spiral drawings and carefully took a bite. "Mmm, Lemon. Delicious."

Keiichi's anger vanished and his shoulders slumped, as if he somehow disappointed Belldandy. "Uh, thanks, I guess? And thanks for the tools, Belldandy."

After Keiichi walked out of earshot, Skuld muttered, "He's a tool."

Belldandy looked upset at Skuld and said, "Skuld, apologize to Keiichi."

"Bell, she has a point. He's insecure and foolish about his sweets-making skill because of asshats like Aoshima who teased him into hiding said talents," Urd sighed before gesturing towards where Keiichi left. "So I want to help him be more comfortable with his talent and have him proudly demonstrate it to everyone."

"He doesn't want to and I think we should respect his decision," Belldandy said. A thought came to her. "Urd, how long has it been since you helped someone express themselves with their art?"

"I dunno, A century or tw-" Urd said before she narrowed her eyes. "He's your man. I'm not trying to steal him."

"I never said you were. I realize that when it comes to art and music, you like helping others. But it has been a long time since you did so and I wondered if you had a particular itch to scratch, so to speak," Belldandy said.

"Huh…" Urd muttered. She grabbed a bag and began to place various sweets into it before heading to her room.

"What now?" Skuld asked as she headed to the refrigerator.

"We enjoy the sugary feast and wait for Keiichi's decision. Either he embraces his rejection of his cooking talent or we help him gain the courage to bake more," Belldandy replied.

Skuld picked out a gallon of ice cream and headed towards the chocolate chip cookies as she asked, "And Urd?"

"Like with Keiichi, we wait. I suspect she'll be more accepting of his decision if we give her space," Belldandy answered as she went to brew some tea. "I do hope Keiichi chooses to make more Strawberry bread in the future. The loaf on the table looks so delicious!"

-oOoOo-

Chibi-Hild hung up the phone and made a Hn' noise.

"What did they want, Lady Hild?" Mara asked.

"They called us and invited us over…" Chibi-Hild ominously said, causing Mara to shiver. Then she cutely added, "To discuss a deal over sweets!"

Mara face-planted so hard that her legs twitched in the air. As she stood up, she grumbled, "Did you really have to do it like that? Everyone knows Belldandy can make the best…. Well,everything!"

Chibi-Hild turned towards her minion with a smirk. "Actually, Keiichi made this round of sweets. Bellandy sounded so proud about it… and even a little jealous."

"Huh?" Mara uttered, rubbing the back of her head in confusion.

-o-

Keiichi and Belldandy sat on one side of a table and Chibi-Hild and Mara sat on the other. There were a few boxes of sweets on the table, with a few already emptied out.

As Mara ate, she thought, 'Have I made a mistake in how I dealt with Morisato in the past? Sure, he seemed to be the weak link in the past, but if I had known he was this skilled, I'd have put effort into seducing him myself. Maybe even tried a threeway with him and Sayoko…'

After Chibi-Hild used a napkin to wipe away the chocolate custard from her lips, she asked, "I will admit, you are skilled and talented, Keiichi Morisato. Enough so that I am willing to hear you out."

Keiichi held Belldandy's hand for courage before he spoke, "I was close to giving up, but your daughter and her sisters talked me into getting back into baking. I had some time to think about what I could do with it and…"

Chibi-Hild raised an eyebrow.

"If I deliver some sweets each week, could you protect my sister and parents from any supernatural harm?" Keiichi asked.

Chibi-Hild chuckled. "If you had tried to use your sweets to try and get us to stop trying to separate you and Belldandy, I'd have refused. But that little request?"

She held out her hand.."It's well-within the price that you're offering."

Keiichi let go of Belldandy's hand and shook Chibi-Hild's hand.

-o-

Takano was walking home when she noticed a black cat following her. The cat had purple eyes and a six-pointed star on its head. She bent down and reached for it, cooing, "Well, hello there. Do you wanna move in with me and my husband?"

The cat meowed before leaping into Takano's arms. She walked into her home and said, "Hey, Keima! We got a new guest."

Keima walked into Takano's sight and stared at the cat. He said, "That cat looks smarter than most humans."

Takano hugged the cat and said, "Yup, she certainly does. Do you have any problems with her?"

Keima shook his head. "We might be able to move some stuff out of one of the childrens' rooms and into the other. Will she get Keiichi's old room or Megumi's?"

"Let me go buy a few things for our new sweetheart and then think about it," Takano said before kissing the back of the cat's head. After placing the cat down, she watched the cat stretch and yawn before curling up in a corner to sleep.

-o-

Chibi-Hild was sitting on a bench in a park, eating some brownies and idly watching (and hypnotizing) the birds who were eating birdseed that was tossed their way.

Belldandy walked up to Hild and asked, "May I sit beside you?"

"Sure, but like I told the kobold, you aren't getting my snacks," Chibi-Hild replied.

"Kobold?" Belldandy asked as she sat down.

"Yeah, since she looks like a little kid, she's taken over the playground and demanded snacks. The boys are taken with her looks and are paying for everyone else to impress her. So don't worry your pretty little head about her," Chibi- hild explained.

"So, how are you protecting Megumi, Keima, and Takano?"

"I've made two little versions of myself in the form of a cute lil'kitty. Both have been adopted by their respective Morisatos. Megumi's Earth spirit guardian doesn't like me, but is forced to accept it. You can trust Cat-me to keep them safe."

Belldandy smiled and nodded in approval.

Chibi-Hild then asked, "So, if one of the gods of sweets comes calling for Keiichi, can I expect your help in warding them off?

"They'll be understanding that I am the one who is bound to him, that I have final say over what divinity can do with him," Belldandy said with a touch of pride.

"You might have trouble with that, as any of them can bring up how you acted when Peorth came down to grant Keiichi a wish."

Belldandy frowned. "That's different. That was a matter that concerned the Earth Assistance Helpline."

"And how different is that from one of those goddesses of sweets coming down to help Keiichi refine his baking talent in ways you can't… or even them offering their or their family's hand in marriage to him in a way that he's unable to refuse?"

Just as a Jealousy Storm began to form, Chibi-Hild snapped her fingers to cast a spell that neutralized said Jealousy Storm. She then wagged a finger at Belldandy, saying, "Really, now. You should get a better handle on that particular trigger of yours, or else someone crafty as me, but not as concerned about the people around us, might be able to use that to cause some real damage with you taking the brunt of the blame."

Belldandy looked down at the ground, a mix of shame, anger, and worry began to swirl around on her face. Eventually, she opened her mouth to apologize, but was silenced by someone shoving a brownie in it.

"You were getting all depressed on this nice sunny day," Chibi-Hild cooed. "So I decided to change my mind and share."

-oOo-

From outside the kitchen, Welsper glared at Keiichi and the boxes of sweets that he was preparing.

A sneer formed on his face as he began to slink towards Keiichi. "Morisato, don't you feel ashamed of what you're doing?"

Keiichi looked at Welsper with a grin. "Considering everything else in my life? I think the benefits of being a candy maker outweighs the downsides."

The human returned back to packaging the boxes as he added, "Besides, anything that makes Belldandy smile is worth it."

Welsper glowered, as he mostly agreed with that sentiment. If the roles were switched around, Welsper would have been singing as he prepared sweets for Belldandy.

Still, he was here for a purpose and opened his mouth…

Only to be picked up by Belldandy. He looked up with glee as he said, "Belldandy? Oh, my lovely Belldandy?"

"Keiichi, I have something to tell Welsper, but we'll be back soon," Belldandy said. Keiichi nodded at her with a smile.

Belldandy carried Welsper outside and towards the forest. The Demonic feline thought, 'Well, with Belldandy and privacy from Morisato is always welco-'

Any happiness Welsper felt vanished the moment he saw a smiling Chibi-Hild wave at him. He looked up and Belldandy said with a smile, "Hild has decided to join on this conversation."

Belldandy's smile was meant to be pleasant and disarming, but it was as disarming as a smile on a teacher when the principal decided to join in on a meeting between the teacher and a student.

"Belldandy, you don't have to hold me," Welpser said in almost a whine.

Chibi-Hild cooed, "But we don't want you to run away!"

Belldandy's smile lessened, "Welsper, I know you don't like Keiichi, but if you ever succeeded in making Keiichi stop making sweets, I would punish you with a three hour long lecture on why you shouldn't ruin other people's gift if they aren't harming anyone."

Welsper whimpered a little bit before he said, "But I-"

"And I would give you such a lecture every day until Keiichi starts making sweets again. If he never makes sweets again, then I will give you a lecture every day until the end of time," Belldandy added. Welsper swore he saw a wicked gleam appear for the briefest of moments in Belldandy's eyes.

Welsper looked towards Chibi-Hild for relief.

"Oh, I would allow her to come down and give you the lecture. After all, I made a deal with Keiichi. If you ruin it, then I will ruin any hope you have with Belldandy," Chibi-Hild said, somehow managing to look both cute and terrifying.

'How can sweets make goddess and demon come to an agreement like this?' Welsper thought. "How can such an agreement be allowed?"

"I gave some to my Mother and she allowed it," Belldandy answered.