Location Unknown. The Other Place. Fólkvangr?
"Wait, what do you mean you have first picks of the dead?" Yosho demanded, staring at the Freya in disbelief. "You're saying I'm dead?"
"In a manner of speaking." Freya replied.
Yosho grimaced. "That…that can't be right. If I'm dead, why am I not among my own people? Why am I here with you? I am not of your children. I am of Tsunami's."
"Couple of reasons," Freya replied, and held up a silver gauntlet adorned hand, counting off on her fingers. "One, you were slain by my own, so I was required by our own laws to come to you. Two, because of your own proximity to my people, I have a use for you, and three, because if you were not automatically sent to whatever version of the afterlife your 'Tsunami' has, than that is because she, too, is imprisoned within the Vortex World."
"Vortex World…" Yosho murmured. "What is the Vortex World?" He demanded, "What happened to Earth?"
Freya pursed her lips. "Your Earth…part of the third dimension which my people call 'Midgard', has been destroyed. It has entered an egg-like state in preparation for rebirth, and inside it is the Vortex World which you traverse now." The woman sighed. "It is a state of being and non-being, where everything both does and does not exist while those creatures trapped inside—gods like my kin, demons like your cat and the oni, spirits, are sentenced to roam. It is a trial of survival; an inter-dimensional free-for-all between those entities of all pantheons, of all powers, of all natures, whose goal is two-fold: To observe and to survive into the next universe.
"To observe what?" Yosho asked.
"You." Freya revealed. "And those humans like you—those who have survived past their extinction, whose actions will define the Reason for the next world's existence." The woman smiled at him, yet Yosho was not quite convinced of its sincerity.
It looked more akin to a snarl.
"Humanity will be the one to fertilize the egg of the New World." Freya said. "And as a Human yourself, it is your Reason which you must decide upon and strive for. You must discover what your Reason for existing is, and how it will shape the New World, and you must fight for it."
"Fight against who?"
"Humans like you." Freya said. "Like my dear grandson-in-law, who's Reason is simple, and emulates his wife's—a world of peace, a world empty of violence, a world where he could raise a family safely without fear for their well being." She narrowed her eyes. "It is a noble world, is it not?"
Yosho held his silence, sensing a trap and refusing to bite.
Freya chuckled. "You are wise for a human, I will grant you that. My husband would approve of you. Allow me to counter my in-law's Reason: a world without strife, without struggle, with only peace…tell me, how could anything survive?" The woman scoffed, "A society of peace and kindness is one which shall fall into immediate decay. If there is no want, no desire no need, than there is no progress. Like an old man who ceases to work after knowing nothing but the fields, his body will believe that his life's work is done and will simply die. So too will such a world which that young man believes in. Though his Reason is just, it is flawed."
"And am I expected to do something of this?" Yosho asked. "I am, as you say, dead."
"You exist on the peripheries of life and death." Freya replied. "Belldandy was…not as gentle as is her nature, however she is under undue distress which left you as you are now. The Vortex World has its outdated Laws, but they, like many, can be bent with the right knowledge and action." The woman shrugged. "I merely pulled your soul to this side so that we may talk as your body recovers and heals itself. You shall return with my blessing."
Yosho nodded slowly. "You want me to go back," He said. "and what? Sabotage Morisato's Reason?"
Freya laughed, a beautiful sound that reminded him of his mother, Funaho's, quiet laugh. One that sounded as musical as Misaki's, and which seemed to ring through the air, causing the atmosphere itself to vibrate with the sound. "No. No sweet warrior, that is not what I want. You are human, and though you know not what your Reason is yet, you will discover it in time. No, I want you to return to compete against him—as a Human. As a Man with his own purpose. One which differs from a world of weak peace. One which differs from a world of Silence. One which differs from a world of interconnectedness. As a Man who has considered the world around him and seen the strengths and weaknesses of all sides, and has discovered the best Reason based off the fallacies of his Brothers-in-Arms."
Yosho stared up at the woman in confusion. "Why me?" He asked. "You speak of other mortals…of other men and women…why not them? Why not—why not someone like Makibi, Kiyone?"
"You hold the wisdom of ages." Freya replied. "Unlike the others whom have only their most immediate lives to contend with. And…" There was something exceptionally savage in the woman's gaze. "I know who you are. Who you were prior to the Incarnation you inhabit now. And of everyone here, though it pains me to go against my granddaughter and her husband…I want to witness your success over anyone else." The expression vanished in an instant. "As for Makibi…your Cadejo…she is not a participant in this game of Reason."
Yosho stiffened. "What do you mean?"
"Hers is a cursed fate" Freya warned. "You would do well to remember that as well, if you choose to continue your travels with her. Those who travel with her will meet their demise."
"Why do you say that?"
"Death sleeps within her." Freya replied. "Death from deep beneath the black earth. Death from the farthest boundaries of the black void. Both rest within her. Both stake their claim upon her-one on her body, the other of her soul. And both will take everything they can of her until there is nothing left." The woman's gaze became solemn. "You would do well to part with her upon your return, lest you find yourself here once more…or somewhere else."
The warrior-prince grimaced. "I don't…I don't understand. You speak of death? Two deaths? Inside Makibi-san? What is it, some kind of cancer?"
Freya shook her head slowly. "Cancer is not death, but Life Unrestricted. What rests within her is farthest from that truth. I am sorry but…I cannot speak anymore on that subject. On that matter, no amount of bent laws will allow me to illuminate those truths to a mere mortal. For that you must either trust in what I have to say, or defy my advice and see the Deaths Themselves."
Yosho shuddered, the hair on the nape of his neck standing upright in alarm. "Does she know?"
"No." Freya replied. "It is a saving grace that she in unaware of her own demise. Such knowledge would surely drive her mad."
"Yet you tell me instead, as her traveling companion." Yosho challenged.
Freya shook her head. "I tell you as one whom I would Sponsor to see their Reason come to surface." She replied. "To warn you, that your chances of survival may increase. What you decide to do with that knowledge—whether you choose to pass it on to the Cursed Woman or not, is entirely up to you."
Yosho fell silent, his lips pursed in careful thought. At length, he sighed and bowed his head. "I see." He said. "Than I am to return and…do what?" He asked. "My neck is broken and I cannot stand against Thor. He defeated me once already."
"You will return with my blessings, Sponsored by me as a representative of Reason." Freya replied. "Verthandi's own magic is healing your neck now, and while it will not heal all of your wounds, the most grievous ones will be gone."
"So your whole intent was just to speak with me." Yosho stated.
"It is." Freya nodded, "If also to ensure you have some…advantages over your peers." The woman looked down at him, tilting her head in consideration. "You wield a Demon's Blade, yet have few other advantages outside of your own skills. I am simply leveling the playing field. Give me your left hand."
"Why?" Yosho demanded.
Freya laughed. "Are you also so hesitant with your own goddess?"
"I can't say I've met Tsunami, so no." Yosho retorted, "But strange women in armor distributing blessings is no system for a basis of trust."
The woman smiled. "A good policy to have. And should you meet your goddess upon the road in your travels…kill her." Freya held out her hand. "Now, your hand please."
With reluctance, Yosho held out his left hand, placing it in Freya's. It looked small and child-like in the goddess's own massive hand, and once more he was reminded of his childhood, of his own mother seeking out his hand as they went about their days, of the warmth and safety he'd always felt in his youth as she held his hand with hers.
His hand disappeared as Freya's fingers curled around it, and at once he felt his fingers begin to tingle. The sensation spread up into his hand, where it grew numb, then further up into his arm, the limb smarting with painful pins and needles. The man grimaced, his right hand curling up into a tight fist as he bore through the discomfort. He grunted as the sensation increased, growing from discomfort to pain, and as he watched his left arm began to glow. Its as if liquid gold is flowing into my veins. He thought, and felt his lips peel back in pain as the sensation intensified further.
All too soon the pain grew unbearable, and with a groan, Yosho grabbed his left arm, trying to pull away from the goddess as it grew brighter. Yet the limb would not move, and the pain grew in might, as if the blood within his veins has sprouted thorns, stabbing him from the inside out. He thrashed, he screamed, he attacked the hand holding him hostage, and yet still the light of his arm grew brighter, still Freya held him, and still the pain increased.
"All that glitters is gold." Freya murmured. "All that is gold is the sun. All that you touch shall be cleansed by its light, and it shall illuminate the path hidden from you, my Seiðman." The brightness grew, and Yosho closed his eyes with a howl, the image of his own arm a negative imprint behind his eyelids.
"Seek out the Hitoshura and those close to him. Beware his power, beware his allies, but know that whoever he stands with shall see their Reason to completion. Death stands in opposition of itself, and may yet be overcome if the Cursed Woman is kept alive. The Daughter of the Rouge Sisters must traverse the Tree of Life to see what lies hidden within the Egg of the Great Serpent. Fear the Man who Seeks Silence, beware the False God's Sponsoree, and find your Truth in your Reason, Yosho Masaki-Jurai."
He screamed, and behind his eyes the imprint grew dark, changing, warping, shifting into something more. He saw his grandson, Tenchi, branded by strange tattoos accompanied by his own nemesis, Ryoko, her aura no longer that of the Space Pirate he once fought but of something far more sinister, surrounded by skeletal fiends which she ordered about with ease. He saw Kiyone, sitting upon a mountain of corpses, flanked on either side by a hound-one black, one white, both vying for her attention, their true forms masked behind the snarls of beasts, her eyes no longer teal but heterochromia-one gold, the other a strange mixture of blue and violet. He saw Raido Kuzunoha, young and aloof, leading an army of demons-at times with, at times against Tenchi, who gazed at the world with the eyes of a human, the eyes of a demon, or the eyes of something in-between.
He saw a girl with bright blue hair and pink eyes-the image of her mother, witnessed the goddess who dwelt behind those same eyes, and feared he would go mad.
"Awaken, Seiðman, with my blessings as Herald of the New World."
Vortex World,
Okinawa Prefecture, Naha Wharf
Kagatsuchi 6/8 Waxing
The girl screamed as she lashed out, meeting her foe's blade with her bo staff and watching sparks flash. She spun backwards, bright blue hair flying as she placed distance between them, then thrust the staff forward. It was knocked out of the way by her opponent's blade once more, who looked on with a bored expression as he stepped towards her. The girl grimaced, dropping the long weapon down in front of her, and held her ground, waiting for her opponent to attack first.
He stopped before her, as if reading her mind, and stared down at her, a giant against an ant. A sigh left his lips, and he took a step forward.
With a grunt, she brought the staff up with all her might in an upwards thrust, only for her opponent to side step at the last moment, grabbing the staff with on hand and pulling with the direction of her thrust. With a yelp, she stumbled, and off-balanced, she saw the sword in his other hand come towards her.
"No!" She exclaimed, and squeezed her eyes shut, looking away as she waited for the pain to strike her.
Something flicked her nose.
With a start, Sasami opened her eyes and looked up at the man who was acting as her opponent. "Hey!" She protested.
Raidou smirked, then tousled her hair. Good try. The gesture said. Not good enough.
The young girl huffed, then lowered the bo staff that was her emergency weapon in times of duress. "I don't get it." She said, scowling lightly. "I can always get at least one whack in against my instructors, and even Momma has to keep on her toes with me. But I can't do a thing against you!" She exclaimed, watching the smirk grow into an unruly smile as the man shook his head and sheathed his blade.
"You sure it isn't 'cause your folks were going easy on you?" Another voice, not Raidou's but Skuld's, rang out from near the terminal that sat at. "I know my family is relentless. They don't care if your five or five-hundred. If you can hold a weapon, you can fight, and they'll run you through the ground until you can hold your own against them." The teen was surrounded by cables and wires of all makes and models. "Even my sisters are like that-well, not Belldandy, but she doesn't have a mean bone in her body. Urd though?" The girl scoffed. "First thing she does every morning is goad me into a fight, and won't stop until I start throwing explosives at her." The girl shook her head. "Then she'll start throwing magic at me, and we'll keep at it until either one of us beats the other or Belldandy stops us."
The girl leaned back, staring at the mess of cables in front of her with a sigh. "This isn't getting me anywhere." She grumbled.
"Are you sure you can get it working again?" Sasami asked. "Right after you broke it?"
Skuld bristled and looked at the younger girl with a snarl. "Hey! I didn't break it! I borrowed key components of it to save ourselves against what we had thought was a very real threat at the time."
Sasami winced, then looked away. "Right, sorry." She said. "I forgot how you tore it apart to make a makeshift nuclear device to fight a human who could summon demons after he showed up in our safehouse." She looked at Raido, who glared at Skuld with cool interest. "Thankfully he didn't attack us, right?" She said, "And you can put everything back together again just the way you found it!"
Skuld glowered at the Amala Drum, then turned her glare back to Sasami. "You trying to fight?" She demanded.
Sasami held her hands up, almost dropping her bo staff. "Oh no!" She said. "I'm not trying to insult you, if that's what you're asking. It's just an observation!"
Skuld grunted. "Some observation." She grumbled darkly.
"Why don't you train with Raidou some?" Sasami offered instead, unaware of the scathing glare the man in question sent her way. "He's a really good mentor, and…well…we kind of need the training if we want to keep alive out here. That last full cycle almost overwhelmed us."
"That's only because we didn't have a full understanding of what was happening." Skuld retorted. "It's fine now that we have this safe house; even if we can't use the terminal itself yet, whatever its pumping out that cancels out Kagatsuchi's affect is still active, so unless some lousy demon really wants a taste of us, we'll be fine."
"If you say so…" Sasami replied.
"I do." Skuld replied. "Besides, neither of you would last a round against me." With meticulous hands she examined a pair of wires, dug a nail into the rubber casing, and stripped them without a so much as a grunt. Then she carefully began joining them together, glancing at the terminal and grinning as a small glow flickered from the machine. "Maybe once you start learning how to throw lightning or fire the same intensity of Urd or Thor, than I'll worry. Until then?" She shrugged. "You guys are just a pair of weird humans."
A yowl tore Sasami's attention away from Skuld, and deciding to leave the older girl alone, the blue haired princess turned her attention to Raido's cat, who had come to sit at her feet. "Hello Gouto." She said, and reached down to pick him up. The cat quickly lept away from her, as was his nature, and sighing, Sasami planted her hands on her hips in exasperation.
Raido looked at her and shook his head. He doesn't like to be held. He gestured.
"I know." She said, eying the green-eyed black cat with a frown. "But he's always coming up to me!" And though she didn't speak it aloud, something about the cat…sometimes it almost sounded as if the cat was speaking to her—not meowing but actually talking to her.
The cat mrred again, and once more Sasami thought she heard words. "Smell….go…dess", then with a trill, trotted off back to Raido, his tail held high like a banister. Sasami smiled at the sight. "He's so cute." She said, "And you can tell he really likes you, Raidou-san."
Raidou rolled his eyes, then shrugged, walking past Sasami to look over Skuld's shoulder. Sasami followed, and together the two watched as the strange terminal in the center of the room began to spin.
Raidou released a low whistled, and Skuld climbed to her feet, folding her arms over her chest with a large grin. "You see? A little ingenuity, some good ol' fashioned elbow grease, and the knowledge of the smartest goddess in the Vortex World and—"
A strange whirring noise began to rise inside the machines, and Skuld paused, staring at the machine in concern. "That doesn't sound good." She said.
Bolts of electricity began to shoot out of the terminal. "Uh-oh." Skuld said.
"Uh-oh?" Sasami inquired, and Raidou looked at Skuld with large eyes.
"We need to shut it down!" Skuld shouted. "Something's trying to manifest!" She ran to the cables, then looked over her shoulder. "Raidou, go unplug the main terminal! Quick!"
Without question, the man raced with a frighting speed across the room to where a computer terminal—what Skuld had discovered after some careful observations-sat hidden inside a false wall. The man began to yank at the cables, even as Skuld began to rip similar cables out of the Amala Drum. Yet the speed did not decrease, the whir grew louder, and if Sasami watched, she thought she could make out the faintest of forms beginning to appear before her.
It looks like…a person? She thought. One…no, two people?
She took a step forward, entranced by the image, only for Skuld to turn to her, rise, and throw her back in one swift motion. "Get back!" the Norn screamed, "It's going to—"
The computer terminal near Raidou exploded, and the Amala Drum lost its speed, grinding to a slowing halt as its power source died. The manifestation vanished, and as Sasami picked herself up, the machine came to a rest, no more than a gray hunk of metal once more.
Skuld stared at the device, then glanced towards Raidou. The man held a fist of broken, torn cables in one hand, a spider-like demon near him looking between Raidou and Skuld with nervous eyes. Raidou looked victorious as he turned to regard Skuld, patting the tsuchigumo on the forehead in thanks. Then his eyes met Skuld's, and the expression died on his face.
"You-you!" Skuld started.
Gouto trotted up to the girl and began entwining through her legs, yowling for attention.
Skuld, her face growing redder by the instant, paused, as if listening to the feline, then sighed, her hands dropping to her sides in defeat. "All that work…" She whispered, and plopped to the ground in defeat, bowing her head as her shoulders slumped.
Sasami stared at her in concern. "Are you…are you okay?" She asked, hesitantly approaching the Norn. Though her time with the older girl had been short, the princess had been fast to learn of the teen's quick-fire temper, and the dangers which came from being on its receiving end. Yet this seemed atypical. Though Skuld's tempers which quick to grow and fade, none of them had ever left her looking so…defeated.
"I'm not." Skuld muttered, raising her knees to her chest and burying her face in her arms. She ignored the cat beside her, who was rubbing against her and trilling softly as if to comfort the girl. "I-Raidou just…" The girl heaved a sigh. "We were supposed to use this thing to find our families!" the Norn exclaimed, "And now the cables—I can fix them sure, but not without more supplies! And I just-we don't have time for—I need to find my sisters!"
Sasami stared at the girl silently, then moved to sit beside her, mimicking Skuld's position and drawing her legs up to her chest as well. "What are your sisters like?" She asked, glancing at Raidou and watching the man slip softly past them both and safely out of Skuld's line of sight, a regretful, guilty grimace on his face as the large human-faced spider monster which he had summoned vanished into a green mist once more.
Skuld took a deep breath and sighed. "Belldandy is the one I really want to find." She revealed. "She's the one I'm worried about. I know that she has Keiichi with her—my brother-in-law—but…" She looked up at the Amala Drum with a dreary expression. "This place—this Vortex World—I don't think she should be trapped in it like us."
In another district, in a different arena, two Aesir Deities measured each other up. The great god of Thunder stood at the ready, his legendary weapon, Mjolnir, dangling from his right wrist by a leather thong looped through its handle. Blue eyes glowed beneath his warrior's helm, and he glowered at the smaller goddess who stood before him, fearless and defiant. The fallen combatants-mortal and spiritual-had been gathered in a pile in the far side of the arena, where a complex ward of Odin's Magic Tongue surrounded them.
"You see, my older sister, Urd? She can protect herself no sweat. No one messes with her because of how strong she is-even our own family members are afraid of her sometimes because of what she's capable of, and, well, she's the oldest of all of us—if anyone knows how to get herself into and out of trouble, its her. But Belldandy? She's…kind of like you, Sasami. The sweetest, most kindest, caring person you ever did meet—and sometimes it gets her in trouble too, because people get insecure around her. They get jealous, or mean, or try and take advantage of her kindness. And, well…sometimes she doesn't realize that."
Thor hefted his hammer before him, swinging it by the leather thong idly. "Your last chance, Sweet Cousin." He said.
Belldandy met him with a level gaze, and behind her wings began to sprout. She angled her body, narrowing her profile, and from her back emerged an angel; the Holy Guardian Angel, the HGA, the Other Half, the Rainbow Soul. With an unearthly beauty, she came to hover over the Norn's shoulder, and her expression matched Belldandy's; one of calm resolve and ultimate defiance. A bow materialized in he angel's hands, And Belldandy mimicked it, drawing her right hand back as if notching an arrow in a bow. Light began to manifest at the tip of her left index finger, and the goddess narrowed cerulean eyes. "Come at me, Cousin." She said, and though her voice was warm her expression was cold and calculating.
"And well, she's probably with Keiichi, who can't do anything on his own—hes human like Raidou, but at least Raidou knows how to fight and can work with demons-Keiichi is just useless though—he can't fight, he can't do any magic, all he can really do is repair bikes so…he'll be holding her back if there's any kind of danger, I know it. His whole existence is probably endangering Belldandy, and she's gonna end up risking her life to save his, I know it!" The Norn pounded a fist into the ground, her face a snarl of frustraition which was scary to behold, yet which held in it all the worry and fear of a sibling who was lost without her kin. Sasami felt a wave of empathy sweep through her at the gesture, and scooted a little closer to the older girl.
With a roar Thor raised Mjolnir to the heavens, and Belldandy, aided by her angel, Holy Bell, released their shot. Both magics struck their intended opponent, and a bolt of heightened compressed air struck his helm, sending it flying from Thor's head as the god recoiled. He took a step back, and his hair, a massive mane of red curls, came free from where the helmet kept it in place. A large, ferocious smile adorned his bearded face, and the man's eyes danced with exuberance. "Marvelous!" He shouted, and with a laugh brought Mjolner up, deflecting a blow from Belldandy as the Norn came at him with her all, her clothes singed but otherwise unharmed. "Beautiful, Verthandi! Your technique has improved exponentially!" He laughed in merriment. "What is this? What happened to the sweet little girl who cried at the sight of blood?"
"She grew up with an older sister with a savage streak that makes all Aesir violence look like childsplay." Belldandy replied, and with Holy Bell's wings to aide her, propelled herself backwards. "Have your bolts grown weaker or are you holding back, Dear Cousin?" She chided, "I recall them holding more bite; Urd's sparks hold more venom than that strike."
"Caught me red-handed, sweet Cousin." Thor's gaze grew wild as his smile became savage. "It is merely I have not seen you in so long—I truly do not wish to cause you any harm you cannot recover from."
"Spare me." Belldandy replied, and one more launched herself at Thor.
"As you wish!" Thor cried out, and planted his feet. As the goddess drew near he lashed out with his hammer, and the enchanted weapon struck Belldandy square in the side of her head. The goddess's path was sent askew, her momentum used against her to send her flying up and over Thor's left shoulder, where she collided with the second floor's railings and came to a rolling halt in one of the apartments.
Holy Bell vanished, clutching the right side of her face as if the angel who had been struck over the goddess. For a moment Belldandy stared at the ceiling, seeing stars dance across her vision. "Ow." She said, and gingerly picked herself up, rubbing her face and feeling it already begin to swell. "OW!" She exclaimed. "That-that actually hurt!" The goddess picked herself out of the rubble, unaware of the smile which was stretching across her face. "That actually hurt!" She laughed, and moved to the hole made by her body, peering down at Thor, who smiled back at her gaily.
"Is that more to your liking, Cousin?" Thor asked.
"Indeed!" Belldandy smiled. It hurt. "Now, let us battle properly!" She lept from the second floor, her angel's wings guiding her in a controlled fall, only to stop mid-air as she spun, sending feathers of light out around her. She pointed, and like a series of projectiles, the feathers flew forward, colliding with and around Thor. The god raised his arms in defense, covering his head and torso against the onslaught and stepped backwards, vanishing beneath hail of destroyed cement and earth.
Keiichi, injured and bruised but very much alive, roused with a groan. He saw the goddess which was his wife, saw the smile on her face and the swelling on her cheek, and recoiled. "Oh no." He whispered. "Is it…it's happening again, isn't it?"
Kiyone, alive but only just, glanced over at him. "What…?"
The man's eyes bulged at the sight of the woman, and quickly he dug through his pockets, producing a medicine and crawling over to her. "Open your mouth." He ordered, and in too much pain to protest, the woman did as instructed. He popped the pill inside. "Swallow." He said, and as the woman did so, he looked over at Yosho, who appeared unconscious but alive, his eyes moving as if dreaming beneath his eyelids. His youkai-cat rested on top of his chest, looking a fair bit worse than the human but none-the-less alive. Scowling, he turned back to Kiyone, moving to assist the woman as she tried to sit up. "What phase of Kagatsuchi are we in?" He asked, "Do you know?"
"I don't even know where I am." Kiyone wheezed, disoriented, and her eyes widened as lurched forward, only to fall back to the ground with a gasp. "Oh lord…I feel like I was in a motorcycle accident…what happened to me?" She sucked in a ragged breath. "My leg…" She groaned, "Please tell me all my insides are inside."
"Do you have any idea what phase we're in?" Keiichi ignored her moans, grabbing her by the hem of her jacket and shaking the woman. "It's important!"
"No…" She said, and grabbed him weakly by his wrists. "It's rising?" She asked, "That's all I know."
"Shit." He said and realizing what he was doing, carefully lowered the injured woman back to the ground before releasing her. "We must be nearing full Kagatsuchi."
"What makes you say that?"
Keiichi didn't reply, his eyes glued to Belldandy.
Skuld sighed. "Belldandy doesn't have a violent bone in her body." She said. "Urd inherited it all. Yeah, she can defend herself—she's got a Valkyrie's license, after all—but beyond that?" The Norn shook her head. "She isn't the type who enjoys combat or seeks it out. Yet a Vortex World like this?" The teen scowled. "It feeds on violence. It's how this world operates. Usually under some stupid excuse of 'Survival of the Fittest', but that's just an excuse for the different Reason Factions to go and attack each other. That's why we're in here to begin with. Urd tried to warn us prior to all of this going down and, well…my sister's an idiot, yeah, but she ain't stupid."
Sasami blinked. "Your sister knew?"
Skuld shrugged uncomfortably. "Urd's got…connections." She said. "She couldn't tell us directly but…she tried to warn us. She was the one who convinced us to come to Okinawa to promote the Whirlwind—the company Keiichi works for—outside of the mainland as part of an expansion project." She laughed dryly. "I thought it was another scheme of hers, and I guess technically it was just…not what I normally expect from her. I thinks she was the only one who knew the Vortex World would manifest in Okinawa. She…somehow she knew, and she wanted to ensure Keiichi survived." The Norn grew quiet, a frown on her face. "Belldandy…she really loves Keiichi, jerk that he is, and…isn't herself when something happens to him." She shuddered. "I don't think Urd wanted us to be part of the Vortex World—it means we're cut off from Yggdrasil and the rest of the gods across the ten dimensions after all, but…I think she feared what might happen to Belldandy more."
"Urd must really love Belldandy to sacrifice your freedom like that." Sasami said.
"We both do." Skuld nodded. "She's the best of all three of us. Not the 'what was' of the past, not the 'what if' of the future. Just the here and now of the present; what you see is what you get, perfection with all its flaws in the exact moment it occurs."
The Juriain princess blinked. "I…don't think I understood that last bit."
Skuld smiled. "Don't worry about it." She said softly. "What about you?" She asked, and looked over at the princess. "What's your brother like?"
Sasami stared at the girl, then looked down with a flush. "Um…well…actually…" She began. "I…don't really know."
Skuld looked at her in shock. "What do you mean you don't know?!" She exclaimed.
Sasami winced with a nervous laugh. "Just that; I don't…I never really knew my brother."
"But…aren't you looking for him?" Skuld stared at the smaller girl in shock.
Sasami rubbed the back of her forehead. "Well…not me specifically—that was my older sister, Ayeka! The two of them are betrothed, and she was searching the entire galaxy looking for him after he disappeared when I was still really, really young."
"But you're looking for them both here now." Skuld stated.
Sasami nodded. "I can't say why but…I think my older brother is here somewhere." She frowned softly. "I…don't know about Ayeka." Her gaze grew distant and sad. "I just…I feel as certain that Yosho is here just as certain as I am that Ayeka isn't. But…I'm not even sure how or where to start looking for him. I don't even have any memories of him!"
"Do you know what he looks like?" Skuld asked.
"Um…" Sasami pursed her lips, then looked up as Raidou came to sit on the other side of her, looking at her in interest as Gouto hesitantly crept up towards her. She offered the cat her fingers to sniff, and was rewarded for her patience when the cat rubbed the small digits. The girl brightened at the action, and carefully folded her legs, smiling brightly when the cat moved to sit in her lap. "He's so warm…" She whispered, and looked up at Raidou with a large smile on her face. "He came to sit in my lap! Look Raidou!"
Raidou nodded and gave her a thumbs up, then took a finger and rubbed it slowly under his own chin before pointing to the cat. Looking down at the cat, Sasami carefully imitated the gestured, and was rewarded with a loud purr from Gouto as the cat leaned into the motion. "What's he doing? Does that mean he likes it?"
"You've never seen a cat before?" Skuld asked, and as Sasami shook her head, said, "He's purring. It means he's happy."
Sasami squeaked with joy. "This is the best day ever." She whispered.
Skuld and Raidou shared a look. Raidou gave the Norn a silent thumbs up. Skuld sent him a wane half-smile, then leaned back on her hands with a sigh. "We'll find them." She said, and Sasami looked up at her. "Trust me…if we can find Belldandy or even Urd, we'll find your brother." She said with absolute certainty. "Even if you don't know what he really looks like, we'll still find him.
Raidou tapped Sasami's shoulder, and as the girl looked at him, gestured to himself, then back to Sasami.
Sasami stared.
Raidou repeated the gesture. I know him. He attempted to say.
The meaning was lost in translation.
Instead Sasami smiled, relieved for the first time since awakening on a strange and alien planet of her own circumstances and placed at ease by the people around her-one of which claimed to be a goddess, the other which could summon evil spirits. "Thanks, you guys." She whispered.
Oddballs though they both were, perhaps in time she might even open up a little bit about what she knew of goddesses, and her sneaking suspicion of why she was in the Vortex World and her sister was not.
In time.
Vortex World,
Okinawa Prefecture, Shintoshi Hill Apartment Complex, Mantra HQ Judicial Court
Kagatsuchi 7/8 Waxing
"Seriously, do we have any idea what Kagatsuchi phase we're in?" Keiichi asked again, grabbing Kiyone by the shoulder with enough strength that the grip was painful.
Kiyone knocked his grip off. "Get off me." She growled, "And no, I don't! What's up with you?"
Keiichi didn't reply, his gaze having never left the goddess above them. A tight grimace sat on his face, the tension so great the the muscles in his neck strained against his skin. "Bell…" He murmured, and Kiyone followed his gaze up, staring but not quite understanding what she was seeing.
"What…is that?" She whispered, blinking as she watched the goddess-was that really a goddess? Swoop down on Thor, her face the image of delight as her foot collided with Thor's neck.
Yet Thor remained stalwart, barely flinching against the blow as a large, ogerish hand reached out with lightning speed and grabbed the goddess's leg. He spun, then smashed the woman against the ground with such force that the earth quaked beneath their combined might. Kiyone gasped, and Keiichi rose to his feet with a shout.
Yet the chestnut-haired goddess was far from down. The man released her as a beam of energy-a type of condensed force similar to what Yaksini had used prior—emerged from the impact crater. "Ho! You almost had me there, Cousin. Good shot!" Thor praised, bouncing back on his feet as he allowed Belldandy to crawl out of the hole.
He was not expecting the Norn to launch herself from the crater with the speed of a hypersonic missile-a blur of brown made visible for less than half a second before both she and Thor vanished, the walls immediately behind Thor crumbling as the two vanished from sight.
Both Keiichi and Kiyone screamed.
"What the fuck was that!" Kiyone shrieked.
"My wife." Keiichi said grimly.
"The hell is she, a fucking bullet?"
Keiichi shook his head, picking himself up only to bang his head against the ward cast around their group. He winced, seeing stars as his injury struck the magical barrier. Placing his hand against it, he followed it to the limits of the field and peered as best as he could outside the new hole. "She's the Wind." He replied. "And she's getting more dangerous the closer we come to Full Kagatsuchi." The man grimaced. "We need to stop the fight between them both now before they kill each other in a Frenzy!"
"Yeah?" Kiyone said, then looked around her, observing the still unconscious Yosho and the three demons which rested injured inside the barrier with them. With a grimace, the woman reached into her pack, producing two medicines and trying to move to where Pascal rested near her head. She gasped as the pain in her leg resurfaced, and looked back at the injured limb, feeling her stomach rebel as she saw the unnatural way it was twisted. "Hey, unless you have any ideas on how we can stop either of them, at least help me administer the rest of my own medicine to Pascal and Shuten. I can return them to my COMP, but I don't want to until I know they have at least some kind of medicine in their system."
Keiichi looked at her, then at the two demons, then finally at her leg. His expression darkened. "Yeah, sure." He said. "Your right."
Taking the pills from Kiyone, he carefully slipped one into first Pascal's maw, and then—with much more hesitation—into Shuten's jaws. Pascal roused with some effort, and whimpered as he crawled on his belly over to Kiyone. "HEAD HURTS." He said, and rested his massive head near Kiyone's arms in a silent request for comfort.
"I know Pascy, I'm sorry. You did really good though, okay?" Kiyone whispered, reaching over and running her hands through his thick fur, looking back towards the large hole made by the two warring gods with unease. "I'm gonna send you into the COMP so you can rest. You and Shuten both, alright?"
"DON'T WANT REST." Pascal said, and his lips peeled back in a snarl, a low, savage growl rumbling deep in his chest. "WANT FIGHT; WANT KILL THOR."
"I don't think you're strong enough for that yet." She whispered, "And I don't want to fight right now, okay? I need you to rest up so you can be big and strong for me later on."
Pascal nudged her, the snarl never quite fading from his maw. "MOM HURT. I KILL WHO HURT MOM."
Kiyone grimaced. "Not this time, Buddy." She said, and with a sigh moved a hand to her COMP. Her fingers dialed a set on commands via muscle memory, and Pascal whimpered as he vanished into the device. A moment later, and Shuten dissipated as well, a look of relief on his face. "Sorry Bud, but I can't risk you going rabid on us in here." She wheezed, and once more tried to sit up, only to collapse once more in a grimace of agony as her insides burned with severe pain. Red blossomed across her vision, and the woman moaned "Fuck…" She rasped. "What did I do? I haven't felt like this since…since crashing to Earth."
Keiichi glanced at her. "What was that?"
"Why…didn't I…di…" The woman's awareness faded once more as the pain overrode her senses. With a sigh, Kiyone passed out, leaving Keiichi to puzzle out her words even as, on the other side of her, Yosho began to rouse.
Another piece of the far wall exploded, and and Thor and Belldandy sailed back inside. Thor's hammer came down hard on the Norn's torso, and it was only through the wings of her angel that she was offered some last minute protection, the great, ethereal limbs engulfing her in the same moment Thor struck. Mjolnir bounced off the wings, and pinned beneath him, Belldandy tucked her legs tight against her body before kicking upwards into Thor's gut. The man was launched into the air, rising through the roofs and vanishing from sight. Belldandy picked herself up, then swiped at a small trickle of blood leaking from her nose.
Keiichi pounded on the barrier. "Belldandy!" He yelled, and the woman turned to look at him. The expression on her face was fierce and terrifying, covered in blood and grime and the epitome of a warrior in the heat of battle. Yet as their eyes met she smiled with glee, and the Warrior—the Valkyrie—vanished, leaving Belldandy in its place once more.
She waved. "Keiichi! You're awake, how wonderful!" She said cheerfully.
"Belldandy, we're nearing full Kagatsuchi! You both need to stop fighting before you Frenzy!" Keiichi screamed, his voice raw and high-pitched with panic and terror. "You need to stop!"
The goddess blinked, observing the man with consideration. "…I do?" She asked, "But I'm enjoying myself so much!"
"I'm sure you are," Keiichi agreed, "But seriously, you need to stop before you loose yourself to Kagatsuchi's Frenzy! I don't—I can't go scouring the badlands searching for you again! I finally found you again after last time and we can't be separated again! Please!"
The goddess stared at him, and for a second it seemed as if the woman didn't understand what he was saying. Keiichi felt his stomach sink. "Belldandy, I'm begging you, please stop fighting!"
The Norn paused, staring at him. Then Belldandy's eyes widened in dawning comprehension as she said one single word.
"Shit."
One sister would have laughed. The other sister would have been shocked.
Keiichi let his head thump against the barrier with relief. "Oh thank goddess Yes." He breathed, sagging against the wall. "Thank you."
"Shit!" Belldandy repeated, looking around her as if seeing her surroundings for the first time, then looked up to the ceiling. "Shit!"
An explosion rained down from above, and the goddess dove to one side, narrowly avoiding a support beam coming down on her from the upper floors. Thor came down with it, his eyes glowing, his expression one of excited frenzy.
The goddess retreated to the far side of the room near where the prison cells were. "Thor…Thor! Wait, listen—"
"Now is not the time to be having second thoughts, Dear Cousin!" Thor roared, and with hurled his hammer at the goddess. The Norn dipped right, narrowly missing the weapon, and raced towards him, a grimace on her face. With a laugh, Thor raced towards her as well, a locomotive on a collision course with the woman Keiichi loved.
And then Belldandy stopped, planted one foot in the broken earth, and brought her leg up into the encroaching Thor's groin.
A broken squeal left Thor as he collided with Belldandy, and both Keiichi and the recovering Yosho clutched their own groins at the sight, hissing in shared sympathy for their jailer.
"That…was that excessive?" Yosho winced, staring at the quivering lump of god that Belldandy was crawling out from under. "I feel like that was a bit much."
Keiichi could only nod in agreement.
Belldandy, panting, freed herself from the fallen god. "I am…so, so sorry." She said. "But my husband reminded me of something very important and I could no longer play. I am so sorry Thor." She knelt at his side, a hand moving to rest on his shoulders, and still trembling, the god raised a hand to her.
Wary of the damage she'd done and knowing they were still technically in combat, Belldandy leaned away from it, eying it warily as she prepared herself for an attack.
Thor gave her a shaky thumbs up.
Belldandy sighed. "Would you like me to heal you? I wasn't-I wasn't trying to strike you um…so-so hard." She winced. "But…you kind of…ran into it with all your might."
Thor whimpered.
"Come, you may lean on me for support, let's get you up." Belldandy wrapped an arm around one shoulder and pulled him up. "Keiichi reminded me that Kagatsuchi is nearing its full might, and we need to seek shelter before we fall to its affects. I apologize but…when last it occurred was how I was separated from my husband to begin with, and now that I've finally reunited with him, I do not wish to go through it again."
Thor merely nodded. He looked as white as a ghost.
"May we call this battle a draw, Cousin?" Belldandy continued, and made the slow walk back towards the ward protecting the remaining humans.
Thor nodded, and as the two Aesir deities drew near, Keiichi heard Thor speak. "That…was no…Valkyrie technique."
Belldandy looked at him. "No Dear Cousin, it was not. It was a dishonorable move that I was taught to only resort to under the most adverse circumstances."
"…Urd…?"
Belldandy sighed, then nodded.
Thor laughed painfully. "Sounds…like…her." He said. "You win."
Belldandy blinked, and looked down at him with a start. "I have?"
Well, she kicked him in the junk so hard I'm pretty sure both Yosho and I felt it, so I'd say yes. Keiichi thought, a wane half smile on his face as the two drew near. At least it's over now. He glanced down at Kiyone, then over to Yosho, who sat holding his cat in one arm and rubbing his neck with the other. At least…mostly.
Thor took a deep breath. "You can release me now." His voice was still tight with pain, yet when Belldandy released him, he held his own without issue. "A good fight, if one that was spoiled near the end…I must say, I am impressed with your progress, Verthandi."
To Keiichi's rare delight, the Norn flushed at the praise, looking down at her shoes. "Thank you Cousin. That is high praise coming from a warrior such as you."
"Well deserved too." Thor replied as Belldandy released the magic of the ward, freeing Keiichi and the others. "I see now that I erred in preventing your search for your spouce." The god stepped back, and as soon as the magic dissipated Keiichi ran to Belldandy, embracing her with such force that he lifted her in the air, spinning her about before gently setting her down once more. "…Indeed, I have erred greatly." He mumbled.
Neither Keiichi or Belldandy seemed to notice his words, smiling brightly as they were at last reunited. The two kissed deeply, and Belldandy ran her hands through Keiichi's messy hair. Beneath their feet—little more than destroyed cement and torn earth—grass and flowers began to blossom as if by magic, and indeed, perhaps that what it was; a small bit of magic, a small bit of life, brought into existence—by the shared love between a goddess and the mortal man who was her husband.
Off to one side, sitting beside the unconscious woman who was his partner, Yosho watched on in awe, watching as green blades of grass-not light green but a healthy, deep, forest green-sprouted with wildflowers, with weeds, with cover and knotweed, braken and fiddlehead, dandelions and mugwort, all sprouting with such intensity that he could hear the green flora sprouting. He watched it spread, at first a small patch beneath the duo, then spreading out like the antithesis of an infection—a cure-spreading and consuming what was once dead gray and muddled brown. "She really is a goddess." He breathed, and watched a patch of green move towards him, grass of an almost velvety softness sprouting beneath himself and Kiyone.
The man touched the back of his neck one last time. "It wasn't just a dream then." He murmured, and looked from the reunited couple and back to Kiyone.
Two hounds stared back at him.
A black hound, curled up with its head resting atop Kiyone's chest, its ear pressed against her left breast as if listening to her heart.
A white hound, which snarled at him, curled up around her head.
Don't react. He thought, and kept his gaze centered on Kiyone's face. Don't let them know you see them.
"Masaki-san!" Yosho looked up, finding Keiichi approaching with Belldandy at his side, the two holding hands so tightly it was as if they feared one might vanish if they released the other. Thor followed as a silent shadow behind them.
Yosho looked up at them and smiled wanly. "Morisato-san." He nodded to Keiichi. "Morisato…sama." He said, and nodded deeply to Belldandy. "You must excuse me. I'm uncertain I have the energy to stand and greet you properly at the moment."
"Nonsense." Belldandy carefully stepped around Kiyone, and Yosho noticed her careful step avoided the hounds. "It is I who should be greeting you. And thanking you for watching over my husband in my absence." The woman slid to her knees with an unearthly grace, placing herself eye-level with Yosho. She's taller than me as well. Yosho noticed. "If you will, please hold still a moment, Seiðman."
Yosho did as instructed, and felt warm fingers glide across his face. He felt the energy, the power stored within them, and felt his own residual pains fade bit by bit with each touch. When she pulled away, He looked back up at her and saw—
Freya
—Belldandy smiling down at him.
"That word. I've heard it before." He said. "I don't recognize it. What is…what is a 'saydh-man'?"
Belldandy smiled as she rose, then offered him her right hand. Yosho stared at it, recalling the woman from the Other Place, "Give me your left hand," and with great hesitation, offered his right. The Norn gripped it and pulled him to his feet, and he stumbled, feeling the world spinning beneath his feet. For one terrible moment, he felt himself torn between two places-the Vortex World and the Other Place-and felt the pressure of the divide on his soul.
"Gentle now." Belldandy caught him and drew him close, then whispered in his ear, "Speak" and he heard Freya's deeper voice speaking to him.
The Warrior Prince clutched his face, biting back a groan as his pulse thrummed in his ears, then looked up, finding Belldandy's waiting face over his as she held him up by the shoulders.
And he spoke.
Words tumbled from his mouth in a breathless line. It was a language not his own, nor one he'd ever remembered hearing in his long life, and though he spoke he could not make rhyme or reason of what he said. His words pronounced syllables and vowels which had never before left his lips, yet which reached Belldandy's comprehension with all the ease of a native speaker. He was dimly aware of Thor behind her, leaning in and listening as well, and Keiichi at his wife's side, looking confused, nervous, and slightly panicked, but refusing to interrupt.
He thought he heard Verthandi at one instance. Thor at another. Seiðman at some point and even his own name.
The strength left him with the words, and he wobbled unsteadily before Belldandy guided him back to the ground, now soft and cushioned with grass and wildflowers. Like the Other Place. Yosho thought distantly. Like Jurai…like Home.
"Hey, Bell, what's going on?" Keiichi looked between the two of them in concern.
Belldandy looked at her husband with a wane smile. "A message from home, Dear, that's all."
"From…home." Keiichi repeated. "You mean…" The man pointed up, and with a smile Belldandy rose, leaned over, and kissed him. A fresh burst of flora life sprouted beneath their feet.
"Yes Keiichi." Belldandy ended the kiss, cupping Keiichi's cheek gently. "I'm afraid…I'm not at liberty to fully discuss it with you."
"How did…" Keiichi looked back at Yosho, who grimaced before making himself comfortable on the grass once more, grounding himself with several meditative breaths.
Belldandy merely shrugged. "It seems he's gained the attention of those greater than even we." She said cryptically, and looked over at Thor. "You heard as well, Cousin?"
Thor nodded. "I suppose it's just as well." He said, and dug into his armor, withdrawing something. "I had been holding onto it because I…honestly did not know what else to do with it." The great god knelt and opened his hand, revealing the hibernating magatama within it.
Keiichi looked over at it in curiosity. "Is that some kind of bug?" He asked.
Thor shrugged. "If it is, I'm glad I puked it up."
Both Belldandy and Keiichi recoiled, staring at the god in disgust and horror. "I'm sorry!?" Belldandy exclaimed. "You—this came from inside you?!"
The god nodded. "Got a bit too carried away after becoming General of the Mantra Army." He revealed. "Next thing I know, I'm chocking this, ah…bug out."
Keiichi shied away. "Is it like…like one of those 'bugs' you guys catch when your sick?"
Belldandy looked slightly green. "It is not. I assure you." She mumbled, then with a grimace, looked away.
"Hey, I cleaned it!" Thor exclaimed.
"With what?" Keiichi whispered. "I can still see…what's it for?"
"You." Thor said, and held the hand out to Keiichi.
"Nope!" Keiichi raised his hands, shaking his head vigorously. "Nope, nope, not happening, thanks but no thanks, don't want it."
Thor stared. "It is power incarnate." He said. "You wish to protect Verthandi, do you not? This will grant you that wish."
"Nope!" Keiichi repeated. "Appreciate it, but I'm good. Give it to Masaki-san instead."
Thor glanced at Belldandy. "And you?"
"Grandmother was quite clear in her instructions." Belldandy said. "And I stand by my husband. If he does not wish it, you will not force it upon him."
The god grunted, but didn't press the matter, instead thrusting his hand before Yosho instead. "It is yours than."
Yosho eyed the item with tired burgundy eyes. "You said it is a magatama?" He asked.
"It is." Thor replied. "My understanding of it is limited, but from what I know, it is the essence of demonic-or divine-power."
"And what would you have a mere mortal as I do with it?"
Thor shrugged. "Whatever you see fit. Keep it. Sell it. Use it. It matters not to me, only that it is handed off to a mortal, as per Freya's instruction."
Yosho stared at it, all-too aware of the odd scent wafting from it and the specks of…something which remained on the magatama's carapace. "I…humbly accept your gift." He said, taking the magatama and staring down at it. It really did look like a massive bug, and a dried husk of one on top of that. Maybe its used like Chinese medicine. Perhaps I'll need to grind it down to a powder to get any use out of it.
However it was to be used, he'd need to thoroughly wash it first. Grunting, he pocketed the creature, then looked back up at Belldandy. "What was that?" He demanded.
"A message from home." Belldandy repeated, "Passed to me by Grandmother's new Vassal—you."
"Did you even understand what you were saying?" Keiichi asked.
"No." Yosho replied. "So I am a Vassal now…is that so?" He sighed, too tired to argue. "I suppose Tsunami will have competition for me now?" He said absently.
Belldandy pursed her lips. "Yes…I suppose that one will…amongst other things." She shared a look with Thor. "…Come, let me aide your companion. She is perhaps the worst of everyone and I've been avoiding her."
Yosho looked up sharply. "What?"
"Ignoring her." Belldandy repeated. "Forgive me. I have no excuse. I will tend to her now."
The Jurain sighed, then looked up at Thor and Keiichi. "Do you know what a Said…Saayd…man..is?"
Keiichi shook his head.
"Seiðman," Thor repeated. "I know it. It is a male volva. My father, Odin is one."
Yosho and Keiichi stared at the man. "And a volva is…" Keiichi began.
"You mortals and your linguistic difficulties." Thor muttered beneath his breath. "A sorceress. Fitting, as one who has caught the eye of Freya Herself."
"Me?" Yosho gestured to himself. "You're….you're calling me a sorcerer."
Thor frowned. "No." He stated. "I am calling you a male sorceress. Witchcraft is women's work, everyone knows that."
"That's…" Keiichi began, the held his hands up and shook his head as Thor sent him a look. "You know what, nevermind."
Yosho continued to stare at the god. "I have never in all my years been compared to any kind of magic user-good, bad, male, or female." He said. "My skill is in my blade, not Jurain Power where my people's own magic manifests."
"Doesn't need to be." Thor leaned over and clapped a large hand on Yosho's shoulder. It was almost enough to knock the man to the ground. "You have been blessed by Freya. Whatever you were not before, you are now."
"I don't know the first thing about this magic, let alone how to use it." Yosho protested.
The Thunder God laughed. "Neither did your woman!" He exclaimed, causing Keiichi to look away with a snort. "Yet she figured it out quite quickly, did she not?"
"Makibi-san?" Yosho glanced over at the woman. The dogs had vanished again, and Belldandy cradled Kiyone's head in her lap. It sounded like she was humming softly to the woman. The warrior-priest looked back to Thor. "I believe you misunderstand—Makibi-san and I are not together."
"Oh?" Thor seemed to brighten at the statement. "With how you fought, I had thought you two a pair. Is it merely you are both comrades in arms?"
"Ah…yes." Yosho said. "We're traveling companions, nothing more."
"I see." Thor smiled. "One man's loss is another's gain, is that not so? I would invite her to join me here when she awakens; such a fierce spirit would work well amongst the Mantra; I would hone that craft of hers into something that all of the Assembly of Nihilo would tremble before." His smile grew savage.
Yosho felt a lump of unease in his throat. "You…would need to ask Makibi-san herself, in that case." He said. "I do not speak on her behalf. She is her own woman."
Though in that moment, there was a very significant piece of him who really wished he did.
Thor watched him with imploring eyes, as if opening the doors of defiance; come at me if you claim the woman is yours, yet Yosho did not bite. In the end, Thor snorted with evident disdain. "Perhaps the title of Seiðman fits you in more ways than one." He grumbled.
Yosho deliberately ignored him.
Keiichi moved to sit beside him as Thor lumbered off to observe Belldandy and Kiyone. "Hey. You ah…you okay?" He asked.
Yosho took a cleansing breath, and nodded. "I'm fine." He replied. "And I meant what I said; Makibi-san and I are not in anything more than a professional relationship. If Thor truly wants her to stay here, than he must speak with Makibi-san about it first, and something tells me…she will hold some reservations." He thought of the manikins, victimized and attacked by bicorns, of the oni they had slain just to enter the Mantra territory, and of their own time imprisoned and the hardships each had experienced. "Though I have traveled with her only for a short time…my knowledge of her tell me she can be quite vindictive under the wrong circumstances."
Keiichi nodded, and the two were quiet for a time. "Thanks." He finally said.
"For what?" Yosho looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"For…saving me." Keiichi said. "Back when Thor first appeared. You and Makibi both saved my hide back there and…I know I wouldn't have gotten to here without your help." He sighed, then looked to the ceiling, squinting against the large, gaping hole that had been made with Thor's body and into the bright ball of Kagatsuchi at the top. "Bell and I…we've been relying on each other since waking up in this nightmare and…during the last Full Kagatsuchi, something happened. Bell got…weird. Like what she was doing against Thor. She just…kept…searching for a fight." He sighed. "We'd been…hiding in the sewers at the time. There's a manikin hideout down there and Bell couldn't look the other way. She wanted so desperately to improve their lives and…well…you've seen 'em, right?"
"The manikins?" Yosho asked, and at Keiichi's nod said, "Yes. We've run into them."
"We were in the process of starting a sort of…underground railroad, I guess." Keiichi continued. "Apparently there's a 'holy land' or something which the manikins are all trying to reach-some place that's free of danger and where manikins can live free from demon control. We were working on a route that would allow them to get there safely but…" He gestured up to Kagatsuchi. "That motherfucker." He said.
Yosho nodded. "That motherfucker." He agreed.
Keiichi sighed. "Apparently they have a leader, if you can believe that." He said. "His name is…Fukomimi, I think. The Mantra got to him and threw him in a prison but…I didn't see him here." The man sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "This is a big ask and I feel like a dick for asking it after everything you did for Belldandy and me, but…can you keep an ear out for him?"
"You can't do it yourself?" Yosho asked.
Keiichi shook his head. "I…don't want to risk Belldandy." He said. "For…for my own reasons."
Yosho saw the look on his face, and looked back at Belldandy before glancing back at the young man at his side. "I understand." He said softly.
"Mihoshi!" The two men jumped as Kiyone's voice pierced the quiet of the arena. "I'll fucking kill you, you sonnofabitch!"
The duo rose to their feet in a rush. Kiyone was thrashing against Belldandy, who had caught the woman's hands by the wrists and were carefully holding them away from her own body. The humming had stopped, and a look of deep-set concern had replaced it.
"How volitile." Thor whistled in approval. "My how her enemies must cower before her."
Belldandy shot him a look. "She isn't even conscious yet." The Norn sounded exacerbated. The brunette turned to Yosho. "Who is 'Mihoshi'?"
Yosho held his hands up. "First I've heard the name." He replied.
Frowning, Belldandy turned her focus back onto Kiyone. "She's reliving a memory." The Norn revealed.
"Can you wake her up?" Yosho asked.
Belldandy nodded, lips pursed in concentration as she carefully brought the woman's hands together. She breathed a word to the mortal—"vekja", and with a start Yosho found he recognized the word—"awaken".
That wasn't Jurain or Japanese. The man thought. Definitely not Chinese. I don't even think it was English. Was that…was that what I spoke?
Kiyone's struggles began to fade, and with a tight grimace, the woman relaxed before opening her eyes. She stared at Belldandy long and hard, as if uncertain the woman was real, then finally asked, "Am I dead yet?"
"You are not." Belldandy replied.
"Gods…fucking…damn it." Kiyone hissed, catching the Norn off guard before sitting up. "I thought for sure this time…" She grumbled, then sighed, burying her face in her hand. "Immortal fucking Phoenix strikes again." Then the mortal blinked and looked around her, as if seeing the group of men and gods around her for the first time. "Well…hello to you all too. I take it that means we…won?" She eyed Thor warily, who smiled broadly at her.
"Yep." Keiichi said. "Glad to see you're recovering well?" It came out a question, and he looked at his wife with uncertainty.
Belldandy frowned, but shook her head, rising to her feet in one single, graceful motion before moving to her husband's side.
Thor offered Kiyone one large hand. Kiyone stared at it warily, then ignored it in favor of picking herself up instead. She teetered a moment, then stubbornly planted her feet, as if daring her body to give out on her. It didn't, and the woman sighed with relief, flexing her hands as she examined her nails. "…Guess I'm going to need to wait a while before I try to use Rangda's spell again." She muttered.
"I must say, I am impressed you had the gall to use it at all." Thor folded his hands over his chest. "And that you did not die upon using it, even after being severely weakened."
Kiyone didn't respond right away, instead testing her weight carefully on her mended leg. "I was desperate." She countered. "And I wasn't about to let that bitch win."
If anything, Thor's smile grew greater. "It showed." He said, nodding in approval. "I wonder…would you accept my invitation to stay amongst the Mantra?" He asked, "I would see that technique and bloodlust honed. With proper training, you would be a capable threat even to other gods!"
"No." Kiyone said without so much as a pause.
Thor's face fell, and Keiichi winced. "Ouch." He whispered to Yosho.
Yosho nodded. Never thought I would see a literal god get rejected by a woman. He thought.
Belldandy was swift to intervene before any further strife could fall amidst the group. "Thor, I'm certain Kiyone-chan has her own goals she's set out to accomplish. The Mantra would prevent her from achieving that end, isn't that right?" She glanced at Kiyone, and with some discomfort Kiyone nodded.
"And what would that goal be?" Thor demanded.
Kiyone winced, then shrugged. "I…can't say." She said. "Its a ah…a bit of a private matter."
"And we would do well to respect that privacy, isn't that right, Cousin?" Belldandy continued, and looked at the god with a serene expression.
Thor stared at her, then sighed and nodded. "As you say…" He grumbled. "If I did not have my duties here, perhaps I could have accompanied you in your travels. It is regretful I cannot part from so easily."
"Shame." Kiyone said flatly. "Some other time than."
"Indeed." Thor sighed with regret. "Come…let me escort you all out of here. I shall send word to my fellows that you are not to be touched from this moment on. As far as I am concerned, you have all earned your place here and are free to walk these chambers as Mantra…though I cannot say any of you are to the point where I would introduce you to Lord Gozu-Tenno." The great man turned and began to navigate towards one of the side entrances, and as the large group gathered their possessions and followed, Belldandy slipped back to walk between Kiyone and Yosho.
"Kiyone-chan." The woman looked up at her, and the goddess bit her lip. "You have something on your person…A weapon which is broken. May I see it?"
For a second Kiyone froze, staring at the goddess with wide teal eyes. Her eyes darted to Yosho before switching back to Belldandy. "…How do you know that?" She breathed.
Belldandy frowned, a look of regret on her face. "I saw a small glimpse of your memories while I was healing you." She replied. "Forgive me—it was unintentional; you suffered nightmares which projected your trauma back onto me."
Kiyone grabbed the woman, forgetting or uncaring in that moment of who or what Belldandy was. "What did you see?" She hissed.
"Enough." Belldandy replied. "Enough to know you have a broken weapon. Enough to know you were born under an unlucky star. Enough to know that I can repair what was broken. And enough to respect your request for silence regarding what I witnessed." She looked at the woman with earnest blue eyes.
Kiyone bristled, and Yosho stopped as well, readying to intervene in case his travel companion made any wild moves. He'd seen that look on the woman's face before, back with Shuten and his comments on the manikins, back when she'd thrown herself at Yaksini without care for her own sake.
And then, with a deep-sated grimace of concentration, Kiyone released the goddess, looking away with an expression of such deep-sated rage that, for a split second, she no longer looked human, but instead something primal and dangerous.
For a split second, she reminded Yosho in that moment of the White Dog, snarling at whoever approached.
The woman closed her eyes and sucked in a long breath, and Yosho noticed that Keiichi had fallen back as well, a solemn look on his face as he observed the interactions between the two women. Belldandy caught his eyes and nodded to him, gesturing him onwards, and with some reluctance the man turned and headed off, following after Thor with a quick glance over his shoulder.
Kiyone reached into her jacket and withdrew something from one of the inner pockets. Yosho stared as she passed it on to Belldandy. That's a standard-issue Mk3 GXP-IV. He thought, staring at the special-issue Galaxy Police blaster in shock. While not intimately familiar with the tech, he'd spent enough time around the GXP to recognize the blasters and their various ranges of power, and recognized the specialized Mk3's which were provided to exceptional sharpshooters who had achieved and maintained high marksmanship both in and out of combat.
Kiyone caught him staring, and looked away in discomfort. She offered no explanation. That's no toy. He thought. She didn't just…just find that. The man recalled her lethality with her standard, terrain pistol. And that has recoil. He thought. The Mk3's are specifically designed to compensate for recoil so the shots are more accurate. He looked back at her. She's Galaxy Police. Or at least…she was.
Belldandy toyed with the device, opening it as if she was a master gunsmith and examining the circuits inside. Some of the more specialized circuits looked to have melted together, as if the device had been exposed to extreme temperatures, and Yosho thought of the burn marks he'd seen on Kiyone's legs. With deep concentration, the goddess sang a sharp key over the weapon, and to both Yosho's and Kiyone's surprise, they watched as something wafted up from the gun.
It looked like a spirit.
"Hello little one." Belldandy murmured. Something that looked like a bird's head formed from the spirit, and it titled its head, staring at the Norn in curiosity. "My, you're more developed than I'd thought." She murmured. "Have you a name?"
It stared at her, then turned to look at Kiyone.
Belldandy looked at Kiyone expectantly.
"This is stupid." Kiyone muttered, and Yosho watched a flush dance across her cheeks. "I named—its name is Chamrosh."
Belldandy smiled brightly. "What a wonderful name."
"You named your weapon?" Yosho asked.
The flush deepened. "It's something every Marksman does when issued one of the Mark 3's." She said, making no attempt to hide her familiarity with the weapon. "It's a superstition; you name your gun so that she'll aim true and serve you well in combat."
"So you're Galaxy Police."
"And you're the legendary Lost Prince of Jurai." Kiyone replied. "And I told you before; I'm retired." She snapped.
"You knew who I was?" Yosho looked at her in surprise.
"You told me when we first met." Kiyone replied, "'Yosho Masaki-Jurai', which lines up a hell of a lot with all of the MIA reports concerning you and the special meetings held to update the Jurain Royal Family on any tracks concerning your whereabouts." She snorted. "You caused a lot of grief for a lot of people, Crown Prince."
Yosho fell silent and looked back to Belldandy, who appeared to be playing with the circuitboard, tracing the melted chips and components with a nail in careful consideration. The spirit attached to the gun—if that was indeed what it was—had taken on more characteristics, and sat in the crook of Belldandy's elbow as it stared unnervingly at Kiyone; a tiny creature with the head and wings of a tiny falcon and the body of a small dog. "While I appreciate you opening up to each other, I would ask you both to keep your voice down." Belldandy said. "Please walk ahead of me and…please continue talking. I believe you will need to be honest with each other if you seek to continue traveling together."
Kiyone glowered at the goddess, looking ready to say something smart back, and Yosho cleared his throat. Kiyone directed her glare at the man instead. Yosho held his hands up as if to ward off a blow. "…Allow me to properly introduce myself than." He said, "I am Crown Prince Yosho Masaki-Jurai, once first in line for the throne of Jurai, since retired to a simple life as a Shinto Priest of Tsunami within the mountains of Okinawa, Japan. I went MIA when the Space Pirate Ryoko attacked the Planet Jurai, and chased her here where I fought her to a slim victory. I imprisoned her, as I was unable to slay her at the time, and was maintaining overwatch of her prison with my grandson, Tenchi Masaki, prior to the world's end. And you are?"
Kiyone fell silent, observing him with judgmental eyes before finally sighing. "Might as fucking well." She muttered. "We almost killed ourselves against a damned demon and a literal god." The woman closed her eyes, stuffing her hands in her vest in discomfort. She looked anxious. "I was-was-mind you-Detective First class Kiyone Makibi of the Galaxy Police. Then, well…after…we'll say a forceful retirement beyond my control, I wound up here, where I became Sergeant Kiyone Makibi of the New York Police Department." She sighed. "Retired there after things got…tense, served some…contractor work…overseas on a little island called Roanipur for a couple years, then settled in Japan as a dog trainer."
Yosho watched her from the corner of one eye.
Kiyone scowled at him. "That's all your getting from me right now." She said.
"Even with the world's end?" He asked.
"Even with the world's end." Kiyone replied. "Do not pass 'go'. Do not collect two hundred dollars."
Yosho grunted, then turned his gaze to the small youkai in his arms, still recovering from everything he'd gone through to save the man. "Nice to meet you Detective-Sergeant-Contractor-Dog Trainer Makibi-san."
The woman glared at him, but not before Yosho saw the barest hint of a smile slip across her face. "Nice to meet you too, "Seiðman-Grandpa-Priest-Warrior-MIA-Prince Masaki Jurai-san."
"Thank you for coming to my aide against Yaksini." The man's voice grew soft. "But please, next time…save yourself first. One life isn't worth saving at the expense of another."
"How do you know I wasn't just looking to die?" Kiyone smirked.
"If you were searching for Death, you would not have gone through all that effort to obtain that demon's technique, nor use it to save me." Yosho replied, and the smirk dropped from the woman's face. She looked away, and Yosho adjusted his grip first on his cat, then on his sword. His left arm tingled uncomfortably. Vekja. The word appeared once more in his mind—the word that Belldandy had used to awaken Kiyone, and he glanced down at his cat, feeling the tingling sensation in his arm increase. Uncertain of what he was doing, he stroked Ol' Koneko with his left hand, letting it come to rest on the creature's torso. "Vekja." He murmured, and felt his voice…thrum the word, almost vibrating the word in its entirety.
He felt something pulled—no, that's not it, its a push, not a pull.—from his body, and felt a small jolt from the youkai in his arms. Konoko released a long sigh, then pushed himself into Yosho's body with a long stretch, paws splaying out and revealing the curled claws hidden within. Gently, playfully, Yosho gripped one of the paws, tickling the pad with a finger and smiling as Ol' Koneko yanked it from his grip.
The cat shook his head, then looked up at Yosho with bright golden eyes. "Morning Old Man." Yosho whispered, and the smile grew as the cat thumped his head against his chest, a deep purr rising from his body. Shouldering his sword once more, Yosho moved to hold the cat in both his arms, drawing the feline close and feeling the youkai rub his head against his chin as he kneaded air.
"Love you too, Old Man." Yosho murmured. "I guess this means I really am a sorcerer now?"
"And you have a feline familiar on top of that." Thor looked over his shoulder at the man with a merry blue eyes. "Truly you are blessed by Freya's golden rays."
"Maybe." Yosho said, and looked at his left hand, noticing how the skin seemed to shine like gold in the artificial light of Kagatsuchi. How Kiyone's nails glistened like black death as Belldandy slipped to the other side of her, passing back the Mk3 which Kiyone examined with tender awe and even a small amount of affection. The spirit which was attached to the weapon trailed out of the gun and up onto the woman's shoulder, making itself comfortable there as an etheral umbillical cord connected it to the weapon. And how two dogs-a white one which walked before Kiyone, a black one which walked behind her, both with eyes that glowed unnaturally in the Kagatsuchi's light—followed in silent diligence, staying close to the woman whom they were chained to—two Deaths imprisoned within the mortal who had come to dwell in the Vortex World.
"Maybe."
Comments of a Madwoman:
Part 2: Vortex World—END
Cathedral of Shadows:
Tsuchigumo: Japan; "A wild god shaped like a giant spider, which was said to have lived in Mt. Katsuragi. Originally a native of the land who lived in a hole after its tribe was defeated by the Imperial Court."
Chamrosh: Persian: Mythological beast with the body of a dog and the head and wings of a bird.