"Chaos and Death", Chapter Six: "Royal Blood"

By Henry J. Cobb

$Id: chaos_death6.txt,v 1.5 1997/11/09 22:27:54 hcobb Exp $



The Ah! Megami-sama! characters and situations are the creation of Kosuke

Fujishima.



The Urusei Yatsura characters and situations are the creation of Rumiko

Takahashi.



No infringement of their copyrights is intended.



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"Come on, come on."  Skuld carefully turned the wrench as she adjusted the

suspension on the racing motorcycle.  "There, that should do it."



The tent flap opened behind her and he stood there in awe.  His emotion

washed over her.  Could she really be worthy of such love?



"Give me a second, OK?"  She checked out the handling one last time.  It

was all perfect.



"Sure."  He stood there consumed with uncertainty.  He was sure he loved

the goddess, but he didn't know what the next step should be.



Plenty of time for that later, Skuld thought as she wiped off her hands

then flew into his embrace, they had all the time in the world.  But

something was wrong, he didn't hold her back, his head was bent at an

impossible angle and his vibrant thoughts were gone.



Skuld held his cold body and tightly closed her eyes.  What had she done

wrong, how had she killed him?  "No, Sentaro, Nooooooo!"



"Shouldn't that be Shutaro?"



Skuld's eyes flashed open, she sat up in her futon and turned to glare at

Ataru, standing there in the door to her room in his PJs.



He tried to look cool, but his hair was even more messed up that usual and

his thoughts were torn between worry and jealousy.



Skuld just couldn't take that.  "Get out!"  She zipped in a bomb from

hyperspace and held it up.  "Get out or I'll kill you!"



"OK, OK, you don't have to get hyper.  Just keep it down OK?  My mom's

starting to worry about the neighbors."  He closed the door and walked

away.



Skuld looked down at the bomb.  Was she really doing any good here?  Ataru

certainly didn't seem to be improving any.



He needs somebody he can devote all his attention to.  Somebody who knows

all his tricks and can handle him.  It must be Shinobu.



With a sigh, Skuld banished the bomb back into hyperspace.  It wouldn't

help with this problem.



That morning, most of the boys from the school were waiting at the gate.



"What's up Megane?"  Ataru munched on a rice cake.



Skuld wasn't worried about Ataru's constant pigging out.  He'd just burn

up the calories chasing after girls.  He was like a pig in that way too.



"We're waiting for the new school nurse to arrive."  Megane adjusted his

glasses and looked back down the street.



"Why?  Are you sick again?"  Ataru overlooked the brush off.



"Well, I wish I was!"  Chibi volunteered.  "She's a real babe.  Full

figure, sexy voice, long black hair and starry eyes."



"Say, that sounds familiar.  Tell me more."  Ataru took another bite of

his rice cake.



"There she is now!"  Perm pointed.



Miss Sakura walked up to the gate in a short purple dress with a low-cut

neckline that showed off her cleavage.



"Sa, sa, sa---"  Ataru fell to his knees as he choked on his rice cake.



Skuld gave him a firm slap on the back.



Ataru swallowed.  "Sakura!  What's she doing here?"



Miss Sakura was oblivious to the stares of the gauntlet of teenage boys

she walked past, but she looked up as a large airplane flew overhead and a

lone figure in a white suit parachuted out.  "What's this about?"



"I've got you!"  Shinobu zoomed up and turned to keep her eye on the boy

under the parachute, so she didn't see as she knocked Miss Sakura into the

air.



"Miss Sakura, what are you doing here?"  Ataru had appeared in the right

spot to catch her.



Skuld could have sworn that he had been standing next to herself a moment

ago.



"Let me go you twerp!"  Sakura punched Ataru away and fell to land on her

rear.



"Please put me down!"  Shutaro complained from Shinobu's arms.



"I'm sorry,"  Shinobu gently placed him on his feet, "but I was worried

that you might be hurt again."



"I am a quite competent parachutist.  The persons responsible for the

earlier incident have been canned and that mistake will not be made

again."  Shutaro handed Shinobu his parachute harness and turned towards

Skuld.  "My goddess, have you been sleeping well?"



"There is nothing to worry about."  Skuld grabbed Ataru's hand.  "Comeon,

we'll be late for class."



"But Miss Sakura..."  Ataru focused on the new teacher's rear as she

climed the steps.



"Give it up, you'll just get rejected again."



The reason for the sudden vacancy in the health department became

painfully obvious when the topic for the current week's lecture was

revealed.



"Miss Sakura, I forgot, what's the term for the female sexual organ

again?"



Behind Ataru the gang of four quietly snickered.



Skuld sprang to her feet, her face red.  "You're just doing this to

embarrass me aren't you!"



"Skuld, Ataru."



"Yes teacher?"  They turned towards the front of the class.



"Take these and go stand in the hall."  Miss Sakura pointed to three

buckets of water.



"Yes teacher."  Ataru and Skuld walked towards the door.



As she stood in the hall, Skuld looked down into her bucket.  As a girl,

she was only required to hold one bucket as compared to the two Ataru

held.



As she gazed into the water, Skuld considered forming a quick vortex and

leaving, never to return.  She could go anywhere in the world and nobody

could stop her.  She could even go home.  When did the temple become home?

One person had made it a home.  "Oneesama."



"Did you say something Skuld?"  Ataru whispered to her.



"This is all your fault."  She glared at him.  "Before I met you I was

never found guilty of anything."



"So what happened?"



"What?"



"What were these crimes you weren't found guilty of?"  Ataru grinned.



"What?!?"  What did he know?  Skuld prepared herself for a quick dip in

the sewer of his mind.



"Never!"  The outraged cry sounded from inside the classroom.



"Never!  Never!"  Shutaro shoved the door aside and stood there with his

katana drawn.  He screamed and rushed Ataru.



Ataru threw his buckets to the side and brought his hands together to trap

Shutaro's blade between his palms, but the momentum forced him onto his

back.



Shutaro pressed down and didn't see the footsweep that knocked him from

his feet.  He lost his grip on the sword and Ataru flung it down the

corridor.



"Neat move."  Skuld had just barely dodged Ataru's bucket.



"Yeah, I picked it up in Ninja summer camp."  Ataru got to his feet. "Mom

thought it was a language skills school."



Shutaro had regained his sword and stood back to make his challenge.

"Ataru Moroboshi, I will never accept your engagement to the goddess!"



"Engagement!"  The windows on all the classrooms down the hall slammed

open and the students leaned out.



"But you said you hated Ataru!"  The girls from class 2-4 complained.



Skuld felt that she was just short of exploding.  "I AM NOT ENGAGED TO

ANYBODY!  And certainly never to this idiot!"



"But Shinobu said..."  Shutaro stared at Skuld.



"I'm sorry Shutaro,"  Shinobu stood at the doorway, "I said that they

acted like an engaged couple, always teasing each other like that, not

that they were engaged."



"My apologies Moroboshi,"  Shutaro resheathed his sword, "I withdraw my

challenge."



"Hey go for it anytime you're feeling lucky Mendo.  Just remember to

attack with surprise so you'll have a chance."



Shutaro said nothing to Ataru's challenge, but turned his back and walked

stiffly back into the classroom.



Skuld didn't need her telepathy to know who the two boys were fighting

over.  This had to end.



"All of you get back in here!"  Sakura pushed her way to the door.  "It

seems that I need to keep an eye on the lot of you.  Now Ataru, as for

your question, yes it does deserve an answer.  You are all getting to the

age when even a little ignorance can be a very dangerous thing."



"Shinobu, can we talk now?"  Skuld asked after class.



"Sure, I guess.  I'm sorry about what happened earlier."



"I'm not mad about that, but we need to talk privately.  Not here, but I

know a place."  Skuld took her hand.



"Hey, wait!"  Ataru interrupted.



"Ataru, if you can spare a moment?"  The light from the windows flashed

off of Megane's glasses.



"Yeah I guess so."  Ataru turned towards him.



When they reached the park fountain, Shinobu asked Skuld. "Here?"



"Not quite."  Skuld shrank down to a decimeter in height.  "Pick me up and

put me on your shoulder."



"OK, but what's this about?"



"I want to show you a special place."  Skuld gestured towards the fountain

and a vortex appeared in the surface of the water.



"Now what?"  Shinobu looked into the vortex, but didn't see anything but

water.



"Jump into the vortex."



"I'll get my school dress all wet."



"No, you won't, but say ``Ho Ho Ho'' as you jump."



"This sounds really stupid, but OK. Ho Ho Ho!" Shinobu jumped into the

vortex and emerged from another one formed in the surface of a well in a

mountain valley. "-Ho, ow!"



"Sorry about that.  Your ears popped.  We just gained two kilometers in

altitude."  Skuld jumped from Shinobu's shoulder and returned to normal

height.



"Where is this place?"  Shinobu looked around the valley from the ledge

around the well and saw a large temple nearby.



"This is the monastery in the Himalayas.  It's the home of an order

established by a friend of my sister's.  Here he comes now."



A Buddhist monk walked up and bowed before Skuld.  "You honour us with

your presence goddess and that of your friend."



"She's Shinobu."  Skuld bowed back.  "We won't be staying, but I thought

that you'd like to know that Belldandy now has a daughter, Randako."



"We must pilgrimage to see this holy child."  A strange light seemed to

shine in the monk's eyes.



"Oh, that won't be necessary.  I'm sure she'll come by to visit you soon."



"Very well, would you and your friend like some tea while you're here?"



"Yes, that sounds nice."



Skuld and Shinobu followed the monk into the monastery.  The other monks

bowed as they passed.  Skuld spotted quite a few new faces.  The order was

doing well.



Shinobu waited for the head monk to go fetch their tea, then turned to

Skuld.  "Now, what do you want to talk about?"



"It's about Ataru.  I think you should give him another chance."



"So that's it!  You just want a free hand with Shutaro!"  Shinobu stabbed

an accusing finger towards Skuld.



"What?"  Skuld jerked back.



"Don't play coy.  We've all seen how he worships you."



Skuld turned away from Shinobu and looked out the window at the valley.

"You can call it worship if you like, but the position he was envisioning

during our negotiations had me kneeling before him.  He was so sure I'd

really get off on it.  He may look cool, but inside he's no better than

Ataru."



"So, that's it!  All men are the same, right?  In that case, I'll pick the

one who's courteous, handsome and bloody filthy rich!  Even to be

Shutaro's mistress has got to be a lot better than anything Ataru could

offer."



"No, you're wrong.  Some of them are much much better."  Skuld wiped the

single tear from her eye then turned back to Shinobu.  "And take my word

for it, the Mendos don't really own anything.  They're just borrowing a

lot and the interest won't come due until they face father."



"What gives your father the right to judge everybody?"  Shinobu crossed

her arms in front of herself.



"Nobody else was foolish enough to take the job.  My eldest sister has

been fighting the responsibility all her life.  It's strange, but in an

odd sort of way she'll be perfect for the job."



"Your tea."  The head monk stood in the doorway with a tray.



"I'm sorry, but we've got to go."  Skuld walked out the door and Shinobu

followed.



"Ho ho ho!"  Shinobu jumped from the vortex in the fountain in the park

in Tokyo and carefully balanced on the ledge, with Skuld in the mini-form

on her shoulder.



"Have you been good little boys?"  Shinobu asked the two preteens who

stood staring at them, but they ran away.  "In a way this is really

funny.  What's wrong Skuld?"  Shinobu turned to Skuld, who had regained

her normal height and seemed to be listening to something.



"They wouldn't dare!"  Skuld reformed her vortex in the fountain and

jumped back in to remerge from a cup of tea.  "Hot!"



"What?" Miss Sakura looked up from some papers on her desk in the school

infirmary.



"Don't you feel it Miss Sakura?"  Skuld regained her feet.



Miss Sakura threw open the window and heard chanting.  "They seem to be

doing a ventura.  I wonder why?"



"They're trying to bring her back!  I've got to stop this!"  Skuld slammed

open the door and then ran up the steps to the clock tower.



"Kurama! Kurama! Kurama!, urk!"  Ataru was pulled out of the circle dance

on the bell tower balcony.



"Do you have any idea what you're doing?"  Skuld screamed into his face.



"Get away from him you pervert!"



Skuld had no time to react as she was swept over the railing by a mighty

gust of wind and no time for a parachute as she tumbled towards the

ground.  She shrank down and plucked up an item from hyperspace, twisting

around she pointed it at the ground and hit the trigger she had

improvised.



"Whump!"  The airbag went off, stunning her.



"Ouch!"  Mini-Skuld held a hand to her head.  "I've got to tone that down

a bit."



Skuld regained her height as she ran back towards the school building.



"Kurama!  What are you doing back here?"  Skuld paused at the doorway to

the balcony, short of breath.



The princess ignored the goddess, but held up her control leaf as a

warning.  "You intrigue me Ataru.  What makes you tick?  And what do you

others want?"



"We exist only to serve."  Megane bowed to her.



"Very well, bring him."  Kurama flew down to the schoolyard where the

Tengu were assembling a device.



The gang of four ignored Ataru's complaints as they strapped him into the

device.  Skuld watched the process with Shutaro standing next to her and

Shinobu next to him.



"What's the meaning of this?"  Miss Sakura pushed through the crowd of

curious students.



"It's OK Miss Sakura."  Skuld turned to her teacher.  "This is just a

primitive mind reading device, it shouldn't hurt him."



"But doesn't he have a right to privacy?"



"Sure, just as soon as he learns to respect other people's privacy."

Skuld turned back to watch the proceedings.



"Traitors!"  Ataru yelled.



"Now, let's see what your problem is."  Kurama hit a switch on her leaf.



Images of dozens of women flashed across the screen of the device as

Ataru's voice sounded from it.  "I love her and her and her.  I love

Shinobu the best."  The screen stopped on Shinobu in her schoolgirl's

outfit.



"I don't care."  Shinobu turned back towards Shutaro, but he was looking

towards Skuld.



The images started up again.  "I love her and her and her.  I love

Kurama the best."  The screen stopped on an image of Kurama sleeping

peacefully in her life support pod.



"Urk!"  Kurama was relieved that the scene didn't go any further than that

and tried to hide her shock.  "So, your mind is filled with nothing but

thoughts of women."



"Truly a primitive mind."  Shutaro noted and was then taken aback as Skuld

quietly giggled.



The images started up again.  "I love her and her and her.  I love

Skuld the best."  The screen stopped on an image of Skuld in her goddess

uniform when she had first appeared in the Moroboshi household.



"You're lying!  You don't know what love is!"  Skuld ripped Ataru from the

device and started choking him.  Then backed away and bowed to him.  "I'm

sorry about that.  I don't know what came over me."



"Just ignore him goddess.  He doesn't matter."  Shutaro placed a hand

gently on her shoulder.



Skuld shrugged it off and bent down to pick Ataru up.  "Come on, we're

going home."



"Very interesting."  Kurama thought for a few minutes as the Tengu

disassembled the mind reading device.  "Come, we must prepare."  She flew

off.



After a quick snack, Ataru went up to his room and came back downstairs

with his coat on.



"And where do you think you're going?"  Skuld was leaning against the

front door with her arms crossed.



"Girl hunting."



"After all this trouble you still haven't learned?  You rotten imbecile!

You, you..."  Skuld crossed her arms tightly over her heart and leaned

forwards, her face clinched in pain.



"What's the matter?"  Ataru's face showed genuine concern.



"Run Ataru!"  sweat formed on Skuld's brow.



"Run to the doctor?  What's wrong?"



"No, run and hide.  If she finds you she'll ki--"  Skuld collapsed to a

sitting position, her head bent towards the floor.



Ataru stood stunned as smoke drifted up from Skuld's back and converged.

A small white wing poked out of the cloud and shed a few tiny feathers.



"No!  Get back in there you."  Skuld shivered on the ground.



The smoke cleared to show a tiny girl.  She seemed to be in her late

teens, but she was only two decimeters tall.  She had a wingspan about the

same as her height and she wore a white cross top and a spiral of fabric

that wrapped around her waist and down to her feet and then seemed to fade

out below.  She looked at Ataru with large, impassive blue eyes.  Her

short golden hair had a single large curl in front and was the same color

as the decimeter long sword she held in both hands.  Flames red as blood

seemed to drip upwards along the surface of the blade.



"What?"  Ataru stood looking at the creature.



The small figure flew towards Ataru while bringing her sword up.



"Noble Scarlet, no!"  Skuld go to her knees.  "No sense in arguing with

myself."  Skuld sat in a lotus position and shut her eyes in

concentration.



Ataru brought his forefingers up to trap the blade as it swung down

towards his head.  "Ouch!"  Ataru fell backwards and stuck his fingers in

his mouth to cool them off.



Skuld flinched at Ataru's cry and redoubled her efforts.



The tiny golden haired girl brought her sword up for another swing, then

looked behind her.  Her wrap was fading into visibility, all the way back

to Skuld's heart.  She turned back to Ataru, but the wrap started to

unravel from around her legs as it was pulled back.  She dropped her sword

and it disappeared as quickly as a candle flame blown out.  She grabbed at

the wrap around her knees and was pulled back towards Skuld.



As she neared Skuld, she sighed and her form grew and became indistinct as

it overlapped into Skuld's.



Skuld opened her eyes and stood.  "Let me see that."  She pulled Ataru's

fingers out of his mouth and chanted a healing spell over his burns.



"What was that?"  He asked her.



"You have seen an angel.  Do you not feel blessed?"



"Not particularly."



"Go upstairs infidel.  I've got a call to make."  Skuld waited for Ataru's

door to close then picked up the phone and sat on the floor as she dialed.



The phone was answered on the first ring.



"Kamisama, there's been a problem,"  Skuld began, "Scarlet got out again.

You're going to have to take me off the case.  Yes I know that nobody else

is available but I'm not helping here.  Maybe I should take a few years

out and go explore the inter-galactic voids.  Yes I know there's nobody

there, that's the point, there's nobody to get hurt.  Yes, I want to be a

goddess, but don't you see father, I'm becoming the problem here!  I've got

to get out of here before I kill anybody else.  Daddy!"



Skuld slammed the phone down and sobbed into her hands.  "That blind fool

will just sit there on his almighty throne until it all comes crashing

down on top of him.  Well, at least I can be sure that I won't hurt

anybody else."  She zipped in a bomb from hyperspace and held it up in

front of herself.



Ataru watched, his door opened a crack.



The lock on the front door turned and Skuld banished the bomb.



Mrs Moroboshi stood there with two sacks of groceries.  "What's the matter

Skuld?"



"Sorry, I was making a call.  Here, let me help you with that."  Skuld

reached for one of the bags.



"You've been crying.  Has my idiot son?"



"No, it's nothing."



Upstairs, Ataru's door closed.



	Henry J. Cobb	hcobb@slip.net          http://www.io.com/~hcobb

    next time: "Adoption."