Hello again,

	Its time for the next chapter of "Of Angels and Demons" to be C&Ced by you
fine people before I post it anywhere. Please, if you havent read the first
two chapters, read them. They are at
http://www.fanfiction.net/sections/anime/index.fic?action=story-read&storyid
=329845

Pay no mind to the formating. MSWord like to screw with me when I copy and
paste. Remember, if you dont C&C it, it stays like it is. Thanks and happy
reading.

-------------------------------------------------

Of Angels and Demons
By: Ben Craton
Aka: Genki Dama

Ah! Megami-sama! Copyright 1989, 1995 by Kodansha and
Kosuke Fujishima.

Story and original characters Copyright 2001 by Ben Craton

Of Angels and Demons: Part 3
Revelation
----------------------

Belldandy stood straight up, a blue aura forming around her. Her eyes shone
with a fierce blue light. Her look of death found its way to her face.
Sayoko for some reason stopped laughing. Urd started to run to stop her
sister but the words still rang in her ears. 'Do not interfere!'

Belldandy growled at her rival. "You have tortured me for the last time.
You...You...You WHORE!" She screamed as loud as she could, raising her arms
above her head. Sayoko fell to the ground, eyes full of fear.

Skuld started to run towards the scene but Urd grabbed her. "No you don't."
Skuld struggled but could not break free. "Let me go!" "Believe me kid, I
wish I could."

Keiichi, having just had his sight restored due to Skuld's absence, gaped at
the image in font of him. His love looked, no she 'was' about to kill
Sayoko. He wanted to run but shock still held him in place.

 A ball of pure blue energy formed in Belldandy's hands. She looked down at
Sayoko with a look of unmerciful rage. Sayoko could only stammer. "And now
witch..." Belldandy raised the ball up. "YOU DIE!" She thrust her hands
downward.

The explosion was deafening.

	* * *

	Keiichi awoke from his slight blackout. Was this all a dream? It had to be.
That vision of Belldandy about to kill Sayoko couldn't have been real. Could
it have been? He could feel dust in his eyes and lungs. He knew then that
his worst fear was true; that he had been witness to a murder committed by
his goddess. Opening his eyes, he looked around. He was still lying on the
ground, but of course he knew that already. Propping himself up on one arm,
he struggled to see what had happened to Belldandy

	The dust was starting to clear and he could make out what looked like two
people standing where Belldandy had been. He could just make out their
outlines; Urd and Skuld. But then where was Belldandy? He struggled and got
to his feet. Coughing, he walked over to the other goddesses. They were
looking down at something with worried expressions. Skuld, it appeared, was
kneeling over whatever it was. He walked up next to Urd and put his hand on
her shoulder to support himself as he was a still little shook up.

	Urd glanced over at Keiichi for a moment and then looked back down. He
couldn't help but follow her stare. On the ground, a few feet away, lay
Sayoko, fully intact not a scratch on her body. Yet she was out like a
light. He couldn't figure it out, where was... He looked over at Skuld and
felt his heart shatter. Belldandy, his one and only love, lay in a heap on
her left side. Her face was black from ash or something like it. She looked
dead.

	Keiichi bent down and wiped some of the black stuff of her face, tears
starting to come to his eyes He wanted to do something for her, but what
could he do? He looked up at Urd with pity. She only shook her head.

"So this is what he meant."

	"What are you talking about? This is what who meant?"

	"Nothing. Never mind, is she breathing alright?"

	"Breathing? Urd, she's dead!"

	She looked at him with a strange questioning look. "Keiichi, you think that
one bolt of lightning can kill a goddess?"

	Keiichi was confused as ever. He wanted to ask more but he checked for her
anyway. He knelt beside Belldandy and put his ear next to her mouth. She was
breathing. His heart leapt for joy and he hugged her, even though she did
not return the favor. After a moment he listened again, just to make sure.
She 'was' breathing. Actually, if he hadn't had known better he would have
said she was asleep. He stood and turned to Urd.

	"She's alive, thank Kami."

Urd crossed her arms. "What did you expect?"

Keiichi ignored her and wiped a tear from his eye. He looked back down at
Belldandy. "Now Urd, would you care to explain what just happened here?"

	Urd's face turned somewhat sheepish "Well...you see Keiichi--" Skuld
suddenly jumped up. "Urd Urd! Come here and look!"

	Urd shut her mouth and jumped over to her sister to see what she was so
excited about. It appeared that Belldandy was lying on what looked like a
box drawn in the ground with runes written within it. Urd gasped and put her
hand over her mouth. "Its from the Lord!" She looked up, motioning with both
arms for Keiichi to come to her.

"Quick Keiichi pick up Belldandy and take her in. We'll be there in just a
second."

	Keiichi stood still for a moment. Everything was happening so fast. Why had
Belldandy become unconscious in the first place? What was Urd so excited
about? He wanted, no he needed to know. Urd looked up again. "KEIICHI!"

	"Huh?." He snapped out of his questioning.

 "Take Belldandy in!"

"Right." Keiichi gently picked up his love and cradled her in his arms. She
was still as light as ever. Turning, he walked back into the temple to lay
her down and wash her face. On the way in though he passed a still
unconscious Megumi on the porch. Stopping for a moment he thought about
trying to get both of them in. Instead, he sighed and continued on the way.
First things first.

	Urd and Skuld watched them go. "Its nice how he likes her so much."

	"Be quiet Urd. Read this before it vanishes! Its to you."

	Urd looked back to the message in the ground. She read it slowly and
methodically. "To Urd, goddess first Class unlimited license--"

	Skuld face vaulted. "First class u...unlimited license!!!???"

	"Heh heh...I'll explain in a minute." Skuld balled her fists and fumed
nonetheless.

Urd ignored her and continued to read the message aloud.

	"To Urd, goddess first class unlimited license, and to Skuld, second class
limited license: Due to recent occurrences and circumstances beyond your
control, I am recalling the both of you and your sister. And am requesting
that you bring with you the two mortals with whom you live. We will discuss
matters when you get here. Report immediately to my office when you arrive.
So it is written."

	Urd cocked her head in confusion. "Bring Keiichi and Megumi?"

	Skuld looked up to her sister. "I'm more concerned about this first class
thing." She crossed her arms, tapping her foot on the ground.

	"Uhh....how about one thing at a time. Come on, let's not keep 'him'
waiting longer than necessary." She turned and started into the house.

	Skuld started in but paused for a second. "Urd, what about Sayoko?"

	"Ah, leave her. She'll wake up thinking this was all a dream." Urd picked
up Megumi off the porch and carried her into the room where Keiichi was
caring for Belldandy. Urd gently set Megumi down in the recliner and stood
looking at Keiichi for a second. He returned the stare.

	"Urd, would you care to explain how we went from dinner, to murder, to my
Bell-chan laying asleep on the couch?"

	Urd let out an audible sigh and shook her head. "Look Keiichi, to be
honest, all I know is that she was hit by lighting right as she was about to
ax Sayoko. And I know that the lightning was heaven sent. Besides that, I
know as much as you do."

	Keiichi sighed and looked back down at his love. She looked like she had
only fallen asleep, not gotten nailed with a bolt of lightning. He moved
some stray hair away from her face. A small glimmer caught his eye. He
looked at it curiously. "Hey Urd, what do you know about this?" He pointed
at Belldandy's ear. Small pieces and shards of gold sat where her earring
used to be.

	Urd examined it for a second then suddenly grew nervous. "Heh heh. Umm.
Looks like Kami hit her earring with that lightning bolt of his. This is not
good if she wakes up anytime soon with the mood she was just in." She stood.
"Come on Skuld! We have to go, now!!"

	Keiichi looked at Urd with confused eyes. "Going? What do you mean going?"

	Skuld ran in the room just as Urd began a spell. "Wait...we cant go
anywhere right now...Hey stop!"

	All five of them disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

	Keiichi put his hand over his eyes. The change from dark room to brilliant
light made his eyes hurt. Slowly though, his eyes adjusted to the new
conditions. He looked around through squinted eyes at where they were. It
appeared that they were now all in the middle of a grand hall. White granite
pillars lined the smooth marble walls. The ceiling was at least five stories
high off the ground and looked as if it was just one continuous skylight,
letting in the sight of a clear blue sky. At the end of the hall was a set
of huge wooden doors with intricate decorations, that stretched from ground
to ceiling. Below these was a small desk with a blonde woman sitting behind
it.

	Urd started walking in the direction of the doors. "Come on Keiichi. Bring
Belldandy with you." He looked back down at Belldandy; she was still asleep
on his left. She was completely dead to the fact they were in heaven now. He
scooped her up in his arms and started after Urd. After a few steps, he
heard some grunting behind him. He turned to see that Skuld was trying to
pick up Megumi. "Hey Skuld."

She looked up at him. "Just drag her."

	Skuld gave Keiichi a second look. "Are you sure?"

	"Do you actually think she's gonna care?"

	She looked down at the sleeping human and shrugged. "I guess not."

	Keiichi smiled slightly and started back towards Urd and the doors. He
couldn't help but be amazed at were he was. He was 'in' heaven. Everything
was so bright and so big. The sun, or whatever they had up here, was shining
down through the skylight on him. It felt so...refreshing. What a story he'd
have for his sempais when he got back. Which reminded him, what in the world
was he doing here in the first place?

	He tried replaying the night over in his head again. He had been sitting,
laughing with Belldandy. Then Sayoko came over. Belldandy saw her and got
angry again. And she was about to kill her when...she was hit by lightning
from Kami-sama. And that lightning brought the message that everyone,
including his sister and himself, was to be brought to heaven to see...Kami.
It all seemed so, bizarre.

	What did he do wrong that he should be here? Or what good did he do that
should have the privilege to be here? It just didn't make sense. Keiichi
noticed he was nearing the desk and also that Urd was talking to the
receptionist. She stood and motioned for Keiichi to follow her. The doors
began to open and she stepped inside. He glanced back at Skuld, making sure
she was keeping up. She was, at least for dragging someone for that far. He
turned forward again as he stepped past the threshold.

	It was pick black. He couldn't see anything except Urd, who had stopped a
few paces in and was now just standing. He walked up beside her. "What's
going on?"

	"You're going to meet the Lord." She spoke very matter of factly.

	Keiichi gulped. "You mean Kami-sama?"

	"That would be him."

	Keiichi very quickly became nervous. "Heh heh...You're kidding right?"

	"Nope." She crossed her arms and closed her eyes.

	Skuld drug Megumi up next to Keiichi. "Uuh...Keiichi you didn't tell me
your sister was so heavy."

	He opened his mouth to respond suddenly the doors slammed shut. Darkness
surrounded them but they could still see each other. Keiichi looked around
and shifted Belldandy in his arms. "Well, where is he then?"

	Suddenly light engulfed them and they were standing in a huge room. Plants
and windows covered the walls of pure marble. In the center of the room was
a raised step, on the top of which was a huge desk. A black chair sat behind
this desk, its high back turned facing the group. From here a voice spoke.

"I'm glad you came so quickly Urd."

	"My Lord."

	Urd and Skuld bowed deeply down on one knee. Keiichi was caught off guard
and tried to get down on one knee too, but the weight of Belldandy threw his
balance off a bit. He staggered and stood up again. Urd looked up at him out
of the corner of her eye. "Get down you idiot."

	A soft laughter came from the chair. "Do not worry son. You may rise."

	Urd and Skuld stood back up as the chair turned and a man stood. He walked
slowly over to the small group. Keiichi could not keep his eyes off him.
This was Kami. No joke. The man was no taller than himself. He had a black
head of hair and a black beard, mixed with many gray hairs, that came down
past his shoulders. The clothes he had on were that almost of a priest; a
white robe on with a green oriental looking shawl over it that reached to
his ankles. He walked with a noticeable limp and looked to be in his
sixties, yet Keiichi figured he had to be much older.

	Kami walked up to Keiichi and looked him straight in the eye. "So...you are
the man that my Belldandy finds so wonderful?" His voice sounded so
commanding yet so gentle at the same time. Keiichi was at a loss for words.
He was talking to god for crying out loud.

	"I suppose...uh sir."

	Kami chuckled. "Humble too I see." He moved on to Urd. "I'm glad to see
that you are finally able to get here on time for a change."

	Urd kept looking forward almost militarily. Gone was her usual playful
attitude. Keiichi had never seen her this serious before. "I was just doing
what I was told my lord."

	He nodded. "I see...Skuld my child, I see you have brought the other
mortal."

	"Yes my lord."

	"Good good. I want to speak with these two alone if you please."

	Urd looked at him questionably. "With Keiichi and Megumi? What for?"

	Kami looked at her with some compassion. "You will soon know for yourself.
Please, take your sisters to your old quarters. And let me know when
Belldandy wakes up, if you don't mind."

	Urd looked confused but consented nonetheless. "Yes my lord." She walked
over and took Belldandy from Keiichi's arms, giving Keiichi a strange 'I
wish I knew what was going on' look as she did. Skuld lay Megumi down gently
on the floor and started back towards the door along with Urd.

	Keiichi watched them until the doors shut again. He looked back at Kami. He
was leaning over his sister. "Alright little one, time to come back to the
waking world." He touched her forehead with a finger and her eyes shot open.

	She sat up slowly, hand on her head. Looking somewhat disoriented, she
glanced around the room. All of the sudden it dawned on her she wasn't at
home any more. She jumped up. "Wha!! Where am I? Who are you?" She looked
around feverishly and on her guard. The fear in her eyes was almost
hysteric.

	Kami paid little mind to her antics and remained very calm. "Be still my
child." He raised his hand, palm toward Megumi, and suddenly she became calm
and collected like she had been awake the whole time. The fear drained from
her eyes.

"Where am I sir?"

	Kami smiled. "You are in heaven. But before you think you have died, do not
worry. You are not dead, you are very much alive in fact."

	Megumi did show a look of confusion. "And, why would we be in heaven sir?"

	Kami once more put a finger to her forehead and closed his eyes. A beam of
light raced along his arm and into her head. She winced for a moment and
then looked at Keiichi, blinking a few times.

	"You little creep! Why didn't you ever tell me Belldandy and her sisters
were goddesses!?"

	Keiichi was taken a back at the sudden outburst. He realized then that all
the knowledge about Belldandy, Urd, and Skuld could have been passed so
quickly. He looked at his sister; she was half fuming and half being angry,
and figured there was no point in trying to make excuses. "Megumi, would you
really have believed me?"

	She blinked. The anger seemed to disappear, replaced by confusion again.
"Hmm...I guess I wouldn't have would I?"

	Keiichi smiled. Kami looked less than enthused. "My children. You are
probably wondering why I have you brought here. Especially since you are not
dead."

	The two siblings nodded.

	"You see," He began walking back to his desk. "You two are very special too
us."

	"We are?"

	"Yes, Keiichi. You especially."

	Keiichi's eyebrows went up. "Whatever for? I've never done anything
special."

	Kami sat back down in his chair and turned it to face the front of the
desk. He waved his hand and two more smaller, yet no less luxurious, black
chairs appeared before him. "Please, have a seat."

	Keiichi looked at his sister and shrugged. Together they both took a seat
in front of god.

	"Ah, where should I begin?" Kami clasped his hand together in thought. "I
guess the beginning would be quite sufficient." He looked at Keiichi. "Son,
do you remember fully what happened to you in your youth?"

	"You mean about me and Belldandy?"

	"Yes."

	"I do remember most of it, I think."

	Kami seemed slightly disappointed. "I guess that's better than nothing...
Keiichi, about the same time you were born, I created Belldandy. I guess
that's nothing short of coincidence, except for the fact that I had not
planed on creating any of the three girls you know. And Belldandy just
happened to fall about the same time you did.

"Well, anyway, I'm rambling again. I'll try to get to the point... You see
son, there is a terrible evil that has been growing in the world. Poverty,
drugs, beatings, war, all of it growing more so now than it ever has before.
I am sure you have noticed it. I created Urd first, thinking that I could
somehow drive back the evil with her in the front. However, a demon
intervened somehow as she was forming. This unfortunate mishap gave rise to
a half-goddess, half demon Urd.

"After that... well I hate to use the word 'failure,' but it was in a sense,
but I figured that I would try to create a being strong enough to defeat
this evil again. This time I made my creation so pure that even 'if' evil
intervened she would still be glorious enough to triumph for our cause. Evil
however did not do so and you now know that creation as Belldandy. The
loving, caring, tenderhearted goddess we've all come to love. Right son?"

	Kami winked at Keiichi who blushed slightly. Kami chuckled to himself.
"Don't worry Keiichi, I have no problem with you two being together at
all...Anyway, where was I...Ah yes, we raised Belldandy to be a wonderful
goddess. Her teacher was Celestine. Lets just say that he was less than we
hoped he could have been for her. But still, before he pulled that stunt
with us, he was a profound teacher of wisdom and character for her. We
figured that she would be perfect for the destruction of the evil entity.
However, she turned out a bit, umm... 'too' pure. Pure in a sense that she
was almost a total pacifist. She refused to learn how to use any of her
powers for fighting or anything of that sort."

	Kami sighed and leaned his head on one arm on his desk. "But I guess we
can't hold that against her. She 'is' the best goddess we've ever had. Her
sister Skuld, though, was formed not for the evil, for by that time we knew
that she would not grow fast enough to combat it. She was formed because,
well actually, because Urd wanted her."

	Keiichi and Megumi raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

	"Oh yes, quite so. You may think of them as always fighting, but Urd cared
for her sister almost like her mother until she was called away for Sysop
duty and Skuld was sent to Yggdrasil for programming lessons. Anyway, this
is getting us farther from where we need to be.

"Keiichi when you were a boy, Belldandy met you and together you made a
promise to see each other again. We forbad that promise and had her erase
your memory because she was not licensed, nor did she have any idea what she
was doing. And we would have not thought twice about it afterwards had you
not said what you did."

	"What do you mean?"

	"I mean that it would have just been another mishap by an immature goddess
and we would have forgotten all about it after it was over. But you did
something that made us start thinking that maybe there was more to you than
we thought."

	"And what was that sir?"

	"You told Belldandy to go ahead and erase your memory. You didn't raise a
fuss or think twice. You just let her do it, knowing that if you did, she
would not be punished as severely. We found that extremely intriguing for
the likes of a five year old. Once she returned, we gave her to Celestine,
but we kept on watching you Keiichi. Everyday. We wanted to know what made
our Belldandy like you so much. Did you know, she talked about you almost on
a constant basis once she got back? She had convinced herself that one day
she would see you again."

	"Aww." Megumi elbowed her brother, smiling.

	"The moment she transferred to the relief goddess office we knew the reason
why. She wanted to grant you a wish. And we would have stopped her from
doing it too if we hadn't had a moment of thought. Keiichi, we knew what you
would wish for and we knew that you would take good care of our Belldandy.
But there was another reason we chose to let her go to you.

"You see, we still had the problem of the rising force of evil and yet we
still had no warrior. At least not one powerful enough, or that would use
their power. So we figured that if she were on earth, eventually she would
come to realize that the evil was spreading and that she would have to use
her power to stop it.

"But ...she didn't. And right now the time is nearing when war between
heaven and hell will break out again and we have no one to turn too. Our
only hope was Belldandy. We need her power and we need it fast."

	"Uh sir," Megumi raised a hand. "So why are 'we' here? This sounds like a
goddess thing to me."

	"This is where it gets difficult for you. You see, Belldandy has almost no
knowledge of her power. She knows its there but refuses to use it. We had to
come up with some way to awaken her power with out her resisting. So we
called Urd and told her to start heckling Skuld to no end in order to get
Belldandy on nerves end. Crude and mean, yes. But it was the only way we
could think of getting the job while making sure the demons never found out
what we were doing. We hoped that if the irritation grew that Belldandy's
limits would be stretched and that she would eventually do something
drastic.

"I.E. what you saw her almost do to Sayoko. We stopped that from happening
by use of hitting her in the head with a lightning bolt. No, this was not an
act of desperation. We had to have some way of stopping her and also a way
of destroying that earring of hers without tipping off the demons that we
were planning on using her. Call it killing two birds with one bolt of
lightning. The demons would never suspect that the pure, sweet Belldandy is
our greatest weapon."

Kami smiled, "Did you have that idea?"

Keiichi still looked a little confused. "No...You mean my Belldandy is...?"

"The greatest hope the world has and the most feared weapon ever developed."

Megumi stood. "You talk like she's nothing more than a thing, something for
you to use!"

"No no, my child. She is nothing like that in our eyes. To us she is the
greatest creation. She is wonderful. She loves Keiichi; she could certainly
not be a thing. When all is said and done she will have learned a great deal
and will be able to do whatever she wants. But right now you have to
understand that we need her to do what she was made for. To save all you
hold dear."

Megumi's anger subsided a little as understanding started sinking in and she
sat back down. Keiichi leaned forward. "But sir, what does all this have to
do with us?" He gestured between himself and Megumi.

"It has everything to do with you. You are more to us than just the mortals
who live with and love our goddesses. You have been their teachers and
advisors. You are their greatest influences and you are where the power of
their spirits rest. You, Keiichi, have been faithful to Belldandy ever since
she got there and we knew you would protect her even if you were to give
your own life. Am I correct?"

"I would sir."

"It is the fact that you love her and the fact that you mean so much to her
that makes you special to her. It is the fact you are their influences and
the inspiration that drives them on that makes you special to us. And it is
because of all this that I have made a recommendation, that has been
secretly passed by the council of high angels, and approved by Yggdrasil,
that you, Keiichi and Megumi Morisato will here by, this day, become
divine."

* * *

	Belldandy stirred slightly and opened her eyes. Her head was pounding, like
a bulldozer had just hit it. She put a hand to her head in a futile attempt
to make the pain leave her. What had happened? She sat up in the plush bed
she was in. Where was she? It looked like...heaven? Why in the world would
she be back home? She shook her head and tried to remember where she was
last. The pain of her head though made her thoughts seem immersed in a deep
fog. She had been sitting with Keiichi at the table...Then Sayoko came by
again...and then Sayoko tore off her shirt...but nothing after that rang a
bell.

Speaking of bells, her ear was ringing something awful too. She moved her
hand to it. She pulled and massaged her ear, hoping that maybe somehow it
would make the ringing would go away, and so would her headache. Something
though didn't fell quite right. She fumbled with her ear for another minute
before she realized what it was. Her earring was gone. A sharp dread hit
her. This was not good. That earring was the only thing keeping her power at
bay since she had never learned how to use it completely. She jumped out of
bed and looked into a mirror on the vanity at one end of the room. The mark
on her head was still a full diamond. She breathed a sigh of relief. It
seemed her power was still sealed somehow. Or it could be that she would
break the seal if she used her power at all.

She winced at that thought. After the she had been acting the past few days,
the last thing she wanted was to have all her power at her disposal at once.
She walked back and sat on the bed with a sigh. She wished everything was
back to normal. She didn't want to be mean, she wanted to be the nice and
friendly goddess she loved being and everyone loved being around. She wanted
to talk to Keiichi right now. She looked around the room. Where was he
anyway? Where was anyone?

She got up and walked to the door. Opening it a crack, she peeked out. Urd
was sitting, in what years ago used to be their kitchen, at the table
reading something. Skuld was sitting on the floor building something. No
Keiichi though. Her heart dropped a notch but she walked out to talk anyway.

Urd looked up from her romance novel. "So the sleeping beauty rises from the
dead. Its about time you woke up."

	Belldandy was still a bit dazed, as her head would not stop pounding.
"Urd... where is Keiichi?"

	"Keiichi and his sister are in having a chat with Kami-sama. Are you all
right? You don't look so good."

	Belldandy gasped. "What!? What are they doing up here?"

	"Don't ask me, its the lord's orders."

	Belldandy took a seat across from Urd and leaned on the table. A confused
look on her face. She sat for a moment looking at the floor, still holding
her head. "Do you know why?"

	"Not a clue. All Kami said was that 'we would know all in due time' or
something."

	She nodded. "I see. What are we doing back at our home anyway?"

	"I brought you all up here on Kami's orders, and when we had an audience
with him, he told me to book you guys over here. So here we are. Oh, he also
told us to wait and call him when you woke up."

	Belldandy nodded and glanced at her sister. "Speaking of...why was I
asleep... and where is my earring?" She pulled at her ear, it still feeling
odd from the removal of the normal weight.

	Urd winced a bit. "Umm...You mean you don't remember what you almost did?"

	Belldandy's face grew worried. "No...What did I almost do?"

	Skuld spoke without looking up from her little project. "You just about
killed Sayoko."

	'Big mouth.'

	Belldandy gasped and covered her mouth. She shot a desperate look at Urd.
"I didn't...Did I?"

	Urd sighed and set her book down. "Bell-chan, I'm afraid you did..." She
could see the anxiety and fret building exponentially on her sister. "But
don't worry, she was drunk and she'll think is was a dream."

	This did little to cure Belldandy's remorse. She began to weep of regret.
Urd got up and knelt beside her sister, putting her arm around her. She
shook her gently. "Come on sis. You didn't mean to do it; you just snapped
that's all. It could have been any one of us."

	Belldandy looked at Urd through tears and the anger at herself. "But it
wasn't you Urd! It was me! Me! Of all the people, I...I could never have..."
She trailed off and became quiet. Tears flowing freely down her face and
falling on Urd's knee. Her eyes staring off to a distant place. Urd just
hugged her little sister, a single tear running down her face as well.
'Kami-sama had better have a damn good reason for all this.'

	Skuld sat quietly watching as Urd comforted her sister. She was somewhat
amazed that Urd had a sensitive bone anywhere in her body. After being
tormented all week she had come to think that Urd was nothing more than a
constant pain in the neck. But, then why would she be so...loving all of the
sudden?

She noticed a tear fall from her eldest sisters eye. A tear? Urd, cry? Maybe
she was more than Skuld gave her credit for. But then why had she been
acting so mean to her lately? And why would she have been promoted with out
her knowing about it? It just didn't make sense. She shook her head and went
back to her work on power regulator bracelet Urd had insisted on being
built, figuring that was all she could do right now.

Skuld didn't know why Urd had been so insistent on it, but ever since they
had come here she had been making sure that it was getting done. She didn't
know why she was even bothering to listen to her older sister. Maybe it was
the trace of desperation and urgency that lined her voice when she asked.

She blinked away a tear. That's not they needed right now. No crying. She
tried concentrating on the bracelet, but the soft sound of Belldandy kept
forcing itself in her ear. Just the overwhelming remorse of it all. It was
like Belldandy hadn't been in control of herself but she was still taking
responsibility. It was just all too much for Skuld's young mind.

Everything had happened so fast, nothing had even had a chance to sink in
and now it all wanted to sink in at once. Belldandy 'had' almost killed.
Killed. How...why? Nothing quite made sense any more.

* * *

	Keiichi's eyes had not blinked for a full minute and his mouth hung
slightly open. He could not believe what he had just heard. Megumi was
almost a mirror image of her brother. His mouth was moving tying to say
something but nothing would come out. Kami sat patiently and smiled at them.
Keiichi finally got something out.

"Co...Come again?"

	Kami smiled all the more and leaned forward on his desk. "I said, you and
your sister are now going to be third class gods, with limited licenses."

	Keiichi sat back. His mouth twitching at one corner. "Heh heh...You can't
be serious."

	"Oh, but I am quite serious. We need your help, Keiichi and Megumi. You two
are the closest to the three sisters and you have the heart for it. If that
doesn't suffice for you then lets say this is a strategic move on our part.
Of course you don't 'have' do go through with it if you don't want to... Do
you have any objections to becoming a god?"

	Megumi was just now sort of letting it sink in. "Uhh...I guess not." She
looked at Keiichi. He looked back with an unbelieving stare.

	"Good, good." Kami picked up the phone on his desk. "Hello, Ashel. Get me
Michel...Thank you...Hello Michel, that's a go ahead...Yes it is." He set
the phone back down and looked back at the two siblings, folding his hands.
"In about one minute my request will be processed by Yggdrasil. At that time
there is no going back. Are you absolutely sure?"

	They nodded sheepishly. What was there to lose?

	Kami stood and started walking towards where there was a large circle
engraved into the floor near the doors. The circle looked like a large
pattern, as the one Urd used to keep Belldandy on earth. He motioned for
brother and sister to come to him. They rose cautiously and walked to him.

As they neared Kami, he pointed for them to stand in the center. "There you
go. Now, stand right there and clear your mind. It will be quite a rush I am
sure." He stepped away just as the ornate pattern started to glow with a
blue tint. The ancient runes inscribed in the circle highlighted themselves
in blue light. The glow seemed to overflow the markings and filled the
circle completely. Small white streams of light began to burst out of the
blue towards the ceiling. It was almost like they were standing in a
fountain of light.

Soon the small white streams grew in number and became columns rather than
spurts. There were so many of them that the circle was now the base of one
huge white column of light. Keiichi felt himself slowly being lifted off the
ground. He started to feel the light enter every pore in his body,
penetrating his soul so to speak. His mind felt light and free. He could see
nothing but white, yet he could see everything all at once. He could hear
nothing but the gentle rush of air, yet the sounds of the earth, everywhere
all at once, were picked up by his ears. The sensation was overwhelming,
exhilarating, everything. Then suddenly the upward motion of power stopped
and the light fazed into a dark, neon blue.

Keiichi's senses became numb and his mind started feeling strange. Still
floating in the air, his life started replaying through his mind. Every
event so exact and detailed, it was as if he was reliving it. He saw his
birth, his sister's birth, his school years, the meeting with Belldandy, the
wish, the life he had been living for the past few years. Then as soon as
his life story had started, it stopped as well. Keiichi felt the air around
him getting thick, almost like water.

The column of blue light started crackling with black lighting around its
edges. The power Keiichi felt started moving towards the floor. Slowly at
first, but it began increasing in speed and intensity. He opened his eyes
but he did not see the chamber he was in. He saw instead the formation of
the universe. The intense power cascaded down on him now so hard, it was
like a hurricane gushing passed him. His sight was nothing but the history
of the earth. Life, love, hate, grass, trees, people, kingdoms, wars, more
and more went by faster and faster. His head felt like it was about to
explode. Like the hurricane around him was coursing through every inch of
his mind and soul.

The images, the scenes flew past at a million miles an hour. The life story
of every human ever to walk the earth flashed past his eyes. He suddenly
knew the names, ages, birthdays, loves, and enemies of everyone everywhere.
The ground Kami was standing on began to shake, wind howling from the light,
which had since turned black with white lightning. Languages dead and alive
entered his mind as fluently as if he had invented them himself. Keiichi saw
the death of everyone. The wars, the atrocities, the hate, the evil. It was
all he could take. Keiichi screamed, shutting his eyes and shaking his head.
Yet the images did not stop. He saw the future. His pupils shrunk to almost
nothing. He put his hands over his head and screamed again.

Suddenly the column exploded, not destroying anything, but throwing energy
out around the chamber.  Kami covered his eyes and waited for the noise to
cease. Finally he looked up again. Keiichi and Megumi hung, still suspended
in mid air, unconscious. Slowly they floated down to the ground as a few
strings of lightning crackled around their bodies. Kami walked over to them.

"Ahh...Wonderful! Glorious." He bent over and inspected them. Their clothes
had disappeared and had been replaced by simple sleeveless white robes. He
looked at their foreheads. Keiichi now had a light blue inverted diamond
just like Belldandy's, yet it was slightly wider than hers, with edges that
curved inward, between his eyes. Smaller versions were on his cheeks. Megumi
had a dark blue oval, standing on end with a void like Skuld's in the middle
of it, on her head. Diamonds like Keiichi's were on her cheeks.

Kami stood and smiled, clapping his hands together with joy. "Splendid. This
was most exciting." He walked slowly to his desk and picked up the phone.
"Hello Ashel...No, it was nothing, do not worry about it. Please put me
through to Michel...Thank you...Hello Michel...Yes, it was a tremendous
success. Please come and take our new borns to my residence for them to
rest. They will need much rest after all they just learned." He turned at
looked at the two sleeping bodies and grinned. "Yes, and when you do that,
go and tell Urd and her sisters to come to me."

* * *

	Urd sat back down at the table. Waving her hand, she produced a cup of
coffee for herself. She figured she might as well. Belldandy was still
sitting where she had been since she had come out of her room, quietly
sipping the same black liquid every now and again. Urd had calmed her down
to a point, at least where she didn't look like death warmed over anymore.
Urd had figured the coffee might help her calm down some more. It worked for
humans, why not goddesses? But still, Belldandy's eyes were distant.
However, they were a far cry from before when she had been impersonating a
waterfall.

Urd went back to reading her book, catching a glimpse of her sister every so
often.	After a minute or two, she realized that she couldn't quite focus on
her book. She laid it back on the table and stared out one of the windows.

Something wasn't right. After calling Ashel and informing her of Belldandy's
arrival back to the world of the living, she couldn't help but feel that
something was out of the ordinary. Urd had heard a dull rumble a few minutes
before now, but had thought nothing of it. But now that she did think about
it, there wasn't any thunder up here. Also, at the time of that rumbling she
had felt some kind of power, like a breeze, go right through her. It seemed
so strange.

She shrugged it off, trying not to dwell on it too long. She'd get a
headache if she kept thinking about it much longer. She looked back at
Belldandy. She was still sitting there, silent. Urd sighed and decided to
check on Skuld. She had taken a break from the bracelet and was now lying on
the floor just staring at the ceiling and kicking her legs in the air. It
was, all in all, way too quiet and for Urd, boring.

Suddenly a knock was heard on the front door. Skuld sat up again with her
hands in her lap. Urd almost leapt to the door. 'Finally, maybe someone who
will liven this bunch up.' She looked out of the peephole. A tall, strong
looking man with almost form fitting white clothes and what looked to be
shoulder length blonde hair stood just beyond her. "Who is it?"

Whoever it was spoke with a deep, almost sensual voice. "Michel...Its been
too long... Urd."

Urd took a step back and gulped. Skuld was puzzled. "Who is it Urd?"

"Its...its Michel."

Skuld got a slight touch of nervousness too and started to twiddle her
thumbs. Urd grabbed the handle of the door and took a deep breath. She
opened the door putting on her best fake smile. "Why...look Skuld its
Michel. Good to see you Michel ol' buddy, ol' pal. Come on in wont you?" She
smiled with her teeth all glowing pearly white.

Michel gave her no heed and stepped in the door, passing her. She stood a
second controlling herself. Turning she shut the door behind her. Michel
stood in the center of the room and crossed his arms. "Urd I know we are not
on the best terms, but it is not my wish to be here. Kami-sama has told me
to come and bring you all to his office."

"You have a talent for understatements... Michel. We were just leaving
anyway. Come on Skuld, Belldandy...Belldandy?"
	Belldandy looked up slowly, just then realizing that Michel was there. She
smiled faintly and set her now empty cup down on the table. Standing, she
bowed slightly and spoke for the first time in about an hour. "Hello Michel.
It has been quite a while. It is good to finally see you--"

"No its not." Urd grabbed Belldandy by the arm and literally dragged her out
of the house, Skuld in toe. Belldandy gave Michel a quick apologetic wave as
Urd carted her off.

Michel stood in the room still, now alone. He sighed and looked around the
room. It was still unchanged since he was last in there. He turned and was
about to leave when he spotted something on the floor near his feet. Bending
down, he examined it. It appeared to be a retaining bracelet. 'It must be
for Belldandy. Skuld was probably building it. I think I'll take it to her
when she is done in Kami's office. Maybe it might get me on good terms with
at least one of them.' Picking it up, he slipped it into a pocket in his
trousers. Giving the room one last look, he left to follow the others.

* * *

	Warm light coursed over the sleeping body of one newly formed god.
Keiichi's eyes twitched as the light interrupted his slumber. Consciousness
returned his mind to the world of the aware. He thought for a second about
the strange dream he had just had. It was almost comical. He had come to
heaven and Kami had turned him into a god. He smiled slightly and sat up.
His eyes slowly starting to work in the bright light.

He blinked a few times and yawned, stretching out his arms. Glancing around
he suddenly discovered he was no longer dreaming. The room he was in was
very plain but nonetheless...glorious. One wall was nothing but windows that
let in the sun. The floor, made of marble, bounded the light to the other
three white walls. The bed he was sitting on was very plush with white silk
sheets. Just to his left he noticed a vanity. Keiichi locked his eyes on it,
unbelieving what he saw.

On his forehead was a very prominent blue mark. A diamond like Belldandy's
yet, the sides were curved in. He put his hand to it. It felt like ordinary
skin, like it 'was' his skin. He rubbed it, making sure it wasn't a trick
Urd was pulling on him. The mark stayed put. No smudges, no streaks. He was
still slightly bewildered, and then he noticed his clothes. Or cloth.

Keiichi got out up out of the bed and stood facing the mirror. He was
wearing a long white robe. Actually it was more like a long sack with holes
for his head and arms. Simple and white. He felt of it with his fingers. It
felt like satin, though a little softer. He dropped his hands to his side
and looked in the mirror. So, he hadn't been dreaming after all. He was
a...god.

Keiichi smiled at this thought. 'I'm a god.' He laughed inwardly. 'Wont my
sempai be shocked.'

------
end pt 3

C & C PLEASE send to tsunami.no.ai@home.com (Be constructive in critisism)

Ben Craton
--------
http://members.home.net/tsunami.no.ai
--------
"Promise is not as simple as you think. Whether or not it is in a set form
or not, the importance of a promise does not change."
-Belldandy

	     .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
             | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
             | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
             |     Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject     |
             `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'