Plague of Skulds  Part 1 of 8

An Oh! My Goddess Fanfic

By Jim Nutley

jnutley@lvnexus.net
Please send me comments!  Good or Bad.

All characters created by Kosuke Fujishima were used without
permission, as were characters from products by Studio CLAMP and
Bandai.  This story may not be sold.  Many thanks to Brett Handy for
allowing me to use his character Brett, God of Destiny. Many thanks 
to Lloyd Goodbar for allowing me to use his character Riana, a 
Goddess of Relief Goddess Office.   

Please do not repost this fanfic, since I will be modifying it in 
response to comments from the ML.  I will make a repostable version 
available when I have had a chance to respond to comments.

Continuity Notes:  This Fanfic uses the OMG OAV as primary story
source, with some manga and fanfic influence.  A frame in OAV5 shows a
sign which says XMAS 94.  In another part of the same story Belldandy
comments that they have only been together 9 months.  This could
produce the following timeline, which is what I use for this story:

March 94:  Belldandy appears to Keiichi, he makes his wish. (OAV1)
August 94:  Urd interferes, get banished to Earth (OAV2)
September 94?:  Skuld moves in to the Temple too. (OAV3)
December 94:  Ring/Recall Crisis. (OAV 4-5)
January 96: Fanfic - Many Shades of Urd by Lloyd Goodbar
Feb 95 - Aug 95:  various Manga stories, including the Terrible Master
Urd and Peorth plots
September 95-Feb 96:  Fanfic - Oh My God! by Brett Handy
June 96:  Fanfic - Plague of Skulds (this fanfic)


**************


June 1996.  Finals for the quarter were over, summer vacation was
starting, and right now Nekomi campus was becoming as empty as it ever
got.  Keiichi sat on the Temple house's porch and tried to find a center. 
Not that he had ever been too good at meditation and stuff, but the parts of
his mind were bouncing back and forth in wildly different directions,
taking in concerns of the upcoming weeks and mixing them with test
questions he'd already answered, for good or ill, and just generally driving
him crazy.  Like; in Mech 345, where the whole test had been one
question, different for each student, his was to design a six cylinder car
engine, in as much detail as possible, during the two hours provided; if
he'd increased the angle between the two banks of pistons by five degrees
would the torque have improved, or would that require too heavy a cam-
shaft, and did he have enough money to cover this week's groceries, and
the gas bill, with any left over or were a few quick hours at an odd job
necessary, and what WERE the favorite themes of the principal dramatists
of the Heian period? and had his answer made him sound like he was just
filling space on the page, not to mention the inevitable but unguessable
tasks that his Sempei's would think up for him at the motor club this
summer.  Gaaah.  If he was having this much trouble as a student, what
would his life be like when he graduated?


She startled him.
Because she never made a sound.
Walking around in her white socks, which were clean, always.
She had tea on a tray, and set it down beside them.  Again, not a sound.
Then she knelt, to sit on her heels, with perfect straight backed posture,
and made
the slightest rustle as she settled her skirt on the porch.
Hands folded neatly in her lap.
Large blue eyes turned to him.
Her small smile.

More than a heartbeat, and less than an hour later, or was he sure of that?,
it came to Keiichi that he was just sitting there, letting the tea get cold, lost
in her eyes while Belldandy waited for him to act.  Suddenly even his
breathing sounded loud and harsh.  He reached for the near tea cup, even
the fingers on his hand looked awkward as they spread to grasp it.  By
some miracle he didn't spill any as he lifted it up towards his face.  He
paused with the cup about even with his chin.

And she, all grace, took her own cup up, to the same position.
At the identical moment, both touched cups to lips and sipped.

He was going to get lost in her eyes again, Keiichi thought, and look like a
real fool this time because he was going to forget to move his cup away
from his lips.  He made himself blink, made himself lower the cup.

Belldandy bent to set her cup back on the tray,
and a wisp of her light brown hair, fell away from behind her ear
to brush her cheek near the corner of her mouth,
and slid back as she straightened,
as if in a caress.

And his throat tightened,
And his hand reached out to put the hair back behind her ear.
Which was just an excuse,
To touch her face.
She allowed it,  and her smile never faltered.
"ONEESAMA!!" shouted Skuld as she slammed the screen out of her way
and stormed onto the porch, "Urd is mucking around with the food again!"

Keiichi snatched his arm and hand back into his own lap so violently that
the tea cup, forgotten in his other hand, sloshed warm liquid out onto his
pants.  His face turned a bright shade of ashamed red.

"I was getting a snack!" Urd parried as she joined them.

"With that jar of yours under your arm?" countered Skuld.

"It's just spices!" replied Urd "I'm trying to dress up the taste of this bland
stuff."

Belldandy reluctantly opened her mouth, to quietly ask, "Sisters, must we
be so discordant?", but Urd flipped a few locks of snowy white hair over
her smooth bronzed shoulder, bent down next to Keiichi, and put her hand
on his arm.  Urd's tone of voice dripped soft understanding.  "You know
Keiichi, if you'll let me teach you a few exercises, and you practice
diligently, you'll be able to hold on till just the right moment."

Keiichi's face did a credible imitation of a sky at sunset.

"Don't let her change the subject Oneesama", insisted Skuld, "She's
always ...Ewww, you mean you just sat their and didn't even try to make it
to the bathroom?"

Maybe he could wish to drop dead, Keiichi thought to himself.

"No No," Urd said, with a smile growing on her face, "He just wasn't
using his head."

"IT'S TEA!", Keiichi finally lost it, "TEA, TEA, TEA!  I spilled some
Tea!"  He held up the cup for emphasis.

"Clumsy." commented Skuld.

"Denial won't help you improve."  Urd stated with a superior air.

"I'm....going to go change my clothes", Keiichi said through clenched
teeth.  Damn, he thought, once again Sisters-40 / Keiichi-0.  He headed
stiffly in the direction of his room.

Skuld was back on track as soon as the screen closed behind Keiichi.  Her
voice dripped sarcasm, "I think you should show us your 'spices' Urd,
maybe Oneesama would want to use them for dinner tonight."

Urd, instead of replying, sat down in Keiichi's place, and actually looked a
little regretful.  Skuld, surprised at Urd's reaction, followed her eyes to
Belldandy.  Belldandy had her head bent down, so that her eyes were
focused on the spot where her own knees were covered by her long skirt.

"We DID interrupt again, didn't we", Urd said.

Belldandy made no answer.

"But", started Skuld, "I wasn't trying to ..."

Belldandy lifted her head.  "One would think", she quietly said, "That a
Goddess first class, commercial license, having gathered under one roof
three of those she held most dear, could keep them and herself ... so
perfectly happy."

"Hey," Urd interjected, "how about me and the brat take a vacation? 
Keiichi doesn't have to be in school for a while.  You two could be alone
for once."

"No Way!" Skuld replied "I don't WANT to go anywhere with you!  And
if we leave them alone Keiichi might try some of that dirty stuff on
Oneesama."

"That's the point, brat!" hissed Urd, clenching her own teeth in her turn,
"What do you think is going on down here anyway?"

"It's a contract!", Skuld replied, horrified "Oneesama doesn't have to let
Keiichi do any pervert stuff to her!"

"Well" Urd turned to Belldandy "Except for you, I guess meddling runs in
our family."

"You take that back!" snapped Skuld.

"It's very clear now." Urd continued, turning on Skuld, "You've been
preventing them from getting together all along.  Orchestrating
interruptions, probably even sabotaging my efforts to help."

"It's not true!" wailed Skuld.

"Konichiwa, Skuld" said a small voice from off the patio.  Belldandy
immediately turned to the new person, was surprised at who it was but
also relieved that with all the distractions just now it wasn't anyone
malicious.  However, the small voice's volume, and unassuming tone,
were much too low to get any notice from Urd or Skuld.  Urd was
pressing her momentary advantage.

"If you hadn't moved in, brat, I'd bet they'd be sleeping in the same room
by now."

"You've got to be the most lecherous, disgusting person in all the
heavens!"

"Isn't it time you grew up?  If anything, her desire is much stronger than
his."

"Skuld?", said the small voice.

"Make her take that back, Oneesama!" Skuld was letting this line of
thinking get to her, and her voice betrayed a hint of panic, "It can't be
true!"

"Skuld", Belldandy answered, "You have a visitor."

Urd had another barb ready, "You can't expect to get any more power if
you aren't able to handle such simple, ADULT issues."

"That's IT!" shouted Skuld, and from out of a pocket hidden somewhere in
her outfit she snagged one of Skuld's Own, All Purpose, Modular,
Explosive Mini-Spheres.  She was ready to throw it at her offending and
offensive sister, grenade fashion.  Urd wasn't the least bit surprised, since
baiting Skuld into a frenzy would make everyone forget all about what she
herself had been about to do when the brat caught her.  As for that bomb,
her own 'fast cast' lightening bolt spell would set it off before little sister
had a chance to start throwing it.  The two of them might easily have
knocked burning holes throughout that part of the temple had not a
diminutive figure jumped between them at that very moment.

A bit shorter than Skuld, her hair was yellow, not blond, and hung about
her head in a mane of tiny curls.  She had a clean open face and bright
expressive eyes, but it was hard to say just what color they were.  Her
clothes were a conservative skirt and jacket combo, over a turtleneck
sweater that must have been terribly hot to wear at this time of year. 
Something about the way she moved, or maybe her aura, gave anyone
who looked at her the instant feeling that she was just a naive little girl. 
And there she stood, right between Urd and Skuld.  "Please excuse me,
Skuld," she said "but if you're very busy I'll come back later."

"Terai!" Skuld lost her bomb and embraced the girl.

Urd scooted back to whisper to Belldandy.  "Damn! Who let her on the
surface world!"

"Someone," Belldandy whispered back, "Terai's to sweet to disobey
regulations, she must have permission to be here."

"How did you get away?" Skuld asked, "Shouldn't you be very busy right
now?"

"No," replied Terai, "We've called a brief lull and Grandmother suggested
I come see this world for myself."

"We gotta get her out of here", Urd whispered.

"No", said Belldandy "And you'll not tease her, or offend her in any way
while she is here."

"I know what we're dealing with", Urd shot back, "And you and whoever
are taking a crazy chance that she won't loose it."

"Also Urd, I'll explain to Keiichisan, when the time is right."

Skuld and Terai were rattling on, about what had happened to Skuld since
they last met, about all the things to do in Nekomi City, about growing up
in general.  Terai had three questions for every statement or answer
Skuld gave her, and Skuld was so excited that she was starting to plan
itineraries for them.  Urd was listening skeptically and Belldandy was
beginning to pick up the tea tray to take it back to the kitchen when
Keiichi came out in a clean pair of slacks.  Belldandy immediately made
introductions.  "Keiichisan, this is Terai, Skuld's friend."

Keiichi saw a girl, maybe twelve but more likely eleven years old.  She
had no Goddess markings.  Keiichi went straight into host mode.  "Hello,
welcome to our home."

"Oh thank you, you're very nice to accept me", said the girl, with a bow
yet.  But she sounded quite sincere, and even with his experiences of the
past two years living with one or more Goddesses, the girl looked so
harmless and kind, Keiichi wasn't suspicious.  Her take on Japanese
speech and manners was too formal, maybe even archaic, old text books
wherever she came from, he guessed.

"Can you visit long?"

"Oh no, this will be a very short visit", she said sorrowfully.

'Better and better' thought Keiichi, though he felt a little guilty as he
thought it.  'A polite, petite little visitor to get Skuld off our backs for a few
days, and then she goes home'.  Keiichi decided he liked this girl with the
odd colored hair.  "Please come in and be comfortable", he said.

"You can stay in my room. Come on!" Skuld said.  And she pulled Terai
at a near run into the temple house.

"She seems nice" said Keiichi.

"Oh yes", Belldandy answered, "Terai is always polite, sometimes even
timid."

"She isn't a Goddess, because she doesn't have face markings, right?"

"That's right in this case, Keiichisan."

"Humph." commented Urd, as she slipped back inside the house.


*************


Dinner, lovingly and expertly cooked as usual, left five rather content
feeling 'people' in the house.  Once the dishes were washed and put
away, Belldandy and Keiichi settled in the TV/Dining room, he with a
motorcycle magazine and she with her latest knitting project.  Urd was
flipping from channel to channel on the TV, bored with just about
everything.

"Terai just take it, I promise he won't mind" said Skuld in the hallway, but
Terai walked into the TV room and stood near Keiichi.

"Excuse me", she said "But may I look at one of your books, in the
hallway bookshelf?"

"Sure", Keiichi replied.

"Good grief" said Skuld, marching in with a coffetable volume under her
arm, "You don't need to treat him like a king."

Belldandy looked like she was about to remind Skuld of her manners,
which always made Keiichi uncomfortable, he didn't want to come
between Belldandy and her little sister, so he jumped in before Belldandy
could speak, "Which book is that anyway?"

Terai retrieved the book from Skuld and handed it to Keiichi.  Keiichi
held it up and scooted over to the dining table.  "Ah" Keiichi said
"Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, I got this as a gift back in high school. 
Haven't read it much since."

"It has pictures of stars and planets on the spine" said Terai.

"Yeah," Keiichi answered, "There's a big section on alien worlds",  And he
opened the book and flipped to those pages.  "Ice planets, jungle planets,
desert planets .."  Keiichi had forgotten how cool the illustrations were. 
Terai and Skuld had settled at the table on either side of him.

"Ohh, what's that?" interrupted Terai.

"Aa,.. a Rosette," answered Keiichi, "That's where three or more planets of
about the same size orbit a common center of gravity, and that center
orbits the star."

"You realize," Skuld interjected dryly, "That the odds against such a
formation actually existing are so high, you'd need divine intervention to
make one".

"Well," Keiichi answered "You know more about science AND divine
intervention than I do, so I'll leave the rest to you."  Keiichi slid back from
the table and Skuld closed the distance between herself and Terai, who
was now completely enthralled in the book.  In a few moments the two
girls were quietly engaged in a very technical discussion, with Skuld
tapping on her calculator and covering pages in her notebook with
calculations.  'You can tell she's Skuld's friend', thought Keiichi, as he
buried his nose back in his magazine.  For a few minutes it was almost
peaceful.

Plop!  Into Skuld's lap jumped a half meter tall version of Urd, "Hey Sis,
whaca doin?"

"Calculating" replied Skuld, clearly annoyed.  "You wouldn't be
interested."

"Sure I would" said a second little Urd, who popped between Skuld and
Terai and snatched the notebook out of Skuld's hand.

"Hey!", shouted Skuld, "You bring that back!"  She would have stood up
to take it back, except the first little Urd was still in her lap.

"I can't follow any of this." said the second little Urd, "What do you
think?", and with that she tossed Skuld's notebook across the room, where
a third little Urd caught it.

"Oneesama!, Make her stop!" Skuld whined, while she shoved the first
little Urd off her lap and stood up.

"Urd." Belldandy called quietly.

"I'm not doin anything.", replied a fourth little Urd, who was still watching
television.

"Actually Urd," Belldandy said without even looking up from her knitting,
"One fifth of you is trying to sneak your newest love potion into my tea,
which IS what Skuld caught you doing this afternoon."

"Yikes!" said the fifth little Urd, as she froze on the kitchen counter, her
bottle in one hand, her other hand opening the Darjeeling tea canister.
"I KNEW IT!," screamed Skuld, as she yanked out her mallet and swung
down on the nearest little Urd.  The target dodged the blow and stuck out
her tongue at Skuld.

Belldandy spoke even more quietly, yet her words cast an echo,
"**Hollybell, I bid you appear.**"  This time, a tiny form flashed into
existence in front of Belldandy, about as tall as the various little Urds, but
thin in proportion to her height, she wore a slender white robe and
hovered on wings before her mistress.  "Hollybell, bring me the jar that's
just now in Urd's hand."  Hollybell spun toward the kitchen and swept in
like a hawk.

"No fair!" yelled one little Urd, dashing out of the kitchen with the jar
tucked in her arms like a football, "She'll never give up till she gets it!" 
As if to emphasize Urd's point, the diminutive angel was right behind her,
flitting from side to side, looking for an opening.  The other Urds were not
idle, two of them grabbed a magazine and rushed the embattled Urd with
the jar.  As Urd with the jar ducked low, the two jumped up and over her
with the magazine spread between them like a net.  Hollybell barely
managed to avoid being snared.  But Urd with the jar wasn't out of danger
as Skuld leapt toward her with mallet held high.  Urd with the jar dodged
out of the way but found herself cut off from escape.

"Excuse me," Terai said to Keiichi, "Would you explain to me how this
spaceship works?"

"You fit in well around here." commented Keiichi as he scooted back over
to the table.

Keiichi started trying to answer Terai's questions.  He was much less
accurate and knowledgeable than Skuld, but Terai seemed satisfied just
having him try.  Two Urds tackled Skuld at the ankles and her mallet
knocked a hole in the floor just to one side of Urd with the jar, while the
remaining Urds struggled separately to capture Hollybell, who was diving
at Urd with the jar with increasing accuracy.  Belldandy serenely
continued her knitting.  Then one Urd hit on the idea of batting Hollybell
out of the air with a handy pillow.  The stroke sent the angel spinning
through the air to the other side of the room, but so distracted the Urds, as
they sent up a cheer, that one of Skuld's Own, All Purpose, Modular,
Explosive Mini-Spheres landed between them and exploded, singeing
three of them nicely.

Eventually, after significant collateral damage to the TV/Dining room
furniture, Hollybell brought Belldandy the jar.  Squeezing a pinch
between her thumb and forefinger, Belldandy complimented Urd on her
latest work, pronouncing it almost undetectable, then she thanked Urd for
a sample and wrapped some in a bit of paper she had in her pocket.  Urd
was quite depressed as she reunited herself into her single normal size,
since that particular mixture would now be carefully scanned for.

Skuld and Terai went to bed a little later.  Urd, either angry or
embarrassed by her botched 'potioning' attempt, had sulked off to her
room as well.  Keiichi and Belldandy, with muscle and magic, set about
putting the TV/Dining room back in order.


************


It was late when they finished.  Keiichi would have crashed before then on
a schoolnight, but this was the beginning of summer vacation.  Still he
wasn't going to pull an allnighter just for kicks.  Belldandy touched his
shoulder on his way down the hallway to his room.  "Skuld was rude to
you tonight, and I will speak to her about it."

"She's excited about having her friend here, I'm fine" Keiichi apologized. 
"Where did they meet anyway?"

"Skuld met Terai...", Belldandy hesitated, remembering? "...on a field
trip."

"They were schoolmates then?"

"Skuld needed tutors, classmates would never have kept up with her."

"She IS smart," agreed Keiichi, "But Terai was keeping up with her
tonight, and she's not even a Goddess, I guess that's one reason they're
friends."

The next thing he would have asked was, "If she's not a Goddess, what is
she?", but the words never came out of his mouth.  He was looking at
Belldandy, wondering what he dared say, or do, and what was right, or
wrong.  He ought to have the nerve by now!  How often would all sisters
be occupied?  Why was he afraid of what they would say anyway?

"Belldandy?"

"Yes?"

...but the silence stretched, and to keep from saying nothing, he said "I
guess we'll be escorting them around tomorrow, huh?"

"Oh Yes.  If you don't mind, of course.  Both of them could use some
looking after."

"That will be fine, really."  The moment, and Keiichi's nerve passed. 
Damn, there I go again, he thought.  "Well, goodnight then."

"Goodnight Keiichisan," she said.  Then she kissed him.

But after a moment, she turned away, and went to her own room.


**************


It was dawn.  Urd was asleep of course, so was Keiichi.  Skuld was
groggily getting herself together in the bathroom, because Terai was
already up, dressed and ready for the day.  Belldandy was at work in the
kitchen, but she noticed Terai step out on the porch, face east and a little
north, and bow directly into the Sun as it first rose over the horizon.
In a moment Terai turned and came into the house.  Belldandy sought her
out.

"Terai, did you remember to bring any other clothes?"

"Ohh, I'm sorry, I'm supposed to change each day aren't I?"

"Varying your wardrobe is well thought of, I can help if you like."

"Actually these clothes are all in my head, and I can bearly change
colors."  As an example, Terai changed her turtleneck to a bright pink,
which didn't match the rest of her outfit at all.

"Please let me help you." said Belldandy, and a ball of light began to form
in her right hand.  The light sphere entranced Terai, so she said not a word
as Belldandy carefully modified the outfit.  Terai ended up in a sun dress,
with long bloused sleeves in a print of flowers with yellow blooms that
matched Terai's hair.

"That should be much more comfortable," Belldandy commented.

"Why?", asked Terai.

"Well, weren't you hot in your first outfit?"

Terai looked at Belldandy as if she were crazy, then understanding
dawned.  "Oh! you mean relative temperature.  I can't sense that at all, I'm
so terrible at that.  I just match to whatever I'm standing on.  Is that going
to get me in trouble?"

"No, no, you'll be fine", Belldandy answered her, "Are you able to feel
anything at all?"

Terai drew herself up a little bit, "I'm good at textures.  I can tell when
something is smooth or rough, even with my eyes closed.  I can feel when
something is hard or soft also."

"How about smells?" Belldandy asked as she started back toward the
kitchen, indicating Terai should follow.

"Well, I can tell you the exact atmospheric composition, down to
1/millionth part per cubic centimeter.  But I don't have a 'good' or 'bad'
reaction to smells."  Terai hung her head,  "There's just so much that
comes naturally to 'people', I don't know if I can ever get it all."

"I'm sure you'll learn quickly," said Belldandy, "In fact, if you would be
interested, I can teach you to chop and cut some of the things I'm fixing
for breakfast."

"What's breakfast?"

"A meal, Terai, we eat three times a day; in the morning comes breakfast,
about noon we eat lunch, and in the evening we eat dinner, which you
shared last night."

"So often!" commented Terai.

"It seemed often to me when I first came here also," explained Belldandy,
"But humans, like Keiichisan, need to put lots of fuel into their systems,
just to stay alive, and water also, few of them can go more than three days
without at least drinking something.  They just aren't stable physical
systems."

"Ohh," said Terai, "That seems so strange to me."

Skuld wandered into the kitchen just behind Belldandy and Terai. 
"Mrnng", she muttered semi-coherently, but she was dressed, and smiling.

"Good Morning, Skuld," said Belldandy, "Would you please set the table
while I show Terai how I cook?"

"Srr" answered Skuld, rubbing her face with her hands.

Skuld came alive as she did small things to prepare for breakfast. 
Belldandy taught Terai what she wanted as far as chopped vegetables
were concerned, and the three of them were ready and waiting when
Keiichi joined them.  Urd, as usual, declined to attend breakfast.

As they were finishing, the phone rang, and Belldandy jumped up to
answer it.  "Morisato residence."  A moment later she called back down
the hallway, "Keiichisan, it's Tamiya-sempai, for you."

"Oh No." Keiichi said, but he got up and took the call anyway.  "Yes,...
Yes Sempai, but I'm sure it won't take all week so ..., No Sempai, I don't
want them to ..., Yes Sempai, I'll be there."  Keiichi hung up the phone.  "I
expected this, but not on the first full day of summer break."

"What's the matter?" asked Belldandy.

"Tamiya-sempai's got another idea for improving the speed of the club's
drag racing bike.  I've promised to go work on it."  Keiichi's face showed
just how thrilled he was at the prospect.  "You could escort the girls
anyway and we could meet for lunch..., will that work?"

"Yes" replied Belldandy, "But only just.  I'll have to spend the afternoon
with you.  Perhaps Urd could escort Skuld and Terai then."

"We've been apart longer than that before," commented Keiichi, "Not that
I like it."

Keiichi's remark brought the hint of a smile to Belldandy's face.  "The
Ultimate Force System measures our average time together during each
lunar month, Keiichisan.  It also tests for compliance with your wish every
twenty four hours, unless a special waiver is granted in advance and
implemented at the systems maintenance office.  Usually we exceed the
required time together by a solid margin, but during finals I tried to
minimize your distractions."  Belldandy had that 'I apologize' look on her
face.  "If we're apart all day today, we'll have to spend the next few days
continually together."

"Hey," said Keiichi, "I'll just come with you three this afternoon.  We'll
meet for lunch, and I just won't go back to the motorclub garage today. 
Where are we going?"

"This afternoon Skuld wants to take Terai to the waterpark" Belldandy
answered.  "You and I could sit on the chairs next to the wavepool, so you
wouldn't have to swim."

"Most of the pools there are shallow enough to stand in, even for me. 
Could you pack my swimsuit with your things?"

"Of course, Keiichisan."

"Perfect, then I'm off.  See you at Noon."

"Yes, we'll see you then, Keiichisan"

A short time later Keiichi rolled out onto the road in the sidecar
motorcycle.